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Are You a Good Person?

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Are you a good person? Take a moment and make this very personal. Ask yourself the question: Am I a good person? If you answer in the affirmative, then follow it up with a second question: What do I base my goodness on? It might help to take pen in hand and write down your answer to that question. Why not stop reading right now long enough to do that.

Now that you have written down your response(s), let’s give some thought to this matter of goodness. The Bible actually makes an alarming assessment of every member of the human family:

They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. Psalm 14:3

No one, according to this verse, is good. And yet, we do good things. Even the worst among us can, and does, do good things occasionally. The drunkard, in times of sobriety, does good things for his children. The wife abuser, after a time of severe mental, physical and emotional abuse against his wife, may come back with pleas and cries, begging for forgiveness, promising to never do such an awful thing again. The habitual liar still possesses the ability to speak the truth. Yes, each member of the human family has the potential of doing good things.

And yet, none of us are good. Without assistance from outside of ourselves, we are incapable of doing good. So, what hope do we have of ever being good? What gives us hope to live good lives in light of the fact that the Bible asserts that none are good? It is possible because of what God has accomplished for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

It is possible because of what God has accomplished for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Let’s get back to the question I posed at the outset of this blog: Are you a good person? And let’s suppose for a moment that you answered yes to the question. Your mind may have been instantly flooded with “good” things you have done – and perhaps you could make a rather long list of your good deeds. Now, let’s go a little deeper. Why did you do those “good” things? Was it because you can still hear the voice of your long-departed Mother, who instilled in you teachings about right and wrong, and about how to treat others? Was it because you are striving outwardly to live a “good” life in obedience to the teachings of a precious saint of God who invested his/her life into yours in a child’s Sunday School class? Was it because of a sense of obligation?

Or, was it because you have now inherited true, sincere, genuine goodness through your commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Do you now do good things because you have had His goodness imputed to you, so now, you do good things because He is doing those things through you?

This is the only sure way for us to be truly good: Jesus Christ living His life through us. It brings us to the point in our lives in which we are no longer doing good things out of duty, or obligation, or to honor the wishes of our parents, or to please our spouse. All of those things may play a part in our “goodness”, but they are not the root cause of that goodness. Jesus Christ is the source, and He deserves all the praise for making it possible that we should bear His likeness as we go about our daily lives. So, let’s let His light shine in us and through us so that others might be able to see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven!

Until next time:

Blessings!

Life’s Many Uncertainties

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The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has been beyond anything I have ever witnessed. Lives lost, entire towns swept away, roads washed out, rainfall and flood waters historically high. As I write this blog, the death toll has now exceeded 180, and the number of missing persons is not known at this time. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power, and communication to some areas has been completely cut off.

Even with all the warnings issued prior to the storm’s landfall, no one expected the unbelievable destruction that was left in its wake. Our hearts go out to those who suffered loss of loved ones, and loss of property. And our thanks and gratitude go to those who are working around the clock in these devastated areas, and for those who have donated to the needs at hand.

I do not want to minimize this awful tragedy in any way. I would simply like to point out that life is filled with uncertainties that oftentimes catch us off guard and completely unprepared. Even with all the modern technology that allows weather prognosticators to give some of the most accurate forecasts, they still cannot predict exact outcomes or even precise storm paths. They do the best they can, but storms like Helene are totally unpredictable.

Life is like that: unpredictable. One thing is for sure: uncertainties are a certainty! They will happen, and they will catch us unprepared when they do. So, what are we to do in the face of this fact? How can we prepare for something that we have no clue is coming? The answer is quite simple, and yet so very difficult: keep our eyes on Jesus! The writer of Hebrews gives us insight into this important concept in the following words:

…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1b-2

Jesus ran His race with endurance – all the way to, through and beyond the cross. How did He accomplish this amazing feat? By keeping His eyes on the joy that was set before Him.

There is joy set before us if we are children of God. As we make our way toward that ultimate joy, we have to traverse through many uncertainties in this life. Some are devastating and destructive, while others bring a sense of contentment and satisfaction. Regardless of which route they take us on, there is joy set before us as we anticipate seeing Jesus face to face in that wonderful place He has gone to prepare for us.

Let’s continue to pray for the rescue efforts and those who are responding to this catastrophic situation. And let us keep our eyes on Jesus – the author and finisher of our faith.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Are You Ready?

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I am writing this blog while sitting in a hotel room while we await the arrival of Hurricane Helene. As most of you know, my wife and I are full time RVers, and an RV is not the safest place to be during a storm with the potential of high winds and the possibility of tornadoes. So, we checked into a hotel to sit this one out.

Before we left our RV, we did everything we could to secure all of those things that could easily be blown away by the high winds. It took us a while to make sure everything was safe and secure. Then, we checked our lists to make sure we had everything we needed for a night in a room away from home. We are now praying for the storm to pass without a lot of property damage, and even more important, without loss of lives.

As I sit here now, thinking back over the preparations we made for this move to a hotel room, it makes me think of preparations which need to be made for a far more important move that we will make in the future. There will come the day in which we will all take a journey through what the Bible refers to as the valley of the shadow of death. We will pass from this life to the next. And we must make preparations for that journey so that it does not catch off-guard.

I would venture to say that those in Helene’s path have been frantically making preparations and taking safeguards to make sure their belongings will be safe through the ravages of the storm. Sandbags have been placed strategically in an attempt to keep the floodwaters from damaging their property. Windows have been boarded up, hoping the efforts will protect their windows from being blown out by the high winds. After every safeguard has been put in place, they then take seriously the calls for evacuation, moving to safer ground to sit out the storm.

Have you taken seriously the warnings of Scripture? Have you realized your desperate need of safe passage when it comes your turn to pass through that valley? Have you placed your trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ, accepting His gracious offer of salvation, so that the valley will not catch you unprepared, but will be a welcomed friend who sees you safely through that valley into that place Jesus has gone to prepare for those who love Him and long for His coming?

Let’s let Helene be a harbinger of things to come. Let’s let this storm that is now passing through the night to be a vivid reminder of the necessity of being prepared, and to let it be a time of soul-searching to make sure that we know beyond all doubt that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

And, let’s pray for those in the path of this powerful storm. It is one of the worst in recent history, and may prove to be one of the most devastating of all time. Let’s pray for those first responders who put their lives on the line for those who are in need of rescue. And, let’s pray for loved ones who are not yet ready for the coming of that future date with the valley. They desperately need the Lord!

Until next time:

Blessings!

The Church’s Disappearing Vocabulary, Part Three

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Thus far we have given consideration to two words that are becoming more and more conspicuously missing from the church’s vocabulary: sin and hell. Still another word that is closely connected to these two words is repentance. It is a very sad reality that the modern church has become pretty much silent when it comes to the Biblical concept of personal repentance.

The Bible tells us that it is absolutely necessary for one to repent of sin in order to have a personal relationship with God. God has established a standard of righteousness – a standard that no one has ever been able to live up to – except, of course, for Jesus. The Bible states clearly that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and, therefore, all are in need of His grace of forgiveness. Individuals accept His offer of forgiveness through the co-actions of confession and repentance: confession of sin, and repentance, turning away from, that sin.

Read the following examples of the Bible’s demands for genuine repentance for one to gain entrance into the kingdom of God (all verses are taken from the NKJV):

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgives us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. Matthew 3:8

From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!’ Matthew 4:17

I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance. Luke 15:7

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32

Hopefully this short selection of verses will be sufficient to show the Bible’s emphasis on the necessity of repentance. But, some might ask, what exactly is repentance? To boil it down to its simplest form, repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. When one reads the Bible and is confronted about some sinful behavior in their life, then repentance begins with a change of mind to agree with what the Bible says. For instance, if one is living in a pre-marital relationship with a member of the opposite sex, and they read in Scripture that sex outside of marriage is sin, then repentance would call for them to agree with the Bible’s teaching. It would then be followed with a change of action: getting out of the pre-marital sexual relationship until they can be legitimately married according to the Bible’s instruction. So, repentance is changing one’s mind to get into alignment with the teachings of the Bible, and then to change the behavior to show a change of action based upon the change of mind.

Could it be that the church has become silent on the subject of repentance because so many people in the church are living in open sinful behavior, and thus the church’s leadership is afraid to offend them by calling for sincere repentance? Or, could it be that the church is silent on the matter of repentance because it now accepts the sinful behaviors as legitimate relational behaviors that God condones? Either way, it is a blight of the modern church that repentance is no longer clearly taught as being essential for one to have a relationship with God.

For one to read and study Scripture and not see clearly that repentance is a mandate from the Lord is an oversight of major proportions. May we ever be diligent in sharing with others the need of confession and repentance.

Until next time:

Blessings!

The Church’s Disappearing Vocabulary

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If you have been a Christian for as long I have, then you have probably noticed a very obvious phenomenon taking place gradually in the church: disappearing vocabulary. There are certain words that have become conspicuously missing from the pulpit to the pew. Words that are prominent in the Bible, and that were at one time just as prominent in the church, that have become almost non-existent in the vocabulary in the church. My next few blogs will delve into this matter of the church’s disappearing vocabulary.

The first word that has become almost non-existent in today’s church is sin. Think for a moment about the last time you heard the word, either from the pulpit or from your acquaintances in your local church. Hopefully you attend a local church where the Bible is preached, and the important words of Scripture are still used. But some reading these words may be attending a local fellowship where sin is seldom, if ever, mentioned.

For the sake of clarity on the importance of this word, let’s consider a few verses that illustrate how crucial it is to keep sin fixed firmly in our vocabulary:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:13-14

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Romans 6:1-3

The word sin is found 448 times in the King James Version of the Bible. This overwhelming number of usages of the word should be a clear indication of the importance of the word in Christian vocabulary. And yet, in many churches today, the word has been silenced.

Perhaps it is because of the desire to be more palatable to modern-day churchgoers. Perhaps we want our attendees to come to church to be encouraged and uplifted, not wanting to burden them with the demands of Scripture to repent of sinful actions, behaviors, and practices. Perhaps our desire to make people feel good about themselves gives the impression that God is pleased with a non-repentant attitude toward sin.

Read carefully the following warning concerning sinful lifestyles that are forbidden in Scripture:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

For any church to become silent concerning warnings such as this is to condone such actions, leading people to believe that these forbidden actions are acceptable for Christians to embrace. But hear the clear warning: those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Sin is serious. So serious that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to give His life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin. If you ever question just how serious it is, just look at the cross where Jesus paid it all.

The work of our archenemy, the devil, is to deceive individuals with his treacherous ways. If he can succeed in silencing the church on this crucial issue, he will make us feel comfortable with our sinful behaviors and lifestyle choices. The ultimate result will be eternal condemnation because the Bible states clearly that these will exclude individuals from enjoying eternal life in God’s kingdom.

I encourage each of you to take seriously the implications of becoming silent when it comes to sin. Let’s warn our friends, family members, work associates, classmates, and casual acquaintances of the dire consequences of becoming silent when it comes to sin.

Until next time:

Blessings!

A Nation in Desperate Need of God

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We may never know what motivated the would-be assassin to make an attempt to assassinate former president Donald Trump. However, without knowledge of his reason for acting in such a way, there are some assumptions and conclusions that we can deduct from this act.

First, it is obvious that he acted out what many others would do if given the chance. I don’t make this as an accusation, but simply as one making observations from our present political climate. The animosity that is openly displayed from both sides of the political aisle is nothing less than a seething boiling pot of dislike, if not pure hatred, from many on both sides.

Second, it shows an absolute disdain for the recognition of the sanctity of life. For one to wantonly, recklessly, with obvious hatred in his heart toward the former president, try to take his life, with no regard for anyone else who might be in his line of fire, is a clear indication that he has no regard nor respect for another human life. No one will ever know how many more shots would have been fire had he not been killed.

Third, this is a clear display of the fact that the United States of America has become so divided, so divisive, that it would probably not be a surprise to anyone if civil war breaks out in the aftermath of the upcoming presidential election, regardless of which candidate is elected. I don’t mean to come across as an alarmist, and I certainly pray that this never happens, but there is so much hatred between Republicans and Democrats that it seems all civility is being completed abandoned. The act of an attempted assassination is a clear indication of this fact.

In the opinion of this writer, this downhill trajectory of our nation can be traced back to declining voice of Christians. We are to be the heralds of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness. Where is that voice? Where are the voices of truth that should be sounding forth the claims of Scripture? Are we allowing ourselves to be silenced by those who oppose the message? Are we being subdued by those who disagree with us? Are the voices of opposition causing us to lose our voice, and thus our influence?

Allow me, in closing, to share that well-known and oft-quoted verse from the Old Testament:

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land. Second Chronicles 7:14

Sometimes what we fail to do is take into consideration the context of this verse. This statement is made by God to Solomon after the dedication of the temple. That night, after the dedication, God appeared to Solomon. This is the message Solomon heard:

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people… Second Chronicles 7:12-14a

The drought, the locusts, and the pestilence are all acts of God in judgment against His people because they have walked away from Him. Spiritual drought brought about all these disasters. But God promised that when His people would come to their senses and turn back to Him, then He would hear, forgive, and heal.

We desperately need God to hear, forgive, and heal. Would you join with me in praying for our nation? Would you pray that God would provide leaders who will turn this nation back to God? Would you pray for God’s protection for those who are running for office? Would you pray for the forgiveness this nation so desperately needs as we have turned our backs upon Him? And will you pray for God to bring this nation back to what our forefathers envisioned this nation to be: a nation whose God is the LORD.

God help us!

What Does True Love Look Like?

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Social media can be used as a tool to promote truth, or to promote falsehood. It can be used to disseminate information that is beneficial, or that is divisive and destructive. It can be a vehicle through which people share their thoughts and concerns, with the hope that through their sharing it will be of help to those who read their words.

I saw the following quote on social media and viewed it as a very thought-provoking statement. Read it carefully, taking time to think about the far-reaching ramifications, and ultimately the conclusion it would lead you to embrace.

When you die, God isn’t going to ask you about someone else. He won’t ask you about the two men down the street who got married. He won’t ask you about the girl who had an abortion. He won’t ask you about the atheist that lives on the corner. He won’t ask you about the woman who feels more comfortable as a man.

He will ask you how you loved those people as He called you to do.

And some of you didn’t.

Read those last two lines again – slowly, taking time to allow the implications to really sink in. I’m not suggesting that I fully understand what prompted the individual who wrote these words to say what they said, and I don’t presume to know what is in another individual’s heart when they make such statements. The following thoughts are simply my personal reaction to how I understand the statement.

The clear implication is that if I truly love someone, I will not point out to them the destructive path they have taken in life. I should rather turn a blind eye to their sinful behavior that I know, according to Scripture, will result in their eternal destruction. If I really love them then I will keep quiet about what the Bible teaches is a lifestyle choice that is abhorrent to God.

The principle I am speaking of is found in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. God appoints His prophet as a watchman for the people of Israel. The following command of God to Ezekiel is quite eye-opening, to be sure.

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Ezekiel 3:17-19, NKJV

The premise is clear: to really love someone is to be willing to speak the truth to them about the consequences of their actions that are denounced in Scripture. What is the greatest display of love that we could ever show our family members, our friends, our acquaintances? Is it to sit by quietly while we watch them live lives that will lead to their eternal destruction? Or is it to share with them the teachings of the Bible concerning the consequences of their actions and behaviors?

And for those who might think that a quote from the Old Testament is non-binding on this present age of grace, let me quickly remind you that Jesus taught the same principle. Don’t listen to me – listen to Jesus Himself:

And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:14-16, NKJV (Jesus speaking)

So, is true love my willingness to turn a blind eye to another person’s sinful behavior? Am I to be silent in the face of those who have chosen lifestyles, and have made other choices in life that are clearly denounced in the Bible, or am I to love them enough to tell them the truth?

For the sake of clarity, let’s consider the specific lifestyle choices referred to in the quote at the beginning of this blog: the two men down the street who got married; the young girl who had an abortion; the atheist who lives on the corner; the woman who feels more comfortable as a man.

First, the two men who got married. The Bible is unmistakably clear on this subject: marriage is for a man to be united to a woman in a life-long commitment. Scripture gives no place for same-sex marriages. As a matter of fact, same-sex relationships are forbidden in the Bible. Am I, then, to applaud such relationships, or am I to speak the truth in love from the Bible’s instructions?

Second, the young girl who had an abortion. I wish the writer had referred to a young girl who was contemplating an abortion, as the loving thing to do would be to share with her the sanctify of human life. However, in the case spoken of, as followers of Christ it would be our responsibility to share with her the message of God’s amazing forgiveness in Christ. An abortion cannot be undone, but grace can be received. But we should never minimize the Bible’s teaching on the sanctify of life in the face of abortion.

Third, the atheist who lives on the corner. Atheism is the belief that God does not exist. The Bible says that it is a fool who says there is no God. It also teaches us about the eternal existence of this Supreme Being who created everything that exists. There is ample evidence in nature itself that testifies to the existence of God. The psalmist says that the heavens declare the glory of God. We see evidence of His existence everywhere and in everything. We should lovingly share with the professed atheist testimony to the Bible’s teachings, and then, as Jesus says, if they reject the message then we are to wipe the dust off our feet as a powerful testimony to them of their own decision to reject. God’s offer of salvation.

And finally, the woman who feels more comfortable as a man. Once again, the Bible states clearly that God created male and female, period. Anything else is clearly denounced in Scripture. We, as believers, should strive to live according to the teachings of the Bible, and not according to how I might “feel” at any given time. We are to live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings, and not by feelings that can shift as quickly as the wind can change directions. Personal feelings should always be filtered through the lens of the Word of God.

For followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be heralds of the truth of Scripture. True love is to share that truth with others. We are then to leave the decision to accept or reject the message of the Gospel to the individual. It is, in the final analysis, their choice to make.

That, in the estimation of this writer, is true love.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Practical Atheism

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“Let me ask you, how many atheists are now in this house? Perhaps not a single one of you would accept the title, and yet, if you live from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God, you are practical atheists.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

What a horrible thing to consider! Practical atheism – living life as if God does not exist. As Spurgeon puts it, “[Living] from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God.” Professing faith in Christ while at the same time living life without any thought of God or godliness.

Please understand that this does not mean that the individual lives a life of absolute evil. It does not mean that the individual commits horrific acts of sin. It does not mean that the individual is a murderer, a rapist, a thief, a terrorist, a wife-abuser or child-abuser, etc. It simply means that he/she lives life with no thought of God.

This type of individual may be well-respected in the community. They may do good things. They may give to worthwhile causes, live successful lives, have envious careers, live in the best of neighborhoods, drive the most luxurious automobile, have the most well-behaved children. They even attend church regularly and see to it that their families are there with them. But Monday through Saturday they live with no thought of God.

Something happens at the moment of salvation that changes a person instantly and permanently. He/she is instantaneously born again! The individual is taken out of spiritual death and ushered into spiritual life. By the amazing grace of God the individual puts off the old and replaces it with the new. He/she is a new creation who now has the Spirit of God living in them, imputing to them the righteousness of Christ, while at the same time imparting to them that same righteousness.

The imputation of righteousness, in its simplest terms, means that when God looks at the individual who has been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, He now sees the righteousness of His Son. The individual is pronounced righteous because he IS righteous.

The impartation of righteousness means that in the realm of day-to-day life the individual now has the desire to live righteously before God and man. His mind-set changes, his attitude changes, his view on life changes – everything changes. He now lives life in the awareness of God’s presence, and with the desire to live his life for God’s glory. He no longer lives as if God does not exist, but he lives in the constant awareness of God’s presence and with the desire to please God in everything he does.

The individual who has truly been born again into the family of God begins to see things differently. He may not change careers, but his career now becomes a source of ministry through which he can share the goodness and grace of God with his coworkers. He now works for Christ, not for self. His desires become God-centered rather than self-centered. His vocation is now seen as a vehicle through which he is afforded the opportunity to be on mission for God. He no longer lives life with only self-serving interests, but now with God-centered interests.

What role does God play in your Monday through Saturday activities? Parents, do your children see you as a Christ-centered person, whose first priority in life is to show them and share with them the love of Christ, or do they see you as a self-serving person who does everything out of selfish ambition? Are you teaching them to strive for a life of Godliness, or are you pushing them to live for the moment, to put their own personal ambitions and desires ahead of any thought of seeking God’s will for their lives?

What role does He have in your life? Right now – this very moment – could you honestly say that others see Christ in you, and witness His presence in your attitudes and actions? Or would they be shocked to learn that you are a professing believer because they see no evidence of a commitment to Christ in your day-to-day life?

We are admonished by the teachings of Scripture to walk in the Spirit of God so that our lives would display His righteousness and would reveal to others His glory. Let’s not fall prey to the tendency to live lives of practical atheism, but to live lives of sincere and total commitment to God.

Until next time:

Blessings!

For Such WERE Some of You

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Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

In my last post, I stated that many are embracing – both in the pew and the pulpit – lifestyles that are clearly denounced in Scripture as being abominations in the eyes of God. This alarming shift in the way churches, and even entire denominations, view the seriousness of sin is a clear indication that the church is moving toward a state of spiritual apostasy. It seems that the church, in general, has strayed from its spiritual moorings, anchored firmly in the word of God, and has now attached itself to the shifting winds of cultural change.

The passage quoted above is an amazing testimony to the power of grace given to the individual who experiences salvation. It is a statement verifying Paul’s assertion in Second Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Salvation brings forth change in the life of the believer.

Make special note of the emphasized phrase in the passage quoted at the outset of this post: And such were some of you. BUT… Read again the sins and sinful behaviors Paul mentions: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. And when Paul adds, “Such were some of you,” he states the obvious: they have now changed. They are no longer living lives characterized by these sinful lifestyles and actions. They are literally new creations in Christ.

When Paul adds, “Such were some of you,” he states the obvious: they have now changed.

When the church – individual, local congregations, or entire denominations – embraces these sinful lifestyles as being acceptable then it has lost its distinctiveness as the body of Christ. It is then not only in the world, but it is of the world. The church is to be a beacon of hope to those who are without Christ. It is to shine the light of God’s love and grace to those who are shackled to sinful lifestyles and behaviors that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible. It is to show the way out of the darkness and decadence of spiritual death, and point the way to spiritual life, which is found only in Jesus Christ.

When the church embraces these sinful lifestyles as being acceptable, then it has lost its distinctiveness as the body of Christ.

Admittedly, it seems that the church today focuses only on what it deems to be the more serious sins in Paul’s list. It often seems that the focus is on homosexuals, sodomites, adulterers, and fornicators. But the list includes thieves, drunkards, covetous, and others. Oftentimes, we tend to categorize sins. Some are viewed as more offensive to God than others. But note carefully the entire list. It clearly shows that all sin is an affront to God, and it teaches that salvation brings about a change from the old to the new. Such WERE some of you – but praise God you are no longer bound to the sins of your past!

So, let’s consider, in closing, a question and answer posed by the Apostle Paul that should give further clarification to this matter. In Romans 6:1-2 he says:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it.

Being in Christ, having been made a new creation with all things becoming new, means that we are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Our lives should bear testimony to that truth. And if not, then we are showing that we never truly died to sin and are thus still enslaved to it.

The church should bear the message of hope for those who are shackled to, and under the power of, sin. We should share the message of salvation to those who are still living in darkness, with the prayer that God would open their eyes to see and embrace the truth of His amazing offer of forgiveness and newness of life. But we must not allow ourselves to embrace and accept these alternative lifestyles as normative. We must, rather, embrace and propagate the message of the life-changing, behavior-altering power of the gift of God’s salvation.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Perilous Times

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But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.

These words are found in Paul’s letter to Timothy, and sound an alarm for the spiritual and cultural climate of what he refers to as “the last days.” I would encourage you to turn to 2 Timothy now and read the third chapter before reading further in this blog. As you read this passage, remember that you are reading the inspired, inerrant, infallible, Word of God. Let Paul’s words resonate with you as you see the parallel between what he said two thousand years ago, and our present state of spiritual and cultural chaos.

We need to realize that we have a very real, very powerful, very persuasive enemy who is out to tear down and destroy all that is of God. He does this in a variety of ways, and oftentimes he accomplishes this by disguising himself as a minister of righteousness. The following verse speaks to this very issue:

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, who end will be according to their works. – 2 Corinthians 11:14, NKJV

The focus of this blog will be on the spiritual deceit of Satan that is becoming more and more blatant in our present state. The church is supposed to be a beacon of hope, a light of life, shining forth the message of God’s love and grace into a world steeped in spiritual confusion. However, it seems to this writer that instead of the light of God’s love and grace shining out from the church, the darkness of the world is flooding into the church. Denominations that were once bastions of conservative Biblical and theological truth have become heralds of a watered-down version of the Gospel, espousing fallacious and even heretical teachings that are filled with worldly-minded philosophy. The God of the Bible who created us in His own image has now been recreated in our image. Some might even argue that the words of Friedrich Nietzsche ring truer today than ever before.

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche’s comment is probably to be understood in the sense that due to man’s expanding knowledge of the universe, the necessity of the belief in a Supreme Being was no longer valid. Man could now explain the intricacies and perplexities of the universe without having God in the formula. Everything had become man-centered, with little room, and practically no need, for a belief in God.

We might think that the church – at least those that are still committed to the teachings of the Bible – is still a bastion of truth. But we are witnessing today a mass exodus from those teachings. Churches are changing their policies and practices to embrace a cultural climate that is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Bible. Many are embracing – both in the pew and the pulpit – lifestyles that are clearly denounced in Scripture as being abominations in the eyes of God. In order to reach the masses, the message has been altered to become more appealing to the human spirit, rather than being in alignment with the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

Is it easy to maintain a commitment to Scriptural instruction? Absolutely not! It is extremely costly and dangerous. Look no further that the lives of the early disciples of our Lord to see this clearly. They were persecuted, even executed, by the scores simply because of their belief in and their commitment to Jesus Christ. And remember our Lord Himself. If our Lord and Master was treated in such horrific ways why should we expect anything different?

But we do expect something different. Why? Because, sadly, that is what the prosperity gospel teaches: health, wealth, and perpetual happiness. Jesus promised the exact opposite. He taught clearly that in this world we would suffer persecution. But we don’t want persecution? We want prosperity; we want health and wealth; we want the blessings and bounty. And the watered-down gospel of this present age promises just that.

Paul identified the spiritual climate of our present day in graphic terms in 2 Timothy. And I would like to draw our attention to just one phrase out of that passage as I bring this blog to a close. Paul said they would be:

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power! And from such people turn away! – 2 Timothy 3:4-5

For the church to be the church we need to stand up and speak out. The world desperately needs to hear the truth of God’s message: The whole truth! Let’s be part of His vast army of dedicated and committed soldiers, engaging in the spiritual war that rages. Let’s show the world that God is alive, well, and seated on the throne of the universe!

Until next time:

Blessings!