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July 13, 2021

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Humanity, Sin

What is the conscience?

Sometimes the turmoil of trying to decide between doing right or wrong is illustrated with a devil sitting on a person’s shoulder and an angel sitting on the other. Both whisper in the person’s ear in an effort to persuade him which choice to make. This illustration is an entirely fictional representation of the familiar pull between right and wrong. Everyone knows the battle between what you should do and what you want to do. That voice whispering in your ear telling you to do right is your conscience. The voice that tells you when you’ve done wrong is your conscience.

The Bible describes the conscience and tells how the person should respond to his conscience. The apostle Paul expressed his desire to have a clear conscience (Acts 24:18) and he warned of those who had their consciences cauterized by much sin (1 Timothy 4:2). The apostle Peter exhorted Christians to do good so they would have a good conscience. (1 Peter 3:16)

Modern science attributes the conscience to social structure. According to modern thinking conscience is a result of humans being are social creatures. We learn right and wrong from our society. We strive do what is accepted by our culture to maximize our ability to receive the evolutionary benefits of being part of a group. While still young we let external social standards become an internal judge by which we determine right from wrong.

The Bible disagrees. The conscience is not something created by the pressures and standards of culture. Scripture represents the conscience as a personal, internal reality that exists in all people. Romans 2:14 speaks of those who do not have a written copy of the law of God but who naturally do what is contained in the law. That this is true is evident by the cross-cultural nature of basic morals. Murder, deceit, theft and marital unfaithfulness are nearly universally condemned. Even in situations where a man may be praised for slaughtering his enemies, he will be condemned for killing his next door neighbor. A man may be honored because he has a large harem, yet he would suffer disapproval for sleeping with another man’s wife. Nearly all of the last six of the ten commandments find their counterparts in cultures across the world. A universal basic morality exists because of the conscience.

The most important Biblical passage describing the conscience is Romans 2. The conscience teaches all men the basics of right and wrong, condemns disobedience and defends obedience (Romans 2:15).The conscience is the little voice inside each heart that evaluates our actions. The conscience holds court on our thoughts, desires and behaviors. The conscience is the inborn understanding of God’s standards and our internal prosecutor which points out when we violate those standards.

The conscience is not created by society, but it can be shaped by our culture, upbringing and religion. The conscience can be taught, mis-taught, hardened and over-sensitized. Sin corrupts the conscience. (Titus 1:15) When ignored the conscience becomes desensitized and eventually insensible. The conscience can also be trained. When the Bible is rightly understood and rightly applied it teaches the conscience to reflect Biblical principles of right and wrong.

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June 22, 2021

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Current Events, Sexuality

Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?

Yes it does. The Bible forbids homosexual sex without equivocation or exception.. In the book of Leviticus is possibly the clearest condemnation of homosexuality. “If a man lie with mankind as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13)

Some protest that because this clear statement is found in the Old Testament it has no more application to today than the condemnation of shellfish. This kind of response can only come from one who has not seriously considered the teachinga of the Bible. Anyone who gives the Bible legitimate, unbiased study will recognize the Bible treats all forms of sexual immorality as always forbidden, while the dietary laws were temporary in effect. Further, the passage in Leviticus that forbids homosexuality also prohibits bestiality and incest. Few people today argue these are acceptable practices even though the Bible rarely mentions them outside the Old Testament law.

Those who still want to ignore the Old Testament commands find no refuge in the New Testament. Every time the epistles mention homosexual behavior they place it in a negative light. First Corinthians includes homosexuality in the list of works of unrighteousness which those who practice them cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. First Corinthians speaks of homosexuality euphemistically calling homosexuals “abusers of themselves with mankind.” Clearly, the New Testament does not consider homosexuality to be acceptable. The words of Romans 1 are even stronger. Homosexuality is the sign of God’s judgment on a people group. Those who reject God are given over to their own lusts. They work that which is not convenient and dishonor their own bodies. Women change the natural use into something against nature. Men burn with lust towards other men. Romans 1 calls homosexuality an unnatural act that disfigures and perverts the image of God in man. These two passages are more than sufficient to show that the New Testament clearly condemns homosexuality.

Some have argued that because Jesus did not condemn homosexuality then Christians today should not condemn homosexuality. First, consider the fact that the Jesus is God and the Bible is the Word of God. If the Bible condemns homosexuality then Jesus condemned homosexuality. Second, a strong case can be made that the New Testament commands against immorality are a summary of the Old Testament sexual prohibitions. When Jesus condemned fornication (Mark 7:21-23) He was doing more than condemning sex between two unmarried people. As a Jew Jesus understood the sexual laws recorded in the law of Moses. Fornication includes all the illicit sexual activity condemned in the law of Moses, which included homosexuality. Even further, if there was no condemnation of homosexuality recorded in the gospels the absence of a condemnation does not imply approval. Jesus did not condemn video piracy, but no one argues that He supports it. More seriously, Jesus never condemned slavery. Yet no one today seriously argues that Jesus was in favor of slavery.

Despite the efforts of those who teach otherwise the Bible clearly condemns homosexuality in all its forms. Despite the cultural demands that everyone support and celebrate homosexuality, the Biblical position is to condemn it. Homosexual sex is a perversion of God’s design for sex. It is a sign of the judgment of God on mankind. Homosexuality is a sin.

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June 15, 2021

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God, Jesus, Salvation

Do I Have to Believe Jesus is God to be Saved?

Jesus claimed to be God. The New Testament claims Jesus is God. The early church believed Jesus is God. Jesus is God. The Deity of Jesus is one of several most important truths in all of Christianity. As important as the deity of Jesus is, does a person have to believe Jesus is God before he can be saved? Is the Deity of Jesus something the Christian can grow to believe after salvation?

The gospel message includes a series of significant facts which must be believed for salvation. These facts include the death of Jesus on the cross for sin, the guilt of the individual, the resurrection of Jesus and the willingness of God to give salvation to those who trust Him. The Bible also teaches a person must believe Jesus is God to be saved.

Romans 10:9 connects the confession of Jesus as God with salvation. “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.” Whenever the New Testament always uses the title Lord to refer to Jesus it is always a declaration of His Deity. The title hearkens back Jehovah, the name of God given in the Old Testament. To call Jesus Lord is to declare that He is God. Romans 10 promises you will be saved if you confess the Lord Jesus. Believing the Deity of Jesus is clearly a condition of salvation.

1 John 5 says that those who are born of God are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 4:15 says salvation is given to those who confess the Deity of Jesus. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” John 20:31 says eternal life comes through believing Jesus is God the Son. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” These verses plainly declare that believing the Deity of Jesus is essential for salvation. No one can be saved without first acknowledging that Jesus is God.

Likewise, any one who denies the Deity of Jesus is not saved. First John is equally plain on this point. “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.” Denying the Deity of Jesus is proof a person is not saved, and those who deny Jesus make themselves His enemies. They are antichrist.

The Bible claims Jesus is God. The New Testament gives an abundance of evidence that Jesus is God. If you believe He is God who died for your sin and rose to life again you can be saved.

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June 8, 2021

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Salvation

What does it mean to have your name “blotted out of the Book of Life?”

In Revelation 3:5 Jesus promises Christians in Sardis that those who stand firm against unrighteousness He will “not blot his name out of the book of life.” This raises a few questions. What is the book of life? What is the significance of your name being in the book of life? What is the consequence of having your name blotted out of the book?

The Book of Life is the heavenly record of all who are saved. It is mentioned once in Philippians. All the other New Testament references to it are in the book of Revelation. These passages tell us that those who are in the book of life will be given access to the New Jerusalem. Those whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the Lake of Fire. To have your name in the book of life is to be on record in heaven as a Christian and a possessor of eternal life.

Can someone have their name taken out of the book of life? In other words, can a Christian lose their salvation? The Bible clearly teaches that a Christian cannot possibly lose his salvation. Passages like Romans 8:31-19, John 10:28-29, 1 Peter 1:5 and Hebrews 7:25 make it abundantly clear that the Christian cannot lose his salvation. Salvation is secured by Jesus and by God the Father. Because the Bible does not ever contradict itself the statement about blotting names out of the book of life cannot be a threat to take away someone’s salvation.

The promise that their names will not be blotted out of the book of life is not a warning that names of Christians can be erased from the book. The structure of the letters in Revelation 2 and 3 makes it clear the statement in question is not a warning about losing salvation but is instead a promise of God. The letters from Jesus to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 all follow the same basic pattern. Each letter includes a declaration of the greatness of Jesus, an evaluation of the church, a call to obedience, a warning of judgment and a promise of reward. In each letter the warning of judgment is separated from the promise of reward. They are distinct sections that do not overlap at all. In the letter to the church in Sardis the warning is that Jesus will come suddenly upon them when they are not ready for Him. The promise is that the faithful will be clothed in white raiment, their name will not be blotted out of the book of life and they will have their name confessed before the Father and His angels. This statement about the book of life is a promise of a reward, not a hint at condemnation. The promise that their name will not be blotted out is similar to the promise of Revelation 2:11, “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” Those who are faithful to the Lord show they are saved. The promise of God is that those who are saved will not suffer eternal death and they will not be taken out of the book of life. Instead of a threat that salvation can be lost, Revelation 3:5 is a promise that salvation will never be taken away.

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June 1, 2021

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Christianity, The Gospel

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Is the Gospel about Social Change?

The Great Commission commands the Christian to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) To fulfill the Great Commission the believer must understand the gospel. Unfortunately, this is not as straightforward as it might seem. The political and social turmoil of recent years has given renewed urgency to certain ones who teach that the gospel is about social change. Tony Evans said, “There’s the content of the gospel that takes you to Heaven, but there’s also the scope of the gospel, which brings Heaven to earth.” His perspective is widely held by Evangelicals. But it is not held by all evangelicals. John MacArthur spearheaded a group that issued a lengthy statement opposing making social reformation a part of the gospel.

The social gospel is a version of the gospel that makes the reformation of society, the promotion of social justice, provision for the poor and the advancement of equity in societal systems to be integral to the gospel message. According to this view a gospel that does not include the call to renovate culture is an abbreviated gospel. Does the gospel message include the renovation of culture?

The discussion of the social gospel is not a question of whether the gospel produces change in a society. Few would deny the profound impact salvation has upon the individual and, as a result, on society. The issue is whether the gospel message demands a call to bring about cultural change. When Tony Evans said the scope of the gospel brings heaven to earth, he is saying the gospel is designed to transform the world to be more like the kingdom of God. In many minds, a gospel without a call for social renovation is not the gospel.

The Bible gives a very clear definition of the gospel. Scriptures presents the gospel in many places and teaches the gospel in a variety of ways, but only one place in the Bible specifically sets out to define the substance of the gospel. “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) This passage must be the final authority when creating a definition of the gospel because it is the only place in the whole Bible which intends to define the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15 lists several key facts of the gospel. First, is the person of Jesus- He is Christ. Second is His death. Third is the reason for His death- our sin. Fourth, is the fulfillment of God’s promises- according to the Scripture. Last, the burial and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel message is a message of individual sin and of God the Son who died to save us from our sin. The Bible never presents societal change as a component of the gospel. The Bible does not teach that man’s chief problem is an unjust political system or income inequality. The problem of man is not external to him. The problem of man is not social. The problem of mankind is internal to each individual. The problem of man is sin that resides in every human heart. The solution of the gospel is the forgiveness of sin, which makes each one who believes a new creature.

When enough people are saved and live in obedience to God society will change. This change is not the message of the gospel, but the result of the gospel. The distinction between of cause and effect must not be ignored. To confuse the results of the gospel with the gospel itself is to risk creating a false gospel.