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This
book is meant to be a springboard
to
help Christians come to grips with understanding where they stand as Christians,
in a world which is saturated with non-Biblical thinking. I have tried to
collect relevant examples to illustrate typical situations in which Christians
are caught. I have also tried to make a difference between straight Bible
teaching and my own personal opinions, because I know there are Christians who
hold many different positions on some things.
Drawing
the Line
At
a school Shakespeare competition, after a scene full of cackling witches,
someone announced to the audience that there had been a "real" witch
in the cast, and also that a "Christian" was also one of them. God
playing the devil? It seemed rather incongruous, to have a Christian hovering
around a cauldron chanting spells and incantations. Whether or not the
"Christian" referred to was genuine or not makes no difference, the
fact is, it seemed (to someone) like a point worth making to inform the audience
that a "Christian" had played the part of a witch.
This
set me thinking about whether Christians can, in drama anyway, legitimately play
the part of what is supposedly the ‘opposition’. I think they can, provided
the setting is a drama of some sort. In this setting, a Christian can play any
role, and play it well, but then this leads to the problem of the ‘value’ of
the production. Should a Christian swear, pretend to take drugs, lie, cheat and
behave like an animal, all in the name of Drama? And then comes the alternative
question - would a ‘practising witch’ be interested in playing the part of
an "evangelical, Bible-preaching Christian"? To both questions - I
doubt it very much.
The
fact is, Christians are supposed to be different from people who are not
Christians, not the same. Did Jesus ever try to blend in by compromising his
standards? Was the Early Church persecuted by Rome because there were no obvious
differences between it and the pagan society it lived in the midst of? What used
to come naturally to the Christians - greed, dishonesty, deception,
hypocrisy, etc, was now to be resisted. What used to give them very
little trouble conscience-wise, was now an obstacle to be overcome.
It
is all a matter of drawing the line, and knowing where to draw it.
The
Bible is (among other things) a book of rules. It is a Handbook for Life. The
Manual for Man, made by the Maker of Man. Some of these rules are clear and
specific : "You shall not kill", while other rules are principles :
"Love one another". Frequently there is trouble over these two
categories, because of a failure to see the difference between principles
and direct rules, and arguments arise over interpretations.
The
fact is, every Christian comes to God as an individual, and their whole
life is dealt with by Him on an individual basis. As the proverb goes,
"God has no grandchildren", and neither does the Church. Pastors,
deacons, elders and all, right down to the new convert who has almost no idea of
what the Bible says, all are treated by God on an individual basis, and judged
according to God’s own understanding. Only God can take into account every
detail - our upbringing, environment, personality, circumstances relating to
decisions - so only God is capable of making a fair judgement. No human could
ever know enough to judge another human 100% fairly.
So
there is no room for one Christian to ‘judge’ another, that is, there is no
permission given for one Christian to try to force another Christian live by the
their rules, or their perceived standards. This is not to say that
church discipline is not involved, but church discipline is always applied on
the basis of the direct rules, never the principles, because
principles are always open to interpretation, while direct rules are as clear as
"Keep off the Grass", and "Leave this door shut".
The
reason why God has given us two types of rule is because some are universal and
apply to humans at all times and in all cultures, while the other are flexible
enough to fit every situation.
This
is demonstrated in many ways. For example politics. Some Christians say that it
is not for Christians to be involved in politics, because, they say, it is not
‘preaching the gospel’, or it is ‘not God’s domain’. Other Christians
(such as Wilberforce, an MP who fought in Parliament for the abolition of
slavery) would say that God is involved in every area of our lives, and that
Christians in politics can help keep the country peaceful.
Another
example is war. Some Christians say that ‘killing other humans is wrong’,
while other Christians see war as a way of defending their wives, children,
family and country from the ravages of tyrants.
Each
of us must be persuaded in our own hearts as to where we stand on some things,
but we must never try to twist the rules to suit our own fancies.
Have
you ever seen an oyster-eating competition? Contestants gulp down oysters about
one every three seconds. The Bible would call this excessive a form of greed,
wasteful, glorying in the flesh, and if the contestants continued to eat food at
this rate, it would be called gluttony - all sins to be avoided. But the
‘world’ glorifies eating competitions, (beer-swilling, pie-gulping, etc),
and even awards prizes to the most successful food-gobblers, just as it tends to
glorify all practises condemned by the Word of God. So where does the Christian
fit into all this? That is not for me to say, but the reason this book was
written was to help Christians ask the right questions about their lifestyle,
and to move closer to the sort of lifestyle which pleases God more than it
pleases the people of this world.
King
Josiah.
In
the Bible the story is told of a young king, who, on hearing the Law, was so
enthusiastic to please God that he ordered the destruction of anything and
everything which was not acceptable under the Law :
2
Kings 22:1-13. "Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign . . .and
he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way
of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
And
it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that . . . the king sent
Shaphan . . . to repair the breaches of the house . . .
"And
Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book
of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan,
and he read it.
And
Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and . . . showed the king, saying, Hilkiah
the priest has delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
And
it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the
law, that he rent (tore) his clothes.
And
the king commanded . . . saying,
Go,
enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning
the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD
that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened to the
words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning
us."
So
upset was the king that he more or less ravaged the land, removing idols,
destroying shrines, and stamping on every bit of idolatry he could find. He
obliterated much of the external, physical material connected with idolatry, but
unfortunately did almost nothing about the inner, hidden idolatry in the
people’s hearts.
There
is a sense in which this story applies to all Christians, but more especially to
those who give their lives to Christ later in their lives. I say this because
from the first years of life, right through to old age, the standards and
beliefs of world hold sway over people’s minds. The work begins with secular
childhood. Almost all the literature, music, toys and educational material for
infants is secular, comprising fairy stories, fantasies (the Tooth fairy, Father
Christmas, Mother Goose, Barney, Pokemon, Barbie, etc, etc) so that by the time
the child is going to Primary School their heads are filled with everything BUT
the Word of God. Of course there may have been the odd token Bible story thrown
in, but even then, these inserts are not treated as God’s Word, but are
presented, usually by unbelievers, as fairly equal to all other fairy stories.
The ark is pictured as a toy, similar to a tug boat, and Jesus is portrayed as a
sort of wizard, or magical man, whose life was interesting, but not relevant to
today. There is no teaching about a global flood, or God’s wrath on sin, and
the early chapters of Genesis are treated as mythical, on par with Aboriginal
‘dreamtime’ and other pagan beliefs.
State,
or Public schooling is, by Charter, secular. This means that some Christian
material may be available, but teachers are not permitted to teach the Bible,
unless that teaching is part of a curriculum, i.e. Comparative religions,
dictionary meaning of ‘miracle’, an essay on famous people which may include
Jesus or Paul or some other Bible name, and history.
Into
this thickly woven net of secularism and misinformation go the Bible-in-Schools
workers and others, but even at the Primary school stage, many children have
already been shaped and moulded too far for the Word of God to have anything but
a superficial effect.
King
Josiah
is a type of the zealous, enthusiastic older Christian, who reads the Bible and
then desires with all his or her heart to throw out anything and everything
which offends God. Sometimes this means gradually working through a whole
lifetime of nonsense, and bad habits. Sometimes it takes years to unlearn wrong
attitudes. But this is the sort of conversion which produces world-changing
Christians.
But
whenever a person does a ‘Josiah’ job on their life, it also causes many
problems. The world is content with Christians as long as they remain docile and
submissive. The world will speak well of Christians, provided they swear (a
little), smoke (occasionally), drink (along with the ‘boys’ at the pub from
time to time), go to late-night ‘wild’ parties, talk dirty, watch every
current movie regardless of its content, attend rock-concerts, dress down,
follow the fashions of the day, and do all those other things to conform to
whatever peer group they relate to. (These examples are not a criticism of any
Christian. They are extremes which may apply to some and not to others).
What
was happening in the land before King Josiah arrived on the scene? The people of
the land were gradually but determinedly adopting all the heathen ways from the
people around them. It was mainly one-way traffic too, because the heathen were
not becoming godly Israelites at anywhere near the same rate.
This
is exactly how it is in most cases today, except where a revival occurs. For
example, a Christian attends a Public school, and finds that 99% of all his or
her friends are non-Christians. The Christian is therefore outnumbered by about
100 to 1, and comes into the social pressure to conform to the majority.
Sometimes but not always, under this pressure to conform, Christian ethics go
out the window, language is downgraded, values alter, and soon the Christian may
be so much like his or her unsaved classmates that there is no noticeable
difference between the two.
As
we know from Nature, a healthy apple is placed in a bowl of rotten fruit, the
health never flows outward to the rotten fruit. It is far easier for something
to rot, or degrade, than it is for it to grow healthier.
The
world also hardly ever shows ‘mercy’ to Christians. It expects Christians to
conform to its standards, but it resents very strongly any attempt by Christians
to bring it into line with God’s standards. This is because the heart of Man
is biased towards rebellion and self-determination. (Have you ever heard
of a child which loved obeying its parents all the time?) Nobody enjoys having
to obey external authority. Most people prefer to do what they want, and it is
therefore an act of self-sacrifice on the part of the Christian, to bow before
God and accept His ruling. By obeying God, Christians show that they are very
unusual in this world.
There
are so many examples of this rebellious bias it would fill several pages
to mention them. Rebellion is an accepted part of life. Teenagers are renowned
for it. We talk about the temper tantrums of toddlers. We expect it from
them. Our prisons are full of rebels. Our schools practise discipline of many
kinds every day because there are always children who break the rules. The whole
legal profession exists mainly because of people’s refusal to obey the Ten
Commandments or the laws of the land. Rebellion is built into our human make-up,
and it either grows stronger or it hides itself rather cleverly, and continues
almost secretly.
As
children became adults, they learn more and more sophisticated ways of hiding
their rebellion, until the real motives behind everything they do are almost
undetectable. Adults, by and large, have mastered the art of hidden rebellion.
It
would not have been easy for King Josiah to institute his reforms. Thousands of
people would have resented his actions. Josiah went against the prevailing
culture of his day, and destroyed many of the ‘valuable works of art’ and
‘cultural heritage sites’ of the land. Many of the temples and statues would
have been highly prized, greatly admired and reverenced. Josh's soldiers marched
into ‘hallowed’ places and wrecked them. In the same way, it is not always
easy to be a Christian in today’s world because many of the things (objects
and beliefs) which the world values, are despised and shunned by Christians.
This always causes offence, but in the end, it all boils down to the question : who
do you want to please most?
Some
examples of this principle follow :
The
New Age minister.
I
was invited, by an ordained Anglican minister, to an evening meeting. Two other
men were there, and a machine called an encephalograph, which measures brain
waves. The purpose of the meeting was to take turns attaching electrodes to our
heads and then try to alter our brain wave pattern, in order to have
"visions". Having never come across this sort of thing before I was
curious about whether this experiment was within the limits set in the Bible,
and the more I heard, the less I was convinced that I should be a part of the
experiment. As the first man tried to have a vision, and claimed to be
seeing things ‘coming through the wall’ of the room, I told my hosts that I
did not think this was ‘of the Holy Spirit’ and that I felt uncomfortable
with what was happening, then I excused myself and went home.
"
. . . the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him
not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be
in you". John 14:17
"But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
John 15:26
"Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:"
John 16:13
"We
are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us.
Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error". 1 John 4:6
Spiritism
A
woman once challenged me on the subject of life after death and people whom she
considered to be modern ‘prophets’ one day. She told me I was stupid not to
accept the evidence which these ‘prophets’ produced, such as being able to
foretell the future, heal (at a distance and close up), diagnose illnesses and
prescribe the correct treatment without medical training, contact the spirits,
and see visions and wonders.
I
told her that I believed only what the Bible said, even when it seemed that the
‘evidence’ contradicted the Bible. In other words, even if I saw a ghost and
it spoke to me I would not believe that this ghost was the spirit of some dead
person, still alive in another dimension.
The
woman was so annoyed with me she gathered a heap of her books and asked me to
read them, which I dutifully did, but I looked for the open statements by the
‘prophets’ which contradicted the Bible. In other words, I looked beyond the
‘miracles’ which these ‘prophets’ produced and found what their starting
point, or basis of understanding was.
I
found that these ‘prophets’ stated, in no uncertain terms, that "There
was life after death in a spirit world", that "Jesus was just one of
many enlightened men", that "Sin was just ignorance, or failure to
understand something", and "There is no final day of judgement".
There was also misinformation about angels, healing, religions and so on.
The
woman took her books away and has never brought the subject up again.
"And
as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgement:" Hebrews 9:27
Creation
in School.
I
heard a story about a Bible-in-schools teacher, who had taken the class through
the story of Creation, the Fall and was moving into the Flood. As the weeks went
by, the children enjoyed the lessons, and the teachers in the room made no
comment, but then she happened to mention the fact that the Genesis account was
true. Instantly the school teacher expressed a mixture of surprise and scorn.
"You’re
not telling me you actually believe all this stuff about Adam and Eve and Satan
and a global flood do you?!"
Well
of course she did. It was written there in the Bible, as history. Genesis is not
the same as the Maori legends, or the Norse sagas, or the European fairy tales.
Genesis is written in the matter-of-fact way of history, clear and simple.
"Then
he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken:" Luke 24:25
"And
he (Jesus) said unto them, ‘Have you not read, that he which made them at the
beginning made them male and female?" Matthew 19:4 If it was good
enough for Jesus to take Genesis literally, it should be good enough for us too.
Play
centre
I
once offered to tell stories to the children in a Play centre. The women I spoke
to were only too happy to allow this, but then I suggested that I tell them
Bible stories. I was told "We are not allowed to teach the children
religion". I protested : "But Bible stories are not religion, they are
history, on the same level as the travels of Captain Cook, or the American Civil
War!"
The
women were adamant so I left them to their Play centre, but the incident
revealed several things. 1. Many people do not regard the Bible as anything but
a pile of spiritual propaganda, and 2. Many people think that the Bible is a
collection of unbelievable fairy tales. This means of course that ‘preaching
the gospel’ is only one small part of the Christian work. The larger part is
re-education of ignorant unbelievers.
"Your
word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous
judgements endures for ever". Psalm 119:160
A
married couple.
I
heard a sad comment from a married (Christian) man a while ago. He said that,
when his marriage was going through a time of trouble, he and his wife went to
see several marriage guidance people for advice. Most of the advice was for him
and his wife to separate. There was no suggestion, he said, that he and his wife
should work through the problems.
The
Bible says that, in a Christian marriage, the covenant is meant to last the
whole life, not be broken as soon as difficulties come along. The world’s
advice is "split", the Bible’s advice is "work through
it".
"Therefore
as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands
in every thing.
Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for
it;" Ephesians 5:24,25
After
a while it gradually dawns on many Christians that following Jesus involves
entering into a conflict. In other words, true Christianity is war! There are no
guns firing, or cannons thundering, and no battlefield full of holes, but it is
war, and sometimes it is war to the death.
But
as long as a person skates around the word "commitment" they remain
safe from injury. The world makes no criticism of people who merely ‘go to
church’, or who have flowery pictures on their walls by saint Someone. The
world is not offended at all by a worldly Christian, because that kind of
Christian is no threat to the world.
Many
years ago I was invited to go to the movie "The Life of Brian’ by the
Monty Python team. I was at Polytech at the time and it seemed that the whole
class was going, but I declined. Instantly I was cross-examined by curious
students.
"On
one level" I said to them, "I can see that the movie is very funny. I
enjoy the humour of some ordinary man being mistaken for the Messiah, and I
appreciate the absurdity of it, but on another level I find the movie very
offensive, because it makes a mockery of the Son of God. Personally I could not
sit through such a movie without having to first put my conscience outside on
the street."
For
my stand against the movie I gained some respect, but the distance increased
between myself and the other students, because I was different from them. I
didn’t run with them to the world’s attractions. As Jesus said, "If any
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me." Luke 9:23
The
origin of rebellion
When
God created the universe and the world, there was no rebellion in heaven. All
the angels, and all the other created life-forms were in harmony with God’s
will, and joy reverberated between God and His creatures. But one angel,
Lucifer, was not happy with the position he had been given. It was a form of
‘job dissatisfaction’. Lucifer wanted a promotion, right up to the throne of
God.
"How
you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how you are cut down
to the ground, which did weaken the nations!
For
you have said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God: I will sit . . . I will ascend above the heights
of the clouds; I will be like the most High". Isaiah 14:12-14
God
expelled Lucifer, along with the other angels who joined the rebellion, and sent
them to earth, where Adam and Eve had just taken up residency. On hearing that
Adam and Eve would be killed if they disobeyed God, Lucifer seduced Eve and Adam
into questioning God’s word, and thereby brought about the ‘Fall of Man’.
This rebellion of Man’s affected the whole of Creation, and produced a race of
humans which was inherently rebellious.
From
the moment when Lucifer rebelled, to the moment when Adam stood by and allowed
his wife to eat from the forbidden tree, a war has been raging. At times this
war seems to be so mild as to not be almost unnoticeable, at other times it has
been violent and fierce - such as when the Roman Catholic persecutions took
place across Europe and in Britain. Every conflict of man has its roots in this
war between Satan and God. Every war, every trouble, every argument, every
religious battle, every personal difficulty.
Some
of these troubles are indirectly caused by the war, because all Creation was
degraded as a punishment - storms, earthquakes, floods, sickness, ageing, death,
etc. Other troubles are a more direct result of the war - depression, suicide,
gossip, brawls, drunkenness, etc. The principle is clear - this world is better
or worse in proportion to the amount of obedience or disobedience it shows
towards its Maker.
How
much influence does Satan have in this world?
Immense. But he has only so much influence as people will give him. If
all the world refused to follow Satan, he would have no influence.
"And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him". Revelation 12:9
"Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of
disobedience:
Among
whom also we all had our conversation (lifestyle) in times past in the lusts
(desires) of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others". Ephesians
2:2,3
"And
that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken
captive by him at his will". 2 Timothy 2:26
From
these verses we can see that, unless we make a deliberate, conscious effort to
reject error, we will spend our whole lives being led about by the Devil. This
is where the warfare comes in. It is a battle for the mind, because the
mind is the door to the heart. When Satan deceives a person’s thinking,
he captures the whole person. The way to defeat the devil therefore, is to have
a right understanding of God’s Word - in other words, to know the truth.
The
Whole Armour of God.
In
Ephesians, Paul describes a soldier in terms of a fully-armed Christian. Many
drawings based on this passage of Scripture show the Christian as a rather
glorified Roman soldier with a broadsword, but the truth is that this
description is more of the foot-soldier, with a short dagger-like knife, with
leather sandals.
"Put
on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil." This word "wiles" ought to alert us as to the
nature of the war. A "wile" is a stratagem, or trick, or method of
luring someone away.
For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places".
Again,
we have a warning here that, while we do wrestle against flesh and blood,
in the sense that we write letters to and speak to real people, ‘behind
the scenes’ are the spiritual entities which operate these flesh and blood
people. Unsaved people are more like puppets than anything. Satan pulls the
strings and they jiggle.
When
Christians are treated unjustly, beaten up, slandered, libelled, and treated
badly by the unsaved, it not because the unsaved are even interested in them -
it is more a matter of Satan trying to destroy the Christian’s life. Jesus
himself looked at the Pharisees and said "They know not what
they do" (Luke 23:34). The unsaved aren’t even aware of what they are
doing most of the time. Like blind people, they stumble and grope through life,
with no idea where they are going, why they are here, or what they are here for.
"And
now, brethren, I understand that through ignorance you did it, (crucified
Jesus) as did also your rulers". Acts 3:17
"And
the times of this ignorance God winked at (= overlooked without judging);
but now commands all men every where to repent:" Acts 17:30
"Having
the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart" Ephesians 4:18
"As
obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts
(desires) in your ignorance" 1 Peter 1:14
"For
so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance
of foolish men" 1 Peter 2:15
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with (1.) truth, and having on
the breastplate of (2.) righteousness;
And
your feet shod with the preparation of (3.) the gospel of peace;
Above
all, taking the (4.) shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked.
And
take the helmet of (5.) salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is (6.)
the word of God:
Praying
always with all (7.) prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and (8.) watching
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints". Ephesians 6:11-18
These
weapons are probably not listed in order of importance, but it is interesting
that "truth" comes first. Without truth, all the other weapons
would not function properly. This can be seen in the case of a cult, where some
truth and some error are mixed together, producing peculiar behaviour. (i.e. the
Exclusive Brethren claim to be Christians, but they are so exclusive they repel
the very people whom God invites into the Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses and
Mormons are much the same) or in the case of some extreme Pentecostals, who put
"faith" higher than "the word of God", or in the case of
some naive but well-meaning Christians who think that all they need to win souls
is John 3:16 and no more than that.
Most
lists are made up to 7 parts. I like to add "watching" because it
means literally "lying sleepless", in other words, being ‘awake’
all the time to what is going on. Prayer should therefore be mixed with wisdom.
This means that Christians are supposed to listen and watch and analyse the
culture, or whatever they are praying about - world events, social changes,
fashions, philosophies, ideas. Paul showed how much he understood on Mars Hill,
when he was able to tune into his audience because he understood ‘where they
were coming from’. Jesus was able to speak correctly to the Jewish leaders and
also to the Jewish common people because he knew about their attitudes and
beliefs. Watching is a way to understanding. This is why watching comes with the
seventh part of the armour - a Christian who prays without understanding
may be wasting his or her breath. Perhaps this is why Jesus forbade Christians
from using "vain repetitions"?
"Blessed
is the man that hears me (Wisdom), watching daily at my gates, waiting at
the posts of my doors." Proverbs 8:34
"Blessed
are those servants, whom the lord when he comes shall find watching".
Luke 12:37
Much
has already been written (and preached) about the armour of God, and there are
many fine lessons available, but one area I would like to focus on for a moment
is the "loins girt about with truth". What is truth? Some Christians
glibly say "Jesus is truth", but if that was all truth was, there
would be little use for imagination, logic, reasoning, curiosity, appreciation
of Nature, wonder and the capacity to learn!
Truth
is a wide term. It means accurate. It means consistent with all the
evidence. It means trustworthy. It encompasses all things, but it
excludes anything which contradicts. The study of truth could use up a lifetime,
and the application of truth could change the world.
Satan,
of course, is opposed to any truth which puts him at a disadvantage. Satan wants
people to believe anything which works against God. This is why Satan has
developed the Theory of Evolution, which has its roots further back than Greece.
This is why Satan has spawned several alternative religions, which all contain
some of the principles of Christianity, but not enough truth to lead a person to
the True God. Satan has also produced cults, (Mormons, JW’s, Worldwide Church
of God, etc) weird philosophies (UFO’s, Flat Earth, Hollow Earth, Atlantis,
Crystals,) witchcraft (for the women) and black magic (for the men), and a wide
variety of other ‘custom-built’ distractions.
Jesus
called Satan the father, or originator, of lies. "You (Pharisees etc) are
of your father the devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father you will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for
he is a liar, and the father of it". John 8:44
Satan’s
co-conspirators, the other fallen angels (also called demons), have been busy
through the history of the Church -
"Now
the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times (that is between AD30 and
the return of Christ) some (Christians) shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" 1 Timothy
4:1. This verse shows that even from within Christian fellowships there will
come seductive, attractive lies, and teaching which is opposed to what the Bible
says.
Doctrines
of devils.
To
single out the Roman church here is not really fair, because there have
been many other departures from the truth from within the Church down
through the centuries. The only reason I choose it here is because it is so easy
to use as an illustration.
The
Roman church, which pulled away from the Early Church about 300 AD, has taught celibacy
despite the fact that the Scriptures allow all Christians to marry should they
wish to. It has also taught Mary-worship, relic-worship, image-worship,
saint-worship, pilgrimages, almsgiving, penance, formalism, ceremonialism,
processions, absolutions, masses and blind obedience to priests. It has taught
the use of Rosary beads, purgatory, and the supremacy of the Pope. It has
promoted the ranks of Bishops, Abbots, Friars, Priests, Monks and Nuns. It has
imposed military rule over kings and people who would not bow to the Pope. It
has demonstrated extreme greed for wealth. It has produced Jesuit murderers and
Crusades against unbelievers, both in Palestine and across Europe and in
Britain. It opposed the Reformation with the fury of royal edicts and the mighty
Spanish Armada. At the hands of the Roman church -which still claims to be the
one true Church - some 50 million people were killed because they would not
join. As well as this it has adopted many pagan symbols, manners, rituals and
ideas. In short, the Roman church is a wonderful example of how Satan can
propagate lies.
Legalism
One
of the most damaging influences to the Church has been the rise of legalism.
This happens when one or a few Christians decide that a certain rule must be
kept by themselves and all other Christians. The rule or rules chosen are
usually misinterpreted, or taken out of context. The result is a deadening of
the life within the Church. Two out of many examples of legalism are :
Sabbath-keeping and Tithing. I chose these two because they serve as a sort of
template to illustrate how all legalism works.
Sabbath-keeping.
There
are some who think that Christians ought to keep the Old Testament Sabbath law
as described in Ex.20.
One
reason why I believe Christians are not required to keep the Old
Testament Sabbath (our Saturday) is because the Sabbath is just one small part
of the whole Sabbath law system. There is also the sabbath for the land,
(every seventh year the land was to be rested), and the multiple of seven for
the year of Jubilee (the 50th year was a year for releasing all debt and
returning people to their lands, and also making new arrangements for the lease
or use of buildings). Lev. 25:8-10.
Now
if Christians are required to keep the day sabbath, then they ought to,
logically, keep all the laws connected to it. Let me explain.
Imagine
finding a reasonably large log of wood in a paddock. Imagine picking the
log up, with the intention of keeping taking it home, but finding that three
other logs are tied by a strong rope to the log you are holding. You decide
to take the log away, dragging the extra three, but now you discover that to
each of the three logs are more strong ropes, all tied to many more
logs. You use all your strength to pull all these logs, but now you find
that every log has more logs attached, until you see that more than 600
logs are all tied to the first one. The load is now immense, and quite
impossible to move, as it entails dragging the entire paddock of logs away!
This
is how keeping the sabbath operates. As Jesus said, the only way one can obtain
eternal life by your own efforts is by keeping the commandments. But when
anyone tries to do this, they find it utterly impossible. Every attempt to keep
the Law leads the person who tries into more and more effort, until they find
that they must give up. The Law is one whole system, made of many parts, all
connected by strong ropes.
"And,
behold, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that
I may have eternal life?
And
he said to him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is,
God: but if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
He
said to him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
Honour
your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbour as thyself.
The
young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what
lack I yet?
Jesus
said unto him, If you want to be perfect, go and sell that you have and
give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But
when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great
possessions". Matthew 19:16
The
young man found that, although he kept the ten commandments, at least outwardly,
and to the letter, there was a log attached to the last one (You shall not
covet) which convicted him of sin. In his heart, he was covetous, that is greedy
for more than he needed. Jesus went past the letter to the thought-life and
conscience. In a similar way, the man may have come to Jesus and claimed to
be keeping the sabbath, so Jesus could have asked him if he let the land rest
every seventh year. To every law another law is always attached.
There
are several other good reasons why I cannot accept the sabbath-keeper's
teaching. One is the matter of work by implication.
Part
of the Law on sabbaths says that people are not to work (that is, work
for money, as in a normal weekday job) on that day, yet even when people do not
work, they still require others to remain in employment. For example the men and
women who maintain the hydro-electric power stations.
Another
problem I have with sabbath-keeping is the disregard of the implications of
the resurrection. The early church honoured what we call Sunday
because it marked the day when Jesus rose from the grave. The resurrection set
the stage for a whole new start for creation. With the resurrection came the
ushering in of the "latter days" which include the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit on all believers, the promise of eternal life, the destruction of
Satan, the prospect of an end to death, and extinction of all Satan's followers,
and the re-creation of all that is fallen. The "new creation" began
with the resurrection, which will lead to glory, everlasting righteousness,
life, health and untold riches in Christ . . . yet sabbath-keepers would have us
go back to the old ways, the Law, the "shadows of things to come".
Put
in artistic terms, this is like scraping the painting off and admiring the
sketch. Architecturally, this is like pulling the house down and admiring the
foundations. Musically, this is like evicting the orchestra and listening to the
composer hum the music.
Some
sabbath laws :
"And
you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land
unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and you shall
return every man unto his possession, and you shall return every
man unto his family". Leviticus 25:10
"You
shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you: every one that
defiles it shall surely be put to death: for whoever does any work therein,
that soul shall be cut off from among his people". Exodus 31:14
"Six
days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the
LORD: whoever does any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to
death". Exodus 31:15
"You
shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations (homes) on the sabbath
day". Exodus 35:3
"Six
years you shall sow thy field, and six years you shalt prune thy
vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
But
in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the
LORD: you shall neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard.
That
which grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, neither
gather the grapes of your vine undressed: for it is a year of rest to the
land. . .
And
you shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years . .
.to forty nine years.
Then
shall thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound . . . and you shall hallow
the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land . . . and
you shall return every man to his possession . . . and every man to his family.
A
jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to you: you shall not sow, neither reap that
which grows of itself, nor gather the grapes in it of your vine". Leviticus
25:3
"And
while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that
gathered sticks upon the sabbath day". Numbers 15:32. This man was tried
and put to death.
"Neither
carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do any
work, but hallow the sabbath day". Jeremiah 17:22
The
above verses demonstrate how legalism would quickly stifle Christianity, and
reduce it to the level of the Pharisees and Sadducees, whose well-meaning quest
in life seems to have been the keeping of God’s Law - to the letter.
It
was the religious leaders, the sabbath-keepers who hounded Jesus everywhere He
went. It was they who objected to his disciples eating corn, and to the many
acts of mercy and healing which Jesus did on sabbath days. Is this the kind of
Christianity the world needs?
What
sabbath-keepers, and all legalists miss is the fact that Jesus has ushered in a
New Age. The resurrection left the sabbath law dead and buried, in the sense
that the mere letter of the sabbath law has no hold on those who have risen (by
faith) with Jesus.
But
there is another, less legalistic form of sabbath-keeping. That is the
Sunday-keeper! Despite all the New Testament teaching on freedom to worship, and
home-churches, and love, and allowing your brother or sister in Christ to walk
freely before God, there are still Christians who cling to the old forms, and
who expect all Christians to ‘go to church’ on Sundays. This, they think, is
the way it has been done for generations, therefore this is how it should always
be done. It seems the longer something continues, the more likely it is that it
will be set in concrete.
"Let
no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holiday, or
of the new moon, or of the sabbath days". Colossians 2:16
"Conscience,
I say, not your own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another
man's conscience?" 1 Corinthians 10:29
"Now
the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17
"And
that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily
(secretly) to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might
bring us into bondage". Galatians 2:4
"Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be
not entangled again with the yoke of bondage". Galatians 5:1
"So
speak, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty".
James 2:12
"While
they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for
of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage". 2 Peter
2:19
Does
this mean the Law of God is abolished?
The
answer to this question has to be "No" because without the Law, there
would be no other standard available by which God could judge the world. He has
already given Man a conscience, and written the moral laws on Man’s heart, and
He has sent Jesus the perfect Example, but Man must also have access to a
written Law, otherwise the scales of justice could be tilted unfairly in God’s
favour.
Suppose
you came driving through a city, and suddenly you were pulled up for breaking
some obscure road rule which operated only along one street of the city? You
would feel that a real injustice had occurred. But if, as you entered the city,
you were given a sheet of paper with all the road rules for that city on it, you
would have to take responsibility for your infringement.
In
the same way, God has provided His Law, so that, for those who were able to read
it, God’s Legal Standard of perfection was available.
Having
said all this we ought to consider what use the Law is.
First
it is God's standard, by which He judges all people who have access to
it. The Law is a mirror, in which people see their true state. It is a sword
to cut through hypocrisy and deception, revealing the inner sin, and
bringing sinners to a sense of unrighteousness. As a tool in a
Christian's hand, it can be a powerful weapon, bringing complacent and apathetic
people to a sense of their need for salvation.
On
the other hand, Christians are not expected to keep the Sabbath Law. They have
been set free of its demands, not to become lawless, but to practise a much
higher level of living. To the Christian, any and every day may be a day of
rest. All days are the Sabbath, or none are, to the Christian. The sabbath was
originally made for man - Mark 2:27,28 - and not man for the sabbath. It was
instituted to prevent one Israelite from working another Israelite to death. It
was brought in to alleviate poverty and financial stress. It was instituted to
stop people from being dispossessed of their land. Christians should never need
to be forced into doing all these things - it should be a normal, Christian
heart-response to care for workers, to rest, to alleviate financial stress, and
to help people regain their property.
Christians
are not required by the Law to attend church every Sunday either, since every
day may be a Sunday to them, and all days are equally God's - for work
or worship, fellowship or travel, socialising or study, fasting or feasting -
even for sport. The only injunction which Christians are required to keep is fellowship
with each other, learning the Word, and helping each other :
"And
they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and
in breaking of bread, and in prayers". Acts 2:42
"Be
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with
darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14
"Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day
approaching". Hebrews 10:25
Sabbatarians
are similar to the legalistic Jews who tried to make Christians have themselves circumcised
- see Galatians - Paul was firmly against this. Circumcision, like the log
of wood in the paddock, was just one part of a huge integrated legal system
which would have burdened Christians with an impossible load, had they tried to
pick it up. So we see that there are many ways back into the Law, but the remedy
is always the same.
God's
remedy to legalism is the finished work of Jesus Christ, which He
accomplished on the cross and completed through the resurrection, all of which
speaks to us of God's grace - His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favour to us
sinners.
The
second example of legalism is Tithing.
One
of the leading teachers of tithing used to be an American evangelist called Oral
Roberts. He would send colourful pamphlets to people all round the world urging
them to give money to his work, and he always attached the following promise
from the Bible :
Malachi
3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
"You
are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring
all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in My house, and
prove me now, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it.
And
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits
of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field, saith the LORD of hosts". Malachi 3:9-11
The
teaching was clear - if people tithed, that is gave money to Oral Roberts, they
would automatically receive health, prosperity, and even more money. It was even
suggested that if one gave ten dollars to God ( i.e. Oral Roberts) one would
receive one hundred!
This
prosperity legalism appealed to many people, and Mr. Robert’s multi-million
dollar empire grew and expanded, doing much good and helping many thousands . .
. but was the teaching about tithing realistic?
First
of all, I do not want to cast aspersions on God’s Word. I have no doubt that
the promise in Malachi is reliable, but who was it addressed to, and why?
The
Old Testament tithing laws were originally given to Israel, and they were not a
separate group of laws all by themselves, but an integrated part of the whole
Law. They operated by obedience and faith. The obedience part was performed by
the body of the Israelite, and the faith part by his or her heart.
It took faith to tithe. It didn’t seem reasonable that by giving
something away one might gain more - a typical example of how God
challenges our natural reasoning!
But
where was the tithe supposed to go?
"When
you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year,
which is the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger,
the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy
gates, and be filled . . ." Deuteronomy 26:12
Numbers
18 explains that the Levites were to receive the tithes of the
"heave offering", and keep one tenth, the remaining nine tenths went
to Aaron the high priest.
So
under the law, there was a strict division between the Levites and the High
priest, and the tithes consisted mainly of food (animals, and crops).
This
is a far cry from the teaching of Oral Roberts, who expected money for his work
(however noble) and who promised (guaranteed) financial prosperity to those who
supported him. To many people it sounded like some sort of financial investment,
backed up by God, who became trapped by His own legal process, and was forced to
multiply to all who tithed a fabulous rate of interest.
There
are several other offshoots of legalism in the Church.
A
short list of actual statements (condensed and simplified) which people
have said to me :
Only
red wine (Greek - ‘yayin’ = wine containing alcohol) must be used at
Communion
One
cup, not several must be used at Communion
Someone
must always say grace before every meal
Women
must wear hats when they sit in a church building
Men
must always take their hats off whenever they pray (even in a blizzard!)
Every
time a fellowship meets there must be singing
Christians
must attend church every Sunday
You
are not a real Christian unless you "speak in tongues"
You
must start each day with a "Quiet Time"
The
Pastor is the head of the church
One
tenth of your income must be given to the church
You
cannot be saved unless you are baptised in water
You
must not play competitive sport on Sunday
All
children in a fellowship must attend Sunday school
The
Bible must never be presented in cartoon form
The
King James Bible is the only really accurate translation
You
must never place the Bible on the floor
You
must not make notes in the pages of your Bible
Legalism,
unfortunately, seems to be a part of human nature. The longer people do
something, the more likely it is that they will make rules to protect whatever
they are doing, and eventually the rules become barriers to innovation. This is
why so many branches of the Church seem to be way behind the times. The same old
hymn books, the same old hymns, the same old order of service, the same old . .
. People? Traditions harden and the entire fellowship, which used to be relevant
to the people of its time, becomes a curiosity, like a slice of the past
preserved in a Museum.
Which
brings us back to the reason for this book - we ought to be careful about where
we draw the line. How much tradition will we allow into our Christian
life? How many rules have we accepted which are not in the Bible? How free
are we? Have we drawn lines where they didn’t need to be drawn, and by doing
so have we unnecessarily alienated ourselves from the unsaved word.
In
the case of Jesus it was the religious leaders - the ones with all the extra
rules - who opposed the Son of God. Are we in danger of doing the same thing,
when we ignore the freedom we have been given, and cling instead to Man-made
rules? Is some of the Church today actually an impediment and an obstacle to
God, just as the well-meaning, zealous, religious leaders were to Jesus?
Christianity.
There
are many books on this topic. Many large, thoroughly written books. But they all
say much the same thing - Christianity is huge!
However
there are many Christians who cannot see much further than the end of their
nose. The narrowest version of Christianity, the version they expound, is
John 3:16, where ‘getting saved’ and ‘getting someone to start attending
church’ is the ultimate goal of conversion. How pathetically small this goal
is. I much prefer the other version. The big version of Christianity is
as large as the whole world, and as full of variety as the whole kingdom of
Nature.
By
way of illustrating this, just take a few moments to flick through the Old
Testament Law. There are over six hundred laws in the books of Moses, and they
apply to things as varied as public hygiene, building standards, trade and
commerce, dress codes, sewage, wandering stock, accident compensation,
insurance, property rights, menstruation, population control, marriage,
education, sickness, making promises, agriculture, treatment of foreigners, the
military, wills and inheritances, and land management. In fact, there is not a
single activity which humans do which is not touched on somehow by the Law of
the Lord.
For
a national entity, such as Israel, the Law of the Lord would have elevated those
people to the highest possible status in the world - if they had kept it.
"The
law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is
sure, making wise the simple". Psalm 19:7
The
Law of the Lord was given to a nation, not to the Church, so it is to be taken
nationally, not spiritually. Christians are told to set their hearts on being
like Jesus, and, if enough people did this we would end up with a Theocracy. But
at present we in the West have a Democracy, which means that the majority -
usually non-Christian - controls the law of the land. This law allows many
things which are totally opposed to God - such as abortion. If our country was a
Theocracy we would not have a huge number of things which we presently
tolerate as ‘normal’. This is one of the strongest arguments for Christians
being involved in politics.
The
Law of the Lord is divided into three sections :
1.
Ecclesiastical laws (the sacrifices and offerings for sin)
2.
Moral laws (obedience, doing the right thing,)
3.
Civil laws (basic, practical rules - building codes, agriculture, etc)
Jesus
has already fulfilled number 1. His death on the cross ended for ever the need
for sacrifices, because He Himself was the Final Sacrifice for all sin for all
time.
2.
and 3. Are still relevant to a nation, and wherever the Law of the Lord is kept,
even partially, the resulting blessings still come. Does this mean that
Christians should keep the Law? Of course not. But the Law is still relevant
because it contains principles which would benefit any nation which applied
them.
Take
for example the fact that the Land, according to the Bible, belongs to God.
Today the State owns it, and people have to pay money year by year for the use
of it.
Another
example is Family Inheritance. People today frequently have to sell up and
leave, never to return, but the Law says that people may return to their land,
and keep it in the family for ever. This would prevent the monopolists from
destroying whole communities by buying everything up.
The
Law demands that foreigners be treated fairly and with the same respect as the
citizens of the country. This would have helped the North American Indians, the
Maoris, the Southern Blacks, the Aborigines and many others.
The
Law allows poor people to glean food from the fields of farmers. The poor were
allowed to take what they could carry, but no more. This would alleviate much of
the hunger in the world.
The
Law forbids exorbitant interest being charged, and, after a certain number of
years, all debts to be forgiven. This would prevent the recurrent debt crises
which plagues many countries.
The
Law forbids the eating of fat or blood. Doctors today warn against consumption
of fat and some warnings have gone out about the possible dangers of eating
blood. Food, we are told, must be cooked properly. The Law forbids the eating of
animals found dead, such as a cattle beast found in a paddock. Today we are
regularly warned about food poisoning (salmonella, botulism).
The
Law requires that all sewage be buried away from human habitation. This would
have prevented a huge number of deaths due to rats, fleas, and bacteria
spreading through early towns - such as London, which used to have an open sewer
running down the centre of the streets.
In
many practical, sensible ways, the Law of the Lord is good for a nation, but if
anyone suggests that Christians are expected to keep the Law, the answer still
has to be "No". The Law is available as a guide, or a list of
suggestions, or principles, to all. We may take it or leave it. We may suffer
some consequences if we ignore the Law, but we are not bound to keep it, and we
will not be judged by it.
So,
if someone tells you that you must "keep the Law" (or some part of
it), you must draw the line and tell them you are saved by grace, and not by the
works of the Law.
"For
the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ". John 1:17
"But
there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That
it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of
Moses.
And
the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
And
when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said . . . God put(s) no
difference between us and them, purifying their hearts (too) by faith.
Now
therefore why tempt you God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the
disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But
we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as they". Acts 15:5-11
Where
the Lines are Drawn.
Every
now and then an issue comes along which stirs Christians enough to get a few of
them voicing their opinions. This has been happening from the very beginning of
the Church - it is not a new thing to protest. The very name Protestant comes
from the act of protesting.
At
the beginning of the Church, there were disputes about whether Christians should
be circumcised, whether Christians should eat meat or be vegetarian, and the
position of truth in regard to various cults and religions. Colossians, for
example, was written partly to defend Christianity from a philosophy based on
knowledge. Galatians raised the issue of circumcision. Hebrews was aimed at the
subject of the sacrificial system. Other New Testament books raise smaller
issues, such as the place of women in marriage and in the church, leadership,
gifts, the place of the Holy Spirit and so on. Controversy has always been a
part of Christianity, and so it should be, because God is trying to establish
His Kingdom on a planet overrun by His enemies. God has declared war on Satan,
and the battle is fierce and violent.
It
is not for me to say what anyone should believe, or where they should stand on
any issue. This book is meant to be a stimulant, to help the reader sort out the
issues for him or herself, and decide where the line should be drawn. I
apologise if I inadvertently impose my own point of view, and I encourage the
reader to take an opposite view if they think that is more reasonable.
The
following is a short list, not in any particular order, of some of the areas in
which Christians are involved in today’s world. In some cases the issues seem
fairly ‘black and white’, while in others there is some leeway for
alternative views.
In
virtually every area of debate there are always people who hold different views
about the same thing. Sometimes this is because of ignorance of the subject, at
other times it is because of hidden motives, such as a desire to hold on to a
tradition. Other reasons include fear of change, fear of having to back down and
admit error - which springs from pride. Some people hold views because other
people hold them, or because they find it difficult to make the time to actually
think things through. Children commonly hold the views of their parents simply
because they trust their parent’s judgement. Another reason is because the
human heart is inherently rebellious so it is biased against accepting God’s
Word on a matter - many Christians cling to error because they are still
rebelling against God.
What
this boils down to quite often is this :
1.
There may be two or more very different views, all held by sincere Christians,
2.
There may be two or more views which are, in some aspects, all correct,
3.
Time and culture may have a lot to do with where a Christian stands.
As
an example of 1. Take the case of Christians and war. Some Christians say it is
wrong to "kill", citing the 10 commandments. ( in the context
"kill" means "murder", but it comes to the same thing). On
the other hand, some Christians believe that if they put a uniform on and march
for a country’s welfare, they are doing the right thing. Two opposite views,
both right.
As
an example of 2. There is the matter of women and their role in the world. Some
women have professional jobs, stay single, and avoid men, while others see their
goal in life as being married and staying home to mind the children. Between
these two activities there are many variations, and there are also many
opinions, but for the women who make the choices it is between them and God.
As
an example of 3. Take the case of pipe-smoking. In Western countries it is not
seen as acceptable for a Christian to smoke, but in some European countries
pipe-smoking is so much a part of the culture that it is not uncommon to see all
the men come out of a church service and light up their pipes as they socialise.
Some Scripture stands against this practice, but for the men involved it is not
considered wrong.
All
the following subjects have similar variations. Each of us must be persuaded in
our own hearts as to whether what we are doing is pleasing to God.
Wealth
There
is nothing wrong with being wealthy. Wealth is neutral, by itself - just so much
land or money. But in the wrong hands wealth can be used for evil. Abraham,
Solomon and king David were all wealthy, yet they walked close to God.
Christians with wealth may provide well for their family and friends, support
Christian work, help the poor. Wealth may be inherited or earned. Obviously,
wealth gained through theft or some other form of sinful practise, is
illegitimate. The Bible says that the best way to get wealth is to work hard for
it.
Work
Ethics
Whatever
we do, we ought to do it as if we were doing it for Jesus. We may be
self-employed or work for a boss, but above ourselves, and above the boss stands
the Lord, who watches and listens as we apply our energy to the task. This means
that we ought to always do our best, work the correct hours, keep our
conversation within the limits of Christian standards and put whatever we do in
the right context. Work should never be more important to us than the Lord, and
if we are married, the wife (and children) must never be neglected because of
the work.
Conversation
People
should know by the things we say, and the things we don’t say, that we
are Christians. Our office or studio or home should reflect our standards (no
pinups, or rude, witty proverbs). What we talk about (no gossip or slander)
should witness to people that we have a Judge to answer to one day.
Gambling
(See
Work Ethics) The Bible says that the best way to get wealth is by hard work.
This means there are only two ways to get wealth for most people, either by
selling a skill, or selling an article, or both. Gambling is something poor
people go for more than rich people, because the ‘lucky draw’ offers
happiness to them. Stupidly they spend so much on gambling they could have
helped themselves a lot more if they had kept the money. (A Lotto winner spent
$120,000 trying to win another big prize, but he gained only $11,000.) Saving
and investing are also useful but slow ways to gain wealth provided they are
done with good advice.
Fitness
Some
people make fitness one of, if not the major goal of their life. Their
fitness becomes a taskmaster who is never satisfied. Overweight people do
workouts and aerobics to become slim - usually they are battling against their
problem with overeating too. The Bible says that it is good to be fit, but only
fit enough to go about doing the work God has called us into. The pursuit of
fitness is an unattainable butterfly, because all of Nature is subject to the
2nd Law of Thermodynamics, that is all complex systems are breaking down into
less complex systems. All of Nature demonstrates this - birth, growth, ageing,
sickness, deterioration, death, dissolution. The human body is no different from
any other living thing, so it is a waste of time trying to reach perfect fitness
with a body which is heading for the scrap heap anyway.
God
has given us life and energy and mobility for a good reason. He means us to live
for Him, but most people seem to think that fitness is meant only for
self-indulgence. Athletics and outdoor pursuits, to name but two activities,
consume many people’s lives, with the result that they achieve many things,
win medals, conquer mountains, etc, but in the end (the Bible says) its what
we do for Jesus that counts.