All The Same

Though God has created each individual with their own unique characteristics, nevertheless we all share much in common. We are all created by God, in the image of God, for God. And just as we all need food, water, and air in to live; so we all need God. Even those who deny and hate God do not live without Him. They can't. No one can. That is because all life comes from God. He is the eternal first Cause and Source of life. As the Scripture says, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4). Speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, at the Areopagus in Athens, Greece; the apostle Paul said, 

"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are to offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:26-28; emphasis added). 

So we see the diversity of humanity in the words "every nation", "on all the face of the earth". And we see that all the different people have been predetermined to live in their own times and dwellings. But we also see what binds us all together. We are all "one blood" made by God, to know Him personally. And He is near to each of us. It is in Him that each and every one of us lives and have our being. 

But we also have this in common; we are all fallen, and share a corrupted human nature which we have all inherited from our first ancestor, Adam (Romans 5:12). And this corrupted human nature has broken the perfect relationship that humanity enjoyed with God in the beginning. By this nature, human beings are in a state of rebellion against, enmity with, and estrangement from God. 

But God, in His love, has never stopped reaching out to us. He revealed Himself through His prophets, despite their being sinners like all the rest of us. Their history and writings are recorded in the Old Testament. And they foretold the coming of a Messiah, a Savior who would take our sins on Himself and make reconciliation with Him available to humanity (Genesis 3:14-15, 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 22, Psalm 89, Isaiah 11:1-10, Isaiah 49:1-13, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 61:1-3, Daniel 9:25-26, Micah 5:2; and more). 

And so, the Creator of the universe, the Creator and owner of every human being, became a human being Himself, and came into the world to reveal Himself  personally to humanity (John 1:1-14). The message of Jesus Christ is for all people everywhere. It is the gospel (good news) of God's love for a world that hates Him, and His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation to Him. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, an angel appeared to some shepherds and said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11; emphasis added).  

For all our differences, we really are all the same. We are all made by God, in His image. We are all fallen sinners in need of salvation. And our Savior is God the Son, Jesus Christ. His salvation is available to everyone. All one has to do is accept it. 

The Awesome Dinosaurs

The allegation has been made that dinosaurs and other fossils are "awkward" for creationist. But the truth is that dinosaur fossils, and fossils in general, attest to the reality of the Genesis Flood. 

For one thing, the shear number of large and small remains, encased and mineralized within the layers sedimentary rock all over the world is exactly what we would expect to find if the biblical account of a global Flood really happened. It is not, however, consistent with the uniformitarian assumptions on which the evolutionary view of geology is founded. 

Under the normal circumstance that we currently observe, an animal dies and its remains are eaten by scavengers and rot away; leaving no geological record of their existence. Only in the event of a great catastrophe do large numbers of both great and small animals become buried in sediments quickly enough for their remains to be preserved and mineralized; many of them being partly, some even mostly articulated.

Aside from that, within the fossils that are found; soft tissues, non-mineralized biological material is discovered. Dinosaur bones have been discovered having non-mineralized blood cells, vessels, nuclei, and skin tissues. Check it out: 

(https://answersingenesis.org/fossils/3-soft-tissue-in-fossils/). 

These findings show that the remains are not millions of years old. And so do all the instances in which radiometric dating methods are used on rocks of known ages and come up with wildly inflated "dates": 

(https://answersingenesis.org/geology/radiometric-dating/does-radiometric-dating-prove-the-earth-is-old/). 

Dinosaurs and fossils are no problem for Christians who take the historical narrative of Genesis as the divinely inspired truth. The difference between creationists and evolutionists is a matter of how we interpret the scientific data. Creationists can appreciate the great reptiles as a part of God's handiwork, which He created on the sixth day, along with all the other beasts, reptiles, and creeping things; as well as the first man and woman whom He made uniquely in His own image.

At that time, "in the beginning", there was no death, no suffering, no disease, and no carnivorism. The creatures with sharp teeth and claws would have used them for braking open such things as coconuts, and pineapples. But sin came into the world through one man, Adam; and death came as a result of sin. And everyone dies because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 5:12, 3:23, 6:23). 

And when human wickedness, and violence had reached a crescendo during Noah's lifetime, God sent a great Flood to destroy humanity from the face of the earth. But by God's grace, Noah and his family were saved. God warned Noah to build an Ark, which He instructed him to make approximately 500 feet long, 75 feet high, and 45 feet wide; having three levels, and rooms inside (Genesis 6). Large wooden ships with similar measurements are also detailed in other ancient historical texts (https://answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/the-large-ships-of-antiquity/).

So Noah followed God's instructions. The Flood came and the whole earth was covered (Genesis 7). And the turbulence of the earth caused the fountains of the great deep to break open, (Genesis 7:11) creating what we now refer to as tectonic plates. Massive amounts of sediment were moved from one place to another, swiftly burying beasts, reptiles, fish, and flying creatures; both great and small. The earth remained flooded for the length of a year, with the waters just beginning to recede about half way through the Flood year (Genesis 7:24-8:19). 

The face of the earth was dramatically changed. The receding Flood waters carved out many of the canyons that we observe today. And in the years following the Flood, tectonic activity broke the earth into continents, and caused mountains of sedimentary layers, with creatures buried in them during the Flood, to be pushed up into the clouds before they solidified and became the monuments that they are today. These monuments, laden with the remains of creatures, both great and small, including the great reptiles, stand to remind us of the judgement of a holy God, but also of His grace, by which He saved Noah and His family.

By that same grace, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came personally into our world and preached the gospel of His kingdom. His kingdom is at work in the world today through His followers, until it is is fully consummated by His return and His final judgement of the world which is in rebellion against His kingdom. He gave His human life on the cross to ransom many from sin (Matthew 20:28) and rose again so that by trusting in Him, we can be a part of His kingdom; reconciled to God who is love, and who created us in His own image for the purpose of love (2 Corinthians 5:12-21, 1 John 4:8, Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 22:37-40). 

Creation

The creation of the universe was an event that took place over the course of six days, approximately six thousand years ago. It was an act of God, by which He spoke all things into existence; along with laws to govern matter, space, and time. Currently, no new matter is being created. All matter was spoken into existence during the creation week, in the beginning. The term "creation" is used to refer God's act of creating, which occurred over those six days, as well as to the actually things that God made (i.e. the universe).

On the third, fifth, and sixth, days of creation; God made plants, flying creatures, aquatic creatures, land animals, and the first man and woman. God created all of these, each according to their own kind. He made them of living cells which He encoded with genetic information that determines the diverse, and unique characteristics that each kind has and is able to pass on in reproduction. 

Each kind was encoded from the beginning with an abundance of dominant and recessive genetic information, allowing each kind to have diversity within itself. In this way, God made all creatures to be able to adapt to various types of environments; yet each kind remains itself. That means that felines always produce felines, canines always produce canines, bovine animals always produce bovine animals, and so forth. 

Human beings are unique among all of God's creatures. Unlike all the flying creatures, aquatic creatures, and land animals; human beings are created in the image or likeness of God Himself (Genesis 1:26-27). This means that we are able to think and to reason. We are able to be imaginative and creative, just like our Creator. 

Our physical bodies, composed of cells, tissues, organs, and systems, along with all the chemicals, and neurons, and electrons and so forth, are God's creations. Human souls are also God's creations. Our physical forms are merely the vehicle of our souls - our minds and spirits. The human brain is the physical vehicle of the human mind and spirit. And we use our bodies to physically carry out the actions which we choose, in our minds and spirits, to carry out.

We are given the choice to do good or evil. And God, the Creator/Owner of the universe, is the Absolute Decider/Standard of what is good. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And He said that the second greatest commandment is that we should love each other as much as we each love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). You see, the Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). So being made in His image also means that we are capable of receiving and giving love. This is the purpose for which God, who is love, made us in His image.

Love is more than a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions in the human brain are the physical expression of what is happening in the human soul, mind, and spirit. But love is more than an emotion. It is even more than an action. Love has always existed, without beginning and without end. God is love. Love is personal. That is to say, love exists between people, just as it exists between the three Persons of the Trinity. If there were no persons, there could be no love. If there were only one person, than love could not be given or received. 

But God has always existed, from eternal (infinite) past as three distinct Persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit  - yet He remains one Being or Entity. And so we use the word "Trinity" or "Triune" to describe Him, because though He is three Persons, He is one Being - one God. And this is how God is love. As C.S. Lewis put it, "the living, dynamic activity of love has been going on in God forever and has created everything else". 

God is self existent, from eternity to eternity. His existence is without beginning and without end; independent from, and sovereign over, everything that exists. Without God, nothing would exist. If God had not made us, we would not exist. We exist because God, who is love, exists and made us. We are in the likeness of love because God who is love made us in His likeness. Our existence had a beginning, and is dependent, from beginning to forever, on God.  

But because of sin, which entered the world through Adam, humanity became estranged from God. All of us have sinned, because we are born with a fallen sinful nature which we have inherited from Adam. God is holy, and so our fallen nature alienates us from Him. And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is not a cessation of existence, it is separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of the human soul and spirit from God. 

Nevertheless, God is still love; and He still loves us. And so He paid the full penalty of our sin on the cross. Jesus Christ took our sin upon Himself and died for us. Now, by faith in Him, we can be reconciled to the heavenly Father by grace. And by grace we can partake and grow in the divine nature, being made perfect and holy, having our sin taken away from us.

Jesus Did Say Something About It

There is a certain deception floating around, which I have heard and read numerous times. The deception is that Jesus Christ never said anything to controvert homosexuality or gay marriage. But when Jesus discussed the sanctity of marriage, He clearly defined it as intended to be a union between a man and a woman. He said, "But from the beginning of creation, God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife'" (Mark 10:6-7). 

I've also heard numerous people defend the "alternative lifestyle" by saying that when the Bible was written, the word "homosexual" did not exist. True as that may be, the concept to which the word refers did exists. People have been having same-sex relations at least since the period when Sodom and Gomorrah were in existence, approximately four thousand years ago. Just because a particular word was not in existence at a particular time does not mean that the concept or practice did not exist under a different name or terminology.

And Christ's apostle, Paul, was clearly describing same-sex relations in his letter to the Roman church, where he identified that behavior as one of many crimes against Divinity; for which the judgement of God is going to be poured out upon the world. He wrote, "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due" (Romans 1:26-27).

I've also heard of the claim that Adam and Eve were not the only humans that God created in the beginning; and that He may have created other couples that were not heterosexual. However this deception is exposed by the statement that I have already quoted from Jesus Christ, that "from the beginning of creation, God 'made them male and female', 'for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife'" (Mark 10:6-7). Here, Jesus acknowledges no other arrangement. 

There is no indication anywhere in the Scriptures that God created others than just Adam, Eve, and their posterity. "And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20). All human beings are descended from Adam and Eve. "Where" one may ask "did the sons of Adam find wives then?" The answer is that they married the daughters of Adam. 

That may seem shocking, since, over two thousand years later, the Law of Moses banned incest. But in the pre-Flood era, the human genome would have had much fewer defects that could potentially become dominant in human offspring. In the pre-Fallen world, before sin, disease, and death entered the world, (Romans 5:12) there were no defects at all in the human genome. It is because of the increase of defects, caused by the brokenness of nature due to sin, (Romans 8:21-22) that anyone seeking a spouse must look beyond their close relatives. 

Now I think most if not all of us have heard the claim that homosexuals are born that way and can't help it. But whether or not that is true makes no difference. God's word lets us know that we are all born with a fallen, sinful nature which we have inherited from our first ancestors, Adam and Eve. Different people may have different weaknesses, but all moral/spiritual weaknesses stem from the same fallen, sinful nature. There is nothing whatsoever unique about homosexuality. It is a sin, and it is no better, and no worse, than idolatry, adultery, fornication, lying, or any other sin. 

All of us are fallen, our nature is broken. And it is true that we can't  help it. That is why we need to receive salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ who gave Himself on the cross for our sin; and who has risen from the dead to provide everlasting life to all who trust in Him. By His death and resurrection, Christ has made it possible for us to receive redemption, forgiveness of sin (Colossians 1:13-14). By faith in Him, we receive the Holy Spirit who then lives in us, and is helping us, making us become perfect in His righteousness. We can not be saved from our sin unless we trust in Him.

Creation and Birth

An important point which I have only lightly touched on, or hinted at, in previous posts, is the difference between creation and birth. C.S. Lewis dealt with this subject in book four, chapter one of his book Mere Christianity. The title of that chapter is Making and Begetting. Adam and Eve were created; they were made. They were never born. They were not begotten. 

And it is more than interesting to note that all humanity was created in Adam and Eve. Led by the Holy Spirit, the author of the book of Hebrews explained that in some sense, whether genetically, spiritually, or both; Levi was present in his ancestor, Abraham, when he gave a tithe offering to Melchizedek, the mysterious high priest of the Most High God (Hebrews 7:1-5, Genesis 14:18-20). 

My point in bringing this up is that if Levi was present in his ancestor, Abraham, when he gave a tithe to Melchizedek, then every human being who ever has or ever will exist, was in the same sense present in Adam and Eve when they were in the Garden of Eden - and when they sinned. We who are physically living today were actually created in our ancestors, Adam and Eve, in the beginning - six thousand years ago. We were created by, and in the image of our holy God who is love (Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 4:8). And in that sense, God is our Father. But we were not born, or begotten, in the image of God. 

In fact, since Adam and Eve were never actually born, but were created as mature, grown adults, there is a sense in which no human has been born until they are born of the Spirit; as Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he can not see the kingdom of God...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he can not enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:3-6). 

We were created in God's image from the beginning. But we were born by descent from Adam and Eve. We were born after sin entered the world by our first ancestors. That is why we are all born with a hereditary fallen, sinful nature; characterized by enmity against God. The only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, is begotten from eternity past. He has always been with the Father (John 1:1-5). And He came into the world, taking on human form, so that everyone who trusts in Him and welcomes Him may not only be forgiven of sin, but be born of God (John 1:10-14).

Why History Is Great

According to a recent article in Huffington Post, there are some people who think the United States of America is two thousand and fourteen years old. Actually, 2014 is the current year in the Christian Calendar because it is based on the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And hopefully most people know that. And by the way, just in case anyone is confused on the matter, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, Judea, Israel; not to be confused with Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The Christian Calendar, also called the Western Calendar or the Gregorian Calendar, was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. But the Calendar is thought to be off by something like three, four, or six years. So the birth of Jesus Christ was not precisely two thousand and thirteen years ago.

The United States of America, though, did not exist when Jesus was born. The United States of America was officially formed in the year 1776. That makes the nation only two hundred and thirty-eight years old. And the Pilgrims of Mayflower fame landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. That's three hundred and ninety-four years ago. And it was "in 1492" (five hundred and  twenty-two years ago) that "Columbus sailed the ocean blue". That is the year that he is said to have become the discoverer of the New World, though he never actually set foot anywhere on the continent that is now known as North America. He actually landed in the Caribbeans and mistakenly thought that he was in India.

It is important to know about history; real, accurate history. It is important to know the truth about the past in order to know where we came from and where we are going. As the saying goes, "The only way to understand the present is by understanding the past". God's people, the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; understood that. That is why they preserved their history in writing. That is why when God gave the Law to Moses, instructing him to write the Pentateuch; he inspired Moses to write down the history of all things. 

Under Divine guidance, Moses wrote history; from the Creation of the universe, to the Fall of Man into a sinful state, to the Flood of Noah. He recounted from the Flood to the calling of Abraham by God, to the immigration of Jacob's family into Egypt when Joseph saved Egypt from a severe famine. Moses then reviewed the subsequent enslavement of the people of Jacob (a.k.a Israel) in Egypt, and his own birth, upbringing, and Divine calling to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery into the Promised Land.

And why did Israel become enslaved in Egypt. Because a new Pharaoh came into power, who did not know the history of how Joseph the Hebrew saved Egypt from starvation. So he was ignorant, and without proper gratitude to the Hebrew people. As Jesus Christ the superlative Savior said "Salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). Paul the apostle said that the Gentiles owe material gratitude to the Jews because it was through the Jews that Jesus Christ and His spiritual blessings came into the world (Romans 15:26-27).

But the historically ignorant Pharaoh feared the Hebrews and enslaved them. And he ordered the massacre of all Hebrew first-born son's at birth, much the same way as Herod "the Great" would later do when Jesus Christ was born in Israel. History has a way of being repeated like that. As another saying goes, "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it". But Moses, like Jesus, was rescued from infanticide. His mother hid him in a basket, coated with pitch and put him on the Nile River. He was then discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, who took him in and raised him as her own. She gave him the Egyptian name, "Moses" which means "drawn from the water". 

Centuries later the Israelites were again in captivity (this time in Babylon/Persia) because of their unfaithfulness to the LORD. But during that time they were saved by history from annihilation. Haman was seeking to turn the king, Xerxes, against all the Jews. But on a sleepless night, Xerxes called his servants to come and read to him from the history of his kingdom. It was through this reading that the king learned, or was reminded of Mordecai's loyalty to the king (Esther 6:1-3). Mordecai was a Jew. And as a result of Mordecai saving the king's life on an earlier occasion, Esther, Mordicai's relative, was able to persuade Xerxes to favor all her people. Haman's evil plan backfired on him with fatal result. 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul reviewed some events recorded in the Books of Moses. And he said "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). History is recorded for the sake of our generation to learn from the past. There are many examples of how historical ignorance is detrimental, while historical knowledge is indispensable. But the historical sequence of Creation, the Fall, the Flood, Israel and Jesus Christ is the superlative example. 

As I demonstrated in an earlier post, Why Science Is Great; the scientific laws are a testament to the truth of our orderly Creator and sovereign God, and the brokenness of the world due to sin - the need for salvation. Archaeology also testifies to the historical reliability of the Biblical texts. And the events recorded therein are of utmost importance.

Why Science Is Great

The reason science is great, the reason it is even possible at all, is that the universe operates according to orderly sets of laws. If it did not, then our own brains would not operate in an orderly manner, allowing us to think and to make valid observations of the universe, of which we and our brains are a part. Now atheists would have us to think that this natural universe, which operates according to orderly sets of laws, came not from an intelligent Creator and sovereign Lawgiver, but from random, mindless, unguided processes. And these atheists make the ridiculous claim that theirs is the more rational worldview. But they are not rational. They are irrational, and spiritually blind. Their hearts are insensitive to the truth of God.

The word of God describes them rightly; that "... they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools"(Romans 1:20-22). They have the absurd view that since scientific laws govern the universe, that somehow refutes the word of God who made the laws that govern the universe. But science, the orderly, systematic study of the natural universe, is great because it truly points to our orderly Creator and sovereign Lawgiver who orders and commands His creation as He sees fit. 

Of course, the Scriptures tell that God has the power to command nature to behave differently than normal at specific points - any points - in time and space. When He does, we call the result a miracle. This should not surprise us since He made the universe. It is His. He owns it. From the astronomical, to the microscopic; all matter, all space, all time belongs to Him. Philip Yancy wrote, "Some see miracles as an implausible suspension of the laws of the physical universe. As signs, though, they serve just the opposite function. Death, decay, entropy, and destruction are the true suspensions of God's laws; miracles are the early glimpses of restoration".  

In the physical universe we can plainly see the order and splendor of our God who made all things. And we can also plainly see the brokenness of our world which groans under the weight of sin's curse. So we can see the need for a Savior. And if we read the Gospels, we can learn about that Savior. His name is Jesus. He is the Son of God. 

He took on human form and came into our broken world. He lived within the time and space of human history. He took on Himself all of the brokenness of our existence, and our world, though He had no sin. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin (Romans 6:23). And on the third day, He rose again, conquering death. All who trust in Him receive forgiveness of sin, and eternal life in Paradise with Him.

Science is great because we can see His work through the world that He created. And we can see the brokenness of our world because of sin. We can see our need for reconciliation with God. But the gospel of Christ is greater than science, because it tells us we can be reconciled with God now, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1-2).

Insensitive?

I have heard of the accusation; that devote and faithful Christians are mean and insensitive. And maybe some of us are. Maybe I am. However, that accusation is one that cuts both ways. 

Take for example, Simon Peter. Jesus said to his disciple, who argued with Him about His impending crucifixion, that he was not being mindful of the things of God, but the things of men (Matthew 16:23).

Peter was oh so very sensitive about the well-being of the Messiah. How cruelly did the idea stab his heart; that his Lord should have to "go tho Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be killed..." (Matthew 16:21). "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" he cried (Matthew 16:22). 

He was sensitive to the wrong things. He was sensitive to his own notion of what should happen to Jesus. But he was not sensitive to the will of God; the need for the Messiah to suffer and die before entering His glory (Isaiah 53, Daniel 9:26, Luke 24:25-27). He was not sensitive to the need for Jesus to give His life as a ransom to save sinners from eternal ruin (Matthew 20:28).

And now what about those who mock and ridicule Jesus and His followers. What about those who reject Christ. Do they call us insensitive because we tell the truth: that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus? (Romans 3:23-24). Are we insensitive be cause we tell the truth: that God now commands all people everywhere to repent (turn away from sin) and be saved, by Jesus, from the judgement to come? (Acts 17:30-31).

Do the unrepentant not know that they are the ones who are insensitive to God who is love, and who made humanity in His own image before the Fall? It is irrational for them to think that the universe, operating according to orderly laws, its behavior guided by intelligible information on a cellular and atomic level, came not from an intelligent Creator and sovereign Lawgiver; but from random, mindless, unguided processes. 

And if the physical universe did not operate according to orderly laws, science would be impossible. Our own brains would not operate according to orderly laws, enabling us to think and to make valid observations. Yet, one must also be blind not to see that this is a fallen, corrupted, sinful, broken world we inhabit; in need of a Savior. And it requires a hard, insensitive heart to reject the truth that Jesus is that Savior. 

The unrepentant, because of their depraved spirits, are irrational, and spiritually blind; having hard, insensitive hearts. They are the ones who are insensitive to the things that matter to the Maker/Owner of the universe. They are the ones who are insensitive to the love of Jesus, who died for their sins. He offers eternal life; restoration taking away the brokenness of sin's curse, eternal peace, joy and love. And they reject it all. 

The unrepentant do not want to be reconciled with their Maker, whose Son died on the cross to save sinners. They want to remain fallen creatures. They think it is enough for them to manage their fallen nature as they see fit. But they are fallen creatures with a corrupted view of what is good. They say that they are "good without a god", but they are not good. They only think that they are good because they are too corrupt to even know what is good. To be without God is, by definition, not good. 

When humanity turns his back on God, and sets up his own fallen, corrupted standard of "right" and "wrong"; it inevitably leads to every kind of evil. It led humanity to crucify the perfect Son of God who is love, and who made humanity in His image before the Fall. And it continues to lead humans to mock and despise Him and His followers to this day. It even has lead to the widespread acceptance of infanticide in the name of "women's rights"; disregard toward human life in the name of "human rights". They think they are good, but they are not good. They are evil. They are the insensitive ones. They are mean. 

They are insensitive to the filthiness of their own rebellion against God who is love. They are insensitive to the stench of their own depravity. They are the insensitive ones who refuse to be reconciled with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

As for me, I too have been insensitive to the heart of God. I have, at times, chosen to be sensitive, instead, to the thoughts and feelings of fallen humanity. And as a result, I have thought and said and done things that are wicked and insensitive to God who is love. For, as Jesus Himself said, "what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). 

I am sorry for the ways in which I have dishonored God. I repent. And I ask Him to forgive me. And I thank Him for His mercy, as He helps me to practice the righteousness of the new nature which is in Christ.

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14). 

The Dehumanizing Power of Sin

In chapters five - seven of his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass wrote about the time he became the slave of Mr. and Mrs. Auld of Baltimore, Md. When he first came to that house, Sophia Auld was a very kind and tenderhearted woman. Douglass wrote that she treated him "as she supposed one human being ought to treat another".

He describes her in chapter five as having a "face beaming with kindly emotion". She began to teach Douglass to read and write. Over time, however, Douglass describes how slave-holding proved to have a dehumanizing effect on her. She became even more cruel than her husband. So Douglass showed how slavery not only dehumanizes those kept as slaves, but also slave-holders.

My reason for bring this up is that it is an illustration not only of the dehumanizing effects of slavery, but the dehumanizing effect of all sin. This is why the villain in C.S. Lewis' Perelandra is referred to as "the un-man". This is also consistent with the words of Jesus: "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin...Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:34-36).

Humanity was originally created by, and in the image of our holy, righteous God who is love. This is why we, as human beings, even have a concept of love. But then humanity fell into sin and became corrupt. All of us are born with a fallen, corrupted, sinful nature; inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve. And so sin and death came into the world though one man (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

But sin would quickly prove to strip humanity of more than just immortality. Within only one generation, the first son, Cain, murdered his brother, Abel. But it didn't stop there. As the inhabitants of the earth grew in number, they also grew in wickedness. Turning away from the heavenly Father who lovingly created us in His own image, the people of the earth made their own gods in their own fallen image. And so they made idols in the image of created things rather than worship and love and obey God who is love, and who created all the universe (Romans 1:18-24).

For approximately one and a half thousand years, human nature did not change. The earth was filled with idolatry, violence, and every kind of evil. But one man, Noah, along with his family, was saved by grace (Genesis 6:1-8). At that time God justly sent a Flood to cover the whole earth. Many of the geological features that are observed today were formed by that Flood. But He warned Noah to build a 500 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, 45 ft. high Ark to preserve himself and his family, along with two of every "kind" (not species) of animal.

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A species is a sub-set of the original created "kinds". There is diversity within the created kinds; but, as suggested by the findings of Reginald Punnett, one kind can never give rise to a completely new kind. The feline kind can never give rise to a bird kind, and the canine kind can never give rise to a reptilian kind; and so forth. And as I have already noted in this post, the human kind was created uniquely in the image of God. 

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So Noah did as God commanded him. And the rain fell for forty days, and all the fountains of the deep were broken open. The waters covered the earth for about a year and then receded. Noah and his wife; his three sons and their wives, came off the Ark and started life over again.

In time, (within approximately half a thousand years) humanity increased again in number, and quickly turned away from the one true God to worship man-made idols. And disobeying a simple command to spread out and populate all the earth, they decided to build a great Tower that was supposed to reach into the heavens. So God confounded their language and scattered them (Genesis 11:1-9).

But human nature did not changed. The Sumerians and the Egyptians; the Incas and the Mayans, built their idolatrous, pagan kingdoms. And God spoke to Abraham the Chaldean. He gave Abraham a son, Isaac, through whom the nation of Israel was born by the will of God. Israel, like the rest of fallen humanity repeatedly showed a propensity toward disobeying God. And like the gentile nations, they even committed idolatry, ritualistic prostitution, and human sacrifices.

And approximately two thousand years after the Tower of Babel, the Creator of all things came into the world as a human being, taking on human form, though without sin. He lived a life that demonstrated His perfect love for His creation. But His own creation rejected, persecuted, arrested, and crucified Him (John 1:1-14). This is the natural expression of fallen humanity's vile depravity, because sin is enmity with God (Romans 8:7).

And in the last two thousand years since then, human nature still has not changed. Wars, violence, and theft go on and on and on in every generation. Meanwhile students are taught that the natural universe, which operates according to orderly laws, was not made by an orderly Creator and sovereign Lawgiver, but arose accidentally from random, unguided processes. That is not a rational worldview. That's just the madness of fallen, corrupt, sinful humans.

Divorce, adultery, and promiscuity are prevalent. Families are turbulent and broken. And many people grow up angry, rebellious, without godly council, and full of angst. Truth and virtue become objects of ridicule. Greed, lust, pride, and self indulgence are major motivators of a humanity that is sick and dying of its own wickedness.

And though many people know that these things are wrong, they still do not turn to be reconciled with the one true God who created all things; and who revealed Himself to humanity through His prophets and His Son, Jesus Christ. God's word is widely mocked and ridiculed; and disobeyed by everyone. No one is without sin (Romans 3:23).

Those who desire to live godly in Christ are also despised and mocked; even executed in many parts of the world. And that blood-shed will probably eventually spread to the West as well. Infanticide is widely defended and proudly advocated in the name of "women's rights"! Human life is devalued and discarded in the name of "human rights"!

And marriage is desecrated in the name of "equality"; even though Jesus Himself, when asked a question about marriage, said "But from the beginning of creation, God 'made them male and female'" (Mark 10:6). And even many of those who claim to be in Christ are willing to distort His word to accommodate sin. Yes, even in the Church there are those who, in many ways, outright defy what is good and right in the sight of God.

But through all of this, God's nature has never changed. He remains our holy, just, and righteous God. And He will rightfully pour out His righteous judgment on the unrepentant, who reject the absolute truth of His word and cling to their own filth.

But He also remains God who is love. And there is no limit to the mercy and grace that He will continually display toward those who, in reverent faith, turn to Him for forgiveness. He has made salvation available to all who are willing to be saved by His grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ alone, who died on the cross for our sin (Romans 3:23-24, 5:1-2, & 6:23).

God's purpose was fulfilled despite (even by way of) humanity's obstinacy. As God revealed to the prophet Daniel about five hundred years beforehand: "Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself" (Daniel 9:26). It was for our sin that Jesus died.

And at the time it seemed to everyone that He had accomplished nothing. But He was accomplishing a salvation that nobody else's efforts ever could. He who had no sin, took our sin upon Himself; so that those who trust in Him, having no righteousness of our own, may take His righteousness upon ourselves. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

But for those who reject this salvation, THERE IS. NO. OTHER. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5; also see Hebrews 2:2-4, & 10:26-27).

Made in the Image of God Part Two - The God of Music

On July 18th, 2013, I published Made in the Image of God; based on my favorite syllogism. That biblical syllogism is this: God is love (1 John 4:8). God made humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Humanity is made by, and in the image of God who is love. And that is the reason that we as human beings even have a concept of love. 

The capacity and need for love is hardwired into us by our Creator. It is an essential part of the design of who we are. Love is who God is. And we are created in His image for the purpose of love. These days I try to repeat this syllogistic teaching, or at least allude to it as often as I can. 

After all, Jesus said "'Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40). He was quoting from the books of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18). 

And I want to point out that this is also the reason for music. God is the God of music and song. He is the God of all the universe. He existed from eternity past; before the universe existed. He created it. He owns it. It belongs to Him. It is His. Everything, and every being that exists belongs to God who is love. God who is love owns the universe. 

And so He is the God of music. In God's word, the Holy Bible, we are often instructed to use music and singing in our worship of God. The psalmist wrote:

I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High

(Psalm 9:2).

Praise the LORD with the harp;

Make melody to Him on an instrument of ten strings.

Sing to Him a new song:

Play skillfully with a shout of joy

(Psalm 33:2-3).

Also with the flute I will praise You -

And Your faithfulness, O my God.

To You I will sing with the harp

O Holy One of Israel

(Psalm 71:22).

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name; O Most High
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the flute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your works;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands
(Psalm 92:1-4)

King Solomon wrote a book of the Bible that is known interchangeable as the Song of Songs and the Song of Solomon. It is an extended, poetic dialogue between a bride and groom, with choruses provided by the friends of the couple. Some theologians like to think that the Song of Solomon is an allegory, or parable of the love between Jesus Christ and the Church as a collective body. 

The New Testament does refer to the collective body of believers metaphorically as the Bride of Christ. And husbands are commanded: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25). So the poem can be read that way. But personally, I prefer to simply appreciate the Song of Songs as a glad celebration of the love between a man and a woman in holy matrimony.

In the New Testament, Christians are taught to "speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-20). 

And "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16). 

Rather than an attempt to fabricate some illusory feeling of peace or purpose or meaning; music is meant to be an expression of the peace, purpose, and meaning that one already has from our Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ. Music was intended to be an expression of our love for God, and our love for each other in God. And it was meant to be an expression of our gladness, and gratitude and thanksgiving to God. And since the Fall of humanity into sin, music can also rightly be an expression of the lamentations of the human spirit in our trials and our longing for restoration in Christ.

Our holy God who is love created us with the capacity and need for love. And stemming from that, we are created with the ability to appreciate music and find in it an expression of our inward spirits; our love toward God and each other, our brokenness and sorrows, our repentance, our longing for all good things which come from God, and our praise and gratitude to God who is love. 

And in music, we can perhaps even hear some whisper of the beauty and glory and love of God who is love. As the Scriptures tell: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).

Sadly though, in this broken world many people choose to reject God. If they use music,they use it to glorify their own fallen selves, or fallen, corrupted humanity as a collective body. They do not use it to glorify, or express love for God. And the love they do express is not a true, Christ-like love, because they reject God who is love. Jesus, the Son of God, lived a life of devotion to the heavenly Father. But their hearts are far from Him. They love the gift, but they despise the Giver.

Two thousand years ago, the Creator of all things who is love revealed Himself as a human being. Jesus of Nazareth was born of the virgin  Mary, in the city of David - Bethlehem, Israel. He took on human form and lived within the time and space of human history. But He was without sin. He lived a perfect life. And as the Christmas carol tells us, "Truly He taught us to love one another". And He taught us to love God (Matthew 22:37-40). 

And He taught us this love, not only by words, but by deeds. He lived a life of humility and sacrifice; of devotion to the heavenly Father, and the salvation of His creation. And then He willingly laid down His life, dying on a Roman cross for my sins and yours. 

He paid the penalty. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). And "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

Those who hear of His salvation, and go to the grave rejecting Him, demonstrate their lovelessness toward their Creator; the hardness of their fallen, corrupted heart against God who is love, and their worthiness of the condemnation that awaits the unrepentant.

Madhouse

Last week I posted about the exorcism at the Gadarenes. And I wrote that post with an awareness a common misconception that modern people tend to have about our ancient fathers. Evolutionary dogma would suggest that in ancient times, our forefathers were simply not intelligent enough to understand natural phenomena such as lightening, rain, or even mental illness. 

And so the idea is that ancient people attributed all mental disorders to evil spirits possessing the mad. And then, with the advent of modern science, it is thought, people moved away from the notion of demonic possession to embrace the more sophisticated knowledge of mental disease. 

But this is not the actual scenario. It didn't happen like that. Even in Old Testament times, our forefathers knew that there was a such thing as insanity, without always attributing it to demonic possession. 

Before David son of Jesse became king over Israel, he was on the run for King Saul, who knew that David was chosen by God to replace him as king. To escape the inordinate wrath of Saul, David fled to a neighboring city-state called Gath. But the servants of Achish king of Gath knew who David was, and thought to have him in trouble with Achish. 

So we are informed that our Old Testament protagonist, David "was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, 'Look, you see this man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? Have I need of madmen that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?'". So they let David go (1 Samuel 21:12-15).

Another Old Testament hero, the prophet Jeremiah, indicted pagan worshipers of being "insane with their idols" (Jeremiah 50:38). In other words, they were made crazy by their worship of false gods. They worshiped idols which they had made in the image of created things (Romans 1:18-32), as opposed to the true, living God who is love, (1 John 4:8) and who created all the universe and everything in it, (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-1-3, Hebrews 1:1-2). He created humanity in His own image, (Genesis 1:26-27) before the Fall, for the purpose of love (Matthew 22:27-40).

The prophet Hosea also brought charge against the unfaithful people of Israel, saying that the unfaithful prophets and spiritual people had become insane as a result of their sin and their halfhearted approach to God. They thought they could worship God and idols both. And so their minds were darkened with the madness of their sin (Hosea 9:7).

We were made by, and in the image of God who is love. And His first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and with all our mind (Matthew 22:37, emphasis added). Refusal to do so will prove to be a detriment to the mind that despises God. 

But as the prophet Isaiah spoke by the Holy Spirit, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3). And I know from experience that my peace of mind is at its fullest when I am faithful to honor God with my mind.

Today we live among a generation that thinks with its mind that it doesn't need God. This generation thinks that the orderly universe, operating in accordance with orderly laws, did not come from an orderly Creator and Lawgiver, but from random, unguided processes. That's insane! That is not a rational worldview.

And with its mind, this same generation thinks it should be legal to murder unborn children. Just as the ancient pagans sacrificed their children to idols, so this generation is willing to sacrifice its children to the gods of convenience and self-gratification. They also have in mind to redefine marriage, which is not a man-made institution, but comes from God. And as Jesus Himself said when He was asked about marriage, "But from the beginning of creation 'God made them male and female'" (Mark 10:6).

This generation continues in the trend of the previous ones, the rejection of God and His Christ, and the continual devaluing of the things which God values. The sanctity of human life, marriage, and freedom to worship and honor our heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are devalued and despised more and more as time goes on.

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"Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them" (Matthew 4:24).

We do indeed live in a broken, fallen world. And as it is noted in Matthew 4:24, there are many different kinds of conditions and illnesses; including, but not limited to demonic possession. And though full restoration of all things will not come until the end of this current, broken world, Jesus has the power to heal all ailments.

I have quoted this statement from Philip Yancey before, but I like it. He said: "Some see miracles as improbable suspensions of the laws of the physical universe. As signs, though, they serve just the opposite function. Death, decay, entropy, and destruction are the true suspensions of God's laws; miracles are the early glimpses of restoration".

And not only does Jesus have the power to cast out demons and heal physical, and mental conditions; He also has the power to heal the spiritual condition of sin in a repentant human being. As the Scriptures tell: 

"...When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you...But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins...Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house'. And he arose and departed to his house...Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God...giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 9:1-7, Romans 5:1-2, Colossians 1:12-14).

Laws, Traditions, and the Natures of God and Humanity

The Scriptures tell the truth that the laws and statutes of the LORD are perfect, and that we are to delight in them (Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 19:7-11, & Psalm 119). But some of the commandments of the LORD might seem more human to us than Divine. 

For example, there are laws in the Pentateuch that detail how masters should treat their slaves. And there are ceremonial laws concerning women's menstrual cycles, and which animals were considered "clean" or "unclean" for eating or for sacrifice, and things like that.

I think that the Law of Moses, as a whole, is kind of like the layout of the Tabernacle (portable temple) which God commanded the Israelites to to construct. The Tabernacle, and later the Temple in Jerusalem, had the outer courtyard, into which the people could enter to offer their sacrifices. 

Then there was the tent itself which was divided into two parts; the Holy place, and the Most Holy place. Both parts were more sacred, and restricted than the outer court. And the Most Holy place (or the Holy of Holies) was so sacred and restricted that only the High Priest was ever allowed to enter it; and only once a year.

Similarly, it seems that the Law of Moses is comprised of what we might call common laws, comparable to the code of Hammurabi, as well as more holy laws. It is also important to consider the role of human traditions which can differ from time to time, and from place to place. Because when God gave the Law to the Israelites through Moses, He accommodated their human traditions. 

For example, some cultures (including that of the ancient Israelites) have practiced arranged marriage. I live in a culture that allows couples to date and to choose each other, without the parents betrothing them. I think both cultural practices have their pros and cons to them. 

Neither practice is morally wrong, in and of itself. In a culture of arranged marriage, the parents ought to be considerate of the needs and welfare of their son or daughter in choosing the right spouse for them. In the culture in which I live, it is up to each person to be wise or foolish in choosing a spouse.

Now the Ten Commandments, which were carved in tablets of stone by God's own finger, might be comparable to the Holy place of the Tabernacle. They are holy in nature, not cultural. And then the heart and soul of the Law is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength"; and in Leviticus 19:18, "...you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus said that these are the two greatest commandments, and that all the other commandments hang on them (Matthew 22:37-40).

In order to understand the Law of Moses, it is important to realize what the purpose of the Law was in the first place. The apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, informs us that the Law was made for sinners, to make clear our inability to attain righteousness (1 Timothy 1:9, Romans 3:20). 

Jesus Himself made that pretty clear when He preached the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7. He said that if you look at a woman to lust after her, you have already committed the sin of adultery with her in your heart. And if you hate someone, you have already murdered that person in your heart. 

So the Law was given to Moses for sinners, to make them aware of their sin. By the law we become conscious of our alienation from God. It reveals the discord between our fallen human nature and the perfect, immaculate nature of God who is love, and who made humanity in His image, before the Fall. 

The Law shows us that as fallen humans, our nature is no longer in tune with the Divine nature, the nature of God who is love. As it has been said, love toward God and each other is the foundation of the whole Law (Romans 13:9-10).

Since the Law is made for sinners, the ceremonial laws serve as symbolic reminders of the impurity of our fallen human nature. The prophet Isaiah tells us that because of our fallen nature, even our attempts at righteousness are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). And the term translated "filthy rags" refers to dirty menstrual rags. 

According to the Law of Moses, a woman in the midst of her menstrual period was considered ceremonially "unclean", and she had to go through a whole ceremonial cleansing process before she could participate in public worship.

I remember once finding an article in a magazine that claimed that the biblical writers did not understand a woman's menstrual cycle, and that they thought of the biological process as shameful and bad. But in actuality, the author of that article is the one who does not understand the Law of Moses at all. 

The ceremonial laws were given by God for their symbolic value. It's not that there is anything wrong with, or shameful about a woman's biology. But the messy nature of it was used as a symbol for the impurity of our fallen human nature. The same idea is behind the laws concerning which animals were, or were not considered fit for ceremonial or dietary use. And the animal sacrifices prescribed in the Law of Moses are foreshadows of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (read Hebrews 10:1-25). 

Also, because the Law was made for sinners, there is a certain level of forbearance in it. God gave laws concerning treatment of slaves. And today we may wonder, "Why didn't He just forbid slavery altogether?" But these Laws were given as a Divine concession because human nature is hardened against doing right.

However, it should be noted that according to the Law of Moses, no one could lawfully be a slave for life. The people of Israel were required to free all their slaves at various intervals of time. And besides that, in the human traditions of those days, people were not enslaved because of their race. Ways that a person could become a slave, in those days, included being captured in battle during war-time; or a person might sell himself into slavery in order to pay a debt.

The pharisees who were opposed to Jesus once asked Him a question concerning the divorce law that Moses handed down to the people. According to the Law of Moses, if a man wanted to divorce his wife for any reason, he just had to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away. The pharisees asked Jesus if He agreed with this law. 

Jesus told them that Moses gave them this law because their hearts were hard. He told them that "from the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate" (Mark 10:2-9).

And so here is an important point. God's desire is reconciliation between Himself and us. So the giving of the Law was a step in His plan to bring us back to the way it was in the beginning, before the Fall. The point of these laws was to make us aware of our sin and prod us toward returning to God who is love, and who made us in His own image. 

But the Law alone could not accomplish that ultimate goal. As the Scriptures tell "a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:16).

The Law only reveals our need for reconciliation with God. It points us to Christ, who is the only Savior from sin. As the Scriptures tell "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). This is what Jesus meant when He said "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). 

Jesus the Son of God, through whom all things were created, came into the world and lived a pure, perfect, sinless life. And then He gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice to the Father for our sins. Now everyone who trusts in Him is clothed (so to speak) with His righteousness, just as He was clothed (so to speak) in our sin. 

And as we are clothed in His righteousness, and practice righteousness in Him, we will grow to be more and more like Him as we surrender to Him living in us. Our fallen nature is being put to death, while the Divine nature, in the image of which humanity was originally created, is taking over in our hearts. 

As Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, also read Colossians 3:1-16).

"For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). And in another passage, Paul writes "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him". 

And as Jesus Himself said, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me". (John 6:45). And as the apostle John wrote, "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

And so, the Law is truly perfect for what it was given to do; to tutor and lead sinners like you and me to Jesus Christ, who alone can reconcile us to the Father.

Who Is the Real Sin Peddler?

In March of 2013, I published a post in answer to the accusation that is sometimes made, that Christians peddle sin, because we tell the truth about sin. The truth is that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Humanity was made in the image of our holy, righteous God who is love. But humanity fell into sin in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed the heavenly Father. 

And that is when death first entered into the world. That is when humanity became spiritually dead to God. And that is when Adam and Eve, and all creation first became susceptible to the physical wearing down of life unto death and entropy, which is a result of the curse of sin. 

And the Scriptures record that after speaking to Adam and Eve, and to the serpent who deceived Eve, God made a sacrifice (foreshadowing the sacrifice of Jesus) for the man and his wife. He made tunics of animal skin to clothe them (Genesis 3:21).There was no death of man or beast before then, contrary to all evolutionary doctrine. Now humanity is a fallen creature. We are all born with a corrupted, sinful human nature, handed down to us by our first parents.

This is the truth about sin. But the Christian message is a message of reconciliation with God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). So we do not peddle sin. We are simply telling the truth that has to be acknowledged before reconciliation can happen. No one can be reconciled to God unless they admit they have sinned, and need to be reconciled (1 John 1:8-9).

But I will tell you who the real sin peddler is. Anyone who tells you that your sins are not sins is a peddler of sin. Whoever says to you, "It's alright. Go ahead and do that thing"; that is who truly peddles sin. The person who tells you that you don't need to trust in Jesus to save you from your sin, that person is a peddler of sin. And that human person; who deceives you to sin, and to stay in your sin, is really a servant of Satan who first deceived Eve to sin, six thousand years ago. That is who the real sin peddler is.

But God is love (1 John 4:8). And He truly did make humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Our heavenly Father who is love made humanity in His own image so that we could love and be loved (Matthew 22:27-40). He sent His Son Jesus to be the propitiation for our sin - to make reconciliation available to us (1 John 4:10). 

Those who reject Him demonstrate that they have a lack of love, because they do not love God who is love. But whoever is receptive to Him and trusts in Him is truly reconciled with Him, and free from sin (John 1:10-13, John 8:31-36).  

Of Pharisees and Physicists

In today's scientific community, there are many who hold to the view that everything can be explained solely through natural processes. Accordingly, these individuals reject belief in miracles, which they see as contrary to the laws of the physical universe (or possibly multiverse) which is, in their view, all there is. This worldview is called naturalism. 

Naturalism denies that there is a God who is transcendent (that is, above or apart from the physical universe). Thus it denies that the Genesis account of a six-day Creation by a supernatural Creator only about six thousand years ago; and the Flood which covered all the earth and formed many of the geological features we observe today, can be true.

So modern science does not disprove the biblical account of world history. Rather, individuals and groups within the scientific community start with the assumption that there is no God and/or that the Bible is not His word. And they interpret all their findings in accordance with that presupposition. Often times they make up explanations for data that doesn't fit their interpretation. 

What I find striking is the similarity between these members of the scientific community and the Pharisee (a leading religious sect) of Jesus' time on earth. Those Pharisees rejected Jesus because they viewed His teachings and His claims about Himself to be in conflict with the laws of Moses, and the laws of their own making. They viewed Jesus as a rival who undermined their authority; just as the naturalistic/evolutionary members of the scientific community may see creationists.

But the law of Moses was meant to show us our sin, and thus our need for grace and mercy in Christ. As Jesus said to His antagonists, "For if you believed Moses you would believe Me, for he wrote about me" (John 5:46). In truth, then, there is no conflict between Moses and Jesus.

In the same way, modern science, which is the study of the physical universe, was born out of the conviction that an orderly Creator made and upholds the universe in an orderly manner. This means that the laws of the physical universe were declared by God who is above and apart from the physical universe, just as the law of Moses was given to Moses by God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to fulfill the law and provide salvation from, and forgiveness of sin.

And so, God also has the power to command the physical universe to behave differently at specific points in time and space. When He does, we call the result a miracle. Proponents of naturalism don't like that any more than the legalistic Pharisees liked Jesus going around forgiving sins that they wanted to see punished in accordance with the law. 

And so, by their strict adherence to a naturalistic interpretation of the laws of nature (which are meant to point to God) the naturalists seek to nullify God; just as the Pharisees, by their strict adherence to the letter of the laws of Moses (which were meant to point to Christ) missed the spirit of the law and sought to nullify Christ. Both groups have missed the point of the laws that they have studied. 

But there are many who know that the Law of Moses highlights the fallen, sinful nature of humanity, and our need for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And He has told us that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our being. And that the second most important commandment is to love each other as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). And whoever obeys the first commandment will also obey the second (1 John 5:1-5).

And not all Pharisees were against Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and he met privately with Jesus to learn from Him early on in His ministry (John 3). Later, Nicodemus found the courage to defend Jesus in front of the whole Sanhedrin (John 7:50). And even later than that, it is believed that Nicodemus died a martyr for following Jesus.

Joseph of Arimathea, too, was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin (Mark 15:43). He let Jesus borrow his tomb for a few days. And Nicodemus helped him take Jesus down from the cross and prepare His body for interment (John 19:38-40).

A few years later, another Pharisee, named Saul of Tarsus, would become a follower of Jesus. Taking on his gentile name, Paul, he went on to write most of the New Testament; not to mention his extensive missionary journeys throughout the Mediterranean world. He also spent time in prison for preaching the gospel. He continued, however, in the ministry, preaching about Jesus until his head was removed by a Roman sword, circa 65 AD.    

Now just as there are those who truly understand the law of Moses, there are also those who know that the laws of nature in the physical universe point to its orderly and sovereign Creator. He is love (1 John 4:8). And He created humanity in His own image. We were made in the image of God who is love. 

This is the reason we even have a concept of love. We are fallen, and corrupted because of sin. But the law of God who is love is still inscribed in our inner being by God who created us in His own image (Romans 2:14-15).  

And just as not all Pharisees were against Jesus, so not all scientists are against the Creator who is one and the same with Jesus (John 1:1-5; John 10:30). As I already pointed out, modern science was born from the conviction that we live in an orderly universe, created and sustained by an orderly Creator according to His orderly reign. This conviction is what made the systematic, orderly study of the physical universe possible. 

Francis Bacon, Copernicus, Johann Kepler, and Isaac Newton all believed in the Genesis account of Creation, the Fall, and the Flood. Charles Darwin stole the idea of natural selection from zoologist Edward Blythe, who believed the Genesis account, and  considered natural selection to be a display of Divine providence in action. And natural selection does not add new information to the genome of any creature. It only works with already existing information. Therefore it is incapable of being the catalyst for molecules-to-man evolution.

The inventor of the MRI scanner, Raymond Damadian, is a creation scientist. And there are many other formally trained scientists who hold to the Genesis account of a six-day Creation, approximately six thousand years ago. Dr. Georgia Purdom has a Ph.D in biology and works for Answers in Genesis. Dr. Jason Lisle has a Ph.D in astrophysics and leads the research team at the Institute for Creation Research. And these are just a few examples.

As I believe in grace, so I believe in miracles. This flies in the face of the rigid teachers of the law. No law can nullify the love of God. And no law can nullify God who is love. By His great power, which we call miraculous; He created the universe in six days, six thousand years ago. And He made humanity in His own image.

I will close with this quote from Philip Yancy:

"Some see miracles as an implausible suspension of the laws of the physical universe. As signs, though, they serve just the opposite function. Death, decay, entropy, and destruction are the true suspensions of God's laws; miracles are the early glimpses of restoration."

Born Sinners, Reborn In Christ

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, 
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:5-6).

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (John 3:3).

Many people try to excuse their particular type of sin by saying that they were born that way. It has even been claimed by some geneticists that a person can be born with a genetic propensity toward a particular kind of sinful behavior; such as domestic violence, adultery, promiscuity, or homosexuality. I don't know if that's true though. And I think some, including creation scientists dispute that claim.

But whether genetics has anything to do with it or not, the Scriptures do teach that we are all born sinners. But the psalmist, David did not use that as an excuse for his sin. He realized that God "desire[s] truth in the inward parts". And so, from a biblical standpoint, it is laughable for any person to try to excuse their sin by saying they were born that way. 

Our holy God, who is love, created us in His perfect image. But sin (disobedience toward God) has corrupted the image of God in us. We are all born with corrupted human nature; handed down to us from our first-parents, Adam and Eve. 

The Bible calls it the "old man", or "old nature", or "sinful nature". It is just a part of the brokenness that disobedience toward our heavenly Father has caused to the created order. This corrupt nature, by nature, alienates us from God; who created humanity in the image of His own Divine nature (Ecclesiastes 7:29).

But we are not without hope. As the Scripture says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Christian life is a continual process of surrendering to Christ to put away the old nature, and have the new nature brought to fruition in our inmost being (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:8-10, 2 Peter 1:3-4). 

And all the while we have reason to be glad and rejoice. The more we put off the old nature, and put on the new nature; the more we grow to delight in the things in which God delights (Philippians 3:1, Philippians 4:4, Psalm 9:2, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 32:11, Psalm 118:24).

Because of the sacrifice of love that Jesus made for us on the cross, we are able to receive forgiveness of, and freedom from sin. All we have to do is trust Him.

If we do trust Him, we have this promise in the Scriptures:

"Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been reveal what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him, purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3).