God the Son (Part 1)

Posted on August 29, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Lesson 5

4. God the Son

Jesus Christ is, of course, the central figure of Christianity. He is why Christianity is called Christianity. The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus was more than a man: he was and is also God in the flesh. The Scriptures also tell us why it is necessary to believe that he is both God and man:

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name (that is, who he really is) of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment (1 John 3:23).

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

If we do not believe in Jesus, the REAL Jesus, the one who is both God and man, we will die in our sins.

Before we can begin to understand how Jesus could be both man and God, we need to understand the difference between nature and person.

Nature means kind or sort. For example, God created all of the animals, each “according to its kind” (Gen. 1:25). Specifically, nature means “the particular combination of qualities belonging to a person, animal, thing, or class by birth, origin, or constitution; native or inherent character.” For example, human nature is the set of characteristics that are common to humans. Human nature is what makes us human. Horse nature is what makes horses, horses. Dog nature is what makes dogs, dogs. The divine nature is what makes God, God.

Person refers to the individual who is distinct from everyone else. All of us have the human nature in common, but each of us is a distinctive person.

Jesus is one person, that is, he is an individual distinct from everyone else, including the Father and the Holy Spirit, and he has two natures, one human and one divine. All of the heresies fail to understand this in one way or another: they either deny that Christ was one person or they deny that he had two natures, one human and one divine.

I will show you what the major heresies taught (because some of them are still around) so you can understand where they went wrong. We will also see what the Scriptures say so we can see what is the correct way of understanding who Jesus is.

Dynamic Monarchianism, also known as Adoptionism, says that Jesus, who was a mere man, was adopted as the Son of God at his baptism or at his resurrection. They see Jesus as one person with only one nature, the human nature.

John 1:1,14 says that Jesus has always been God and so was never adopted.

Ebionites say that Jesus was a mere man and that Christ descended on him at baptism. Another version says that Christ descended on him after the temptation. They see Jesus as two persons in one body. Jesus is a man who has the human nature and Christ is the Son of God who has the divine nature.

Luke 2:11 says that Jesus was declared to be the Christ at his birth.

Modalistic Monarchianism (Sabellianism) says that Jesus is merely one mode in which God may appear. The Father and the Holy Spirit are the other modes. In other words, God is only one person who sometimes appears as the Father, sometimes as the Son and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. They see Jesus as one person with only one nature, the divine nature.

In John 14:16-17, Jesus speaks of the Father and the Holy Spirit as persons distinct from him and from each other. In other words, he speaks of them as three distinct persons.

Gnosticism says that Christ is a being who is almost like God. Christ did not actually take on a body of flesh and blood but only appeared to have taken on a human body. They see Christ as one person with only one nature, a semi-divine nature. Christian Science is a form of Gnosticism.

1 John 4:2-3 condemns Gnosticism.

Arianism says that Christ is the first created being and is like God. He has a similar substance (nature) as the Father, but not the same substance (nature) as the Father. He did take on flesh and become a man. They see Jesus as one person with two natures, but not with the divine nature. This is the position taken by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

John 1:3 says that the Word, Jesus, created all things, so Jesus is not a created being.

Of these heresies, Arianism proved to be the most influential. Many believers and Church leaders in the late third century and early fourth century became followers of this heresy and it almost split the Church. Constantine called for a council of bishops to convene in the city of Niceae in 325 AD to decide if Arianism was in fact a heresy. This council produced the first version of the Nicene Creed, which affirmed that Christ was both man and God and had the same substance (nature) as the Father. The Arian heresy, however, persisted, forcing the Council of Constantinople to issue a revision of the Nicene Creed in 381 AD. This is the final version of the Nicene Creed. The word “catholic” here means “universal”; it does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church.

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This creed is the only one accepted by all of the Christian denominations.

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God the Holy Spirit

Posted on August 28, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Lesson 4

3. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is probably the most misunderstood person of the Trinity. What must we believe about the Holy Spirit according to the Scriptures?

First, we must believe that the Holy Spirit is a person. Some people think of the Holy Spirit as a thing. They say that, just as we have a spirit, so, too, God has a Spirit. Others, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, say that the Holy Spirit is merely a force, the power of God.

But the Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit is a person. The best evidence is that Christ refers to the Holy Spirit using the pronouns “He” and “Him,” not “it” (John 14-16).

Jesus also referred to the Holy Spirit as “another Helper” (John 14:16-17). Greek has two words that can be translated as “another.” The first, eteros, means “another of a similar or different kind”: “You sampled that apple. Now try another kind of fruit, this time an orange.”

The second, allos, means “another of the same kind”: “You sampled that apple. Now try another apple.” Both words are used in Gal. 1:6-7: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different (eteros) gospel, which is not another (allos); but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Jesus used the latter word. The Holy Spirit is the same kind of Helper that Jesus is. He is and does what Jesus is and does.

The Scriptures also tell us that the Holy Spirit has the attributes of a person and does what only a person can do. He:

has a will (1 Cor. 12:11, Heb. 2:4)
makes decisions (Acts 15:28)
helps (John 14:16)
dwells (John 14:17)
teaches (John 14:26; Luke 12:12; 1 Cor. 2:13)
testifies (John 15:26)
is a witness (Acts 5:32)
convicts (John 16:8)
guides (John 16:13)
speaks (John16:13; Acts 28:25; Heb. 3:7)
inspired the prophets (2 Pet. 1:21)
forbids (Acts 16:6)
prays for us (Rom. 8:26)
can be grieved (Is. 63:10; Eph. 4:30)

Second, we must believe that the Holy Spirit is God.

Peter said that lying to the Holy Spirit is the same as lying to God (Acts 5:3-4).

And Paul says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17).

The Holy Spirit also has the attributes of God. He is omnipresent (Ps. 139:7), omniscient (1 Cor. 2:10-11), and eternal (Heb. 9:14).

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God the Father

Posted on August 27, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Lesson 3

2. God the Father

The Bible has a lot to say about God the Father, and we could not possibly cover it all in one night. Besides, we are studying the essential doctrines about Christianity, the doctrines that make Christianity, Christianity. So what does a person need to believe about God in order to be a Christian?

There is one verse in the Bible that tells us what we must believe about God in order to be a Christian: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

The Bible says that those who do not believe these things are fools (Ps. 14:1-3).

First of all, Heb. 11:6 says that we must believe that He is, that is, that He exists.

Atheists argue that philosophy (logic) and science always lead us to the truth. They also argue that God’s existence cannot be proven philosophically (logically) or scientifically. That is why they do not believe that he exists.

However, if philosophy always leads us to the truth, why are there so many philosophies? There is Platonism, Aristotelianism, hedonism, stoicism, utilitarianism, existentialism, nihilism, and many, many others, none of which completely agrees with any of the others.

Science is limited to dealing only with that part of the physical realm that is observable. By “observable,” scientists mean “measureable.” How do you measure a spiritual being who is bigger than the universe?

Besides, science changes its mind every 50 years.

Not once do the writers of the Bible attempt a philosophical or scientific proof of God’s existence. They do not try to prove his existence any more than they try to prove the existence of Abraham or Moses or Paul.

The Bible presents only two proofs of God’s existence. The first is in Rom. 1:18-20:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

God uses nature to show that he exists.

The phrase “things that are made” in v. 20 is only one word in the Greek. That word is poiema, which originally meant “anything made by hand,” but by New Testament times came to mean “a work of art.” We get our word poem from this Greek word.

So God’s existence and his character are revealed by nature, which is his poem.

This Greek word is used in only one other place in the entire New Testament: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Here the Greek word is translated as “workmanship.”

According to this verse, we are God’s poem. Our job is the same as nature’s: God wants to use us to show the world, by how we live, who he really is and that he exists. In short, God’s existence is proven by the testimony of nature and by our testimony.

Second of all, Heb. 11:6 tells us that we must believe that He is, that is, that this God exists.

Atheism was not a problem when Hebrews was written. Almost everybody believed in some sort of god. The writer of Hebrews is saying that it is not enough to believe in a god; we must believe in this God, the God who was proclaimed by Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to show us who God really is: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world” (John 17:6). He came to manifest God’s name, that is, to show us God’s character. The best summary of God’s character is found in Exod. 33:18-19 and 34:6-7. Moses asked to see God’s glory and God said he would show Moses his goodness. In other words, God’s glory is his goodness. Some people in the world believe that God exists, but that he is a mean or vengeful or judgmental God. We must show the world that God is good.

Third of all, Heb. 11:6 says that we must believe that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

This also implies that he is a rewarder (or, rather, punisher) of those who do not seek him. It is not enough to simply believe in God’s existence. He wants us to enter into a relationship with him. He wants us to search for him and find him.

He constantly urged Israel to seek him: Is. 55:6-7, Jer. 29:13, Amos 5:4.

If we diligently seek him, he will reward us. What is his reward? First it is Himself. Second it is life, for he is life (Deut. 30:19-20).

So why is it necessary to believe in God and have a relationship with him?

Because that is the only way to obtain eternal life: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

There is one more thing that we must believe about God in order to be Christians: we must believe that this God exists because he is in fact the only God who exists.

The Scriptures tell us over and over again that the Christian God is the only God and that all of the other so-called gods do not exist.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4; quoted by Jesus in Mark 12:29).

“that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other” (1 Kings 8:60).

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live (1 Cor. 8:4-6).

For there is on God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).

In Isaiah’s time, Israel was heavily involved in idolatry, so God used Isaiah to emphasize the truth that the God of Israel is the only true God.

Is. 43:10-12
Is. 44:6
Is. 44:8
Is. 44:24
Is. 45:5-6
Is. 45:14
Is. 45:18
Is. 45:21-22
Is. 46:9

Since the other so-called gods do not really exist (or are demons), they cannot save us. We must believe in the Christian God because he is the only one who can save us (Is. 45:22) and the only one who can give us eternal life (John 17:3).

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The Bible (Part 2)

Posted on August 26, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Lesson 2

A third objection is, “The Bible as we now have it is not what was originally written.” This objection can take two forms. One is that changes were accidentally made to the Bible so that we can no longer trust that we have what the authors originally wrote. The other form is that changes were made deliberately by the religious leaders to foist their beliefs upon their unsuspecting followers.

The original books of the New Testament were written on papyrus or parchment. Tertullian, who wrote in 200 AD, said that the original books could still be seen in the Churches in his day.

However, these books eventually decayed, so copies had to be made by hand. When those copies decayed, they were copied by hand. Over the years, scribes made copies of copies of copies of copies. Some of those copies have survived, but the original books have not. Of course, in the process of making these copies, mistakes were made, which is why some people say that we cannot trust that what we have is what the authors originally wrote.

Every ancient book has undergone this process of being copied by hand, including Homer’s Iliad and Caesar’s Gallic Wars. In each case, scholars wish to know what the author had originally written. To find out, they use a process called textual criticism.

Textual critics look for two important factors when studying the hand-written copies of any book. The first is age. The older a copy is, the closer it was to the original, and therefore less likely to have mistakes. The second factor is the number of copies. If we have eight copies and four of them say one thing and four say another, it is difficult to know which ones are correct. But if we have 5000 copies and 100 say one thing and the other 4900 say another thing, we have a better idea of which ones are correct. Look at these famous ancient works and notice how few copies we have:

                                        Time of             Oldest         Gap             Number of
Author                         Writing             Copy           (Years)       Copies

Aristotle (Poetics)         343 BC                1100 AD       1400              5

Plato (Tetralogies)       427-347 BC        900 AD        1250              7

Herodotus (History)    480-425 BC       900 AD        1350              8

Thucydides                     460-400 BC      900 AD        1300              8

Caesar (Gallic Wars)   100-44 BC          900 AD        950               10

Homer (Iliad)               800 BC                400 BC        400               643

Compare those numbers with those of the New Testament. The last book of the New Testament was written around 80-90 AD. The oldest copy of the almost complete New Testament was written around 325-350 AD, a gap of only 270 years.

The oldest copy of a portion of the New Testament contains John 18:31-33 and 37, and it was written around 130 AD, only 50 years later.

We currently have over 5000 copies of the New Testament or portions of it in the Greek and almost 20,000 more copies in other languages.

The small gap between the original writings and the oldest copies as well as the sheer number of copies makes the New Testament the easiest text to reconstruct and assures us that the copies which we read in our homes are in fact reliable copies of the original text. Some textual critics have even said that the New Testament copies are more reliable than any ten ancient literary works combined.

The story with the Old Testament is different. We do not have a large number of copies and the copies we do have are relatively young. The oldest complete Hebrew manuscript we have was written around 1000 AD, more than 1400 years after Malachi was written. However, we know that the Jews were very meticulous when making copies of the text, and burned the ones that contained mistakes, which is why we have so few copies. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written around 300 BC to 100 AD, only confirmed that the copy which we have is very reliable, for the Scrolls agree quite well with it.

We must understand that the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible only applies to the original writings and not to the copies. The copies do contain mistakes, but not as many as some would claim.

What we call mistakes, scholars call variants. The vast majority of these variants are trivial, such as the difference in the spelling of a word. If 20,000 copies have one spelling and 4,000 have another spelling, scholars count that as 4,000 variants. The verses in the New Testament that have variants are only 12.5% of all of the verses. Some variants do change the meaning of the text. Those verses come to only 1.66% of the entire New Testament. In other words, the copies have preserved 98.33% of the original writings. Compare that to Homer’s Iliad, which is only 95% preserved. And none of those verses affect the doctrines historically taught by the Christian Church.

The objection that the early Church leaders changed the Bible to make it say what they wanted it to say is absurd. The leaders would have had to gather the thousands of copies that were scattered all over the Roman Empire, destroy them, and then issue new copies, all without the rest of the Church being in the least bit suspicious. Impossible.

The objection that the Bible contains so many mistakes that it is not what the authors originally wrote is also absurd. God has seen to it that the copies have remarkably preserved 98.33% of the original writings and the differences are trivial.

So why did God not preserve 100% of the original? Probably because of our propensity for idolatry. As it is, some people have a relationship with their Bible but not with the author of the Bible. We must remember that the purpose of the Bible is to help us develop a close relationship with God, not replace him.

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The Bible (Part 1)

Posted on August 25, 2018 by chfordenterprises

The blogs in this category are the notes I used when teaching this series.

The Basic Doctrines of the Christian Faith

Lesson 1

In this series, we will learn about the doctrines that make Christianity, Christianity. If a person does not believe that any of these doctrines is true, that person is not a Christian.

We will learn what these doctrines are and how they are supported by the Bible. We Christians do not accept a doctrine as true unless it can be supported by the Bible, so the first doctrine we will discuss is what we believe about the Bible.

  1. The Bible

We believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God.

a. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

“Is given by inspiration of God” is one Greek word, theopneustos, which literally means God-breathed.

It is true that men wrote the books of the Bible, but God inspired them, that is, he made sure they wrote what he wanted written.

We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the Bible, that is, we believe that every word of the Bible is inspired. If only part of the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then how are we to know which part is true and which is not? The Bible does not contain the Word of God. It is the Word of God.

The Bible is also profitable for doctrine.

The Bible is the standard by which we judge doctrines. If the Bible does not support a doctrine, we consider that doctrine to be false.

b. We believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.

That is, we believe that the Bible contains no errors and that it is telling us the truth.

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward (Ps. 19:7-11)

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth (Ps. 119:142).

You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth (Ps. 119:151).

The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever (Ps. 119:160).

c. Objections

Some nonbelievers object to this belief about the Bible. They say, “You are merely arguing in a circle. You are using the Bible to prove the Bible.”

That would be true if the Bible were only one book written by one author.

The Bible is a collection of books written by 40 different human authors at different times and places.

The Scriptures we read above are simply the testimony of these authors concerning the other books of the Bible.

2 Tim. 3:16 is Paul’s testimony that the Old Testament was inspired. And Peter gives testimony that Paul’s writings are Scriptural (2 Pet. 3:15-16).

These men were simply confirming what God himself had already said about the Scriptures.

Since God inspired the writing of the Bible, he is the ultimate author of it. We know that the Bible is true because we know the author!

God knows everything (Heb. 4:13); therefore, he knows what is true and what is not.

God does not lie (Titus 1:2); therefore, if he says something is true, we can trust that it is true.

We trust that the Bible is telling us the truth because we trust that God is telling us the truth.

A second objection is, “You cannot view the Bible as authoritative because men chose which books should be in the Bible.”

From the outside, it certainly looks like men chose which books to put into the Bible. The New Testament did not achieve its final form until the fourth century. Several Church leaders offered different lists of which books were considered inspired. Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, was the first to list the 27 books we now have in the New Testament. He wrote that list in 367 AD.

However, these men were not deciding which books should be in the New Testament. God decided which books were inspired and which were not. The Church leaders were merely recognizing and confirming which books were inspired and therefore should be included in the New Testament.

So, how do we know which books should be in the Bible? We know because God said so. Men down through the ages have merely confirmed what God has already said.

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Bless Those Who Persecute You

Posted on August 23, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Garry Trudeau is the liberal cartoonist who draws the Doonesbury comic strip, so I was surprised to find that even he saw, many, many years ago, how ridiculous the politically correct movement would eventually become. In a Sunday strip released during a time that many colleges were holding their commencement exercises, a commencement speaker says (I wish I had kept the strip; I am recalling this from memory), “Hello. I want you to know that I passed my speech by the Politically Correct Committee to ensure that it did not offend anyone. Congratulations. Have a good day.”

It is bad enough that our culture has fallen to this disease. But the infection has spread to the Church. The letter written by the president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University is proof of that (see my blog at https://claytonhowardford.com/this-is-not-a-day-care-its-a-university/). That we now have seeker-friendly churches is proof of that. I have seen Christians offended because someone looked at him or her “wrong” or did not look at him or her at all or spoke to him or her “too harshly” or did not say “hello” at the last service.

Such people would not have survived in the first century church. Because of the divisions within the Corinthian church, Paul told them that they were not “spiritual people,” but were “carnal” and still “babes in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1). When the Galatians turned from the true gospel to follow another gospel, Paul called them fools (Gal. 3:1). When Peter fell into error, Paul rebuked him—in front of the whole church (Gal. 2:11-14)! Paul also told Timothy to do the same to any other elder who sinned (1 Tim. 5:20).

Nor would these people have survived as the disciples of Christ. Jesus told his disciples that they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Many of them found this to be offensive, so they walked away. Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they, too, wanted to leave. Peter gave him the perfect answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Our culture says that Jesus should have responded with positive words that would have boosted Peter’s self-esteem, words such as, “Very good, Peter! You gave me the perfect answer! I love you so very much!” Instead, Jesus said, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” Jesus knew even then that Judas was the devil to whom he referred, but he did not tell them that. His response not only deflated Peter’s ego and enthusiasm, it left the twelve wondering which one of them was the devil (John 6:53-71).

Once, when they were crossing the lake, Jesus told them to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod (Mark 8:13-21). When they did not understand what he meant, he said, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?” Jesus rebuked and spoke harshly to his disciples many times. Rarely did he give them words of encouragement. And rarely does he give us words of encouragement. In fact, most of us may never hear a word of encouragement from him until we get to heaven and hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

And those who are easily offended will not do well in the coming persecution. They think they are being persecuted already. They mentioned the name of Jesus and someone gave them a dirty look and someone else laughed and someone else ridiculed them. They find these responses so offensive that they think they have accomplished something great and wonderful, equal to the accomplishments of the great martyrs of the past. Others find these responses so offensive that they are afraid to mention the name of Jesus ever again. What will these people do when the real persecution comes?

The Christians in the first century knew what real persecution is. The epistle to the Hebrews was written because some Jewish believers were being so persecuted that they were seriously considering returning to the Jewish religion to escape the persecution. The writer reminds them that when the authorities took all of their earthly possessions, they joyfully—joyfully!—accepted the plundering of their goods (Heb. 10:34). But he also tells them that they were spiritually immature (Heb. 5:12-14). I find his assessment of these believers to be amazing. And then I take a look at us, the modern Western Church. We have yet to reach the stage of persecution where they take all of our earthly possessions. We are only at the stage where they, at most, ridicule us. If we are offended at that instead of joyfully accepting that, just how mature are we really?

If we are so easily offended by how someone looks at us or by what someone says to us or by someone’s tone of voice or by ridicule, what are we going to do when they curse us? What are we going to do when they take all of our earthly possessions away? What are we going to do when they take our spouses and children away and we will not be able to see them again until we get to heaven? What are we going to do when they falsely accuse us and imprison us and torture us? What are we going to do when they take knives and skin us alive, layer by layer? What are we going to do when they cover us with tar and then set us on fire?

Jesus said this is what we are supposed to do: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). And Paul said this is what we are supposed to do: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Rom. 12:14).

But how are we going to bless those who persecute us in the future if we are not blessing those who offend us now? How can we become mature spiritual adults who bless our persecutors if we remain immature little brats who are easily offended by harsh statements like this one? It is time for us to stop being offended by others and start being a blessing to others. It is time for us to grow up.

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Looking Past the Surface: Judging Others (Part 2)

Posted on August 18, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matt. 7:1-5).

It is amazing how we humans, including we Christians, go from one extreme to the other. Some of us go to the extreme found in verse 3: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” We are quick to spot the small sins in others, but ignore or downplay the glaring sins in ourselves. Paul has some pointed questions for us:

You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? (Rom. 2:21-23).

If we keep spotting sins in others, especially the same sin, perhaps that is so because that sin is in us. In other words, I think that everyone is a liar because I am a liar. I think that no one can be trusted because I cannot be trusted. I think that no one really loves because I do not really love. If I keep spotting the same sin in others, perhaps it is time to look past the surface of my heart and see if that sin is lurking inside me.

Others of us go to the extreme found in verse 1: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” In this day and age when everyone is concerned about self-esteem and worried about offending others, we think that the most loving thing to do is to ignore people’s sins. We think that if we tell our brother that he is sinning, then we are judging him and since Jesus told us not to judge, we should not tell our brother that he is sinning. If that reasoning is true, then every preacher (except the seeker-sensitive preachers) should resign his position immediately.

The Scriptures tell us to do the exact opposite. They tell us that if we see a brother sinning, we should confront him.

“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him” (Luke 17:3).

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother” (Matt. 18:15).

Not only should we rebuke him, we should also pray for him: “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16).

And we should do this precisely because we love him and do not want his life to get worse:

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed (Prov. 27:5).

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).

And we should do this, knowing that we are not superior to him, but knowing that we are just as weak as he is, knowing that we could fall into the very same sin:

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted (Gal. 6:1).

So, the balance between the two extremes is what Jesus says in Matt. 7:5: “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” The way to deal with sin is not to condemn one another. Nor is it to ignore it in yourself or in your brother. The way to deal with it is to remove it. First remove it from yourself, then you can help your brother to remove it from himself.

Heb. 11, the Hall of Faith, is an amazing chapter, but it ends with an even more amazing statement: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Heb. 11:39-40). As amazing as these people were, as full of faith as these people were, they still will not be made perfect apart from us. This also means that we will not be made perfect apart from each other. No one of us will be made perfect without the rest of us. Either all of us will be made perfect together or none of us will be made perfect.

It is time for us to stop being hypocrites. It is time for us to acknowledge and remove the planks in our own eyes so that we can lovingly help our brothers remove the specks in their eyes. It is time for us to help perfect each other the way God intended for us to do.

Posted in Looking Past the Surface | 1 Comment

This is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

Posted on August 14, 2018 by chfordenterprises

Today I ran across a letter written by Dr. Everett Piper, the President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, which I believe is worth passing on to others. The letter was distributed to the entire student body. There is no date on the letter, but the link to it suggests it was written in November 2015. Here is the link so you can check out the original source: https://www.okwu.edu/blog/2015/11/this-is-not-a-day-care-its-a-university/. (If the University takes down the page, then, of course, the link will no longer work).

Dr. Everett Piper, President

Oklahoma Wesleyan University

This past week, I actually had a student come forward after a university chapel service and complain because he felt “victimized” by a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13. It appears this young scholar felt offended because a homily on love made him feel bad for not showing love. In his mind, the speaker was wrong for making him, and his peers, feel uncomfortable.

I’m not making this up. Our culture has actually taught our kids to be this self-absorbed and narcissistic. Any time their feelings are hurt, they are the victims. Anyone who dares challenge them and, thus, makes them “feel bad” about themselves, is a “hater,” a “bigot,” an “oppressor,” and a “victimizer.”

I have a message for this young man and all others who care to listen. That feeling of discomfort you have after listening to a sermon is called a conscience. An altar call is supposed to make you feel bad. It is supposed to make you feel guilty. The goal of many a good sermon is to get you to confess your sins—not coddle you in your selfishness. The primary objective of the Church and the Christian faith is your confession, not your self-actualization.

So here’s my advice:

If you want the chaplain to tell you you’re a victim rather than tell you that you need virtue, this may not be the university you’re looking for. If you want to complain about a sermon that makes you feel less than loving for not showing love, this might be the wrong place.

If you’re more interested in playing the “hater” card than you are in confessing your own hate; if you want to arrogantly lecture, rather than humbly learn; if you don’t want to feel guilt in your soul when you are guilty of sin; if you want to be enabled rather than confronted, there are many universities across the land (in Missouri and elsewhere) that will give you exactly what you want, but Oklahoma Wesleyan isn’t one of them.

At OKWU, we teach you to be selfless rather than self-centered. We are more interested in you practicing personal forgiveness than political revenge. We want you to model interpersonal reconciliation rather than foment personal conflict. We believe the content of your character is more important than the color of your skin. We don’t believe that you have been victimized every time you feel guilty and we don’t issue “trigger warnings” before altar calls.

Oklahoma Wesleyan is not a “safe place”, but rather, a place to learn: to learn that life isn’t about you, but about others; that the bad feeling you have while listening to a sermon is called guilt; that the way to address it is to repent of everything that’s wrong with you rather than blame others for everything that’s wrong with them. This is a place where you will quickly learn that you need to grow up.

This is not a day care. This is a university.

Posted in No Small Dissension, Repentance | 1 Comment

Looking Past the Surface: Judging Others

Posted on August 13, 2018 by chfordenterprises

I remember the first time I learned not to judge others until I had all of the facts. I was thirteen or fourteen at the time and not a Christian yet, which proves that God can teach anybody. I was watching an episode of a private investigator show called Cannon. The investigator got into his car and drove downhill on a busy city street. Even though he pressed on the brake, the car kept speeding up and refused to stop. He eventually had to swerve several times to avoid hitting pedestrians and other cars.

I do not remember how he finally stopped, but I do remember the lesson. Anyone looking at only the surface information, anyone who did not have all of the information or who did not know the investigator, anyone who was drawing a conclusion based only on the facts which they could immediately glean from the surface, would have judged that he was speeding or that he was drunk. But anyone who would have taken the time to look past the surface and gather all of the facts would have known that he was not speeding and that he was not drunk: someone had cut his brake line in an attempt to kill him.

The Scriptures contain several stories in which people judge others based on the facts which they can see on the surface. One of those stories is in 1 Samuel chapter 1. Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Every year Elkanah would take his family to the tabernacle to worship the Lord. Peninnah had children but Hannah did not, facts which Peninnah made sure Hannah knew full well every time they went to the tabernacle. One year Peninnah’s teasing was so bad that Hannah ran to the tabernacle to pray. It was the custom in those days to pray out loud. The high priest, Eli, saw Hannah praying, but he did not hear her voice: “Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk” (v. 13). He was so certain of his conclusion that he rebuked her for it: “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” (v. 14). However, once Hannah gave him the rest of the facts, he changed his tune: “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him” (v. 17).

How often do we draw conclusions about our brothers and sisters in the Lord and even condemn them based on facts which we can see on the surface? And how often do we not look past the surface and wait for the rest of the facts? Paul says that love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). Does that not mean that love does not immediately condemn based on surface facts but waits until the truth comes out? He also says that love “thinks no evil” (v. 5) and “believes all things” and “hopes all things” (v. 7). Does that not mean that love assumes the best instead of assuming the worst? If we see a brother or sister doing something that can be interpreted as something sinful, would it not be better to humbly ask him or her for the rest of the facts?

Jesus did not say that the world would know that we are his disciples because we claim to be Christians or because we go to church or because we live holier lives than the world does. He said they would know that we are his disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35). That means that we Christians should be loving our own better than the world loves its own. Are we?

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Looking Past the Surface: Counseling Others

Posted on August 11, 2018 by chfordenterprises

The story of Job is well known. After suffering staggering losses, three of his friends come to comfort him. One of the first things his friend, Eliphaz, says to him is, “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty” (Job 5:17).

What Eliphaz says is completely Biblical. Compare his statement to what Solomon says in Proverbs: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12).

The problem, of course, is that Eliphaz’ counsel does not apply to Job. Job is not being corrected or chastened by God because Job has not sinned. But Eliphaz has bought into the idea that only sinners suffer and he sees Job suffering. Therefore, Job must have sinned. Eliphaz is only looking at the surface and not past the surface to Job’s heart. Hence his counsel, while Biblically correct, completely misses the mark.

I have seen this happen many times: well-intentioned people give counsel that is Biblically correct but completely misses the mark because the counselors cannot look past the surface and see the heart of the person they are counseling or see what the real issue is.

In one Bible study I attended, a man of Mexican descent shared that his sister, who, of course, was also of Mexican descent, was considering leaving the Protestant church she was attending and joining the Catholic Church and he needed some advice on what to say to her to dissuade her from this course of action. Some of the men immediately said that he needed to tell her that many of the doctrines of the Catholic Church were wrong and that many of the traditions of the Catholic Church were unbiblical. But these men were only looking at the surface. Growing up in the Mexican culture, the sister and her brother were already familiar with the beliefs and traditions of the Church and had long ago decided to leave it and become Christians and join Protestant churches. No, the sister had not suddenly decided that the Church was correct after all. The sister’s decision to change churches was only a surface issue that was motivated by something deep inside her. Something had happened at the Protestant church that had made her want to leave that church. That is what her brother needed to find out. Then he would know how to help her.

I have also seen instances in which counselors, in their eagerness to help, give advice before the persons they are counseling have given all of the facts. It is always best to wait for the person to tell the whole story before giving any advice.

And sometimes, when you let the person tell you the whole story, you may not have to give him or her any advice at all. I have noticed that many times the person already knows the answer to the problem but is not quite ready to submit to it. However, if you let him or her talk long enough, he or she will finally convince himself or herself that the answer is the correct one and accept it.

Then there are the times when the person is actually trying to convince himself or herself that he or she is really not part of the problem. Years ago I had a friend who was having some marital problems. After another fight with his wife, he came to my house and paced back and forth, telling me how she did this wrong and how she did that wrong. I sat silently, listening to this for half an hour. I finally said, “Did you come here to vent or to get an answer?” For the first time in half an hour, he stopped talking and got his eyes off of her and took a look at himself. My question forced him to look past the surface of the fights and the accusations and take a good hard look at his own heart. When he finally sat down and said that he wanted an answer, I was able to show him the changes that he needed to make to improve his marriage.

Counseling people is not easy and there is no “one size fits all” answer on how to do it. This is illustrated by a passage in Proverbs that at first sight seems to contradict itself:

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes (Prov. 26:4-5).

The point is there are times when you do not answer a fool because you will only end up just like him, but there are times when you do answer a fool to save him from falling into an even worse condition, because there is more hope for a fool than for a man who is wise in his own eyes (Prov. 26:12).

But how do you know when you are supposed to answer a fool and when you are not? And how do you know when to give someone advice and when to just let that person talk? And how do you look past the surface and see a person’s heart when that is normally beyond our human ability? You pray. You ask God for discernment. Whenever someone asks you for advice, you begin to pray (usually silently while that person is talking to you) and ask God for discernment and wisdom. After all, God looks past the surface all the time.

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