Worldview #17: Something Worth Living For

 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).

What or who are you living for? Many live for their families, some live for their work, while others live for their recreations, or other things. As Christians, we are called to live for Christ. Unfortunately, there are many who claim to live for Christ and believe that they are doing His will by saying and doing things in a very unbiblical manor.

In John 8, we find the story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery being brought to Jesus by some religious leaders. These religious leaders asked Jesus what they should do to the woman since the Old Testament law commanded that she should be stoned to death for her sin. Rightfully the woman should have died for her sin. However, that was not how Jesus responded. Instead, Jesus responded with no condemnation. He accepted her as a person, and then basically told her that He wanted more for her by telling her to leave her life of sin (8:11).

The response that Jesus offers each one of us is the same as that of the adulterous woman in John 8. He extended grace and mercy towards her. He loved her. He sought to lead her to a better life that God desires for each person—better than anyone of us could ever ask for or imagine (Eph. 3:20). Jesus responded in this same way to all of those who were far from God. The only individuals whom Jesus responded harshly to were the religious leaders; thus, those who should have known better.

God calls all of us as Christians to respond in the same way. He has given each one of us as Christians a calling that is worth living for. It is a call of loving others regardless of the sins that the struggle with, regardless of their religious affiliations, regardless of who they voted for, regardless of their sexual preferences, etc.

Loving others does not mean that we approve of their actions. But it means that we see them as having great value: as people made in the image of God, and whom Jesus died for. There are seeds of greatness inside every person as God is the creator of us all.

And God calls us to extend grace to all people. As a church, and as a representative of Eugene Christian Church, I want you to know that we are here for you, we care for you, and want to help you to navigate through life-following the path that will lead to the best possible life, the life that God always intended you to live.

Why do I say all of these things to you? I do so because someone else was willing to do the same things for me. And as I began to follow Christ, I discovered a life worth living. And we as a church would like to help you find it as well.

So may the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace (Num. 6:24-26 NLT).

In His service,

            Matt 

Man, The Image of God #13: Something Worth Dying For

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

As I reflect over this past month I can’t help but think of a few individuals who are a part of our congregation who are currently serving in our country’s armed forces. These young men (and all who have served in our armed forces for that matter) have made an oath to support and defend our constitution as a nation against all enemies, and to obey the orders given to them from the President and their commanding officers. Thus, by affirming this oath, they have stated something that is worth dying for, namely the protection and freedom of our nation. For this I believe that we should always be grateful for these individuals and their families!

This month as we celebrate Good Friday and Easter, we remember Someone else who saw something worth dying for. Jesus died for the sins of all people so that all might be able to receive eternal freedom. Jesus knew that in order to bring the possibility of eternal freedom in Heaven with God to mankind, He must pay the ultimate price, His own life. And He willingly gave His life for us on His own accord. Thus, in Jesus’ eyes, you are worth dying for.

Throughout the ages, many men and women have recognized that the cause of Christ is something worth dying for. During the years following Jesus’ ascension, tension developed between the Jews and Christians. In order for a person to be saved prior to the cross of Christ, they had to become a Jew, placing their faith in the One True God. However, with the coming of Jesus, He claimed to be the fulfillment of all the Old Testament (OT) prophesies concerning the Anointed One who was to come, the Christ (John 4:25-26). Some recognized this reality, and affirmed who Jesus was and is (Matt. 16:16). And Jesus’ death and resurrection affirmed His identity (John 20:28-29).

Since the time of the cross and resurrection of Jesus, in order for anyone to be saved: Jew and Gentile (those who are not Jewish) alike they would now have to recognize that Jesus is the One True God and place their faith in Him. This meant that for those living during that time as believing Jews would have to now place their faith in Jesus (becoming Christians) in order to remain saved. There were many Jews who were unwilling to accept this. Some of these Jews so adamantly opposed this that they sought to hunt down and kill Christians for their faith in Jesus. All of the remaining 11 disciples (excluding Judas Iscariot) died for their faith in Christ, as they sought to share the Good News of Jesus with others.

At the heart of the opposition was the fundamental Biblical truth in the Trinitarian God, and the Trinitarian God alone is to be worshiped. Most of the Jews rejected the idea of the Trinity even though it can be seen clearly in the OT (see http://eugenechristianchurch. blogspot.com/2014/05/god-revealed-7-case-for-trinity.html). While on the other hand, many of those who experienced opposition including death from those with non-Jewish backgrounds did not have any problem with the claim of Jesus being God, or God the Father, or God the Holy Spirit. Their problem was the exclusive claim of the Trinity: One God in 3 persons. This non-Jewish opposition thought that it was ok to worship 1,000s of gods (and some saw Caesar, the Emperor of the Roman Empire, as superior to the others). Yet the foundational issue that these early Christians stood for to the point of death was their belief in the Trinitarian God, and the Trinitarian God alone is to be worshiped. A similar opposition still exists today. 

 As we travel through the history of Christianity, we find numerous individuals dying for this foundational teaching. Prior to A.D. 1232, the Bible was primarily only available for those within the religious hierarchy. However, from that point on began a movement to get the Bible into the hands of the common man. John Wycliffe (A.D. 1329-1384) stood as the leading reformer. He taught, as the Bible itself teaches, that the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice (see Deut. 4:2; Pro. 30:5-6; Matt. 15:3, 6; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 4:6; Col. 2:8; 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 3:15-16; Rev. 22:18-19). Thus, believing this foundational principle of Christianity, Wycliffe produced the first English manuscripts of the Bible. Those who opposed the teaching of the Bible alone as the sole authority for faith and practice, and that every person has a right to have God’s Word in their own language were so infuriated by Wycliffe that after he died a natural death they dug up his bones, crushed and burned them then scatter them in a river. Similarly, many of Wycliffe’s associates and succeeding individuals who believed in the Bible alone as the sole authority were likewise put to death (Peter Waldo, William Swinderby, William Tyndale, etc.). A similar opposition still exists today.

Meanwhile, throughout the history of the church there have been many who have stood for the foundation doctrine of justification by faith alone; that is that a person is saved by faith alone in the Trinitarian God alone (John 3:16; Rom. 3:20-28; Gal. 2:16; 3:2-14; 5:1-13; Eph. 2:8-9). The opposition has claimed that yes faith is necessary but so are works in order to be saved; while the Bible teaches that good works are a natural result or evidence of salvation (Eph. 2:10; James 2:18). In A.D. 1517, Martin Luther sounded the battle cry of the Protestant Reformation which focused primarily on the foundational elements of the Bible alone and justification by faith alone (see The Encyclopedia of Christianity, “Reformation Principles,” pgs. 531-532). And as a result Luther and other reformers experienced persecution, some even died for these foundational doctrines of Christianity. And the same is true today.  

During my lifetime, I too have experienced opposition from those who oppose these same foundational principles of Christianity. While going to Bible College, my wife and I had a certain “Christian” church financially support us. After graduation, I learned that this “Christian” church did not adhere to Christ’s deity and the doctrine of the Trinity. Upon learning this, I showed them numerous passages supporting these foundational teachings, yet they rejected them. It was from that moment that I rejected our partnership with them costing me hundreds of dollars monthly. However, it was the right thing to do.

Since then, I have similarly seen people leave churches because they rejected the foundational teachings of Christianity. My heart has broken over each one of them, as I love them all dearly. While there are many doctrines that Christians can agree to disagree upon, the foundational principles are worth dying for as so many throughout church history have demonstrated. And at the end of the day, if we do not stand for anything, we will fall for everything.

Thus, I want to make very clear, I love all people regardless of their religious beliefs! Yet I challenge you to consider why you believe what you do; is it worth dying for? God bless!

In His service,

        Matt

Worldview #16: Foolish Talk and the Origin of the Languages

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

There are many throughout our society who believe that the message of the Bible is foolishness, especially as it relates to the origin of the universe and creation account talked about in Genesis chapters 1-11. One individual said, “It is a stretch to think that a bunch of animals and a family got into a boat and rode around for a year. Now come on, you expect me to believe that?”

However, I have to agree with Dr. G. Thomas Sharp who said, “It is a stretch to believe that 3.8 billion years ago lightning struck a tide pool outside an ancient volcano, exciting the microspheres up into replicating systems until  one of them ultimately became a full-fledged organism. And it wiggled out on to a bank, lived under a rock for millions of years. Then through natural selection it ultimately turned into some kind of tree dwelling creature, and began eating bananas until one day after continuous natural selection, it climbed down out of the tree and went to JC Penney, bought new clothes, got a haircut and shave, then went down to the University of Texas and began teaching philosophy. Now that is a stretch!  But that is the ultimate premise upon which evolution is founded.

Without the scientific community’s sanction of that silliness, the teaching of the evolutionary worldview would have already disappeared from the earth. This nonsense requires a whole lot more faith than ‘In the beginning God…’ (Gen. 1:1). Therefore, our perception of truth forms the basis of our worldview (Evolution: The Greatest Deception of All Time; available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMr278CMAIA).  Thus, the heart of the debate relates to a faith based question: do you trust the thoughts of man or the words of God?

Genesis 11 describes a time in which the whole world had one language. Much of the world was gathered together in one location and built a tower, the Tower of Babel. However, God had explicitly told them to expand and fill the earth (Gen. 9:1). They wanted to make a name for themselves and reject God. Much of our world is very similar today in wanting to reject God.

As a result of mankind’s disobedience at the Tower of Babel, God intervened confusing their single language into multiple languages and scattering them over the face of the earth. It is from this that all of the languages of the world have their origin. And this is partly responsible for the various people groups throughout the world today.

On the other hand, when one examines the various theories that evolutionary worldview gives for the origin of languages, it amounts to foolishness. In fact, some even consider it as the hardest problem in science (Morten H. Christiansen and Simon Kirby, eds. Language evolution, pgs. 77-93). Yet the Word of God has always and will always trump the foolishness of men, giving the answer from the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.

In His service,

            Matt

Elder’s Corner: “Son, Do You Want A Spanking?”

A while back I was in a grocery store and I heard a distraught mom pose that question to her misbehaving son. I wondered what she thought he would say: “yes, please mom and make it a hard swat!” Well that's not what he said, and I think her question was to get him to consider the consequences of his actions.

The last six days of 70 degree plus weather reminded me that the Bible has much to say about taking care of plants, especially trees and vineyards (see John 15:1-8; Matt. 13:1-23). I recently returned from California where I drove by many orchards of orange trees that was loaded with fruit. The odd part was the branches had been machine pruned and the tree looked like a square cube sitting on top of the trunk. The owner of the orchard said they do that to stimulate new growth so the trees will bear more fruit. I also drove by several vineyards. It reminded me of the words of Jesus in John 15:1 and following. “I am the vine, and My father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.”

So God needs to discipline or prune out the bad limbs in each of us at times for our own good. Just like pruning trees makes them stronger—letting God have control over our lives and giving Him permission to prune where and when needed makes us stronger. I'm sorry that sometimes He has so much work to do because I've been stubborn and let my branches get out of control. So sometimes we may need to ask the same question to God that the mother asked her son. “God, do I need a spanking (a pruning to make me more like You)?” God wants us to be productive citizens in His kingdom. Jesus said His father would be glorified, if you bear much fruit, and you would prove to be disciples of His (John 15:8). There seems to be a correlation between letting God discipline us and being His disciple.

—Alan 

Man, The Image of God #12: The Assurance of Salvation

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13 NASB).

Do you know for a fact where you are going to spend eternity? What evidence can you provide that proves that you are in fact saved and on your way to heaven?

Last month we considered how the teaching that once a person is saved they are always saved is false. The doctrine of once saved always saved offers a dangerous sense of security which will provide a very rude awaking for some when they stand before the Lord. Furthermore, those who teach that once a person is saved they are always saved will tell you that if a person followed the Biblical plan of salvation yet ended up not going to heaven, then they will tell you that that person was never truly saved to begin with. Therefore, what concrete assurance can a person who holds to that teaching truly have? The answer is none!

On the other hand, the Bible does teach that a genuine follower of Jesus Christ can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are in fact saved. There are three evidences that a believer has proving their salvation.

First, do you have a present active trust in Christ for your salvation? The Greek word that gets translated as “believes” in John 3:16 speaks of a present active trust in Christ for their salvation. This is something that begins when a person receives Christ and continues until the Lord calls them home. Paul tells the Colossians that they will be saved on the last day, “provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Col. 1:23). And Hebrews 3:14 says, “We share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.” Therefore a person should ask themselves: Today, do I trust in Christ to forgive my sins and take me without blame into heaven forever? Do I have confidence in my heart that He has saved me?

If I were to die tonight and stand before God’s judgment seat, and if He were to ask me why He should let me into heaven, would I begin to think of my good deeds and depend on them, or would I without hesitation say that I am depending on the merits of Christ and am confident that He is a sufficient Savior? When a person is able to answer these questions positively, it affirms that they have saving faith.

Second, is there evidence of the Holy Spirit in your heart? The Holy Spirit testifies within our hearts that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:15-16; 1 John 4:13). This testimony will usually be accompanied by a sense of being led by the Holy Spirit in paths of obedience to do God’s will (Rom. 8:14). Similarly, the Holy Spirit will be producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). Of course, the question is not, “Do I perfectly exemplify all of these characteristics in my life?” but rather, “Are these things a general characteristic of my life? Do I sense these attitudes in my heart? Do others (especially those closest to me) see these traits exhibited in my life? Have I been growing in them over a period of years?”  

Third, is there a long-term pattern of growth in your Christian life? Peter tells us that there are some character traits which, if we keep on increasing in them, will guarantee that we will “never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). He tells his readers to add to their faith “virtue…knowledge…self- control… steadfastness… godliness…brotherly affection…love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). Then he says that these things are to belong to his readers and to continually “abound” in their lives (2 Peter 1:8). He adds that they are to “be more zealous to confirm your call and election” and says then that “if you do this (literally, “these things,” referring to the character traits mentioned in verses 5-7) you will never fall” (2 Peter 1:10).

Everyone who gains assurance through a self-examination such as the one above should know, “I am truly born again; therefore, I will certainly preserve to the end, because I am guarded by God’s power working through my faith (1 Peter 1:5) and therefore I will never be lost. Jesus will raise me up at the last day and I will enter into His Kingdom forever” (John 6:40).

Once one stops trusting in Christ and obeying Him (I am speaking in terms of outward evidence) they have no genuine assurance of salvation, and they should consider themselves unsaved, and turn to Christ in repentance and ask Him for forgiveness of their sins.

In His service,

        Matt

Man, The Image of God #11: The False Security of Once Saved Always Saved

“The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced” (Matt. 13:22 NLT).

Last month, we considered the Biblical teaching on the unpardonable sin. As you recall, this is the sin of apostasy. Apostasy means to fall away from saving faith in Christ and thereby lose one’s salvation. Many Christians will think that they have committed such a sin. However, the very fact that they have had such a thought proves that they have not; the Holy Spirit is still convicting their conscience. Thus, it does not matter how far a person strays from Christ, His grace is still available for them to receive. Yet this does not negate the possibility of a genuine follower of Christ from choosing to no longer follow Him and thereby forfeit their salvation as we saw last month.

This month, I’d like us to consider some common objections that people have to the possibility of a genuine Christian losing their salvation. The first false belief that many Christians believe is that once a person has received God’s grace of salvation, they are always under that grace. However, the Apostle Paul plainly states some of the members of the church in Galatia had fallen from grace. “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4). A person can only fall from a chair, if they are on a chair and a person can only fall from grace if they were in grace. Peter thinks of the conditionality of covenants and caution of God’s people, “If you do these things, you will never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). If falling from grace is impossible, then why would Peter give this warning?

A second false belief many Christians believe is that once a person is a child of God, that they are always a child of God. However, in the account of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), we see a clear picture of our relationship as Christians with our Heavenly Father. In this passage, the loving father considered his son “lost” when he was away from home (Luke 15:24). The son had to return to the father (Luke 15:17-20), and the father had to restore him into the family (Luke 15:20-24). Therefore, the son, while away from the family was no longer considered to be a part of the family.

A third false belief that many Christians believe is once a person has their name recorded in the Book of Life that their name could never be erased. However, the LORD told Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me I will blot out of My book” (Ex. 32:33). Jesus also stated that the promise of having one’s name written in the book of life is conditional. “He who overcomes…I will never blot out His name from the book of life (Rev. 3:5).

And a fourth false belief that many Christians believe is that once a person is in Christ they are always in Christ. However, John 15 relates Christians to branches in the vine (Jesus) and God is the gardener, who, “cuts off every branch in Me (Jesus) that bears no fruit” (John 15:2). Jesus plainly states, “If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 15:6).

After considering these points, one can see that the teaching that once a person is saved, they are always saved, is clearly false. On the other hand, there are several passages which affirm that we, as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, do have assurance of our salvation. Yet those such passages do not teach unconditional perseverance. “They teach assurance, but an assurance that is consistent with our continuing to meet the conditions upon which salvation was given to us in the first place. In fact, the overwhelming testimony of the NT is that staying saved is just as conditional as becoming saved. These are gracious conditions of course, and not legalistic ones. As Christians, we remain justified by faith, not by good works as Romans 3:28 teaches” (Jack Cottrell, The Faith Once for All, p. 376). 

 There are several places throughout the Bible that teach saving faith must have continuing implications. First, in the original Greek of John 3:16, the word belief speaks of a faith that begins at a certain moment but continues to make a difference in a person’s life. It is a present active trust in Christ for one’s salvation. Second, Jesus said, “IF you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31 NASB, emphasis mine). Third, in John 15 Jesus teaches that those who do not remain in Him will be cast out and burned, a clear reference to hell. Fourth, the Apostle Paul said, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, IF you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2 emphasis mine). Cottrell also points out how in Romans 11:22, Paul describes Jews who became unbelievers as “those who fell,” and he says that any Christian who does not continue to trust in the provisions of God’s grace “will be cut off.” In the former case the lostness is actual, and in the latter case it is potential; but in both cases it is real (The Faith Once For All, p. 378).

Our salvation is much like the following illustration: picture a father crossing a busy highway with a small child by his side holding his hand quite firmly. The father has good judgment and he is capable of shielding the child from any calamity and protecting him from any outside force harming him as they make their way across the highway. The one which the father cannot prevent is the child being willful and wrenching himself free from his grasp, running off and being struck by a vehicle. This seems to me an adequate parable of what Paul means in Romans 8:31-39. God has a firm loving grip on the believer, and no outside force can separate the believer from God and God’s love.

A believer cannot lose his or her salvation as one might lose one’s glasses. But by willful rebellion, there is the possibility of falling away, of making shipwrecking of one’s faith. The Good News, then, is that one cannot lose or misplace one’s salvation or simply wander away by accident. Indeed, only by an enormous willful effort could one throw it away. Such is the loving grasp God has on His children (Ben Witherington III. Paul’s Letter to the Romans a Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, p. 235).

In His service,

        Matt

Worldview #15: The Absolute Nature of Truth

What are you willing to do for your happiness? Is it God’s job to keep us happy? What do our prayers consist of — prayers centered on our happiness, or that God’s will be accomplished, regardless of our happiness? Believe it or not this thought process, called humanism, has infiltrated our brains 40+ years ago and has reduced God to a ‘self-help Genie’ who bows to our demands through which we can define our lives as we wish – including the acceptance of immoral practices. Paul warned us about this in Romans 1:21-22: They knew God. But they didn’t honor Him as God. They didn’t thank Him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark. They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.

Remember last month’s discussion about Jesus being the light, and shining into the darkness? And through this foolish thinking, we have allowed the idea of relative truth (or what’s true for you is not necessarily true for me) to creep into our thought process. Today, “nearly three out of four Americans say there is no such thing as ultimate or absolute truth. And the numbers don't look much better among those who claim to follow Jesus” (Lindy Keffer, Absolute Truth, available from http://www.focusonthe family.com/parenting/teens/absolute-truth).

If you want proof of absolute truth outside of Scripture, look at the world around us. Does the sun rise every day? Does it come up in the same location? Does 2+2=4 every time? Does gravity hold us in place? If truth was relative, these things and many more would not consistently hold true. And “the effects on civilization would be disastrous! Laws of science and physics would be irrelevant, and commerce would be impossible (see Gotquestion.org).” Putting this into perspective, aren’t you grateful for absolute truth?

Lindy Keffer said, “Truth is powerful. It brings life. It has been here since the beginning, and it still exists today. Truth is available to all who seek it in the person of Jesus Christ. Even though our society tells us that it's narrow-minded to believe in ultimate truth, there is lots of evidence that declares we should run after it with all our hearts. Christ says the truth will set us free. And that promise is true for all time.”

I hope and pray that this article comes as a wake-up call to you as it has been to me. The father of lies has successfully twisted our concept of truth, and altered our perspective of God!! The ways of the world has crept into our hearts and has drawn us from our Creator, Father and Friend. John warned us of the implications of this thinking: Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him… And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).

Thus, I encourage you to examine your thinking, and then take a knee before our God asking His forgiveness and for a purification of our minds and heart to His purpose. May we choose not to “live the way this world lives. Let your thinking be completely changed [by reading Scripture]. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what He wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect (Rom. 12:2).

In His service,

     Matt