I love science. It was in my high school science class that I learned to use pulleys to lift heavy objects. When I farmed I used the scientific research of others to determine the proper amounts of fertilizer to apply to the crops.
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Science is quite helpful, but I realize it has limits as well. Often a new product will come out that promotes higher yields, but I have my doubts. If I’m going to try it, I want independent data from someone other than the guy who is trying to sell it. The oil of a garter snake may or may not improve corn yield, but I want the data from the University, not the snake oil salesman.
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You see, I figure the salesman is too prone to bias. But what if I learned that the snake oil producers had all gotten together and given a donation to the University. Suddenly I would be suspect of their data as well.
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The issue is not that I mistrust science, it is that I mistrust the interpretation of data. I realize that it is impossible to keep bias out when coming to conclusions no matter how well intentioned a scientist may be.
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Actually this is true in any study, not just science. Our bias tends to direct our conclusions regardless of the data we are given. Now as a Christian who believes in the authority and accuracy of the Bible, I come to every issue with a bias toward the scripture. Now we may be inclined to think that all bias is bad, but if I were to try to ignore my scriptural bias, I would have to replace it with an anti-biblical bias. The point is that it is impossible to completely escape our biases.
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Since it is inevitable that I will have some sort of a bias anyway, I will make no apologies for agreeing with God on whatever issue comes up. By doing that I am actually putting my personal bias aside and simply agreeing with God. Not everyone agrees with God, but that doesn’t change the fact that He is right. “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” (Romans 3:3-4)
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If I depart from scripture, I let human bias get in the way. Yet, because I trust God, I have no fear that His Word is true, and I know that the position I hold will be justified in the end as long as it comes from Him.
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Some theologians have had such little faith in God’s Word that they rejected parts of it because the “scientific data” did not seem to support it. When we realize that bias affects all sorts of data, its not surprising that some would be able to come up with data that refutes the Bible. Lets face it, someone could come up with data to refute gravity. All you have to do is throw a ball in the air and ignore the data of it coming back down and you have given evidence that gravity doesn’t exist. So much of the data that “refutes” the Bible does just that sort of thing.
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It is not surprising that avowed atheists would stoop to such levels, but it should sadden us that even clergy would do the same. The Apostle Paul warned, “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:30) Let us not be disciples of man’s bias, but rather followers of God through His Word.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Faith for God’s Glory Not Mine
It is amazing how much courage we can come up with when we want to show off. I recall the time I was knee boarding behind a boat many years ago. I was much younger, more reckless, and more interested in preserving my pride than my health. One of my best friends was driving the boat when one of my other best friends said, “lets drown Jerry.”
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I could tell by the look on their faces that something was up. Soon the boat turned and headed for the wake it had just created. It was fun to jump that wake and show how “good” I was even though I really wasn’t all that “good.” Well, I had shown them that I could jump it without wiping out, so he went around again, this time hitting the double wake. I should have been thinking, “pride goes before a fall,” but instead I was thinking, “no guts no glory.” I should have just let go of the rope, but instead I crested a huge wave and landed right in front of another huge wave that caught the front of the knee board pulling it under water and putting me in a jackknife position.
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The first thing I did when I surfaced was to wiggle my toes to see if they still moved. By God’s grace they did, and after a few chiropractor visits I was alright. My friends felt really bad. They had expected that I would have just let go when I saw the big waves. They had not factored in my selfish pride.
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I fear that sometimes Christians take a similar approach to faith by confusing arrogant confidence with faithful courage. I recently heard of a pastor in a city of less than 3,000 in an area with declining population, suggesting that they should build a 70,000 seat auditorium. No doubt he had confidence, but is that the same as faith? Is it also possible that we could lack confidence and be afraid and still have faith?
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We have been studying Gideon on Sunday nights at First Baptist. He is a great example of a man who was not overly confident, and who was even scared at times, yet he was considered faithful. The book of Hebrews was written many years after Gideon, yet Hebrews 11:32 lists Gideon among those with faith.
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Gideon is such a wonderful example of faith, because he was not trusting in his own ability, but recognized that he could only have victory if God was there to help him. When he was told to go down to the enemy camp, he went even though he was afraid. You see faith is not about a lack of fear, it is about doing God’s will even when we are afraid.
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Going back to my kneeboard example, how many times don’t we go forward even when we are afraid because we think it will help us to look good? Just look at how many guys will do something scary to try to impress a cute girl. As Christians, we should have even more zeal to do things for God and His glory than we do for our own glory. We should go forward and serve Him and do what is right, even if it is scary.
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What if serving God did not improve your standing? What if doing right did not make you look better? Would you still do what God expected? As Christians we need to get out of the rut of being so focused on ourselves and our own improvement- our own pride- and focus instead on God’s glory and His will regardless of what it does for us personally.
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If you are serving God simply so you can look good, that isn’t courageous at all. But if you go forward and do what is right even if it is scary and no one notices, that is true faithfulness. Are you motivated by pride or faithfulness? Will you be found faithful?
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I could tell by the look on their faces that something was up. Soon the boat turned and headed for the wake it had just created. It was fun to jump that wake and show how “good” I was even though I really wasn’t all that “good.” Well, I had shown them that I could jump it without wiping out, so he went around again, this time hitting the double wake. I should have been thinking, “pride goes before a fall,” but instead I was thinking, “no guts no glory.” I should have just let go of the rope, but instead I crested a huge wave and landed right in front of another huge wave that caught the front of the knee board pulling it under water and putting me in a jackknife position.
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The first thing I did when I surfaced was to wiggle my toes to see if they still moved. By God’s grace they did, and after a few chiropractor visits I was alright. My friends felt really bad. They had expected that I would have just let go when I saw the big waves. They had not factored in my selfish pride.
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I fear that sometimes Christians take a similar approach to faith by confusing arrogant confidence with faithful courage. I recently heard of a pastor in a city of less than 3,000 in an area with declining population, suggesting that they should build a 70,000 seat auditorium. No doubt he had confidence, but is that the same as faith? Is it also possible that we could lack confidence and be afraid and still have faith?
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We have been studying Gideon on Sunday nights at First Baptist. He is a great example of a man who was not overly confident, and who was even scared at times, yet he was considered faithful. The book of Hebrews was written many years after Gideon, yet Hebrews 11:32 lists Gideon among those with faith.
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Gideon is such a wonderful example of faith, because he was not trusting in his own ability, but recognized that he could only have victory if God was there to help him. When he was told to go down to the enemy camp, he went even though he was afraid. You see faith is not about a lack of fear, it is about doing God’s will even when we are afraid.
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Going back to my kneeboard example, how many times don’t we go forward even when we are afraid because we think it will help us to look good? Just look at how many guys will do something scary to try to impress a cute girl. As Christians, we should have even more zeal to do things for God and His glory than we do for our own glory. We should go forward and serve Him and do what is right, even if it is scary.
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What if serving God did not improve your standing? What if doing right did not make you look better? Would you still do what God expected? As Christians we need to get out of the rut of being so focused on ourselves and our own improvement- our own pride- and focus instead on God’s glory and His will regardless of what it does for us personally.
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If you are serving God simply so you can look good, that isn’t courageous at all. But if you go forward and do what is right even if it is scary and no one notices, that is true faithfulness. Are you motivated by pride or faithfulness? Will you be found faithful?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Submission’s Humble Virtue
Our two oldest boys like candy. They really love the suckers that they are given at the bank. In fact, when I went online to check my account, once the picture of our local bank came on the computer screen, our toddler pointed and said “sucker.” He has already connected the bank with candy and really likes going there.
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As I am writing, my wife was getting ready to go to the new yarn shop open house and was talking about the coffee and cookies. That same little guy piped up, “coffee and treats!” If we did not restrict his diet, he would eat treats all day long.
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We don’t let him eat as much candy as he wants to. We place limits on our children. We expect them to obey those limits.
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Of course they would love to have their candy limit lifted, but are learning that Mom and Dad have to be obeyed even if that is not what they want. It is a good lesson, because some day they will have to obey others besides us. Once they get a job, they will have to obey their boss. Once they make money from that job, they will have to obey the government and pay taxes. There are many other laws that they will have to obey as well.
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As independent Americans, it is easy to forget that the Bible teaches that we must submit to those who are in authority. I Peter 2:13-18 instructs believers about submitting to the rules of government and those we work for. Youth are to submit to their elders (I Peter 5:5), wives to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22), believers to church leaders (Hebrews 13:17), children to parents (Ephesians 6:1), and all to God (James 4:7).
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Our submission to God must be the ruling authority for all other submission. What if an employer asks his employee to embezzle? What if a parent asks a child to lie? What if a husbands tells his wife she is not allowed to pray? What if a government orders a citizen to kill the innocent? What if a church leader uses authority to take advantage of a child or orders his followers to commit suicide? In these things and others like them, we ought to answer like the apostles: “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
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Submission should never become an excuse for sin, but the teaching of submission must not be ignored either. We must realize that without submission there would be chaos. Romans 13:3-4 shows how submission brings stability.
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Some have balked at the idea of submission because they figure they are just as important as the person they are told they should submit to. The issue of submission is not an issue of worth. I see great worth in my little boys even though I expect them to obey. As I consider worth, no man who ever walked this earth was worth as much as the Lord Jesus Christ, yet even He submitted to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51).
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Submission is not an issue of worth, but of humility. Christ set the example of humility when He being God came to earth as a man (Philippians 2:3-8). Will we be humble enough to submit to others so that we might obey God and live a life of stability or will we be too proud to obey?
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As I am writing, my wife was getting ready to go to the new yarn shop open house and was talking about the coffee and cookies. That same little guy piped up, “coffee and treats!” If we did not restrict his diet, he would eat treats all day long.
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We don’t let him eat as much candy as he wants to. We place limits on our children. We expect them to obey those limits.
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Of course they would love to have their candy limit lifted, but are learning that Mom and Dad have to be obeyed even if that is not what they want. It is a good lesson, because some day they will have to obey others besides us. Once they get a job, they will have to obey their boss. Once they make money from that job, they will have to obey the government and pay taxes. There are many other laws that they will have to obey as well.
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As independent Americans, it is easy to forget that the Bible teaches that we must submit to those who are in authority. I Peter 2:13-18 instructs believers about submitting to the rules of government and those we work for. Youth are to submit to their elders (I Peter 5:5), wives to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22), believers to church leaders (Hebrews 13:17), children to parents (Ephesians 6:1), and all to God (James 4:7).
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Our submission to God must be the ruling authority for all other submission. What if an employer asks his employee to embezzle? What if a parent asks a child to lie? What if a husbands tells his wife she is not allowed to pray? What if a government orders a citizen to kill the innocent? What if a church leader uses authority to take advantage of a child or orders his followers to commit suicide? In these things and others like them, we ought to answer like the apostles: “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
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Submission should never become an excuse for sin, but the teaching of submission must not be ignored either. We must realize that without submission there would be chaos. Romans 13:3-4 shows how submission brings stability.
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Some have balked at the idea of submission because they figure they are just as important as the person they are told they should submit to. The issue of submission is not an issue of worth. I see great worth in my little boys even though I expect them to obey. As I consider worth, no man who ever walked this earth was worth as much as the Lord Jesus Christ, yet even He submitted to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51).
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Submission is not an issue of worth, but of humility. Christ set the example of humility when He being God came to earth as a man (Philippians 2:3-8). Will we be humble enough to submit to others so that we might obey God and live a life of stability or will we be too proud to obey?
Friday, January 14, 2011
Lessons From a Baby’s Joy
Our little baby is starting to grow up. We got so excited when he rolled over for the first time and now he is able to scoot around and get wherever he wants to go. Since my office is right in the parsonage, he often ends up crawling under my desk and playing at my feet.
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As the rest of us were eating breakfast this morning, he was laying on the floor, happily exploring his surroundings. Suddenly our three year old exclaimed, “oh, oh, baby!” as he pointed at the little guy playing with the vacuum cleaner hose. Though the hose was harmless, it was connected to a handle that was leaning against the wall and could have hit him.
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I was quite pleased that our toddler saw the danger and warned of it. He has become quite the protector of his little brother when he is not sitting on him or trying to wrestle with him.
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In fact, when I told the baby, “no, no” as he started to crawl into the bathroom, his big brother again came to his aid- this time by grabbing his little feet and pulling him backwards into the living room. Ironically, the baby loved it. He smiled all the way, just as he often does when he is being sat on or wrestled with. As long as his brothers aren’t too rough with him, he loves the attention.
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As I began to reflect on our sons, I had to ask, “do I love God’s attention in the same way our baby loves the attention from his brothers?” Think of it this way, if God were to grab our feet and pull us away from trouble, would we be grateful for it, or would we feel mistreated by Him?
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Psalm 66 is a Psalm of appreciation and blessing to God. It speaks of how impressive and frightening His powerful works are and then concludes with a recognition of His mercy. Yet right in the middle of the Psalm we read of God actually causing trials in our lives and then delivering us from them. “For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” (Ps 66:10-12)
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Notice that God caused the trials. He brings trials to refine man just like silver is refined- to get a better product in the end. Sometimes God gives us circumstances that we have to suffer through in order to grow us and even to give us a better life in the end. As we go through the trials, do we get mad at Him or are we grateful that He is paying attention to us? Our baby was grabbed by the feet and pulled to a better place. Shouldn’t we be pleased when God brings us to a better place in our walk with Him through trials? Shouldn’t we be happy that He cares enough about us to pay attention to us?
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As I watch our toddler wrestle with his little brother I often worry that he might get too rough and hurt the baby. I do not need to worry when God lays affliction on our loins though. He knows how to interact with us without going too far. In fact, as we trust Him, we are promised not to be given more than we can bear.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
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So the next time that you go through diverse trials in life, count it all joy, reacting like the baby did as he was drug from the bathroom floor to the soft carpet of the living room.
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As the rest of us were eating breakfast this morning, he was laying on the floor, happily exploring his surroundings. Suddenly our three year old exclaimed, “oh, oh, baby!” as he pointed at the little guy playing with the vacuum cleaner hose. Though the hose was harmless, it was connected to a handle that was leaning against the wall and could have hit him.
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I was quite pleased that our toddler saw the danger and warned of it. He has become quite the protector of his little brother when he is not sitting on him or trying to wrestle with him.
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In fact, when I told the baby, “no, no” as he started to crawl into the bathroom, his big brother again came to his aid- this time by grabbing his little feet and pulling him backwards into the living room. Ironically, the baby loved it. He smiled all the way, just as he often does when he is being sat on or wrestled with. As long as his brothers aren’t too rough with him, he loves the attention.
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As I began to reflect on our sons, I had to ask, “do I love God’s attention in the same way our baby loves the attention from his brothers?” Think of it this way, if God were to grab our feet and pull us away from trouble, would we be grateful for it, or would we feel mistreated by Him?
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Psalm 66 is a Psalm of appreciation and blessing to God. It speaks of how impressive and frightening His powerful works are and then concludes with a recognition of His mercy. Yet right in the middle of the Psalm we read of God actually causing trials in our lives and then delivering us from them. “For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” (Ps 66:10-12)
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Notice that God caused the trials. He brings trials to refine man just like silver is refined- to get a better product in the end. Sometimes God gives us circumstances that we have to suffer through in order to grow us and even to give us a better life in the end. As we go through the trials, do we get mad at Him or are we grateful that He is paying attention to us? Our baby was grabbed by the feet and pulled to a better place. Shouldn’t we be pleased when God brings us to a better place in our walk with Him through trials? Shouldn’t we be happy that He cares enough about us to pay attention to us?
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As I watch our toddler wrestle with his little brother I often worry that he might get too rough and hurt the baby. I do not need to worry when God lays affliction on our loins though. He knows how to interact with us without going too far. In fact, as we trust Him, we are promised not to be given more than we can bear.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
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So the next time that you go through diverse trials in life, count it all joy, reacting like the baby did as he was drug from the bathroom floor to the soft carpet of the living room.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Mary Was Blessed With Christ
As I was preparing to write this article, I looked over at my wife who was holding our youngest son who is now seven months old. As I watched them I began to think of Mary holding Baby Jesus so long ago. What a joy she must have had as she realized she was not holding just any baby, but the promised Messiah Himself.
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She had been told about Him before He was even born. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
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What a privilege it must have been to be able to give birth to the Lord and to raise Him from a little baby. No wonder both the angel and Mary’s cousin Elisabeth said that she was blessed among women.
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The words of the angel leave no doubt that Mary was a wonderful woman. “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28)
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Though Mary was a wonderful woman, some have raised her much higher than she deserves, even suggesting she was sinless and saying that she provides for our salvation along with Christ. Such teaching is blasphemy, for Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
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Some may argue that by trusting in Mary, they are only trusting her in addition to Christ, but Acts 4:12 makes it very clear that there is no one else to trust other than Jesus Christ when it comes to salvation: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
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Even Mary’s own words show that she was not depending on her own righteousness but on God Himself. “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)
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So if Mary isn’t our co redeemer with Christ, why did the angel say that she was highly favored and blessed among women? The answer is easy. It was a wonderful honor for her to be able to give birth to God in the flesh. It was something no other woman would get to do, but that did not mean that Mary was the only woman in history that was highly favored or blessed by God.
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In fact, hundreds of years before Mary another woman was also praised for the important role she played in God’s plan. “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.” (Judges 5:24)
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Though Mary and Jael were both significant women in God’s plan and both were blessed to be used of God, neither of them can help us into heaven. There is only one mediator between God and man, and that mediator is Jesus Christ, not Mary or any other clergy for that matter. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5)
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She had been told about Him before He was even born. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
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What a privilege it must have been to be able to give birth to the Lord and to raise Him from a little baby. No wonder both the angel and Mary’s cousin Elisabeth said that she was blessed among women.
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The words of the angel leave no doubt that Mary was a wonderful woman. “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28)
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Though Mary was a wonderful woman, some have raised her much higher than she deserves, even suggesting she was sinless and saying that she provides for our salvation along with Christ. Such teaching is blasphemy, for Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
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Some may argue that by trusting in Mary, they are only trusting her in addition to Christ, but Acts 4:12 makes it very clear that there is no one else to trust other than Jesus Christ when it comes to salvation: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
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Even Mary’s own words show that she was not depending on her own righteousness but on God Himself. “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)
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So if Mary isn’t our co redeemer with Christ, why did the angel say that she was highly favored and blessed among women? The answer is easy. It was a wonderful honor for her to be able to give birth to God in the flesh. It was something no other woman would get to do, but that did not mean that Mary was the only woman in history that was highly favored or blessed by God.
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In fact, hundreds of years before Mary another woman was also praised for the important role she played in God’s plan. “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.” (Judges 5:24)
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Though Mary and Jael were both significant women in God’s plan and both were blessed to be used of God, neither of them can help us into heaven. There is only one mediator between God and man, and that mediator is Jesus Christ, not Mary or any other clergy for that matter. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5)
Friday, December 17, 2010
The Miracle of the Virgin Birth
Christmas has become a time to celebrate the eternally existing God coming to earth as a little baby born in Bethlehem. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)
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We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but how was the everlasting God conceived into a human mother? One of the miracles of Christ’s birth is that He was born of a virgin. Sadly the whole concept of the virgin birth has been challenged by Bible critics. For example they have pointed out that the word that was translated virgin can simply mean a young woman. Linguists could defend the choice of the word “virgin” to describe Mary, but even without that debate, the scripture is very clear that she was in fact a virgin when Christ was born.
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Consider Matthew 1:18, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Notice that before she had even been with Joseph, she was with child. In fact, when Mary was told she would have a baby, she was confused. “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34) She had not been with Joseph or any other man for that matter. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
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The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ entered her womb. Soon He was born, and grew into a man. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy that God would be with us. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) These verses prove not only the virgin birth, but also the deity of Christ (that He is God).
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Joseph took Mary to be his wife because an angel had explained to him about this virgin birth, and he did not come unto her until after Christ was born. “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:25) Mary later had other children. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” (Mark 6:3) Joseph did go on to raise Jesus as his own son, but Luke makes it very clear that Joseph was not His biological father. “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,” (Luke 3:23). In fact, earlier in Luke 2:43, Luke refers to the parents of our Lord as Joseph and his mother, not father and mother.
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So why does all this matter? Adam was the first man and all men since Adam, with the exception of Christ, have had a human father. Sin has passed on all men from their fathers. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12) Adam’s sin did not pass on to Christ though, because His father is God, not a descendant of Adam. Therefore Christ is perfectly sinless- not just in deed, but in position. That perfect righteousness of Christ, allowed Him to pay for our sins. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)
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As you celebrate Christmas, understand that the virgin birth allowed God to be born into this world in perfection so that He could pay for your sins. If you have not trusted Him, what better time of year to give your life to Christ?
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We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but how was the everlasting God conceived into a human mother? One of the miracles of Christ’s birth is that He was born of a virgin. Sadly the whole concept of the virgin birth has been challenged by Bible critics. For example they have pointed out that the word that was translated virgin can simply mean a young woman. Linguists could defend the choice of the word “virgin” to describe Mary, but even without that debate, the scripture is very clear that she was in fact a virgin when Christ was born.
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Consider Matthew 1:18, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Notice that before she had even been with Joseph, she was with child. In fact, when Mary was told she would have a baby, she was confused. “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34) She had not been with Joseph or any other man for that matter. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
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The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ entered her womb. Soon He was born, and grew into a man. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy that God would be with us. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) These verses prove not only the virgin birth, but also the deity of Christ (that He is God).
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Joseph took Mary to be his wife because an angel had explained to him about this virgin birth, and he did not come unto her until after Christ was born. “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:25) Mary later had other children. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” (Mark 6:3) Joseph did go on to raise Jesus as his own son, but Luke makes it very clear that Joseph was not His biological father. “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,” (Luke 3:23). In fact, earlier in Luke 2:43, Luke refers to the parents of our Lord as Joseph and his mother, not father and mother.
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So why does all this matter? Adam was the first man and all men since Adam, with the exception of Christ, have had a human father. Sin has passed on all men from their fathers. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12) Adam’s sin did not pass on to Christ though, because His father is God, not a descendant of Adam. Therefore Christ is perfectly sinless- not just in deed, but in position. That perfect righteousness of Christ, allowed Him to pay for our sins. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)
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As you celebrate Christmas, understand that the virgin birth allowed God to be born into this world in perfection so that He could pay for your sins. If you have not trusted Him, what better time of year to give your life to Christ?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Learning Through Instruction
My favorite class in high school was industrial arts. I quickly decided that I had the confidence to put in studs and hang sheetrock, but I did not have the confidence to finish the sheetrock or to put up the fancy wooden trim at the end. Any mistakes made at that late step in the process would be very difficult if not impossible to hide without much skill.
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Several years later I was putting my basic carpentry skills to use helping on a church addition. The man who was planning to do much of the trim work ended up getting cancer and was too weak to do it. I was willing, but did not have the skills nor confidence I needed. I remembered some of the basics that I had learned back in high school about coping joints for corners and a few other tricks, but I still had much to learn.
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Fortunately my friend Gerrit, the man with cancer, was patient enough to give me instruction as I worked, and the project was completed. Without him, I don’t think I would have even attempted it. Because of his help, I can now easily put up wood trim.
Instruction about the Bible is actually a lot like my carpentry instruction. Many of us know a little bit about the Bible, but we really don’t know how to use it. We need someone to explain it to us, just like Gerrit explained the carpentry to me.
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In Acts 8:26-35, the evangelist Philip is able to do that for a man who he met on the road. The man was riding in a chariot and reading from the book of Isaiah (likely chapter 53). He did not understand what he was reading. Philip then comes along and explains to him what he is reading about.
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As a pastor, I want to do what Philip did. I want to take the Bible and explain to people what it is saying so that they can understand it. But I don’t just want to show them what it says, I want them to start to use it themselves as they begin to understand it. Just as Gerrit was faithful in teaching me how to cut and nail wood trim, I want others to be faithful in using God’s Word. I want to teach them so that they can teach others just like Paul did with Timothy. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:2)
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As I have talked to others, I have found that there are a few people that know their Bibles quite well, but there are also many who just know a few basic points from the scriptures. I have also found that there are a lot of people who really don’t know much at all about the Bible.
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If that is you and you want to know more, please do not feel ashamed. I think of what the man that Philip met on the road said as he was asked if he understood what he read. He said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” Just as Gerrit guided me in my carpentry skills, it is my job to guide people in understanding what the Bible says. That is why at First Baptist in Bancroft, we study it verse by verse, as we explain it and relate it to our lives. If you want to learn more, you are welcome to visit our services or call me at my office anytime at 885-2702. I’d love to get together for a Bible study.
-
Several years later I was putting my basic carpentry skills to use helping on a church addition. The man who was planning to do much of the trim work ended up getting cancer and was too weak to do it. I was willing, but did not have the skills nor confidence I needed. I remembered some of the basics that I had learned back in high school about coping joints for corners and a few other tricks, but I still had much to learn.
-
Fortunately my friend Gerrit, the man with cancer, was patient enough to give me instruction as I worked, and the project was completed. Without him, I don’t think I would have even attempted it. Because of his help, I can now easily put up wood trim.
Instruction about the Bible is actually a lot like my carpentry instruction. Many of us know a little bit about the Bible, but we really don’t know how to use it. We need someone to explain it to us, just like Gerrit explained the carpentry to me.
-
In Acts 8:26-35, the evangelist Philip is able to do that for a man who he met on the road. The man was riding in a chariot and reading from the book of Isaiah (likely chapter 53). He did not understand what he was reading. Philip then comes along and explains to him what he is reading about.
-
As a pastor, I want to do what Philip did. I want to take the Bible and explain to people what it is saying so that they can understand it. But I don’t just want to show them what it says, I want them to start to use it themselves as they begin to understand it. Just as Gerrit was faithful in teaching me how to cut and nail wood trim, I want others to be faithful in using God’s Word. I want to teach them so that they can teach others just like Paul did with Timothy. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:2)
-
As I have talked to others, I have found that there are a few people that know their Bibles quite well, but there are also many who just know a few basic points from the scriptures. I have also found that there are a lot of people who really don’t know much at all about the Bible.
-
If that is you and you want to know more, please do not feel ashamed. I think of what the man that Philip met on the road said as he was asked if he understood what he read. He said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” Just as Gerrit guided me in my carpentry skills, it is my job to guide people in understanding what the Bible says. That is why at First Baptist in Bancroft, we study it verse by verse, as we explain it and relate it to our lives. If you want to learn more, you are welcome to visit our services or call me at my office anytime at 885-2702. I’d love to get together for a Bible study.
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