The Encarta World English Dictionary defines allegory as a symbolic work: a work in which the characters and events are to be understood as representing other things and symbolically expressing a deeper, often spiritual, moral, or political meaning. I am reminded of reading Animal Farm in high school where the pigs on the farm represented the communists. It was an interesting story that cleverly illustrated the deficiencies of a specific political movement.
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In a similar manner, Christ used parables- stories that were given to illustrate a spiritual truth. When Christ spoke in parables, it was clear that He was saying much more than just what was seen on the surface, for He often gave the interpretation right after He gave the parable. As we read the Gospel accounts, the normal use of language makes it very clear when a parable is being used and when simple history is being given. For example, Matthew 13:18 begins with the words, “Hear ye therefore the parable.” Matthew 13:33a: “Another parable spake he unto them.” Matthew 21:33a: “Hear another parable.”
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The point is that when the scripture uses allegory, there are clear indicators. The problem comes when men try to allegorize portions of scripture that have no indicators of specific symbolism. What ends up happening is that men make up their own allegorical interpretations to passages that should simply be read in their original normal meanings.
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It has often been asked why people cannot agree on the interpretation of the Bible. Part of the reason is that many do not even use normal use of language rules when looking at the scripture and instead try to allegorize almost any passage they come across. Understand that a conservative will usually come up with a conservative allegory, a liberal will likely come up with a liberal allegory and moderate- you get the picture. The Bible should shape our way of thinking, but this approach tries to twist the scripture into man’s way of thinking instead.
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It is an intellectually dishonest and potentially manipulative approach to interpreting what God has written. Some scholars actually try to make it look sophisticated by coming up with all kinds of intricate reasons for their interpretations, but let us remember 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
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Instead of allegorizing the passages we do not understand, we should study them in their context and compare them with other scriptures. We must examine the audience, culture, and history at the time of the writing to understand the meaning in the setting of normal use of language. Sure this takes some work, but it gives us the pure meaning rather than just coming up with some symbolic idea that cannot be proven.
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At First Baptist Church in Bancroft, you can expect to hear God’s Word preached and explained in its historical setting, as we use the normal use of language to interpret the Bible. We invite you to join us and see that the Bible really can be understood and that it is not just a bunch of broken up allegories. It is a book with continuity that shows the interactions between God and man and clearly gives us God’s expectations for man in a way that we can understand.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Not All Advice is Good Advice
When I was a kid, I remember reading “Dear Abby” in our local newspaper. Readers would write in with questions and she would give an answer. Sometimes I would agree with her answers, but often I would not. So who was right, Abby or me?
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No doubt Abby had many more years of experience than I did, but I consider my own mother who has lived in this world for more than 6 decades. She didn’t always agree with Abby either. So where should I get my advice- from a dear Abby or from dear Mom?
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We should seek advice from others. The problem we face is that human hearts and minds have been corrupted by sin and often the advice we get encourages sinfulness rather than godliness. Consider the advice that is often given when someone has done wrong to us. So much of the worldly advice we receive concerns how to get back at them or to show them how it feels to have been done wrong. Such advice encourages bitterness rather than meekness.
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Consider what James wrote in dealing with this very subject: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:13-18)
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Notice what the scripture says. The sort of wisdom that says you should have bitter envy and strife in your hearts doesn’t come from God; it comes from the earth, from our own passions, and from the devil. The wisdom that comes from God is not ready to pick a fight, but is rather ready to look for peace. This doesn’t mean we compromise truth, but it means that we submit to God’s wisdom rather than our own or the devils. It means setting aside our selfishness for God’s glory.
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It actually sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 5:22-6:1)
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So who’s advice do I want- Mom’s or Abby’s? I want God’s advice and thankfully I have a mother who does as well. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
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No doubt Abby had many more years of experience than I did, but I consider my own mother who has lived in this world for more than 6 decades. She didn’t always agree with Abby either. So where should I get my advice- from a dear Abby or from dear Mom?
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We should seek advice from others. The problem we face is that human hearts and minds have been corrupted by sin and often the advice we get encourages sinfulness rather than godliness. Consider the advice that is often given when someone has done wrong to us. So much of the worldly advice we receive concerns how to get back at them or to show them how it feels to have been done wrong. Such advice encourages bitterness rather than meekness.
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Consider what James wrote in dealing with this very subject: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:13-18)
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Notice what the scripture says. The sort of wisdom that says you should have bitter envy and strife in your hearts doesn’t come from God; it comes from the earth, from our own passions, and from the devil. The wisdom that comes from God is not ready to pick a fight, but is rather ready to look for peace. This doesn’t mean we compromise truth, but it means that we submit to God’s wisdom rather than our own or the devils. It means setting aside our selfishness for God’s glory.
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It actually sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 5:22-6:1)
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So who’s advice do I want- Mom’s or Abby’s? I want God’s advice and thankfully I have a mother who does as well. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
How Much Can I Get By With?
How much will God let us get by with? When I worked as a chaplain with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department, I would regularly do ride alongs with the deputies while they were on patrol. When it came to enforcement of the law, they were concerned for the safety of the drivers as well as others on the roads, but they actually let people get away with a lot. They had a speed that was well above the posted limit that they would allow the drivers to drive at. Now I am not encouraging drivers to ignore the posted limits, but I do recognize that our human nature wants to push the limits as far as it can.
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Perhaps that was part of the motivation for a question that Christ was asked in Matthew 22:36, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Christ’s answer was quite simple: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
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So does that mean that as long as you are loving God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself, then you can get by doing whatever you want? Well, actually if you do really love God with your all, you will already be doing what He expects and will be treating your neighbor right as well. You see, if you love God that much, instead of seeing what you can get by with, you will be looking for ways to serve and honor Him.
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Notice how Christ said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. That means that all the commands God gives us are based on our love for Him and others. No doubt a society that follows the rules of God treats their fellow man much better.
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Instead of showing us what we can get by with, Christ’s response shows us the importance of all of God’s commands. Consider what James wrote, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) In other words, if you violate the least of the commands, you are guilty of violating the most important command of loving God completely. No wonder we are told that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
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There is good new though. Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. By believing on Him, trusting Him for our salvation, realizing that He died and rose from the dead for our sins, we too can have eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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Once we really believe in Him and trust Him, our love for Him motivates us to want to obey. It is no longer about what we can get by with, it is about believing that His way is best. You see, it isn’t about cleaning up your life so that you can trust Him. It is about trusting Him and letting Him clean up your life because you love Him.
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Perhaps that was part of the motivation for a question that Christ was asked in Matthew 22:36, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Christ’s answer was quite simple: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
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So does that mean that as long as you are loving God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself, then you can get by doing whatever you want? Well, actually if you do really love God with your all, you will already be doing what He expects and will be treating your neighbor right as well. You see, if you love God that much, instead of seeing what you can get by with, you will be looking for ways to serve and honor Him.
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Notice how Christ said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. That means that all the commands God gives us are based on our love for Him and others. No doubt a society that follows the rules of God treats their fellow man much better.
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Instead of showing us what we can get by with, Christ’s response shows us the importance of all of God’s commands. Consider what James wrote, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) In other words, if you violate the least of the commands, you are guilty of violating the most important command of loving God completely. No wonder we are told that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
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There is good new though. Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. By believing on Him, trusting Him for our salvation, realizing that He died and rose from the dead for our sins, we too can have eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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Once we really believe in Him and trust Him, our love for Him motivates us to want to obey. It is no longer about what we can get by with, it is about believing that His way is best. You see, it isn’t about cleaning up your life so that you can trust Him. It is about trusting Him and letting Him clean up your life because you love Him.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Do You Have the Wrong Number?
You know you’re in a small town when someone dials a wrong number and you talk to them for five minutes. We actually get a lot of wrong number calls from people trying to reach Spa dee Dah. Now I do not know how to do makeup or to cut hair, so all I can do is tell them to call 2772 instead of 2702.
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Now getting a wrong number in a small town isn’t that big of a deal, but what if you got the wrong number when trying to reach God? I fear that is happening more often than we would like to admit. Too many people don’t know God’s “number,” so they end up trying whatever they think might work. Romans 10:3 says, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” The point is, when we try to do things by trial and error because we do not know what God expects, we cannot reach Him any more than we could reach an old high school friend just by dialing random numbers on the phone.
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Now if you dial 885-2702, you will reach the church, and you can talk to me, but you still will not be reaching God. You see, I cannot get you to God, all I can do is tell you how to reach Him, just like I can tell callers how to get ahold of the Spa. I am not the mediator, I am simply the messenger. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (I Timothy 2:5).
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You see, you do not get ahold of God, by reaching me or any other clergy for that matter. You have to get ahold of Christ Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). To reach God, you do not dial a number, you trust in a Savior. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
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If you want to call God, you don’t need to know His number, you need to know Him. God came to this earth in the person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in order to die for your sins and to raise again victorious over sin and death. If He had the power to do that He has the power to save you and to hear your prayers when you call out to Him. You don’t have to worry about a bad connection if you will humbly submit to Him, turn from your sin, and trust Him as you call out to Him. He promises, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).
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Many have tried to reach God using the wrong number when His way is so straight forward. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) So if you have not yet gotten ahold of God and turned to Him, call Him now. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
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Now getting a wrong number in a small town isn’t that big of a deal, but what if you got the wrong number when trying to reach God? I fear that is happening more often than we would like to admit. Too many people don’t know God’s “number,” so they end up trying whatever they think might work. Romans 10:3 says, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” The point is, when we try to do things by trial and error because we do not know what God expects, we cannot reach Him any more than we could reach an old high school friend just by dialing random numbers on the phone.
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Now if you dial 885-2702, you will reach the church, and you can talk to me, but you still will not be reaching God. You see, I cannot get you to God, all I can do is tell you how to reach Him, just like I can tell callers how to get ahold of the Spa. I am not the mediator, I am simply the messenger. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (I Timothy 2:5).
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You see, you do not get ahold of God, by reaching me or any other clergy for that matter. You have to get ahold of Christ Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). To reach God, you do not dial a number, you trust in a Savior. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
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If you want to call God, you don’t need to know His number, you need to know Him. God came to this earth in the person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in order to die for your sins and to raise again victorious over sin and death. If He had the power to do that He has the power to save you and to hear your prayers when you call out to Him. You don’t have to worry about a bad connection if you will humbly submit to Him, turn from your sin, and trust Him as you call out to Him. He promises, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).
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Many have tried to reach God using the wrong number when His way is so straight forward. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) So if you have not yet gotten ahold of God and turned to Him, call Him now. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Judging Hot Potatoes
Both our little boys are on solid food now. When feeding small children you must be very careful. First you have to make sure that the food is cut up into small pieces so that they do not choke. Then you have to make sure that it is not too hot. I made a mistake with hot food a while back. I felt the potatoes and thought they had cooled enough but when A.J. grabbed them with his tender hands, he pulled back and began to cry. They were still too hot. My judgment was wrong.
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As serious as a bad judgment on hot potatoes is, bad judgments on spiritual matters are even more serious, for they can have an eternal impact. In fact, because my own judgment is so prone to error- as all our judgments are- I try to avoid making spiritual judgments. That may sound strange coming from a pastor, but let me explain. Rather than making judgments from my own intellect, emotion, or life experience, I instead recognize my inability to judge perfectly and step back and let God judge. In doing that, I allow Him to be the ultimate authority and that means that I agree with what He has written in His Word.
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In other words, I don’t make up the rules and decide what is right or wrong, God does. That means that I cannot ignore the parts of Scripture that I don’t want to see even if it would seem more convenient or popular to do so. The Apostle Paul was clear in rebuking man for making up his own rules while ignoring God‘s. “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3)
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Now even if we agree that God makes the rules, not us, the question arises, “what parts of Scripture are the Words of God?” Is it just the red letters of words spoken by Christ? Should we consider the Old Testament, realizing that many of the ordinances written in that part of the Bible were given specifically to the Hebrew people and were done away with on the cross (Colossians 2:14)?
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The answers are actually quite simple. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Now that verse was written by the Apostle Paul, yet the Apostle Peter testifies in II Peter 3:15-16 that what Paul wrote was Scripture. You see, the words for the text were not just the words of man, but were inspired by God and carried the authority of God behind them and still do today.
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The Old Testament as well still has authority. Though the Hebrew ordinances have been done away with, much of what was written relayed God’s expectations for all mankind. For example Leviticus 18 is addressed to the Hebrews and it warns them against doing the sort of sexual sins that caused the land to be defiled by the Canaanites. God makes it clear in vs. 27 that this behavior was abomination for all people. In other words, it was a universal decree of right and wrong coming from God.
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Judgment belongs to God and if we are to know what God has judged, we must look to all of His Word.
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As serious as a bad judgment on hot potatoes is, bad judgments on spiritual matters are even more serious, for they can have an eternal impact. In fact, because my own judgment is so prone to error- as all our judgments are- I try to avoid making spiritual judgments. That may sound strange coming from a pastor, but let me explain. Rather than making judgments from my own intellect, emotion, or life experience, I instead recognize my inability to judge perfectly and step back and let God judge. In doing that, I allow Him to be the ultimate authority and that means that I agree with what He has written in His Word.
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In other words, I don’t make up the rules and decide what is right or wrong, God does. That means that I cannot ignore the parts of Scripture that I don’t want to see even if it would seem more convenient or popular to do so. The Apostle Paul was clear in rebuking man for making up his own rules while ignoring God‘s. “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3)
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Now even if we agree that God makes the rules, not us, the question arises, “what parts of Scripture are the Words of God?” Is it just the red letters of words spoken by Christ? Should we consider the Old Testament, realizing that many of the ordinances written in that part of the Bible were given specifically to the Hebrew people and were done away with on the cross (Colossians 2:14)?
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The answers are actually quite simple. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Now that verse was written by the Apostle Paul, yet the Apostle Peter testifies in II Peter 3:15-16 that what Paul wrote was Scripture. You see, the words for the text were not just the words of man, but were inspired by God and carried the authority of God behind them and still do today.
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The Old Testament as well still has authority. Though the Hebrew ordinances have been done away with, much of what was written relayed God’s expectations for all mankind. For example Leviticus 18 is addressed to the Hebrews and it warns them against doing the sort of sexual sins that caused the land to be defiled by the Canaanites. God makes it clear in vs. 27 that this behavior was abomination for all people. In other words, it was a universal decree of right and wrong coming from God.
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Judgment belongs to God and if we are to know what God has judged, we must look to all of His Word.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thanking God for Melted Snow
We just finished a memorable winter. I must say that as a citizen of Bancroft, I am very pleased at the skill and efficiency our city workers demonstrated in getting our roads opened up. Even on Christmas day in the middle of a blizzard, though the roads were not perfect, I could still get around town because there was a plow out on our streets. I noticed how the snow was winged back away from the streets so that there was room for the next round of accumulation when it came. I noticed the extra time that was taken to clean the intersections as they as well built up with snow. I noticed the long hours that were spent just trying to keep up. For that I say thank you.
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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to take things for granted? It is so easy to complain that the snow plow wing piled snow in front of our driveway again and forget that if they were not out on the road there would be no place to go once we left our driveway. How many times don’t we do the same thing with God? Do we realize that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
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I recently heard about a study that said that the more thankful a person is, the more successful they are likely to be. That does not surprise me. God commands us to be thankful. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) Notice how thankfulness is connected with peace in the heart. If we complain about the pile of snow in our driveway, we end up with conflict in our hearts, but if we are thankful for the snowplows we have peace in our hearts in spite of the fact that we have a huge pile of snow to shovel. You might say that thankfulness helps us to make lemonade out of lemons. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
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So should we complain about the mud or praise God that the snow has melted? Should we complain that the sun is glaring in our eyes, or praise God that it will dry the mud? Should we complain that it is now cloudy, or praise God that the sun is not glaring in our eyes?
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Actually such approaches to thanksgiving are not at all ridiculous. In fact, as we understand the goodness of God, they should be natural. It is no wonder Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So what can you give thanks for today? Have you thanked those around you? Have you prayed and thanked God?
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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to take things for granted? It is so easy to complain that the snow plow wing piled snow in front of our driveway again and forget that if they were not out on the road there would be no place to go once we left our driveway. How many times don’t we do the same thing with God? Do we realize that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
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I recently heard about a study that said that the more thankful a person is, the more successful they are likely to be. That does not surprise me. God commands us to be thankful. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) Notice how thankfulness is connected with peace in the heart. If we complain about the pile of snow in our driveway, we end up with conflict in our hearts, but if we are thankful for the snowplows we have peace in our hearts in spite of the fact that we have a huge pile of snow to shovel. You might say that thankfulness helps us to make lemonade out of lemons. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
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So should we complain about the mud or praise God that the snow has melted? Should we complain that the sun is glaring in our eyes, or praise God that it will dry the mud? Should we complain that it is now cloudy, or praise God that the sun is not glaring in our eyes?
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Actually such approaches to thanksgiving are not at all ridiculous. In fact, as we understand the goodness of God, they should be natural. It is no wonder Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So what can you give thanks for today? Have you thanked those around you? Have you prayed and thanked God?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Do We Have a Good Culture?
The following is a condensed revision of an earlier article:
Too often people form their values based on their culture. The problem with such an approach is that it allows culture to determine values rather than God.
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As we consider the subject of cultural relativism, is it acceptable to suggest that some cultures are morally inferior to others? For example, the Children of Israel were warned about a cultural practice of their neighbors the Ammonites who sacrificed their children to the false god Molech by burning them in fire. “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:21. Few would disagree that the culture of child sacrifice is evil.
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The example of the Ammonites is not very controversial, for I do not know of any people who still worship Molech. Therefore I can use that example and not ruffle too many feathers.
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What about a culture that encourages its children to strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up in crowded public areas with the purpose of killing as many people as possible? What about a culture that prides itself in honor killings of relatives who they feel have disgraced their families? From a Biblical perspective, not only must I condemn the religious beliefs of Islam, but also their culture of violence. Some would call me intolerant for such a statement, but what is more intolerant, writing about those we disagree with or killing them? A culture of intolerance that leads to murder is something we all must be concerned about.
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I am saddened that the debate over culture often leads instead to a debate over race. Many Muslims are Arabs, but we must not come to the conclusion that all Arabs are more evil than anyone else. The issue is not their race, but what values they embrace.
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Many of those same issues come up when we examine the values of some of our inner city cultures in this county. For example, a culture that encourages drug use, out of wedlock births, and violence should be spoken against. Sadly, instead of speaking against such a culture, many speak against a race. These behaviors are wrong no matter which races are involved in them. Further, not every person of a particular race does such things, and it is wrong to imply that they do.
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At the same time, it would be just as wrong to ignore the sinful characteristics of a culture just because of a fear of offending a certain demographic within our society. What I am suggesting is judging a “culture” rather than a race by the content of its character, not by the color of its skin.
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What about the culture of our own area. It is easy to pride ourselves in our small town values, yet cultural relativism has crept in here as well. For example, we live in a culture where premarital sex (fornication) is accepted. We live in a culture where our possessions have become our gods. We live in a culture were divorce and adultery are all too frequent. We live in a culture where we covet and want whatever someone else has. We live in a culture where it is not uncommon for our citizens to get drunk.
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1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
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It is time for people to reject their cultures and embrace God.
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“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
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“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3.
Too often people form their values based on their culture. The problem with such an approach is that it allows culture to determine values rather than God.
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As we consider the subject of cultural relativism, is it acceptable to suggest that some cultures are morally inferior to others? For example, the Children of Israel were warned about a cultural practice of their neighbors the Ammonites who sacrificed their children to the false god Molech by burning them in fire. “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:21. Few would disagree that the culture of child sacrifice is evil.
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The example of the Ammonites is not very controversial, for I do not know of any people who still worship Molech. Therefore I can use that example and not ruffle too many feathers.
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What about a culture that encourages its children to strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up in crowded public areas with the purpose of killing as many people as possible? What about a culture that prides itself in honor killings of relatives who they feel have disgraced their families? From a Biblical perspective, not only must I condemn the religious beliefs of Islam, but also their culture of violence. Some would call me intolerant for such a statement, but what is more intolerant, writing about those we disagree with or killing them? A culture of intolerance that leads to murder is something we all must be concerned about.
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I am saddened that the debate over culture often leads instead to a debate over race. Many Muslims are Arabs, but we must not come to the conclusion that all Arabs are more evil than anyone else. The issue is not their race, but what values they embrace.
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Many of those same issues come up when we examine the values of some of our inner city cultures in this county. For example, a culture that encourages drug use, out of wedlock births, and violence should be spoken against. Sadly, instead of speaking against such a culture, many speak against a race. These behaviors are wrong no matter which races are involved in them. Further, not every person of a particular race does such things, and it is wrong to imply that they do.
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At the same time, it would be just as wrong to ignore the sinful characteristics of a culture just because of a fear of offending a certain demographic within our society. What I am suggesting is judging a “culture” rather than a race by the content of its character, not by the color of its skin.
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What about the culture of our own area. It is easy to pride ourselves in our small town values, yet cultural relativism has crept in here as well. For example, we live in a culture where premarital sex (fornication) is accepted. We live in a culture where our possessions have become our gods. We live in a culture were divorce and adultery are all too frequent. We live in a culture where we covet and want whatever someone else has. We live in a culture where it is not uncommon for our citizens to get drunk.
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1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
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It is time for people to reject their cultures and embrace God.
-
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
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“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3.
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