Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”  (Romans 1: 18-23 NIV).

Intelligent Design for Stupid Fools

No.  I am not trying to be rude.  I’m trying to reflect what the passage above says about humans from God’s perspective.  Twice we are called fools and, at least once, it is the opposite of being wise.  Therefore, we are considered to be “stupid fools” especially in light of the ongoing revelation of God in creation whom we replace with “images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (vs. 23).

Paul is not trying to be demeaning here, just accurate.  His argument is quite lucid actually.  He tells us that the wrath of God is because of our “godlessness” and our “wickedness” as we were discussing in earlier blogs.  Now he will spend the next verses explaining what he means by “godlessness” (vs. 18b-23) and then talk about the consequences of “wickedness” (vs. 24-32) with some overlap between the two.  He has already made the claim that we suppress our moral accountability to a God we deny even exists and that every conscience is a mute, but powerful, witness to the fact that we don’t even keep our own “law” much less the law of God.  No one has an excuse.

What then can we say in defence of humanity?  Can we retreat into the murky waters of “not knowing” or “not realizing” the truth?  In a world that is incurably relgious?  Now-a-days, of course, in the last one hundred and fifty years or so it has become quite popular to believe in a naturalistic, mechanistic secular humanism which dismisses all religion out of hand.

But that is not the way it was for thousands of years.  Paul says that “God has made it plain to them” meaning “what may be known about God.”  Meaning his “eternal power and divine nature.”  In other words, it is as clear as the nose on your face that God exists and that He is obviously your Creator and that we are all accountable to him for our godlessness and wickedness.  God has made his presence clear in creation “being understood from what has been made.”  And therefore “men are without excuse.”

Now, is that really true?  People who have never heard of the Jewish God or the Christian Jesus and who have never read the Bible are without excuse?  Does that sound fair?  Paul says that they have no excuse because creation clearly shows the “eternal power and divine nature” of God.  Some of you may not yet be convinced.

It seems to me that there are generally two groups of people among the Gentiles (those with no access to the Bible or direct knowledge of God in the history of their people).  The first group would be the people who may give lip service to religion but really had no religion except themselves.  They would be the stoics in the Roman times or the secular humanists now-a-days.  Of course, there were lots of people throughout history that didn’t really believe in the various religions that constantly sprouted up and they would also be part of this first group.

The second group would be the religious types who worshipped other gods  from the Greek and Roman pantheon to the animistic gods in the rocks and trees of nature.  Paul addresses both groups and calls them both “godless.”  He does so in two “although” statements in vs. 21-23.

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (vs. 21).

What does that mean that they “knew” God?  Apparently, Paul is building on the previous verses to say that they “knew” God was there because God shows himself in creation.  But rather than getting the correct response from people in terms of being thankful and worshipping him, God is cut off from their lives and things just get worse.  Their thinking becomes “futile” or meaningless (see Ecclesiastes) and their hearts are “darkened.”  Exactly what we were saying earlier.  Wickedness resulting from godlessness results in a meaningless life of strife and trouble where the heart and the mind become increasingly more distant from God.  It is a downward, slippery slope right into hell.

What does that mean that they neither “glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him” (vs. 21a).  This is the natural order of things.  God shows himself to be there in his “eternal power and divine nature” but those who deny the validity of religion live godless lives by not letting God be God.  What we glorify, we worship, we value, we emulate, we imitate, we strive to become like.  God becomes our moral compass (at least in terms of our own integrity which we will discuss further later).  But we also do not thank God for his daily involvement in our lives.  We don’t recognize that all good things come from him (James 1:17).  We don’t treat him as our provider, our caretaker, our father.  In both cases, as our provider and as our moral compass, God is worthy of a relationship with us in which we acknowledge him as God and we are his children.  This is for all those Gentiles who are godless because they don’t believe in religion.  The same is true for many people today.

We cannot use the excuse that we are wiser and more scientific today as if that somehow demonstrates that God doesn’t exist.  There are more people with PhD’s alive today then at any other time in history and yet the average person is still under the impression that science has somehow proven that God doesn’t exist.  It’s time to catch up.  With the advent of the Big Bang and the scientific studies on Intelligent Design, there is more evidence than ever that there is a presence in this universe that is powerful, creative and intelligent.  The only things in our experience that have those three characteristics are people.  God created us in his image and we are sentient beings because he is a sentient being.  Today, more than ever, the “eternal power and divine nature” of God is seen in creation.

What about the other group?  The religious types?  Do they have an excuse?  Not at all.  Paul talks to them in the second “although” statement.

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (vs. 22-23 NIV).

This group is not saying that they don’t believe that God exists or that we are expected to have a relationship with Him by the very fact that he is our creator.  This second group is claiming to be “wise,” to be religous, to know something more than the first group.  They claim to know who is behind this “eternal power and divine nature” they see everywhere they look.  But Paul calls them “fools.”  The first group was just stupid in their meaningless thinking and darkened hearts but this second group, Paul calls “fools.”  One can’t help but go back to Psalm 14:1 where David tells us that “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

It is foolish after all to fight against God, to deny that he exists and that he has a claim on your life.  It is foolish to “exchange the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (vs. 23 NIV).  Not foolish as if it was an honest mistake but rather the kind of foolishness that refuses to allow God be God.  After all, to recognize, on the one hand, that in creation we can see “the eternal power and divine nature” of God and then decide to try and control that diety by turning it into something we can see and touch and get benefits from with our religious rituals, is pure foolishness.  To exchange an “immortal God” whom we cannot control for “images of mortal man” such as Zeus, Apollos, Athena or Jupiter is just plain foolish.  What is going on here?

Nobody wants to let God be God.  Mostly because it is too scary, I would think.  Thanking God for his provision when we live in a world where the good are often killed or controlled and the wicked use force get what they want from life?  It isn’t very safe to say the least.  Glorifying God as our moral compass whom we should emulate when his expectations are too much for us to follow?  Worshipping Him as an immortal being who cannot be controlled or manipulated for our own best interests?  Isn’t that all a bit too much to expect?  Maybe so.  But God expects it nonetheless.

Certainly it would have been easier for Adam and Eve in a perfect world to accomplish and even they failed.  It is certainly more difficult to do in a world that is dangerous and evil and where “might makes right” and God seems to be hidden.  But that is the point.  Whether we live or die is not the issue.  A relationship with God is what matters.  That takes faith.  You have to trust God whether you live or die.  That is the right response to this divine diety but nobody does it.  Nobody is willing to take a risk on that relationship without some assurances that it will all turn out in the end.  Can you blame them?  Maybe not.  But you also can’t excuse them.

In Psalm 14, David goes on to say, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2,3 NIV).

Paul echoes that same sentiment a little later on in Romans 3:10-12.  No one has an excuse, secular or religious alike.  Gentile or Jew alike.  It doesn’t matter that they realize it or not.  God has always been there and his presence has always been clearly seen.  Today more than ever.  Reducing him to a religion that allows you to try and control the blessings and curses of life is just an insult.

Let God be God.  Treat him as your creator, your father, your provider, your moral compass.  Follow him, glorify him, worship him as is his due.  Otherwise your godlessness will lead you into a pit of wickedness from which there is no escape.  No one is exempt and no one has an excuse.  That is a truth that we would do well to pay attention to.  All of this is a life and death matter with eternal consequences.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, I want to treat you as my Father and my Creator.  I want you to be God and I will be your child, your people.  I want to follow you and glorify you and worship you and become like you.  I recognize that I don’t have enough love to solve the problems of my life much less the world.  I know that my godlessness has always led to broken relationships and difficult situations.  Forgive me and teach me to live in your world as your child.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”  (Romans 1: 18-23 NIV).

A Law Unto Themselves

In the very act of wickedness, we are suppressing the moral authority that the existence of God demands of us, according to Paul.  We may not be aware of it always, but it is still true.  At least in terms of our relationship with God.  That is a horrible thought, isn’t it?  That we are so dulled in our thinking that we aren’t even aware of the effect of our actions on ourselves or our future?  It reminds me of addiction behavior.  People are so addicted to certain behavior and find it so enticing that they give no thought to the future.

In Romans 2:14, Paul has a little side thought that is worth bringing up right now.  He says, “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.”

What an interesting passage!  So, even if a godless person does not know God or anything about God’s law in the OT, he is still a law unto himself.  He still has a conscience and, sometimes at least, that conscience will reflect some of the law of God in some instances.  Certainly a conscience is influenced by the society and the parents you grew up with and, to a degree, the education you received.  But there is still some sort of witness of what is right and what is wrong in every society.  Perhaps there is no such thing as a universal moral code in all of the details, but the general idea of what is love, what is good and what is bad is mostly there.

But I think this passage goes deeper than that.  I think that what Paul is saying is that it isn’t only about individual, specific laws that a person breaks but rather about the whole concept of law in a person’s life.  Let’s call it INTEGRITY.  When your actions match your words, you have integrity.  When you live out what you believe to be right and good, you have integrity.  What Paul is saying is that the human soul is always in rebellion against any outward authority that tries to be limits on it.  Any moral code is a limit to our will.  It says do this and don’t do that whether or not we like it.  And that is exactly the problem with the human condition.

We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it even if it isn’t good for us or the people around us.  That is the truth.  Sometimes we can control that impulse but sometimes we can’t.  And the very fact that nobody, not even one person, can claim to have his integrity intact is a silent but powerful witness to the fact that we are all guilty of breaking our own laws, our own moral code, much less the moral code of God.

The problem is that we are godless and we are wicked and that one flows from the other and that everyone on earth suppresses the truth that we are lawbreakers from the getgo.  That we do not love, care for or respect the other people around us and that that is the heart of the problem.  This affects those who know about God, the Bible and Jesus Christ as well as those who do not.  Our natures as human beings have been affected.  We are broken.  We are not whole.

This is the message of the gospel.  We have a choice to believe it or not.  Are we broken?  Or is this world normal the way it is?  Is each person valuable?  Or are we all dust in the wind?  Is our wickedness really just a lack of love, care and respect for the other taking on a multitude of forms, or do we only consider extreme acts of violence or genecide to be acts of wickedness?  Will we agree with Paul (and God) or will we insist on our view of the world?  Which worldview best fits the facts as we experience them each day?  These are the questions that the gospel makes us ask.  Paul has answers for us if we care to listen.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, I don’t want to be a godless person who leaves a wake of dead bodies and broken relationships behind me.  I want to be whole.  Your view of the world seems to fit the facts much better than mine.  I believe your truth and I will not suppress it any longer with my rebellion and wickedness.  I know that my relationship with you is the first thing that must be fixed.  Thank you for your solution in Jesus Christ.    In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”  (Romans 1: 18-23 NIV).

Suppressing the Truth

The first element that Paul talks about is the realization that people “suppress the truth by their wickedness” (vs. 18b).  What an interesting line.  Do you think it is true?  Let’s explore it a bit further.  After all, the concept of “suppressing” things isn’t too foreign to us, is it?  People suppress their emotions.  People suppress their memories, especially if there is trauma involved.  And we all know that people suppress things without realizing that they are doing so.

So, let’s get rid of that first doubt right off the bat.  When we hear that people “suppress the truth by their wickedness,” we can’t dismiss this diagnosis from the Great Physician just because we all know that a lot of people are not aware of what they are doing.  That shouldn’t suprise us but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.

And if you think about it, suppression of our morality and sensitivity to loving others is very real as well.  A soldier is trained to suppress his emotions and his morality and become entirely obedient to the commands he is given.  He is told not to think but to obey.  He is trained to become cold and uncaring.  He is treated badly in order to toughen him up.

Love recieved makes you more willing to give love.  It’s called Attachment Theory.  The more love you recieve as a child during your formative years, the more love you are able to show in adulthood.  Soldiers are not shown a lot of love.  But they are expected to show loyalty and a commitment to their unit, thier brothers-in-arms which can lead to incredible acts of bravery.  It’s hard to get rid of completely, isn’t it?

The point being that suppression of love and morality from within or from circumstances through traumatic experiences is a well-documented reality.  Why would it not be true that the more wickedness you commit (acts of unlove), the more you are suppressing your ability to love and protect and care for others.

But this passage is saying even more than that.  We are taking it in steps.  Being aware of it or not doesn’t change the fact that we are doing it.  Wickedness in the context of a godless life will suppress our moral sensitivity.  But we must go a step further.  It not only suppresses our moral sensitivity but also our awareness of and submission to God.  The passage says that we “suppress the truth.”  What truth?  The truth of the existence of God and His moral claim on us.  Paul explains himself by saying “since what may be known about God is plain to them” (vs. 19a).

Apparently this is part of the connection between godlessness and wickedness.  The more godless we are, the more wicked we become but it is also true that the more wicked we become, the more godless we are.  The more we suppress the truth of the existence of God.  The more we believe our own justifications that there is no God that we must be accountable to.  The more we can pretend to be God’s to ourselves.

I always remember the story of the Pharoah at the time when God brought the people out of Egypt by the hand of Moses.  As each of the ten plagues occurred, the Bible showed the progression of the wickedness of Pharoah.  You might think he was just a victim of the circumstances but that is not so.  He considered himself to be a god and a rival to the one true God.  He was a wicked dictator whose forefathers had been saved from a terrible famine by God through his servant Jacob.  The Pharoah’s had been given absolute power in Egypt in the process.  The people of Israel were treated as revered guests at the time and given the best land the country had to offer to settle in.

Now, this new Pharaoh had enslaved them and was killing their baby boys in order to control his slaves.  God was upset and would intervene by bringing ten plagues on the Egyptians.

When Moses came to announce the plagues, one by one, the Bible tells us that Pharoah’s  “heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go” (Exodus 9:7b NIV).  But as things progressed and he continued his stubborn rebellion, there came a time when all of this suppression of the truth as to who was God in heaven and who was not, turned into judgment.  There comes a time when our sin and rebellion will no longer be tolerated.  The Bible says that “the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 9:12 NIV).

People who are godless, who cut God out of their lives as if He doesn’t matter, “suppress the truth by their wickedness.”  What is that truth?  That there is only one God in heaven and it is not us.  That we are accountable to him sooner or later whether we like it or not.  That if we harden our hearts towards him, there will come a time when He will harden our hearts and there will be no recourse to forgiveness or salvation.  Suppressing the truth that a godless life leads to wickedness is a dangerous endeavor and will end in disaster.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, I am beginning to see things more clearly from your point of view.  It is so easy for us to just assume that this world is godless and that our wickedness is just the way things are.  But if you exist, then all the rules of the game are changed.  All of our assumptions are now in question and we need to think about things from a different point of view.  Teach us how to see things with fresh eyes so that we no longer suppress the truth of your existence and our moral and relational responsibility to you.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”  (Romans 1: 18-23 NIV).

No Wonder God is Upset

This passage is quite fascinating as an insight into the human condition from God’s point of view.  We have already talked about the fact that evil is relational and that our godlessness results in wickedness.  In other words, the moment that Adam and Eve decided to cut God out of their lives (“godlessness”), and took upon themselves the power to decide good and evil, it resulted in all kinds of problems (“wickedness”).  Cain kills Abel and it gets worse from there.  Dictators rise.  People starve.  Wars rage.  Women and children are abused.  Not what God had in mind for his people.

Let’s take a look for a moment at what it takes to be the one who decides what is good and what is evil.  The question is whether or not we humans are even capable of making those kinds of decisions on our own.  I’m not talking about shutting down our brain and doing no thinking at all.  Of course God wants us to participate in the world, in decision-making, in planning and direction and all of that good stuff.  He loves us and wants us to learn and grow and explore this world that He made for us.  He told Adam that already in the garden.  That was always the idea.  But not alone.  Never alone.  In fact, that would be disasterous.  How can you be “alone” from God?  He is the creator after all.  You may be able to break off your relationship with him but to be truly alone (or even mostly alone) would put you in a place you do not want to go.  Believe me.

The idea was always to be in relationship with our Father and Creator.  And only He has the ability to make final decisions on what is good and what is evil for us.  After all, in order to know what is good or bad you would have to know the future consequences of your actions.  Lord, should we invent aerosol cans?  They seem quite handy.  No, my child.  Aerosol cans will destroy the ozone layer in about 50 years.  Good to know.  Thanks, Lord.  We really dodged a bullet on that one.

You get the idea.  And it isn’t only about knowing the future but also about knowing all possible repercussions of our actions.  Omniscience is essential to get things right.  What about power?  Some things are just too powerful for us to play with if we are on our own.  Like nuclear bombs.  Splitting the atom.  Creating viruses.  Being almighty, God can handle it but the rest of us, on our own?  It’s a crap shoot.  Japan had the first taste of it and most of us doubt that it will be the last.

God is omniscient, knowing all possible consequences and especially knowing the future.  God is almighty, meaning that he can handle anything that goes wrong or is out of our ability to handle.  God is omnipresent, meaning that he is everywhere at the same time and can take care of, protect and help each one of us individually as well as collectively.  You start to see the idea.

But the most important aspect of the Godhead is the fact that He is good.  Absolutely good.  Full of love and justice and never self-seeking at the expense of others.  There is no blemish in Him.  Only He is capable of determining what is good and what is evil, what promotes love and what does not promote love for everyone, without discrimination, because He is love.

We are not.  The very act of taking this power to decide on our own what is good or evil for us was a selfish betrayal of the one who loves us the most.  What hope is there that we would ever get it right?  Sure, sometimes we stumble upon some true truth and we make a right decision but history is replete with examples of where we have screwed up horribly, on purpose or by accident because we refuse  to allow God to lead us into the future He has planned for us following the path of love.  Only God is capable of knowing and acting upon what is good and what is evil.

But that is the heart of “godlessness and wickedness.”  Because we have cut God out of our lives (or we try to at least), we find ourselves living wicked (unloving) lives towards God and towards others.  No wonder God is upset.

I was talking with one of my students this morning about this very topic.  He even admitted to me at one point that it would be impossible for us, as humans, to understand all the variables that are the consequence of our decisions.  We simply aren’t smart enough.  I told him that that was exactly true.  We can’t see the future.  We don’t have all the information, even with our supercomputers.  We don’t know the ripple effect of the decisions we make in the lives of other people.

So, he used that as an excuse to say that is why we have to think only about ourselves and how our decisions affect us and our loved ones.  As long as we don’t intend to hurt anyone and don’t break the law, we should be fine.  And there, right there, is the difference between God and us.  God is concerned about everyone.  We are concerned only about ourselves and our loved ones.  God is love.  We are not.  A little bit for a few people but that’s it.

Yes, I told him.  God’s standards are much higher than our standards.  In fact, we can’t fulfill God’s standards without God’s help.  We need to reverse the problem.  Instead of cutting God out of our lives (godlessness), we need to re-establish our relationship with Him so that He can help us understand the consequences of our actions and be the one who decides what is right and what is wrong.  That’s His job and He is good.  He loves everyone and is concerned about everything.  So He is the only one qualified to get the job done right.

That is why God is so upset.  We have not only made a mess of things but we are destroying each other and the environment, our home.  And the mistakes we are making have eternal consequences.  If God loves us, He should be upset.  It would make no sense if He wasn’t.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, thank you for being upset with our godlessness.  It doesn’t come from selfishness on your part, but rather love.  You can see the effects of wickedness that it has created and you tremble at the eternal repercussions of our rebellion.  Hell is no picnic and your word says that you desire everyone to be saved.  Lord, save us from our own folly, I pray.  Thank you for your wrath and your anger at our sin.  Thank you that your justice is good and right and is for our own good.  Thank you that your love found a way to save us from your justice so that we can have a new relationship with you.  Teach us to live under your guidance in knowing what is good and what is evil.  We don’t want to be godless anymore.  We want to learn from you, O Lord.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” — before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain….Remember him — before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiates 12;1,2,6,7 NIV).

“Now all has been heard;  here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12: 13,14 NIV).

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

“So, how did it go with Sofi the other night?”

“Actually, great,” John said.  “We cleared the air and she agreed to be part of this whole thing with the Alpha Course.”

“Yeah, I saw her there tonight,” I said.  “Didn’t she want to come over for a talk?”

“No, she wasn’t feeling well.  Besides, I introduced her to your wife and they seemed to hit it off.  Maybe they will get together sometime during the week.”

“That’s a great idea,” I said.  “Do you think she’s really interested or just going through the motions to keep you happy?”

“Not sure yet,” John said.  “But at least we’re talking.”

“And the baby?”

“That, too.”  John looked up at me.  “She’s a bit embarassed about that, what with her parents being so Catholic and all.”

“Can they handle it?”

“I hope so.”

“Well, this is what we were talking about,” I said.  “Real life.”  I wondered if I should press home a bit more.  “After all, having a baby is a big thing and you guys aren’t married yet.  You were almost ready to dump her last time we talked.”

“That was just talk,” John insisted.  “I wasn’t serious.”  He was quiet for a moment.  “But I see what you mean.  A baby is no joke.  It doesn’t take much to mess up somebody’s life right from the start.”

“What do you mean?”

John went quiet again, looking at the floor.  We were seated on the couch in the living room having a coffee.

“I’m not sure I should be telling you this, but I promised I would be honest with you.”

“Don’t tell me anything you shouldn’t.”

“No, I think I need to tell you,” John said.  “Besides it has to do with what you’ve been writing about in your blog.”

I just waited for him to share his heart with me.  I wondered what the big deal was.  I was about to find out.

“After I left Sofi that night last week, when we had our fight, she had a bit of a crisis of her own.”  John was talking slowly, trying to find the right words.  “To be honest, I said some pretty mean things to her that night.  She had a right to believe that things were over between us.”

“What hppened?”

“She thought I didn’t want the baby….”  John almost choked up but managed to keep going.  “She told me later that she had actually gone to a clinic to get some advice about how to get rid of the baby safely.”

“An abortion?”

“She hadn’t told her parents yet, so she would take care of two problems at the same time – me and them.”

“Did she go through with it?”

“No, thank God.”  John sighed.  “But it was a close thing.  Apparently there was a brochure sitting there on the table from Bethel Child Services offering to adopt the baby as an alternative to abortion.”

Thank God for little miracles.

“That got her thinking about how many other couples can’t have kids and would love to adopt a child.  They were just waiting for the opportunity to love a newborn like it was their own.”

“So she didn’t go through with it.”

“No.  And she isn’t giving it up for adoption either.  We’re keeping the baby and getting married in a couple of weeks.”

“Congratulations.  Am I invited to the wedding?”

John smiled.  “Of course.  But you have to bring your wife.  She and Sofi seem to be getting along great.”

“My wife loves weddings but she loves baby showers even more.  I’m sure she will help Sofi as much as possible.”  But I was thinking about something John had said earlier.  “You said this had something to do with my last blog post.  What was that all about?”

“Oh yeah.  The one about Humpty Dumpty.”

“The Humpty Dumpty principle?”

“Yeah, you were talking about Dr. House and what an idiot he is.”  John laughed out loud.  “But it was a good point you made.”

“You mean that we’re supposed to fix what we break and undo what we do wrong?”

“Yeah, that stuff,”  John said.  “Not very realistic, but I totally get it.”

“Do you agree with it?”

“You mean that God has a right to set the standard that high?  Even if it is unrealistic?”  John looked at me strangely.  “Actually, I do.  It makes sense.”

“But…?”  I could sense a “but” coming.

“Well, how can it make perfect sense and, at the same time, be unrealistic?”

I felt a pause in my spirit and I decided to just stay quiet.  After a moment, John kept on talking.

“That’s what I meant when I said that this whole situation with Sofi had something to do with your blog.”

“In what way?”

“Well, it seemed like everything went to hell in a handbasket awful quick.  One minute everything was fine.  Then we had another fight.  I said some things I shouldn’t have.  She tells me she’s pregnant and before the night is over she is considering an abortion and is sitting in some dingy clinic somewhere.”

John was exasperated but he couldn’t stop talking.

“I mean.  How is that possible?  How can things be more or less fine and then go so bad so quick.  What’s wrong with us?  What’s wrong with me?”

“Yeah, it’s like a bad dream.  It can get out of hand pretty darn quick.”

“But that’s the thing.  The baby could have been killed.”  John’s voice was getting louder.  “This isn’t a joke.  It would have destroyed Sofi, too.  And forget about us getting together.  It could have all been destroyed in one fell swoop.”

“And you wouldn’t have any way to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”  It was a statement more than a question, but John answered anyway.

“Exactly.  How would I have ever fixed that mess?  It could have destroyed our marriage before it even started.”  John’s eyes were moist.

Was this God’s way of convicting John of sin?  Now, that was interesting.

“Well, you aren’t the only one that has come to that realization, John.  It doesn’t take much to screw things up.  Love might be the answer but we, apparently, don’t always show a lot of it, especially when it counts.”

“Not just that,” John said.  “This stuff matters.  No wonder God is mad at us.  Especially the people who take all of this stuff so lightly.  Lots of people have abortions.  Lots of people get divorced or sleep around or hurt people.  The world is dangerous.”  John stopped.  “I’m dangerous.”

“Me, too.”  Then we were both quiet for a while, thinking.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t still have questions,” John said.  “I’m starting to see what you mean that God has a different perspective on these things than we do, but that doesn’t mean that I’m ready to just accept everything.”

“I would hope not,” I said.  “That would be boring.”

John smiled.

“Look, John.  Asking the hard questions is the most honest thing you can do.  Keep them coming and I will try my best to answer them.  Deal?”

“Deal.”   He looked straight at me with a challenge in his eyes.  “You say that all evil is because we ignore God and have a broken relationship with Him.  We don’t listen to him and we do whatever we want.  Is that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, but I still don’t understand why God doesn’t just stop us from doing bad things.  I mean, if He is so powerful and all, why doesn’t He just make it so that we can’t hurt each other?”

“Good question,”  I said.  “Some people call this the “religious problem of evil.”  If God is good and God is almighty and there is still evil in the world, how can those three statements all be true?”

“Yeah.  That’s a good way to put it.  Why doesn’t God just make it so that we don’t hurt each other and be done with it?”

“Well, I have some good news for you.  That’s exactly what he’s doing.”

John blinked a couple of times.  “That doesn’t make any sense.  We are obviously still hurting each other, so it’s not working very well.”

“I seem to remember a certain brochure just laying around in the right place at the right time,” I said.

John just looked at me.  “You think that was God?”

I nodded.  But I could see that John still wasn’t convinced.

“It isn’t as easy as it sounds you know,”  I said, coming to God’s defense.  “You make it sound like God can just use force to make us be good.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Lots of people have tried that.  Governments, dictators, teachers….doesn’t work.”

John thought for a moment.  “But God is almighty so He must be able to do it.  He can be everywhere and make sure nobody does any harm to anybody.”

“He could do it but I’m not sure He’d want to.”

“You mean, we would lose free will?  Who cares?  The world would be a safer place, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course, but if God wanted it to be safer, He could just kill everyone off with a virus or blow everyone to kingdom come with a nuclear bomb or two.  Not that He would do that, of course, but the easiest way to get rid of the human problem is to get rid of the humans.”

“That wouldn’t work.”

“No.  Besides God is trying to do something more difficult than just stop us from sinning or hurting each other.”

“Like what?”

“Getting us to love one another, truly, from the heart.”

John was quiet.  Finally he said,  “Yeah, I can see how that would be harder.  He really does have high standards, even with himself.”

“That’s the way love is.  It sacrifices everything to create more love and you can’t do it with force, only with love.”

“Ok, I think what you’re saying is that this has something to do with the cross but that part isn’t clear to me yet.”

“It will come.  For now, think about Sofi.  You can’t force her to love you, can you?  You can only invite her to love you by loving her first.  It’s the way love works.”

“But in the meantime, we can still hurt each other.”

“Yes, the world is a dangerous place because people are willing to hurt each other too easily.  We are no longer protected from each other, even by God.  At least not all the time.  This is serious business and it doesn’t have an easy solution.”

John was done for the night.  I could tell.  His mind was tired and he was still emotional about spilling the beans about Sofi and the “almost” abortion.  But I still had one more thing to say.

“Listen, John,” I said.  “Sounds like you’re going to fight for your relationship with Sofi, for the baby, for all of it, right?”

“You bet I am.”

“Why?  Most guys would walk away.  Too complicated.  Too emotional.  Too much work and no guarantee of success.”

“Because I love her, that’s why.”  He smiled.  “She’s worth it.”

I waited for a long moment and then I told him the truth he needed to hear.

“John,”  I said.  “God feels exactly the same way about you.”

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, the topic of sin often seems so remote to our daily lives until we have a couple of real situations to deal with.  Thank you for teaching us the danger of sin and how easily we can fall into it.  Our actions have consequences and we cannot forget that.  Thank you for saving us from the consequences of our actions.  Teach us to love one another from the heart.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:18-23).

The Enigma of Evil

Do you remember the story of the Boston Marathon bombers a couple of years back?  I don’t remember all of the details but apparently a couple of guys set off a bomb during the Boston marathon and killed some people.  They claimed to be Jihadists although they grew up in America.

What I remember the most is the confusion of the TV reporters and pundits who couldn’t seem to get their heads around the idea that home-grown American boys could be “radicalized” to the point of blowing up people who were just running a race.  What is the world coming to?

I also remember thinking at the time that the world, in general, had a very inadequate concept of evil.  Evil is a bad word these days.  We might call Hitler “evil” or some pedofile that molests children, but generally it is a word that is reserved for the worst of the worst.  A little bit like the word “saint.”  Most people reserve that word for someone like Mother Teresa not just for anybody.  It’s almost as if the majority of us live in “the middle” neither very good nor very evil.  Just mudane and normal.

That is not how God looks at it.  Not at all.  We have all been “radicalized” and we are all living a lifestyle of “wickedness and evil.”  Romans 3: 22 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Isn’t that a bit much?

Well, that is the thing with evil.  It is blind to itself.  It justifies itself.  It gets used to itself.  It even has a name, “the mundane face of evil.”

We live in Argentina and, of course, my daughter asked me about the whole Eichmann situation in Buenos Aires all those years ago.  You know the story, popularized by the book, The House on Garibaldi Street.  A new version of the story just came out on Netflix a couple of months ago.  So I took her to the place and told her the story about what happened.

But then I also told her about the girl who survived the holocaust and became a writer (my daughter is also a great writer) and how she wanted to face this evil man, the architect of the Jewish Solution, who had killed so many of her people.  She wanted to face him down and demand answers to explain this great evil.  Maybe she expected evil to radiate from his eyes, or for him to give her some sort of philosophical bullshit that she could write about and scoff at.  I don’t know what she wanted.  I doubt that she knew either.

But when she finally met him face to face in that courtroom in Israel when he was sentenced to death for his crimes against the Jewish people during WW2, she was most impressed by how normal he was.  He was a father.  He was a husband.  He was even a grandfather with some health issues.  He like futbol and had a favorite team.  He had a job and made a living just like all of us.  He had perpetuated one of the greatest evils of the modern world but he was just a normal man given immense power who used it without love to further his own ideas (and the ideas of his boss) about how the world should be.  She called it “the mundane face of evil.”

It was shocking because, in the right situation, it could be any one of us.  In fact, the Bible says, if we are honest, that same evil is within all of us.  Perhaps not to the same degree.  Of course not.  But the same thing nonetheless.  If we are honest, and we seldom are about these things, we would have to admit that we haven’t always been that loving even to our own husbands and wives (more than 50% of us get divorced), to our own children (almost 80% of violence comes from family and friends), our neighbors, other church members.  Forget about what we don’t do which we should.  Just think over the relationships that we have hurt or destroyed in our lifetimes.  Take a moment right now to do so.  Make a list if that would help.  Just jot down some words to remind you of the situation.  Relationships broken.  Angry words said.  Violence given.  Abuse taken.  Not love.  Evil and wickedness.

It’s not easy to do.  Agree with God.  His standards are higher than ours and well they should be.  We have cheapened the law and we have cheapened the foundation of the law.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  And your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37 NIV).  Love was always the point.  Our lack of love was always the problem.

People always come back to me and tell me that they don’t need God in order to love.  And I tell them to go ahead and do it then.  That confuses them.  Yes, go forth and sin no more.  Go and love God and your neighbor as yourself.  Love your enemies.  Love the unloveable.  Love the terrorists.  Go to the prisoners in jail and love them with food and companionship and presents.  Love the poor sleeping on their cardboard pieces on the heating grates from the subway.  Go ahead.  Do it.

Does it get done?  No.  Otherwise the world would be a very different place.  Maybe we don’t need God to love our families, our friends and maybe a few in-laws but to love our neighbor as ourselves?  Not even close.

Our problem is not that we have NO love, it’s that we don’t have ENOUGH love.  Enough love to solve the problems of poverty and sickness in the world.  Enough love to stop wars instead of start them.  Enough love to find alternatives to destroying our environment.  Enough love to make a difference in the educational system or to deal with difficult social questions.  No, love was always the point and our lack of love was always the problem.  Against love there is no law (Galatians 5:22-25).

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men….  (vs. 18a).

So what does this lack of love look like?  It has two parts according to Paul.  The first is “godlessness” and the second is “wickedness.”  To be godless is to live in this world as if God did not exist or doesn’t matter.  It is to live as if God has no claim on you.  You live according to your own authority.  You live independent of God, neither thanking him nor worshipping him (vs. 21).

Our relationship with God is a necessary relationship.  It is not optional.  It is no more optional than our relationship with our mother, our father, our siblings.  It is basic to our natures as humans that we are social creatures.  We need each other to survive and to thrive.  It is a necessity that we cannot live without.  God claims that our relationship with him is also a necessity.  It is basic to our natures as humans and we cannot live without it without dire consequences.  The fact that we are used to living in a godless and wicked world is no excuse for such epic blindness.

When I am doing evangelism, I always make a point of getting the person I am talking to to admit that they are leading a life without much reference to God.  They think about him very little and pay no attention to what he wants or cares about.  They don’t pray.  They don’t give thanks to Him.  They don’t ask themselves what would please God.  They don’t know much about Him and they certainly would NOT think of themselves as being followers of Him.  They are “godless” and they like it that way.  We all do.  It is like an addiction.  We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it even if it isn’t good for us or the people around us.  I call it the Sin Addiction.  Paul calls it “godlessness.”

Well, wait a second.  Godlessness also kind of means evil, too, doesn’t it.  And I’m not really evil, am I?

Yes, you are.  So am I.  This is the whole point.

In Christianity, all of the problems of mankind are traced back to this “godlessness,” this lack of a conscious relationship of love between ourselves and our Creator.  This broken relationship is the source of all evil.  Evil is relational pure and simple.  Godlessness leads to wickedness.

Well, what is wickedness then?  Wickedness is every expression of “unlove” that there is.  Whether big or small.  Whether we think it was taken seriously or not.  Whether action, intention, or motivation.  What ever does not come from love is sin and wickedness.  Therefore, although wickedness is a moral concept it is closely linked to relationships, especially and foremost our relationship to God.

So there you have it.  God is angry, exceedingly so, at the broken relationship we have instigated with Him (godlessness) and the resulting wickedness that has broken our relationships with everyone else (wickedness).

The little bit of love that we manage to hold on to is part of the common grace of God which he enables us to do or the world would deteriorate into a lawless state of chaos.  Frankly, God should be angry at this situation.  We get angry at it.  And we like to blame God for it as if he wasn’t already angry at us for creating the problem.  The difference between our anger and God’s anger is that he is in the right and we are not and, further, he found a solution that cost him everything.  His love comes from his very nature, his character, especially as we see it in the life and ministry of Jesus and this character is what the Bible means by the “glory” of God.  It is what makes him special and worthy of our imitation and worship (we imitate what we worship).

So why do we call this the Enigma of Evil? Because this concept of evil as relational is a mystery to most people.  We might get some agreement if we were talking about our relationships with other people but God would not agree.  God is clear about one thing.  It has to do with our relationship with Him first and foremost.  If we have a broken relationship with him, we cannot love our neighbor as ourselves, love our enemies, love enough to make a difference.  Other people can be moral, they can even do good deeds, but evil is relational and we are all guilty to one degree or another of living godless and wicked lives.  Morality is not the issue.  Relationship with God is the issue.

That mystery of evil that only Christianity lays claim to is the enigma of evil.  Only Christianity claims that the problem lies in a broken relationship with our Creator and only a restored relationship can begin to solve the problem.  That is only possible if there is a substitute.  He must become a sinner so that we might become saints.

To make things worse, not only will we not acknowledge that a broken relationship with our Creator has made us selfish and unloving to one degree or another to each other, we are also arrogant about it.  We seem to think that this is the way things are supposed to be.  We are not only sinners we are arrogant about it.  And that is the first thing that needs to be dealt with.

“The greatest embarrassment in heaven and on earth,

is the arrogance of those who ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Sadly, that applies to all of us.”

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, I don’t want to be arrogant in my sin.  I want to be honest.  I can make a long list of things that I have done that were not done in love.  I have been divorced.  I have hurt my first two kids deeply in the process.  I have taken money from people for my investments that could not afford it.  I have lied.  I have told half-truths just to get out of an embarassing situation.  I have not always responded to other people’s needs even though I was able to.  Lord, the list goes on and on.  I am not a person who knows how to love.  I know it has to do with my broken relationship with you.   I believe you when you say that if my relationship with you is restored, then I will start to learn the ways of love again.   I want to learn from you, O Lord.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:18-23).

The Dilemma of Love

At first glance this passage may come as a bombshell out of the blue for many people and be rejected out of hand.  That would be a mistake.  It may not be popular but it is the foundation of the gospel and to ignore it in any way is to court religiosity and self-deception which leads to eternal death.  This is the great problem of the modern church.  An inadequate view of sin and the wrath of God against it.

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men….” (vs. 18a).

Who uses words like “wrath” anymore?  Isn’t it a bit over done?  Why would God be so angry with us?  Well, let me tell you a story…..

This past Christmas, my wife and I were having a cup of tea (coffee for her) and talking about things with the TV on quietly in the background.  Then we saw a news item that looked interesting so we turned up the volume.

Apparently a man in one of the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires had gotten a gun for Christmas together with the bullets needed to fire it.  So, in celebration, he loaded the gun and fired it off into the air in a couple of different directions.  He was a good man.  A hard worker.  He had a family and kids.

But so did his neighbors.  One young girl, about five years old was playing in her patio, splashing in the plastic pool that her parents had gotten her and the other kids for Christmas.  Other siblings were there as well, contentedly playing when they heard the shots.  They were startled for a moment, parents and children alike, but then it stopped and they got on with things.

Until they noticed little Sara who was slumped over with a trickle of blood coming out of a wound in the back of her head.  She had been killed by a stray bullet and was dead in a second, her young life over before it was hardly started.

My wife and I were upset of course and we agreed that the man ought to be thrown in jail for his recklessness.  What was the world coming to?

Then we got busy with our own preparations and celebrations and, before long, we were thinking about something else.  Busy with our own lives.

But later that afternoon, I caught a sequel to this drama.  The parents were being interviewed and they were livid.  Of course.  It looked like they would explode.  Of course, there were tears as well but mostly it was anger.  Righteous anger.  It was a senseless act of violence that was unnecessary.  They wanted blood.  And I couldn’t blame them a bit.

Then I realized that this was the opposite face of love.  My wife and I were upset but we didn’t know the little girl.  Really, we didn’t love her.  We didn’t even know her name at first.  But the parents did.  They loved that little girl to pieces and their reaction was absolutely correct.  They were livid.  They were more than angry.  There was true “wrath.”  May heaven help that unthinking brute who killed their little girl.  If they ever laid hands on him…..

And don’t come to me with all that crap about “vengenace is mine says the Lord…”  It may be true since we are full of sin and taking justice into our own hands would not be wise or healthy for society.  I get it.  But I wasn’t talking about becoming vigilantes, I was talking about the appropriate response of love in the face of evil.  Maybe our wrath is not all that righteous at times but God’s wrath certainly is.

The wrath of God is the opposite face of his love.  It is the love of God that makes His wrath so real, so right, so holy and just.  And we are fine with that until it is directed at us.

Let’s just think about the goodness of God for a moment.  In my church they like to say “God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.”  (It’s true but saying it EVERY Sunday morning gets to be a bit much).  The idea of God as “good” is a basic description of the divine that we would do well to pay attention to.  The goodness of God is made up of both his justice and his love.  In fact they are two sides of the same coin.  How can that be?  How can the justice of God be an essential part of his goodness?

We need to remember that the justice of God was never supposed to be demonstrated in this world.  It was because sin and rebellion came into the world that the justice of God showed up.  How else could it be?  It is the love of God that is most basic to his character but in the face of sin and rebellion, what was God supposed to do?  Put up with sin?  Dismiss it as unimportant?  Let us get away with it?  Is that what love would do?  Is that what you, as a parent, would do?  Is that the best thing for your child?  Is it in your nature to just excuse sin as if it was not destructive of relationships?  As if it was not “unlove” by definitition?

Love would never put up with anything less than itself.  That’s what makes it love.  Isn’t it wonderful that this Alien of aliens who created this universe and our world is a being not only of immense power but also has a character defined by his goodness and love?  We can all point to humans who have had power and abused it, who have had authority and yet were not good people much less loving.  Thank God for God.  Thank God that the forces of love will win the day because it doesn’t always seem like they will on this earth.  Lack of love is the problem.  The love of God is the solution.

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son….”  It is a beautiful verse but it assumes another reality prior to that one.  Before God gave Jesus to us as the solution, his love took on the form of justice.  It would be just as correct to say, “for God so loved the world that he poured out his wrath upon all mankind…..”  That is also love.

And that, right there, was God’s dilemma.  He could no more deny his justice than to deny himself.  God knows, even if we don’t get it, that His justice was also a true expression of His love.  The problem was his children.  There were people involved.  Justice might be appropriate but it would destroy the very objects of his love.  God’s dilemma was resolved in Jesus Christ, in his self-sacrifice on the cross as our substitute, thereby satisfying God’s justice and saving us from our sin.  Ingenious.  Love was able to do what the almighty power of God could not do.  Save us from our own wickedness and sin.

If we changed one little part of that story of the little girl who was killed by a stray bullet from the gun of a negligent neighbor, it would get closer to the problem that God faced.  Let’s say that the shooter was not a neighbor, another person outside of the family, unloved, unknown, uncared for.  Let’s say that the shooter was an older boy, a son in the same family who killed the little girl.  Justice may still be an expression of love and the wrath of the parents may still be present but now there is a dilemma.  The parents also love their son.  The one who had done something so reckless was beloved.  Whether he was sorry or not isn’t the question yet.  Just who he was.  Loved.

Without both parts of the dilemma that God faces every day, you cannot understand the mercy and the salvation that he brings in Jesus Christ.  Salvation means little without the prospect of eternal judgment.

Now, hold on a minute.  Eternal damnation seems a bit too much.  We make a mistake and we have to pay for it for eternity?  How is that fair?  It isn’t.  That’s a misunderstanding of what is going on.  But we will get to that tomorrow.  For now, it is important to realize that a good God who loves his people should be angry at sin and wickedness.  He should be angry at our lack of love, respect and care for one another.

So don’t be surprised that God is angry.  Be surprised that he found a way to be angry at himself, in Christ, on the cross and thereby save us from a judgment that we could not bear.  That is the power of the divine love.  The wrath of God the Father poured out on God the Son in Gethsemane, on the cross, and in hell.  He becomes the sinner and we become saints.

How is that fair?  It isn’t.  It’s called love.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, thank you for finding a way out of the dilemma.  I totally get why you are angry.  Sometimes I am angry at what I see on the news but I know your anger is righteous and perfect and complete.  We, humans, don’t realize how unloving we are at times.  Your love makes you sensitive to every slight, every abuse, every injustice, every hurt that we do to one another.  It makes you weep.  It grieves you deeply.  How much you have put up with over the years in my life and in this world.  How do you do it?  It is your love for us and your plan to save us through Christ that gives you the patience to bear with the sin and evil in this world.  Thank you, Lord.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  And do this, understanding the present time.  The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkeness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13: 10b, 11-12 NIV).

The Holy Hiatus

I suppose that you, my readers, are starting to get a bit frustrated with me as well.  You might wonder if we are ever going to get into the meat of the gospel as Paul presents it in the Book of Romans.  We’re getting there.

But there is a method to my madness, I assure you.

First of all, we needed a historical context to Paul’s letter to the Romans and we talked about the controversies in Rome between the traditional Jews and the Christian Jews and how the Emperor, Claudius, threw them all out of the capital.  That left the Gentiles in charge of the church until Claudius died and Nero took over (about three years before Paul probably wrote the letter to the Romans).

Second, we talked about the division within the church between the Judaizers (the Jews who called themselves Christians but wanted the Gentiles to become Jewish and circumcised before they could call themselves believers) and the Gentile Christians.  This was such an important issue that Paul considered it heresy and even got into a public fight with Peter about it (Galatians 2:11-21).

Obviously, Peter came around at some point judging from his comments in the letters that he wrote to the churches.  He says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.  He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.  His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16 NIV).

Peter speaks so highly of Paul that he places his letters on an equal footing with the other Scriptures.  High praise indeed.

But then, thirdly,  there was also a question of getting our heads right about some of Paul’s terminology and the only way to do that was to get our hearts right with God.  In other words, it’s all about a relationship with God from the heart.  Our tendency is to make the law about rules and regulations when it was always impossible to do without a heart-felt relationship with God in the first place.  God never expected his people to be perfect law keepers.  That’s why he included the sacrificial system.  There was a clear need for sins to be covered, to be expiated, to be expunged from the lives of his people.  In fact, the law was always a question of the inward heart not just the outward actions (like marriage or parenting).  It was always so and the Pharisees had corrupted it with their senseless religiosity and 613 rules and regulations that a righteous man could fulfill if he were diligent enough.  As if that even mattered.

Finally, we said that the whole question of the existence of God was not really on the table.  Paul just assumes it.  The Bible, for the most part, just assumes it.  But that makes sense when you realize that the letter to the Romans was meant for Christians, not unbelievers.

And that, right there, is the problem.  What about the Roman Road?  Didn’t we say that we were Walking the Roman Road?  Do you remember the five steps to the Roman Road?

The Roman Road of Salvation

1. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

2. Romans 6:23a “for the wages of sin is death.”

3. Romans 6:23b “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (also Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”)

4. Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (also Romans 10:13 “for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””)

5. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (also Romans 8:1 and 8:38-39 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…..for I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)

Paul starts with sin and the wrath of God and the wages of sin, therefore many people do the same thing in talking with unbelievers.

That might have worked a generation ago when lots of people in their 30´s and 40´s could remember their Sunday School lessons and experience of church growing up.  But it is no longer true today for the most part.  And using the Roman Road of Salvation as an Evangelistic tool has also fallen into disuse.  It needs to be thought through again in a new light and that is what I want to do.  Not that there is anything wrong with the Roman Road of Salvation, just that there are a few previous steps that it would be wise to go through first.

Remember that Paul was writing to believers, not unbelievers.  They already went throught some preliminary steps before they got to Paul’s teaching.  We need to let unbelievers also go through some previous steps.

Do you remember when I talked about the Five Pillars of Evangelism?  Here they are again, to help us remember them.

The Five Pillars of Evangelism

1.  Start with some evidence for the existence of God, the truth of the Bible, or the resurrection of Christ from the dead just to get the discussion rolling.
2. Give your testimony of the process you took to become a Christian to verify that they are following the proper path by asking questions and getting answers.
3. Remind them that all the evidence in the world won’t convince them entirely of the truth of Scripture because the real issue is relational.  We don’t trust God with out lives.  We don’t want Him to be our Master in any way.
4. Let them know about the Judgment to come after death and that the only way to survive it is to replace our fear of God with love but we need to do that while we are alive.  You can’t learn to love God when you are overwhelmed with fear in His presence.
5. Tell them that Jesus was our substitute on the cross to deal with the problem of sin and fear but the trade-off is that we get a new relationship with God where He is in charge.  We need to accept that willingly and wholeheartedly like a man getting married to the woman of his dreams.

Evidence.  Testimony.  Judgment.  Relationship.  Substitution.

And of course, since the ministry of reconciliation is true spiritual warfare, prayer and fasting needs to infuse all parts of the process.

The thing to remember is that Paul jumps in with the gospel right at step 3 which I am calling Judgment.  That is where the discussion about sin and the wages of sin and the wrath of God fit.

Now it is true that this isn’t a perfect process.  It is a bit of discernment based on my own experience and it never goes according to plan.  There is a certain amount of jumping around and also going around in circles and revisiting issues more than once.  Granted.  But there is also some truth that the process is at least somewhat linear.  Some things seem to come before other things.  For example, the problem (Judgment, Relationship) needs to come before the solution (Substitution) but, at the same time, Evidence and Testimony would probably come in at different times in the process and more than once.

My point is to say that in the modern world there are a number of prior questions that need to be addressed before you can really get into the gospel per se.

I would consider these questions pre-gospel issues and they fall into the arena of apologetics.  It’s a good way for me to think about it.  The gospel is about problem-solution but before you can talk about the problem you need some context.  And for the modern person who lives in a secular humanist, materialistic world, these questions are essential.

The Existence of God

For example, the question of the existence of God.  You can add the whole topic of evolution and intelligent design into the mix as well and you start to see what I mean.  The Bible assumes the existence of God because it is addressed to believers but even Paul, in his speech in Athens on Mars Hill, had to start by talking about the “unknown god” (Acts 17:16-34).  We need to do the same today.

Science and Faith

Another question is the whole relationship between science and faith.  Are they compatible?  Doesn’t science exclude faith?  Is faith a reasonable idea or is it only for the ignorant and weak?  Is God the great Scientist? (see The Desert Warrior Series)

Bible and Truth

Then there is the issue of the Bible and of truth itself.  Is there such a thing as truth or is it all relative to our own beliefs?  Even if we accept that truth corresponds to reality, can we truly accept that the Bible gives us an accuarate description of what actually happened in hisotry?  How do we know that the miracles happened, that Jesus rose from the dead, that God is real?  Why take the Bible at face value?  Isn’t it all just subjective?  (see The Desert Warrior Series)

The value of other Religions

Finally, there is the question of other religions.  Why do we believe that Christianity is true and all other religions are false?  This is related to the concept of truth but goes beyond it into the issue of the value of what other religions can bring to the table, if anything.  Aren’t all religions basically the same?  Don’t they all promote morality?  Doesn’t morality bring us to God?  Is there really any difference between Christianity and other religions?

Note:  The question of Evil and God’s role in dealing with it is not a pre-gospel issue but rather directly affects the gospel message.  We will deal with that issue in more depth later.

These four questions (and you could probably add a few more) are the stuff of apologetics.  Apologetics just means giving an answer to questions that the world is asking.  It is about pre-gospel questions and they deserve to be answered.

My own approach to apologetics is called Distinctive Apologetics.  I am not trying to convince anyone.  I am, merely, making distinctions between one thing and another.  I am simply saying this is Christianity and that is not.  You can believe it or not but, at least, let us get things straight so you know what you are rejecting if that is what you decide to do.

There are two advantages (maybe more) in taking this approach.  Once people know that you are not trying to convince them and that you are only clarifying things for them, they tend to listen to you more.  Secondly, a big part of the problem in evangelism is simply that people are rejecting something very often that is not Christianity.  Many people have such a screwed up idea of who God is that I would reject that god as well.  Sometimes they describe God and I would have sworn they were talking about the devil.  Getting things right is a big part of the process and stories and examples and testimony and evidence can all help in the process.

But don’t forget that evidence will never convince anyone to become a Christian.  It isn’t a question of evidence but a question of faith.  It isn’t about propositional truth but rather about a relationship of trust and an understanding of the gospel.

So, although we dealt with the existence of God at length and we are now acknowledging that these other pre-gospel issues are also important (and will come up later again in the letter to the Romans), for now we will get on with the gospel as Paul describes it starting with the wrath of God against sin in Romans 1:18.

Put on your seatbelts because you’re in for a bumpy ride.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, thank you for making me a part of your rescue team, Lord.  It brings great joy and meaning to my life to be involved in something so important.  I am sometimes overwhelmed, myself, with all the questions that I have.  Thank you for that.  I know it is far more dangerous to have no questions and treat everything as if it isn’t that important, but it is.  It is the most important thing in existence.  There are two things in this world that are eternal.  Humans and the Word of God and you have given me the opportunity to work with both of them.  Thank you.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Walking The Roman Road – Lenten Season 2019

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them that bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52: 7 NIV).

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14,15 NIV).

Don’t kill the Messenger

“So, John, did you get a chance to do some of your homework this week?”

“No.  I didn’t get it all done.”  John was not in a good mood.  “Why did you pile so much homework on me anyway.”

“Hey,” I said, my hands raised in protection.  “You’re the one who asked for some reading material.”

“Yeah, but you told me to read the gospel of John and the book of Romans and then you added this crazy blogger called The Desert Warrior….”

“You know that’s me, right?”

At least I got a smile from him.

“Yeah, I know,”  he said.  “Pretty good stuff, actually.”

“Ah, shucks….”

“No, I mean it.”  He paused.  “Listen, I’m not mad at you.  In fact, I don’t know why I ‘m in such a bad mood.  All this religious stuff is starting to get to me….”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, take for example your story about Jesus being an alien.”

“Did you like that one?”

“Pretty cool, actually.” John said.  “I didn’t know where you were going with all that alien stuff but it was a great way to make it all more real.”

“That was the idea,”  I said.  “For some people, God becomes more real if you call him an alien than if you just use religious language.”

“Well, I have to say it’s probably true for me as well.  I am starting to see this whole thing as much more real.”  He paused.  “I mean, you have to make some adjustments, of course.  God isn’t really an alien or, if he is, then he is sort of the alien of all aliens.  A universe creator.  Not just a klingon from another planet, if you know what I mean.”

“Exactly.  But once you get that difference, you realize that Christianity is saying that this alien showed up one day and started talking to Moses, although technically he had been around since the beginning.”  I was starting to enjoy the conversation.  John really seemed to be getting into it.

“But there’s still a lot I don’t understand,” John said his eyes on the table in front of him nursing a hot cup of coffee.  We were seated at the kitchen table in my house after the Alpha course on a Friday night because John wanted to talk more about things.

“It will come…..” I started to say.

“No,” John interrupted.  “I’ve already wasted too much time.  I’ve got a lot of questions and I need some answers.”  He looked at me hard for a moment and then sighed.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me….”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said.  “I was like that for three months when I was first studying all this stuff in Bible College.”

“You were?”

“Yeah, it was like there was this battle raging inside me.  On the one hand, I was fascinated with all the answers I was getting and they were actually good answers that made sense.  But on the other hand, I didn’t want to give up my independence and start to make changes in my life.”  I smiled as I remembered that holy struggle with God almost every night.  “I wanted it but I didn’t want it, you know?”

“Yeah, I know…..” John’s voice tailed off and I just let him stew on it a bit.

“But there’s another problem, isn’t there?” I asked quietly, then waited.

Finally John sighed.

“Yes, there is.”

Silence.

“Sofi is pregnant.”

“Congratulations,”  I said and I meant it.  Sofi was the girl he was going to marry.  It may be a bit awkward but this was 2019.  Nobody cared they weren’t married yet.  Except maybe God.  But John wasn’t that far along yet.

“No, you don’t understand,” John said.  “I’m not sure that I love her anymore.”

That shut me up.  I didn’t know what to say.

“She and I have been fighting about this religious stuff for weeks,” John said quietly.  “I wanted to share everything that I was learning with her and I think I scared her.”

“Scared her?”

“Yeah, she told me that she just wanted me to go to church and be a Catholic so that the priest could marry us and we could bring up our kids as Catholics.”

“Ok….” I said slowly.

“At least that’s what her parents wanted us to do.  That’s why I accepted your invitation to come to the Alpha Course.”

“So I still don’t get why Sofi is scared of all this stuff….”

“She doesn’t understand what I’m going through.  This isn’t about going to church.  This is something deeper.  This is about my relationship with God.  This is real shit, you know?”

I laughed out loud.  “Yes, it is,” I said, smiling.  “What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know,” John said.  “I took out all of my frustrations on her and we had the worst fight of our relationship two nights ago.  I was about ready to throw the towel in but then she announces that she’s pregnant.”  He looked up.  “Can you believe it?  In the middle of the fight she announces that we’re going to have a baby.  How can I be happy about it right then and there……right while we are yelling at each other?”  His face was screwed up tight like he was trying not to cry.

“What did you do?”

“I left.  What else was I supposed to do?  I haven’t seen her since.”

“Are you happy about the baby?”

John looked up at me fiercely.  “Of course I am.”

“Then what’s the problem?  Why don’t you love her anymore?”

“Well, maybe that’s too strong,” John said slowly.  “The point is that this stuff is important to me and all she does is make fun of me and then gets mad at me for doing the very thing her parents told me to do in the first place.  How is that fair?”

“It’s not fair,” I admitted.  “But maybe Sofi just got scared that this religious stuff was really getting to you and that, you know, somehow it would change you.  Make you into one of those super dedicated, door knocking, evangelical types or something.”

John looked at me suspiciously.  “That’s not going to happen, is it?”

I had to laugh again.  It was too good to pass up.

“Well, you never know….”  But at the look on his face I decided not to keep up the ribbing.  “Look, John, that isn’t the kind of change that God is interested in.  You will become a better person, that’s for sure, but that shouldn’t be a problem for Sofi, right?”

“I suppose not.”  John didn’t seem too certain.  “But I would want to take this relationship with God seriously if I am going to do this and I’m not sure Sofi feels the same way.”

“That’s hardly her fault.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she hasn’t had the opportunity to go through the Alpha course with you or have these talks we’re having or even getting her questions answered.”

“That’s true.”  John was thoughtful.  “Maybe I should ask her to come as well.”

“Good idea.”

“How would she catch up?  Should she be part of our table?  Or should she wait for the next one?”  John was working it all out on the fly.

“I wouldn’t wait,” I said.  “Go home and talk to her and ask her what she wants to do.  I suspect she will want to be part of the process with you.  We can always talk it through here at my place as much as you two would like.  In fact, my wife would probably insist on being part of our discussions.  She’s been wanting to meet Sofi for a while.”

“That’s a good idea,” John said.  He got up suddenly, shook my hand and turned to the door.  “Sorry, but I have to go.  I want to see Sofi tonight before she goes to bed.”

“Be gentle,” I advised.  “Give it some time for her to come around.”

John looked at me strangely.  “Could you ask God for some help on this one.  I’m not sure I’m up to it on my own?”

“Of course.”  I grabbed his shoulder, shut my eyes and had a conversation with God about John and Sofi while John listened.  At the end, he echoed my “Amen.” and was gone.

I took a deep breath and then smiled as I let it out slowly.

The Desert Warrior

P.S.  Let’s talk to God….

Lord, it is true that evangelism is real spiritual warfare but you give us the words to say at the time they need to be said.  It is you who is working through us.  We don’t need to worry.  Thank you for the privilege of working with you on the most important rescue mission the world has every seen.  I pray for all of those who are in the Alpha Course and everyone who is involved in the process of evangelism.  You have given us the job of being your messengers and that sometimes gets us into trouble.  Help us to be filled with grace and truth and to answer everyone with respect and insight.  We want to learn from you, O Lord.  In your name I pray.  Amen.