Category Archives: Christianity

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August 7, 2024

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Christianity, Current Events

How should Christian’s respond to the opening of the Paris Olympics?

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics flaunted transgenderism and celebrated sexual perversion in a display that was lewd and, paradoxically, reminiscent of The Last Supper. The reaction was quick and widespread. Some responded in outrage, some called for a boycott of the Olympics, and some demanded apologies from those responsible. Christians quickly responded and continue to the seek the best response to the shameful tableau. What should characterize a Christian response to disgraceful and displays?

First, men acting as women and promoting vile immorality is wicked. No country, organization or individual should celebrate depravity. The tragic irony of the Paris Olympics’ opening is the producers choice to honor the most egregious desecration of humanity during the prelude to a series of games exhibiting the pinnacle of human potential. The celebration of depraved biological delusion has no place alongside the exhibition of the ability, discipline and skill of the world’s most talented athletes. The bawdy display distracts from those who spent their entire lives in grueling training to reach the heights of their chosen sport. The performers ought to be ashamed of themselves for making the Olympics about them and not about the people who earned the right to be a part of the Olympic games.

Second, Christians should not be surprised when unsaved people act in godless ways. The Olympics games are not sponsored by Christian organizations to highlight the ability of Christian athletes. The Olympics are secular competitions sponsored by unsaved individuals for the entertainment of the lost. Some of the thousands of organizers, hosts, coaches, and athletes associated with the Olympics are Christians. However, Christians make up a small a minority of the total number of people involved. The Olympics have never been about Christian values. Christians should not be surprised by anti-Christian imagery appearing at non-Christian events. Americans are not surprised to find Satanic imagery at a heavy metal concert or to discover immodestly dressed women dancing provocatively during the halftime show of a football game. Nor should anyone be surprised that unsaved people would use an international forum to preach to millions of people their message of flagrant perversion.

Third, Christians should not be surprised by the ungodly acting in ungodly ways, but they should denounce the celebration of homosexuality and transgenderism as a great evil. The event promoted behaviors which God calls abominable, which are contrary to God’s commands, and which pervert God’s design for humanity. The Olympic opening has provided Christians with another opportunity to proclaim God’s design for mankind, marriage and sex.

Fourth, Christians need to be clear about the shamefulness and sinfulness of the abominable display, but they also must remember that the most active promoters of the most wicked, God-hating, humanity-destroying lifestyles are not the enemy. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . . . spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) The perpetrators of this perverse pageant are also victims. They are slaves bound in sin under Satanic dominion. Compassion must be displayed to those involved. The truth must be spoken and love must always characterize the declaration of truth. (Ephesians 4:15) Because the enemy is not fleshly, the weapons Christians are to employ are not fleshly. (2 Corinthians 10:4) Christians are commanded to conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:21) Hatred, name calling, and lies have no place in the Christian response to this event.

Finally, the Bible gives clear direction to Christians about how to respond when they and their Savior are mocked. Christians are not commanded to respond to scorn with outrage. Christians are commanded to, “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness,” (1 Timothy 2:2) and to count themselves blessed because they know every slight will be repaid with abundant reward in Heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

Christians must remember God will judge all those who hate Him, His Son, and His children (Revelation 18:3-10) If the event was intended to be a mockery of Christianity or of Jesus- and those responsible for the display have denied the charge- then, unless they repent, all involved will be held accountable by God for their scorn of His Son and His children. The vulgar display will not go unpunished. God will vindicate the glory of His Son.

In the meantime, Christians must proclaim the message of Jesus. (John 15:27) The only hope for the lost world is salvation. The true problem with the world is not debauched sexuality. The true problem is mankind’s bondage to sin. The salvation of the lost is the only solution to this gross deformity of humanity currently masquerading as freedom, inclusiveness and love. This travesty ought to revive the Christian’s passion to proclaim the gospel to everyone because Christian’s recognize the only hope for the world is in the gospel. The Christian must remember the ultimate aim is not a moral world in which Biblical marriage is upheld, unborn lives are protected, church attendance is high and people are kind to each other. The Christian aim is the rescue of sinners from eternal hell to the eternal praise of God. The only way this will be accomplished is through the faithful preaching of the gospel. (Romans 1:16; 10:14-15) The most effective response to this shameful spectacle is the message of salvation from sin through faith in Jesus. Furthermore, the Second Epistle of Peter specifically defines how believers ought to live in a world hostile to Christians, Christ and Christianity. The right response to the world’s evil disdain is a life of quiet submission to authorities, faithfulness in good works, and obedience to God.

Christians ought to be deeply grieved by the flaunting of wickedness on such a massive scale. Christians ought to remain steadfast in their commitment to Biblical truth. Christians ought always to remember the greatest need of the world is not proper morals or more religion, but salvation from sin by Jesus. So Christians must respond to the 2024 Olympics’ opening the same way Christian’s were commanded to respond to scorn and depravity in first century Rome. Hate sin; endure persecution; preach the gospel; and do good to all men.

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April 23, 2024

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Bible Overview, Christianity

Who was Luke?

Forty different men wrote the Bible. Thirty-nine were Jewish. Only one Biblical author was not a descendant of Abraham. That one man wrote more of the New Testament than any other author. His name is Luke.

Luke did not write the most number of books in the New Testament. Paul wrote thirteen and John wrote five. The two books written by Luke, the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, make up twenty percent of the New Testament. Without the work of Luke, Christians would know little about the earliest days of the church. Despite the historical importance of Luke’s writings, little is known about Luke’s life.

Luke was not one of the twelve apostles and he never saw Jesus. No one knows for certain where he was from or when he was saved. In Acts 16 Luke begins to use the word “we” in his record of the travels of Paul. This change in pronouns suggests Luke joined Paul’s ministry team in Troas. Luke journeyed with Paul into Greece, and appears to have stayed in the province of Macedonia for several years. He rejoined Paul’s team when the apostle returned to Macedonia in Acts 20, and he then traveled with Paul to Jerusalem. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and transfered to Caesarea. Luke followed him to Caesarea and then made the long journey with him to Rome. Luke remained with Paul throughout the apostle’s house arrest. Possibly Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts during his time in Rome.

Luke was the first historian of Christianity. He is the only New Testament writer who did not personally see the resurrected Jesus. Despite not being an apostle or eyewitness of the resurrection, Luke’s writings show he was a conscientious chronicler of the life of Jesus, the beginning of the church and the spread of the gospel. The opening verses of Luke speak of his investigation into the life of Jesus and of his intention to present a well-ordered account of Jesus. He faithfully reproduced the results of that investigation in a two volume work which presented an exact account of the life of Jesus, the growth of the church and the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

The only other personal information known about Luke is that he was a doctor. Paul mentioned Luke in the letter to the Colossians and called him, “The beloved physician.” The latest reference to Luke in the Bible is in 2 Timothy 4. Paul wrote 2 Timothy during his final Roman imprisonment. Shortly before his execution he said, “Only Luke is with me.” Luke remained faithful to Paul when others forsook him. Though Bible is silent about the years between Paul’s first and second Roman imprisonments, it appears that after Paul was released from prison he continued to travel and preach the gospel. Luke probably traveled and ministered alongside him. When Paul was arrested the final time, Luke stayed with him and ministered to him during his final days.

The Bible does not tell what Luke did after the death of Paul. Tradition says Luke settled in Greece and ministered in the city of Thebes. He is said to have lived into his 80’s and to have died at the hands of an angry mob who skinned him alive and then crucified him on an olive tree. We know relatively little about the “beloved physician” who wrote so much of the Bible. We do know he was a faithful minister and a careful historian who produced an invaluable account of the life of Jesus and the early days of His church.

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March 19, 2024

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Christianity, Satan, Sin

Where did evil come from?

Evil exists in the world. A survey of any the news on any given day should be enough to convince a reasonable person evil is real. The question many struggle to answer concerns the origin of evil. Christians have been discussing and debating that question for over 1,500 years. This article offers one explanation for the origin of evil.

The Bible teaches that catastrophe, suffering and death is the result of sin. Man chose to disobey God and his disobedience brought the world under a curse. The curse of sin subjected creation to the many pains of life, from disease to disaster. Sin brought suffering into the world, but what brought about sin?

First, God is not responsible for the existence of sin. He is supremely holy (Isaiah 6:2) and does not approve of sin (Habakkuk 2:13). Every work of God is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4). Second, God alone is the Creator of all things. Nothing which exists, exists independently of God. (John 1:3) These two statements sound like a contradiction. Many have attempted to resolve the apparent contradiction by concluding God must have created evil.

God could not have created evil. When God finished the work of creation He declared everything was very good. (Genesis 1:31) God is perfectly holy. He does not declare anything good which contains evil. Immediately after the creation week God stopped creating (Genesis 2:2). God has created no new thing since He ended His creative work.

The God who is morally holy cannot create evil. God did not create evil during the week of creation. God declared His work of creation was perfect. He has created no new thing since creation was finished. Therefore, God did not create evil.

God did not create evil, but He did create perfect beings able to freely love, serve and worship Him. In giving those creatures freedom to serve Him they also had the ability to refuse to serve Him. Chief among these perfect beings was an angel named Lucifer. Lucifer was beautiful and powerful (Ezekiel 28:13-14). He became filled with pride and thought in his own heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14) Lucifer’s desire for self-exaltation is the origin of sin.

Lucifer, who we know as Satan, did not create evil in the sense of causing some new thing to come into existence. Evil is not the creation of a new way of being, but a perversion of the way made by God. Evil is the corruption of the good which already existed. God created the angels to worship Him. Satan distorted that created purpose and turned it inwards towards himself. Ezekiel 28:17 says of Satan, “You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.” Satan did not act with understanding originating with himself. He had wisdom given to him. Instead of using that wisdom as it was designed to be used, he corrupted wisdom by the promotion of himself. Instead of exalting God as he was created to do, Satan exalted self. Instead of worshiping God, Satan worshiped self. Instead of serving God, Satan served his own selfish desires. The good things God created were rejected and perverted and perverted by Satan.

Evil exists because God’s creatures rejected the good of God and His creation. Evil began with Satan, the Father of lies (John 8:44) who continues to corrupt and counterfeit the good of God. Satan deceived Eve into rejecting the good God had given her. When Adam and Eve rejected God’s goodness to follow Satanic lies, they sinned. The sin of Adam and Eve corrupted their righteous hearts, polluted the hearts of all their descendants and brought a calamitous curse upon the world. Evil originated in the perverse heart of Satan, was spread to the heart of men through his lies and continues to bring sorrow to all the world.

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March 5, 2024

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Christianity, Heaven, Salvation

Does Jesus teach the existence of purgatory?

In Matthew 5:25 Jesus warns that a person who owes another and does not settle the debt with them will be thrown into prison until all is paid. What is the prison Jesus warns about? Some have said this prison is purgatory.

According to those who believe in purgatory, if a Christian is not reconciled to his brother during this life, then after life ends the sinner will be held in a place of spiritual punishment until the entire debt is paid. When the sinner is purged of all their sin they will then be allowed to enter Heaven.

Interpreting the prison in Matthew 5 as a spiritual prison is defended on the grounds that the Sermon on the Mount is talking about spiritual things. Therefore, the prison must also be a spiritual prison. Jesus is teaching what is necessary to enter Heaven, but the Sermon on the Mount is not a list of instructions on how to get there. In Matthew 5:20-48 Jesus shows the impossibility of gaining Heaven by following the Mosaic law or a list of religious regulations. To enter Heaven a person has to be as perfectly righteous as God Himself. (Matthew 5:48)

Furthermore, the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5 involved real, physical things. He speaks of marriage, divorce and adultery. He speaks of giving away a cloak and a tunic, of responding to a slap on the cheek and of going the extra mile. Those were all physical realities that Jesus’ first century audience would have experienced first hand. The coerced mile of Matthew 5:41 was not an allegorical mile, but a genuine journey taken at the command of a Roman soldier.

In Matthew 5:29-30 Jesus does use figures of speech when He speaks of plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand. Those two statements are the only ones which need to be understood as figurative. All the surrounding verses make the most sense as literal descriptions of familiar things. Therefore, the prison Jesus referred to is best understood as a real debtors prison, not a spiritual one.

The great problem with applying Matthew 5:25 to purgatory is the assumption of purgatory itself. Those who teach the existence of purgatory teach that the mercy of Jesus enables the person to become righteous. Each person is responsible, by the grace of Jesus, to put away their sin and make themselves righteous. Sin not put away by the person is punished after this life. Because the person has received the grace of Jesus, Heaven is waiting for them. Because the person still has unresolved sin, he must be punished before he can enter Heaven. Purgatory exists as a theological concept because some sin is left unpunished. Those seeking Heaven must have a means of satisfying the demands of justice on their unpunished sin. The Bible clearly teaches otherwise.

In Hebrews 10:17 God says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Verse 18 adds this most important truth, “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.” God promises those who trust Jesus as their Savior that He will forgive all their sin: past, present or future. First John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Since God completely forgives all a person’s sins when that person receives Jesus for salvation, then no more offering, punishment, purging or purgatory is needed.

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February 13, 2024

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Christianity, Current Events, Marriage

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Should Christians “Cancel” Alistair Begg?

Alistair Begg is the pastor of Parkside Church outside of Cleveland. His preaching ministry is familiar to many through the Truth for Life radio program. Pastor Begg recently became the subject of controversy when he discussed his counsel to a grandmother whose grandson was marrying a transgendered person. The grandmother wanted to know if she should attend the wedding. Begg related that he asked if her grandson knew she did not affirm his lifestyle and marriage. When she answered that he did, Pastor Begg said, “I suggest that you do go to the ceremony. And I suggest that you buy them a gift.” (You can find the full interview here: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/christian-manifesto-interview and a follow up response to his congregation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2bmFuA40T4)

Begg received a lot of backlash from Christians for his advice to her. American Family Radio removed Truth for Life from its lineup and others called for Begg to repent. In response, Pastor Begg said that he has no need to repent of his words.

Marriage is a major battleground today. Many Christians continue to proclaim the Biblical teaching that marriage is the permanent union of one man with one woman. Opposition to this teaching has been intense at times. Many in Christianity have found reason to soften or deny the Bible’s teachings about marriage.

Pastor Begg is theologically conservative with a long history of affirming the truths of the Bible, including a Biblical view of marriage. He has proclaimed without apology that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage is reserved for a man and a woman. In his response to the grandmother he made clear that the marriage in question is contrary to Scripture.

The issue Begg was addressing was not the legitimacy of homosexual marriage but the advisability of a grandparent attending what many conservative Christians would consider a gay wedding. Her question is entirely different from the permissibility or morality of homosexual marriage. Begg’s response does not indicate a difference of belief about marriage. His response suggests a difference of belief about the role of congregants at a wedding and a difference of belief about how best to show love to others.

The words “marriage” and “wedding” are not synonyms. Marriage is a union of people in a legally and socially approved bond. A wedding is a ceremony where the marriage union is joined. Marriage has a lifelong union as its ideal outcome. Sitting through a wedding may feel interminable, but, ideally, it is not a lifelong event.

Many believe attendees at a wedding are playing an active role in the ceremony as witnesses who give their support to the couple and affirm the legitimacy of the union. This belief has a long history. This view of attendee as participant is seen in the familiar ministerial injunction, “If anyone can show just cause why these two may not lawfully be joined in holy matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.” For those who hold this belief, attending a gay wedding gives unspoken approval of the marriage.

On the other hand, many see attendance at a wedding as nothing more than observation. The person attending may be expressing their affection for the participants, but attendance plays no active role in the joining of the couple in matrimony. For those who hold this belief, attending a wedding does not necessarily offer an opinion on the propriety of the marriage.

The Bible is clear about the nature of marriage, but says nothing about the responsibilities or role of those attending a wedding. Legitimate applications to weddings can be drawn from the Biblical teachings on marriage. Those applications must be recognized as responses to the Biblical truth, but not the Biblical truth itself.

The Bible does not speak about the congregant’s role in a wedding. Therefore, attendance at gay wedding must be treated as a matter of conscience. Sound, Biblical reasons can be offered for attending, or refusing to attend, a gay wedding. Each believer must carefully, prayerfully and Biblically consider his own response to this issue. Each believer must permit other Christians the liberty to do the same. Christians should not reject or malign someone like Pastor Begg, who has a long history of faithful Biblical teaching, because they disagree with the counsel he gave on a subject not addressed in the Bible.

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February 6, 2024

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Christianity, God, Religions

Can Christians call God “Mother Earth”?

Wicca and certain forms of paganism revere the earth as a goddess. Gaia, the Great Goddess and Maya are just a few of the many names given to Mother Earth. The common understanding of the earth goddess is that she is one deity among many. She is revered by some as the creator of all life and by others as the giver or the sustainer of life. This worship of the earth as divine is in direct opposition to the Biblical teaching that God alone is God, Creator and Sustainer. However, can Christians use Mother Earth as another name for God?

A person intending to give all credit to Jehovah, the God of the Bible, for the work of creation and for the work of sustaining creation might desire to call Him Mother Earth. Despite good intentions, the God of the Bible must not be referred to as Mother Earth. In common use “Mother Earth” is understood to be a reference to something other than the God of the Bible. This means identifying God as Mother Earth is confusing and misleading to the hearers.

More importantly, God does not permit His worshipers to innovate in their worship of Him. The book of Leviticus is a rule book for the Israelite’s worship of God. The Old Testament gives repeated examples of the consequences of worshiping God in a way other than the way prescribed by Him. The death and resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament ended temple worship and the Old Testament rituals. Jesus’ death did not alter the character of God or the necessity of worshiping Him as He prescribes. God must still be worshiped “in truth.” (John 4:24)

God has revealed Himself exclusively with masculine names and pronouns. None who desire to worship God rightly can refer to Him by feminine names or pronouns. God is declared in Scripture to be “Our Father,” never “Our Mother.” Those who desire to worship God in accord with His revelation cannot call Him by names or titles not given to Him in the Bible.

A handful of passages in the Old Testament describe God with feminine imagery. In Deuteronomy 32:18 God is said to have given birth to Israel. In Psalm 17:8 and Psalm 91:4 God is described as sheltering His child like a hen shelters her chicks. Do these and similar descriptions of God justify referring to Him as Mother? Every description of God using feminine imagery is a description of the work God does. God is never called by a feminine title. Instead, His care for His children is said to be like that of a mother, a nurse or a hen.

The Old Testament uses an abundance of images to describe God’s interactions with people. He is described as having horns, a mighty arm and an all-seeing eye. He is described as riding on clouds and breathing fire against His enemies. None of these are literally true, but are figures of speech intended to teach something about God’s interactions with mankind. The use of feminine imagery does not justify referring to God as Mother Earth any more than the use of barnyard imagery justifies referring to God as Mother Hen.

God has revealed Himself to humanity. God’s revelation to man defines God and in so doing limits the way humans can speak of God. God truly does care for His people like a mother cares for her children, but the people of God must not refer to God by any name other than those revealed by Him in His Word.