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Apologetics

2012-01-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

by Katie Erickson

Back in 2005, I was driving home from work one day and I heard an awesome song on the local Christian radio station - it sounded just like the country song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” but I found out it was actually “The Devil Went Down to Jordan,” a song about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness! That was my first experience with the band known as ApologetiX (www.apologetix.com). They’re a Christian parody band, so they change the words of popular songs, all the way from oldies of the 1960s to modern day songs, to explain Bible stories or explain concepts of the Christian faith. They take their band name from our word of the week, which is apologetics.

Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologetikos, which means “suitable for defense.” Apologetics can be defined as providing a reasoned account of the grounds for believing in the Christian faith. When we give such an account, that account is called an apology. Apology is from the Greek word apologia, meaning speaking in defense of. We need to defend our faith to those who would try to sway us from it.

Being able to give an apology of your faith is of utmost importance to Christians. We need to be able to explain to nonbelievers why we believe what we believe. 1 Peter 3:15-16 gives us the command to do this:

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Take note of the phrase in the middle of that passage - “with gentleness and respect.” If you present your apology with rudeness and anger, it will turn off the person you’re talking to. Respect that person’s apology of what they believe when presenting yours, and they will better respect both you and Christ, the person your apologetic is for.

I encourage you to think through your faith and why you believe what you believe. I had the opportunity to do this during the theology classes I took during my seminary studies. We students had to write a paper on various topics of the faith, including God, sin, and what happens at the end of the world. It was a very challenging experience to get my faith down on paper, especially why I believe those things, but very worthwhile.

Think through your faith and be ready with your apologetic, so when someone asks you why you believe something, you can tell them the reason for the hope that you have - with gentleness and respect.

A note from Jason DeZurik: Due to some of you possibly being confused by the word "apology" in this post, please remember that Katie takes us back to the origin of the word and what it means. We do not apologize for our faith. The word "apology" here means, speaking in defense of. So when giving a defense of your faith in Christ remember to do it in love and let us not forget what General George Patton Jr. has to say about defense, "Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more." We need to remember that a strong defense can be a strong offense as well. Have a great week!

Autograph

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

I remember when I was just a boy, I used to think it was so cool to get close enough to my favorite athletes to get their autographs. Then, when I was old enough to drive and work a job, I would go to the games of the local Minor League baseball team and buy seats that were close enough to the field that I could get autographs from the players during their warmups. I learned that this was a cheap and easy way to get the signatures of players who had a great shot of making it in the big leagues. The biggest reason I wanted to take this easy route was an experience I had at 10 years old. My dad took my brother and I to a local baseball store/batting cage that had advertised an event with our favorite player of our favorite team - Barry Bonds, then of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was advertised that we would get his autograph and participate in a batting clinic that he would teach. It was supposed to be a great experience. However, things didn't go as planned. We waited in line for almost 2 hours just to hand him a baseball and card, which he promptly signed while ignoring our attempts to talk to him as if the whole event was an annoyance for him. Because the autograph line was so long, he had to cancel the clinic portion. So in other words, we waited in line for almost 2 hours just to get up close and speak to a guy we cheered for on TV and get his autograph, only to realize that he couldn't possibly have cared less about us! The fact that he left my favorite team and took big money to sign with the San Francisco Giants, went on to become baseball's all-time home run king, and was considered the best all-around player in the game for a generation never changed my opinion of him which was based on one very brief personal interaction. While my judgment of Barry Bonds is irrelevant in the grand scheme of life, his many great achievements could not overshadow in my mind the bad attitude he had that one day 20 years ago.

Unfortunately, the words and writings of professional athletes and other celebrities are sources of idol worship all throughout our society. Even as I write this, the great Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has just passed away. While it's okay and appropriate to remember and appreciate his achievements, the reaction of many has been nothing short of idolatry. There is a statue of him in State College, PA that many people are visiting with "reverence", as one TV network put it. For those of us who follow Jesus Christ only, this should be nothing short of disgusting to us. Our God is the only One who deserves this kind of reverence.

In the Old Testament, people were afraid to hear and see God, and rightfully so. Exodus 19 and 20 is the account of the LORD descending to the top of Mount Sinai to speak directly to Moses while all the Israelites could hear Him. This was the setting where God revealed what we now call the "Ten Commandments". What amazes me, a guy living on the other side of Christ's sacrifice which permits me to have a direct relationship with the Creator of the whole universe, is the FEAR that immersed God's chosen people. The presence of God was marked with thunder, lightning, loud trumpet blasts, and a dense cloud. God told Moses to set clear boundaries between the people and God's area. "Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death'" (19:12). Later, the people saw all these signs of God's presence and "trembled with fear" (20:18). "They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die'" (20:19). The important thing for us as sinful, mortal human beings to know is that God sets these boundaries for OUR benefit, not His. Unlike many of the athletes and celebrities that we try to get close to, God desires to have a relationship with us and let us experience Him. However, because we are unholy and He is holy and His presence alone destroys anything that is unholy, He set boundaries so that we would not be destroyed. Thus, we rely on human beings whom God had set apart to interpret His Word for us. That was until He sent His Son to come to the world to be both a perfect mediator between us and our Creator, as well as the complete manifestation of everything that God wants to reveal to us.

Much is discussed by both Christians and those who oppose our faith about how God's original message has been tainted by humans who were the first to write it down and also those who have interpreted/translated it over the generations. As a Christian, I feel I cannot argue that point. There is no doubt that sinful human beings have had their influence on the Bible. But I want to challenge everyone reading this blog to look beyond that fact to the bigger picture. John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us". While this is an obvious reference to Christ, John is intentional about referring to him as "the Word". That means that whether human beings have tainted the tangible writings of Scripture or not, we have the TRUE and ORIGINAL message of our Creator in the person of Jesus Christ. By entering into relationship with him by faith, we are entering into relationship with "the Word" in its original form free from human contamination. And the best part about it is that THIS Word has the Creator's autograph all over it!

Autograph

2012-01-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

“Can I please have your autograph??” asked the average American to the famous celebrity.

Why are autographs so special to us? I remember as a kid going with my mom and older brother to baseball card shows occasionally, because some famous baseball player would be there signing autographs. My brother would have the famous player sign a baseball card or picture, and suddenly that ordinary item would become a treasure because a guy wrote his name on it. I had the opportunity a couple years ago to have my favorite band, VOTA, autograph a photo for me in person, and I’ll admit I was pretty excited about that - and it’s still hanging on my wall!

An autograph from a famous person is a special treasure to us because we honor that person. They do something well that we cannot do, and we enjoy watching them do it. Having their hand-written name on something we own makes us feel special because we admire them. So, what does that have to do with the Bible?

Well, the original writings of the Bible are called “autographs.” Unfortunately we do not have the original autographs of the Bible today that were written thousands of years ago, but we do have some very old copies of the Greek and Hebrew texts. But what does this have to do with a famous person writing their name for us, aside from being called the same thing?

Those of us who follow Jesus Christ believe that he has done something very well that we are completely unable to do - He lived a perfect, sinless life, then died and was raised to life again. I know I have not lived a perfect life - not even a perfect day! - and I definitely have not (yet) died, and I will not be raised to life on this earth again once I do die. Because of what Jesus did for me, I honor and praise Him, and He is very special to me and makes me feel special because of His love for me.

Not only do I have Jesus’ name written on my heart (like having my favorite band write their names on a picture), but I have an entire book written about Him and by Him - the Bible, which we have today because of those original autographs of the Scriptures. And that is way more awesome than any baseball player’s name on a baseball card!

Atheism

2012-01-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

by Katie Erickson

Last week the Word of the Week was agnosticism, which is the term for doubting that God exists. This week we take that one step further into the idea of atheism, which is complete denial of the existence and reality of god. Atheism is from the Greek word “atheos”, which is from “a” meaning “without” and “theos” meaning “god.”

Typically, atheists are skeptical of anything having to do with the supernatural - whether it be the God of the Bible or any other supernatural being. Their reasoning for this belief is a lack of empirical evidence, that is any evidence based on data. They also cite reasons of the problem of evil - why does a God who claims to be good allow suffering in the world; inconsistent revelations between the various holy books of the world’s religions; the claims of the Bible about the destiny of unbelievers; and that a god who wants people to believe in him would do a better job of gathering followers.

In this blog we have tackled some of these issues. The post on theodicy tackles the problem of evil. Universalism discusses the destiny of unbelievers and why God doesn’t just save everyone. The posts on grace discuss what we need to do to be saved. Perhaps we’ll tackle some of the other claims in the future.

Even though atheism sounds like a fairly simple concept, there are different forms of it. Practical atheism involves living as if there is absolutely no god of any sort, and there are no “acts of god” in this world either. Gods are determined to be unnecessary and useless and do not need to influence daily life. Theoretical atheism is when an individual specifically argues against the existence of a god, rather than just simply living as if there is none. These atheists respond to arguments of Christians (and others) that God exists and provide their own arguments as to why there is no god.

Similar to last week’s writings on agnosticism, we cannot fundamentally be atheists as Christians. If a person considers the Bible to be their source of authority, they cannot help but believe in the God described throughout its pages. However, many in this world do not hold the Bible as an authority for their lives. This is when beliefs such as atheism can creep in and they end up living God-less lives.

As Christians we need to encourage those we know who are atheists (and agnostics too). We need to love them as our brothers and sisters, even though we do not agree with their beliefs. We need to pray for them that the God we believe rules the universe will reach out and touch their lives so that they cannot help but acknowledge Him with their lives.

Atheism

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

In the church that I grew up attending, our pastor had a specific way of declaring faith in God after experiences that had little or no logical explanation. He would say, "Coincidence?" The congregation learned to respond with the classic, "I think not!" I was a little young at the time to even understand what a coincidence is and frankly, the saying just became incredibly annoying to me. But as I grew older, I began to realize just how big of a statement this was. In fact, I realized that it is really the core of any given person's belief system. How you answer the question of whether the events in your life are "coincidental" or part of an intelligent design determines your belief system and your reaction to the many things that happen in life which you cannot control.

I bring this up because the Word of the Week is ATHEISM. In my humble opinion, most people have a misunderstanding of what this word actually means and are therefore quick to label themselves "atheists" because they don't "believe in God". In truth, an atheist not only does not believe in God (big G for the Christian God since I am a Christian), but also rejects the notion of any god (small g for anything that is believed in and worshipped). An atheist claims to believe in no deities whatsoever. This is where the understanding becomes a bit fuzzy for me. Knowing the true meaning of the word "atheism", I'm not sure such a thing really exists.

Let me explain using Biblical examples. Satan is not an atheist. "I will make myself like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14b [NIV]). He believed HE could be the deity. Pharaoh was not an atheist. "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2). The implication in his words is that he believes HE is above the LORD. His question is rhetorical. Why would Pharaoh of all people "obey him"? This makes sense with the belief of the Egyptians, which was that Pharaoh himself was a god. Goliath was not an atheist. "And the Philistine cursed David by his gods" (1 Samuel 17:43b). King Nebuchadnezzar was not an atheist. "King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon" (Daniel 3:1). It goes on from there to say that he dedicated the image and required everyone to worship it. In the New Testament, King Herod, Pontius Pilate, and many others simply worshipped themselves or their positions over God. The Jews worshipped their understanding of God, but rejected Jesus as the Christ. So, while all of the aforementioned people were enemies of the Christian God, none of them were atheists!

The closest thing I believe there is to "atheism" is the opposite of what my pastor taught our congregation. It could be said that someone who believes in chance or coincidence is an atheist. However, that person still believes that something beyond himself controls the universe. Therefore, I'd still say that he is not an atheist. His god is "chance". He may not worship at any throne, but he clearly believes in it. Now, if you're reading this and you consider yourself an atheist, I am not telling you that you're wrong. I believe that every human being has free will and that includes the right to identify yourself with any set of beliefs about the world you choose. What I am saying is that I encourage you to consider your outlook. Does an atheist really have any less faith than a Christian? I'd argue that the atheist has more faith, from the standpoint that faith is believing in something which cannot be logically proven. Everyone puts their faith in something because whether we want to admit it or not, we are not in control of our lives. I put my faith in the Christian God. You must decide where to put yours.

Agnosticism

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

Have you ever stopped to consider how much of our lives are actually lived by faith and how little control we have over anything? We think of faith as a religious concept, but it actually applies in many every day areas of life. Anytime you make a move or a decision in life without being 100% guaranteed of how it will all turn out, it's a matter of faith. This would include some things we do with little or no reservation, like getting in a car or on an airplane, or ordering food at a restaurant where we cannot see it being prepared. It would also include most of the "big" life decisions, such as getting married, moving to a new community, or choosing a career. Even the most devout Christian would not be able to claim that he meets every single one of these situations with prayer and a conscious decision to trust. Many of us operate that way with the big things, but seriously, how many of you pray and consciously choose to trust EVERY time you get into a vehicle or order food at a restaurant? I certainly don't. I simply put faith in my car, my own abilities, the cooks, etc. It may not be a conscious decision, but the fact that I'm not even considering the possibility that things won't go as planned proves that it's faith. Hebrews 11:1 gives us the best definition of this word: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". When I get in my car, I'm sure I'm going to arrive at my destination safely, even if I have no actual proof. Now, if you'd say that's taking things for granted, you'd be correct. But in reality, that's what we all do many times every day when we act with no certainty.

So why in the world have I been talking about faith when the Word of the Week is Agnosticism? Well, the two are very much connected. "Agnosticism" is a word that is generally not thought of positively in Christian circles. But in reality, agnostics aren't telling us anything we don't already know. The main point of the agnostic belief system is that it is impossible to know with certainty whether God does or does not exist. Agnostics usually tend to "believe" one way or the other, but will always maintain that it is sheer opinion and that knowledge of God's existence is impossible. From a human logic standpoint, they are right. But basically, they are using a lot of words and thoughts to say very little. Whatever humans choose to believe, they do so by faith, since absolute proof is not possible.

Here is where agnosticism drops the ball regarding God's existence: it fails to take into account the fact that God is NOT wrapped up in human terms. God is portrayed throughout the Bible as many things which often contradict themselves according to human terms. For example, He is justice AND mercy. He is lion AND lamb. He is king AND servant. He is near (in the sense that he came to this earth and walked among us and now dwells in those who believe and has relationship with them) AND he is far (the Creator of the whole universe who is perfect, holy, and untouchable for sinful humans). For the purposes of this topic, God is both mysterious AND obvious. Agnostics would stop at saying God or even the notion that God exists is mysterious, and thus they'd only be half-right. In support of their belief, we have Job 11:7, which says, "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?" But they miss God's obviousness as described by Paul in Romans 1:20: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse".

Friends, the problem with agnosticism is that it promotes the "ignorance is bliss" fallacy. As humans, we feel like we can be secure and comfortable when we can just say, "I didn't know". But that's a very dangerous lie that the enemy wants to keep those who are lost believing. Scripture clearly tells us that pleading ignorance simply will not work. At some point, you have to stop riding the fence and take a stand on one side or the other. Consider this: if you choose not to believe in God's existence because you cannot know it for sure, then what is your alternative for explaining how everything you see before you came to be? Can that alternative be proven beyond all doubt? I think not. So it will always be a matter of faith. The only question you have to answer is, where will you put your faith? I choose to put mine in the One whom I will never understand or fathom this side of heaven, and who chose to make Himself known through the beauty and obviousness of creation.

Agnosticism

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

Have you ever had a pen pal, or a friend you only know online but haven’t met in person? I have had a number of those throughout my life. I had a good pen pal who lived in Oklahoma and a very close online friend in Australia, just to name a few. I corresponded with them regularly and greatly enjoyed their friendship and what they added to my life. Because they sent me pictures and I received letters and emails, I never doubted their existence, even though I have never met either of them in person.

But what if suddenly the letters and emails stopped, and I lost all previous correspondence from them? As time went on, would I doubt that they ever existed?

That’s what it’s like for agnostics. An agnostic is a person who doubts that God exists. The word agnostic comes from the Greek “a” meaning “not” and “gnostic” meaning “knowledge.” An agnostic believes that since God’s existence can’t be proven in worldly terms, therefore God does not exist. It’s like having a pen pal you’ve never met but no record of letters; because they haven’t seen physical proof of God addressed directly to them, they do not believe He exists.

Doubting God’s existence goes against the Scriptures. The entire Bible is proof of what God has done, is doing, and will do in our world. Even the whole of Creation shouts God’s praises! (Psalm 69:34) All people also have the opportunity to at least acknowledge God’s existence through the fact that we exist in His creation. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

I am sure that God exists, and the main way I know that is because I have faith. The very nature of faith is that we cannot see what it is we believe in. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) I had faith that my pen pals existed even though I didn’t see them; and even more so, I have faith in the God that I cannot physically see.

The agnostic belief is one of doubt and a lack of faith. It’s totally ok to have doubts about God, but when you do be sure to check them out with those who believe and in the Scriptures, and I have faith that God will dispel your doubts with the truth that He exists and is present in the world today.

Atonement

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

I remember reading a news article that caught my attention about one month ago. It was written by NBC Universal and you can find it online. It was about a man who walked into a downtown Sears store in Seattle, WA and handed a note with a $100 bill to a customer service associate. In the note, he explained that he had stolen $20-$30 from them back in the 1940s and wanted to pay them back, plus interest! Wow!

Now, depending on your regard for the law and those who break it, there could be a wide variety of reactions to this story. But let's remember that way back in the Old Testament, before Christ came to this earth, this was the way to deal with theft as determined by God through Moses. "A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft" (Exodus 22:3b [NIV]). Nowadays, we go through a process that takes a very long time and involves lawyers, judges, juries, and court fees. And there is still no guarantee of justice even after all of that! In the Old Testament, it was as simple as settling the matter fairly by paying back what was owed or working for it. In the news story referenced above, the man did not leave his name or even say anything to the employees. While many applauded his actions after the fact, he clearly did not do it for any other reason but to "atone" for his mistake from almost 70 years ago.

The word for this week is "atonement". My theology professor at Winebrenner Seminary called it "at one ment" because that phrase embodies what it means almost literally. When we steal from or otherwise sin against anyone with whom we are in relationship, the relationship is broken and we are in need of reconciliation. We go from being "at one" with the person to being separated by the hurtful choices. This happens when we sin against God. Now I'm gonna try to be as brief and clear as I can about what that means. When I say "sin against God", I don't just mean breaking rules that our Creator has arbitrarily set up. That's not what I believe about God. You see, we do not exist for ourselves alone. Each and every one of us were born to bring glory to God through our existence and every command he has given or structure he has set up was for the sole purpose in helping us bring him glory. Therefore, disobeying those commands doesn't break relationship with God simply because he didn't want the rule to be broken. Rather, sinning against God and his commands STEALS from him because it lessens our ability to bring him glory.

Because of our sins, we are no longer "at one" with God. We need to find a way to pay our restitution like the old man in the Sears store. However, the problem is that we didn't just "steal" once 70 years ago. We keep "stealing" over and over and over again. If we live trying to please God by reconciling ourselves to him, we'll simply grow more and more frustrated as we take 2 steps forward, then 3 steps back, and so on and so forth. We cannot do anything to make ourselves "at one" with God, so we needed something to do it for us However, in this case, the "something" became SOMEONE. Writing about Christ Jesus, Paul says: "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood" (Romans 3:25a). Elsewhere in his writings, Paul elaborates on what he means by "sacrifice of atonement" when he addresses the Christians in Colosse: "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (Colossians 1:21-22).

Those words of Paul are some of my favorite in the whole bible because he breaks it down so plainly for us. The bottom line is that we started out ("we" in the sense of Adam and Eve) as "at one" with God. Then, we were alienated from him by our thoughts and actions. But NOW, we have an opportunity to be reconciled back to him and be "at one" with him again thanks to Christ's atoning sacrifice. We simply must believe by faith first that it was necessary, and second that it has already been done. If we fail to believe one or both of these crucial truths, we are still alienated from God. Praise God that he has brought us back to one with him!

Atonement

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

Being a person who generally loves language, the first thing I see when I look at the word “atonement” is that it is made up of other words - “at” + “one” + “ment.” This is especially significant because those little words show us the meaning of the word as a whole.

Atonement is us being made “at one” with God. Atonement is the idea that because we are separated from God through our sin, we must be atoned or reconciled to him. We can’t just say “Hey God, I’m sorry” and think that’s enough. Something bigger than us had to happen to make that reconciliation or atonement happen.

Back in the days before Jesus came to earth, the people of Israel celebrated the Day of Atonement. This was the most holy day of the year for these people, because it was of central importance to their faith. The high priest would make a sacrifice in the temple and offer the blood to God. After that, they would send a goat into the wilderness that would be a symbol of carrying away the sins of all of the people. This goat would never return, symbolizing the fact that now their sins of the past year are completely gone.

Today, however, we don’t need a literal scapegoat like that! Because we live in the time after Jesus came to the earth, we look to His atonement for us - living a sinless life, dying on the cross and raising back to life. This is what makes atonement possible for us today. In Romans 3:25-26 it says:

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

Last week we learned about grace, which is God’s free gift to us - giving us the salvation that we have in no way earned ourselves. Atonement is similar to that; it is the reason grace is available. Because Jesus died an atoning sacrificial death on the cross, we have the opportunity to receive grace and be made “at one” with God. Atonement re-establishes the relationship between us and God. We simply need to have faith and we are restored and atoned to God because of Jesus.

Grace

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see".

What wonderful words written centuries ago by an English slave-trader who came to know the error of his ways towards the end of his life! If you haven't already seen the movie "Amazing Grace", I highly recommend it.

In that first verse of possibly the most well-known hymn of all time is the first key to understanding our word of this week - GRACE. You cannot understand grace if you think YOU don't need it. This was the problem of the Pharisees (the self-righteous, holier-than-thou religious people of Jesus' day) the entire time of Christ's earthly ministry. There are many examples of their attitude in the gospels, but one in particular comes to my mind. In Matthew 9, Jesus converts Matthew (aka Levi) by simply inviting him to follow him. This is a huge deal because Matthew was a tax collector, which means he was hated, despised, and rejected by literally everyone. So Jesus' simple and kind invitation moves Matthew's heart. After the conversion, they go together and eat at Matthew's house (because that's what is supposed to happen after a conversion - PARTY TIME). While Jesus was there, the Word tells us that "many tax collectors and 'sinners' came and ate with him and his disciples" (Matthew 9:10 [NIV]). Verse 11 then tells us that the Pharisees saw this and questioned the disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'"? I love how Matthew wrote this. It's almost like by putting quotations around the word "sinners", he is making the point that these foolish hypocrites didn't realize that there really is no difference between them! They didn't understand grace because they saw it as something that is for "other people" who are "less than" them. We must understand that we are indeed wretches, lost, and blind without it.

The second key to understanding grace is to believe that it is transformational. While the biggest act of grace may be that God allows those of us who believe into heaven to spend eternity in His holy presence, that's not all there is. It changes us from the inside out. It affects every area of our lives. I think of the second verse of the hymn: "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed". Grace, or undeserved favor, not only relieves any fear of condemnation for our faults, it also teaches us to appropriately fear God (Proverbs 1:7) by reminding us that we are doomed without this free gift. That reminder transforms our desires from either of the two extremes of living to please ourselves or living to earn God's love through works to striving to obey Him with the FREEDOM of knowing that falling short will not equal condemnation. By grace, we enter into relationship with God. Just like with any other committed, loving relationship we have as humans, God does not kick us to the curb because of our failures. He loves us through them. And our knowledge that He loves us anyway ought to spur us on to do better. Think of a marriage. If you're married, you know that when your spouse loves you even through your faults, that makes you want to correct your faults. If your spouse condemns you for your mistakes, you tend to want to give up more easily because you feel unworthy. It's the same thing with God and His grace. If you think that His grace simply gives you more opportunities to "get away" with all the sins you cherish anyway, then you don't really understand grace (Romans 6:1-2).

Finally, the third key to understand grace is that it is FOR EVERYONE. It is not apportioned out according to our works. No matter what you have or have not done in your life, God's grace is available all the same. This should change not only how you view your own worth, but also how you view the worth of others even when they disgust you, anger you, or drive you nuts! This makes me think of one of my favorite points of the Apostle Paul. "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16 [NIV]). I'd encourage you to read from verse 12 on. Even though Paul was once a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5), he learned that he needed grace, allowed it to transform him, and now viewed it as something available to anyone who would choose to believe in Christ Jesus - no exceptions. Those of us who know we have received grace must look at every human being as one who Christ desperately wants to pour out his grace upon. That starts with our own humility. Paul was not literally "the worst of sinners" of his day. Sure, he was pretty bad, but there were worse sinners, much worse. The point was that in his own view of self, he was the worst of sinners. He didn't look for ways to compare himself favorably to others as many of us do today. He took the attitude that enabled him to view everyone as recipients of grace if they believe. If we TRULY understand grace, our view of self and our view of others should be no different than Paul's.

Grace

2011-12-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

We humans are all about getting what we deserve. That may entail giving someone else what we feel they deserve as an act of revenge, or it may be feeling entitled to get something that we feel we deserve because of what we’ve done. For me especially with my engineering brain, it’s so easy to see things in such a logical way; this action merits that consequence, and that action merits this consequence.

But that’s not how God sees it. When we follow Him, all of that logic driven by our human nature flies out the window! And this, my friends, is a very good thing.

Because of when the first humans sinned so many centuries ago, we are not perfect - not a single one of us! “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:22b-23, NIV) We can never measure up to God. Period. We all mess up and do things (many things!) that disobey His commands and honor ourselves instead of honoring God.

But that’s where grace comes in. Romans 3 continues with verse 24: “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” In Ephesians 2:8-9, we read, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” There is nothing that we do, no way we can work in our lives, that can merit God’s favor toward us. Yes, we can try our best to live in obedience to Him, but no one of us will ever achieve perfection. Jesus was the only person to walk this earth who did live a perfect live, and it is because of His sacrifice that we can receive the gift of grace from God, simply by having faith.

Grace is getting what we do not deserve from God. We deserve death, and he gives us life! Praise God that His logic is far beyond that of us humans.

Circular Reasoning

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that
you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to
devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote
controversies rather than God's work - which is by faith" (1 Timothy 1:3-4
[NIV]).

These words were the FIRST words written after the greeting in the FIRST
letter from Paul to his faithful apprentice, Timothy. I'd say that makes
them pretty important for Timothy and for the church. I find it
interesting that Paul writes about both myths and endless genealogies.
A myth is a story that is false, so it obviously should be avoided.
But genealogies have to do with fact-checking and the tracing of
actual history. Yet, Paul tells Timothy and the church not to be
devoted to these things. Why is Paul so firm about this so early in
his letter to Timothy? The answer is given right away - because he
knows that such pursuits lead to controversies which ultimately cannot
be resolved when God's work is a matter of faith.

The phrase for this week is "circular reasoning". For those of you
who love to evaluate things using logic, circular reasoning can either
trick you or drive you completely insane! The basic meaning of this
phrase has to do with attempting to prove a theory to be true and even
claiming you have proof when the reality is that your proof is
dependent upon a piece of evidence that only exists if your theory is
true. That may be difficult to wrap our brains around, so let me
share two examples that typically oppose each other. Science often
uses circular reasoning to claim they have figured out the dates of a
rock and a fossil (for example) that were found near each other.
Their reasoning is circular because they use their own determined date
of the fossil to calculate the date of the rock; and the date of the
rock to calculate the date of the fossil. In the end, nothing is
really proved; but their theories can't be disproven either. They
simply convince people that they have proof when in fact they have
nothing. It's like the classic question: "Which came first, the
chicken or the egg?"

On the other hand, many opponents of the Bible claim that Christians
use circular reasoning to defend the position that Scripture is
inerrant (a fancy word for "without error). When asked how we know
this, most Christians would probably respond, "Because it says so in
the Bible!" We cannot prove our position to be true, but it can't be
disproven either. Thus, people with opposing views find themselves
wrapped in controversies and disagreements that have no end. In my
opinion, this is exactly what Paul was getting at with our opening
Scripture. There's no point in using circular reasoning for matters
of faith because we wind up pretending we have proven something which
we cannot prove.

This is not an excuse to be lazy in our pursuit of understanding.
Because we cannot get caught up in trying to prove a matter of belief,
we should be all the more devoted to growing and strengthening the
faith. You might ask how this is even possible. Well, the beginning
of the Gospel of John gives us our answer. "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...the Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:1,14a [NIV]).
The Creator of the whole universe came to this earth and dwelt among
us so that we could have a personal and intimate relationship with
him. Our faith is strengthened not by circular reasoning, but by
personal experience and relationship with a LIVING God. That
relationship is not possible in science. You cannot have an
experiential relationship with a rock or fossil. While science would
never admit this, its theories require just as much faith (and maybe
more) as Christian theories do. I don't know about you, but I'm very
thankful that my beliefs about God and His Word, which cannot be
proven beyond all doubt to all skeptics, are proven to me through my
experience and relationship with him. I can assure you, if you're
still waiting and looking for proof, you WILL NOT FIND IT until you
enter the relationship based on faith and experience the proof for
yourself.

Straw Man

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

For some reason, as soon as I heard the phrase "straw man", I thought about a scene from a movie. No, I'm not talking about the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz", which is probably what most people would think of. The scene that immediately came to my mind is a rather comical one from the war drama "The Patriot". Mel Gibson's character is in the office of one of the British generals negotiating the release of colonial prisoners. His main bargaining chip is that his men have taken British soldiers, many of them highly-ranked, captive and are holding them at gunpoint on top of a ridge quite a distance from the office. The British leader looks from afar to receive apparent confirmation of their capture and subsequently agrees to release his prisoners. However, we learn within mere moments what the British leader did not know - the colonials had created straw men and dressed them up in British uniforms! The plan of the colonials worked as the Brits had been deceived!

And that, friends, is the main goal of the "straw man" tactic - to deceive. As you might guess, the name of this tactic comes from the use of actual straw men. They are easier to fight and defeat because they obviously cannot retaliate. In the same way, turning someone's argument into a "straw man" makes it easier for you to shoot it down because it is NOT the real argument the person was making. It doesn't necessarily mean you are completely misrepresenting them, lying, or changing their argument altogether. What is more likely and more deceptive is exaggerating someone's argument to a point they were not making.

Biblically speaking, this tactic brought to my mind the book of Acts. It seems that in the early church and even before that, followers of God were subject to ridiculous and exaggerated accusations because their accusers could not find fault in them otherwise. One specific example is in Acts 16:16-40. Paul, Silas, and some of their fellow believers were traveling throughout Syria, which was almost entirely pagan at that point. A slave girl who made money by fortune-telling was following them. While this sort of thing would've been very common in a pagan society, it was completely deplorable to the believers. So Paul commanded the evil spirit to leave her and it did. Her owners were enraged because she could no longer make them money, so they brought Paul and Silas into the marketplace to face the authorities in front of crowds of people. It was at this point that they used a "straw man" tactic. Since they couldn't find any realistic charges to bring against these men, they simply declared, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar" (v. 20b). Since Paul and Silas were in fact Jews in an anti-Semitic region, all the owners of the slave girl had to do was play to the emotions of the crowds and magistrates. Paul and Silas' goal was to simply command an evil spirit to leave one girl, but her owners exaggerated the situation by calling them troublemakers who are affecting the whole city.

Because they were Jews and it was assumed they were not Roman citizens (even though we later find out that they were), Paul and Silas had no defense. As a result of the accusations, they were stripped (humiliated), severely flogged, and thrown in jail. Should we expect that the world will do the same to us the more we speak out against evil and for Jesus Christ? You better believe it. Fortunately, very few if any of us have suffered such consequences to this point. But we should not assume that we never will. Even if we never face it to this extent, those who oppose the Christian faith will most certainly use any tactics they can, including straw man arguments, to try to defeat us. The important thing for us to remember and the challenging thing for us to live out is that we need not defend ourselves. We must check our motives by the Holy Spirit, and if He approves of us, then the accusations of others are irrelevant. I once heard megachurch pastor Matt Chandler at a conference and he labeled Paul as "the most free man ever". The authorities could do what they wanted to Paul, but they still couldn't get to him. He lived in freedom as a workman approved by God.

You and I can live this way too. In the Acts story, it ends with the authorities being "astonished" to find they are Roman citizens and were treated unfairly. They then escort Paul and Silas from the prison and out of the city. If you resist the temptation to defend yourself against straw man arguments or anything else that misrepresents you, God will be your Defender.

Straw Man

2011-12-13T08:54:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

Warning: This post contains math! I know not everyone loves math like I do, so consider yourself warned. But, you ask, this post is titled “Straw Man,” right? What does that have to do with math? Bear with me and you’ll see.

In 1 Kings 7, the furnishings King Solomon’s temple are being described. In verses 23, there is a detailed description of an item called the Sea. The Sea is a large basin used as a bath to purify the priests. This verse states: “He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.” A cubit is the length of the forearm, from the elbow to the wrist. Here’s where the math comes in.

The formula for the circumference of a circle (the distance around the outside) is the constant pi times the diameter (how far straight across), so c=(pi)x(d). If we put the numbers given in the passage in for the circumference (30 cubits) and the diameter (10 cubits), we would find out that pi is 3. What’s the problem here? Well, the constant pi has been mathematically determined to be about 3.14. That may not seem like a huge discrepancy, but it is in the world of mathematics.

Some people could take this discrepancy and say that because the math doesn’t work out exactly right, the Bible cannot be true or cannot be inspired by God. That is an example of a straw man argument - misrepresenting your opponent’s position.

I do believe the Bible is Truth and is fully inspired by God, so I would account for the discrepancy with rounding, and the fact that a cubit is not an exact unit of measure, like an inch or a centimeter, since it depends on the person’s forearm who is doing the measuring. They didn’t exactly have tape measures or laser measurement tools back in 587 B.C.!

The reason this is a straw man argument is because when discussing the legitimacy of the Bible, this is not a valid point and it misrepresents that position. Saying that the entire Bible is not true because this one verse calculates pi as 3 instead of 3.14 is a distorted argument. This discrepancy is not one of the main points that the Bible is making, thus using this misrepresents the Bible as an entire book and it’s message.

Be aware of straw man arguments that can come up, because they have a tendency to blow a minute detail out of proportion, or distort the facts in some way. Especially when discussing the Bible, remember to look at the big picture of the message of the Scriptures and don’t get hung up on the value of pi.

Red Herring

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

I have to admit that my initial thought when I heard the term “red herring” for the first time was the Dr. Seuss book “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.” After all, a red herring is a red fish, right?

Well, not exactly. In the literary or discussion sense, it refers to diverting attention away from what is significant. To use this in practice, I could be writing a blog to describe various discussion tactics, and then suddenly say, “Squirrel!” That would divert your attention away from learning about the concept of a red herring - and be a red herring itself at the same time.

The process of using a red herring tactic is to create a diversion or distraction away from the topic at hand. While this is commonly used among human discussions, I find this to be most prevalent in my spiritual life. The devil is constantly seeking to distract me from focusing on God by distracting me with all sorts of things. The devil’s red herring could be my mind wandering when I’m trying to pray, or wanting the “shiny” things of this world, or any number of other things.

We as humans are easily distracted, especially in this age of the Internet where a million distractions are at our fingertips, whether it be videos on YouTube or Farmville on Facebook. Even just checking constantly for our friends’ Twitter and Facebook updates can be a huge distraction. All of these things serve as red herrings in our life - they distract us from what is most important, which is living our lives for Jesus Christ and working to bring glory to God.

Pray For Our Brother in Christ and Check Yourself

2011-12-07T08:50:00.000-05:00

by Jason DeZurik

I was hanging out with my friend Dwight Allen of the radio program, "A Second Look At Sports" on Friday night at a high school basketball game and he asked me if I pray for Tim Tebow. I said, "Yes" but that really got me thinking. Do I really?

If you are a follower of Christ or not and you are a fan of Tim Tebow or not you have to admit one thing. He is a sold out follower of Jesus Christ. He knows what he believes and why he believes it. Think about it. He's asked about the football game he just played in and he's pointing people to Christ or talking about the hospital that's being built in the Philippines. He is all about Christ all the time. I will admit that I wasn't sure if he would continue being outspoken about his faith in Jesus Christ when he hit the NFL but he has stayed true to the Lord.

I am still amazed that even though he keeps winning a good amount of the "experts" say he is no good and not an NFL quarterback. Yet, all he is doing right now is winning. If you compare the careers of the great Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and Tim Tebow up to this point in both of their careers you could easily win the argument that Tebow is better than Elway was at the same point in his career. Here's one link of their stats through 8 games. It's pretty wild. So, what is the point of this entry??

Let's all pray for Tim Tebow. Win or lose pray for him to continue to be the light for Christ that he is called to be to the world. Also, let's not forget to pray for other Christian atheltes too. Athletes like Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and even Matt Hasselbeck and others the Lord brings to your mind. Then do a check on yourself. Are you doing all you can for the Kingdom of God with excellence and to the best of your God-given ability or are you just skatin' by?
Read James 1 and let it sink in what James is writing about here. Then live it.

Red Herring

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

I know that many of you are old enough to remember the famous O.J. Simpson murder trial. (By the way, I realize that I must be officially included in that "old enough" crowd when I'm using the phrase to refer to something that occurred when I was a freshman in high school). O.J. was on trial for two counts of first-degree murder for the slayings of his wife, Nicole, and another man, Ronald Goldman. You might recall that what made the trial such a huge national story that dominated the headlines (other than the fact that O.J. was a star football player) was the ability of the defense team to make racial issues a point of focus. Regardless of where you stand on the outcome of the case, it is inarguable that Johnny Cochran and the other members of O.J.'s defense team succeeded in this tactic. It started in the jury selection process. Out of 12 jurors, 8 were black, 1 was white, 1 was Hispanic, and 2 were mixed race. Then, during witness testimony, Detective Mark Fuhrman, a white man, was questioned about his PAST uses of racist language. Excerpts of tape recordings with his voice were played and Cochran used them to try to convince the jury that Fuhrman was racist, thus making his investigation of the crimes biased. When the trial concluded in 1995, Simpson was found not guilty in criminal court despite the evidence against him. Many believe that Cochran and the rest of the defense team were successful in making the trial more about Fuhrman's apparent racism than O.J.'s involvement in the crimes.

This tactic is known by the phrase "red herring". A herring is a type of fish and it is "red" when it is smoked. The phrase is used more in a tactical sense to refer to something that is introduced into an argument or setting to draw attention away from the central issue. In the old days in Great Britain, the fish was used to train hunting dogs to follow the faint odor of a fox or other animal. The trainer would drag a red herring, which has a much stronger odor, perpendicularly across the trail of the hunted animal to distract the dog. Eventually, the dog would learn that it was a mere distraction and would learn to follow the correct scent rather than the strongest one. You can also think of a mystery fiction movie or even TV shows such as Law & Order or CSI. Often, the writers of the plot will intentionally mislead the viewer by making an individual who is truly innocent appear to be guilty, only to later reveal the one truly responsible for the crime.

When I think of distractions, I think of temptation. And when I think of temptation, I think of Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert after fasting for forty days and forty nights. In the devil's first attempt, his argument was relevant. Jesus was incredibly hungry and Satan told him to turn the stones into bread (v. 3). Once that didn't work, his next attempt was completely irrelevant! He told Jesus to throw himself down from the highest point of the temple to prove he is the Son of God (v. 6). The devil even introduced Scripture, something we know is inspired by God himself (2 Timothy 3:16), to try to distract Jesus! It's not that the Scripture he used is invalid; it's that it was completely irrelevant to Jesus' present goal of submitting to his Father during the trying times. Just as Johnny Cochran was able to steer the jury's focus away from O.J.'s involvement in the murders and toward Mark Fuhrman's apparent racism, Satan tries to distract us (as he did Jesus) with things that seem good and noble but are in actuality irrelevant and not what God wants for us.

Are you going through trying times right now in your life? Do you know how God wants you to respond even while you sense the distractions (which are likely "good" things) that the enemy is putting in your way? Heed the instructions of the Apostle Paul: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8 [NIV]).

Ad Hominem

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

Have you ever felt like someone just didn't like you for reasons completely unknown to you? You never had any problems with them, yet they seemed to work hard to point out your faults and celebrate your failures. Maybe they even sought ways to trip you up. On the flip side of this equation, have you ever disliked someone so much that you rooted for them to fail even though they really hadn't done anything to make you feel that way? This could be caused by envy, jealousy, or an inferiority complex.

Both of the hypothetical scenarios mentioned above are driven much more by emotion than by logic or clear thinking. Both are examples of the "ad hominem" way of relating to others. The Word of the Week for this week is the Latin phrase "ad hominem". Webster defines the phrase as "appealing to people's emotions and prejudices rather than their ability to think". When translated into English, the phrase literally means "to the person". The phrase is often referred to as the type of argument where one party attacks the other on a basis that is completely irrelevant to the actual argument. All you have to do today is turn on any political talk show and you will likely see some candidate attempting to discount the other's leadership ability by bringing up any negative information he can find even if it is not directly related to his opponent's ability to lead.

In the Bible, a good example of this very thing is the story of Daniel in the Old Testament. In Daniel 6:3, it says, "Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom". This obviously didn't make the other administrators too happy, so they "tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so" (v. 4). As the story goes on, we see that they resorted to an "ad hominem" plan since they couldn't find fault in him regarding anything relevant to his ability to govern. They appealed to his commitment to pray to God alone while also appealing to King Darius' desire to be the only one that men are allowed to pray to over a thirty-day period. These administrators tricked King Darius, who thought highly of Daniel, into putting a decree in writing that would likely lead to Daniel's end. You know the story from your childhood as "Daniel in the Den of Lions", because that was the penalty spelled out in the decree for praying to any god or man aside from King Darius. Daniel kept his commitment to prayer because it was a matter of faith, not human logic. King Darius allowed himself to be manipulated because his desire for authority and decision to write the decree was about his emotions, not sound thinking. Daniel had clearly proven himself worthy of the authority he was about to receive, but he and the king were had by the administrators' "ad hominem" method.

I believe there are two takeaways for us from this story as we consider how we are affected by "ad hominem" plans. First, many of you know the end of the story of Daniel in the Den of Lions. The latter part of Daniel 6 tells us that King Darius was greatly distressed after realizing what he had to do according to his decree. It also tells us that God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions. So Daniel basically hung out with them (I like to think he played with their manes the same way we pet dogs) all night long! To prove to us that it was indeed God's divine protection and not "faulty" lions, the men who used the "ad hominem" argument against Daniel are thrown into the den and immediately destroyed. From this, we see that we have no reason to fret when others attack our character, faith, or feelings in ways that are totally irrelevant to the actual argument. What really matters is that we check our own motives, attitudes, and actions. If we are innocent in God's sight, He will handle it. Daniel did nothing except trust in his God. As 1 Peter 5:6 reminds us, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time". People will attack us as the spiritual battle over souls rages on and some of those attacks will be completely unfair, but we need only to remain humble and let God be our Defender.

The second and less obvious takeaway for us is that we are all susceptible to being had the way King Darius was. Frankly, every time we give into the temptation by Satan to make sinful choices even though we CLEARLY KNOW that such choices are inconsistent with our relationship with Christ, we fall victim to his "ad hominem" scheme. For us as Christians, sin appeals to our feelings and emotions, but rarely to our clear logic. Count me as one who believes there isn't much we can do to change our feelings. However, what we CAN and MUST do is recognize that sometimes our feelings lead us astray and pray that the Holy Spirit be the only guide for our emotions.

As you reflect on the story of Daniel and this phrase, understand that you have no control over how others attack you or appeal to your feelings. You do have control over how you respond to it. Putting your faith in God and letting His Spirit lead you makes all the difference in the world!

Ad Hominem

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

“What can you know about preaching? You’re a woman!”
“What can you know about engineering? You’re a woman!”

Unfortunately I have heard both of these statements in my life, as I am both an electrical engineer and a preacher. There are many people who have the idea that those two professions, and probably others, are best left to men. But when you really think about it, what effect does a person’s gender have on their ability to design something, or to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ? None, in my opinion.

When I hear statements like those above, it is a type of argument called “ad hominem.” The basic idea of an ad hominem argument is that it is a personal attack, usually on a quality of the person which has nothing to do with the topic at hand. In the two examples I mentioned, the attack is on my gender, not my skills or abilities or my gifting from God in those areas.

When people have a discussion about something, because we are humans we have a tendency to try and “win.” We may employ many tactics to do so, and ad hominem is one of them. (We’ll be looking at a few more in the coming weeks.)

So, even though I feel that ad hominem is wrong and unfair, what does Scripture say about this? In 2 Timothy 2:23, Paul writes, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” Also, in Titus 3:1-2, it says,”Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”

In light of these passages, what should we do? We should “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” as we’re instructed in Romans 14:19. It is commendable to get into discussion to learn more about what the other person is saying, and to test each other as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Have an open mind, and look at the facts of the situation rather than at characteristics that have no bearing on how they serve God and work for His Kingdom.

Prodigal

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

Hitting rock bottom. At the end of your rope. Less than nothing left. What do all these things have in common? They will happen to someone who is a prodigal.

What is a prodigal? A prodigal is someone who spends wastefully and recklessly. It is a person who has no regard for responsibility, especially financially. A prodigal lives a wild and reckless lifestyle, and will eventually run out of money and hit rock bottom with nothing left.

We see a story about this in Luke 15:11-31. A man had two sons, and the younger son got his inheritance money early and became a prodigal, living the good life and spending all his money on frivolous things. While the word “prodigal” is not written in the text of this story, the idea of being a prodigal is exactly what the younger son does. He finally realizes how wrong he was when he gets a job feeding pigs and is so hungry he’d love to eat their slop!

The idea of being a prodigal goes against what God wants for us and our lives. Jesus warns us that we cannot love money while also claiming to love God. In Matthew 6:24 He says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” If a person has the attitude of a reckless prodigal, he or
she is serving money and not God.

In Proverbs 21:5 we read, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Being diligent is the opposite of being a prodigal. Diligence leads to being profitable, whereas being a prodigal and being hasty with money leads to poverty and having nothing left.

The idea of being a prodigal does not have to only involve money. A person can be a prodigal with anything that they recklessly waste. Think about your life. What are you doing with the gifts and material things that God has given you? Are you being a prodigal and recklessly wasting them, only to find yourself in a moment where you feel like you have hit rock bottom? Or are you embracing what God has given and using those gifts wisely?

Fortunately for the son in the story of Luke 15, his father was watching and waiting for him to return. There is forgiveness for having prodigal actions! This prodigal son was not only allowed to come back in the house, but he was given a party and the royal treatment so to speak.

Think about where you stand as a prodigal or not this week as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday here in America. Thankfully, when we do have prodigal tendencies, we can always be thankful that God is there to welcome us back home, with open arms!

Prodigal

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Logan Ames

Every once in awhile, you come across one of those words that has a meaning that no one can actually define but everyone seems to know what it is. This is mainly due to the context in which the word is used. The word for this week is a perfect example. Most of you are familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. As soon as you hear "Prodigal Son", you immediately know what I'm talking about because of the story (context). However, when we separate the word "prodigal" from the story, most of us wouldn't be able to define it. I gave a group of guys who take part in a Bible study I lead that very task a few weeks ago. When asked to define "prodigal", their answers were along the lines of "disobedient, lost, and rebellious". While a prodigal individual may be described by those very adjectives, an important part of the meaning of the word is often left out.

Initially, I thought that I would just look it up in the Bible using my Greek New Testament. Surely, the word is in the story for which it is often used as a title, right? Well, a funny thing happened on the way to figuring out the Biblical meaning of this word. I found out it's not even in the Bible! Super! So, that means that its usage in the Luke 15 parable is simply a matter of tradition (is anyone else singing the song from Fiddler on the Roof in their head when they see that word?). That doesn't mean we should cease using "prodigal" in this Biblical context. We live and speak by traditions in all areas of life. It does mean that we must look elsewhere if we want to find its meaning.

The word "prodigal" comes from the Latin prodigere, which means "to squander". Webster defines it as "extravagantly wasteful". This meaning goes a step further than simply being lost or disobedient. Obviously, one cannot be considered wasteful unless he has something valuable to waste in the first place. In the Luke 15 parable, the younger son receives his share of his father's estate and "squanders his wealth in wild living". His wastefulness, or prodigal activity, drives him from a point of wealth to a situation of extreme poverty in which he feeds pigs for small wages and finds himself desiring to eat their food.. We can conclude that he was a Jew for two reasons: 1) it was Jewish custom for fathers to divide their estate into certain portions and this would have been known by the sons all their lives, and 2) Jesus was telling this parable to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, so he would've appealed to their cultural customs (which were also his). I bring up the fact that the prodigal son was a Jew because Jews consider pigs to be unclean animals according to their law. He had been so wasteful with his gift that it drove him to a point of compromising not only the morals he wanted to ignore, but also the ones he would've wanted to hold onto. What a lesson for us! We are foolish when we think we can live wastefully and still manage the damage. Almost every time, we find ourselves compromising a lot more than we had planned.

Fortunately for us, the point of the parable in the second half of it is that we have a loving Father who allows us to be wasteful, grieves as He watches us experience the natural consequences of our choices, and then welcomes us back to Him with no strings attached when we finally let go of our pride and return to Him in humility. That does not give us a license to be prodigals! I mean, we can certainly choose to be wasteful and He will give us that freedom and won't love us any less. But we must heed the warning of this parable. If we choose to live wastefully regarding our inheritance, we WILL lose it. It's not something we can squander and get back whenever we need without true humility and repentance.

I think it's important here to be clear about what I mean by "our inheritance". Too often, Christians and non-Christians alike focus solely on heaven and hell. In my humble opinion, this parable is not directly about eternity. Eternity only comes into play for the prodigal who never returns, and even on that point there is much disagreement within the Church universal about whether he would still receive his eternal inheritance or not. Friends, I'm not going to focus on that right now because to me, the parable and the very word "prodigal" is about life right now! If inheritance for believers is strictly about heaven, then just kill me now and get it over with. I know we're here to glorify God and all that, but I just want my inheritance. Hopefully, you get my sarcasm. Our inheritance is right now! When you come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life, he gives you a new nature, a fresh perspective and direction for your life. You can find no greater joy than following him and walking in relationship with him. All other things in this world that appear to bring you greater joy initially are just temptations of the flesh. They may work temporarily, just as the prodigal son enjoyed the fleeting pleasures that his wealth bought him. But as soon as those pleasures were gone, so was his joy.

If you have a personal relationship with Christ and you view him as Savior and Lord of your life, your gift/inheritance is a joy-filled life where you no longer have to chase worldly pleasures. "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). That doesn't mean circumstances will always feel easy or joyous, but it does mean that nothing and no one can replace your true joy (inheritance) no matter what happens. To live as if anything else can replace it is to live as a prodigal, wasting the inheritance. If you do not view Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are not a prodigal. You are simply lost and have not found that true joy yet. Either way, God has offered this inheritance to every single one of us. It is divided equally to all, but it never runs out from His end. The only ways we can ever be without it is to never take it in the first place, or to take it and waste it. Whatever category you find yourself in today, know that the Father grieves for you, and He lovingly waits until you will let go of your pride and humbly come to Him.

For further study read James 1:19 – 25

If you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ are you allowing anything into your life that is hindering your relationship with Christ?

Are you a person that says you’re a Christ-follower but in reality you are no different than a non-believer in the way you live your life?

If the Holy Spirit revealing anything to you right now that you need to change in your life? If the Spirit is then make the choice to do what the Spirit is telling you.

Hear God’s Voice and Obey. Don’t be like the Prodigal Son.

Antinomian

2011-11-13T22:39:00.001-05:00

by Katie Erickson

One of my favorite board games is Monopoly. My dad, brother, and I played it so much growing up that we have nearly all of the rents memorized, so when we play it together we just hand money around without ever telling each other how much is owed! One of my favorite parts about the game Monopoly is the “get out of jail free” card. Whenever I get one, I feel like I have an extra measure of security. If I do get sent to jail, I can get out right away without having the pay the fee!

This week the word we’re looking at is antinomian (pronounced anti-NO-me-in), and it reminds me of the “Get Out of Jail Free” card in Monopoly. Antinomians believe that because they have salvation in Jesus Christ, they no longer have to abide by the law! The word itself states this, because it is from anti (again) and nomos (“law” in Greek).

The belief of antinomianism started in the early chruch but it has continued throughout the ages. It definitely appeals to our human nature - who wouldn’t want to be able to do whatever you want in life? Need money - go rob a bank! Want something that someone else has - go steal it! Who cares? You’re saved through Jesus!

But that is NOT what the Bible teaches us. Romans 3:8 says, “Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—’Let us do evil that good may result’? Their condemnation is just!” Paul is telling us that doing evil is never the right answer, even for those who are covered by God’s grace and faithfulness.

Paul also addresses the antinomian idea very thoroughly in Romans 6. In verse 15, he write, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” I looked up the Greek text of this verse to more fully understand what Paul is writing, and the idea of the words used is that you have not become that way! When you committed your life to Jesus Christ, you were made a new creation and the person you have become is not one who disobeys the law, even if you have the “get out of jail free” card of God’s grace. When you strive to live in the nature of Christ, you cannot act in such a manner.

As Christians, we should want to obey the law even more than before we were Christians. Obedience to God’s law honors Him. While God promises that Jesus’ blood will cover all of our wrongdoings when we have faith in Him, we must sill strive for obedience. When we study the Scriptures, it is clear that the antinomian belief is purely a human creation and is not of God.

Our “get out of jail free” card is not to be antinomians and have no regard for the law. Instead, having faith in Jesus and his sacrifice for us on the cross gives the best “get out of jail free” card - the grace of God.

Gnosticism

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Katie Erickson

“I’ve got a secret, and I’m not telling!!”

I’m sure you can picture this phrase being said in an “I’m better than you” voice by kids on an elementary school playground - and perhaps you’ve even said it!We feel special when we know something that somebody else doesn’t - whether it’s as mudane as what gift Mommy is getting for her birthday from Daddy, or as seemingly exciting as guess who so-and-so has a crush on!

Gnosticism (pronounced NOS-ti-cism) is like the child with a secret. The word gnosticism is from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge. Gnosticism first came on the scene in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., so very shortly after the time Jesus walked the earth. It has come to be known as one of the first significant challenges to the Christian faith.

Early gnostics believed that they had secret knowledge from God, and that knowledge was only given to those who were “enlightened.” This secret spiritual knowledge was very important to the gnostics, and it made them believe they were better than others because God revealed it to them, and not to the average Joe on the street. Those who followed the gnostic faith were on a quest to obtain that secretly revealed knowledge.

The gnostics believed that this special knowledge would free them (known as “the elect”) from the trappings of this world. They believed that a person’s spirit is completely separate from matter (the physical stuff of the world), and that matter is evil. With their special knowledge, they thought they could free their spirit from matter.

Because of this belief that matter is evil, they believed that Jesus was not human. Their logic goes like this: God is good, and matter is evil; therefore, if Jesus is God then He is good and He could not be matter (human) because then he would have evil in Him. They believed that Jesus was fully God, but not at all human. This goes against the Biblical belief that Jesus is fully God and fully human.

There is lots of proof in the Bible that Jesus was truly human. First of all, Jesus was born to a human woman (Luke 1:35, 2:6-7)! In John 1:14, we read that “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Jesus was circumcised and grew up from a boy into a man (Luke 2:21, 52). Jesus experienced sadness (John 11:35, Luke 19:41), hunger (Matthew 4:2, 21:18), thirst (John 4:7, 19:28), and tiredness (Matthew 8:24). He also died, which is definitely a very human thing to do (John 19:30).

The gnosticism movement began when the Scriptures were still being written, so they did not have the evidence written in the Bible like we have today. However, they had something even better - Jesus himself! Even though the first gnostics were probably not alive when Jesus walked the earth, their parents’ or grandparents’ generation would have known of Jesus. It’s hard to say what happened that caused them to stop believing the truth of Jesus’ humanity.

However, gnosticism didn’t go away in those early centuries; it is still around today, though those who believe it may not call themselves by that name. This is why it is so important to be familiar with your Bible, because if the gnostics simply read any of those passages mentioned above (and many others), then they would know the Truth - the whole Truth that is available to and for everyone, not a secret to be kept!

Reformation

2011-10-31T19:52:00.001-04:00

by Katie Erickson

Have you ever had a turning point moment in your life? One of those moments where it seems like everything hangs in the balance, and your life could go in two very different directions depending on what happens?

Just over 500 years ago, a guy named Martin had one of those very moments. Depending on what he said on one moment, his life could have taken two very different directions. You see, Martin was a very big part of the Roman Catholic church. He was a monk in fact, and had devoted his life to the church. But under the direction of his mentor, Martin did a radical thing that very few people did then - he read the Bible.

Back in that time, most people couldn’t read and didn’t even own a Bible; and, the church encouraged people to *not* read the Bible, but instead only listen to their teaching. The problem with this is that the church wasn’t teaching the Bible accurately. The church was telling people that they needed to earn their way into heaven by giving money to the church. I’m sure you can see how this was very selfish of the church - they were getting rich off of people’s ignorance!

So when Martin read his Bible and discovered that God’s grace and salvation is really free, that was an earth-shattering event in his life! He discovered in Romans 1:17 that, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” We cannot earn righteousness by paying money to the church, but instead it is a free gift of God that we “earn” only by having faith in Him! This was a complete game-changer for Martin.

In response to this new-found truth, Martin started writing. A lot! One of the things he wrote was a list of 95 things he believed the church was doing wrong, and he posted them publicly on October 31, 1517. Unfortunately, the church didn’t like the idea of a guy like Martin taking away their income. So they got mad at him and called him in front of the emperor to recant (or deny) all of the stuff he had written.

In April of 1521, Martin Luther stood in front of the emperor Charles V (who ruled basically all of Europe) and he was asked to publicly deny all of what he had written, saying it was all a mistake. Fortunately for us, Martin did not deny any of it! Instead, he told the emperor that he cannot go against what the Scriptures say and against God. The emperor called him a mad man.
Because of Martin’s conviction, we today need to believe what the Bible says. We can look at God’s Word for ourselves, and we don’t have to rely on just what the church says - since the church can make mistakes too, just as Martin found out. In response to Martin’s step of faith, we believe the Bible before all other authorities. If not for Martin’s (and others’) work in the Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s, we can know the Truth of God’s Word for ourselves. We can all have the free gift of grace and salvation from God, without having to earn it in any way.

This turning point that happened in Martin Luther’s life gives us the freedom to believe the Bible and have faith in God to receive His grace and salvation. If you have not had a turning point in your life where you have devoted your life to God, now is the time to have your own personal reformation! You too can experience the same freedom that Martin, and countless other Christians because of him, experience every day.

Syncretism

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Katie Erickson

What happens when you mix flour, sugar, eggs, butter, chocolate chips, (and some other ingredients) together and bake them? You get chocolate chip cookies! When you’re eating your fresh-baked cookies, you can pick out some of the ingredients, like the chocolate chips. But most of the other ingredients are indistinguishable - can you tell what part of the egg you ate? Or how much flour was in that particular bite? I sure can’t tell those things, and I think the cookies are better because of it!

Syncretism is applying that chocolate chip cookie example to the church. Simply put, syncretism is a blending together various aspects of multiple religions into one, or simply adapting ideas of other religions into your own. The word itself is made up of two parts in the Greek. “Syn” means together or with, and “krasis” means blending or mixing.

In chocolate chip cookies, all of the ingredients blend together well to make a delicious finished product. In syncretism, however, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes the views that are blending together are contradictory. For example, as Roman Catholicism spread into Africa, many of the tribes’ indigenous practices were assimilated into the religious practices.

A modern day, and more local, example of syncretism is when churches embrace elements of the culture to become more relevant to the people they are trying to reach. One way some churches do this is by bringing in the technology of the culture. There are churches that encourage the people to tweet on Twitter during the worship service; this is an example of syncretism, because it is combining an element of the culture with practices that are traditionally religious.

A more serious example of syncretism is when idol worship, in the form of idolizing money, or famous people, or anything of that sort, is brought into the church. We know from Exodus 20:3 and Matthew 6:24 that God must be our only God; we cannot serve both God and money. Unfortunately, this emphasis on money (or other idols) is all too common in our churches today. Sometimes, like the eggs and flour in a chocolate chip cookie, the elements that have been borrowed from the culture are so well mixed in that we don’t even notice them anymore.

Syncretism itself is not inherently good or bad; its goodness (or lack thereof) is determined by the effect that the new element has on the religious body and whether or not it draws away from the Truth of the Bible. A person posting on Twitter during a worship service does not go against the Truth as making money the main point of the church does. While it is important that the church not stay locked in ancient traditions that will push people away from hearing the Gospel message, we must be careful to not embrace the sinful aspects of the culture. The idea of syncretism can serve as a warning for the church and all who follow Jesus - be sure that what you are doing lines up with the Truth of the Bible.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.