Christian Apologetic, and Social Commentary in a world gone mad
So…before I get to what everyone is talking about this week let me give my quick two second review of this last weeks episode. Once again, I feel like they missed a big opportunity by skipping two critical points in the Bible. For anyone who has read this blog you would see that I am a big advocate of the idea that the Old Testament points to Jesus. The Bible missed on a huge opportunity to demonstrate this by skipping over the book of Isaiah and his prophecy of the suffering servant. Additionally, did anyone else notice that they tried to pass off the prophecy of Jesus onto Daniel? For some reason that stuck out with me. It would appear that the producers of the Bible wanted to get into the whole prophecy thing but then gave the viewers the cheap and watered down version. They passed on Daniel’s 70 7’s prophecy which is an incredible prophecy that was fulfilled to the day! Again…here they can demonstrate the absolute power of God, and pass on it.
Oh and by the way…for a more realistic look at the 3 wisemen READ THIS POST. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the producers…probably didn’t do their homework.
And now to the contreversy of the week…
Well…it is a little odd to say the least.
I don’t know if this is intentional. It’s hard to believe that the producers of the show were sitting in a room saying…”He doesn’t look enough like Obama.” Look there is no way that Obama is the anti-christ. If you have read my posts you know where I stand on both the men pictured above. But I will have to say…that the likeness is…well…funny.
What an interesting 48 hours from the Democrat Convention. First we have the platform being approved with/without the following items:
– God being completely removed from their platform
– Jerusalem not recognized as the capital of Israel.
– Total support of Gay Marriage
– Total support of Abortion
Then comes the incredible events of yesterday. Words can’t even describe this. Just watch by clicking here.
You have probably one of the most revealing and awkward moments in recent political history. A party denying God, and then…after push back from the people…leadership attempts to put Him back in, but the delegates apparently thought differently than the leaders. Politico reports that President Obama knew that God and Jerusalem had been removed from the platform and did nothing until republicans started to question why speakers were mentioning God…something the party did not recognize, and the heat they received for turning their back on Israel. Thus the vote on Wednesday.
The voting results now appears to be predetermined based on this photo:
It would appear that the outcome was…pre-ordained
This would explain the chairman’s reaction when the “No’s” were as numerous as the “Yay’s”. Needless to say this whole thing is a mess.
So what of all of this? I would argue the following. The original platform that was adopted that removed God and officially did not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is the true heart of the Democrat Party. Not only does the first vote demonstrate that, but also the fact that they were willing to have a second vote due only to political pressure. This should not be a surprise to anyone that God has been removed. The removal presents a more consistent view from the Democratic Party which maintains that God must be removed from politics at all costs. Additionally, the platform supports two very big issues that the Bible does not, in any way condone (gay marriage and abortion).
Regardless of what the platform says (or doesn’t say) this is what the Democrat Party has become. As Christian’s we must weigh this heavily as we begin to vote. Sides have been chosen and we now have a party in America which officially does not recognize God, but rather a generic faith in anything. In 48 hours this election has had yet another layer added to it…the election of the party which recognizes God, and the party that does not.
Are you courageous enough to be a Biblical Father?
I have taken 3 oaths in my life. The first was an oath to protect my nation from enemies at home and abroad. The second was an oath to honor and cherish my wife in sickness and in health till death do us part. Know, have a taken an oath to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
Everyone should be familiar with the first two oaths that I identified (military and marriage), but many of you may not recognize the last one. The last one is from the movie Courageous. It is the Resolution for Men. Below is the resolution for men:
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
– I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
– I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
– I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
– I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
– I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
– I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
– I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
– I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
– I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
– I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
– I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15
This morning, I was trying to think of a way to incorporate a post on my new oath, and everything that is involved, etc… As I was sitting and pondering the next great post, I stumbled across “the Drudge Report” and happen to notice a story that was talking about the President Pledge .
The Presidents Pledge is something similar to the Resolution for Men. The objective of the President’s Fatherhood pledge is to address the very legitimate concern of fatherlessness in America. Here is the Presidents Pledge:
I pledge to renew my commitment to family and community. I recognize the positive impact that fathers, mothers , mentors and other responsible adults can have on our children and youth, and pledge to do all I can to provide children in my home and throughout my community the encouragement and support they need to fulfill their potential.
Both are after the same objective. We have families that need fathers, and wives that need husbands. However, there is a distinct difference between these two. To point out the obvious, one is based on the Bible, and the other is not. There are other items here that scream for attention. Notice how the Resolution for Men has very specific action items on how be a good father/husband, the other offers platitudes and just a renewal of the commitment. The Resolution for Men offers a real life change that can make an impact not only on the children and wife, but also on the father as well. The pledge offers only encouragement rather than leadership.
As I sat and compared these two I began to slowly realize that this could be a reason that so many have adbicated their role as fathers. After all, if the best the President can do is to ask for people to recoginize and offer encouragement and support then the secular worlds expecations of fathers are fairly low. Remember…his father was not around. I would have thought that the President would have taken a firmer stand on this. Sadly that is not the case. What we need is…well…
Read the below exert from the movie Courageous. This is what needs to happen in America.
“As a law-enforcement officer, I’ve seen firsthand the deep hurt and devastation that fatherlessness brings in a child’s life. Our prisons are full of men and women who lived recklessly after being abandoned by their fathers, wounded by the men who should have loved them the most. Many now follow the same pattern of irresponsibility that their fathers did.
While so many mothers have sacrificed to help their children survive, they were never intended to carry the weight alone. We thank God for them.
But research is proving that a child also desperately needs a daddy. There’s no way around this fact. As you know, earlier this year, my family endured the tragic loss of our -year-old daughter, Emily. Her death forced me to realize that not only had I not taken advantage of the priceless time I had with her, but that I did not truly understand how crucial my role was as a father to her and our son, Dylan. Since her passing, I’ve asked God to show me, through his word how to be the father that I need to be.
I now believe that God desires for every father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there or providing for them, he’s to walk with them through their lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in heaven.
A father should love his children and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them and teach them about God.
He should model how to walk with integrity and treat others with respect and should call out his children to become responsible men and women who live their lives for what matters in eternity.
Some men will hear this and mock it or ignore it.
But I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God for the position of influence he has given you.
You can’t fall asleep at the wheel only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value but the souls of your children do.
Some men will hear this and agree with it but have no resolve to live it out.
lnstead, they will live for themselves and waste the opportunity to leave a godly legacy for the next generation.
But there are some men who, regardless of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did not do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children to do the same, and, whenever possible, to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives but who desperately need help and direction.
We are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous to join us in this resolution.
In my home, the decision has already been made.
You don’t have to ask who will guide my family, because by God’s grace, I will.
You don’t have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because l will.
Who will accept the responsibility of providing and protecting my family? I will.
Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family’s history? I will.
Who will pray for and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do?
I am their father. l will.
I accept this responsibility, and it is my privilege to embrace it.
I want the favor of God and his blessing on my home. Any good man does.
So where are you, men of courage?
Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord?
It’s time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say, “I will. I will. I will.”
This is the oath I took on Sunday. Perhaps if we could get more men to follow this…fatherlessness would not be as large of an issue…
Do we have any men of courage out there?
There are perhaps hundreds of examples (or even thousands or even hundreds of thousands) of when two Christians come to a different conclusion on the same topic. Some 
of these differences could be as simple as disagreeing on who wrote the book of Hebrews, or something as complicated as the creation account in Genesis. Having been in the apologetics game for a little over two years, I have had my share of disagreements with Christians on some theological matters.
Over the last two months we have had the ability to literally watch this unfold on national TV. It was so subtle, that I doubt many of you tied these two events together to compare and contrast these two Christians.
What am I talking about?
About two weeks ago, President Obama, declared to the world that, based on his understanding of his faith, he believes homosexuals should be allowed to get married Here’s exactly what he said:
And that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others.
But, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.
Compare and contrast this to Kirk Cameron, who stated the following when asked about same-sex marriage:
I believe that marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve: one man one 
woman for life – ah till death do you part. So, I would never attempt to redefine marriage and I don’t think that anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No I don’t.
Could there be a sharper contrast between two people when it comes to applying their faith?
One Christian is saying that same-sex marriage is okay because the Golden Rule says to treat others the way you would want to be treated, while the other affirms that marriage is defined by God, and is between one man and one woman.
These are mutually exclusive ideas, so one has to be right and the other wrong. How are we to gauge which one is correct? Since both claim to be Christians and because the Christian faith is rooted in the Bible we should look to what the it has to say about the topic, right? Additionally, we have to assume that both hold the Bible to have some sort of authority, since both quoted it.
According to scripture (Specifically Acts 17:11) we should be like the Bereans and test everything that is taught against scripture. Based on that, we have 3 specific points that we must review in order to come to an educated conclusion about these two different viewpoints: 1. What does the Bible say about homosexuality; 2. How does the Bible define marriage?, 3. What does the Golden Rule mean?
So what does the Bible say about Homosexuality? How does it describe God’s thoughts on it?
Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”
Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act”
1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Rom. 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”
So here we have two examples, two from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. All provide a clear example of what God thinks about homosexuality. Please understand that I am not passing judgment on those that are homosexual. This is God’s Word. God’s Word is pretty clear. Homosexuality is a sin, an abomination, and a detestable act. There doesn’t appear to be any gray in this area.
How does the Bible define marriage?
There are several (and when I say several I mean numerous) Bible verses that speak directly to marriage. A quick sampling includes Genesis 2:22 – 24, Proverbs 5:18-19, Proverbs 12:4, Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Corinthians 7:1-16, Ephesians 5:22-23, and Colossians 3:18-19.
The one that really sticks out is Hebrews 13:4 where the author writes “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”
According to the author marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept pure. God will judge those that do not keep it pure. This includes those that are adulterers and the sexually immoral. Adulterer is a fairly well defined and specific term. Sexually immoral however, appears to be more general or a more encompassing phrase. What does it refer to? In the New Testament it typically refers to any sexual sin. This would include homosexuality. Here the Bible appears to be very clear that all must honor marriage (clearly defined as man and woman throughout the Bible) and to keep the marriage bed pure (excluding all sexual sin including homosexuality).
What about the Golden Rule?
This verse can be found in Matthew 7:12. A basic summation of the Golden Rule is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is exactly as the President stated. But what does it mean? I found a great explanation of this in a commentary written by Matthew Henry. From the golden rule we can derive 3 things: 1. We must do that to our neighbor which we ourselves acknowledge to be fit and reasonable; 2. We must put other people upon the level with ourselves; 3. We must, in our dealings with others, suppose ourselves in the same particular case and circumstances with those we have to do with and deal accordingly.
So what does all of this mean?
As Christians we are called to obey the word of God. The Bible is considered the word of God thus we are called to obey it in its entirety. This means that a Christian’s response to gay marriage must encompass all of the above, and not just one component.
It is clear from the scripture above that God considers homosexuality a sin. It is also clear that marriage was designed by God to be a covenant relationship between a man and a woman for a lifetime. We are also called to treat others the same way that we would want to be treated. However, the way that Obama uses the Golden Rule redefines it in a way that basically says “I wouldn’t want someone else to tell me not to get married so I can’t tell someone else that they cannot get married”. The use of the Golden Rule in this manner opens a Pandora’s box. One could simply replace the “get married” with anything they like and the Golden Rule would apply (I wouldn’t want someone to tell me not to sell drugs to kids, so I don’t think drug trafficking should be illegal). I’m sure that President is a bright guy, but this line of “logic” is obviously absurd.
Where the Golden Rule does apply is in how we deal with those who are homosexual and support gay marriage. We are to treat them with the same respect that we would want to be treated. We would share a kind word with them in the same manner that we would like to have others share with us. We would help them when they need help, be there for them when they need it…the list goes on. Part of this includes loving them enough to tell them when they are doing something wrong. This would be similar to a loving parent telling their child that what they are doing is wrong and they will get hurt if they continue to do it.
You see, it takes no love at all to condemn someone through silence or endorsement of something that is not good for them. In the same way that silence can kill someone who is addicted to drugs, an open endorsement of something that is clearly wrong and sinful can be emotionally, physically and spiritually destructive. That takes absolute love and the absolute application of the Golden Rule to tell someone that their choices are putting them in danger (see the Omega Study for empirical evidence as to why we are calling homosexuality and same-sex marriage “dangerous” – and that’s even ignoring the spiritual aspects of the issue). The application of the Golden Rule here: I would want/expect my friends and loved ones to tell me when I am doing something wrong, thus I would tell my friends and loved ones when they are doing something wrong. The key here is to do it in a way that is loving and caring. In this context a Christian who says to a homosexual, “I love you and I want what’s best for you… The lifestyle you have chosen is patently dangerous and because what you are doing goes directly against the Word of God, it is a sin…” demonstrates more love for that individual than the person who says “Do whatever makes you feel good…it’s all okay.” The ability to stand in front of someone and state the truth is pure love and is the ultimate application of the Golden Rule.
We are not saying definitively that President Obama has rejected the Christian faith in its entirety – Whether the President is an evangelical Christian is a discussion for another time. Specifically, in this post, we are simply pointing out that the logic behind his use of scripture as justification for affirming same-sex marriage is ignorant and misguidedly faulty at best and dangerously deceitful and manipulative at worst.
If you’ve read this blog at all you know that we are not fans of any religion or worldview that sets itself up against the God of the Bible. Nor do we back down from honest and straightforward debate with proponents of those worldviews. I’m also not a fan of heinous acts perpetrated against our great nation and her people. So it will probably surprise you that I have been grieved over the last few days by the death of Osama Bin Laden and I have been doubly heart-broken over the reaction the majority of our nation has had over this news. Before you even think it, let me say that doesn’t make me a Muslim sympathizer and it makes me no less patriotic.
Look, let me explain: I’m not saying that justice wasn’t served… because it was. Nor am I claiming that he didn’t bring it upon himself… because he did. And I’m definitely not saying that he shouldn’t have been stopped and dealt with… because he absolutely 100% needed to be.
What’s got my heart hurting is the fact that there is one more soul whose fate is sealed to be eternally separated from the loving God of this universe in a horrible place called Hell and people are rejoicing over it. Regardless of what people may claim or wish or pretend, or what Rob Bell may imply, Hell is very real… it is very bad… and it is eternal. So much so, I’d not wish it on my worst enemy – Even Osama Bin Laden… Even Hitler… Even the people who have directly, personally and deeply wounded me (both intentionally and unintentionally).
Again, please don’t misunderstand me here… I am NOT a fan of Bin Laden… I detest and denounce what he has done… He was evil to the core and I realize the chances of him ever accepting Christ were slim to none… Well, given recent events, Slim is permanently out of town, so the chances are obviously zero now. But we have condemned Osama for his blatant disregard for the value on human life, but yet, by rejoicing his death aren’t we doing the same?
Some of you may call me a hypocrite because I am a proponent of capital punishment… And I definitely believe that Bin Laden should have been put to death (and unlike Mendenhall I do believe we have all the info we need to condemn Bin Laden’s actions and he would have undoubtedly been convicted had he made it to court)…. What I’m saying is that we need not rejoice over it. There are often things that NEED to be done, but which should give us no pleasure in the doing of them… Burying the dead, disciplining your children, complicated and painful (but life-saving) surgery, chemo-therapy, etc. are all examples of things that have to be done that no sane person should rejoice over. In fact, that last one may be the best example… Killing Bin Laden was chemo-therapy – it eliminated a cancer that needed to be dealt with, but is it cause for jubilant celebration? I submit to you no, it is not.
Consider this… 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” That “everyone” includes people we’d rather not have existed… Hitler… Stalin… Bin Laden… child abusers… rapists… your ex… EVERYONE. Further food for thought is Ezekiel 33:11 which says, “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’”
Does that mean everyone will believe and or that everyone will enter into Heaven? By no means, (God speaks about punishing the wicked in the Ezekiel verse – sorry Rob Bell, both God’s Love AND His Justice wins) but it does mean that we should value human life and desire, like God does that everyone come to know him… It means that we need to tell people about the good news of Jesus Christ… and it means we should grieve when people die without Him – even people as evil as Osama Bin Laden. We need to love and pray for people as long as we and they are alive and let the Lord sort it out when we’re all dead (cf. Romans 12:19)… In fact Jesus Himself said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45).
Getting to that place is hard… and it will require a revolution in thinking… but let me ask you this: Can you bring yourself to care more about the Kingdom of God than the good ol’, US of A? That’s where I believe God is leading me… How about you?
So yes, I grieve for Osama Bin Laden… as well as all who die without knowing Jesus. Do you?
(Warning: Political and Biblical Commentary below)
(Another Warning: The views of KCBOB do not reflect the views of KBthejesusfreak)
(FINAL WARNING)
And now this. It has been very hard to not write anything about what has been happening in regards to the shooting in Arizona. The one post I did focused on the reported beliefs of the shooter. And now this…
Within hours of the shooting many began to blame Sarah Palin for the shooting. Not just 
Sarah Palin…every single person who spoke in opposition to the Democratic agenda and had a loud microphone. The argument, because of some political picture where Congresswoman Giffords district was targeted this lunatic went and shot up an event Hosted by Giffords. This, they argue shows that Palin had influence over the gunman and thus was the reason he shot all of those people. This argument perpetrated by the law enforcement agency (Sheriff Dupnik). Rather than place the blame of the shooting on a deranged madman…It was the fault of the right wing extremists. Now many democrats and some republicans are looking to outlaw speech that is “extremist” in nature.
And now this…
Palin posts a video and posted remarks which labeled the attacks leveled at her as ‘blood libel’. Brief explanation of blood libel can be found here. It is clear now (as if it hadn’t been made clear before) that Sarah Palin is hated for who she is. Who is Palin? Palin has identified herself as a Conservative Christian. She often uses scripture or speaks of our commitment to God during many of her speeches. Politics aside, I believe she is hated because she represents a POSESSING FAITH Christian who will not yield her faith for public opinion. The blood libel remark doesn’t mean that much to me in regards to the historical context. It does mean something to me in her context. They are exacting a blood sacrifice from her because she is a Christian. I get that the blood libel thing didn’t happen….but this is. These people want to see Palin bleed. Because Palin has been un-yielding in her belief in God, and everything that stems from it, she has become the target.
As Christian’s we all have to know that this is the life we choose. Staying staunch in your beliefs will cause you to be called a bigot, zealot, lunatic, crazy, idiotic, and any other number of other names. All of which Palin has been described as. If you have been put into the position where you have to defend your faith…chances are you have been called these things as well. But we know these things will happen (Matthew 10:22). So we all must be mentally and spiritually prepared, because the climate…is beginning to change.
I mentioned that many democrats and republicans are now on a legislative war path to limit speech. If it can be considered extremist then it will be legislated. The one small problem with that…Christianity is considered by many to be extremist. Given who has been blamed for the shooting in Arizona (conservative Christians) it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where they are going with this.
My hope is that this doesn’t hold and that it is a momentary flash of emotion. But as my wife and I watched TV last night, I came to the conclusion that this may not be the case. One pundit disagreed with what Sheriff Dupnik did but agreed with what he said. This is the conclusion that I am sure many liberals are making at this moment.
Folks we need to be prepared to stand our ground according to 1 Peter 3:15. We need to hold firm according to Matthew 10:22. There will come a time where you will have to choose between this world and your heavenly Father.
kcbob
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Here is an interesting thought? What would Jesus do in regards to illegal immigration? I have seen this post, and have heard this argument several times. The basis for the argument (usually posted by atheist looking to point out the hypocrisy of Christians) “Jesus preached love your neighbor” or “Jesus talked about helping the poor”.
Now, having read this I immediately thought of one of my previous posts. In this post I touched on whether or not we could rebel against a government. Ultimately, the Bible states that we are to follow the law of the land, unless it contradicts the word of God.
What can we take from this?
Those that say Jesus would have a problem with this law (or any immigration law) for that matter are incorrect. The law of the land outlines current regulations for immigration. Arizona passed a law based on the federal immigration law, and is now the law of the land in Arizona.
So back to the question…What would Jesus do?
HE WOULD OBEY THE LAW! He would pray that those who are breaking the law by entering the country illegally would follow the law.
How do I know? Romans 13:1-7
If, for whatever reason, you disagree with the law then the word of God does allow you to work within the law to make changes. That being said those that enter the country illegally do not submit to authority. They are violating this command.
On a personal note…I guess there is a sense of irony here. The federal government pushes health care when no one wants it. Atheists, and supporters of the President tell Christians…you have to follow the law because it is what the Bible says to do. Then a few months later Arizona passes a law to enforce the illegal immigration laws of the federal government, and they cry foul…. I’m just sayin’
I know, I know….another post titled off of some obscure quote in a movie. Maybe not so much in this case…but what can I say? I like movies.
All over the world freedom has been given a definition. The freedom of press allows the press to write what they want when they want. The freedom of speech allows us to say what we want when we want. The freedom of religion ensures us that we can worship whomever we want without persecution. We have the freedom to travel across these United States without hindrance. Freedom to work where ever we like, go where ever we want. One of the greatest expressions of freedom can be found here on the internet.
Here in America we take advantage of this freedom because it is something we have always had. Very few have worked to support that freedom. There are a select few that have had the privilege to sacrifice for that freedom. American freedom is something that is wanted many, and lamented by many. It can be seen as a completely awesome right to which every American has, or it can be seen as the complete downfall of a civilization.
What does the Bible say about freedom? The Bible does have commentary on freedom. There are some misconceptions though as to what freedom means in the Bible versus how freedom has been defined in a modern context. Kevin’s last post gave us a context of how to respond to a government you are unhappy with. He took a look at 1 Peter 2:13-17. There is one verse in there that mentions the word freedom.
16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
When you read the words “free men” and “freedom” does your mind begin to think about being free, as we are here in America? I’ll be honest…mine always has. But, is that what Peter means? What are we free of? What does freedom mean to God?
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
In John 8:34-36 Jesus tell us what we are free from. We are free from sin. This, in turn, means that we are free from death. This freedom comes with faith in the Son. He has set us free. This is indicated in verse 36. Paul reasserts what Jesus had said in Romans 6:22 when he says, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
This is not some simple point that the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins has set us free. This point is extremely deep and has a very important meaning when put into the context of 1 Peter 2:16. John 8:34-36 and 1 Peter 2:16 answer the question that I posed above: What does freedom mean to God?
Let me introduce a concept here that some of you might have never heard of…Christian freedom. In the second paragraph I touch on worldly freedom. These are freedom’s that man can give to us, and take away from us on a whim. Christian freedom can never be taken from us once we have accepted Christ. The price he paid on the cross was once and for all. At that moment he set into motion a plan that would create a WORLD of free men and women. Free from sin and death. That is our inheritance from Jesus. Freedom!
1 Peter 2:16 serves as a warning for Christians not to hide behind the freedom that Christ has given us. When put into a modern context it is easy to see why the warning is so important. Because we have accepted Christ we cannot continue to do the same things we have always done, namely live in sin. The acceptance of Christ, doesn’t mean that we can do or act however we want! Quite the contrary. We cannot have two masters. We are either a servant to God, or a servant to sin. Peter tells us to be servants to God, rather than to sin. 1 Peter 2:16 tells us to live our lives responsibly. We cannot be using the freedom that was purchased with Christ’s blood as an excuse to carry on as we did before we were saved! This cannot work.
Do you use your salvation as an excuse to do bad things? Have you ever caught yourself saying…”well it’s okay to do this because God will forgive me”. If you have…1 Peter 2:16 is the direct rebuttal to such a statement. The next time you find yourself faced with a situation where you are using your freedom to hide behind some of the bad things you have done, think of 1 Peter 2:16. Remember to be a servant to God. Remember the price that was paid for your freedom.
For those of you reading this that are on the fence or don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God…know this. Your freedoms here on earth can be gone in the blink of an eye. The eternal freedom offered by God can never be taken away by politicians in Washington, or despots in North Korea, or mad men in Venezuela. What God offers is eternal. Not corruptible by men or government. We have seen that men will lie, God will not. Men will steal, God will not. Men will take away from you what is rightfully yours, God will not.
If you are on the fence or have questions as to whether or not God exists, please look at these posts; The Historical Reliability of the Bible, Inerrancy of the Bible, and Why Would the Apostles Die for a Lie.
If you have any questions please feel free to leave an anonymous message. We will be happy to answer any and all questions.
Remember, God has told us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
I’m going to be out of pocket tomorrow, so I’m doing my G90X update a little early this week… Thought I’d take the Holiday as a good opportunity to remind us of a passage that isn’t always very comfortable. 1 Peter 2:13-17:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Of course, in America we have no king… but we do have a Congress and a President and a Supreme Court… Regardless of your political leanings there are probably several men or women in Washington that you are not a big fan of… In posting this passage, I’ve got another confession to make… I need to do a much better job of praying for the men and women in our government… I spend a whole lot of time complaining about them (not always out loud, but often in my heart), and only a fraction of that time praying for them… which I think, is probably the best way to honor and submit to them.
When we are dissatisfied with certain things that our government is doing or not doing how should we respond? Robert touched on this in a previous post after he was very upset over the passing of the Health Care bill. I think 1 Peter 2:15 sheds a lot of light on what we can and should do… It’s easy to complain (believe me I know from 1st hand experience), but I think that our first obligation is to stop and pray and silence useless/foolish talk…
What do I mean by that? Here’s a question… What can actually (legally) be done to change the government? Vote them out, right? Of course you can write your elected officials and let them know how you feel about certain issues and how you will vote based on those issues… If you are dissatisfied with what they are doing/not doing – go to it… but the opportunity to actually make a change (by voting) only comes around every couple of years, right?! And there’s no guarantees that someone more worthy will be running against them. Our complaints in the meantime are futile and do more to rile us up and make us discontent and take our focus off what’s more important (i.e. the Kingdom of God, lost souls and hurting people around us)…
If our complaints are largely futile could they then be considered “ignorant talk of foolish men” in light of verse 15 and Ephesians 4:29, which says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”? Not convinced? Check it out in context (Ephesians 4:25-32).
Thanks to the sacrifice of countless men and women throughout America’s history we have the freedom of speech… We have the freedom to complain… But 1 Peter 2:16 reminds us, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” Do our complaints build others up… do they mark us as servants of God? Am I saying folks on Fox or MSNBC are evil in being political pundants? Not really… However, as Christians we should think about how WE need to respond to our discontentment on a daily basis.
So what can be done DAILY to change the government? The Answer is Prayer.
God has the ability to change hearts and minds… I truly trust in His power and sovereignty… If He has that power and ability, then let us lean on Him to do so… Let’s pray for our government officials that God would give them supernatural wisdom and that they would make God-honoring choices… Let us “cast all our anxiety upon Him because He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7) – It can make a difference in our nation, in our lives and our attitudes… I certainly want to do the will of God and definitely do not want to be considered by Him to be a fool who’s engaging in “ignorant talk.”
Maybe I should pray more…
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No Apologizing 
US Government Persecution of Christians continues
Not that I am a doom or gloom type of a guy but I feel like we have reached that line in the sand as a culture. Rather than looking down at the line and pausing for a moment to contemplate what the next step should be, our culture has now jumped over the line and took off sprinting. Last month I posted a link to an article from Breibart talking about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in the military. Some of the verbiage used by the fellow who crafted the Department of Defense position was harsh. Now I stumble across an article which brings the President into play in the ongoing persecution of Christians in the Military.
According to this article (READ HERE), Congressman John Fleming offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would protect the religious rights of soldiers. To quote Fleming It would have “required the Armed Forces to accommodate ‘actions and speech’ reflecting the conscience, moral, principles or religious beliefs of the member.” The Presidents response was that it would have a “significant adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.”
Weird how Christianity and the expression of Christianity would have a negative impact on morale, good order and discipline.
All I can do is sit and shake my head. How does it come to this?
Fleming offered several examples of persecution within the amendment. So check this out…
Fleming introduced the amendment after a series of high-profile incidents involving attacks on religious liberty within the military- including an Air Force officer who was told to remove a Bible from his desk because it might give the impression he was endorsing a religion.
He said there are other reports of Christian service members and chaplains being punished for their faith.
Folks, I have said it before and I will say it again. We are on the downward slope here. The persecution cat is now out of the bag. Right now the trend is persecution because it will be offensive (political correctness). At some point it will turn into a crime where we will be literally punished for our beliefs, when they (the world) see that we are more concerned about eternal life rather than the immediacy of this life and continue to evangelize.
We may not be very far from that based on the Breibart article . It is beginning to get real now. We have to be preparing ourselves mentally for the sacrifice that we will have to make in order to honor God and follow through on the Great Commission.
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