"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Jesus Christ; Matthew 10:34).
Churches sometimes try to go out of the way to please people and attract members. Their idea is to make the non-Christian world like them in hopes of peaceful relations in which everyone feels all nice and good. But those who faithfully walk with Jesus Christ are often met with hostility. And it only makes sense that it would be like that. The prophet Isaiah said that the Messiah would be despised and rejected; so it stands to reason that whoever follows Him will be despised and rejected too (Isaiah 53:3).
Faith in Jesus Christ reconciles sinners to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). And it produces peace among those who trust in Christ and follow His teachings (Ephesians 2). It is not, however, going to produce peace between the redeemed who have faith in Christ, and the unrepentant who do not. In fact, if one places his or her faith in Christ and follows Him, He guarantees that that person will be hated by the world, which is in discordance with God.
Jesus said to His disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:18-19). He said "Woe to you when everyone speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets." (Luke 6: 26). And, conversely, He said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12).
He said, "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22). To be at peace with God is to be at odds with the world which hates God, and vice versa. Just as to be sensitive to the world is to be insensitive to God, and vice versa. As the Scripture says, "...Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4).
It's not that God, or His people hate the world. Indeed, God's word says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17). The problem is that the world hates God, and therefore hates anyone who is at peace with God.
Jesus Christ is God the Son. He has existed from eternity past with the Father. The world hated Him because it is in rebellion against God. That is why they crucified Him. That is why the world loves sin, and even tries to distort God's word to justify whatever kind of wickedness in which they are living. That is why Cain murdered his brother, Abel (1 John 3:12). That is why people of the world think it should be o.k. to murder unborn children. And that is why the wicked continue to hate anyone who trusts in Christ and stands faithfully on His word. I think of Meriam Ibrihim and many other Christians down through the ages.
Jesus Christ did not come to bring peace to the world. Well, He did; but He didn't. He came to make reconciliation and peace with God available to all who believe in Him and repent (turn away from sin, and turn to God). And His word says to us, "Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." (1 John 3:13). Our business is to please God, not people (Galatians 1:10).
Showing posts with label Insensitive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Insensitive. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Thursday, December 12, 2013
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).
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).
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
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.
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).
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