What is Sin?

Sin is breaking the law of God! So if we call ourselves sinners, we are all law-breakers! This is what St. John says,

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:4-10)

John was writing to the early church as many did not show fruits of repentance. There are many people who go to church or call themselves Christians but they truly are not born again. We really can't help but to sin. It is our nature. But Christ nailed our nature to the cross defeating sins hold over us. When we recognize this fact, our eyes are open to our sinfulness. We see what God hates and desire a new life in His Son! Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we begin a new life growing in God's love. This is a life long process. When we fall down, God will pick us up. But we must understand that if there is no change in our life or no desire to change because we don't hate the former things we did, then we are not truly born again!

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
 
 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.  For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

For, “Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
 but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”

 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Heb. 10:26-39)

REPENTANCE: The Proof Is In Your Heart

re·pent·ance

/rɪˈpɛntns, -ˈpɛntəns/ Show Spelled [ri-pen-tns, -pen-tuhns] 

noun 

 

1. deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.

 

2. regret for any past action.

---

 In Holy Scripture repentance is the act of turning back to God. We are born as sinners and our hearts are inclined to do those things contrary to God' will. Review the 10 Commandments and ask your yourself, just how many of these laws have you broken? (Ex. 20:1-20, Rom. 3:19-20) As Meister Eckhart, the 14th century theologian, quips, "God is at home, it is we who have gone for a walk."

So how does one know they have truly repented? The answer to this question can be answered by what is the attitude you have toward a particular sin. How do you view a particular idea or action today as opposed to what you once held earlier in your life. How has your mind changed about something? Since everybody it seems likes to talk about sex, then let's talk fornication, or sexual intercourse out of wedlock. Our culture, based on movies and television, portrays fornication as a normal human activity. But how does God see it? Are you guilty of premarital sex? Now if you claim to be born-again, do you feel the same way about it as when you engaged in it? In other words, has your heart changed in such away that what you once accepted you now abhor? Before my conversion, I used to run towards sin. Now that I have been saved, I do not want to do that which I used to do. This is true freedom in Christ! And if your attitude has not changed, then are you truly converted?

Jesus came to free us from the slavery of sin. He does this by circumcising out heart through His word. (Acts 2:37-41, Rom. 10:17) What our hearts were once inclined to do, now seem to be a thing to be avoided. It does not mean we won't be tempted. But even in temptation, God will provide away out. (1 Cor. 10:13, Heb. 2:18)

And by the way, there are many sins. Perhaps one where many do not have a guilty conscience about is gossip. It is a form of bearing false witness. The list will go on. It is for this reason Jesus died on the cross. The fulfilment of the law meant for us He took upon Himself. Let us then turn away from our flesh and toward Him who gives us eternal life!

I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

 

 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Rom. 6:19-21)

Angels, There When God Knows You Need Them!

Angels are mentioned in the Bible. So they must be real, right? And if they are real then certainly they are not taking a vacation since releasing Peter from jail during his days of ministry, right? (Acts 12:6-12) So surely we must see angels in real life, right? Well, many I suppose may wonder if angels are real and if they are about doing God's business just like the times of old. Scripture reminds us that at times angels take the form of human beings. (Genesis 18 & Acts 12:15) )So there are two events in my life where I wonder if I were being ministered by angels.

The first occurred in Atlanta prior to my entering seminary. I was running late for a meeting on youth ministry in Atlanta. My running late was caused by someone else who had to meet with me about some misunderstanding and it just could not wait! So now I am rushing to the cathedral and was taking a shortcut through an affluent neighborhood (read predominately white in the early '80's)  trying to make up time. Of course this was thwarted by my car getting a flat tire. So I make sure I am on the side of the road of this residential section and get the jack and spare out. Now I have changed tires before. But today I could not get the lug nuts to turn. No matter how hard I tried they would not budge. Then out of the blue a dark red car pulls up behind me and out jumps a black man. He comes up behind me and says, "Let me get that!" He grabs the tire iron and begins to remove the lug nuts effortlessly, grabs the spare putting it on the wheel, tightens the nuts, lowers the jack and then runs back into his car & drives off. I try to talk to him offering him some money but he just waves and drives off. Wonder of wonders I get to the cathedral and sign in just as the opening prayer was beginning.

The second time occurred when I was vicar of a small parish in the mountains of North Georgia. There was another parish making noises of leaving the Diocese over some issues that now have consumed the national church. But this one parish was asking other parishes to join them in their exodus. To this end they were going behind the pastors' backs writing letters to the wardens of the parishes. For the most part my little parish did not go along with this but unfortunately the behind the back communications made communications within the parish on issues that really did not effect us too time consuming and very distracting. I was frustrated and discouraged. My Sunday School Superientendant had left some videos for me to review for the curriculum and so I went to the undercroft of the parish to watch the videos. While doing this I heard foot steps and through the basement door entered a middle aged couple. I introduced myself and they said they were vacationing and whenever they saw the Episcopal Church Welcomes You sign they would stop and see the church. Why they desired to come down to the basement I do not know! So we visited. I do not really remember where they were from. As we talked the conversation turned to my ministry and all the stuff going on. After about an hour I felt a burden had lifted from my shoulders. Now for some reason I assumed the gentleman was a priest so I asked where his parish was. he looked at me and said, "Oh, I'm not a priest, I'm a therapist!" No wonder I shared myself with this couple. We said our goodbye's and they left.

Now were these angelic encounters or just natural occurences in the physical world? Both can be explained by saying nothing was out of the ordinary. The first occurence was definitaley a good samaritan, a man of another race & color stopping to help a stranger in need. The second was just a couple who were vacationing stopping at every Episcopal Church they saw. In both instances I was served by their compassion. Either way, God get's all the glory as there are no accidents in the Kingdom of God. And we are reminded by Scripture to "not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Heb. 13:2) Now this does beg the question, how many strangers that have come into my life really have been angels?

Tabernacling: A Proposal for a New Anglican Holiday

I write this as our Jewish brothers and sisters begin their Feast of Booths or Sukkot. It is a period of time they remember how they wondered in the desert for forty years living in temporary and portable shelters. God was worshiped in a tabernacle that could be broken down and moved with the camp. Today in North America many Anglican congregations worship in temporary spaces that are less than ideal. But we should never forget today lest we become proud of our accomplishments tomorrow.

Today Christians in the Anglican tradition who maintain an orthodox worldview find themselves unable to live within the established Anglican provinces of North America. Some congregations voted to leave their national church only to be sued over their property draining resources for mission and making lawyers all the richer. Others voluntarily left their property turning in their keys to form a new congregation in a new space. And there are many congregations that are brand new church plants reaching the lost by putting mission first rather than building buildings. The truth is this is a great time as Anglicans have by necessity reclaimed the reason for our existence. As Archbishop William Temple once said, "The Church exists for those not in it!"

I know in the parish where I serve in the metro Atlanta area, we have gone from a dingy store front with stains on the carpet to a beautiful sanctuary rented from a Presbyterian church to our own property where a French colonial home was remodeled into a worship space. We have gone from paying rent but not free to use the time and space as we desired to a space we can call our own but now in debt to a mortgage. But it is our own to use without constraint. The goal of course is to expand the property and build a traditional Anglican church. My prayer though is we never forget the dingy store front and our journey to where we hope to arrive. The church dies when we forget our mission only to support the memorial of our faith, the church building.

This is a great time for Anglicans in North America. We are debating the essentials of the faith because we once took them for granted. We are looking at new ways to do mission and ministry. And above all we are looking to Scripture as our ultimate authority. The truth is our world is full of lost souls who need to hear the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ the Righteous. We are not taking anything for granted. And to that end, we should remember the days we tabernacled.

I am reminded of a story of man long ago in the ancient of days who was visited by God. He was overwhelmed by His glory. To remember the visit, he placed a stone on the very spot God appeared. As the man's friends passed the stone, they asked what it meant and he readily told them the story of God's appearing. That story was shared and as people heard it they came to see the spot where God appeared leaving a stone as well. A shelter was built out of the stones so that others could find the spot as well. And as years went by the story never lost it's power and people desired to stay and worship God at that very spot. Eventually a bigger building was built on top of the the original foundation to accommodate the people only to be replaced later by an even bigger building expanding the previous building used generations ago. Committees were formed to maintain the buildings. Money was raised to make them more beautiful. Soon the spot where there was a stone was dwarfed by a the largest building in the village and everyday the building was full of people. Then one day a small girl came to see why this building was the largest building in the village and why it was filled with people. And she climbed the steps and asked, "Why is this building here?" And all of the adults looked at her and at each other. And after some murmuring, one person said, "We really don't remember"

May the memories of our tabernacles of the present day keep us humble as we never lose sight of the cornerstone of our faith, Jesus Christ our Lord! (Eph. 2:19-21)

Do You Loathe Yourself?

Perhaps you should? Loathe yourself that is!

To loathe means to detest or abhor. Our culture is adverse to tell anyone they should loathe themselves. As one who has suffered from depression, I know there is a difference between unhealthy loathing & godly loathing. Yes, loathing can be godly.

Godly loathing is when we recognize a before & after picture of ourselves. We see ourselves in the light of Christ. And we can see what God hates. This is the loathing I am talking about. You see, when we are in Christ, we are to be a new creation. The old has passed away. We know this because we recognize it.

When I was younger, I attended church, believed in God, never questioned whether I would go to heaven or hell. God loves me after all, right? I heard it from the pulpit. So it must be true. But I never really was confronted with the holiness of God, that I belong to Him, or those classical doctrines one can find in the back of the Prayer Book, like original sin. I knew Jesus died for me so that made everything okay. But all along I was living in sin. No, I wasn't cohabiting with a woman. I was just sinning like any other sinner. If the opportunity for fornication availed itself, I fornicated. If I lusted after any attractive woman, I was a normal American male. In other words, I did not loathe myself.

When God sent Ezekiel to the exiles of Israel, he reminds them that God will return them home. "And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed." (Ez. 20:43) This message was directed to the remnant of the community of Israel. But it's import cannot be lost on the Christian today for we find our home in Christ as individuals. (Lk. 15:11-32) In Christ we shall loathe ourselves. Not a warm & fuzzy invitation for repentance. But that is what repentance is, to have a change of heart about ourselves & our relationship to God. Looking back, I see how my attitudes and behavior were offensive to the one who created me. I loathe was I did. There are still aspects of my life I loathe but I did not recognize them as I do now. There is stuff I see that I turn over to God in confession. (1 John 1:9)

There is no excuse for sin. I found this out when I heard the gospel preached in the context of the Law of God. My heart awakened to my need for a savior as God's wrath awaited me if I did not repent. Mere lip service will not do. Only a changed heart is acceptable. It is this change of heart that allows me to live in accordance with God's will. Like the Prodigal Son, I came to myself. I came home.

Living the life of repentance is walking by the Light of Christ. (1 John 1:5-7) While I loathe my sins, I rejoice that Jesus died for me so that I may have eternal fellowship with Him. After all, He loathes my sins as well. And being in agreement with God I would say is reconcilaition to The Almighty!

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

What The Early Church Can Teach Us About Prosperity Preachers

There is not a vacuum between the close of Scripture and today's church. Many issues we face today actually are not new. There has always been preachers who desired to make a profit off the treasury of the Church which is The Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul, himself, dealt with this issue warning Timothy about those who desire to be rich teaching those things contrary to God's Word. (1 Tim. 6:3-10)

An early church document called The Didache gives instructions on what to expect from traveling preachers and their motivations:

   Whoever, therefore, who comes and teaches you all these things mentioned, receive him. But if the one teaching changes what has been taught to another teaching in order to destroy these things, do not listen to him. However, if his motive is to add righteousness and knowledge of the Lord, receive him as you would the Lord.

      Now concerning the apostles and prophets, act according to the requirements of the Gospel. Every apostle coming to you, welcome as you would the Lord.

And he should not remain more than one day, and if he has a need also another. But if he remains three days, he is a false prophet.

      And when the apostle goes forth, he should take nothing except a loaf of bread, until he arrives at his nights lodging. If he asks for money he is a false prophet. Also, you should not test or judge and prophet speaking in the Spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but this sin shall not be forgiven.

      But not everyone speaking in the Spirit is a prophet, but only if he should have a lifestyle of the Lord's character. Therefore, by his lifestyle you will know a false prophet from a true prophet. And any prophet ordering a meal in the Spirit should not eat of it; otherwise he is a false prophet.

      And every prophet who teaches the truth but does not do what he teaches is a false prophet. But every prophet who stands the test and is genuine, even if he uses symbolic imagery in the church, so long as he does not teach others to do the same, should not be judged. His judgment comes from God, for so did the prophets of old.

      But whoever should say in the Spirit, "Give me money or something else,"do not listen to them. 

This is sound advice for us today!

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Mt. 7:15-20)

The complete text of the Didache can be found here.

My First Baptism

I like to discuss theology. What priest doesn't? It helps me to sharpen my understanding of certain doctrines. One of those doctrines and practices is baptism. As one can surmise, there are differences of opinions on the nature of baptism. Two major understanding involves the baptism of infants and young children called paedobaptism and the baptism of adults and children who have attained an age of moral accountability called credobaptism or believers baptism. Denominations have separated over the distinctions.

I grew up in the deep South. My family was Episcopalian. Most of my friends were Southern Baptists. I was in the minority. My friends could tell me stories of their baptism. They described making a decision for Jesus, putting on a gown, and being dunked. Me? I don't remember my baptism. I was an infant.

As I grew older I learned that in emergency situations, a lay person can baptize in my denomination. While I never attributed any magic effect to the waters of baptism, I had often wondered if an emergency baptism made any real difference to the salvation of the person's soul. Was it just a panacea for the unrepentant person or for the person doing the baptism? Was it a way of hedging our bets that maybe it will get the person into heaven even though they have had a lifetime to repent and become the body of Christ? Of course if the person saw the immediacy of death & was truly sorry for the life they lived knowing that this was the reason for Jesus and the cross, then these questions were mute. But maybe we just put too much emphasis on what we think not really trusting in what God wants.

My first baptism that I administered was as a laymen. I was in seminary, a candidate for ordination. And it was an emergency. Every seminarian at the time had to do a summer in a chaplaincy. Mine was done in a children's hospital in Atlanta. I came into the chaplain's office early as it was my day to be on call and I had to get the beeper from the chaplain going off duty. My routine in the morning was the make the coffee. This day I really needed the coffee. I had spent the night at a bar with my colleagues blowing off some steam. Needless to say, I had a hangover! As I was doing this on this particular day a very large man, the size of two football players, stood in the entrance of the door of the chaplain's office. His eyes were red from crying. I asked how I could help him, and he asked if I could baptize his boy. I asked what the circumstances were and he said that the previous night he son dove into their pool hitting the bottom and breaking his neck. He was on life support and the doctors said he was brain dead. He wanted him baptized before they took him off the machine. So I said sure. On the way to the ICU I asked the father what denomination he was. He said Baptist. The boy was eight. I thought to myself, "Why would a Baptist want his very young son baptized who could not make a profession of faith as required by his denomination." I kept the question to myself. Upon the entrance to the ICU, the nurses had already prepared a bowl of water, a baptismal shell and a towel for the baptism. I said a prayer, baptized the child in the Name of the Trinity and making the sign of the cross upon the child's forehead. After which the machines providing life support were turned off. I gave my condolences and asked if there was anything else I could do. They said no and thanked me. I went back to the office.

Between the ICU and the chaplain's office was a long corridor that looked out on the courtyard. As I was walking down the sun light hit my face as the cloud were suddenly moving out of the way of the sun. At that moment my headache went away and my stomach calmed down. While I was feeling better I felt a great sense of guilt over my condition and my unworthiness to do a baptism. It was then I was overcome with God's presence as if He was saying, "Allen, you didn't baptize that child, I did!"

More often than not, we make much ado about those things that are truly mysteries of the faith. They may divide us but in the very end it is God who calls us unto Himself. For the Southern Baptist father, perhaps he wanted a reminder that his son was a child of the covenant promised to us by God, theology distinctive of Anglicans and other reformed denominations that practice infant baptism. Or perhaps God wanted it done in spite of one's belief because, well, he is God after all. Perhaps God wanted to tell the family their son was safe in heaven and not to worry. Perhaps God just wanted me to know He can use me in spite of myself. Perhaps, it's all of the above. After all, nothing is impossible for God! His will, in spite of our best & worst thinking, will be done!

And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36)

The Gentile Problem

"But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” (Acts 21:25)

When we think of Gentiles our first thoughts may not be of us. We may think of a group of people alluded to in the Bible. But that group is us! Gentile means all other people beside the Jews, the chosen people of God. And we have a problem!

Our problem is endemic to human nature. We like to eat a lot. We like to have sex anytime, anywhere. Why else is pornography so popular? And we are fond of worshiping anything we want. Compared to the Jews, we are a lawless bunch. Really!

The Jews were chosen by God to be His people. He gave them the Law. He gave them the Law on their way to freedom, to the Promised Land. These former slaves were the only ones to know The Law. And they were told not to act like the peoples they would be supplanting in Canaan. They didn't always do it but God did send prophets to warn them. And God promised a redeemer, someone to buy their debt from the Law.

This Redeemer is the very Son of God. He was like us but without sin, that is, He never broke the Law. He died for us so that those who would believe may have eternal life. And this includes the Gentiles, you and me! Is it no wonder then that St. Paul, called by Christ to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, talks a lot about sex and food and idolatry. It's the stuff Gentiles love. And it's the stuff God hates for he did not make us be self-worshipers and that really is what idolatry is all about, putting ourselves before God. But the good news is that upon our realization we are not the people God intended for all peoples to be we are given a new heart to live according to His will. And we are given the Holy Spirit as our Helper. We can live as children of God and not as foreigners alien to the family of God. The Law has not been thrown away but rather written on hearts. No longer is it a yoke burdening us but a yoke carried by a friend. Is it any wonder Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."?  (Mt. 11:29) Externally the Law of God reveals God's will and what we do that is opposed to it is indeed sin, lawlessness. But internally, we are being sanctified, made holy by the blood of Jesus, so that as members of God's household, we grow into obedient children.  

Look at your life. Are you a common Gentile? Or all you a child of God?

The Logic of God

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,... (John 8:31)

The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:15-16)

Many of us can probably quote the beginning of John's Gospel. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:1-3. Many of us have probably heard that the Greek for 'Word' is logos. Logos in the Greek can mean word or reason, intelligence or proposition. It is the very word which forms the basis of the word logic. And logic is that discipline that forms arguments through premises that lead to certain conclusions that can be provable. 

There are laws of logic. Like gravity one cannot see them but we know they are there for they hold true in every situation at anytime. We use logic in philosophy, theology, mathematics and the sciences. It is how we prove something to be true. And God is true. Like the sun and moon logic is also a creation of God.

There is a logic to creation. God spoke it into being. "Let there be light and there was light." (Gn. 1:3) But many people refuse to believe this choosing instead to believe random coincidences of molecules changing and becoming something we call earth and even more improbable human beings. And all of this just happened! Many people believe they can do anything they want as they are their own authority. Apply the laws of logic to any of these assumptions and you will see how illogical that person's worldview is. 

I was engaged in a conversation with an atheist about the meaning of Psalm 82. His argument was that Judaism was originally pantheistic. Since I know Hebrew I showed him how the meaning of 'el' is used by both God and local judges. This is not too different from 'lord' and 'Lord' used in England distinguishing between the nobility and God. His response was not a reasoned (logos) one. No, he resorted to calling me names. This happens when people hold onto false assumptions. The Bible says so. (Ps. 14:1) And this is why reading the Bible is so important. It is God's word that points to The Word of God. Reading the Bible makes sense of the world. It makes sense of man. As a pastor I have lost count the number of times parents become flummoxed when their small children tell a lie for the first time. Their response is usually, "We have never taught them to do that" or "Where did they learn that?" Actually, the bible is clear that lying is a part of our fallen nature. (Ps. 58:3) Hence, the need for Jesus and His word in our heart. Meditating on Scripture and applying the truths of the bible to our life helps us make sense of the world. We can see the world as God sees it. From His most awesome design to man's corruption and our need for redemption, the truth lies in God's book. It is no wonder St. Paul exhorts us to "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rm. 12:2)

The Prosperity Gospel and Satan's Wager

The prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. It is a false teaching within Christianity that says "Believe in Jesus and He will reward you!" This reward comes in the fashion of health and wealth. It denies the doctrines of the Fall and original sin saying in effect we are 'little gods'. And as little gods we can effect change in our lives. 'Name it and claim it' is the mantra of the prosperity gospel. And when things are named and they do not bear the intended results, then it is the fault of the person who did not have enough faith. The prosperity gospel is a system of works that denies the sovereign grace of God. Do want that Mercedes? Then sow a seed of money to your pastor who promises that you get a hundred fold in return. The bottom line is this, believe in Jesus and He will make your life materially better. In other words, only have faith in the savior if you want the good life. 

The question, "Do we believe because we have or want a good life?" is not new. We hear it most often in the negative, "I cannot believe in God because of all the suffering in the world." In fact, Satan, himself had a theory. His theory was people basically believe in God because God is good to them. Take away His grace and they will no longer believe in God. This was the wager Satan made with God regarding Job.

Job was wealthy man. But Satan challenged The Lord saying, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job. 1:9-11) Satan was making the assumption that Job's faith was a result of his blessing. God allowed Job to inflict suffering on the man by destroying his family and possessions. Job's response was not a lack a faith but an acknowledgement on God's sovereignty saying, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job. 1:21) Job never lost his faith. He never charged God with wrong (Job. 1:22) In fact it is from Job we here the often quoted phrase of hope, "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25) This act of faith was uttered in the midst of suffering. 

But the prosperity preacher would have you believe that the only reason to believe is so that one may have wealth and health. This is a teaching of demons. (1 Tim. 4:1) Nowhere in Scripture is this the promise. Ask John the Baptist who was beheaded for speaking the truth. Ask Paul who was stoned and whipped. In fact Paul had a 'better' life before he became a Christian. And let us not forget the warning Jesus issued to Peter upon his three-fold affirmation of his love toward his Savior, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This He said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (Jn. 21:17b-19)

To follow Jesus is to go where He leads. Not where we want to go. In fact, becoming a Christian is to turn away from the world and its temptations. (Rom. 12:2) True faith in Christ weathers the storms of afflictions as they will come. And if you only believe for the sake of accumulation, well, you are betting on the devil! 

God And Money

Money is an essential part of life. We need it to buy food and clothing. It pays for our cars and fuel to get us to work and back so that we can earn the money to get those things we want in life. But the love of money ( 1 Tim. 6:10) can also get us into problems that not even money can get us out of.  When we focus on money rather than the provider of money. We begin to fall into the trap of idolatry.  (Col. 3:5)

Jesus, The Son of God, says to us, “You cannot serve God and money. You will either love one or hate the other or hate one and love the other.”  (Mt. 6:24) We can trust Jesus’ words for they exhibit to us the knowledge of God’s love for us. It was he who said do not be anxious for tomorrow for our Father in Heaven will take care of us better than He will take care of the animals of creation. (Mt. 6:25-34) Service to God is knowledge that He will provide for us.

And God will provide for us as He is the creator of the universe. He owns the world. And we are a part of the world. Remember the Bible begins with the story of creation. Everything was good. Then God made man and put him the Garden. Everything was provided for him. But because of disobeying God’s word, we could not remain in the Garden but had to work the ground. (Gen. 3:19) Yet the ground was there to be worked provided by God.

King David was well aware of this as he took up a collection for the new Temple his son was to build as he prayed, “ …for all that is in heavens and the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom O Lord and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you and you rule over all…. For all things come from you and of your own have we given you.  (1 Chron. 29:11-14)  Everything belongs to God! Everything comes from God. Our money belongs to God! And so how do we say thank you?

Like King David, we give back what God has given us. We use what belongs to God for His purposes. This means in every area of our life, our money and our possessions which are not ours to begin with are to be used as God wills it.  The Old Testament set guidelines for giving back our first fruits. (Dt. 14:22) In other words, we put God first. We give Him our best. When we get paid we should set aside our first fruits giving to the church for the spread of the Kingdom.

This may be hard if we have bills to pay.  But everyday is an opportunity to turn back to God. The first step is to look at what 90% of your income looks like.  This is what God wants you to be a steward of.  Look at your necessities. Is there anything you need to trim or cut back such as cable programs or phone plans. God says he will provide for us but all too often we want more than what God is providing. It is no wonder the very last commandment of the Decalogue is “Thou shalt not covet!” Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, we see what appeals to our eyes and we reach for it. Let us not forget our God will cleanse us of our sins when we confess them to Him. (1 Jn. 1:9) He is in the heart changing business.  Begin with asking God to help you rearrange your priorities. Ask that your finances be Christ-centered and not self-centered. Once you begin to do this, you will be trusting in God’s promise of provision.  And once you start living for Him in all aspects of your life, you will be free to give to God what already belongs to Him. And God loves a cheerful giver! (2 Cor. 9:7)

Return to me and I will return to you says the Lord of Hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?” Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” In your tithes and contributions. …..Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Malachi 3:7-10)

Tragedy and The Trinity

I am pondering this in the shadows of the tornado that ripped through Oklahoma May 20th, 2013 and in light of Trinity Sunday that is approaching this weekend. The Trinity is the nature of our God and is often described as a mystery. Why God allows horrific acts of nature to mow down schools and houses is a mystery as well.  A lot has been written striving to answer the question, "Where is God?" Not all the answers seem satisfactory which is probably why God allows more than one theologian to speak. Not all descriptions of the Trinity are satisfactory either but we know God is a Trinity as this is what Scripture reveals. And here we enter into the mystery of both tragedies & the Trinity. It is my goal to enter into both mysteries.

The bible reveals the nature of God and the nature of man. God comes first. He created man. What God creates is good for God Himself is good. Man was created good along with all of creation. This is the story of the first chapter of Genesis. But man was tempted and disobeyed God. We call this the Fall. Man is no longer good for he did not do good as directed by God. Now how does a good God deal with a bad man? God must be just or He would not be good. And since God is holy, man cannot be in His presence as man is not holy. Man was expelled from Paradise into a world where death reigns. And here is the rub. Death reigns in the world. This is our judgement for being bad. Man is not happy. And God is not happy. What parent is happy when their children are disobedient. So in order for God to right the wrong of man, He became incarnate. This is Jesus. Scripture is clear that Jesus was with God from the very beginning of time. And Jesus is clear that He and the Father are one. And man is still not one with God and very bad. And so Jesus who is man and God offers Himself as an atoning sacrifice so that God's justice may be met. God is still just and He is our redemption. The nature of God is not violated. Now that we can enter into His presence we are still bad by our nature and we need help. So we have been given a Helper. He is the Holy Spirit. He is one with God the Father and Jesus the Son. He helps us identify our sin and leads us to repentance. Repentance is the changing of our mind away from our bad desires toward those desires that are good. After all, God is good. So gradually we are being created into a new being.

So why then do we still have earthquakes, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes? Because not everyone acknowledges God is good and themselves as bad accepting God's justice and need for redemption. The reminder of death is ever before us in order that we may repent and put our trust in God. What person wants bad people to live forever. The time we have on earth is short lived compared to eternity. But a true Christian knows of God goodness and mercy. He knows of God's help to live the life God wants him to live. He also knows that putting God in the dock questioning Him as if he were the guilty one is blasphemous since we are pretending to be God. In other words, to know God's triune nature requires us to know our nature.

There will never be easy answers to such tragedies. But God is interested in us having a relationship with Him so that we see Him as The Answer. And when we see Him as The Answer, we will know to ask the right questions. And in this way we live into that which is a holy mystery.

GOSSIP - It Can Kill You!

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Ex. 20:16)

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." (Rom. 1:28-32)


"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)

Gossip hurts. It can destroy relationships. It can harm the reputation of an innocent person that may never be overcome because the lie is out there. People will always believe what they want to believe. It dishonors God who is perfect and true. (1 John 5:6) The Word of God is clear that the fiery flames of hell await the gossip. 

The only way to avoid such punishment is that the gossip must repent and put their trust in Jesus who died for their sins. Jesus did not die to give permission to be disobedient to His word. He died because that is our death sentence. (1 Cor. 15:3) To the gossip I say look at the damage you have done to the children of God. Confess your sin to Him and accept Jesus as the One who paid your fine on the cross for there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. (Heb. 9:22) Once we turn to Jesus He gives us a new heart. (Ez. 36:26) Our old heart can only speak lies. (Gen. 6:5, Ps. 58:3) Even flattery can be false. Our new heart is circumcised with The Law of God written on it. 


“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say:

“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children's teeth are set on edge.’

But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:27-34)

Are You Using God As a Get Out Of Jail Free Card?

I received a message from an acquaintance that a former co-worker of ours had died in his sleep. He was young leaving behind a wife and two children. The death was related to some health issues. For the sake of this commentary and to preserve his family's privacy, I will call him John.

John and I worked in a retail store. As a reminder, much of my life has been spent as a bi-vocational priest. This means my employment has been in the marketplace since my parish ministry did not provide a full-time stipend. Usually when people find out I am a pastor, the conversation inevitably turns to God. Now John was a very smart person, a hard worker and was fun to work with. But like many people these qualities did not keep him out of trouble. Drinking & drugs were a problem resulting in some minor legal issues. So one day in the store I turned the conversation around to John's eternal outlook on life. When I mentioned putting his life in Jesus' hands his reply was, "Well, you know, I can just ask God to forgive me when it's time for me to die." I felt sorry for John and said, "But you do not know when you will die. You could be in a car accident. Are you going to have your wits about you to say a prayer? And besides even if you said a prayer, God knows you have had a lifetime of putting your faith in Him and yet you made a choice to live for yourself. Today you know what awaits you in eternity if you repent but you're saying to God basically, 'I'll ignore You until it's convenient for me to use You.'" John seemed to get it but said he would put his faith in his timing not God's. Then we both went back to stocking shelves.

This is not the first time I have heard this response from someone when I witness to them about Jesus Christ. People have heard from errant preachers that all one has to do to have eternal life in the presence of God is just say a prayer. But let us look at what this really means. We have reduced prayer to a magic formula. It's like a get out of jail free card. Think about it. You hear the good news that Jesus died for your transgressions against the Law of God. (Col. 2:6-15) And your response is, 'Hey I 'll live my life my way. When it comes to die, then I will take you up on your offer!" Now what is going to be God's response? The same God who allowed you blessings like a job, family, warmth in the summertime and sunshine in the wintertime. The very same God who gave you the beauty of His creation. All the while, you live your life as your own lord. What would God's perspective be? Imagine life was a real Monopoly game. You have a get out of jail free card. So you continue to steel stuff, murder the people you don't like and just sleep with whomever. And the law catches up with you. But you have a get out of jail free card. No jail sentence for you. But where is the justice? Jesus' death on the cross is not a get out of jail free card. A prayer at the last minute is a prayer too late. The truth is we do not know when we will die. God knows, but we are not God. (Heb. 9:27)

Jesus wants to be Lord over our life while we are alive. (Mt. 8:32) This requires our submission to Him. But if we choose today to follow our own will when we have been told that we will be held accountable for our actions, (Rev. 20:11-13) well, what would be a just verdict? What kind of person are we choosing to be? (Rev. 21:8)

It has been years since I have spoken with John. He may have truly repented and given his life to Christ. I do not know. But let us not wait until we die in our sleep to find out what our eternal verdict should be!

"I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” (Dt. 30:18-20)

The Innocence of Animals

I was watching an episode of NCIS the other night. It is a show about the American navy's criminal investigations department. This particular episode began with a marine in Afghanistan whose job was to clear out mines so that civilian contractors can do their job in a given area. The show began with the sergeant and his specially trained dog that had the ability to sniff out explosives identifying mines. The dog finds a mine, the marine disarms it and then a sniper shoots the marine in the head killing him. The dog is fine. Thus begins the conflict that must be resolved. At the end of the episode NCIS identifies the sniper who is one of the American contractors and when he is accused he pulls his gun provoking the dog to jump on him to protect the special agent. And yes the dog gets shot. I cried. Fortunately the dog survives and even receives a military commendation. But I still cried.

I cried when old Yeller was shot. I cried when Sounder died. I'm a sucker for dogs suffering needlessly. So why didn't I cry for the marine risking his life? For that matter why don't I cry for the thousands of characters on prime-time TV who die? Probably because deep in my soul I know we deserve death. It's what we inherited from Adam. We die because we are bad people. (Rom. 6:23) The heroic character who dies is still human. Yet it's the dog we cry for. We deserve to die not the dog.

I wonder if the ancient Israelites cried when they brought their lambs, bulls or pigeons to be killed in their sacrifices? Did the leper weep over the bird that was killed when he became clean? (Lev. 14:5) Did the man who deceived his neighbor lips tremble when he brought his best ram from his flock to be sacrificed for his guilt. Or how about the person who unintentionally sins. Did he grieve over the female goat that died because of his mistake? (Lev. 4:27-29) For that matter what was in Abel's heart that inclined him to shed the blood of the firstborn of his flock resulting in God's favor? What was Mary & Joseph thinking as they brought two young pigeons when presenting Jesus to the temple? (Lk. 2:22-24) Perhaps a better question is, do we every think about the agony Jesus went through when on the Cross He died for us? He was innocent!

Deep in our souls we hold the truth of our creation. Animals are our companions. (Gen. 2:18-19) We talk to to them. We get upset when we hear stories of animal cruelty. But we just don't get all that upset of the soldiers who die in the line of fire. Or kids who die in a car accident. What grief do we have for the person who just dies. I am not talking about our family members  and close friends as we have a special connection to them. I am talking about our collective unconscious as a people. You see deep in our souls is the truth of our fall as well. We deserve death. And before we were exposed to the cruelty of the world, God killed an animal to cover our nakedness. (Gen. 3:21) Because of us, blameless animals die because without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins. (Heb.9:22) But when an animal was sacrificed for our sins, our conscience was only temporarily pricked. Something permanent has to happen. And so God himself gave us His only-begotten Son shedding His blood for our conscience. (Heb. 9:14) You see, the blood of goats & birds can never truly take away our sins. They serve only as a reminder that God in His mercy allows us to continue living. On the surface of our thoughts we seldom think about it. But our conscience are often pricked when we see something blameless die instead. Our conscience should be pricked when we see Jesus die for us as well. After all, he is blameless.

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Ps. 51:16-17)

Why The Word of Faith Movement Lacks Faith in God

The Word of Faith movement is synonymous with the prosperity gospel. The movement claims that our words have power. One can speak things into reality. Name it & claim it. Of course this serves the prosperity gospel well. No one ever says I claim my poverty! No, they claim wealth, health and whatever they covet. And that's the point. Without the Law the gospel makes no sense. (Gal. 3:24) Hence, there is very little exhortation to repent. Thus, those who adhere to the prosperity gospel continue in their sins like coveting! And this shows in their lack of faith!

Adherents to the prosperity gospel have faith in themselves not in God. If they didn't get that big check or job promotion, it is because they did not speak it into existence. It's as simple as that! And this is contrary to what the bible says. Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. (Mt. 6:11) The writer of the "Letter of Hebrews" exhorts his readers to be content with what you have. (Heb. 13:5-6) The prodigal son claimed his inheritance and lost it! (Lk. 15:13)  Are you getting it? We are to see what God is providing for us and not covet what others have. God loves us so much more than the birds, that he will clothe us and feed us. (Mt. 6:25-26) If you truly believe in God, you will have faith that that this is so! We can see this in the very first words of the Twenty-Third Psalm.

The Lord is my Shepherd,  I shall not want. (Ps. 23:1)

God will provide for us! What shepherd does not lead his sheep to green pasture to graze and quiet waters to quench the thirst. (Ps. 23:2) False shepherds do but not the Good Shepherd! (Jn. 10:14) Is God so weak and unloving that He won't take care of us? Jesus tells us not to worry! (Mt. 6:25) He is guiding us so that we will lack nothing. So if you are lacking a need in your life, be humble and ask God, your loving Father, for it! Don't be a spoiled brat like the prodigal son & demand it. That's tantamount to saying to God, "You are dead to me!" Hence, you have no faith in Him!

East of Eden in The 21st Century

Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful
Seat, Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen
Seed, In the Beginning how the Heav’ns and Earth
Rose out of Chaos: Or if Sion Hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s Brook that flow’d
Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence
Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous Song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th’ Aonian Mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhyme John Milton, Paradise Lost

We all live east of Eden. None of us are innocent. (Lk. 13:1-5) Death surrounds us. We may die at the end of a gun barrel with our hand or someone else holding it. We may die by a tornado or tsunami. We could fall off a ladder or be hit by a car. Or drive the car ourselves. Recently bombs exploded at an annual event in Boston. And bombs exploded in Iraq. And if that doesn't kill you, disease will. We all have to die sometime. Death awaits us, east of Eden.

But a glorious future also awaits us. A future that is beyond death.  The world that surrounds us is not the finished product. The same book that describes how man lost paradise also tells how one day there will be another Garden with another Tree of Life. (Rev. 22:1-5) It will be for God's elect, those whose names are written in the Book of Life. (Rev. 13:8) No more will there be bad people. (Rev. 21:8) Nor will there be sickness. And because there will be no more bad people and no more sickness there will be no more death. (Rev. 21:4) Paradise will be restored. This is the hope for all who put their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. (Acts 4:11-12) The elect in God knows this is a bad world made up of bad people. After all, God's word says so. (Rm. 3:10-12) The disciples of Jesus know that even planet earth is looking for a future redemption. (Rm. 8:20-25) Our future hope is to dwell with God for eternity. Not in the fanciful imagination of our minds but on a new earth with a new heaven. Not separate but united. And compared to eternity, living in the east of Eden is not very long at all.

New Jerusalem by Mollie Freeman

After Suicide, Redemption?

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (Jn 9:1-7)

Suicide is hard to deal with. Losing a family member to suicide is hard to process. With the recent death of a famous pastor's son, much has been said in social media about suicide. Questions like, "If a Christian kills himself, does he go to heaven?" are being posted on various boards. Or "What does the Bible say about suicide?" are being debated and discussed. All of this leads, depending on one's sophistication, into issues of atonement, salvation and other doctrines that various denominations may hold. Clarity is being sought as well as disclosures of one's own battles with mental health including my own. After all, we want to know where God is in suicide.

In my tradition, we have the doctrine of original sin. It states that after the Fall man became corrupted  which means "our own nature is inclined to evil". (Gn. 6:5, Ps. 58:3) And so we deserve "God's wrath and damnation." Why do people do bad things? The answer is original sin. In other words, we are bad people. Jesus, Himself, says so! (Mk.10:18) This is hard to swallow if you believe otherwise. Adam and Eve were promised death if they disobeyed God. (Gn. 2:17) That promise holds true today.We die! Now most of us expect to die from an illness like cancer or heart disease. It's not that we want to but we see these diseases as natural causes. When a person dies in a car accident or from self-infliction, we are shocked and horrified because it was not expected. We ask ourselves how can this happen? It can happen because we no longer have the safety of the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, one disease that often does not garner society's sympathy is mental illness.

Mental disease is an illness. One does not choose to be mentally ill no more than does one choose to have cancer. Depression kills. I know from personal experience and have written about it here. So where is God when a person commits suicide? 

As stated earlier, we die because our hearts are inclined to evil and we deserve death. This is a  biblical truth that needs to be recognized. But Jesus came to save us from our sins that lead to death and eternal punishment. The promise from The Prophets is that The Law will be written on our hearts. (Jer. 31:33, Ex. 20:1-17) Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets by taking the curse of eternal punishment upon Himself so that we may have eternal life with Him instead. (Mt. 5:13-20) Jesus was not saying that the blind man was not a sinner but that he was blind as part of his nature. And it this very nature that Jesus came to address. What is important is that the works of God may be displayed in us. I survived my depression by God's grace alone. But more importantly people are asking questions. The disciples asked a question. The answer they got was not the one they expected but they got it! They even saw it. While we should mourn with a family's loss, let us ask the questions God wants us to ask. And this has been happening. We cannot bring back the dead but we can seek the Light for ourselves. And people are seeking the Light. This, I say, is redemption. Asking questions and getting answers. But let's be careful. If we think we already know the asnwer, we may be wrong! After all, there are false doctrines and correct doctrines. We cannot believe anything we want!

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. (Jn 9:35-41)