Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

Prayer of Praise When the World Has Gone Crazy

"This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33  "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34  "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, 35  UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."' 36  "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:32-36 (NASB)

The Gospel is the true story of how God reclaimed for himself authority and dominion over his creation. The Bible teaches that Father God is the Creator who made all things through the agency of his Son and the Holy Spirit.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  He was in the beginning with God. 3  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. John 1:1-3 (NASB)

In addition, God sustains his creation moment by moment; otherwise, it would fold up like a cheap tent.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17 (NASB)

Adam and Eve gave to Satan the authority and dominion God has invested in them, opening the door for satanic oppression to warp and destroy God’s beautiful masterpiece. Only by sending his own Son as the Lamb of God could Father God regain dominion over his creation and reverse the horrible process of death and destruction sin introduced. Jesus willingly offered his life as a perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins. In so doing, he liberated us from the shackles of death.

Three days later he rose victoriously from the tomb as Lord of lords and King of kings. All authority and power was put in his hands. Forty days later, he ascended into heaven, where he sits upon his Father’s throne, waiting for his enemies to be thoroughly and finally defeated through the agency of his church. On Pentecost, as Lord of the Harvest, Jesus poured out his Spirit upon his disciples to equip, empower, and embolden them to spread the Good News of his reign to all the earth, making disciples as they went. The kingdom of God began to spread throughout the earth as leaven does in a lump of dough.

Still Jesus waits in heaven for his enemies to be made his footstool. What remains? What is our responsibility in the matter? God’s initial command to his newly created first couple is still in effect.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28  God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:27-28 (NASB)

We have been given a dual responsibility: we are to multiply and rule in the natural realm and the spiritual. Just as we realize that we must reproduce children in the natural, we must also do so in the spiritual through the preaching of the gospel. Just as we nurture and prepare our children to become responsible adults, we must also disciple people to be responsible reproducing followers of Christ. Just as we realize we must take dominion in natural areas of life, we must do so spiritually. We are to be involved in government, not politics per se. The government is upon Christ’s shoulders, and we are his representatives. Jesus is coming back for a dynamic involved church, not one that is defeated and passively letting the world go to hell in a hand basket. (Romans 16:20)

We can know for a fact that all things are working toward God’s glory, which shall fill the earth. We who know God are also assured that things are working out for our good. (Romans 8:28) Therefore, we are always able to praise God as we participate in his end game for the ages.

  • God is Creator and sovereign over his creation.
  • God is Sustainer. Everything and everyone depend on his power to uphold us. Therefore, nothing can happen that he does not allow. He can pull the plug on evil at any moment he desires. Evil does not nor ever will have the upper hand.
  • Jesus is Redeemer. Those who put their trust in him are safe.
  • Jesus is Lord. When Jesus rose from the dead, he assumed authority over all creation. Every knee will bow to him and confess his lordship. All of history is moving toward that climactic event called the Last Judgment. All things must bow the knee as history moves irreversibly toward God’s will for his Son to be glorified. We can count on that.
  • We are destined to co-reign with Christ, both here and in the final state of things. We are to be active, not passive, filled with faith, not fear, giving praise, not complaining.
  • All things are also working for our good; so, we are able to praise him even when, especially when, we cannot see yet how that will come to pass. This gives God much glory and us much joy.

Prayer

Lord, I give you thanks and praise that you are my Creator God. I am here because you willed it so. I praise you that you sustain your creation moment by moment. The reason I have my breath is because of you. It is so easy for you to control the outcomes of world events since you are the Sustainer. If you remove your support, no one can continue. We are totally dependent on you, despite our bravado and blustering. Thank you, Jesus for dying for me so that I might be forgiven and receive eternal life. Thank you that I am part of the family of God and my destiny is to rule and reign with you. Thank you that you conquered death for our sake so that we no longer have to fear. Thank you, Jesus, that when you rose from the dead you took command over all things, even though it does not yet appear to be so. It is so. Everything is aligning with your ultimate will. Every person eventually will acknowledge your lordship and rule. I do so now. Thank you, Jesus that you are working all things out for our good and your glory.

I pray for my government, as Paul commanded us. I pray that you will work through our leaders to provide just government to our nation. Help me to be involved at whatever level you choose. Lord, you are sovereign in power and overflowing in mercy. You know that evil people are scheming and working to accomplish their plans at the expense of those who love your name because they hate you and your rule. Don’t let their evil plans succeed. Work things out to be a blessing for your people and for your glory instead. Let the plans of evil people backfire on them. Let truth prevail and liars be exposed. Uncover the hidden things of darkness so that truth wins and your Son is glorified. In the midst of your judgments, have mercy on those who are willing to repent. Open their eyes to believe the Gospel. Strengthen those of your people who are suffering persecution for your sake around the world. Have mercy on the persecutors. Bring justice to the poor and oppressed. Let your people always be praising you. Amen.

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Why Evolutionary Materialism Is Blasphemy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bible opens with these words…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (NLT)

Before all else, from our human perspective, God is the Creator. Everything in the universe derives from him, is sustained by him, and will ultimately glorify him.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:11 (NIV)

The rebellion that began in the Garden was a rejection of God’s benevolent authority over his creation.

Satan tricked Adam and Eve into doubting their Creator’s love and good intentions for them. They opted for a self-directed life in place of one of worshipful and loving dependence on the one who made and sustained them. Over time man’s rebellion progressed to an outright denial of God’s existence, which has been codified in many modern philosophies, one of which is evolutionary materialism.

Evolutionary materialism is the theory that matter got here by itself and everything in the universe, including life, can be explained completely by naturalistic processes.

Sin blinds our reasoning ability. It robs us of seeing God’s hand in everything he made. Those who arrogantly dismiss God rejoiced when Darwin developed his theory of evolution, realizing that it gave a plausibly “scientific” cover for their atheism. Those who have chosen to adopt this “faith” position, for it cannot ever be proved, haughtily dismiss those of us who adhere to the biblical creation view as being backward and unscientific. The education establishment forbids the teaching of the creationist point of view, using their dominance to poison the minds of generations of young people against God, fueling the fires of mankind’s rebellion. Unless they repent, they surely will reap the judgment they deserve. Paul wrote:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19  because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:18-21 (NASB)

Godless humanity continually replicates Adam’s sin by insisting we are self-created and self-determinate beings.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We are created, dependent beings, who live to bring glory to our Creator. If we miss that, we miss everything. Evolutionary materialism is blasphemy, pure and simple.

The suppression of the truth that God exists and is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe of the beginning of all deception and lies.

What Then Must We Do?

If you now realize that you are guilty of dismissing God as your Creator, here is what you can do.

  • Ask Him to forgive you on the basis of Christ’s death on your behalf.
  • Make the choice to surrender all of your supposed rights to self-determination by acknowledging that Jesus is your Lord. Water baptism is the way we publicly declare our allegiance to Christ.
  • The third step is to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and join Christ’s intrepid band of disciples who are spreading the Good News to as many people as will listen.
  • Become part of a Spirit filled local church that takes the Great Commission seriously.
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The Seven Mountain Prophecy: Unveiling the Coming Elijah Revolution

 

 

by Johnny Enlow

Thanks to Covid19 and the recent election and the turmoil that has followed, I have become more aware of a “stream” within the river of God called the Body of Christ that has captured my attention. It seems that the prophetic voices that have been most hopeful and full of faith almost always come from what is called the “seven mountains” movement. Time will tell if they are right in their assessment of where we are in this nation regarding God’s timetable and plan. In the meantime, I thought I would look in more depth at the teachings coming from a significant leader in this movement, Johnny Enlow. No one person of group has complete understanding, especially when it comes to current events and eschatology; however, some leaders seem to be more “in tune” to what God is saying and doing. I just completed Johnny’s book, which was written in 2008. I find his insights extremely relevant for right now, which is amazing, considering how much water has gone under the bridge since then and how much was then unforeseeable to the natural mind. I have summarized below what I consider to be some of the highlights of the book. I hope that what I have written will make you think and maybe even rethink about your views of these remarkable days in which we live.

The Introduction lays the theological framework for the book. The author quotes Revelation 5:1-12, which says in part: “You…have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

The “seven horns” represent seven foundations of power that the Lamb has because of His awesome act of redemption on the cross. It is why Jesus said after His resurrection, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (See Matthew 28: 18.) He had now paid the price not just so souls could be rescued from hell, and not just so a few could receive healing— but He had proven that He was worthy to recover all ground that had been lost in the Garden of Eden. …That is why He followed His “All authority is mine” declaration with the great commission to “make disciples of all the nations.” (See Matthew 28: 19.) The Great Commission has always been about much more than what most of us have imagined. (pp.8-10, Kindle Edition)

I believe that it is not necessary to accept that the seven horns represent Christ’s power and authority on the “seven mountains” of influence in the culture. What seems irrefutable to me, however, is that Christ’s mandate to disciple the nations is much more than cultivating the best and brightest in our churches to understand the Bible better, live moral lives, and serve in the church in some capacity. While we have been discipling our converts to be better churchgoers, Satan has been wielding influence in the cultural and governmental power centers and discipling entire nations and directing world events. This is not surprising, since Paul called him the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4) I believe the church, in general, has “dropped the ball” by retreating into our Christian enclaves and by default leaving government, education, the media, the arts and celebration, and the economy and business largely to the devil. Instead we have focused mainly on the “religion” mountain and the family, while wondering why our culture is going down the drain. I believe the Lord is waking up the church to our responsibility to be salt and light and to be “players” on the mountains of influence to whatever degree the Lord allows. This will fulfill the mandate issued in the Garden so long ago that was reiterated in the Great Commission.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28 (ESV)

It is Enlow’s position that a lack of vision and a faulty eschatalogy are behind the church’s failure to embrace her mission.

Enlow believes that a mighty tsunami like movement has been released in the earth by God which he calls the Elijah Revolution. The reason for using this descriptor is because Malachi prophesied that Elijah must return before the coming of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5-6) Enlow wrote

…this Elijah Revolution tsunami will sweep through both the world and the church, and it will leave no doubt as to who God is. (p.18)

He believes prophecy will be a major thrust which will clarify things that seem ambiguous now.

It will…

…eradicate stagnation and the status quo. Things will never be the same again… it will bring about a “drastic and far reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.” (p.20)

This is extremely interesting to me in light of the last year and a half. The draconian measures taken by governments around the world have altered how people think about many things, especially in the church. I have heard it said by more than one person that things will never be the same. The essence of repentance is to “change the mind,” to move from being self-absorbed and self-directed to coming under the lordship of Christ. Enlow says that…

The tsunami will either resurrect churches of bury them. (p.20)

We are seeing that play out before our eyes.

Enlow believes this Elijah Revolution will precede the Lord’s Second Coming. He quotes Acts 3 as his theological base.

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20  and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21  whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Acts 3:19-21 (NASB)

His understanding of this passage may be different from yours, but it is worth considering.

That word restoration— apokatastasis in the original Greek text— is very powerful. It means “restoration of a true theocracy” and “restoration of original intent.” The implications of this scripture are, of course, huge. Jesus is retained in heaven until Elijah’s Revolution. Even as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus to come, the Elijah Revolution will prepare for His final return. We know John the Baptist’s revolution didn’t go far enough because it brought repentance but not a restoration of all things. His and Jesus’ deaths, however, became the seeds for the coming restoration of all things that will precede Jesus’ return. An original plan and design of God will triumph and will establish Him as Ruler of the nations. Exactly how that will look is debatable, but it clearly entails the crushing of Satan here on Earth before He returns for His bride. (p.23)

Previously I always assigned such things to after the Second Coming. Enlow has introduced me to the possibility that some of it may happen before Jesus returns. If that is the case, the doom and gloom scenario of an impending “great tribulation” may be premature. We may be in for something spectacular from God that will be so momentous that it will create the spiritual tsunami Enlow prophesied. Interesting, years ago more than one person in our church saw a vision of a coming great wave that will bring many people into the kingdom of God. Could we be on the verge?

Enlow believes Jesus is…

… coming for an overcoming, conquering, love-motivated bride who has made herself ready by fulfilling her mission. (Revelation 19:7) The Elijah Revolution is the catalyst for all these things. (pp.24-25)

He believes the church must transition out of its survival mode of thinking, as if we were Israel in the wilderness, into a overcoming mode, as when Israel entered and conquered the promised land. The church has yet to conquer as Jesus intends. This leads to quite a different mindset from the passive acceptance of the dominance of evil that many Christians have adopted.

Another key idea Enlow floats is that we should differentiate between what he calls a gospel of salvation and the gospel of the kingdom. He believes the church has reduced the gospel to only being about the salvation of individuals, without embracing the larger mandate of extending his lordship over all creation. Once again, many believers have relegated this expanded rule of Christ to after the Second Coming; but, what if we are to be engaged in that now? That would change everything!

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 (NASB)

The Great Commission was to “make disciples of all nations.” It was not to “make disciples of all souls.” God is interested in the nations— a word mentioned over three hundred times in the Scriptures. (p.40)

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Revelation 11:15 (NASB)

History won’t conclude, then, until Matthew 24: 14 is fulfilled: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” All nations will have to hear and see— to witness is to see— this gospel of the kingdom before Jesus returns. The gospel of saving souls will not suffice— it’s the gospel of the kingdom that must get out. That means the message of His Lordship over everything must be followed by a demonstration of His Lordship over everything. (p.41)

Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3  And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3 (NASB)

Enlow believes that the church has a very important role to play in extending Christ’s rule in a practical way in the nations. This means disciples of Jesus will have to get involved in practical ways in all aspects of society in order to be salt and light. (Matthew 5:13-14)

This approach, of course, is a radically new concept for most Christians. We have long assumed that evangelistic crusades and mass conversions are the key to taking a nation (if the thought of taking a nation even occurred to us). We have ignored entire mountains, or sectors of society, because they’re “of the devil.” But the Lord is now saying, “You must take these mountains.” This revelation is an earthquake that the Lord is releasing into His body. The shock waves of the revelation are beginning to sweep through Christian society, creating the tsunami waters upon which the Elijah Revolution will coming crashing upon the nations. (p.45)

Beginning in Chapter Five, Enlow addresses each of the “seven mountains.” He gives an explanation of what they are, how Satan has dominated, and what must be done to effectively displace his influence and rule. I will not take time to go through each of these, but let me assure you that each chapter is loaded with insight. Please do not fast forward through these chapters. The order he covers these “mountains” are as follows: the news media, government, education, economy, religion, the arts, and the family. What he wrote about the family was very good and helped me see how Baal worship is destroying the foundations of society through alienation, sexual perversion, and abortion.

The last chapter begins with a quote from Deuteronomy.

The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, Deuteronomy 28:13 (NASB)

IT IS IMPORTANT that we, God’s blood-bought people, realize that it has always been His will for us to be at the top of the mountains in a place of preeminence and blessing. He is not a sadistic God who loves seeing His people struggle and barely survive. Nothing could be further from the truth. He has always sought to motivate us with a promised land of unlimited abundance— body, soul, and spirit. He wants to give us that for two reasons. First, He is a great and loving Father who loves to shower His kids with blessings. Second, His blessings are His ultimate demonstration before principalities and powers of the conclusive truth that love never fails. All He has ever demanded in return is that we obey His commandments. (p.181)

Enlow does not espouse the prosperity gospel nor any kind of false dominionism. He approaches things from a place of humility and emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing our devotion to Christ over everything else.

The great work to be accomplished for people holy to the Lord will be intimacy with Him. God’s great desire is for the peoples of the earth to see how good a God He is to those who serve Him. (p.185)

The brevity of the book did not allow Enlow to share his eschatology in depth, but it is clear he believes that the antichrist will have his day, but only after there is a massive global ingathering. But now the church has a job to do. Let me end this summary with the following quote.

This isn’t over until we reign on Earth. Genesis starts with, “Have dominion over everything,” and Revelation ends with, “We shall reign on earth.” The Lamb that was slain provides the seven spirits of God that bring the seven horns of power over the seven nations greater and mightier than us. That’s why it’s incidental that they are greater and mightier than us. He has released the seven horns of power to topple every rebellious spirit that has exalted itself against the Creator. The seven eyes release the prophetic vision to understand that this is our inheritance on Earth. The earth will continue to shift and quake with expectation and birth pangs. It will cause a series of tsunamis that will totally transform the face of the earth. All destructible structures will come down. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. But the sons and daughters of the kingdom will be on the mountaintops and will receive the unshakeable kingdom. Then will be the end of all rebellion on Earth. (p.188)

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Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe

by Voddie T. Baucham, Jr.

I have long been a fan of Dr. Baucham, having found him to be a clear thinker and a truth warrior. Since I have been deeply troubled by evangelicalism’s embracing of the presuppositions and conclusions connected to critical race theory and intersectionality during the past year, when I discovered that Dr. Baucham wrote a book addressing these hot topics, I was eager to read it. He did not disappoint.

The author clearly articulates the gravity of our situation in society and the church. In his own words:

The current moment is akin to two people standing on either side of a major fault line just before it shifts. When the shift comes, the ground will open up, a divide that was once invisible will become visible, and the two will find themselves on opposite sides of it. That is what is happening in our day. In some cases, the divide is happening already. Churches are splitting over this issue. Major ministries are losing donors, staff, and leadership. Denominations are in turmoil. Seminary faculties are divided with some professors being fired or “asked to leave.” Families are at odds. Marriages are on the rocks. And I don’t believe the fracture in this fault line is yet even a fraction of what it will be. (Kindle, pp.6-7)

Baucham describes the errors of critical race theory and shows how and why well-intentioned evangelicals fall prey to these arguments.

The problem is not ethnic tension, but the fundamental assumptions that drive our assessment of and subsequent approaches to it. (Kindle, p.4)

Baucham goes on to write:

Those belonging to the social-justice crowd present themselves as the only ones pursuing justice, to the exclusion of all who disagree with their assessments— who, by that definition, are pursuing injustice. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the current struggle is that it mischaracterizes Christians that way too. On one side are “compassionate” Christians who are “concerned about justice.” On the other are “insensitive” Christians who are “not concerned about justice.” This is wrong. I have pursued justice my entire Christian life. Yet I am about as “anti– social justice” as they come— not because I have abandoned my obligation to “strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12: 14), but because I believe the current concept of social justice is incompatible with biblical Christianity. This is the main fault line at the root of the current debate— the epicenter of the Big One that, when it finally shifts with all its force, threatens to split evangelicalism right down the middle. Our problem is a lack of clarity and charity in our debate over the place, priority, practice, and definition of justice. (Kindle, p.5,  underlining mine…)

Baucham states that the antiracist movement is a false religion with its own cosmology or narrative of beginnings, a new version of original sin (racism), a new law (the work of antiracism), a new priesthood (non-white people), a new form of revelation (what Baucham calls “ethnic gnosticism” – special knowledge conferred on minorities), a new version of truth (narrative), a new extra-biblical canon of sacred writings (approved reading lists of CRT/I books and articles), and a new way to be saved (unending repentance and reparations).

In case you’re wondering about its soteriology, there isn’t one. Antiracism offers no salvation— only perpetual penance in an effort to battle an incurable disease. (Kindle, p.67)

“Without confession to the sin of white racism, white supremacy, white privilege,” contends Sojourners magazine founder Jim Wallis, “people who call themselves white Christians will never be free… from the bondage of a lie, a myth, an ideology, and an idol.” 23 This sentiment is an affront to the Gospel. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8: 2, italics mine). And again, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8: 36, italics mine). But this is the gospel of antiracism, where there is no freedom— at least, not for white people. (Kindle, p.77)

Baucham counters the false claims of CRT/I with truth coming from secular sources and his biblical perspective. He also illuminates the logical fallacies CRT/I debaters use. Anyone who reads this book with an open mind should come away convinced that we are in the midst of a tremendously critical fight for the integrity of the gospel, the truth of the Bible, and the existence of our nation.

The author reveals that the principles of CRT were  first developed by members of the socialist Frankfurt School in an attempt to re-package communist / socialist principles in a more appealing format for those living in Western democracies. Communism had not been able to gain traction in Western nations because of our strong middle class. There was not a sufficient divide between the haves and have nots. Some other way to divide and conquer was needed, which led to the adoption of the principles of CRT/I. Rather than pitting the proletariat against the bourgeois, CRT/I identifies all white people as racist oppressors and seeks to divide people of color against them.

The demonic cleverness of the CRT/I position is that it sets itself up to be the sole arbiter of truth. In Baucham’s words, the critical social justice view is both “unfalsifiable and unassailable.” (p.155)

If black people know racism, and white people cannot know racism (and are racist by default as a result of their white privilege), then the only acceptable response is for white people to sit down, shut up, and listen to what black people have to say on the matter. (Kindle, p.103)

…the idea that there is special knowledge or revelation available to some and hidden from others by virtue of their race or position in the oppressor/ oppressed scheme is unthinkable— and unbiblical. (p.111)

Baucham points out that antiracism tenets offer no hope for salvation for oppressors.

White people are not called to look to God for forgiveness. They are not told that Christ’s blood is sufficient. No, they are told that they must do the unending work of antiracism. And this work must be done regardless of their own actions since the issue at hand is a matter of communal, generational guilt based on ethnicity. (p.129)

The author also makes a strong argument that CRT ignores a large body of evidence that supports other reasons for the plight of the black community apart from systemic racism.

Chapter Nine addresses what to me was an extremely disturbing development just prior to the recent election when several prominent evangelical leaders used CRT arguments to back candidate Biden against Trump. To offset the claim that was made that Christians should not vote for Trump because Democrats were stronger across the board on human rights issues, Baucham writes:

Whether it is Platt, Dever, Wallis, Seitz, Keller, Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden, or Pope Francis, my big problem with this entire line of argumentation is that “single-issue voting” is a straw man. I am not, nor have I ever met, a single-issue voter. Issues like same-sex marriage, school choice, and religious freedom, to name a few, are all very serious issues to Christian voters. And these voters are more than narrow-minded fundamentalists being led around by the nose for the sake of a single issue. Moreover, this line of argumentation makes light of the vast chasm between the platforms of the two parties on major moral issues while extoling the virtues of sophisticated black voters who carefully weigh important (yet unnamed) issues that white voters apparently do not comprehend. (Kindle, pp.189-90)

When I read that the eminent John Piper came to the conclusion that President Trump’s moral deficiencies and behavioral lapses were more serious in God’s eyes than murdering the unborn, I realized that people I formerly trusted and respected had crossed over into error, having been duped by unbiblical social justice arguments. For me it was a sad day indeed. Baucham goes on to write:

However, even if abortion were an example of single-issue voting, I reject the idea that murdering the unborn can be subjugated in favor of social issues that are being promoted through the lens of Critical Social Justice. (Kindle, p.190)

Baucham concludes by making a plea to the church.

This book is, among many things, a plea to the Church. I believe we are being duped by an ideology bent on our demise. This ideology has used our guilt and shame over America’s past, our love for the brethren, and our good and godly desire for reconciliation and justice as a means through which to introduce destructive heresies. (p.204)

Racism is real. Injustice is real. No matter how many times I say those things, I still will be accused of turning a blind eye to them— not because I deny them, but because I deny the CRT/ I view that they are “normal” and at the basis of everything. But there is another way of seeing. “The history of the USA is neither purely wicked and racist, nor perfect,” writes Thomas Sowell. “Correlation is not causation, disparity is not necessarily discrimination. Complex problems require complex solutions.… To make racism the driving force behind slavery is to make a historically recent factor the cause of an institution which originated thousands of years earlier.” (p.222)

Baucham adds:

Black Lives Matter is a Trojan horse. The movement has a name that Christians find attractive because we love God and our neighbor and have a desire to see justice done. (p.222)

He wrote that “for many white Christians, it is the opportunity to assuage their guilt.” (p.222)

I have heard a mantra lately that rings hollow in my ears: “There can be no reconciliation without justice.” When I hear that, I want to scream, “YES! AND THE DEATH OF CHRIST IS THAT JUSTICE!” All other justice is proximate and insufficient. It is because of Christ’s work on the cross that that we can heed the apostle’s admonition: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4: 31– 32). Who am I to tell a white brother that he cannot be reconciled to me until he has drudged up all of the racial sins of his and his ancestors’ past and made proper restitution? Christ has atoned for sin! Consequently, the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is not calling for reparations: it is forgiveness. Antiracism knows nothing of forgiveness because it knows nothing of the Gospel. Instead, antiracism offers endless penance, judgment, and fear. (p.229 – underlining is mine)

Thanks to Voddie Baucham for writing this much needed book. I hope this summary whets your appetite to read it carefully in its entirety.

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Forgiveness… on what basis?

Gospel in a Minute

I have heard it said that God forgives us because it is his “job.” It is amazing to me how cavalier people can be regarding God’s mercy, as if they know for certain that he will forgive anything and everything and that they have nothing at all to be concerned when they one day face God. I believe this attitude reveals a woeful lack of appreciation for God’s justice and an absence of a proper sort of fear of the Lord.

Jesus warned his disciples:

But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. Luke 12:5 (NLT)

Jesus was anything but reassuring when it came to God’s justice. That being the case, how could Jesus so blithely grant forgiveness to a person, as in the following passage?

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2  Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”  Matthew 9:1-2 (NLT)

The Pharisees who were present accused Jesus of blasphemy, realizing that granting forgiveness before God is a divine prerogative. They condemned him for assuming to have such authority, not realizing who he was. But how is God himself able to forgive without violating his perfect justice? On what basis did Jesus forgive this man and others?

The answer is simple. When Jesus forgave anyone in the gospels, he made an advance draw from his account, guaranteeing he would have to be crucified. He would soon pay an incalculable price by dying on the cross as the Lamb of God to satisfy God’s wrath against sin and purchase our forgiveness.

Never forget: God does not forgive because it is his job. He forgives because he loved us enough to allow his only Son to die for us.

Have you told God how much you appreciate what he did for you?

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Is the Covid Vaccine the Mark of the Beast?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lately I have become aware of a conversation among some followers of Christ asking the question if the Covid vaccine might be the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation. I understand why someone might venture in this direction because of all the talk of vaccine passports and implanted nano chips. However, I believe asking such a question betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of salvation. Please let me explain.

First, let’s take a look at the relevant passages in Revelation.

He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17  And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18  Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. Revelation 13:16-18 (NLT) 

Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10  must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11  The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9-11 (NLT) 

Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” 2  So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Revelation 16:1-2 (NLT)

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Revelation 20:4 (NLT) 

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Revelation 19:20 (ESV)

For centuries Bible readers have wondered about this mark and about the identity of the person called the antichrist. Modern technology has made it possible to envision the insertion of a chip beneath the skin that could act as an identifier and a sort of credit card for making financial transactions. I do not want to take the time to give examples of how this is possible right now.  You can do that research on your own time. What I am more concerned about is the theology behind fearing that receiving a vaccine might consign a person to the Lake of Fire.

I believe we should be far more interested in God’s mark than the one from the “beast.” All people who are born again receive what the Bible calls a “seal” in the Spirit.

The Spirit of God comes to live in and through those who put their faith and allegiance in Christ for all eternity, effectively sealing us as God’s property and guaranteeing us a place in the resurrection. Let’s look at some verses to this effect.

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22  and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (ESV) 

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit was God’s “down payment” on the resurrection, so to speak. While we wait for that glorious event, we have the proof that God will complete what he has begun in us in the form of God’s resident Spirit. This mark or seal is invisible to the human eye, but fully visible in the spiritual realm, just as ultraviolet light cannot be seen with the human eye, but is nevertheless real.

God’s mark is far more powerful and important that Satan’s.

Our salvation in Christ is based on our being birthed into God’s family, which was made possible by Jesus’ paying the price for our guilt. Father God forgave us, declared us righteous in his sight, reconciled us to himself, and birthed us into his family.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:12-13 (NLT)

No one is able to measure up to God’s righteousness through a perfect adherence to God’s commandments. The Bible says no one on earth is righteous before God. (Romans 3:10) The Law was always intended to reveal our abject spiritual poverty so that we would turn to God in our desperation and receive his solution, the Lamb of God, who died for the sins of the world. God removed us from the treadmill of performance-based religion and gave us eternal life as a free gift. Why then do we so easily wish to get back on the religious treadmill?

If we think that receiving a vaccine will somehow disqualify us from eternal life, we have never even understood the New Covenant. The vaccine may prematurely end our lives here on earth, but it will not short circuit our eternity with Christ.

The mark of the beast, if it is a literal thing, will be integrally part of denying Christ and worshiping Satan. The vaccine is neither of those things. Taking the vaccine might be viewed as a fearful surrender to an overreaching government bent on controlling every facet of life, but it is not an overt denial of Christ. I refuse to take the vaccine for a number of reasons, mainly health related, but not because I am afraid it might consign me to the Lake of Fire. In fact, it might actually help me get to heaven more quickly. I hope this article relieves you of any fears regarding this topic. Blessings, and please don’t take the vaccine, unless you are in a hurry to get to heaven…

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The First Fact Checker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. Proverbs 14:5 (ESV)

One of the cardinal sins God condemns is bearing false witness or lying. This is because God by nature always speaks the truth.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

Jesus told us that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) All truth is God’s truth. Truth leads to life and freedom. As Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

God’s truth produces life and saves us from destruction; whereas the purpose of lies is to deceive and destroy us.

When God first created the world and put Adam in the garden, he provided every fruit tree for his food, except one, which was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That one was off limits. God warned Adam that, if he ate from it, he would die. That was the truth. If Adam believed that truth and kept away from the deadly tree, he would live. In direct contrast, God also put the tree of life in the garden. If Adam ate that, he would live forever. This is the backdrop for the appearance of the world’s first “fact checker.”

Anyone who uses the worldwide web to gather information knows about fact checkers. These mysterious people, who supposedly know most everything and are completely unbiased, act as judges or arbiters of what is true and false. But just who are these people? What are their credentials? Can they be trusted? Do they speak truth or have a political agenda? Are they paid by the people they are protecting? Many never ask these questions. They simply accept what the fact checkers tell them.

I and many others refuse to accept the narrative being given to us by our government and the mainstream media and have turned to alternative sources of information. But even these must be regarded as potentially suspect. The truth can be hard to find. When we have alternative sources of information which contradict each other, how do we distinguish truth from a lie? It takes a commitment to truth, time and effort to research, and a reliance upon the Bible and the Spirit of truth to guide us. The sad fact is that human beings have an absolutely horrendous track record in this department. We generally are too lazy, too biased, too self-centered and self-reliant, and too easily manipulated.

One great indicator of what is true is what big tech is censoring.

They never censor anything coming from the Left, no matter how hateful. But when people from the opposite political spectrum are over the target, they get plenty of flak. We are living through a time when the truth has fallen in the street, to quote the words of Isaiah. (Isaiah 59:14) However, another Bible verse assures us that nothing can stop the truth. (2 Corinthians 13:8) For the truth to remain hidden, it must be actively suppressed, which God hates and will judge. (Romans 1:18)

Adam and Eve, newly created in a perfect world, never having been mistreated by God or deceived, fell for a lie that challenged God’s words and defamed his character the first time it was presented to them.

Satan appeared in the form of a snake and “fact checked” God. Here is how the conversation went.

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2  “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3  “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” 4  “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5  “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6  The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:1-6 (NLT)

Satan “debunked” God’s warning, declared it to be a “conspiracy theory,” and made Eve think she was a rube for believing it. Sound familiar? Satan accused God of having an agenda of wanting to keep them back from something good in order to maintain his elevated status as the only one who knew good and evil.

In one bold faced lie, Satan, the first fact checker, undermined truth, demonized the truth teller, and manipulated Adam and Eve into making the choice to kill themselves.

The Bible warns us that sin leads to death. (Romans 6:16) Proverbs warns us about “snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:27) It seemed at first that Satan had been right. Adam and Eve did not fall over dead when they ate the forbidden fruit. It must have looked as if they got away with disobeying God, but appearances can be quite deceiving. Death indeed penetrated their being that day. It took years for physical death to follow, but spiritual death was immediate. Guilt and shame filled their souls for the first time, inspiring them to try to hide from God. But despite their outright rebellion and their horrendous death producing choice, God in his mercy promised to send a Savior. Hallelujah!

Satan still uses lies to ensnare and kill us. If we believe his lies and act on them, we put ourselves on a pathway to ruin.

And let us not over spiritualize this. Satan’s lies are not confined to the religious realm. Yes, it is true that he uses lies to persuade people to sin against God’s moral commandments, but he also seeks to destroy people physically and emotionally by leading them into making destructive decisions in the natural world. Smoking cigarettes might be a good example. There is nothing inherently sinful about smoking, but now we know that it is very destructive to our health. My grandmother became addicted after her doctor advised her to start smoking for health reasons. He did not mean to lead her to addiction and death, but he did. She died of emphysema later in life. Bad advice led to a bad choice that eventually killed her. I believe she is in heaven today because her faith in God sustained her, even in sickness and through death.

Let’s Get Practical

Today fact checkers are working overtime “debunking” the “conspiracy theory” that the Covid “vaccine” is actually or potentially harmful.

However, many reputable scientists and doctors have been sounding a warning against taking this injection for some time now, but the media and big tech are working hard to “debunk” their warnings. (I put some links below if you wish to read more about this.) Is this mRNA injection falsely labeled a “vaccine” God’s gift to mankind, is it a lethal bio-weapon being unleashed on humanity to depopulate the world, or is it something in between? What is the truth?  Should we get the vaccine, refuse it, or wait and see?

I am of the opinion that the so-called “vaccine” is at the very least a serious medical mistake being pushed upon a naive and unsuspecting public to make billions of dollars. At the worst it is a de-population bio-weapon. Regardless of whether I am right or wrong, I see no good reason for it to continue to be pushed now that so many serious side effects have come to light and the so-called pandemic is over for all intents and purposes, at least where we live.

Let’s ask ourselves some serious questions.

  • Why would anyone choose to allow whoever is behind this experimental injection to alter the immune system God designed for us?  Are we really smarter than God?
  • Why allow “scientists” to use us as their “lab rats” in a worldwide gene therapy experiment with unknown consequences, especially when the death rate for Covid is so low and there are low-cost effective medicines (HCQ and ivermectin) to treat it? Remember no mRNA injection has ever successfully passed animal testing because the animals did not survive.
  • Why trust people who have lied to us in the past?
  • Why “vaccinate” young people who have a very minuscule chance of contracting Covid but who run the risk of being harmed or even sterilized by the injection?
  • Why turn the human body into a manufacturing center for the most toxic part of the virus, the protein spike? Why indeed?

Can you imagine how Adam and Eve felt after experiencing the full impact of their fateful decision to believe the lie pushed by the original fact checker in the garden?

There was no “re-do” for them. They could only live with the consequences while depending on God’s amazing mercy. If I am correct, we are in the midst of a modern day garden of Eden type lie that is designed to destroy us. We are being told, “You will not die,” but thousands have already succumbed after receiving the “vaccine”. Some predict deaths in the millions before it is all said and done. I certainly hope that they are wrong.

Adam and Eve failed their test because they so easily mistrusted God, thought they knew better than God, believed a lie, and acted on it.

How are we doing? As for me, even if my conclusions are incorrect, I do not think I will ever regret voicing my legitimate concerns. In the past, that is what America stood for – freedom of speech. If I am right and people take heed, perhaps what I have written will save some lives.

We all must make our choices before God and live with the consequences, while depending on his mercy and grace to help us, even if we decide wrong. Thankfully, God is greater than all the schemes of man. (Psalm 2:2-9)

May God give us all the wisdom, courage, and faith to do the right thing.

Below are links to some resources on the purported dangers connected to the “vaccine”. These are simply samples. Do your own research. Don’t rely on Google, which is censored. Use Duck Duck Go for searches.

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Why it is impossible for some people to understand and believe the truth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus said some very interesting things about why people reject truth in the 8th chapter of John’s Gospel. The Jewish leaders for the most part opposed Jesus to the point of plotting to kill him. John records some conversations between our Lord and those leaders which highlight the tension and antagonism between them. Being a prophet, Jesus did not shy away from telling the truth to people, even when it produced a furious response. Below are some reasons the Lord gave why people refuse to listen to the truth.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33  “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” 34  Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35  A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36  So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37  Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. 38  I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” John 8:31-38 (NLT)
  • The first reason that the Jewish leaders resisted truth was because it revealed that they had a sin problem. When we refuse to admit our need for God’s help it erects a barrier to the truth. The pride behind this refusal did not allow truth to enter their hearts. Jesus said that there was “no room in your hearts for my message.” The proud refusal to acknowledge our sin and turn to God for help is behind our hatred of truth.
  • Secondly, his listeners were tuned in to the devil. We get our information from somewhere – either God or someone else. In the garden of Eden, after God found Adam and Eve hiding from him, he asked them, “Who told you you were naked?” Satan has been speaking into the hearts of men, women, and children ever since. Jesus told the Jewish leaders that their inability to hear God’s words indicated they were listening to the devil. If we love the devil’s lies, there is no room in our hearts for God’s truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
“Our father is Abraham!” they declared. “No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. 40  Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41  No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.” 42  Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43  Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44  For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45  So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! 46  Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47  Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.” John 8:39-47 (NLT)
  • Thirdly, people hate truth because they are not related to God. Although every person can claim God is his or her Creator, only people who have been born again by the Spirit can say that they are God’s children. Until we are born of the Spirit, there is no affinity between us and God. We cannot love the truth because nothing in us loves truth. We naturally believe lies because our “father” is the father of lies.

None of us can love God’s truth unless the Spirit of God does an internal work to change us on the inside, which is the essence of the New Covenant.

“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32  This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD. 33  “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34  And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NLT)

If people have no interest in the gospel or are hostile to it, we can be sure that they have no room in their hearts for God’s message because their father is the devil and they are only able to hear lies.

We should never give up on them, however. God is able to use the power contained in the Word of God to transform hearts through the internal work of the Holy Spirit. Who knows? We may be given the privilege of sharing the Good News with a Paul, someone who is initially hostile but in whom God is working. That would have been I. Thank God my wife did not easily give up!

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Hope for People Who Feel Dirty on the Inside

The gospel provides hope for us to be set free from any sense of feeling dirty on the inside because of past sins and failures.

Many cultures have a clear understanding of the stark contrast between clean and unclean and between what is holy and what is defiled. In the West, we generally do not major on this, but this does not mean it is unimportant. Most Western theology of salvation (soteriology) is based on a Guilt-Justification paradigm, which is courtroom related and easy for litigation-conscious people to understand. Guilt and condemnation plague many sin-conscious people, driving them toward the gospel’s amazing offer of forgiveness, justification (being declared “not guilty”), and restoration to the family of God. However, in some cultures the guilt problem does not figure as strongly as being “unclean.”

In Western society, perhaps the closest we can come to understanding this is when people simply feel dirty inside because of some past sin they committed or was done to them. Sometimes we may feel tainted by some embarrassing family connection, thinking that we share guilt by association. People who have experienced sexual abuse often struggle with this. It is akin to shame, but a little different. Shame can be related to something specific we have done or failed to do, but feeling dirty on the inside is more pervasive and systemic and less specific. We can present the gospel in a way that can help people become free again.

The Guilt-Justification Paradigm

Simply put, under the guilt-justification paradigm those who commit serious crimes are guilty, condemned, and deserve to be punished. The judge has a responsibility to pronounce judgment on the convicted criminal, who must pay the price for his transgression.

Using the guilt-justification paradigm to present the gospel, we are all criminals who have violated God’s Law, God is the judge, and death is the just sentence for our crimes of rebellion and treachery against God and his rule. (Romans 6:23)

Since all have sinned, mankind’s situation seems hopeless. Old Covenant sacrifices merely delayed the inevitable “lowering of the boom” by a just God. Paul wrote that the Law’s function was to convince us that we are hopeless sinners and to prepare us to receive the glorious good news of forgiveness and justification in the gospel. (Romans 3:22)

Contrary to what anyone would have expected, Jesus, God’s own Son, died in our place, taking upon himself our just condemnation and punishment from God. As a result, we who believe this message and declare allegiance to Christ, are forgiven and declared “not guilty.”

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 (NASB)

The gospel offers the only way out of the hopeless situation of being justly condemned for crimes actually committed. This model for presenting the gospel has opened the eyes of countless people, enabling them to come to faith in Christ and escape certain judgment.

The Unclean – Clean Paradigm

But what about those from cultures in which guilt is not nearly so great an issue as being unclean? Here is an insightful quote from “The Gospel for Shame Cultures” by Bruce Thomas.

In observing one particular culture, I have noticed a curious thing. While my Muslim friends and neighbors do not worry much about “little sins” like lying and cheating, their daily lives and religious rituals seem to revolve around something which I would consider to be even less significant, namely their ceremonial purity. The intensity of this insecurity has caused me to consider that defilement might be a basic human problem as serious to some as sin is to others.

Suddenly a lot of things made sense. It had always puzzled me why Muslims make such a big thing out of not eating pork, not getting licked by dogs, and keeping the fast, when sins like lying, cheating, and stealing are treated so superficially. Few Christians seem to comprehend, for instance, the seriousness of eating pork. Dwell for a moment on the revulsion you feel when you think about a Stone Age tribe eating human flesh, and you will begin to understand something of the degree of disgust most Muslims have for the idea of eating pork. It is probably not a sin issue but an issue of ceremonial cleanness. Thus, because eating pork is the worst possible state of defilement, and more attention is given to ceremonial purity than moral purity, the pork eater (George Bush) is worse off than a murderer (Saddam Hussein). (Link)

If we are culturally aware, we understand that “our” way of seeing and doing things is not the only way. The Bible recognizes the significance of ritual or ceremonial uncleanness and also makes a big deal out of it, especially under the Old Covenant.

Jesus brought clarity and insight into our understanding of Old Covenant scriptures. He revealed that God is actually concerned with the condition of the heart, not outward ceremonial cleanness.

The Pharisees, who focused mainly on ceremony and the Law, criticized Jesus and his followers for not maintaining proper ritual cleanness. Here is what Jesus told them.

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15  There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” Mark 7:14-15 (ESV) 

17  And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18  And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19  since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20  And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22  coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Mark 7:17-23 (ESV)

The Old Covenant Law served the purpose of revealing God’s holiness and our sinful state in order to lead us to Christ.

God has always been concerned with the condition of man’s heart. Ceremonial cleanness pointed to actual cleanness which requires a cleansing of the heart. Only God can do this for a person.

Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you. Deuteronomy 23:14 (NASB)

Old Covenant uncleanness was a serious problem. Its effect was to isolate offenders from God’s covenant people and blessings. It usually happened when a ritually clean person touched something unclean. Certain conditions of the body rendered people unclean, too. Leprosy was a particularly serious and incurable disease that rendered a person unclean and resulted in permanent isolation. Imagine the loneliness of a leper, knowing that he or she was cut off from family, friends, and the covenant community. Their situation was hopeless apart from God’s miraculous intervention. Many people today also feel cut off and isolated because of a sense of inward dirtiness and shame.

Importantly, whenever clean people or objects contacted uncleanness, they became unclean. In the Old Covenant, uncleanness was more powerful than cleanness.

In addition, unclean or unholy humans, without some sort of ceremonial purification, had no right to be in God’s direct presence or to touch the holy things of the temple. In many ways, God was off limits to ordinary people. They had to relate to him from a distance through mediators called priests.

Jesus, Communicator of Cleanness

This is where Jesus changed everything. He was (and is) the ultimate Clean Person, God himself. He was not subject to the same ceremonial laws as ordinary humans because he was the fulfillment of everything they represented and toward whom they pointed.

Our Lord was immune to uncleanness. He could touch unclean people and make them clean again, while suffering no adverse effects himself.

Jesus’ ministry demonstrated his amazing power over everything unclean. In Mark’s gospel, the first act of power Jesus did was to drive out an unclean spirit. (Mark 1:25-26) Later in the same chapter, Jesus healed a dreaded unclean leper by touching him and commanding him, “Be clean.” Mark wrote that “immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.” (Mark 1:42) In Chapter 5, a woman who was ritually unclean due to bleeding, dared to touch God’s temple (Jesus), hoping that she would be healed and cleansed as a result. In the Old Covenant, she likely would  have been struck dead for presuming to touch God’s Holy of Holies, especially as an unclean person; but, Jesus, the Author of the New Covenant, mercifully allowed her to touch him, which resulted in her being miraculously healed and cleansed.

The unclean touched the clean and was made clean while Jesus suffered no ill effects!

Later in the chapter, our Lord took a dead girl by the hand, which under the Law would have made him unclean, and he raised her from the dead. Once again, the clean triumphed over the unclean. Death was conquered by Life.

Ultimately, Jesus dealt with the real problem of mankind, internal sin induced uncleanness. He did this by dying on the cross, carrying in himself our uncleanness.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

And here we are again back at the Guilt-Justification paradigm. One flows right into the other.

New Covenant Cleanness

Under the Old Covenant, ceremonial cleanness only dealt with the external, never with the real issue – the human heart and our sin problem.

Jesus addressed the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders, who prided themselves on keeping the external features of the Law, while remaining oblivious to the things about which God cared most.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28  "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:27-28 (NASB)

We understand from the New Testament that cleansing and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin.

John the Apostle gave us the following insightful promise.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NASB)

This verse ties together justification and cleansing. Jesus’ blood sacrifice as the Lamb of God paid the just consequence for our sins, providing us with forgiveness and a right relationship with God. It also cleansed us from all moral uncleanness that made us a stench to God. This is a one time transaction with God that plays out day to day as we continue to live by faith in his faithfulness. However, since we still sin on a day-to-day basis, we need to be regularly cleansed through the confession of our sins.

Jesus compared this to having our feet washed, another example of cleansing.

Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” John 13:8-10 (NASB)

When we place our faith in Jesus and his finished work on the cross and his resurrection, we are made clean before God in the most basic and essential sense. We are recreated in God’s image and become his children for all eternity. However, as we go through life, we become dirty on the “outside” and need a less drastic cleansing that is provided when we confess our sins to God and one another.

Summary

Because Christ died for us “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13) as a person made unclean by our sin, those who put their faith in him no longer need to be concerned about ritual cleanness.

The ceremonial and sacrificial aspects of the Law were completely fulfilled by Christ and rendered obsolete. The moral requirements of the Law, however, are eternal. The “law of the Spirit of life” works in all children of God to assist us to live out these requirements from the heart through the power of the Spirit.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NASB)

When we share the gospel with people who relate best to a clean-unclean paradigm or who battle with feeling dirty on the inside, we should tell them how Jesus took our uncleanness upon himself so that we are no longer excluded, dirty, shameful, or cursed.

Jesus draws the unclean, the ashamed, and outsiders to himself, touches us, cleanses us, and makes us part of God’s forever family.

Prayer

Jesus, for so long now I have felt unclean, ashamed, and cut off from you, your presence, and all the blessings that could have been mine. Thank you for becoming unclean by taking my sins, shame, and guilt upon yourself so that I can be cleansed from everything that has blocked me from God. I confess my sin to you and thank you for forgiving and cleansing me in the inside. Help me to live for you from this day forward. Amen.

as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans 9:33 (ESV)

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How the Gospel Liberates Us from Fear of Rejection and Abandonment

 

 

 

 

 

In the last post, I showed how the gospel sets us free from fears associated with invalidation or lack of proper affirmation. Our true identity is derived from the one who made us. Unless we are connected properly to the Creator, we cannot possibly know for sure who we are, our value, or our purpose. The lack of proper validation produces insecurity, often leading to the expectation of being rejected and maybe even abandoned because we believe we are not “worth” loving. When life corroborates these fears with the actual experience, it implants lies and fears deep in our hearts. The gospel can set us free.

Adam and Eve experienced partial rejection after they sinned when they were expelled from the garden of Eden. In actuality, they rejected God, bringing his judgment upon their lives. Even though our first parents were excluded from the garden and blocked from partaking of the tree of life, God did not abandon them. In the very process of addressing their sin and proclaiming his judgment upon it, he also graciously promised Eve (and us) that one of her descendants would crush Satan.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

This is the very first messianic promise and an important foundation stone in the gospel message. In a real sense, this is the first gospel presentation, which is a beautiful proof that God never even thought about abandoning his creatures, even after they so rudely rejected and rebelled against him.

Sadly, we have shown over and over again how susceptible we are to lies. Satan finds fertile ground in our hearts for sowing deception, of which he is a master. Jesus called him the father of lies. Men and women over the ages have continued to believe the original lie that God does not really love us. When we begin to attribute bad motives to God, we are in trouble. Adding to this original lie, Satan convinces people that God has rejected and abandoned us, too.

It is a natural and spiritual truth that we can only give away what we possess. Sadly, rejected people only have rejection to impart to others. We cannot “fix” ourselves. Only the Creator – Sustainer – Redeemer has that ability. Only God is able to break the chains of fear that are associated with these lies, and he began the process with his Son.

The dramatic proof that God has not and will never abandon us is the cross.

Jesus experienced the affirmation of his Father at his water baptism, at the transfiguration, and at many other times. He was secure in his identity, his value in God’s sight, and his mission. This allowed him to endure and triumph over the vicious and violent forms of rejection and abandonment he experienced during his ministry years, which crescendoed during his passion and crucifixion.

The prophet Isaiah informs us that Jesus was well acquainted with rejection. (Isaiah 53:3) He knew the pain of being called a bastard son of unmarried woman. (John 8:41) He knew what it was like to be spurned by those who held religious and political authority and power. (John 7:48) He knew how it felt to have masses of followers turn away from following him. (John 6:66) He experienced the pain of betrayal by one in his inner circle and being denied by one of his closest three. (Luke 22:48, Matthew 26:34) He was abandoned by almost all his followers when the passion began (Matthew 26:31), but his relationship with his Father enabled him to weather all that. God wants to establish us in his love, too, so we will not be moved by rejection and abandonment by people.

During his passion and crucifixion, the pain of rejection and abandonment reached its peak. He was spat upon, mocked, beaten, publicly humiliated, reviled, and finally crucified unmercifully. He maintained his composure and confidence through it all. At the last, in some mysterious way, it seems he experienced abandonment by his Father. Theologians speculate that when Jesus “became” sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21), the Father was forced to turn away momentarily from his beloved Son. The curse or judgment of God against sin fell upon the innocent Lamb of God. (Galatians 3:13) What agony Jesus must have felt when he uttered, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) This was a quote from Psalm 22:1, a prophecy by King David, which Jesus fulfilled.  In summary, Jesus experienced every aspect of invalidation, rejection, and abandonment at the hands of men and, at least for a moment, by his heavenly Father when he laid down his life on our behalf as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

As a result of what Jesus endured for our sake, we can experience freedom from the lies and fears associated with invalidation, rejection, and abandonment.

Here are some of the Bible promises we have if we put our confidence and allegiance in Christ.

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. John 6:37 (NLT) 

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18 (NASB)

The gospel of grace informs us that our acceptance with God hinges upon our Lord Jesus’ perfect life and sacrifice, not on our own performance.

This pulls the rug out from under the accusation that we are not good enough for God to love us. Our relationship with our heavenly Father, the Creator-Sustainer-Redeemer, is based upon our being “in Christ.” When Father looks at us, he sees his Son. (Galatians 2:20) When we worship him, we do so “in the Spirit.” The Spirit of Christ who resides within each believer cries out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) Although, we are not divine, we have the Spirit of God indwelling us, giving us the same relationship with Abba that Christ has. (1 Corinthians 6:17) This is the secret of the Christian life and the means of our liberation from fear.

God has done the “heavy lifting” through his Son, but we must do our part, too, which is to meditate upon the scriptures and believe them. The Holy Spirit within will help us.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32  and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 (NASB)

I leave you with this fabulous passage to think about. Hopefully you will be inspired to believe the truth about God’s love for you. You might even wish to pray the prayer below.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:16-18 (ESV)

Prayer

Father God, I have wrestled with lies and fears all my life. I now come to you because I put my faith in the love you have for me, which was demonstrated when Jesus died for me on the cross. I choose to believe the truth that you will never reject or leave me. I now realize that I am your beloved child. My sins are forgiven and my destiny is secure in Christ. Help me from this day forth to live and serve others out of the security of your love for me and the truth about what you say about me. Help me to be a faithful messenger of your love and truth to others. Amen

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