Don’t S.W.I.M. Subjectively
April 24, 2024 at 12:32 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical Truth, John 14, John 17, objective truth, Robert Golding, subjective truth, swim quotes, swimming quotes, truth
We find ourselves, then, clinging to subjectivity as each person embraces her or her own truth. But, as these various forms of subjectivity begin to harden and we assemble them into creations of our own making, we find ourselves in the rising waves of sanctimony—“this is my truth and you better believe it!” This is what it means to swim in the sanctimonious sea of subjectivity.
Robert Golding
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Worldview Finder: Exclusivity
March 13, 2024 at 4:00 pm | Posted in Worldview Finder | 2 CommentsTags: Acts 4, coexist, exclusivity of Christ, exclusivity of Christianity, Isaiah 43, Isaiah 44, John 14, Matthew 7, Proverbs 18, worldview
The Christian worldview looks to the Bible to establish that right and wrong, good and evil, are real. The opposing view, Nihilism, is a logically inconsistent system which denies the reality of shared experience and perceptions, as well as the existence of human conscience and innate knowledge of morality. Christians acknowledge God and His Word as the answer to the “by what standard” question concerning morality. But some people think that this leaves open the possibility that there may be other standards which seem to contradict God and His Word, but are just as valid. After all, doesn’t the Bible itself say:
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Matthew 7:1-2
What if the Bible is the right standard for Christians, but another religious tome such as the Koran is the right standard for someone else? Does one or the other have to be wrong? Can’t we just “COEXIST?” Like the blindfolded man unknowingly performing a tactile examination of an elephant, having never seen or heard of one before, and thinking that the trunk is a snake, the side is a wall, the tail is a rope, and the tusk is a spear, couldn’t objective truth and morality just be the subjective misperception of each person’s separate experiences, opinions, and preferences? And doesn’t the Bible itself caution us against jumping to conclusions before taking into account our neighbor’s contradictory viewpoint?
He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
Proverbs 18:17
The problem with the sort of reasoning that would support the idea of subjective, relative, or personal-viewpoint-dependent morality has been previously addressed when dealing with the Biblical Christian worldview’s insistence and confirmation of objective truth. And the problem is really highlighted in the popular bumper sticker attempt at virtue signaling known as “COEXIST.”
The reality is that the groups represented in the “COEXIST” paradigm make exclusive and contradictory claims that can’t “just get along” – and at least one of them wants to kill a couple of the others!
The idea that contradictory religious beliefs can be true for different people at the same time is known as Pluralism. Although some people do “experience” the same things in different ways, or give them different names (like misidentified anatomical parts of an elephant), this does not mean that contradictory religious beliefs can both be objectively true. A British “football” player who challenges an American football player to a game might be very upset when the American suddenly tackles him, but the problem is not that they had contradictory but equally true views of football. The problem is that they did not have the same understanding of technical terms. And, like the Pluralist who finds it offensive to hear someone claim this one religion is the only true one, we must carefully notice who is really being arrogant, divisive, and intolerant here: the faithful religious person who interprets his own belief system as exclusively objectively true? Or the outsider who claims everybody (but him) is deceived or mistaken and only he can see the elephant?
A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
Proverbs 18:2
Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:10
Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
Scofflaws
September 6, 2021 at 3:28 pm | Posted in Inlaws, Outlaws, and Scofflaws | 2 CommentsTags: 1 John 2, antinomianism, Colossians 2, Exodus 20, Jeremiah 31, John 14, John 15, Jude, Psalm 119, Romans 6
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
I John 2:3-5
I called the first lesson in the series on legalism “Inlaws” because it dealt with the false belief that a person could be justified before God by keeping “within” His law – by obeying God’s law well enough to earn salvation, eternal life, and a home in Heaven. This is a false view of the Law and salvation because no one can keep the Law, and because it spurns the only means of salvation given by God to mankind: Christ and His Cross.
I called the second lesson “Outlaws” because it dealt with the belief that outside, or beyond, God’s laws, additional extrabiblical safeguards are needed to prevent people from breaking them – or from coming too close to breaking them. This type of legalism promotes a false, outward view of spiritual maturity, and it always tends toward hypocrisy. Although perhaps well-intended, it infringes on the liberty won for us by Christ, and it hinders our fellowship with God in the Spirit and our relationships with other believers.
I could have used the term outlaws for this third lesson in the series because we think of an “outlaw” as someone who breaks the law and tries to live outside of it, but I think the better term is scofflaw, because someone who scoffs at the law isn’t necessarily seeking to have a wrong relationship to it; he instead behaves as if the law is irrelevant to him: he scoffs at it. This is not a type of legalism, but it is often the result of an unbiblical condemnation, or a wrong view, of legalism. Its common name is “antinomianism.”
Anti = against; nomos is the Greek word for law. For example, “astronomy” = the laws of the stars or heavenly bodies. “Economy” = the law of household management. Legalists are people who are wrongly oriented toward the law of God. Antinomians are people who believe that the law of God can be ignored.
Exodus Chapter 20 contains the 10 Commandments, which are the clearest summation of the Law in the Old Testament. Although they are found in the Old Testament, they also have an application for New Testament Christians. Classically, there are thought to be three “uses” of the Law. The first use is to use it like a mirror (which I like to call the reflective use). The Law shows us what we are really like when our lives are held up to God’s standards of righteousness. It shows us we are wicked sinners who need a Savior, so I believe that it is the most important use of the Law. The second use of the Law is sometimes called the civil use of the law. (I like to call it the restrictive, or restraining use.) If adopted by society, the Law will not prevent crime or sin, but it will hinder it and produce a culture where we have the freedom to preach Christ. The third use is the one that condemns the scofflaws (the antinomians). Some people call it the teaching use or the didactic use; I like to call it the revelatory use. The Law reveals God’s nature, character, and attributes, and it can also serve as a guide as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our sanctification to help us know that we truly belong to Christ and that we are making progress in our sanctification – which is a valid ground for assurance of regeneration/salvation. This is why we can’t, although we must avoid legalism, turn into scofflaws.
Scofflaws make an artificial distinction between love and duty.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
Love and duty are inextricably linked: duty and devotion. If you are a parent, do you love your children? Of course you do, but does this mean you do not also owe a duty to them as their parents? Again, of course you do. Even within the Trinitarian Godhead itself there is this combination of love and duty and obedience.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
John 15:10
We do not “have to” obey God’s law in order to show our love for Him. That’s a backward understanding of our duty. We “get to” obey God’s law because He first loved us. So, let’s try to make sure we don’t cavalierly disregard God’s law just because we are not – nor should we desire to be – “under it” when it comes to salvation.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
What does it mean here to say that, as New Testament Christians, we are not “under the law?”
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17
Those laws were for a certain people at a certain time and place. We are not bound to obey the Old Testament ceremonial laws. They have been fulfilled in Jesus. They were intended to keep God’s people holy and undefiled in preparation for the Messiah, and they were always intended to point to Him even before He appeared. However, the “moral” laws are still applicable. We hesitate to use the word “binding” on Christians today, because the moral laws are graciously given to us by God in order to please Him, and because they demonstrate to a lost world that we are becoming something which we could not be apart from God’s power: holy.
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:97
This is not bondage to the law. This is joyful meditation – a way to get to know God better and draw closer to Him. Look at the jubilant exclamation. A true Christian rejoices to know and to do God’s law.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31:33
This is a prophecy of the Old Testament concerning the New Covenant. Obedience to God’s law would not be external righteousness, nor a failed attempt at meritorious righteousness. New Testament Christians have new hearts, and God’s law is written on their hearts. A lack of concern about obeying God’s law could be a sign of false conversion. A belief that God’s law is irrelevant because salvation is by grace alone through faith alone can be a symptom that licentiousness is disguising the absence of real grace.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude v.4
Who Chose Whom?
April 26, 2021 at 2:55 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 CommentsTags: chosen in Christ, commentary on John, Divine choice, John 13, John 14, John 15, predestination, Sunday School lessons on John, the Apostles, the Disciples
Question: My question is about John 15:16, where Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…” I know that I chose Jesus when I accepted Him as my Savior, so you can’t say that this means Jesus chooses to save some people and not others. I just think He was talking to the 11 remaining Disciples (after Judas left), meaning that He chose them specifically to be His Apostles. What do you think about that?
Answer: I think that you are not alone in taking that position. I have read some Bible commentaries that agree with you. However, it is important to remember the context. If Jesus decided, at that moment, to make a statement directed only to the Discples who were in His immediate presence at that time, and one that did not apply to all His future disciples like you and me, it would have been a very strange time and way to do it. John 15 is part of the same discourse that began back in Chapter 13, and follows hot on the heels (pun intended) of Jesus washing the Disciples’ feet in a demonstration of how His followers are supposed to love and serve each other. Surely you don’t think that applied only to the 11 Disciples and not to us today. Then, in Chapter 14 Jesus gave them the assurances of Heaven, peace, prayer, and the Holy Spirit. Surely you don’t think those great blessings were only for the 11 Disciples. And Chapter 15 is about Jesus being the True Vine, and how His followers must abide in Him in order to bear spiritual fruit to the glory of God. This is obviously directed to us today, as well as to them then. I’m not sure why anyone would want to isolate the statement about Jesus choosing us, rather than us choosing Him, unless you have a bone to pick with the idea that Jesus deserves all the credit for saving us, and that we contribute nothing meritorious to our own salvation. That would be a logical fallacy known as “special pleading.”
I don’t want to dissuade you from believing that, in a sense, when you were saved you chose Jesus, but the testimony of Scripture is clear that, before you chose Him, He chose you, and that the only reason you chose him is because He first chose you (Ephesians 1:4-5; II Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 9:15; I John 4:10). While it might have seemed at the time like you were “accepting” Jesus, I can assure you that Jesus does not need any human being’s “acceptance.” He commands people to trust in Him, and He must empower them to do it, or else they won’t (Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; Romans 8:7-8; John 1:12-13).
The Resurrection and its Credibility, Confidence, Comfort, and Conquest
June 10, 2020 at 3:35 pm | Posted in Biblical comfort, Luke | 9 CommentsTags: Acts 13, Colossians 2, commentary on Luke, John 14, Luke 18, Luke 24, Resurrection of Christ, Resurrection of Jesus, Sunday School lessons on Luke
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,
Luke 24:1-8
The Resurrection is one of the most significant doctrines of the Christian faith. It is absolutely essential. The doctrine of the Resurrection provides:
1. Credibility
Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Luke 18:31-34
Also, Jesus had said He would rebuild “this” temple in three days. The veracity of the Lord Jesus was at stake. Because He rose from death and lives we can believe everything He said.
2. Confidence
Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:26-39
If Jesus could defeat death – if He could fulfill perfectly the prophecies made thousands of years before His death – He can forgive sins and even do what the Old Testament Law could not: He can JUSTIFY sinners.
3. Comfort
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:1-3
Jesus died and and His body went into the grave, and then He came back. Death is the “last enemy,” but we are victorious over it in Jesus. No other belief system has a resurrected God.
4. Conquest
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Colossians 2:10-15
The Resurrection is the complete and utter triumph of Christ over all our enemies, and it is the complete and utter exposure of Satan and his minions for the imposters that they are. Jesus takes all spoils from Satan and shares them with His people. We are raised with Christ; we need to live like reigning victors, with the joy of new life now. Eternal life begins at salvation, not at death.
Obedience Matters
November 1, 2017 at 3:21 pm | Posted in I Samuel, Jeremiah, Uncategorized | 15 CommentsTags: 1 Samuel 12, Biblical obedience, Disobedience, faith and obedience, Hebrews 10, Jeremiah 10, John 14, obey God, Romans 12, Romans 16
If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
I Samuel 12:14
God in His holy disposition was not disposed to give His people an earthly king. God was their true King, but they wanted a human king very badly, because the other nations had human kings. God allowed them to have their wish, although He knew that having a human king would cause many problems and much heartache and suffering, because a human king would be a sinful king.
He had his prophet Samuel appoint a man named Saul to be the first human king of Israel. I Samuel 12 is Samuel’s farewell address to the people, after he had anointed Saul as their king. What Samuel knew – and what you and I must know and believe ourselves – is that what really matters to God is not so much the strength of our earthly leaders, but our own obedience to God’s will as revealed in His Word.
Here are four brief thoughts on the matter of obedience, under the acrostic O.B.E.Y.
O.wnership
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
Jeremiah 10:6-7
But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
Jeremiah 10:10
We do not like to think of ourselves as property, and especially not someone else’s property. If, like me, you are an American, you probably believe that our leaders are supposed to serve us, not rule over us. We think we are free and independent. Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution even say that we are. But we are not. We are the subjects of a sovereign and mighty King, Whose rule is everlasting. We belong to Him. He owns us, lock, stock, and barrel from the moment of our conception, and He will do with us as He pleases. And we have nothing about us that is threatening or mysterious to Him.
If we believe this – truly believe – then obedience is not an optional thing. It is a logical and rational and inescapable fact of life. To disobey our Owner and King is foolish treason without any hope of working out well for us, and it subjects us to His anger and wrath and punishment or chastisement. Only such attributes as His grace, mercy, and love make even the beginning of a way to exist in His universe, and to therein know any joy whatsoever.
O.bey
B.iblical revelation
God – our Owner and King – has not left it up to us to try to figure out on our own what we must do – or refrain from doing – in order to obey Him. He has revealed His will to us in a written Word.
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Romans 16:26
It is our responsibility as God’s image-bearing creatures to know what He wants us to do – and HOW He wants us to do it. This knowledge does not come to us in dreams or visions, or by feelings or hunches. We do not get it by convening a council and reaching a consensus, or through trial-and-error experimentation. We get it by studying His holy Word – studying it to show ourselves approved – workers that won’t be ashamed when we stand before Him, saying, “But I didn’t know that was wrong,” or, “I didn’t know that’s what You wanted me to be doing with my life.” As my old Sunday School teacher used to say, “If you stand before God one day embarrassed by what you’ve done, then you will be standing there embarrassed on purpose,” because He has made it abundantly plain and clear in His book!
O.wnership
B.iblical revelation
E.arnestness
By earnestness I mean that our obedience to God must not be outward obedience only. It must come from the heart – from a true desire to please Him and an inward conviction that His commands and prohibitions for us are RIGHT.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22
In order to obey God truly from the heart, our hearts must be cleaned and renewed. They must be “sprinkled” (splashed with the blood of Christ) and washed with the water of the Word. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. We can fake obedience to certain extent, and fool other people, but God Himself is never fooled. To obey is better than outward shows of sacrifice, meaning that the inward faith of a desire to truly please God is better than external rituals. Earnestness is not really something we can achieve on our own, but it is the natural product of a true love for Christ and what He has done for us. However, and this is of tremendous importance, such earnestness WILL manifest itself in outward and visible acts of obedience.
O.wnership
B.iblical revelation
E.arnestness
Y.ield
The Holy Spirit wants you to obey God. He wants you to understand and obey His Word. He wants you to learn it and to live it. The office of the Spirit is to glorify Christ. If we will yield to the Spirit, we will honor Christ by our obedience.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
Obedience is not only the way to show our love for Jesus; it is the best evidence of our love for Jesus. It is not only the will of God that we obey; it is the way that we demonstrate that His will is perfect.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
“Present” yourself to God. Yield to Him and His Spirit. This is your reasonable “service:” the way you serve your King and Owner. This will “prove” or “demonstrate” that His will is perfect.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
At the very end of his farewell speech, Samuel said this:
Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
I Samuel 12:24-25
There is no question that obedience is not only the right thing to do, but the objectively best thing for us. Much disobedience in this world escapes the notice and the justice of the earthly authorities, but none of it escapes God’s notice or His justice. His justice WILL be satisfied – either on you, or in Christ.
Catechism Question 22
May 6, 2015 at 3:13 pm | Posted in Children's Bible Catechism, John | 3 CommentsTags: children's catechism, Christian living, Christianity, Ephesians 2, good works, Jesus Christ, John 14, living for Christ, Micah 6, righteousness
Question 21: When did God forgive you for your sins and give you eternal life?
Answer: When I believed on Jesus and called on Him to save me.
Prove it.
Romans 10:13
Question 22: How will you live for Jesus?
Answer: By loving Him and doing what He says.
Prove it.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
A person who has not trusted Christ unto salvation may perform acts of kindness, exercise some manner of admirable restraint, exhibit a life that speaks of comparative morality, and even accomplish what appear to be acts of self-sacrifice. However, underneath the visible exterior, no one is able to accomplish true righteousness in his or her own power, and, apart from the grace of God, every non-Christian’s deeds are tainted by self-interest and sullied by the fact that they are not done with a pure motivation of giving God glory.
One of the many varied blessings of receiving the salvation of the Lord in Christ is the creation of a new heart which is capable of responding to God’s love, and of being able to love Him back in true obedience. Our children, and we ourselves, must all remember that true conversion is not the permission to lapse into spiritual inactivity. Instead, it is the beginning of our call to serve our Master, King, Lord, Older Brother, and Best Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Other verses to consider:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Professing Atheists Are Blind to Their Own Lack of Objectivity
February 20, 2015 at 1:54 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 3, atheism, atheism debate, evidence, John 14, Judges 17, Matthew 7, proof of God's existence, Romans 1, The Bible
Professing Atheist: It’s odd that you think quoting the Bible would sway unbelievers.
Christian: You may not like it, but it’s not “odd” at all. Christians believe the Bible is the Word of God (II Timothy 3:16), and we have seen many unbelievers swayed by its truth.
Professing Atheist: What “truth” are you referring to?
Christian: The Bible itself and Jesus Himself, Who is THE Truth (John 14:6). You’ve never met anyone who started out rejecting it, read it, and then changed his/her mind? Let me help you find a Christian church to visit.
Professing Atheist: No thanks. Been there, done that. It took me 40 years of belonging to a Charismatic church to realize it was nonsense.
Christian: You should try another church – a non-Charismatic evangelical church. If it was a typical Charismatic church, you may be like the unbelievers described in I Corinthians 14:23-25.
Professing Atheist: Those are Paul’s words, and they are not relative to me.
Christian: You mean “relevant,” but they are relevant to you, because they are not just Paul’s words, they are the Holy Spirit’s words, and the Holy Spirit is God, and God is your Creator and your Judge.
Professing Atheist: Most Christians are taught or told that the Bible is true before they ever read or have time to evaluate its claims.
Christian: That doesn’t make it odd for Christians to quote it to unbelievers. You are assuming that “most” haven’t evaluated it, but, even if that’s true, by your own admission, others have read it and have been convinced of its truth afterward.
Professing Atheist: Do you ever take into consideration that there are probably more that reject than believe?
Christian: Of course. The Bible says that many reject (Matthew 7:13-14). It doesn’t say that all reject.
Professing Atheist: The Bible is a book of claims. I reject its claims for lack of conclusive evidence.
Christian: There’s no conclusive evidence that you reject it for that reason. I reject your claim that you reject it for that reason.
Professing Atheist: You’re just playing semantic games. The fact that I said I reject it is evidence that I reject it. That’s my conclusive evidence.
Christian: That’s the point. It’s “your” evidence (Judges 17:6) so you’ve subjectively labeled it as “conclusive.” And your “evidence” is just a self-assertion. It shows that you have a double standard. You don’t reject the Bible as true. You just don’t like it (Romans 1:18).
Professing Atheist: Do you think cherry picking Bible verses will somehow convince me?
Christian: The Holy Spirit may or may not use them to convict you or convince you, but, if you think they are being used out of context, I honestly hope that you will look them up and read them in context.
Professing Atheist: I reject the Bible’s claims, but I do like reading its fictitious stories.
Christian: Try to be consistent. You were pretending earlier that you were persuaded by “conclusive” evidence. There’s no conclusive evidence that the stories in the Bible are fictitious. In fact, the definition of “fiction” is a work where the author does not claim
its truthfulness. The Bible definitely asserts its own truthfulness. And you know deep down that what it says matters.
Professing Atheist: I know it matters? Nice assumption.
Christian: That’s why you’re driven to discuss it. The fact of this conversation proves that you know it matters.
The Provision of Peace
December 3, 2014 at 1:36 pm | Posted in Do You Know the Way?, Ephesians, John | 17 CommentsTags: Ephesians 2, Jesus Christ, John 14, John 16, ministry of reconciliation, peace, peace of God, reconciliation, Satan, world peace
Do You Know the Way? (John 14)
I. The Prepared Place (John 14:1-3)
II. The Particular Path (John 14:4-11)
III. The Power of Prayer (John 14:12-14)
IV. The Promise of the Paraclete (John 14:15-26)
V. The Provision of Peace (John 14:27-31)
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
John 14:27-31
Remember how John Chapter 14 started off: “Let not your heart be troubled…” Jesus told His disciples this because their hearts were troubled – very troubled. So, in His discourse He gave them words of encouragement about: a prepared place (Heaven); a particular path (Himself); the power of prayer (in His name); and the promise of the Paraclete (the Holy Spirit). He now restates the reason that He has been telling them these things:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27
“Peace” is a popular idea these days. It has been a common theme in pop culture for years. When you see a hippie holding up two fingers, he is saying, “Peace, man.” Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, “Know Jesus, Know Peace / No Jesus, No Peace?” I saw one the other day that said, “Visualize World Peace.” We tend to like the idea of peace, but Jesus told His Disciples that “world peace” is way overrated.
The peace that Jesus gives is “not as the world giveth” – which is a good thing because worldly peace is a counterfeit peace. It is a peace that is entirely dependent on circumstances. It is at best a temporary, illusory peace. Jesus gives us a peace that is greater. He had already told the Disciples that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Now, in a sense, He is also telling them that, not only does He give them peace, but He Himself also is their peace.
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13
This applies to the barrier between Jewish believers and gentile believers, but also to the barrier between holy God and sinful man.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Ephesians 2:14
Jesus gives us peace by giving us Himself. He is our peace.
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Ephesians 2:15
The Bible is not speaking here about emotional, psychological peace. It is speaking about the peace that ends a war. Enmity is hatred with a cause. When it came to the enmity between God and man, Jesus abolished it. He ended it – not just by making a truce or a cease-fire – but by reconciling two otherwise irreconcilable enemies. He did not bring God and man into mere tolerance of each other. He brought them into loving fellowship and everlasting familial bonds.
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Ephesians 2:16
Jesus killed the enmity between God and man for all those whom He saves. This is real peace, not the counterfeit peace which this “world’s system” advertises when it talks about “peace of mind.” It is no surprise that this world’s version of peace is a counterfeit peace, because it is controlled by the great counterfeiter, Satan.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
John 14:30
This world system is opposed to Christ largely because it is controlled by Satan, “the prince of the world,” (but not the Lord of all the Earth). Satan is a temporary usurper who has been granted a limited ability to exercise authority in order to maximize God’s glory. Jesus says that this temporary usurper “has nothing in Me,” meaning that Satan could never get a foothold in Jesus’s earthly life. Not one single solitary victory could Satan accomplish in the life of Christ. Jesus says to us that He is the provision of our peace, and Satan and this world will not rob us of the peace which He has won for us with God the Father.
But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
John 14:31
If you love the Father, your love for Him exists because Jesus has given it to you. Now, as the Father commanded Jesus to go, He commands us also to “arise” – to go. Worldly peace holds the false promise of the end of activity. “You are at peace, so you can rest. One day soon,” it says, “you can retire. You can move to the country, where you won’t have any pesky neighbors to bother you. You’ll have money to live on so you won’t have to go to work with a bunch of sinners. You can even order your groceries on the internet so you won’t have to go to the market and hear a bunch of cussing, and people blaspheming God’s name. You can just cultivate a small circle of Christian friends. You can come to church, but without getting too involved. You won’t have to get your hands dirty anymore, trying to minister to a bunch of filthy sinners. You will be able to putter around in your yard or in your workshop, and fish and hunt, or crochet and bake your way into the presence of King Jesus.” But Jesus says no! He says arise! It means get up and get moving! This peace is not physical rest. It’s spiritual rest. It’s the assurance that you are right with God and that Jesus is with you, not so you can escape from the world, but so you can overcome the world in Him!
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Say no to world peace! Arise with the peace of God, and go make sure that this world either surrenders to Jesus or fights against Him, but never forgets that He is its rightful Lord.
The Deep End 
Divine Interruption
January 27, 2022 at 3:34 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 1 CommentTags: Christmas, Christmas devotions, commentary on Luke, John 14, Luke 1, Mary, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the Annunciation, the Incarnation
Luke 1:28-29 (emphasis added)
This was announced to Mary by the angel, and it appears to have, temporarily at least, robbed her of her peace. When Jesus comes into your life in a real and interrupting way, it can trouble you. When He lets you know that you are about to go somewhere you haven’t gone before, it can trouble you, but Jesus, Who leads you through trouble, will not trouble you without the promise of peace in the midst of trouble.
John 14:27 (emphasis added)
The world’s “peace” is counterfeit; it is a snare of Satan, who is the prince of this world system (see John 14:30). The world in this context refers to the cosmos apart from God.
Luke 1:30-31
God, through the angel, told Mary that He was sending the Prince of “Peace,” and that this child would be given “not as the world giveth.” God ordained a new thing in her life – a troubling thing – but He gave her instructions – His Word – on how to do this new thing. His instructions were in precept – “call Him JESUS” – and in principle:
Luke 1:33 (emphasis added)
Therefore, it was implicit that He was to be worshiped and obeyed. A reigning king is be to be reverenced and obeyed. Later, when Jesus exercised His authority over His mother, it was not taken by her as disobedience on His part, because Mary had “pondered” (Luke 2:19). She gave serious consideration to the Word – in her heart.