We can discover a lot of things when we study God’s word but there are two things that are inescapable; God hates sin but he loves the sinner. This is the great paradox of the Bible. God hated sin so much that he placed the death penalty on it. It was sin that destroyed the perfect relationship between God and his creation. It is sin that has caused all the human suffering and misery throughout the history of the world. Sin has robbed God of his most treasured possession, man.
The Bible doesn’t say too much about God hating but what it does say amounts to a violation of all of the Ten Commandments.
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16–19
Jeremiah 44:4 tells us idolatry is another thing the Lord hates.
In the New Testament, Jesus only listed two things he hated. They were the deeds and the doctrines of the Nicolaitanes. The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, supposedly, was a false teaching among many Christians that eating meat sacrificed to idols was alright. From reading the Revelation it becomes very clear that Jesus hated false teachings.
God’s hatred for sin is only exceeded by his love for the lost sinner. He doesn’t love the sinner because he is a sinner but because he is God’s creation; made by God himself and for God’s pleasure. God derived his greatest pleasure from man as long as man was in his innocence; but when man sinned, God was robbed of his greatest pleasure. However, God still saw in man the potential for giving him pleasure if he could rescue him from sin. He had a plan already in place to do just that.
His plan was called grace. His love for his creation caused him to find grace for his fallen creature and he had mercy on the man. God’s plan of grace called for a Redeemer, an innocent man who had never sinned, to die for the sins of mankind thereby paying the death penalty for sins. God knew there was no innocent man among the sons of men so he sent his Son Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, to die for the sins of men.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Now, because of his grace, mercy and love, man can have his relationship with God fully restored. Once again, God can derive his greatest pleasure from man who will receive his Son, Jesus, as their Savior by faith and live for him in obedience to his will.
This is the only way a man can realize his greatest pleasure too, to have his heart right with God. Is your heart right with God?
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
My View of Christianity
My view of the Christian faith may vary somewhat from most people’s views. I have made a lifetime of studying what people believe and the ways they practice their religion. I speak of the religion of Christianity. I have reached the conclusion that most people I’ve known approach their religion in one of three different ways. These are not the only ways but the three main ways which I have observed. They are:
1. The grace/faith only way
2. The works only way
3. The legalistic way
First, the grace/faith way: This group of people maintains that their righteousness is strictly by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ; and that accompanied by a few good works, secures their salvation for all eternity. This group believes that the grace of God has covered everything for them and no further efforts, on their part, is necessary for salvation. Their good works are expressed mainly by their financial support of their church and social and charitable causes.
Second, the works only way: This group believes their salvation comes from their good works alone. Some of them never make any profession of faith. They have an attitude that they believe they are as good as the person who does profess faith in Christ. They also believe that God will overlook all the bad they have done in their lives because they have done a lot of good also; and the good they have done will outweigh the bad. This group rarely attends church and is often critical of Christians but they contribute well to charitable causes and volunteer work.
Third, the legalistic way: This group believes righteousness is obtained by the strict observance of the religious rules of their church dogma or discipline. This may include such things as abstaining from certain foods, observing religious customs or even wearing a particular type of clothing. This group is usually more faithful in their church attendance but they are strong in their criticism and judgment of those who do not agree with them.
A fourth approach to obtaining righteousness would be some combination of all the above. A great many people tend to have their own personal way of interpreting the Bible or their church’s theology.
The Christian faith, when viewed as a whole, is just that, a faith. It is not just another religion like many other religions. Christianity is a faith, a way of living that is guided by a Christian’s strong faith in the supreme God and his Son, Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. Christianity is people who are citizens of an eternal heavenly kingdom but are living their lives as sojourners in this world. We strive to live as kingdom citizens in a paganistic world; representing our King and his kingdom well as its citizens while we are here; knowing that soon he will call us to be with him in our eternal home. Without this faith and this hope, life in this present world makes little sense.
Kingdom citizens don’t live by the world’s interpretation of the Bible but we seek our King’s interpretation of his word. We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We don’t sink our roots too deeply into the world because we know this world is not our permanent home. Instead, we follow him by faith, being led by his Spirit; dutifully going about witnessing of his saving grace and persuading others to come and follow him too. This is our task which he has given us and we derive great pleasure out of doing his will.
This is true Christianity. James called it pure religion. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) True Christians are loving and caring people, always reaching out to the afflicted. Not only to those afflicted by the hurts and misfortunes of life but also to those enslaved by the sins of this world. We are to be the good Samaritans and the deliverer of good tidings to the people of this world. We are to do this while keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.
We walk daily in the power of the Spirit, claiming personal victory over sin while telling others about the glorious kingdom of heaven. Our God gives us the power to be his sons and daughters and to carry out the mission which he gave us. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
Christianity is all about God, reaching out to the lost and needy, and about his Son, Jesus, who has bought our salvation with his own blood. It is all about Christians who are living godly and holy lives, doing his will and looking for his glorious appearing and his soon coming kingdom.
My views of the Bible and Christianity are fundamentalist and are fully supported by the Scriptures. Any person who has a lesser view of Christianity, has not yet seen the whole picture and is living far below their privileges.
1. The grace/faith only way
2. The works only way
3. The legalistic way
First, the grace/faith way: This group of people maintains that their righteousness is strictly by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ; and that accompanied by a few good works, secures their salvation for all eternity. This group believes that the grace of God has covered everything for them and no further efforts, on their part, is necessary for salvation. Their good works are expressed mainly by their financial support of their church and social and charitable causes.
Second, the works only way: This group believes their salvation comes from their good works alone. Some of them never make any profession of faith. They have an attitude that they believe they are as good as the person who does profess faith in Christ. They also believe that God will overlook all the bad they have done in their lives because they have done a lot of good also; and the good they have done will outweigh the bad. This group rarely attends church and is often critical of Christians but they contribute well to charitable causes and volunteer work.
Third, the legalistic way: This group believes righteousness is obtained by the strict observance of the religious rules of their church dogma or discipline. This may include such things as abstaining from certain foods, observing religious customs or even wearing a particular type of clothing. This group is usually more faithful in their church attendance but they are strong in their criticism and judgment of those who do not agree with them.
A fourth approach to obtaining righteousness would be some combination of all the above. A great many people tend to have their own personal way of interpreting the Bible or their church’s theology.
The Christian faith, when viewed as a whole, is just that, a faith. It is not just another religion like many other religions. Christianity is a faith, a way of living that is guided by a Christian’s strong faith in the supreme God and his Son, Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. Christianity is people who are citizens of an eternal heavenly kingdom but are living their lives as sojourners in this world. We strive to live as kingdom citizens in a paganistic world; representing our King and his kingdom well as its citizens while we are here; knowing that soon he will call us to be with him in our eternal home. Without this faith and this hope, life in this present world makes little sense.
Kingdom citizens don’t live by the world’s interpretation of the Bible but we seek our King’s interpretation of his word. We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We don’t sink our roots too deeply into the world because we know this world is not our permanent home. Instead, we follow him by faith, being led by his Spirit; dutifully going about witnessing of his saving grace and persuading others to come and follow him too. This is our task which he has given us and we derive great pleasure out of doing his will.
This is true Christianity. James called it pure religion. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) True Christians are loving and caring people, always reaching out to the afflicted. Not only to those afflicted by the hurts and misfortunes of life but also to those enslaved by the sins of this world. We are to be the good Samaritans and the deliverer of good tidings to the people of this world. We are to do this while keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.
We walk daily in the power of the Spirit, claiming personal victory over sin while telling others about the glorious kingdom of heaven. Our God gives us the power to be his sons and daughters and to carry out the mission which he gave us. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
Christianity is all about God, reaching out to the lost and needy, and about his Son, Jesus, who has bought our salvation with his own blood. It is all about Christians who are living godly and holy lives, doing his will and looking for his glorious appearing and his soon coming kingdom.
My views of the Bible and Christianity are fundamentalist and are fully supported by the Scriptures. Any person who has a lesser view of Christianity, has not yet seen the whole picture and is living far below their privileges.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Good Dirt
Almost every human has been touched in some measure by the word of God in the last 2000 years. Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Here, in the twenty first century, it is very likely that most of the world has heard of Jesus Christ. The great Christian religion’s influence has been felt all over the globe. The religion of Islam has even been influenced to a large extent by Christianity. Being founded largely as an anti-Christian religion, it still contains come Christian ideas such as the idea of a savior who will return to save his people in a time of great troubles. The major difference is, Christians serve a living Savior, Jesus, while Islam’s savior, Mohammed, is dead. Their god, Allah, supposedly will send someone who will be known as the twelfth imam to save them in the end.
In Matthew 13, Jesus gave us the parable of the sower. In the parable, Christ is the sower. He has also delegated the sowing to his church, to sow the seed, which is the word of God, all over the world. In the parable, Jesus said some of the seed fell by the wayside, some fell in the stony places, some fell among thorns and some fell on good ground. That which fell on good ground, brought forth fruit in varying amounts. Every Christian can find themselves somewhere in this parable. If you are a Christian, look for yourself, you are in there somewhere.
Jesus interpreted the parable in Matthew 13:18–23. The seed that fell by the wayside, represents those who hear the word of God and immediately the devil, the wicked one, takes it away from them and they follow him instead,
The seed that fell in the stony place represents those who hear the word of God; but because of their stony heart, the root of the seed doesn’t go deep enough and that person can’t take the troubles and tribulations of the world and they are offended. To them, everything must go just right because they are a Christian.
Those that received the seed among the thorns, represents those who have heard the word of God but the cares of this world are stronger. The material things, the deceitfulness of riches, have more importance than the spiritual things and the word of God is choked out.
The seed that fell on good ground represents those who heard the word of God and it took root and grew within them, producing fruit. These are the Christians whose lives were changed by the gospel and they became what they were meant to become because they heard the word of God.
I call upon Christians everywhere to closely look at your Christian life. Your life has been touched, in some measure, by Jesus Christ. What effect has it had on your life? Are you the wayside, the stony ground, the thorny places, or are you Good dirt? Where are you standing as a Christian?
In Matthew 13, Jesus gave us the parable of the sower. In the parable, Christ is the sower. He has also delegated the sowing to his church, to sow the seed, which is the word of God, all over the world. In the parable, Jesus said some of the seed fell by the wayside, some fell in the stony places, some fell among thorns and some fell on good ground. That which fell on good ground, brought forth fruit in varying amounts. Every Christian can find themselves somewhere in this parable. If you are a Christian, look for yourself, you are in there somewhere.
Jesus interpreted the parable in Matthew 13:18–23. The seed that fell by the wayside, represents those who hear the word of God and immediately the devil, the wicked one, takes it away from them and they follow him instead,
The seed that fell in the stony place represents those who hear the word of God; but because of their stony heart, the root of the seed doesn’t go deep enough and that person can’t take the troubles and tribulations of the world and they are offended. To them, everything must go just right because they are a Christian.
Those that received the seed among the thorns, represents those who have heard the word of God but the cares of this world are stronger. The material things, the deceitfulness of riches, have more importance than the spiritual things and the word of God is choked out.
The seed that fell on good ground represents those who heard the word of God and it took root and grew within them, producing fruit. These are the Christians whose lives were changed by the gospel and they became what they were meant to become because they heard the word of God.
I call upon Christians everywhere to closely look at your Christian life. Your life has been touched, in some measure, by Jesus Christ. What effect has it had on your life? Are you the wayside, the stony ground, the thorny places, or are you Good dirt? Where are you standing as a Christian?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Peace
I just finished reading today’s paper and I must admit I could easily be depressed were it not for my faith. The world news is most depressing. It is easy to see why there is no peace. There are no major world wars being fought but given the condition the world is in it is easy to think that could come to an abrupt end real soon. The war in Afghanistan, the oil spill in the gulf, the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the economy and unemployment, the dissatisfaction with the government, spiraling medical costs, the budget deficits, the national debt, the falling value of the dollar, earthquakes killing thousands of people and the devastating floods here in Tennessee with thousands of people losing their homes; it all adds up to troubles and tribulations.
People everywhere are looking to the governments of the world to fix all this mess. I just read a blog about the meeting of the G20 in Toronto in a few weeks. The G20 is a group of twenty of the world’s wealthiest industrialized nations. It seems the world is looking to them to solve many of the world’s problems––in just forty eight hours. Needless to say, this blogger was very skeptical, just as I am. Forty eight hours? Really?
As I read his blog, I got the distinct impression that his feelings reflect the feelings of millions, maybe billions of people in the world. People’s hearts are filled with doubts fears and skepticism; all fueled by the list of things above and hosts of other situations.
There is no peace in the hearts of men. Recently, I noticed a bumper sticker on a car in front of me that read, No Jesus, No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) How many of really like the “peace” the world gives?
Jesus said his peace wasn’t like the “peace” the world gives. He told us, “Let not your heart be troubled.” How can our hearts not be troubled in a world that knows nothing but troubles? Jesus told us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
I think you will agree, the world offers nothing but empty promises and false hopes and all we get seems to be more troubles. If we would know peace we have to know Jesus. He alone can give us real peace. He alone can give us real hope. How can we have peace in the world that does not know peace? It is only by having made peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Only Jesus can reconcile us to God. There is no other way. When we have the peace that Jesus gives, we too can overcome the world. With him, we can not be troubled by the world’s situations. We see this world as only a temporary place we must pass through. None of us are here to stay so we have not based our hopes in what is only temporary. Those, who do base their hopes in this world, have no hope.
I’m thankful all the bad news has not depressed me. Jesus told us it was going to be this way. Why won’t more people listen to him? Know Jesus, Know Peace.
People everywhere are looking to the governments of the world to fix all this mess. I just read a blog about the meeting of the G20 in Toronto in a few weeks. The G20 is a group of twenty of the world’s wealthiest industrialized nations. It seems the world is looking to them to solve many of the world’s problems––in just forty eight hours. Needless to say, this blogger was very skeptical, just as I am. Forty eight hours? Really?
As I read his blog, I got the distinct impression that his feelings reflect the feelings of millions, maybe billions of people in the world. People’s hearts are filled with doubts fears and skepticism; all fueled by the list of things above and hosts of other situations.
There is no peace in the hearts of men. Recently, I noticed a bumper sticker on a car in front of me that read, No Jesus, No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) How many of really like the “peace” the world gives?
Jesus said his peace wasn’t like the “peace” the world gives. He told us, “Let not your heart be troubled.” How can our hearts not be troubled in a world that knows nothing but troubles? Jesus told us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
I think you will agree, the world offers nothing but empty promises and false hopes and all we get seems to be more troubles. If we would know peace we have to know Jesus. He alone can give us real peace. He alone can give us real hope. How can we have peace in the world that does not know peace? It is only by having made peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Only Jesus can reconcile us to God. There is no other way. When we have the peace that Jesus gives, we too can overcome the world. With him, we can not be troubled by the world’s situations. We see this world as only a temporary place we must pass through. None of us are here to stay so we have not based our hopes in what is only temporary. Those, who do base their hopes in this world, have no hope.
I’m thankful all the bad news has not depressed me. Jesus told us it was going to be this way. Why won’t more people listen to him? Know Jesus, Know Peace.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Christian Rest
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30)
Most of us carry a lot of excess baggage. Did you ever stop and contemplate the things that you really don’t need? Most people worry and fret over things that, in the big scheme of life, they really don’t need. Life has a way of overwhelming us if we are not careful.
Jesus understood the need for rest. His disciples had gone several days without rest and Jesus told them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat. (Mark 6:31) Life had overwhelmed his disciples.
To those who are overwhelmed, Jesus extends his hand and heart to you. If you will give him a place in your heart, you will find that his word is true. To yoke up with Jesus is to partner with him. One of the first things he will help you with is arranging your priorities in their right order. With Jesus’ help, you’ll begin to understand what is really important and what’s not. You’ll soon begin to discard those things that aren’t important.
Jesus didn’t promise the cares of life would disappear altogether. What he did promise was that the load would be lighter because you would be yoked with him and as a team working together, your burden would be light. He will give you rest. You have been carrying your burdens all by yourself and you need some help.
Isn’t it strange, that many people try to lighten their burden by taking on additional burdens? We let ourselves be convinced that a new car, new clothes, new job, new house or even a new husband or wife is just what we need to make some of life’s problems go away. We can soon be entangled in a web from which there seems to be no escape.
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.” He invites us to try him and prove him and see that he is as good as his word. People need to learn that Jesus can be a far greater help that they think. “I am meek and lowly in heart,” he said. Meekness would be the opposite of pride. Pride is an overrated assessment of one’s self. You can’t live life all alone. We all need some help at some point. Jesus can help you and he wants to. Why not give him the chance?
Most of us carry a lot of excess baggage. Did you ever stop and contemplate the things that you really don’t need? Most people worry and fret over things that, in the big scheme of life, they really don’t need. Life has a way of overwhelming us if we are not careful.
Jesus understood the need for rest. His disciples had gone several days without rest and Jesus told them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat. (Mark 6:31) Life had overwhelmed his disciples.
To those who are overwhelmed, Jesus extends his hand and heart to you. If you will give him a place in your heart, you will find that his word is true. To yoke up with Jesus is to partner with him. One of the first things he will help you with is arranging your priorities in their right order. With Jesus’ help, you’ll begin to understand what is really important and what’s not. You’ll soon begin to discard those things that aren’t important.
Jesus didn’t promise the cares of life would disappear altogether. What he did promise was that the load would be lighter because you would be yoked with him and as a team working together, your burden would be light. He will give you rest. You have been carrying your burdens all by yourself and you need some help.
Isn’t it strange, that many people try to lighten their burden by taking on additional burdens? We let ourselves be convinced that a new car, new clothes, new job, new house or even a new husband or wife is just what we need to make some of life’s problems go away. We can soon be entangled in a web from which there seems to be no escape.
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.” He invites us to try him and prove him and see that he is as good as his word. People need to learn that Jesus can be a far greater help that they think. “I am meek and lowly in heart,” he said. Meekness would be the opposite of pride. Pride is an overrated assessment of one’s self. You can’t live life all alone. We all need some help at some point. Jesus can help you and he wants to. Why not give him the chance?
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