Old Erich Proverb - Ending

When Christians are in a hard place in the adventure of life, they should peek at the end of the story.

A Voice from the Past - Tertullian

Every spirit is winged; so it is with angels, so it is with demons. Thus in a moment they are everywhere; all the world is to them one spot; what is being done, and where, it is easy for them to know as to tell. Their swiftness passes for divinity, because their real nature is unknown. So they sometimes wish to appear as doing what they merely report; and they obviously are at times the authors of mischief but never of good.

Tertullian, Apology, 160-220 AD, XXII, 8 (Loeb Classical Library, Tertullian and Minucius Felix, G. P. Goold, translated T. R. Glover, Harvard University Press, 1931, p. 121)

Is this true? What perspective does it give us on demons? Are there real events it helps to explain?

Beware of Shortcuts

Scripture pictures growth in Christ as a process that covers all of life (Philippians 3:12-14; 1 Timothy 4:7,8; Ephesians 2:10). This is a result of God working in the life of every believer (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29). But it is easy to want some kind of shortcut to produce instant spirituality. And many of the divisions between Christians, either formal or informal, result from these shortcuts. Frequently there is the idea that someone cannot really live for God or serve Him if they do not adopt our shortcut. There may even arise the idea they are not really saved if they do not adopt it. Now we are saved by faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; Philippians 3:9), who died to pay the price for our sins (1 Peter 2:24,25; Colossians 2:13,14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Now the Bible makes it clear that not everyone who professes to be a Christian, and certainly not everyone who calls themselves a Christian in some broad sense, is necessarily saved (Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 2:19; 2 Corinthians 13:5). But it is dubious to use this truth just to promote our favorite shortcut.

There are two problems with shortcuts. They can produce pride in those who believe they have successfully used the shortcut. It also encourages them to look down on others who do not accept their shortcut. This results in the tendency to division and trust in our own wisdom found in the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 3:18-23). There will always be disagreements among Christians as to what the Bible teaches. But making those opinions the basis for God's working in the life of the individual makes reconciliation and working together more difficult. This attitude also encourages complacency. If my shortcut means I have arrived spiritually, I have less motivation to press on to grow in Christ.

Or these shortcuts can produce discouragement for those who have tried them and found them not to work as advertised. This can result in guilt and nagging questions. We can ask things like, Did I do it right? Am I really a Christian if it does not work for me? Do I not have enough faith? and similar things. If this shortcut is made a matter of prescribed teaching in the church we are in, it means we have to leave that church if we reject it. This can result in significant inner turmoil and may result in desperate action of some sort. All the while we have had something foisted on us that will not work. We need to stick to the straight way and avoid the shortcuts.

Satan's Self Portrait

Re-Posted from "Meditations of a Charismatic Calvinist Who Does Not Speak in Tongues"

 Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). Nowhere does this show up more than in how he pictures himself and his minions. Much of what people think they know about Satan and his demons comes not from Scripture but from sources like Hollywood and Medieval tradition.  One of Satan's chief ploys is, of course, to convince us he does not exist.  But the other false pictures can contribute to this by saying if we cannot believe in them, we cannot believe in him.  

One of Satan's other strategies is to portray himself as more powerful than he actually is.  This worked very effectively in the Middle Ages, producing great fear and ultimately encouraging people to lash out at those who were in some way painted as Satan's agents.  Today in many forms of media we have the demonic shown as powerful, and good as marginal and barely competent.  This need not involve direct reference to demons but to other powerful supernatural beings. It can end up making evil look empowering and liberating and good as hopeless.  If Satan can even get well-intentioned people to feel overwhelmed and helpless, he has won a victory.  But Scripture teaches he is a defeated foe (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 4:4), who should treated with caution but not cowered before (1 Peter 5:8,9; Ephesians 6:10-13).

His opposite move, though, is to picture himself in a crude, simplistic way--even a silly way. He becomes the guy in red tights with horns and a tail or the blatant huckster who forthrightly asks, "Want to sell your soul?"  If this does not get people to dismiss the whole thing as silly, it presents evil as obvious and easily avoided.  It also can cause people to see demonic forces as easily dealt with and their plans as easily foiled.  Even the common idea (which has no basis in Scripture) that Satan and his minions are currently torturing the lost in hell can make it seem he is off the scene on earth.  But Scripture pictures him as a clever schemer who can disguise himself and his followers as promoters of good (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2:11) and who is in control of this present world (2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14,15).  We need to be careful of underestimating Satan, but should trust in God's power to deal with him (James 4:7). But we also need to avoid taking Satan's pictures of himself as the truth.

Love of Country

What does it mean to love one's country? Is a Christian obligated to do this? How should we go about it? Now it is clear we are to be subject to the governing authorities, to obey the law and pay taxes (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Matthew 22:15-22). We are also told there is a place where we must serve God rather than men (Acts 4:19; 5:29; Daniel 3:16-18). There is also a Biblical precedent for rebuking those in authority (2 Samuel 12:1-14; 1 Kings 21:17-29; Matthew 14:1-12). But steering a course between these duties is more complicated.

The Scriptural concept of love is a love that loves, not based on what someone does for us, but even in spite of it (Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 12:9-21; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). This is the kind of love God has for us (1 John 4:7-11; Romans 5:6-8; Philippians 2:5-11). Now while Scripture commands us to love all people (Matthew 22:34-40; Romans 13:8-10; James 2:8), it also leaves room for special relationships (1 John 4:20,21; Ephesians 5:22-6:9; 1 Peter 3:1-7). The love here is a love based on the relationship, not the person meriting it. While it is not specifically mentioned, patriotism would seem to fall into this category. It is a love of your home because it is your home, not necessarily because it merits it.

This is important. If you love your country because it is your country, you can still see its faults. You can also work to change those faults and do it with love and respect. As G. K. Chesterton points out, the only way to really change something is to love it for itself and not its merit. If you take the attitude that my country can do no wrong, you cannot see the faults in order to change them. But if you jump to the opposite view of only seeing the faults, you can end up wholly hostile and unable to care enough to make positive change. We see both these attitudes reflected today in the United States, and they frequently end up at loggerheads. But if you love your country because it is your country, you can avoid the extremes and appreciate the good aspects of it without ignoring the faults. Also, you can understand and respect the fact that other people love their countries also. There may be some countries that are so oppressive the only loving thing to do is to try to change them. But if you love your country because it is your country, you will be less likely to jump to the conclusion things need to be changed when they do not. It is only the person who loves their country who can see clearly enough to correct its faults with respect.

A Touch of Humor - The Question

 

Can electronic interaction replace going to church? Why or why not? What benefits do we obtain from going to church?

Old Erich Proverb - Service

The Holy Spirit is not our servant to accomplish our purposes; we are His servant to accomplish His purposes.