For Goodness’s Sake

April 20, 2023 at 3:17 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments
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22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

You have probably heard the Christmas song which says, referring to Santa Claus, that he knows when you’ve been good or bad, so you had better be good for goodness’s sake. Admittedly, being good is good, but you can’t really be good for goodness’s sake.

Goodness is not really one of the fruits of the Spirit listed above in Galatians 5:22-23. It is as actually listed as part of THE fruit (singular) of the Spirit. All those character qualities – love, peace, gentleness, goodness, etc. – are part of what the Holy Spirit produces in the lives of people who trust Jesus.

One time someone came up to Jesus and asked Him about what it means to be good.

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

Matthew 19:16

When you see the word “master” in the Bible it sometimes means “teacher.” This young man wanted eternal life, and he had heard that Jesus was a really good teacher when it came to teaching about God, so he asked Him what he would have to do in order to live forever with God in Heaven. Do you ever wonder about that? Do you ever wonder if you will go to Heaven one day? Everybody is not going to Heaven. What do you have to do to make sure that you are one of the ones who IS going?

I used to think kind of like this young man who came up to Jesus. I thought God was up in Heaven sort of like the scorekeeper at a ball game. I referenced a song earlier about someone who’s supposed to see you when you’re sleeping and who is supposed to know when you’re awake, and I thought that’s what God did, too. And I was right about that part. God does do that. He knows everything we do every minute of our whole lives, and everything we say, and everything we think. He sees it all and hears it all and knows it all. Only God can do that.

I thought He was keeping track of the bad things I did (like lying, fighting with my brother, disobeying my parents and teachers) and of the good things I did (like cleaning up my room, getting an A in reading, saying yes ma’am and no sir to adults). Then, I thought, when I died one day, He would add up the good things and the bad things, and if there were more points on the good side, I could go to Heaven – I could have eternal life.

I must not have gotten that idea from the Bible, though! Because look what Jesus said when the young man asked Him about it:

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Matthew 19:17

First of all, Jesus asked him, why are you calling Me good? God is the only good person in the whole universe.

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:10-12

They say that there is an exception to every rule, and, while this is not really true, there is sort of an exception to the rule about there not being a good person anywhere at anytime: No human being has ever been truly good on his or her own EXCEPT for Jesus. Jesus was not a mere man, but He WAS a man. He was man and God in one person. So, when the Bible says that no one does good, no not one, it means that no human being has ever been good or done good in this world on his or her own, except for Jesus.

Only God is truly good, and the only truly good human being to ever live is the “God-man,” Christ Jesus. However, those who have trusted in Jesus CAN bear the part of the fruit of the Spirit called goodness. We do this by doing good works. Helping other people in a God-glorifying way is a good work. Being kind to others is a good work. Helping someone who is having a tough time is a good work. Faithfully attending a local Christian church is a good work. Studying your Bible and sharing what you have learned with others is a good work. Obeying those who have God-given authority over you is a good work. We need the Holy Spirit’s help to do these things in a way that pleases God. But what about the people who haven’t trusted Jesus? Don’t they still do some of those things? They do. But when unbelievers do things that seem good, those things don’t please God, because they are not done in Him, or for Him, or with a motive of glorifying Him. Some people attempt to do good so that they will get credit for it. Some people attempt to do good so that they will receive a reward. Some people attempt to do good out of a sense of guilt. Some people try to do good out of a fear of punishment. There is a way to “do good” sinfully. Some preachers call it “doing good not for God.”

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Jesus is the light of the world. We are supposed to light our smaller candles from the source of His big light, and then we have the right motive for goodness – for being good and doing good things – so that people can get a right understanding of how truly good and amazing God is. Only those who have trusted Jesus can truly do good.

Be good, but don’t be good for goodness’s sake. Be good for God’s glory.

Safe and Secure: The Intersection of Security and Assurance

September 29, 2022 at 3:44 pm | Posted in II Timothy, Uncategorized | 1 Comment
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When considering the doctrine of eternal security, and the separate but related concept of the assurance of salvation, I would like to discuss four possible categories of people:

1. People who are saved and know it
2. People who are saved but don’t know it
3. People who are lost and know it
4. People who think they are saved but are really lost

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

I John 5:11

Many babies around the world are born without a birth certificate, but, in nations where there is a strong hospital system and government oversight, there is almost always a record of physical birth. When it comes to having a record of spiritual birth, though, we can do away with the “almost,” because there is in fact ALWAYS a record of spiritual birth. Spiritual birth is the receipt of eternal life, and this eternal life is in the Son. Receipt of eternal life in the Son should be a basis for certainty, not doubt, because the Son, like the life He gives and maintains, is eternal Himself.

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

I John 5:12

I listed four categories above, but, in a more basic sense, we can confirm two categories here: (1) those who have the Son; and (2) those who have not the Son. We call the ones who have the Son “saved” because they are secure with Him. The ones who do not have the Son can not be considered “saved,” but we call them lost, rather than “damned,” in the hope that they will be found.

The doctrine of eternal security is underpinned by, and, in a way, based upon, regeneration. This will help us to think correctly as we analyze the connection between security and assurance and look at the four categories one at a time.

1. Those who are saved and know it

Is it possible for a person to know he is saved? The Bible indicates that it is.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I John 5:13

John’s epistles back up the purpose of his Gospel (“that ye might believe”) by adding that ye might believe and KNOW. The pastor of the church where I serve likes to say that the only thing better than being saved is being saved and knowing it, and there is certainly an element of truth to this. Perhaps you have heard other preachers ask, “Do you know that you know that you know… etc… that you are saved?” When the doctrine of security is known and understood, and it is combined with a Biblical assurance of salvation, we can see that this category – category one, being saved and knowing it – is clearly the best category.

2. Those who are saved but don’t know (or realize) it

I would argue that this is not a “good” category to be in, but certainly not the worst. Is it possible to be saved and not realize you are saved? Setting aside cases of amnesia or mental illness or disability, this category would mainly consist of people who struggle with doubt, or people who have been genuinely saved but haven’t fully understood it, or people who have sinned and become consumed by guilt leading to doubt over God’s love. I heard one preacher talk about a young lady who struggled with feeling forgiven, although the Bible clearly states that the sins of believers have been fully forgiven in the Cross. It turned out that her deeper issue was not a struggle with guilt, but a lack of repentance concerning her pride and disbelief.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

Confession of sins is integral to growth as a Christian, but just as important, or even more so, is a recognition that our FATHER has already arranged a prospective GUARANTEED forgiveness for true Christians. Category Two is a “better” category than Category Three or Four, but it is ultimately a sad category, and one from which we should seek to deliver our brothers and sisters who struggle with doubt and disbelief in the power and promises and grace of God.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 3:36 (emphasis added)

Note the present tense (what I like to call the present tense eternal) “hath” in John 3:36. Security is in the POSSESSION of eternal life, not the PROFESSION of eternal life, but when the profession can be added to the possession, then the Christian can grow in faith and overcome crippling doubt and fear.

3. Those who are lost and know it

Category 3 is not a good category, obviously, but it is is not as bad as it at first sounds. A person who knows he is lost (and will admit it) is a prime candidate to hear and receive the Gospel. Much of the Bible, and therefore much evangelism, is geared toward getting lost people to admit they are lost. A lost person may totally misconstrue the message that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life; that message is largely meaningless without the conviction of sin and the fear of judgment. That’s why the Bible’s most explicit explanations of the Gospel and the plan of salvation drive home the point that sinners are the ones who need a savior, and we all come into this world as sinners.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 3:23-26

This is extremely good news for those who believe in Jesus and the truth about His death, burial, and Resurrection, but ONLY for those who believe. There is no eternal security for a lost person, so the last thing we want to do is given them a false assurance. A false assurance would land them them in category four, which, for my money, is the most dangerous and worst category a person could be in.

4. Those who think they are saved but are really lost

These people are sometimes described as inoculated to the Gospel, and, while I don’t really care for that description, we must acknowledge that a person who truly believes that he has already been saved is the kind of person who is least likely to be susceptible to the conviction that comes with the preaching of the Gospel. One of the reasons that so many people don’t like the expression “once saved always saved” is that it can be seriously misused, even though it is a valid expression. We have to remember that the expression is NOT “once claimed to be saved, always saved” or “once thought to be saved, always saved.” Too many professing Christians wear the label “saved” when they haven’t really understood or believed the Gospel, and haven’t really received the Savior. It reminds me of a story in which the famous preacher D.L. Moody was once approached by a drunk man. “Don’t you remember me?” slurred the man as he staggered about, “You saved me two years ago.” Moody is said to have responded, “I must be the one who saved you, because it sure doesn’t look like God did it.”

There are some Biblical examples of people who belonged to category four, and some we can’t be sure of, but two are mentioned by name:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

II Timothy 2:15-18

It appears that Hymenaeus and Philetus were in error – albeit grievous error – meaning they actually believed their own false teachings. Note, however, that their false assurance, and their fall into apostasy, did not affect the objective truth of eternal security.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

II Timothy 2:19

We are hesitant to disfellowship or kick someone out of a local church body, and we should not do so if there is reason to believe their profession of salvation is credible, but ongoing acts of open unrepentant sin is one authorized reason for doing it, and false teaching, despite attempted correction, is another.

Guilty No More

September 9, 2022 at 1:53 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
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One time my daughter sang a song in church which contained the line, “We are guilty no more.” We often speak to people about what it means to be “saved,” and, in doing so, we try to get them to admit the guilt caused by their sin. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” they say. “I don’t feel guilty at all about what I’ve done or what I’m doing.”

That may be true, but whether or not you “feel” guilty is not the issue. If you have sinned against God – and we all have – you ARE guilty, whether you feel it or not. Your guilt is a judicial or forensic guilt that exists in the court of God’s justice, and He will eventually punish you as a guilty sinner unless you repent and trust the Savior, Jesus Christ. If you will do that, believing the truth about His life, death, burial, and Resurrection, then your sins will be forgiven, and you will be “guilty no more.”

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Romans 3:19-24

Does James Contradict Romans?

April 14, 2021 at 2:30 pm | Posted in James | 4 Comments
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What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

James 2:14

Does James contradict Romans?

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 3:28

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Romans 4:5

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

James 2:24

Are true Christians saved by faith (Romans) or saved by works (James)? The short answer is that true Christians are saved by God, but the real question is what is the MEANS of our justification?

Some misunderstandings are caused be a failure to define terms. An Englishman and an American arguing over “football” would need to have an understanding that Americans call English football soccer. A player on my little league team once told me, “Coach, you’re the bomb,” and I wasn’t sure if he meant I was explosive, or if I had done a bad job like a comedian at whom nobody laughs, but it turns out he was saying that I was a good coach. If somebody says, “You rock,” it helps to know if he is referring to an old fashioned chair, an electric guitar, or if he is saying you are awesome. When it comes to “justification,” that term can have different meanings, too, but, theologically, justification is the act of God, Who, by grace, declares sinners who have believed on Jesus Christ, to be righteous. The “method” of this type of justification is by faith, but there is another kind of justification which is seen as being “before men.”

But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Luke 7:35

All “wisdom” is wise by nature, but not all wisdom is recognized as wise until men see the results – the outcome of wisdom’s children after they have followed its way.

The Book of Romans uses Abraham to show righteousness imputed by belief. James uses Abraham to show that belief becomes apparent in action – in obedience – in active obedience.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

James 2:21

Romans uses Genesis 15; James uses Genesis 22. Would Isaac have believed, or would Abraham’s servants have believed, God’s promise if Abraham had not obeyed God by intending to kill Isaac? Salvation – justification in the sight of God – happens by faith. However, justification in the sight of men becomes evident through works. If a professing Christian encounters a person who is hungry and cold, mere faith or belief will not feed or clothe that person. James goes past the outward profession and seeks to describe a complete (perfect) picture of what has really happened on the inside of a person who has trusted Christ unto salvation.

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

James 2:22

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

James 2:19

If the devil disguised himself, he might be allowed to join most Christian churches today. He believes Jesus is the Son of God. He has known Him for a long time (much longer than anybody in your church). He knew Him before the Incarnation. He believes in the Virgin Birth. He believes Jesus died on the Cross. He believes in the Resurrection. He understands what baptism means and would probably would even do it himself. He would promise to be a good churchman. He would go to budget meetings. He would stand right by the pastor in the congregation. He would join the choir and the band. He would get together with the servant leaders. However, he would not stop causing problems for people. He would not stop trying to hurt the work of God. He would not sincerely bow down and worship Christ as Savior and Lord. He might say he would or make an outward show, but he is a liar.

A dead body still looks a lot like a living body at first glance, but closer inspection reveals the problem. Faith that won’t work looks like dead faith.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James 2:26

Can I be Born Again and Still Commit Sins?

April 4, 2018 at 1:13 pm | Posted in Q&A | 5 Comments
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Question: I John 3:9-10 seems to be saying that true Christians never sin. How can I make sense of this?

Answer: By examining the verses carefully, in their context, and in light of the dominant doctrines of the Bible which address the same issues.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

I John 3:9-10

Who is “born of God?” True Christians, according to John 3:3-7, are people who have been “born again” (reborn spiritually) by the Spirit of God. Therefore, the “whosoever” which begins I John 3:9 is anyone who is really a Christian. Taken in isolation, the statement,”True Christians do not ‘commit’ sin,” could easily be taken to mean that if you are truly a Christian, then you will never commit any sins. And, logically, the inverse would be true: If you sin, then you must not be a true Christian.

However, true Christians know from experience that they do still sin. It would be difficult to find a true Christian that denies sinning every week, every day, even every hour. We don’t use our experiences, though, to interpret Scripture, so let’s keep reading.

Why don’t those who are born again commit sin, according to I John 3:9? It is because “His [God’s] seed” REMAINS (stays permanently) in those who are born of Him. What does that mean?

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

I Peter 1:23

If you are truly a Christian, God, by His Word, at the moment of salvation, gave you His “seed” – something of His nature. This does not mean that true Christians become “gods” (a false belief of Mormonism), but we do get a new “heart” – new essence or nature – which is “of God.” This is not a physical impartation, like when our children inherit our DNA, but there is a similarity, even though it is spiritual, not physical. So, we could reason that the occurrence of sin after a “salvation” experience means that we did not really receive God’s gift of salvation, because sin is not of God. It’s “of” us. (Note the impossibility of the seed of God leaving His spiritual offspring, which emphasizes the truth that real salvation, once granted, can not be “lost.”)

Another interesting thing to note is that I John 3:9 is a chiasmus:
A. Whoever is born of God
B. Does not commit sin
C. Because God’s seed remains in him
B. He cannot sin
A. Because he is born of God

It seems very black and white, but, without regard to its proper context, it could be used to teach the false doctrine of “perfectionism:” the idea that any sin in the life of a person excludes the possibility that he is a true Christian, so it must be possible for human beings to reach a state of sinless perfection in this lifetime.

On the flip side, it would also be an error to use the verse to support the Gnostic idea of antinomian dualistic perfectionism: the “antichrist” doctrine that the physical body doesn’t matter, so a spiritually transformed Christian can sin all he wants in his body, and it doesn’t “count” because the spiritual self is no longer even capable of sinning.

The better view is to allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, and to analyze I John 3:9-10 in light of other verses in I John such as:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

I John 2:1

And:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I John 1:8-10

Additionally, passages like Romans 3:10-23 and Romans 7:14-25, and pretty much all the New Testament epistles that deal with Christians getting the victory over sin and fighting against it all the way to our ultimate sanctification and glorification, make it clear that no Christian ever reaches a state in this lifetime where he is completely free from the commission of sins.

So, when we come to a somewhat jarring verse like I John 3:9, we interpret the dominant pervasively-Biblical precept over the more obscure in-context precept. And the next verse, I John 3:10, actually helps us get a better sense of the context. It says that the children of God are “manifest,” which is a key word in the Book of I John. It means “to make apparent; to reveal openly.” It is what we look to when determining the status of something’s invisible essence by what Thomas Aquinas called its outward “accidents.”

How can we make the best human judgment in distinguishing the children of God from the children of Satan? By their manifest righteousness, or lack of righteousness. We would expect the children of God and the children of Satan to be polar opposites when it comes to the patterns of their lifestyles, and their responses to sin, in the sense of repentance or unrepentance. Of course, we also identify the children of God by their love for other Christians.

This helps us to get a deeper sense of the use of the word “commit” in I John 3:9, so that we understand it as describing an ongoing, habitual life of sin, rather than the commission of any one individual sin. When we are looking at other people, trying our best to determine the genuineness of their profession of faith, we can not judge their hearts, but we can make a practical determination of how much trust to place in their profession based on what we observe. Furthermore, when we examine our own hearts in light of the outward fruit produced in our lives, we will lack assurance if we act and talk more like the devil than like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit Who indwells true Christians CAN NOT initiate sin or practice sin. Our “flesh” – our old nature that is still subject to worldly and Satanic influence – CAN NOT produce God-pleasing righteousness.

So, in response to the question, “How can I make sense of I John 3:9-10?” let me summarize with six points:

1. Sin in the life of a Christian does NOT automatically mean the person is not really a Christian. (As Martin Luther said, the Christian life can be described as simul iustus et peccator: simultaneously justified yet sinning.)

2. Unrepentant persistent sin in the life of a professing Christian may be seen as the manifestation of a false profession of faith in Christ.

3. God’s nature in believers is not the source of their sin; it IS the source of any outward righteousness produced in their lives. (Justification is settled in Heaven; regeneration should be evident on earth.)

4. Our assurance of salvation should be challenged, and we must examine our profession of faith if we are manifestly non-Christian in our love of sin and lack of love for Christians.

5. Our obedience to the law of God is important for Christians, although it is not the basis of our status as children of God. (We must avoid both extremes: legalism and antinomianism.)

6. Gnosticism is a heresy. Our bodies are important to God, just as our spirits are important to God. Christ died and rose again to redeem them both.

What about Those Who Haven’t Heard?

July 14, 2017 at 9:36 am | Posted in Q&A | 3 Comments
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Question: If there’s an isolated community/tribe that has little to no contact with the outside world, and have never heard of the Lord, how are they judged on Judgment Day?

Answer: Let’s start by thinking about the reason for God’s judgment in general. For what is He judging anyone and everyone? As noted in the Children’s Bible Catechism, specifically questions 6,7, and 8, and the Bible verses that answer them, people are judged for sinning against God.

So how can people be guilty of sinning against a God about Whom they’ve never heard, and by breaking laws they did not know existed? The answer is found in Romans Chapter 1, starting in Verse 18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”

Everyone in the world knows that there is a God. They may not know His name, but His external creation and their own inner consciences reveal that He exists and that some things are “right” and some things are “wrong.” Sinful people have access to this truth, but “hold it in unrighteousness,” which means they try to suppress it or hold it down by pretending it isn’t really there.

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Romans 1:19

This attempt to suppress whatever revelation of truth that a person has received is, in itself, also a sin, which means that no one has a valid “excuse” for rejecting God and His revelation of Himself and His “wrath” against sin:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 1:20

Those of us who live in America often think of rejecting Christ as the sin which would condemn us on Judgment Day, and it would definitely be one of the sins (probably the worst) for which we would be judged. But rejecting Christ is not the only sin which will merit judgment on Judgment Day. Those who die apart from Christ will also be judged for lying and stealing and immoral thoughts and immoral actions and covetousness and idolatry and many, many more sins. Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone does these things, but Romans 1 tells us that the people who do them KNOW that they are wrong even if they don’t have immediate access to a Bible or the name of Jesus.

One reason why it is so important to try to get missionaries and the Gospel to remote people groups – from the Inuit people in the Arctic, to villages in Togo, West Africa, and everywhere else – is so that they can hear the Truth that Christ is their only hope for forgiveness. A heart that has been “darkened” (Romans 1:21) needs special “illumination” from the Word of God.

Why I Didn’t Care if the Mainstream Media Ignored the Flood

November 4, 2016 at 12:10 pm | Posted in The Flood | 4 Comments
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In July, 2016, a Baton Rouge police officer shot and killed a man named Alton Sterling, prompting protests and national media attention. Later on that month, a gunman shot six Baton Rouge law enforcement officers, killing three, and critically wounding another. On August 12-13, 2016, the banks of the Amite, Comite, and Tickfaw Rivers disappeared beneath raging torrents of rain and runoff. The water began to rise at an alarming rate. Houses – and whole subdivisions – located on property which hadn’t experienced flooding since time immemorial began to fill up with water. The main shopping districts in the downtown areas of cities disappeared beneath newly formed lakes. Vehicles sank or floated off the sides of highways. It quickly became apparent that this was going to be one of those events that earn the adjective “catastrophic,” like hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and tsunamis. The national media won’t admit it, but they love these things. They are great for ratings. Reporters rush to the scene and report live in their “rough-weather” gear, often holding onto something for support in the storm, and speaking of doom and gloom into a shaky camera.

Here in southeastern Louisiana it was going to be our turn in the spotlight… except it wasn’t. At least not at first. By and large, the national media, fascinated with the spectacle of a shameful pick-your-poison fiasco of a presidential campaign, and a weird scandal involving Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, gave short-shrift to our noble struggle to stay afloat down in Bayou Country. The difference was glaringly obvious. Social unrest and violence caused by alleged prejudice and bigotry? Alert the media. A common-cause weather disaster prompting us to set aside our differences and work to help each other? Yawn.

And the locals didn’t like it one bit. Social media gives everyone a voice and many people used it to express their disapproval. Why did Louisiana get big-time coverage for our problems, while getting ignored for our resiliency and unity in a desperate time? And, to be fair, the complainants had a point. Conceivably, faster and greater media attention could have resulted in faster and greater aid from around the country. Also, the perception that the Yankee media thinks that us Southern rubes make for better entertainment when we’re getting up to criminal hi-jinks, than when we’re nobly helping our neighbors, is not without support.

I was one of the few that did not wish for more national media attention during the flood and its immediate aftermath. One reason is that, with the prevalence of social media, people are already overly-enthusiastic about seeking attention. There were plenty of people out doing heroic things during the flood… and posting about it on Facebook. Most of the so-called do-gooders were quickly hashtagged, shared, liked, retweeted, and instagrammed. When a boatful of Cajun good ‘ol boys ferries you from the roof of your house to a National Guard staging area, everybody logged in at home gets a nice case of the feels. When you click on a cell phone camera photo of some kid’s soggy rescue-pet puppy wagging his tongue over the gun-rack in the back windshield of a jacked-up high-water-defying pickup truck, how can you not get the warm fuzzies about your community and humanity in general? The national media would have only reinforced and emphasized a wrong view of ourselves and our true motivations, and that is the last thing we need.

Within a few days after the flood, the harsh reality started to set in. This was not going to be about heroism, bravery, and daring in an air boat, or about sandbag-delivering Samaritans, or about ice chests filled with bottled water instead of Bud Light for once. It was going to be about the cleanup, and, for Christians, it was going to be about opportunities to share the good news about Jesus. No one delights in viewing a Facebook photo of some old dude down on his knees in the back of a dark closet four days after a flood, trying to scrape out the last crumbles of moldy drywall so that it’s safe to put the new stuff up later when it arrives (plus my butt crack was probably showing from that angle and NO ONE wants to see that!). No one hashtags #LouisianaStrong or #BatonRougeProud over a picture of Grandma’s water-warped antique dresser lying smashed in a pile of debris out by the road. So, after the opportunity for glamour, comes the opportunity for ministry.

Wait a minute though, says the objection, shouldn’t we celebrate the spirit of resilience and golden rule reciprocity that comes when people put aside their differences and band together to help, while it is going on? Maybe we should. As Christians, though, we need to be very careful about what we celebrate and, especially, what we label as good. If the Cajun Navy restored your faith in humanity, or if seeing people with different skin colors sitting in the same rescue boat sharing a blanket made you think that people are basically good deep down, then you need to remember what the Bible says about our inherent “goodness” and self-righteousness.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:10-11

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Titus 1:15-16

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Isaiah 64:6

Apart from Christ, every person, regardless of whatever “kindness” or “goodness” or “righteousness” he seeks to perform or demonstrate, is condemned before God. Unless they are born again by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel, every admiral, midshipman, and ensign in the Cajun Navy, every “good” neighbor and “good” ol’ boy, every rescue and relief worker, will go to the lake of fire for all eternity. And the mainstream media will not change that truth whether they show up or not.

glorious sins

Three Reasons for Ten Commandments (Reflective)

May 14, 2014 at 8:53 am | Posted in Exodus, Uncategorized | 20 Comments
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We have seen:

1. The Revelatory Purpose of the Ten Commandments
2. The Restrictive Purpose of the Ten Commandments

Now we will look at:

3. The Reflective Purpose of the Ten Commandments

Under the revelatory purpose I said that the Ten Commandments in a sense reveal (or reflect) the character of God. However, they reflect the other way, too, and I believe this is the main purpose of the Ten Commandments: The Commandments are God’s mirror to show us what we really look like.

Do you look in the mirror in the morning? I don’t like it, but I do it, because it tells me the truth about me – what’s on my face, what’s between my teeth, whether I accidentally grabbed a purple tie and green socks. The mirror does nothing to help me look better – except to show me the truth.

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Romans 3:19

No one can look at the Ten Commandments honestly or even with partial honesty, and deny that he is guilty before God.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:20

That’s why we use the Ten Commandments in evangelism. They let us hold up a mirror to lost sinners without us acting as their judge ourselves.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:21-23

When the Bible says that all have sinned, most people will see this as an excuse instead of an accusation. “Okay, I’m a sinner, but so is everyone else.” It’s not an excuse. We are people of unclean lips, but the fact that we are part of a group doesn’t excuse us. It makes things worse. We are not just sinners. We are part of a sinful race of people.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9

“The” heart is a universal subject. It means that everyone’s heart, apart from Christ, is like this. The Ten Commandments do not let us get away with those kinds of rationalizations. They are universally applicable, but they are also pointedly personal: thou shalt; thou shalt not.

God does not grade on a curve when it comes to sin, but even if He did, Jesus is the ultimate curve-breaker. He scored a perfect 100 on the “do not sin” test. The reflective purpose of the Ten Commandments is to show us our need for that perfect Savior, and to destroy any hope we might have in ourselves or in our own works.

Teach your children the Ten Commandments, but don’t teach them like a rule book. Teach them like a mirror. And make sure that you yourself have really looked into that mirror, as well. There’s no such thing as a “good person.” There are only wicked vile wretched worthless useless sinners, some of whom have been saved by the grace and mercy and love and blood and death and burial and resurrection of a good and a great Savior.

How to Read the Bible (and Get Something out of It): Part 3

May 7, 2014 at 9:52 am | Posted in II Peter, Uncategorized | 9 Comments
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Previously I discussed some of the exciting things about reading the Bible. Be patient with the Bible. Some sections are like a torrid novel (there are even some scandalous passages!), but some parts are more like the terse outline in a study guide for a history exam. Other sections are beautiful poetry. Take some time to figure out what genre you are reading. The Bible has an unlimited depth. The more you learn, the more you will want to know. And the more you want to know, the more fascinated you will be. Here are some practical tips for getting more out of your Bible-reading:

1. Remember the truthfulness of it.

Thy word [is] true [from] the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments [endureth] for ever.

Psalm 119:160

The Bible is unique in this respect. It is absolutely true in every circumstance and situation. It is the Word of God, and God cannot lie, and He cannot change. Therefore, His Word cannot be wrong, and it does not become outdated. Everything else you hear is susceptible to being (and often is) a lie. The Bible is the “verily verily” of God – the “true truth.” You can depend on it and rely on it, even when everything around you and “common sense” seem to indicate otherwise.

… yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Romans 3:4

2. Reacquaint yourself with God in it.

Some people only have a second-hand knowledge of God. You know Him through your parents. You know Him through sermons. Your main experience of Him is through praise and worship. It’s time you get to know Him better – in the Bible.

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

II Peter 1:3

We know that God is loving, just, merciful, gracious, wise, and powerful, because He tells us these things about Himself, and He has recorded Himself demonstrating these things in the Bible. Can you imagine your spouse, child, or favorite person in the world giving you a letter telling you their most important thoughts, and telling you what they are truly like, and you don’t bother to read it? God has demonstrated His love and His care for us in the highest way conceivable. How can we not want to find out as much as we can about Him?

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Acts 17:11

3. Recognize yourself in it.

The seeker-sensitive cliche’ “it’s not about you” is true, in a sense. But in another sense, it is about you. The Bible is where we learn how we got here and what our reason for existing is. A good hermeneutic principle to follow is to picture yourself as the sinner in every Bible story you read.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 (emphasis added)

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 (emphasis added)

You are in the Bible in one of those two verses. If you are truly a Christian, then you are a “whosoever” in John 3:16. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, then you remain one of the “whosoevers” in Revelation 20:15, and I plead with you to ask the Lord to change your status today.

Not What We Deserve

October 15, 2012 at 2:14 pm | Posted in Jeremiah, Uncategorized | 16 Comments
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Recently a candidate for political office responded to his party’s nomination with an acceptance speech. A key theme of this speech was the idea of entitlement. Or, to put it another way, “getting what you deserve.” In this relatively short speech, the words “deserved” and “deserve” were used nine times.

-“hope and change…is what Americans deserved”
-“You deserved it because you worked harder…”
-“You deserved it because… [you] put in longer hours”
-“You deserve it because your family depended on you.”
-“We deserve better.”
-“my children deserve better”
-“my family deserves better”
-“my country deserves better”
-“Our children deserve it [a better future].”

Now, I realize that not everyone who reads this will be a Christian, or even believe the Bible. But if you are truly a Christian nothing should horrify you more than the idea of “getting what you deserve.” Christians are supposed to understand that what each and every person born into this world “deserves” is the wrath of the holy God. I know we like to pretend that we’re basically good people, but we’re not. We are all sinners.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:10-12

When some politician stands up and starts telling you that you “deserve” hope, or change for the better, or a fair chance, or even a second chance, you had better reject that message as vain deceit.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Ephesians 5:6

You do not “deserve” good things – no matter how hard, or how many hours, you work. Neither our families, nor our country, nor the children that God has entrusted to our care deserve any blessing whatsoever. Our culture, our government, our schools, our homes, and, sadly, even our churches are not “worthy” of any sort of a better future. We are corrupt, wicked, and wretchedly sinful. That is Bible theology 101 – whether we like it or not!

As a Christian, I want absolutely no part of what I “deserve.” What I want is grace and mercy. If you ever hear someone even hinting that God’s blessings, His love, and His mercy and grace are things that you deserve, flashing red lights and loud blaring warning sirens should immediately be exploding behind your eyeballs. Grace and mercy – by definition – happen when God gives us what we DO NOT deserve and withholds from us what we DO deserve.

The same speech referenced above contained this sentence: “You deserved it because you worked harder than ever before during these years.” How un- (if not anti-) Christian! Muslims, Mormons, Hindus, and all sorts of other denominations and false religions believe that you can “earn” your way into God’s favor, but Biblical Christianity deals in truth. We had better start proclaiming the truth of what is going to happen to those to whom God gives a “recompense” (what they deserve) rather than grace and mercy.

For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Jeremiah 16:17-18 (emphasis added)

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