The Great Divide

What is the problem we as Christians have in reaching unbelievers? Is the problem that we are not relevant and are not meeting people where they are? Now Scripture does talk about meeting people where they are, and I am convinced there is a place for that (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). But there is a danger here of going too far and becoming conformed to the world (Romans 12:1,2). Also, the Gospel is a stumbling block, and we cannot expect people necessarily to accept it just because we present it in a way they understand (1 Corinthians 1:22-25). But I am convinced the more basic issue is the issue of self-righteousness. We forget that we are sinners saved by grace and see ourselves as upright, respectable people, who have it all together.

Scripture makes it clear that we are sinners (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9) who are saved by God's grace apart from anything we can do to earn it (Romans 4:4,5; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5,6). This salvation should result in a change in behavior (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18). But this change is imperfect in this life (Philippians 3:12-16; Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:25), and we need to continually return to the grace of God (Romans 8:33,34; 2 Peter 1:9; 1 John 1:9). We need to remember this so that we do not fall into the Pharisees' attitude of feeling we are superior to others (Matthew 9:11-13; Luke 7:36-50; 19:1-10).

Now there is a very careful balance here; we do not want to condone evil (Ephesians 5:11; Jude 22,23; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Also, if we simply conform to the world, we have nothing to offer anyone. But we need to avoid the pride which makes us refuse to reach out to people. This is often made more difficult by our current cultural stance of advocating and approving sin. (This can be particularly difficult for older people or those brought up in Christian homes who were raised with a deep aversion to behaviors now considered acceptable.) But we need to remember that we are sinners saved by God's grace and that Christ came to seek and save the lost. It can be a difficult course to navigate, with dangers on every side. But the most dangerous condition is when we feel no struggle. This means that we have totally compromised with the world or have become totally indifferent to those who need God's salvation. Rather, we must take the hard course in between. Also, while there is a danger in reaching out to people in their sin, it is clear disobedience not to try. But to try to be relevant and conform to people's wishes is even more dangerous, because it is even easier to cross the line without knowing it. But it is not Scriptural to hide out in a safe Christian environment and refuse to extend a hand to those who need a Savior.

In Defense of Ritual

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

Are rituals in the church a good or a bad thing?  The Old Testament is full of rituals, but the New Testament puts the emphasis on worshiping in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  But this shift to heart attitude rather than rigidly prescribed ceremonies does not mean no ceremonies are appropriate (note baptism and the Lord's Supper).  Rather, even beyond the sacraments we see a number of symbolic actions, such as laying on of hands (Acts 13:3; 28:8), anointing with oil (Mark 6:13; James 5:14), and bowing (Ephesians 3:14; Matthew 28:17). Also, the simple fact is we always have some kind of ritual involved in corporate worship. The question may be how well it is thought out, as well as what particular elements you are willing to allow, but not whether there is some fixed procedure involved.

There are reasons why we shy away from any kind of ritual.  There are those who those who, contrary to Scripture (Colossians 2:16,17; Galatians 4:9,10), have tried to impose their precise rituals on others, even to the point of arguing over the date of Easter and over how many fingers one should cross oneself with.  But isn't forbidding various rituals the same thing (Romans 14:1-12; Colossians 2:20-23)? Also, we are not simply to go through the motions of worship (Matthew 6:1-18; Malachi 1:10). But I have found one can go through the motions no matter what type of worship one engages in. The issue is one's attitude, not the form.

Is there, then, any point in ritual? I am convinced there is. It engages the worshipers on a number of levels and encourages them to be involved in the worship and not just to be spectators. Therefore, if it is not rigidly prescribed and not done in a mindless manner, it has its place in legitimate worship.

The Standard of Selfishness

One of the common assumptions of modern society is that if we just act in our own self-interest, it will all come out right in the end. This is most clearly advocated in capitalism, which claims that if we just follow our greed, everything will work out for the best. (This should not be read as an endorsement of socialism, which has its own problems.) But this is often found in other areas. It often comes out in practice to doing whatever we want as long as it does not hurt the other person. What this amounts to is being selfish as long as it does not clearly conflict with someone else's selfish desires. This runs totally counter to the Christian idea that we should put the real welfare of the other person before our own (Luke 10:25-37; Philippians 2:3-11; Matthew 7:12). (It is important to understand that this measures the other's welfare by the fixed standard of what God commands and not what they happen to want.) Can this approach based on selfishness be sustained in practice?

The idea is that if we all just follow our own interests, it will all magically work in the end. This does not seem to me plausible.  There will always be a few people who are smarter or more fortunate or more capable or just more conscienceless, who will end up getting their way and tramping on others in the process. There will always be someone who finds a way to cheat. The idea that the bad intentions will all even out in the end seems questionable in the extreme. And do we really want to live in a society where everyone is out to get everyone else but is prevented from doing so by the others' diligence? As for avoiding hurting someone, what do we mean by "hurt." If we limit it to physical pain, we leave open many nasty things that can done to people that do not involve physical pain. But if we measure "hurt" by what people regard as harm to them, we are faced with the impossible situation of trying to cater to everyone who can convince themselves that they are "hurt" if we do not grant them their every whim. The result is not to give full scope to our selfishness, but to enslave everyone to the desires of the most sensitive and easily hurt among us. And since what they want will undoubtedly be inconsistent, we would never be able to fulfill it. May I suggest that the reason this even seems viable is that we still possess some remnants of conventional (generally Judeo-Christian) morality. We still hold that certain things are right and wrong in themselves, no matter what the individual thinks of them. But we use this concept of mutual selfishness to justify the particular cases where we want to able to cut corners and ignore this standard. But we need to realize the anarchy to which this kind of logic leads.

A Touch of Humor - Their Evangelists

 

What should we do when those of another faith come knocking on our door? Should we slam the door in their faces? How should we respond?

A Voice from the Past - Hilary of Poitiers

But the novel sound of these words disturbed the Apostle Philip. A Man is before their eyes; this Man avows Himself the Son of God, and declares that when they have known Him they will know the Father. He tells them that they have seen the Father, and that, because they have seen Him, they shall know Him hereafter. This truth is too broad for the grasp of weak humanity; their faith fails in the presence of these paradoxes.

Hilary of Poitiers, 300-368 AD, De Trinitate (On the Trinity), Book 7, 35 (The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol IX, Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Hilary of Poitiers: Select Works, translated by E, W. Watson, L. Pullan, and others, T&T Clark and Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1997, p. 133; Quote is in reference to John 14:8,9)

Why is it important for a Christian to be amazed by Christ and who He is? What are the implications of this?

Reaping and Sowing - Galatians 6:7-10

The Victory Parade

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

Scripture speaks of our being always led in the triumph in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:14). There is an aspect of this that it is easy to miss, given just the English translation. The word "triumph" is a reference to a specific Roman custom. When a Roman general won a great victory he was awarded a triumph. This was a procession through Rome followed by his soldiers. With him would be the best of the spoil and the most illustrious of his prisoners. He and his soldiers, who would be amply rewarded from the spoil, would be admired and cheered by the crowd as they marched through the city. In the same way, Christ has already conquered sin and death (John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57), and we who have faith in Christ are victorious with Him (1 John 5:4). He has overcome and disarmed His enemies, leading them in the triumph (Colossians 2:15), and provides gifts to His followers (Ephesians 4:7,8). Therefore, we are already in the victory parade.

Why, then, does it sometimes not feel and look like this to us? I would submit that while we are overwhelming conquerors (Romans 8:35-37), this is from God's perspective and is in spite of the various trials mentioned in the passage. God causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28), but we often do not see them doing so at the present time. Nonetheless, we can trust God that, though we may not see it, we are victorious. And we should live our lives in view of the fact we have already won and are in the victory parade.