Living in Obama Land

I’ve kind of run into a rut with my posting here at Seeking Above.  So, I’ve started a new blog, Living in Obama Land.  I’m not abandoning Seeking Above, just trying something a little different.

Living in Obama Land is my attempt at “contextualized” blogging evangelism.  What that means is that I’ll be posting from a Christian world view but hopefully on topics that interest those that may have a secular world view.

Check out my first post, Auto Bailout - Good Idea or Bad Idea as well as my What's this blog about page.

P.S. I'm trying Wordpress on Obama Land.

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Red Letter Theology

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righ teousness,

I was reading some blog comments the other day about Christianity and homosexuality. One of the comments in support of accepting the homosexual lifestyle as an acceptable Christian lifestyle was that Jesus never condemned homosexual behavior in the Gospels. The point being made was that since Jesus was silent on the issue, this overrides whatever may have been stated in the Old Testament or in Paul's Epistles.

I've seen this logic used more than once and it's been gnawing at me for the last couple of weeks. I think what bothers me so much about this errant view of the Bible is that I've used this logic myself in the past to justify my own sins. It's a favorite practice of Christians to lean on the parts of the Bible that agree with our views on life but not on the parts of the Bible that disagree with our own bias.

My point here is not to argue the homosexual issue (I've raised that issue in a couple of other posts and comments if your interested - God Loves Gays, Seinfeld, Comment). I'm not saying that there cannot be strong arguments on both sides of a particular interpretation of scripture. My point here, is that you should not use Jesus' silence on an issue in the Gospels to override other biblical principles and truths.

There are probably many positions on the scope of the authority of scripture. For my case against what I am calling "red letter theology" I'll just assume a couple of broad views. One view is that all scripture is the infallible, inerrant word of God. An opposing view would be that the Bible was written by men, highly spiritual men, but men that had a personal and cultural bias included in what they wrote. Therefore, the Bible is not without its faults and is not infallible and inerrant.

If you hold to the first view, then you cannot put more weight on the Gospels and less on the rest of the Bible. It is all God inspired and it is all God's words, whether written in red or black ink. There is a NewTestament  covenant that has replaced the Mosaic law. However, we know this because the Bible declares this. Not because there are issues in the Old Testament not addressed in the New Testament.

If Moses said it, God said it. If Paul said it, God said it. If you don't believe this then you have to admit that you do not hold to the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.

The other broad view is that Bible is holy but not infallible and inerrant. However, even with this view, putting more weight on the Gospels than on other parts of the Bible is not logically sound. The Gospels were not written by Jesus. They were written by men that could have just as much personal and cultural bias in their accounts of what Jesus said as Paul has in his letters.

If you disagree with how a principle discussed in the Bible should be applied in our culture today, then do your homework and pray. God did not intend for His truth to be hidden from those that seek it. However, don't take the lazy way out by declaring everything is good that wasn't explicitly called out as evil by Jesus in the Gospels.

Let's not forget, Jesus made a point about speaking against man-made pharisaic interpretations of the Old Testament. If silence is to be given more weight to a particular view, then the case should be made that silence means agreement, not opposition.

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What Am I On The Earth For?

Do you ever ask yourself this question?  Did you come up with a good answer?  Do you know why you are here?  Do you know your purpose in life?

I think the older we get, the more important this question becomes to us.  Some may say that's quite tragic.  If we have a purpose in life, wouldn't it be much better to know that purpose when we're 20 rather than figuring it out when we're 60? 

I agree, it's tragic if you squander your purpose for your first 20 years of your life (I think I squandered much more than 20).  However, I'm not sure that means you don't still have a unique purpose at 60.

The problem is that the younger we are, the less we seem to care about a true purpose.  As we get older and see the end starting to approach, we naturally get more reflective.

There are quite a number of people and groups (religions, etc.) that will gladly offer to help you find your purpose.  I did a Google search and here is a small sampling:

Personal Development Expert, Steve Pavlina - write down any self-purpose you can think of on a piece of paper.  Keep doing this until something you write down resonates with you so deeply that you cry.
Bahá'í Faith- In summary, the spiritual reason for our life on earth is to provide us with a training ground; our life is a period of growth during which we focus on the development of our innate spiritual and intellectual capacities.
Want to Know . info - ...you can start to find and develop your own purpose and intentions by stopping for a moment and asking yourself two questions: "What is most important to me in my life? What are my deepest values and beliefs?" Consider inviting divine guidance and your own inner wisdom to help you with this.
Atheist, Aaron Ross Powell - The atheist, on the other hand, sees this life, the one each of us is currently living, as all we get. Death is final. Thus we need to make the most of life and instill great value in every moment because those moments are of limited quantity.
Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren - The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

You'll notice that the first four statements are more about "you" and the statement from Rick Warren is more about "God".  However, even with the "Purpose Driven Life" explanation, there is still an open question.  If my purpose is for God's purpose, then what is God's purpose?  Does he have a purpose or a task, specifically for me?

Personally, I believe God does have a specific purpose and specific tasks for each of us.  However, I'm not sure we'll ever know all of God's plans for us on this earth until after our time here is done.  I don't think we'll know everything because part of our purpose is to keep seeking.  The key is to seek from God, and he'll make his purpose for you today, known to you today, while tomorrow brings a whole new adventure.

Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV)
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
³⁴ "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus is talking about God providing your daily necessities if you seek God's kingdom and his righteousness today.  I don't think I am stretching the context here to make my point.  Isn't knowing your purpose in life, a necessity of life?

Enough preaching...

This is an open question for everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike.  We all are searching for meaning to our life.

So what's your definition of the purpose of life?  More importantly, what is your specific purpose for being here?  Have you thought about it?  Are you searching for it?  Have you found it?

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What if the Church Was Invisible?

I came across this great post about the church, or rather what the church should\could be. Jeromy from Mending Shift has graciously allowed me to re-post it over here on Seeking Things Above. Let me know what you think. If this message resonates with you, drop by and visit Mending Shift and give Jeromy a shout.

What if we, as the church, were invisible? What if we had no church buildings? No signs declaring a church location? No denominations or headquarters? No mega weekend gatherings? No Christian radio presence? No Christian stores? No Christian bumper stickers or other outward personal identifying stuff? What if the Yellow Pages didn’t have a “church” category and if you Googled “church” it came up with no search results? What if there was no such “thing” as the church? Would there still be a church?

What if we, as the church, were invisible? What if we simply lived the life of Jesus, speaking and displaying his love to the people we knew and came in contact with on a daily basis? What if we as followers of Jesus simply did just that? What if we gathered quietly in homes to break bread and encourage each other in Christ; where our goal would be to simply live as agents of God’s restoration, serving God and the “other” in real and tangible ways? What if church were not a weekend thing, but a people who radically lived behind the cultural scenes bringing God’s kingdom to earth?

What if God’s church was more like a tiny mustard seed instead of trying to be the biggest oak tree on the hill? What if Jesus’ church was more like a tiny amount of yeast…itself unnoticed, yet quietly transforming and restoring people and, in turn, culture? What if the Holy Spirit’s church sought to be the last and the least—a servant? What if the church daily sought self-death—dying to itself and loosing its life in order to find it—instead of doing all it can to save its life? What if God’s church chose to sit down in the least honored seat of society and culture, instead of clamoring and fighting for the most prestigious one? What if the church “thing” disappeared and all that was left was the church—people who realize they are forgiven and loved by God and who actively want to be a part of his restorative and healing work in lives of other’s?

In other words, what if the church was invisible—or even better: visible, yet invisible? What if?

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Why high gas prices?

While many environmental enthusiast may be quite happy with the current gas crises, because it forces Americans to think more about gas and oil usage, I don't think our economy can survive letting oil prices get out of control. What we are accomplishing, is increasing our dependency on other countries that want to see our downfall. I'm not a political expert, but common sense tells me this is a bad idea.

What's my Christian perspective on this issue? My concern is that our environmental policies are aimed at glorifying the environment over God. Does God want us to take care of our environment? Absolutely. Does he want us to do it at the expense of ignoring real human suffering and real human needs? Out of control oil prices mean people will lose their jobs. This winter people probably will die because they will not be able to afford heating for their homes.

We can't solve this oil crisis by burning food instead of oil. We can't solve this oil crises by ignoring the need for oil. Yes, we should be looking for alternative energy resources, and yes we should all be doing our individual part to conserve energy and protect the environment. However, let's not sacrifice our country and our people today for the sake of an unproven hope in the future. By unproven hope, I mean that nobody has laid out a realistic plan to protect our environment without devastating our economy. When the economy collapses, it won't be the rich that suffer alone, if the rich suffer at all.

My faith is my secure hope in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
¹ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

If our political policies are void of this same hope then we have no hope as a country. To the far right you have big Oil and big Money that want to make as much money as they can. Maybe that has gotten us to where we are in some measure. However, on the far left, you have big government and social activism where the cause is the god and real people are forgotten.

Romans 1:25 (ESV)
²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

As this article below points out, the social left has just as much responsibility to bear on our current crisis as the the oil companies themselves.

The information below was passed to me by a friend. I mention this because this may be posted elsewhere and I don't want to pass it off as my own original post. However, I agree with the premise below that we have over-legislated environmental concerns to the point of crippling our country. Feel free to comment and dispute anything mentioned in this post, however please provide links to articles that support any counter points.

.... Email Text Below ....

Please take a close look at this map. Then print it out and place it on your fridge where you will see it every day. This November on election day, take a long hard look at it before you go vote!

Gas at $4.00 a gallon. Who's to blame?

Thanks to the environmentalist lobby and its influence on Democratic legislators in Congress, the U.S. has, for decades, been prohibited from drilling for oil in places that we know contain billions of barrels of proven reserves.

Check out this map:

All of the 'NO' zones are places where the U.S. , thanks to the Democratic Party, is prohibited from drilling for oil.

But wait . it gets better.

***

China, Cuba, Canada and others continue to drill off our shores where US companies are not allowed to drill because of Democratic policies!

Yes, that's right . China and Cuba are actively exploring oil fields 50 miles from Key West, Florida while U.S. companies are barred from working in this area because of U.S. policy . So, instead of allowing the most environmentally responsible companies to operate there and increase our domestic supply, China, who has a dismal environmental record, is preparing to suck our close, lucrative oil reserves dry.

Unbelievable.

Investor's Business Daily recently explained how irresponsible the Democrats have been on the energy crisis. They lay into what they consider to be the worst Congress ever for ...

• Failing to allow drilling in ANWR. We have, as President Bush noted, estimated capacity of a million barrels of oil a day from this source alone -- enough for 27 million gallons of gas and diesel. But Congress won't touch it, fearful of the clout of the environmental lobby. As a result, you pay through the nose at the pump so your representative can raise campaign cash.

• Refusing to build new refineries. The U.S. hasn't built one since 1976, yet the EPA requires at least 15 unique 'boutique' fuel blends that can be sold in different areas around the nation. This means that U.S. refinery capacity is stretched so tight that even the slightest problem at a refinery causes enormous supply problems and price spikes. Congress has done nothing about this.

• Turning its back on nuclear power. It's safe and, with advances in nuclear reprocessing technology, waste problems have been minimized. Still, we have just 104 nuclear plants -- the same as a decade ago -- producing just 19% of our total energy. (Many European nations produce 40% or more of their power with nuclear.) Granted, nuclear power plants are expensive -- about $3 billion each. But they produce energy at $1.72/kilowatt-hour vs. $2.37 for coal and $6.35 for natural gas.

• Raising taxes on energy producers. This is where a basic understanding of economics would help: Higher taxes and needless regulation lead to less production of a commodity. So by proposing 'windfall' and other taxes on energy companies plus tough new rules, Congress only makes our energy situation worse.

These are just a few of Congress' sins of omission -- all while India , China , Eastern Europe and the Middle East are adding more than a million barrels of new demand each and every year. New Energy Department forecasts see world oil demand growing 40% by 2030, including a 28% increase in the U.S.

Americans who are worried about the direction of their country, including runaway energy and food prices, should keep in mind the upcoming election isn't just about choosing a new president. We'll also pick a new Congress.

If you agree with the need to let the American people know who's REALLY responsible for the sky-high gasoline prices we're seeing today, please forward this e-mail to everyone you know.

If we elect a liberal Democrat as president in the Fall and keep the same Democrat-controlled Congress, nothing will change; except gasoline prices, which will keep going up.

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Global warming - hype or truth and does it matter?

The reports that that in a recent poll only 51% of Christians and only 33% of evangelical Christians consider global warming a major issue. On the other hand, 62% of non-Christian religious people and 69% of atheist see global warming as a serious threat.

In 2006, some well known evangelicals signed a document called the Evangelical Climate Initiative. A couple of the more well known Christian leaders that signed the document were Rick Warren and Bill Hybels. However, World Magazine is now reporting another group of evangelicals have initiated a new campaign called, "We Get It." This new campaign is more in line with the majority evangelical viewpoint that there are more important world issues than global warming.

Does this mean that Christians and particularly evangelical Christians are not as concerned about our world that God created as those that those that think the whole world is a lucky accident in the first place?

I think what these numbers reveal is that evangelicals are more skeptical about global-warming hype because they are skeptical of the source of the information. If evolution is forced upon us without any scientific proof, is there really solid scientific proof for global warming?

The answer to this question depends on who you believe. Proponents for the global warming threat point to computer models that show the earth's temperatures are increasing at an alarming rate. However, there are problems with these computer models such as the unpredictability of weather patterns and that when applied to past years these models have a wide variance (wide enough to completely neutralize the results).

It is important that we care for our earth that God created for us. We should not be wasteful, we should recycle and we should think green in our daily lives. However, we should not spend millions of dollars on theoretical solutions for theoretical problems when there are real problems that need to be addressed today. People are starving and people are dying of AIDS. This is not a theoretical catastrophe that might happen in two or three decades. It is a catastrophe happening now.

You can find all the global warming hype you want just by doing a Google search. You can also find plenty of counter-arguments. If you want to read a good balance to the prevailing hype, try articles on these two scientific (not Christian) sites:

Skeptic Magazine - A Climate of Belief

Junk Science - The Real Inconvenient Truth'

I think I have to side with the majority evangelical view. The proponents of the global warming catastrophe theory are too political and the scientific counter-points are sound.

Let's take care of the world God gave us but let's set aside political agendas and focus on the world's real problems today.

What do you think?

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Is it a sin to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday

I have posted a couple of times about worship on Sunday. It can be a hot topic among Christians.

Some Christians believe that the Sabbath is Saturday and that as one of the ten commandments, God has commanded that Saturday be our day of worship. Any other day is a compromise on God's commandmants and thus a sin.

Other Christians hold that the church moved the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday to recognize the day of Christ's resurrection as our day of worship.

Still some Christians don't hold to any particular day at all and many may not even feel that any day is required.

Personally, I fall into the Sunday camp. John Piper gives a great sermon explaining this point of view. I believe God still expects us to take a day of rest but that this rest now illustrates the rest achieved from Jesus' resurrection as opposed to the rest from creation. Pastor Piper cites John 5:17 as showing that God was no longer in the rest he declared after salvation but has started the work of redemption. With the death and resurrection of Jesus we have now entered and begun (but not completed) our final rest (Hebrews 4:9-10).

On my previous two posts I had a great contributer that takes the opposite view. Banner Kidd believes that God still holds the Sabbath as Saturday and the church has changed this law for their own purposes or conveniences.

See his comments to my posts "Saturday, Sunday, or any day" and "Has grace replaced the ten commandments".

You may agree with one of these views or you may have a completely different opinion. That's the point of this discussion post.

Remember, this is a discussion post and all opinions are welcome. However, I will use my moderators prerogative to delete any comments I deem as hateful or spam.

Romans 14:10 (ESV)
¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;

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Did God tempt Abraham to sin and kill his son?

A great question was raised in class on Sunday morning. Did God tempt Abraham to sin by asking him to sacrifice Isaac? When tough questions are raised about the Bible, the best place to look for answers is the Bible itself.

The first question to ask is, does God ever tempt anyone to sin? We don't always get black and white answers in the Bible to our questions. However, James could not be clearer when he addresses this issue.

James 1:12-15 (ESV) 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Ok, so God does not tempt us to sin. But would it not have been a sin if Abraham had killed Isaac to sacrifice him to God? The answer, is no. If God had never called off the sacrifice and allowed Abraham to go through with it, that would not have been a sin. The definition of sin is literally to miss the mark. The mark is the standard laid out by God. If God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham would not be missing the mark by obeying God.

This leads then into another troublesome question. How could a righteous God call for someone to shed innocent blood? First, none of us are innocent before God. We're all sinners, including Abraham and Isaac and the wages for sin is death (Romans 6:23). However, we do have a righteous and gracious God. The only human sacrifice he has ever called for is the sacrifice of His own Son for our sins (Romans 5:6-11, Hebrews 10:10). An omniscient (Isaiah 46:8-11, Jeremiah 1:5, John 21:17, 1 John 3:20) God knew that Isaac would never be sacrificed (1 Corinthians 10:13).

So if anyone ever commits an act that is contrary to God's standard as laid out in His Word, that person can never claim they were acting on God's direction. Even in the case of Abraham and Isaac, where God has the right to claim any life he chooses (Job 38-41), God called it off.

Abraham's faith is not that he was willing to kill his son. His faith was that he believed in God's promise that through Isaac his offspring would be as numerous as the stars. His faith, in the midst of testing, was looking forward and depending on God's promise. His faith was that God was trustworthy and what God had promised God would ensure happened.

God will never tempt us to sin. We have His word on that (James 1:13). God will allow us to be tested and in that testing, Satan and our own fleshly desires may very well tempt us. In our time of testing, let us keep our eye on God's promises and not on Satan's lies or our own worldly understanding.

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Looking for an explanation to evolution

A million or a billion or a trillion years ago or an eternity ago, there was nothing. There was nothing but blackness if nothing can even have blackness. Then, in an instant, in a moment (although instants and moments do not yet exists) there was something.

Poof!


Out of nothingness came something. I guess something is an understatement. Out of nothing came everything.

I'm not a physicists or a biologist. However, I am a well educated (Texas A&M) professional. Somewhere my education and 20 years of being a successful business professional have failed me. I'm apparently not smart enough to understand this little known physical law that something can come from nothing.

If you can help this slow Aggie understand this truth (it must be true since it is being taught at all levels of education as fact) please post an answer here. Please include any links that provide information on the scientific theory of nothing from something. I'm also interested in any scientific proofs how random chance and chaos can produce order and mind-blowing systems of complication like a living cell and DNA.

I'm open minded and just seeking the truth.

Some helpful links I've found doing my own research are below:

How something came from nothing.
Also discussed here...
And here...

Proofs of theory:

Evidence 1.
Evidence 2.
Evidence 3.

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Has grace replaced the 10 commandments?

I’m writing this post in response to comments on my Sabbath post. The understanding of the issues raised by these comments is key to the understanding of grace and the understanding of the gospel itself.

I wrote my post on the Sabbath based on a question raised in my Sunday school class. The question was whether or not we were forsaking God’s law in preference of worldly traditions by worshipping on Sunday instead of Saturday.

I started writing my post unsure of where it would end up. I know we are free from the law based on Paul’s teachings, especially in Romans and Galatians. However, I also know that keeping the Sabbath (as in Saturday) separate and dedicated to God is part of the 10 commandments. If we throw out the Sabbath, do we have to throw out the other nine?

I came to the conclusion that as Christians saved by grace that we are not bound to a Saturday Sabbath. You can read my post to see how I came to that conclusion. I’m by no means a biblical scholar so I may not have laid out my points as well as I should have.

In any case, I stand by this conclusion and I will attempt to address the opposing comments and perhaps strengthen my position as well.

My final conclusion in my Sabbath post is as follows:

It is clear that God set aside a day of rest as a holy day. It is clear that God wants us to meet together and honor him and to delight in doing so, putting honoring God above our own pleasures and business. This is not a “law” that brings salvation but an act of obedience as we live and walk in the Spirit and seek those things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Gal 5:16-25, Col 3:1-11)

If your church meets on Saturday, then set aside your busy life (rest) that day as your holy day to honor God and if on Sunday then set aside your busy life on Sunday to be your holy day to honor God. The point is - put aside your busy life to honor God, delight in this day and delight in the Lord.

There were stated objection to two specific points I made in my post. I’ll address these issues. However, while these points helped me draw my conclusion, I could throw these out and still stand by my final analysis.

I made the comment that it appeared that from the earliest church tradition that the first century Christians met on Sundays. I referenced Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:1-2 and Rev 1:10. The opposing comment stated:

This is not supported by the verses you cite. The day of the Lord is established as Sabbath and Isaiah confirms it in Isaiah 58.

I agree that Isaiah is referring to the Sabbath as the day of the Lord. The Sabbath was the Lord’s Day under the old covenant. My point was that the early church began referring to Sunday as the Lord’s Day. While the verses I list above are not conclusive in themselves, they do lend biblical support to the historical reality that the early church recognized that the first day of the week was the Lord’s Day.

But every Lord's Day, gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. - Didache 14, ANF 7.381 (c. 90 AD)

We have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day. - Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Magnesians 9, ANF 1.62 (c. 105 AD)

But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God ... made the world. And Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on that same day. - Justin Martyr, First Apology, ANF 1.186 (c. 160)

I do not want to over debate this point. I concede that if one believes the church has been corrupt since 100 AD then what was practiced by the church at that time will not matter to one’s point of view.

The second point that was challenged was where I stated that the Bible never mentions that anyone other than Israel should observe the Sabbath. I said that in fact, Paul goes out of his way to insist that we are free from law given to Israel and specifically mentions the Sabbath in Colossians 2:16.

The disagreeing comment is as follows:

Paul was a Torah observant, Torah teacher, as commanded by Yeshua in Matthew 5!

Also the statement that the Bible never says that the law or sabbath was
for anyone but Israel. You are mistaken not knowing the Scripture. Torah is
clear that there is "one law" for everyone. And specifically of Sabbath is
Isaiah 56.

Isaiah 56:6-8

This is speaking of Messiah and the
gentile inclusion and their keeping of the Sabbath.

I disagree that Isaiah is specifically speaking of Jesus. Isaiah is speaking to Israel on the importance of them keeping the Sabbath and any foreigner that wishes to join them must do the same.

The real case to be made about is that we are free from the law. There is nothing we can do that will save us, including recognizing the Sabbath as Saturday. Nor is there anything that we have to add to the grace of God to be saved, including recognizing Saturday as the Sabbath.

Paul wrote extensively on the subject of being free from the law. I’m going to pull out just a few verses; however I believe my point is true to the context.

Romans 7:6 (ESV)
6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

Romans 10:5-10 (ESV)
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 or " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 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.

Galatians 2:15-16 (ESV)
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 5:1-3 (ESV)
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

In Romans, Paul basically lays out the complete Christian doctrine. He goes into great lengths to explain that we are free from the law but how that does not give us a license for lawlessness. He quotes Deuteronomy in verse 10:8 that the law is now written on our hearts. In Romans and his other letters, he speaks that now we live by the Spirit which is opposed to living by the flesh (sin).

In Galatians, Paul is speaking specifically to Christian Jews coming to the churches in Galatia and trying to convince them that they are not really saved unless they embrace the old covenant law, in addition to the saving faith in Christ.

Paul cannot be clearer in Galatians that we are not to bind ourselves to the law of the old covenant and that anyone teaching this is teaching a false gospel.

Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV)
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 3:1 (ESV)
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
What is the gospel that Paul is referring to? The gospel is Romans 10:9 - 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.

I have one last point in reference to the opposing comment. Matthew 5 is used to support the argument that we are still under the law.

That's why Yeshua said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the
prophets." HE said, in essence, "Don't even think this!" So why have we thought
it and why have we taught it. HE goes on to say that the greatest in the kingdom
are those who do and teach the Law - Torah.

The comment goes on to encourage all to read the bible in its entire context. I whole-heartedly agree and freely admit that sometimes I am not true to this. In this instance I think we if take all of Matthew 5 into context, Jesus is fully supporting that the law cannot save you.

In Matthew 5-7, Jesus ratchets up the true meaning of the law to the point it is clear, that no man can live according to the law and succeed.

The specific versus mentioned above are Matthew 5:17-20. Jesus said he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. He then goes on to say that those under the law (the law had not yet been fulfilled until Jesus’ death and resurrection) must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is an impossible task, the Pharisees were the experts and teachers of the law and Jesus was even explaining the laws to make them even tougher to truly follow. How can we exceed the righteousness of the teachers of the law? By receiving the righteousness of Christ through confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing that he died for our sins and rose again. Christ has fulfilled the law so that we may be saved from it’s judgment.

Freedom from the law does not mean freedom to sin as we wish and freedom from obedience to Jesus our Lord. Paul, in his teaching explaining our freedom from the law is clear that we are new creatures that live by the Spirit, leaving our sinful flesh natures a dead.

This is why. I make my final point in my Sabbath post, that as Christians, we should honor God with a Sabbath rest dedicated to him and gather to worship Him on this day with other believers. If we obey God’s Spirit in our hearts and seek him we can’t come to any other conclusion.

Grace has not replaced the Ten Commandments. Grace has written on our hearts the greatest commandments, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:36-40, Deut 6:5-6). All the other commandments follow from these.

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Is God Really Jealous?

And then he said, and the lord thy god is a jealous god. And I was, you know, caught up in the rapture of that moment until he said “jealous.” And something struck me. And I was like, I think about 27 or 28. I was thinking God is all, God is omnipresent, God is – and God’s also jealous? God is jealous of me?

And something about that didn’t feel right in my spirit because I believe that God is love and that god is in all things.

Oprah turned from her childhood faith to a new age faith in God because she could not believe that a God of love could be a jealous God.

On the surface, the Bible would seem to contradict itself.

1 Corinthians 13:4 (NASB)
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

Exodus 20:5 (ESV)
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

So if God is love and love is not jealous, how can God be a jealous God? This tripped up Oprah and it's easy to understand how.

When I am jealous, I am jealous because I am not getting what I want. I may think I love the person or thing I am jealous of but the reality is that I'm hurt because I don't have what I want or don't feel I'm receiving the feelings I have in return. As the bible says in 1 Corinthians, this is not love.

When God is jealous he is jealous of our actions. He is jealous of our choice to choose other gods instead of Him. This jealousy is not from self-pity or insecurity but out of love for us and wanting the best for us.

Those that want to believe that God is all love and therefore cannot be a jealous God, want to believe this because they don't want a God that will judge and hate their actions, whatever those actions might be. "I can live whatever lifestyle I want because God loves me and wants me to be happy."

God does want us to be happy but God understands that only he can bring you true happiness. This is why all the other commandments are based on the greatest commandment:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV)
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.

I am joyful that my God is a jealous God that wants me to love Him with all my heart, soul and might. I am joyful because I know God is jealous when I turn from Him because He loves me with all His heart, soul and might. He loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me even though I pursued "other things" above Him.

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Road Trip: America the Beautiful

On day two in Colorado we headed down from Denver to Colorado Springs to visit the Garden of the Gods. It was April (just barely) and the morning was freezing with a little sleet mixed in for good measure. In the afternoon it cleared up a bit but it was still windy and cold. However, we endeavored to at least drive through the Garden of the Gods as we had heard that it was a spectacular site.

We weren't disappointed. In the foothills of the majestic Rocky Mountains there are some magnificent rock formations that display the artistic wonder of our Creator. At least that's what I thought I saw.

What I am told is that what I actually saw was created 65 million years ago when 1.5 billion year old granite rock heaved sandstone to the surface as the Ancestral Rocky Mountains were formed. Millions of years of rain and wind then formed these beautiful formations. Of course all of this started when some cosmic reaction happened by chance billions of years ago to form this earth, its beauty and all of us lucky organisms that grew from the goo.

Why is it that we can’t look at the beauty that God has created and just be amazed without putting it all into a nice tight box? We either can’t accept there is a Creator or if there is one, we want to make Him just an initiator of some cosmic event that started it all. We can’t accept a purposeful Creator that can create the beauty around us by just speaking it into existence.

Why do we make God either non-existent or non-relevant?

Because if God is who He says He is, we have to face who we are in light of God’s greatness. We’re not God and we’re not a part of God. We’re a creation, a creature. A creature created in the image of God but a creature that wanted more and still wants more.

So, we say there is no God, or at least no relevant God, and everything around us happened by chance. But, can there really be beauty by random chance? Are our art museums filled with paintings that happened when an artist’s cat knocked over the paint?

The writing is on the wall, the mountains, the stars and the sunsets. It’s time to face up to who we are and who God is. It’s time for the creature to humble itself before the Creator.

Romans 1:19-20 (ESV)
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

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Is Christianity Inclusive or Exclusive?

We Christians claim that there is only one way to heaven. Non-Christians see this as prideful and intolerant. Who are we to claim to have the only true religion? Why am I any better than a Hindu, Muslim, or new age philosopher that I should get to heaven but they are headed to hell?

To make matters worse, we Christians are often guilty of acting like we are in an exclusive club. I can say this because I know I am often guilty of it. I hang out with my church friends, look at the world, and say come quickly Lord Jesus, this world is a lost cause.

It's easy, once you believe that you have the ticket to heaven, to look down on those that you believe do not have it. What we forget is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are not saved because we are better than a Muslim or a Hindu. In fact, even though we are now saved, we're still sinners while Christ completes what he has started in us.

So does Christianity have exclusive rights into heaven and all the other world religions are wrong?

First, we have to define Christianity.

From Webster's Online Dictionary:

1 : the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies 2 : conformity to the Christian religion 3 : the practice of Christianity

Nothing in this definition assures anyone that they will go to heaven. When you speak of Christianity as a "religion" then it is really no different than any other world religion. As a religion, it becomes just a label that we attach to ourselves based on what we do for "religion".

However, Christianity is really not a religion. The best way I've heard it explained, is that religions are are list of "do's". In Chrisitianity everything that needs to be done has already been done. There is nothing left to "do".

Does that mean that's it? We're all in.

Not quite. Jesus has done everything that is needed for you to have eternal life. The only thing for you to do is receive it.

Romans 10:9 (ESV) 9 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.

There is one more piece that is often forgotten nowadays as the church seeks to be more "inclusive". In order for someone to be "saved" they must have some idea that there is something they need to be saved from.

What is it that Jesus actually saves us from? Death? Hell? These are just consequences. What we need to be saved from is our slavery to sin. Sin being - sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar.

Yes, Jesus has already died for our sins. However, we have to recognize that sin is a bad thing to begin with and something that needs to change while understanding that you can't change on your own (hence, Romans 10:9).

If you can recognize that you have sin in your life, and want to be free from it, then it is as simple as believing that God has already taken care of it through the death and resurrection of His Son, and you'll be free.

So back to our original questsion, is Christianity inclusive or exclusive?

It's both. It's exclusive in that you must acknowledge that you're a sinner and want to be free form those sins. It's inclusive in that your sex, race, political party and nationality do not matter. Most importantly, it is inclusive because it does not matter what sin has you inslaved, you can be saved from it all.

Still have questions? Try here.

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God loves the unborn baby

Pro choice or pro life? Where do you stand? Where do you think God stands? There are two sides of this argument. There is the side that believes that the unborn baby is a live human being and should be protected. There is the other side that believes the mother should have full control over her body, including the unborn baby she is carrying.

The entire topic is a tragedy. Try if you can to separate yourself from the charged up political aspect of this debate. This is much more than a red versus blue state issue.

A baby, a new life, one that would someday laugh, cry, think, dream, and love will never get that chance. Sure, his or her life could be hard and full of challenges. Maybe this child would grow up to be a criminal. Maybe this child would grow up lead our nation. We'll never know.

There is another tragedy. There is the tragedy of the mother. She is a life that laughs, cries, thinks, dreams, and loves. First, she has the emotional nightmare that has her in a position to make her choice. Then, if she chooses against her child, she has to live with that painful choice for the rest of her life.

God loves the unborn baby. God also loves the mother. If your faith calls you to do what you can for the unborn baby, don't forget to start with the support for the mother that is hurting and driven to this decision in the first place.

If a mother chooses to give her child life, despite whatever fears she if facing, God can make a hopeless situation one full of hope. If a mother chose against her child, God can heal her pain.

Share God's love for the unborn child. Share God's love for the hurting mom as well.

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God loves gays

(click picture for related post)

You'll need to hang in there with me on this one.

God loves gays and lesbians. Am I saying that God is ok with a homosexual lifestyle? No, quite the contrary. God, through the Bible, clearly states that homosexual behavior is wrong. The Bible also lists quite a few other wrong behaviors those of us non-gay folks are plenty guilty of indulging in.

If homosexual behavior is wrong, then it must be a choice and not just a way someone is born, right? I mean, why would God create someone with a sexual orientation that is contrary to his divine purpose? I don't know the answer to that.

I don't know if sexual orientation is a genetic makeup, a result of psychological damage as a child, or just an choice made for selfish reasons. I'm not gay so I can't relate. If I had to guess, I would guess all three are true.

So lets assume that sexual orientation is sometimes or even often a result of genetic makeup. That does not change the fact that God says very clearly in the Bible that this behavior is wrong. So why would God create a person genetically predisposed to a lifestyle that he opposes? Where's the love in that?

The truth is that we are all predisposed to living a lifestyle that God opposes. We are born wired for greed, jealousy, addictions, fits of anger, etc... Why did God make us this way if he loves us? Let's turn the question around. If God created us with the inability to do anything he opposes, would that be love?

What does this mean to you if you're gay? God loves you. If you want to experience God's love, a love you can't even imagine, seek him. What if you're gay and you say you already know God? I didn't write the book brothers and sisters. Seek him.

What does this mean to you if you're not gay? God loves you even though you too are incapable of living a life on your own that God approves. If you want to experience God's love, a love you can't even imagine, seek him.

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Not that there is anything wrong with that

How should I look at our world? Is it "live and let live" and "I'm ok, you're ok". The Bible clearly tells us not to be judgmental.

Judge not, that you not be judged (Matt 7:1-5)

The rest of the world gladly takes up this mantle. As long as what you do in your life does not adversely affect me, then all is good.

Is it all good? Are the problems we have in this world because people are too judgmental or do we have our problems because we have sacrificed truth in order to avoid the appearance of passing judgment?

If I am not supposed to judge people, then how do I respond to world issues that clearly contradict biblical truths, especially in regards to sexual immorality? Romans 1:26-27, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Mark 7:20-23 are just a sampling of many verses that speak of sexual immorality being evil.

Sin hurts not only others but it hurts the sinner even when we think we are just doing our own thing.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

As a Christ follower, my reaction to sin in the world should be love. The world in full of sin and we know sin destroys. The world needs God's love and God's hope and we should be the ones telling them of this great hope. We don't need to be standing on a corner at a gay parade telling everyone that they are going to hell. We need to be reaching out to people suffering from AIDS showing them God's love with our service and telling them there is a hope in a God that loves them.

That said, the world needs empathy, not sympathy. You cannot sympathize with sinful behavior, "That's ok, you're not hurting anyone". However, you should be able to empathize with a person indulging in sinful behavior, after all, you're a sinner too.

Show the people around you God's love. Tell them about God's grace. Gently explain why what the world is offering is destroying them but what God offers will save them.

1 Peter 3:15-16
James 3:18

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Religion and Politics

A co-worker made the statement the other day that she was tired of religion having any part of politics and that she wished there was a true separation of church and state. My response was that someone’s morals were more important to me than their religion as to whether or not I would vote for them. As is often the case with table talk and talking without thinking, my response was inaccurate.

Morals are based on what you believe is right and wrong. My morals as a believer in Jesus as my Lord and Savior are going to be different than the morals of someone who believes differently. A person’s religion is also a statement about what they believe. If my morals are based on what I believe and I am qualifying a candidate based on his or her morals then I am qualifying that person based on what they believe and ultimately on their religion.

I am not judging one candidate as a better person than another because of their beliefs. I’m judging if their values are the same as mine which means their decisions will line up more closely with what I believe is best for our country.

Am I wrong to bring my Christian faith into my political decisions? Not if I really believe what I say I believe. If I really believe that Jesus is the only hope for me, my family, my friends, my co-workers, my country, and my world then I am going to choose leaders that believe this as well over leaders that do not.

Everyone votes based on their beliefs. You vote on a candidate because their belief on what is best for the country is the same as yours. If my belief is that the hope I have in Jesus is the only hope for our country then I am going to vote my convictions. If you believe God is not relevant to politics and the most important qualification is a candidate’s belief on economic and environmental issues then you will vote your convictions accordingly.

Do I believe that economics, environmental and foreign policy are important? Absolutely, I should understand a candidate’s beliefs on how to address these issues. However, it is important to me that the thought process on dealing with these issues starts with the candidate’s beliefs in God which shapes their ultimate beliefs on right and wrong.

Do I believe in separation of church and state? Again absolutely, the government should not dictate or pass laws that force a particular religion on anyone. However, religion or church is just a belief system. If someone chooses not to believe in God, that is a belief and their religion of unbelief should not be forced upon me.

As long as we live in a free country, religion will always be part of politics because we will all always vote based on what we truly believe. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “What do I really believe?”

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Saturday, Sunday, any day or no day

Is the fact that most Christian churches recognize the Sabbath on Sunday rather than Saturday a case of Christians ignoring God’s word and just going with our culture? Does God tell us to set aside the Sabbath on the last day of the week (Saturday) and anything else a compromise of God’s word? For that matter, are we still required to recognize the Sabbath at all?

What I will do here is layout various verses that discuss the Sabbath, provide some very layman like commentary and then you decide. As with anything you read in my blogs, always read the scripture yourself. God’s word is not infallible but I am – often.

Genesis 2:2-3

From the beginning God set aside a day for rest. On day seven after six days of creation, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

Exodus 16:23-29

When I search for “Sabbath” in WORDsearch the first instance I find is God telling the Israelites that the seventh day is a holy day of rest and they are not to gather manna on that day. He will provide enough manna on day six for two days.

Exodus 20:8-11

The Sabbath was important enough to God for him to write it on stone tablets. This was a holy day for God and he wanted the Israelites to honor it.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Moses is again writing about the Ten Commandments. However in this passage he includes additional information about the observance of the Sabbath. He tells the Israelites to remember that the Lord brought them out of the land of Egypt where they were slaves; therefore the Lord commands them to keep the Sabbath day.

So far it is evident that the Sabbath day was given to the Israelites along with all the other laws that God gave them, from the Ten Commandments and from the other laws in the books from Moses.

Do these laws apply to Christians today, and specifically, the law to observe the Sabbath?

It appears from scripture and certainly from the earliest church tradition that the first century Christians met on Sundays (see Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor. 16:1-2). The first day of the week became known as the Lord’s Day (Rev 1:10). However, the Bible does not say that these churches did not meet on Saturday as well. We know that Paul often started his preaching in new cities in the Synagogues on the Sabbath.

The Bible never mentions that anyone other than Israel should observe the Sabbath. In fact, Paul goes out of his way to insist that we are free from the law given to Israel (Romans 7 and Gal. 3:24 – 4:11) and he specifically mentions the Sabbath in Colossians 2:16.

If we are not bound to the Sabbath, what about the rest of the law, including the other nine commandments?

With Christ the whole law is now fulfilled and no longer binds us. Does this mean we are free to sin as we please? “By no means!” (Romans 6)

The bible is clear that I am raised with Christ and no longer under the bondage of the law. While we are not under the law as Christians, all scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16)

God’s word teaches us that God set aside a day of rest for himself and that he instructed the Israelites to do the same so that they would remember who God is and what he has done for them (Exodus and Deuteronomy references above).

Isaiah tells Israel to return to the Sabbath, do it to honor God, do it because it is a delight, and that he will bless them for it (Isa 58:13-14).

Hebrews tells us not to neglect meeting together as is the habit of some (Heb 10:25).

It is clear that God set aside a day of rest as a holy day. It is clear that God wants us to meet together and honor him and to delight in doing so, putting honoring God above our own pleasures and business. This is not a “law” that brings salvation but an act of obedience as we live and walk in the Spirit and seek those things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Gal 5:16-25, Col 3:1-11)

If your church meets on Saturday, then set aside your busy life (rest) that day as your holy day to honor God and if on Sunday then set aside your busy life on Sunday to be your holy day to honor God. The point is - put aside your busy life to honor God, delight in this day and delight in the Lord.

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