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Category: Religion

Discussions about RELIGION and THEOLOGY – as in the study, pursuit, and understanding of God. This category is everything that interests me about RELIGION and THEOLOGY.

  • Do You Want to Change the World?

    Currently, here in the United States of America, we are going through an election cycle for the President Of The United States. The candidates making their pitch to the citizens for the highest office in the country, each have a vision for how they would change things for the better. They all want to do something, and sometimes, what that something is, is hard to discern. They also want to bring their vision of change ostensibly on behalf of the people they represent. Seemingly without regard as to what that change would mean to the people or how it would affect them.

    How about yourself?  Have you ever wanted to change the world?  Have you ever wanted to right a wrong?  Build a bridge?  Or tear down a wall?  Have you ever wanted to unite people?  Or divide the good from the evil?  I think all of us, to some extent or another, have wanted to impart our own particular version of change upon that area we can affect, at one time or another.  We all, seemingly want to change the world.

    My question is why?  Why do YOU, personally, want to change the world?  To what end?  And what would be accomplished?  And this is not a matter that is particular or unique to any one group or world view.  Christian’s want to CHANGE the world for Jesus Christ.  Atheists want to CHANGE the world by stamping out (supposed) religious fantasy, and even Agnostics want to CHANGE the world by having everyone else just leave everyone alone.  And somehow I can’t help but believe we’ve all gotten it wrong.  And the group I am most concerned with today is the Theistic group.  Because that is the group that I believe actually has the most potential to effect a change in the world, IF they were to do their part.  And here is why I believe that is so ,,,

    If your world view is Atheistic, you cannot possibly believe there is any outside or external influence upon the forces in the world today.  It is a closed system and, as I have argued in past posts, is subject to the physical and meta-physical laws of the universe around us.  The mere fact that you even want to change the world was set in motion (supposedly) billions of years ago at the outset of the (so-called) Big Bang.  You can no more change the world than you can defy the laws of gravity or nature.  Everything around you is governed by a set of events you have absolutely no control over and has no meaning attached to it.  It just is what it is.  So why do you need to effect any change to begin with?  All of time is going to play out governed by the laws of the universe whether you like it or not.

    If you are Agnostic in your world view you really shouldn’t care one way or the other.  After all, Que Sera, Sera.  Whatever will be, will be.  The problem the Agnostic faces is that they truly cannot be left alone.  The Agnostic has to exist in a world alongside both Theists and Atheists.  And at some point they are going to be infringed upon.  At some point the Agnostic is forced to care and to act in their own best interests.  And even that is a misnomer because even then the true Agnostic shouldn’t really care.  Why would you?  A true Agnostic would just go with the flow.  They are along for the ride and hope that it all sorts itself out in the end.

    The Theist however should believe in a God.  A Spiritual realm that has an external influence upon the world and that is acting out on a greater plane than we see or experience here in the physical realm.  And this is the group I have the greatest concern over.

    Christians want to CHANGE the world for God.  And yet as Theists, the Christian should recognize that it is their very God who is in control.  It is he who orchestrates change in the life of a person and it is he who moves to effect His will in the world today.  The ONE thing a Christian should want is to get out-of-the-way and let God work!

    Nowhere in Scripture do I find the commandment to CHANGE the world.  Christians so often misinterpret their own directives and try to apply them to others around them, when in reality, they are only commanded to follow.  The question I would ask is How can you be following if you are constantly trying to change the direction of others around you?

    Christians believe they are to be the Salt of the earth (a concept I’ve addressed in this post before).  Christians can’t preserve the status quo.  Nor are they intended to.  Christians as Salt should be the savor in the world.  That which makes the taste palatable.  And one might ask whom they are making the taste palatable for?  Why God of course!  Not for others or ourselves, but for Him!  The great I Am.

    Christians believe they should be the Light of the world.  But light has never caused me to change my path in and of itself.  It has illuminated my path and helped me along my way.  But it has never directed my path.  Light illuminates, but it does not direct or dictate a way to go.

    So what then should we do?  I have always told my congregation that they have one obligation in their Christian lives.  And that is to keep their eyes on the Cross.  A Christians obligation is to simply take up their cross and follow after Jesus Christ.  When your eyes are on the Cross of Jesus Christ, everything you see will be filtered by His sight, by His will, and for His Glory.  And then He will effect real change in the world we live in.  Not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done.

    So what about you, Christian?  Do you want to change the world?  Then keep your eyes on the Cross of Jesus Christ.  Take up your cross and follow after him.  By applying all of your attention to the Creator of the Universe and by simply following Him, Jesus Christ, you WILL become the Salt and the Light of the world.  And the world WILL change.  Not because of what we have done, but because of what we have STOPPED doing.  Stop trying to CHANGE the world and allow the Sovereign God to work and the world WILL CHANGE.

  • A Sad Occurance

    I was in a fast food restaurant today and I ordered a hamburger meal (realizing that many in the world today do not have even that simple privilege, and if they do, quite a few do not have the means to act upon it) and I chose a table near the back where I thought I would not be disturbed and sat down to eat.

    There was an older woman and a young girl sitting at the table next to me.  The young girl was white, blonde hair, and appeared to be around the age of first or second grade.  The woman appeared to be of Spanish decent (I could not say which) and I was guessing she was the little girls Grandmother.  In the Philippines my wife’s family would call her Lola.

    The young girl was acting up.  She clearly was not happy being there and she was acting out in every way imaginable.  She told the lady I perceived to be her Grandmother to “shut up”, that she “was not going to eat her meal” and that she “could do whatever pleased her”.  At one point she picked up some food off the table and threw it at the older lady, started to kick her under the table, and when she was threatened with not getting the toy that came with her meal, quickly grabbed it and proclaimed it hers and that no one else could have it.  At one point the older woman, who was clearly displeased with the way the young girl was acting, mentioned that she was drawing attention to herself and that if she did not behave, they would have to leave.  The young girls reaction was fairly predictable at that point as she proclaimed that she could do what she wanted and that no one could make her leave.

    This went on for several minutes until the older woman looked over at me and said to the little girl that “the man sitting at the next table was looking at her wondering why she was being such a bad little girl”,  Of course the little girl did not care.  The little girl continued to carry on her temper tantrum and the older woman looked over at me and told her that I was going to be upset if she did not behave.

    I leaned over at this point and addressed the older lady telling her that the little girl probably was not aware that I was a minister.  The little girl immediately looked annoyed and asked “What’s a minister?”.  To which the older lady said “Why don’t you ask him?”  I told the little girl that a Minister was a Pastor, thinking that she might understand that better.  But she quickly replied “What’s a Pastor?”  I told her a Pastor was someone who manages and teaches at a Church.  The next question surprised me a little (although it shouldn’t have), she looked at me and said “What’s a Church?”.  And I thought ‘How do you describe a Church to a first or second grade child that clearly has no context to draw upon’?  I asked her if she had ever passed a Church on her way to school or the store.  And it was clear she still had no context from which to draw upon.  I turned back to my meal thinking that there was no way to make any headway with the little girl and that any further conversation was a lost cause.

    Now don’t get me wrong, I was no angel when I was her age (and older).  But I did know what a Church was and I did have some sense of when I was not acting rightly or pleasing to my parents.  This little girl was void of any understanding of a Church, or Religion, or the concept of a God in her life.  And I would argue she was void of any social understanding or of good behavior in general.  She was the center of her own universe and only interested in what pleased her or met her own whim at the moment.  She clearly lacked a Theology in her life.

    I have no idea whatsoever of the Theology of the older woman I perceived to be her Grandmother, or her parents, or of any other adult figure in her life.  But I did consider that this is a grave area of failed development in the youth of the world today.  We are literally seeing a generation of children being raised without a concept of God or a Theology all around us in the world today.  And it saddened me.  I left the restaurant despondent at the prospects of where we are headed as a society and as a people trying to make our way in the world today.

    If you are agnostic, I get that.  I understand how you would not consider a Religion (any religion) as something that would be of concern or interest to how you live or govern your life.  But consider this, a child without the concept of a Religion is void of an important aspect in their social development.  They have no basis whatsoever for establishing a morality in their own lives and for understanding their purpose in the world.  Would the social interaction and concepts of a Church or a religion be so damaging to a young child that it would rob them of something important in their lives or social development?  I think not.

    If you are atheistic, I get that also.  I understand how you may struggle, even abhor religions, and in some extreme cases consider them a danger.  But again, consider the results that we see in our children growing up without the social interaction of a Church.  How can a child make any sense of a grounded science, that of Theology, if they have no concept of what it even provides in their life?  What is so damaging, so uncontrollably horrific that they cannot be taught the tenants of what Religions teach and stand for?

    If you are theistic, then there is simply no excuse.  The Jewish and Christian religions teach that you should “Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it“.  Other religions at the very least teach one that they should consider the desires of others, trying to make the world a better place.  To be considerate in their actions and to take the path void of conflict unless truly faced with no other choice.

    What about you?  Are you concerned with the youth of today?  Clearly the great social experiments in the world today are failing us, developing a generation that is void of any moral understandings or a foundation of a Theology that may very well provide the basis of that moral understanding.

    Isn’t it time for us to stop and take stock of what we, as a people, are developing as a future path for the world and ask whether or not we are on the right path?  I think so, and hope you would give it serious consideration as well.

  • A Final Thought on HELL

    In my last three posts I’ve espoused quite a bit on the subject of Hell.  I’d like to take a final (for now) post to summarize and add a few concepts that I’ve not had the opportunity to cover in those posts.

    I’ve had the great honor and privilege to sit under and be taught by some great men of God.  One of these individuals was Dr. Darrell Orman (no physical relation to me, although we certainly have a Spiritual relation), Pastor of First Baptist Church of Stuart Florida.  These individuals have taught me how to study and discern not only the truths of Scripture, but of the world around me.  And this has then translated into the development of my world view (essentially my theology).  Usually when you look at a building you do not see the foundation that it is sitting upon.  So you do not see the footers that were dug and poured that form the basis for holding that building up.  The same is true for an individual’s life.  You may not always see the foundation for which I base my arguments on, but I at least want you to have a clear enough picture to be able to discern for yourself their validity or their ineffectiveness. I’ll attempt to provide some of those insights here.

    I’ve stated that I believe Hell is a finality.  It is an end state that is eternal.  In Isaiah 66:22-24 the prophet writes that the New Heavens and the New Earth which the Lord will make shall remain before Him.  A reference to the end state of humanity.  God says that one day this Earth (present day) and the Heavens above it will pass away and He will make a New Heavens and a New Earth to replace them and that the new creation will remain before him, that is it will exist forever and ever.  This is referenced again by John in Revelation 21:1.  Personally I think this is pretty exciting.  During the first Creation (Genesis 1) you and I were not around to witness the great work that God did.  But the second time around, I get a front row seat.  Imagine being able to witness first hand the Glory and the Splendor of all of Creation being brought into existence right before our very eyes.  How awesome will that be?  But also note what will transpire in that new Heaven and Earth.  Once a week and once a month God will bring all flesh (you and I) before Him, and those that are His children will go forth and look upon those that have transgressed (Sinned) against Him.  I believe this is God’s baseline.  His constant reminder to us of the great work he has done for us.  We will never, ever forget the great Mercy, and Grace, and Love he has shown us and the great work he performed on our behalf.  Hell is a finality (for all of eternity) because an eternal Hell balances an eternal Heaven.  Just as God’s great Mercy is for all of eternity, so is His great Judgement for all of eternity.  That is why this life is so precious and important.  The choices we make now will impact us for all of eternity.

    I’ve also stated that Hell is God’s holding place (prison) for Sin.  The passage in Isaiah tells us that those who have transgressed against him (along with this passage in Revelation 20:10-15) will be imprisoned there and that they will not die.  I have heard theologians teach that everyone, part of God’s family or not (we would say the saved and the unsaved) will receive a new, incorruptible body.  Those in Hell will remain there and they will not die because their incorruptible bodies will not succumb to the fire.  But at the same time, they will not experience relief from that fire.  This is not a foreign concept to us. Most countries today have individuals that they imprison for life with no chance of parole.  If we, as humanity can see fit to imprison those within society that we deem unworthy of freedom, how much more can a Holy and Just God see fit to imprison those who have transgressed against him for all of eternity?

    I’ve stated that we (humanity) are faced with a choice as to where our destiny lies.  Essentially the question that Nicodemus asked of Jesus Christ as recorded in John.  And Jesus’ answer, in John 3:16 tells us that we simply need to believe in Him. Jesus tells us that we have that choice to make.  We may believe in Him and have eternal Life, or we may reject Him and join the vessels of dishonor in Hell.

    I’ve stated that God allowed us (humanity) to be immersed in that which was not Him in order that we could truly make that choice for His Honor and His Glory.  This is a theological conclusion on my part and is based on us being joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17) having suffered through being transgressors of God and bought and paid for with a price that He paid.  And from this standpoint, Hell is a part of God’s great plan.

    A great many people in the world today think that Christianity wants to threaten them with the prospect of Hell.  Many want to turn Hell into a threat that God makes in order to get us to do what He wants us to do (if you don’t do good you’ll go to Hell).  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God doesn’t need to threaten us to have us do his will.  He is, after all, God.  Hell is not a threat, it is a consequence.  It was not created for us and we have to choose to end up there.  It is however, very much a reality and an integral part of God’s great plan.  In order to show us who He is, God first chose to show us who He is NOT.  And that required a place to keep that which God cannot have within his presence, Sin.  And thus we have Hell.

    Hell makes perfect theological sense if you work it through.  But the only way you will escape it is through the person of Jesus Christ and his death on the Cross.  You cannot escape it by explaining away its existence as the Evolutionists try to do.  You cannot escape it by ignoring it as the Agnostics try to do.  And you cannot escape it though your own good works and efforts.  You must be rescued from it by Jesus Christ himself through belief in Him.

    I truly hope that you realize you need to place your trust in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and believe in Him so that you do not spend an eternity in the finality that is a very real Hell.

  • Hell: Is it For You or Me?

    In my last couple of posts I’ve espoused the idea that Hell is God’s holding place for Sin for all of eternity.  But I haven’t fully explored what that entails.  Particularly, will we (humanity) find ourselves there?  It is a reasonable question after all, because we know there is evil in the world and if Hell is God’s prison for evil, will we (any or all of us) find ourselves there?

    Unsurprisingly, this question haunts a lot of individuals in the world today.  Dr. Stephen Hawking is so disturbed by it, he has devoted his life to trying to answer it.  And if you think I stretch the bounds of reason here, look at the last few pages of his book The Grand Design. S.W.Hawking and L. Mlodinov (Sep 2010), ISBN-13: 978-0553805376.  Look at the last few pages of the vast majority of any Evolutionist’s book.  They usually conclude with the thought that if evolution is true, there is no God, and if there is no God, there is no Heaven, and by contrast, if there is no Heaven, there is no Hell.  Ahhhhh finally!!  We’ve escaped Hell.  The Evolutionist’s means of escaping Hell is by disproving it.  By-the-way, the Agnostic’s means of escaping Hell is to ignore it (after all, what do they care?  An Agnostic is impartial by definition).  The Theist however escapes Hell by trying to understand it.  It is up to you as to which path you choose.

    The Creator’s answer is yes, some of humanity will find themselves locked away in Hell for all of eternity.  Jesus Christ himself told the story of a certain rich man who found himself in a place of torment (Hell) in Luke 16:19-31.  Here we have a man alive on the earth who died and found himself in Hell.  So if we are to take the Creator’s word for it, the answer would seem to be yes, we (humanity) can definitely end up in Hell.

    However, knowing that mankind can end up in Hell, does not necessarily mean that Hell was created for mankind.  Actually Peter tells us that it is God’s desire that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9).  In other words, God does not desire to see anyone in Hell.  That doesn’t sound to me like God created Hell for humanity.  Rather that he is saddened that some of humanity gets swept into Hell along with the rest of the evil host.

    I was asked to lead a singles Bible study about 16 years ago in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,  One of the members of that study asked me what I thought the difference between angels and humans was.  The question really boiled down to whether or not an angel could experience mercy and grace. I do not (personally) believe they can.  We are two different types of vessels,  In the case of humanity, we have the distinct privilege of being made in God’s own image. When God created us, He made family, His family,  I, for one, am more than happy being the weaker of the vessels.  An angel will never know the honor and the privilege of being a part of the family of God.  Angels certainly get to watch God’s plan play out on a stage and an scale I could only hope to understand.  But that is not worth trading to be a part of the family of God,

    So I believe that God created Hell for the vessels of dishonor He created for the purpose of introducing Sin into creation.  Mankind was created as God’s very own family and then was allowed to be put to the test with that Sin.  Adam, on behalf of all of mankind (yeah, I know, but before you give Adam a bum rap, consider that you or I would have done no different), failed that test,.  And God then had to set his plan into motion to rescue us by paying the price for that Sin in our stead.  Had we never been in that Sinful state we wouldn’t have needed rescuing, and by not being rescued we would have never known God’s Mercy, and Grace, and Love.

    A few years ago, Rev. Rick Warren wrote a book titled The Purpose Driven Life.  You may take several things away from that book, but the one thing that kept hitting me in the face was It’s not about me, it’s all about God.  People keep asking question like “If God did not want anyone to perish, why didn’t he just put us all into Heaven to begin with?”  Well, it is His show, His plan, His design, and it is for His Glory and His Honor.  It is all to Glorify Him.  And that alone is good enough for me.  But my theology also allows me to reason that perhaps God wanted a family that actually knows Him on a personal level, that understands His Mercy and His Grace.  And knows of His Love like none other in all of creation.  And that required us to know what was NOT Him to begin with.

    But God did not want just want dedicated servants.  I believe he has those with the Angels.  Both the ones created to serve His purpose in good, and those created to serve His purpose in evil.  No, God wanted his family to choose Him because they desired to of their own free will.  And thus he gave us a choice.,  We may choose.   Choose rightly, and spend eternity in Heaven, choose wrongly and spend eternity in Hell.

    Astute theologians should recognize at this point that we have a paradox,.  The Youth Pastor and Worship Leader of my home church growing up pointed out to me that perhaps I was asleep during certain studies and that there actually is a study of these paradoxes in theology,  My Youth Pastor was Rev. Mitch White and he has been a great friend and mentor over the years.  The study he recently introduced me to is antinomy, literally two competing but equally true ideas.

    I don’t know how it is that God can be 100% in control and that at exactly the same time you and I have the free will to live our lives and to either choose or reject Him.  Louie Giglio said in one his Passion Series that it is a great mystery that God can be completely in control and mankind can have free will at exactly the same time.  We cannot resolve or know all paradoxes in this life.  But I do know this, you and I have a choice, and that choice is Heaven or Hell.  And the choice is final, for all of eternity.

    Hell: A Finality?  Very much so.  I would surmise that it takes an eternal Hell to offset an eternal Heaven.  I choose to believe on Jesus Christ, that He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  I believe with all my heart that I have chosen wisely.

  • Further Considerations of Hell

    Yesterday I left you with my belief that God, The God, The One True God, Jehovah God, created Sin. and that he actually allowed evil to come into existence by design.  I also stated that I believe he did this by creating Satan (the Angel Lucifer) as a vessel of dishonor for the purpose of bringing evil into existence.

    This thought probably does not sit well with most non Christians and quite a few Christians as well.  But let me ask you a couple more questions.  Did God create the Angel Lucifer (Satan)?  Of course he did.  We know from Scripture that God and God alone is the only being outside of time and space (meaning he just IS and always HAS BEEN).  And did God know that Satan was going to rebel (Sin) against him and take one-third of the Heavenly host with him at the time (at the exact moment) He created him?  Of course He did.  He absolutely knew what would occur.  To think that God did not know what Satan’s actions would be in advance of his creation would be to limit God.  And if you limit God against his nature, he would no longer be God.  In other words, God is either omniscient (all-knowing) or else he is not God.  You can not have it both ways.  If an attribute of God is that he is all-knowing (and this is a base characteristic of God for me), then he has to have full knowledge of the actions and their consequences that He is taking.  And by-the-way, if you want to bring a god to the table that is somehow only partially omniscient, I’ll tell you that is not my God or else your understanding of my God is incomplete.  My God is in full control, including in control of all of the evil in the world today, or that ever has been in the world, or ever will be in the world.

    If you are with me up to this point, we are at the shocking (for some) realization that God carried through with a certain set of plans knowing that those plans were going to result in evil and Sin (that which is against the nature of God).  And that he did so with intent and that it is part of his great plan.

    I believe the next question most reasonable people ask at this point is: Why?  Why would God allow evil, and pain, and suffering, and hurt, and Sin to come into the world?  Why would he do that?  And some might even ask (or state): Doesn’t that make Him a bad God?  Paul addressed this in Romans Chapter 9.  He asks this very question in Romans 9:14.  I hope you take time to read the whole chapter very carefully, but here Paul acknowledges that some would come to the conclusion that there is unrighteousness in God.  And if I may paraphrase his answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT!

    I have on many occasions mentioned Dr. Ravi Zacharias here.  I sincerely hope you take some time to follow this man’s ministry.  I can only hope to say this as eloquently as he would, but consider this:

    Without evil how would you ever know good?  Without pain how would you know sorrow?  Without sadness how would you know happiness?  Without loss how would you ever know gain?  Without lows how would you ever know highs?  Without unrighteousness how would you ever know righteousness?  Without God’s great plan how would you ever, ever know of His great mercy and love?

    Every scientific discipline I know of in the world today creates baselines of study.  In other words they collect data to establish what is normal.  They then conduct their experiments with-respect-to that baseline.  Looking for good deviations and bad deviations.  Without establishing the baseline first, the results are meaningless.  I need the baseline in order to determine what my data actually means.

    Could God have created a perfect utopia without sin or pain?  Sure, he could have.  But then you and I would have not had any reference point when God told us about the suffering he had kept us from.  We would have existed without a baseline, without a reference point, and would have never, ever known God’s Mercy or his Love.

    With this line of reasoning, Paul of Tarsus has brought us to the realization of two things.  One is that God is completely in control.  There is nothing more freeing (in my experience) than the understanding that Satan, Sin, Evil cannot (and will not) win.  This world can throw all the pain and hurt and sadness it possibly can at me and it simply does not matter.  In the end, God wins and I am his child.  The second is that God has established for us a baseline.  We can now know His Mercy, His Righteousness, His Love, His Grace, and we can know it experientially because he has shown us the unmerciful, the unrighteous, the hateful and the scornful.  We now KNOW what God means when He says He Loves us.  We understand His Mercy and His Grace.  We can fully praise Him for His Righteousness because we were unrighteous and He made us Righteous before Him.

    But now that God has created the baseline, the contrast, the experiential part of this creation what do we think he will do with it?  Is it going to go away?  I believe the answer to that is No.  Humanity is a fickle set of creatures.  We need to constantly refer to our baselines and update our reference points.  No, I believe God is going to keep the Sin and the Unrighteousness around.

    And He has a place for the Sin and the Unrighteous.  And that place is Hell.  Hell is where he will lock away Sin for all of eternity.  A constant contrast and an ever-present reminder of His Mercy and His Grace.

    And now, from that perspective, Hell suddenly becomes a very real place.  Hell: Fantasy or Reality?  I assure you, very, very REAL.

  • Hell: Fantasy or Finality?

    A while back I had a post here in which I mentioned Hell.  In that post I based arguments on some assumptions that were given’s up front in my discussion and I purposely did not offer a definition or an explanation of Hell for the stated reason that I wanted to revisit the subject of Hell in more depth one day.  Let’s make that day today.

    But before I get to the actual subject of Hell itself, which I may actually have to address in several separate posts,   Please allow me to lay some groundwork with a short examination of why I believe we have both good and evil in the world.

    I had a friend of mine (my friend is a lawyer and is quite intelligent.  He passed the Florida Bar the first time he took it.) once tell me that he believed people were born in a neutral state.  That is a person comes into this world without any disposition towards good or evil.  As time goes on, a person is then influenced by good and evil forces within their lives and they are pushed and pulled towards one side or the other.  Kind of like Star Wars.  You either choose the light side of the force or the dark side of the force.  It is amazing to me the number of people in the world (I would guess the vast majority, although I have no definitive statics on this) that have this exact same philosophy.  There is one religion in the world that does not teach this, and that religion is Christianity.  And thus it is even more amazing to me the number of Christians that seem to hold this basic belief.

    There are a couple of fundamental problems I believe you should have with this thinking.  The first is “Where did the first evil person get their influence from?”  For that matter where did the first good person get their influence from?  If we indeed started out neutral, and are still born that way today, how did good and evil come to exist to begin with?  And who was it that first defined what was good and what was evil?  I’ve addressed this conundrum of morals in this previous post.

    The second problem I believe you should have with this philosophy is that you should ask yourself the question “Which side is winning?  Good or evil?”  Is there more good in the world today or is there more evil in the world, and why?

    People want to believe that both forces have existed from the beginning of time (they have, from humanity’s standpoint) and that the great struggle is for humankind and we are caught in the balance waiting to see who will win, the forces of good or the forces of evil.

    Christianity however teaches that people are born into sin.  That is they are alienated from God.  Having a propensity towards evil and that there is no good in them.  Paul of Tarsus made this argument rather eloquently in Romans and every Christian should be familiar with it.

    But were good and evil always present?  Meaning did they both exist equally before the beginning of time?

    Let’s see if we can ask some theological questions that will help us with this question.  The first question I would like to ask is: Where did God come from?  A Christian’s answer should be God has always been and always will be.  He had no beginning and He has no end.  God Is.  My second question would be: Is God good, or is God evil?  And once again, a Christian’s answer should be God is good.  My third question would be: Is there any scenario ever where God’s will is not fulfilled?  Now before you answer that, think about it very carefully. Is there anything (anything at all) that God does not know is going to happen or exactly how it is going to happen?  Is there any scenario where God could ever lose a battle?  Is there anything that could ever surprise God or catch him off guard?  Is there anything that God could not change should he so desire?  By definition, God is in absolute control.  It is His show.  It is His creation.  He is preeminent.  He, and He alone is supreme.  Therefore, your answer should be No.  God’s will is always fulfilled.

    So my next question would be: Where did evil come from?  Well if it existed before time, wouldn’t God have been aware of it?  He should have been.  And would not God have been able to erase it?  Why wouldn’t He?  He is, after all God.  It does not theologically follow that evil existed either prior to or current with God’s own existence.  Evil has not just always existed without beginning or end.  Evil came into existence just like anything else in creation with God’s full knowledge and approval.

    So the real wonderment then becomes the understanding that it was created along with the everything else.  Now I personally don’t believe that God, in a single act just brought Sin into existence.  What I believe he did is, he created the avenue for Sin to come into existence knowing full well that it would fulfil the course he set it on.  This is explained in Romans Chapter 9.  In Romans 9:21 Paul asks the question as to whether God has the power and the wherewithal to make both good and bad vessels.  Paul concludes that he does.  I believe God created Satan for the express purpose of bringing Sin into existence.  He created him as a vessel of dishonor.  Why would God do such a thing?  Paul answers this question in Romans 9:17 and in Romans 9:22-24.  God allowed Sin to come into existence through a vessel of dishonor that he created in order to show his great purpose.

    And what of Hell?  Hell is God’s containment vessel for that Sin.  Hell is the holding place where he is going to keep it locked up for eternity.  Hell is the prison that will separate the unrighteous from the righteous for ever and ever.

    And from that consideration – Hell is very much a finality and not fantasy.  Next – Further Considerations of Hell.

  • Why Did Peter Have A Sword?

    I’ve heard a number of sermons on the passage found in  John 18 over the years.  In this Chapter of the Bible, John recounts the point in Jesus’ life where he is taken into custody by the Roman Guard at the insistence of the Jewish Religious Leaders of the day.  In all of the sermons I’ve heard or read or studied on this passage, no one has ever asked the question “What was Peter doing with a sword?”

    Say what you will, but the fact remains that Peter, who was consistently in the presence of the Son of God, carried a weapon on his person.  And we must assume here that at no point did Jesus Christ ever instruct Peter to do away with his sword.  Jesus knew that Peter carried the sword.  And Jesus knew the purpose of the sword.   And I don’t think Jesus was surprised at all that Peter drew his sword and used it to cut off the ear of the high priests’ servant.  The idea that the Son of God did not know what was going to occur within the garden that night is a fallacy in the understanding of God himself.  And yet Jesus allowed Peter to accompany him to the garden that night carrying his sword.

    The idea that we are not in a battle and are to protect ourselves and our loved ones is simply an egregious one.  Jesus Christ came to this earth in peace being born of a virgin, but he will come again as a God of justice and of war.  And his servants will accompany him armed and prepared for that battle.  I will be numbered among that army.  And the only reason for that army is to fight a battle.  A very real battle that will, unfortunately be fought within the physical realm.

    And so I am curious as to why no one wants to ask the question “Why did Peter carry a sword?”  There might be many answers to this question.  A sword, after all, could have been a very useful tool in Peter’s profession.  Peter was a fisherman and a sword might have had all kinds of uses.  However, Peter was in the Garden of Gethsemane and was many miles from any body of water.  Furthermore, a sword might have required more upkeep in the harsh environment around water than a more simple knife.  A sword would have also been a more expensive option for Peter during that time.

    My speculation is Peter carried the sword because he was prepared to defend and to fight.  A cause and a purpose that obviously was with justification and was not counseled against.

    There are Governments today that want to control the sword.  Because when you control the sword, you keep the people in subjection.  Here in the United States of America we have the specifically identified right to “keep and bear arms”, the right of the sword.  Or in today’s world, the gun or firearm.  This is a right that is not afforded many in the world today.  But it is one that I hold precious and take very seriously.

    There are those in the world today that want to remove the sword from the hands of the people, however they don’t want to give up the sword, they want to keep the sword in the hands of those that govern or control the people.  And they have many reasons or arguments for making this case.

    They argue that possession of a firearm leads to accidental injuries or deaths.  And this is true.  But possession of a car, or fire, or chainsaws also lead to accidental injuries or deaths.  And the Governments are not out to control or take those items away.  In some cases, a lot of cases, there are items in our everyday lives that lead to many more injuries and deaths than a firearm and Governments do not call for them to be banned or even as heavily regulated.  The one difference is unlike a car, or fire, or a chainsaw, the firearm gives the individual the power to rise up and take their destiny into their own hands. The sword allows people, as has been demonstrated many times in history, to rise up and fight a just fight for a just cause.

    I appreciate the role that Governments play in protecting the people.  I myself have served in armed units of the United States Military and I work for the United States Department of Defense today (and have for many years).  But I also recognize that when the thief comes in the night that Police may not be there in time to protect me or my family.  There is a time when I may need the equalizer that is the sword to ward off a would be attacker that wants to do harm to myself or my family.  I also understand the deterrent that is the sword should an unjust regime rise up and try to control the people.

    And so I, like Peter, own a sword.  I, unlike Peter, do not live in a State that allows me to freely carry (bear) that sword, but it is still a right that I believe in and strongly support.  The sword potentially allows me to be part of the good fight should the need ever arise.

    We know there are Spiritual battles in today’s world, but Spirtual battles spill over and manifest themselves in the physical realm.  And we need to be prepared for both our Spiritual and our physical battles.  The last battle will certainly be fought in the physical realm even though it will be among Spirtual forces.

    There will certainly come a day when our swords will be beat into plowshares and the lion will lay down with the lamb, but until that day comes, we should be good soldiers in both the physical and the Spiritual realms.  And I, for one, stand ready with my sword.  I may die by the sword, but I am much more likely to die in a traffic accident out on the nations highways, and the fact that I may die by the sword is not reason enough to willingly lay down my sword nor do I believe it is just cause for those that would take that sword away.

  • ARE YOU INTO SEX, DRUGS, & ROCK-N-ROLL?

    There is a perception out there that Religion wants to limit people.  That is Religion puts people into a box, takes away their freedoms, and keeps them from having fun.  In plain terms, Religion is anti sex, anti drugs, and anti rock-n-roll.  Which leads me to todays preponderance of the evidence.  Because I personally believe that nothing could be further from the truth.

    So much of Religion is perceived as wanting to take all your fun away.  However these perceptions come from either incorrectly conceived notions of what Religions actually teach, or from the correctly conceived notions that there are people all over the world that want to control your life.  We have been historically led to believe that Religion was a creation of humankind  (partially true) in order to control the behavior of society (perhaps true). However the historians that have recorded this history have recorded it from a human perspective, that is without a theological basis.  It is certainly true that some religions want to control the behavior of societies.  But if you consider the basis of religion, your world view becomes a personal thing, not something that can be, or should be, used to control other people’s behavior.  My world view certainly governs my behavior in life.  That is my religion influences my thoughts and my actions, and my interactions with others. But I shouldn’t be using it to try to control those around me.

    Consider the fact that Governments try to control (limit) people all the time.  But Governments should be totally divorced from religions.  That is Governments should not try to tell me what my world view is.  Governments do enact laws that attempt to influence and control my behavior however.  Some of those laws fall within my world view, and some do not.  In the cases where they do, one cannot rightfully claim that it is religion that is limiting people, but rather it is Government that is controlling society.  In these circumstances I may be compelled to accept a certain reality in society, but I am not forced to alter my world view (my religion) because of it.

    Such a case occurred in Scripture.  The tale is recounted in Daniel Chapter 3 and involved three men we know as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  The story recounts that the King (the Government of the land) made a degree that all in the land should bow down to a golden idol created by the Government.  These three men would not bow down.  Because their world view, their religion, held (and still holds today) that they should not worship idols made by man but should rather worship the one true God and him alone.  As a result of their refusal to obey the Government of the land, they were sentenced to death by being thrown into a fiery furnace.  In the case of these three men, God chose to protect them and did not allow them to die.  But I love their response found in Daniel Chapter 3:16-18.  They told the king that even if God were to choose not to protect them, they still would not violate their world view (their religion) and bow down to the golden idol.

    There have been other instances in history where people have refused to follow the edicts of Governments of the land.  Such a case in United States history resulted in the American Civil War.  Because certain people of the day held within their world view that all people were created equal and deserved to be treated as equals.  In this case the actions of Government aligned with my religion (my world view).

    There are many actions of Governments today that do not align with my world view.  Abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and even slavery and oppression in some countries.  All do not align with my world view.  However my world is not the limiting factor.  Obviously it is not as is evident by the laws of the land.  In the same way those that claim my religion limits them, I may claim that their world view (their religion) limits myself (and others).  But if we continue to have a battle over who’s world view is going to win, then the more dominant world view will win.  And that neither serves me well, nor the rest of the world well.

    It is much more effective to have the argument (in the words of Rush Limbaugh) “in the arena of ideas”.  If my goal is to persuade you in the consideration of your world view, then hopefully, over time, the actions of people around me will align with my world view.  This, of course, gives no guarantee on the actions of Governments.  There will always be those that wish to impress their control on others and establish their kingdoms here on earth.  But that is regardless of what religions may or may not teach.  This might seem like a trivial distinction to you. But I assure you, in my mind it is not.  The difference is in those that try to enact laws in order to force others to comply with a certain behavior versus those that try to teach truth in order that people may be free.

    There are those that believe I just want to scare people with the threat of Hell.  And that simply is not the case.  I hope you take Hell seriously, because it is real.  Is Hell eternal?  Of course it is.  An eternal captivity balances an eternal freedom.  But I do not desire to threaten you with it.  Rather I hope you will come to understand the danger of it.  Just like with drugs.  Few of us would dismiss the danger of uncontrolled drug use.  We see evidence of it all the time.  But I don’t want to threaten you with it, I want you to understand the impacts of it and to make wise choices in your life.

    So are you into Sex, Drugs, and Rock-N-Roll?  Fine by me.  I’m not here to take your fun away.  Truth be known, I think The Beatles are the greatest band of all time.  But they don’t govern my world view and just because I enjoy their music doesn’t mean I expect you too.  Christianity doesn’t want to govern your life, Christianity wants to grant you life.  Once you’ve obtained that Life (eternal life), you will want Jesus Christ to govern your life.  And in the end, that is up to each and every one of us individually.

  • Do You Deserve The Best?

    Well here we are in a brand new year and people are wondering what 2016 will hold for their lives. If you invest in the stock markets or have any part of your retirement portfolio in them, you might be wondering what is going to happen with your money (Wall Street News).  As we enter into a new year people all over the world have many things to be thankful for and yet many have much to be fearful of.

    It is an interesting dynamic between thankfulness and fearfulness.  The balance between thankfulness and fearfulness is part of the equation that drives our expectations in life.  This is because if I allow fear to rule my life I will be driven into either desperation or despondence.  Meaning I will either be driven to take bold actions that I would not normally be inclined to take in my life or I will simply shrink into a shell and shun the world and not take actions that I should be taking in my life.  On the other hand if I allow thankfulness to rule my life, I risk an abnormal state of euphoria or I risk a state of constant disappointment in my life.  And what drives our expectations in life, is what brings us to a state of entitlement.

    I overheard a mother and daughter talking on New Year’s Eve and the mother was wishing the daughter the best year in her life in 2016.  This seemed normal to me as most of us wish each other the best in life.  But then the mother added something alarming onto the statement.  She said “Because you deserve the best.”  And I immediately thought “Why?”  Why do we, any of us, deserve the best?  What have any of us done to merit the highest quality of anything in our lives?  When we start believing that we deserve the best in our lives we enter dangerous territory on a path to developing an entitlement attitude towards life.

    This is an epidemic that is sweeping America and I believe most Western European counties as well as parts of Asia.  Many conservative commentators have exposed this on talk radio and in their books.  We have even had it creep into our legal system as is evidenced by the Affluenza Teen (see any of these news article here).  Even within theistic realms we have developed the ideal that we somehow deserve the best in all that life has to offer.  And note that there is a very sharp contrast between God wanting the best for our lives and us deserving the best in life.  We, the people of the world, have come to establish within our minds that we should get the very best that life has to offer.

    This is simply astounding to me.  First of all it is totally unrealistic.  It presumes that there is enough of the best to go around in the first place.  However you define what is best, if you do happen to acquire it, then more of it would have to be found in order for others to have it as well.  Liberals have been attempting to achieve this happy utopia for decades and they have never even come close.  And note that those who have achieved any level of success in life hardly ever want to give up that level of success in order for the rest of us to enjoy some of the benefits they have acquired.  And yet they would typically be the first to demand that we do more.  The logic is confusing to me.  It would seem to me that if they really wanted an equal playing field they would first address their own affluent states before requiring the rest of us to do something with ours.  And please note that I (personnaly) have no desire nor expectation of them to do so.

    Secondly it makes no sense from any point of your world view.  For the atheist it is always astonishing to me that they would take up any world cause.  To what end would an atheist want the best for either themselves or anyone else?  The atheistic view point, by definition ascribes no meaning in life.  Nor can it.  There is no order, no design, no grand purpose in life.  It is simply all random and without definition.  They cannot do anything about it.  Events were prescribed from the absolute beginning from the occurrence of the Big Bang. Even their attempts at ascribing some change in their own lives or the lives of other is the result of completely random events that follow the laws of the universe.  For the agnostic any type of ambition on their part would seem contrary to their world view.  As long as you are not affecting their particular station in life, the agnostic should not care about whether or not you obtain the best in life.  Neither should they ascribe to any particular state of affluence on their own.  They are, after all, agnostic in their point of view.

    For the theist however, it is confusing to me as to how they could have any expectation as to what they deserve in life.  As a theist I understand that what I deserve and what I obtain is ordained by the plan and purpose of the creator.  And if I am a Christian I understand that the best is not what I expect but what God provides in my life.

    As a Christian I understand that what I deserve in life is a cross, eternal separation from the Creator, a Holy and Righteous God.  But I also understand that what the Creator has provided us is His Grace, complete and unmerited favor in the very act of taking that cross away from me (and you) and providing restoration to his family and his goodness in our lives.  And by doing so, Jesus Christ, on His Cross, has already provided the very best that life has to offer.  There is no greater gift, there is no greater prize to be achieved.  He has done it all and it is by His Grace that it has been made available to us and not some some entitlement we should expect.

    So this New Year I wish for each and every one of you the BEST life has to offer.  My hope and desire is that you will find God’s Grace in your life.  That you will come to understand and enjoy a personal relationship with the Creator of all we survey, and that this new found relationship will come to change your expectations in life, as well as mine.

    Happy New Year to ALL.

  • Consider the Wise Men (3 Kings)

    There are many things that bother people about Christians, but seemingly the one single thing that people really key in on is a Christians insistence upon Jesus Christ being the ONLY way to Heaven.  People don’t like being told that there is only one way to do something.  As a matter-of-fact, if you want to alienate someone from you and have them mad at you for a long time, simply tell them that when they are with you, it is your way or the highway.

    And yet Christians come along and do exactly that.  They tell people that the only way you can get into Heaven is through Jesus Christ and belief in him.

    And there are a lot of theists around the world that don’t want to hear that.  There are also a lot of atheists around the world that are threatened by that.

    The theistic people that are threatened by the claim that Jesus Christ is mankind’s only hope to see Heaven are angered by the fact that this then trumps their god.  They want to believe that Jesus Christ is A way to Heaven, but he is not the ONLY way to Heaven.  Buddhists want to believe that Buddha is a way to Heaven.  Muslims want to believe that Mohamed the prophet is a way to Heaven.  Hindus want to believe that everything is a way to Heaven.  And a lot of good folks just want to believe that they are the way to Heaven.  If I just live a good life and am kind, I will get into Heaven.

    Atheistic people are threatened by the claim that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven because they have some mistaken belief that this somehow limits their freedom or creates strife in the world.  This always amuses me greatly because it is generally these very people that have no problem whatsoever demanding that some cause they believe in be practiced, yet your cause cannot be because it encroaches upon peoples liberties.  An example of one of these causes might be abortion.  A cause that really does encroach upon my actual liberties.  A cause that costs me my tax dollars that I pay (I would never support abortion with my money unless forced to).  A cause that costs society in fractured lives (I could provide the stats if you doubt me here, but you can do the research yourself).  A cause that, in my humble point of view, legalizes the killing of innocent human beings (and before you jump on the bandwagon here, let me ask you, how in the world can these clinics be caught selling human body parts for research unless they are already developed?).  A cause that is affecting the very fabric of society, and yet when a Christian comes along and says that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, they immediately have to be silenced.  Even though the Christian’s statement costs nothing and it’s only effect of society is what others allow it to have.  Nothing is forced on them, it is not a statement that disrupts peoples lives (unless they allow it too), it is simply a statement that may be accepted or rejected.

    But I digress.  Even agnostics seem threatened by the statement that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven because they don’t like having their world disrupted by being told any absolutes.

    Everyone appears to miss the fact that Christians are not making a claim on their own, rather they are repeating what they have been taught (and come to believe) by Jesus Christ himself.  It is not Christians who decided that Jesus Christ was the ONLY way to Heaven, it was Jesus Christ himself who made the statement:

    “5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?  6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.  (John 14:5-7 King James Version (KJV))”

    Jesus Christ made the statement that he was the only way to the Father (in Heaven) and he is the only one who ever has made this statement or could make this statement.  Buddha did not claim this, Mohamad did not claim this, not even Satan has claimed this, nor could they.  I believe God, as the author of truth, reserves this one claim for his Son and only his Son.

    Suppose someone today were to make this claim.  A great world leader or an influential person who champions the cause of the poor and downtrodden.  Would you hold them credible?  I do not think you would.  There is one person, and only one person who ever could make this claim credibly.

    But how do we know that Jesus Christ was credible in making this claim?  I believe there are many reasons, but consider this one – the Magi that came to Jesus as a young child bowed before him and worshipped him (Matthew 2).  They also brought him gifts of great value – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

    Where did these Magi (whom have been referred to as Wise Men and Kings) come from?  Matthew tells us only that they came from the East.  A lot of Biblical scholars place their origin in Persia, India, and Babylon.

    Why would kings or wise men of obvious influence during this time travel to a foreign land and seek out a young child born in a stable and bow before him and worship him?  Their people were not looking for a Messiah.  And they probably did not have a complete understanding of the Old Testament (hence their questions of Herod).  And their method of finding Jesus was through secular means.  They told Herod they had “seen his star in the East”.  Note that they prescribed to Jesus Christ his very own star.  And because of this they recognized him as King of the Jews and in the very act of finding him and worshipping him and presenting him with gifts of great value, they in effect recognized him as King of Kings.

    Why is Jesus Christ’s claim to be the ONLY way to Heaven credible?  Well one compelling reason is because the leaders of the countries which birthed the other religions of the world came and bowed down before him.

    This Christmas season I hope you will take a moment to consider the Three Kings.  The Wise Men who came to Herod seeking the one who had his very own star in the heavens.  If they would come and worship Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords perhaps we should pause and give thought to his claim of being “the ONLY way to the Father” in Heaven.

    Merry Christmas to ALL of YOU and may each and every one of you have a Blessed New Year.