Moody Missions Conference

Today marks the kickoff of Moody's annual Missions Conference and I am excited! I am excited because of this years theme: The Church in Chains. I am excited because of this years speakers: Mark Talbot, Steve Strauss, Carl Moeller and many other experienced missionaries. Lastly, I am excited because all classes are cancelled for the rest of the week! Each day we get to go to about six sessions where we will learn about dozens of different topics that all relate to missions and in particular, the persecuted church. Wow, what an opportunity to learn! What an opportunity to learn and then put that learning into practice!

I don't want this week to be merely "interesting" or "enlightening" or "thought provoking." Rather, I want this week to be convicting and motivating and truly life changing! By God's grace, it will be.

Since we are on the topic of the persecuted church, I will now post a little report I wrote a couple years ago about Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor in Communist Romania. His story is an amazing story of love, pain, suffering, faithfulness and most of all, grace that enabled a man to be solely devoted to God and His kingdom, allowing him to endure some of the most brutal persecution that can be imagined.

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand

Richard Wurmbrand began his life as a hard atheist. From his earliest years he was fed the Communist's propaganda and soon he was a true believer in atheism. Richard not only did not believe in God, but he hated the very idea of God. He believed that religion was like a plague to society, never helping but always harming. As he grew older, he began to realize that there was something missing inside him however, and that atheism had not lived up to the promises credited to it by the Communists. Around this time of inner struggle in Richard’s life, an old carpenter in a small village in Romania prayed to God that He would reward him for his life of service and dedication by letting him lead a Jew to Christ. He thought that because Jesus was a Jew, there would be no greater prize and joy than to be able to lead a Jew to saving faith in Christ. Well, it just so happened that Richard was a Jew and it also just so happened that for some reason (he didn’t know why) Richard felt led and urged to go to this carpenter’s village. As soon as the carpenter met him and realized that he was an unsaved Jew, he began to “work” on Richard. Richard said in his book that “he courted me as never a beautiful had been courted.” This dedication finally paid off, and soon Richard had confessed his life of sin and disbelief and placed his faith in Jesus. Soon after his own conversion, Richard’s wife was also saved. Quickly, Richard became the pastor of a church (one that he started himself). He felt a great desire to minister and witness to Russians, who were brought up in Communism, learning from a very young age that there was no God, but just physical matter. He felt a great sympathy and love for these people, because he had been just like them.

In just a few years the Communists gained complete control in Romania. Right away they began their work on the church, slowly making in-roads and alliances with its top leaders. Soon they created an official church and those who refused to be a part of it were persecuted, though the persecution was rather tame to begin with. This is when the underground church started in Romania. It lasted until the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of Communism.

Pastor Wurmbrand had many encounters with Communist soldiers, leaders and officials etc., many of which he found were eagerly seeking the truths of the Gospel. The Communists were hungry for Christ and the peace that comes with Him. Atheism left them starved and alone. Many Communists repented and believed, becoming vital members of the Underground Church in Romania. Russian soldiers smuggled Bibles into Russia and passed them out to other soldiers. Converts secretly printed and distributed the first Christian “tracts”. Pastor Wurmbrand even began a secret ministry to the Russian soldier’s right in their own barracks, under the guise of purchasing stolen watches from them. Russian Christians were persuaded to join the feared Russian secret police (who were responsible for hunting and silencing Christians) so that they could report on their activities. This was often very hard for them because it meant they would be hated and despised by their own families and other Christians, who could not be allowed to know about their true duties. Pastor Wurmbrand himself was captured and imprisoned by the police on many occasions and during one of his longer incarcerations a fellow Christian doctor actually joined the Secret police just to try to find Richard and make sure that he was still alive. The doctor found out that Richard was alive and soon had told the rest of the Underground Church in Romania, which greatly encouraged and invigorated them all. During the Eisenhower-Khrushchev “thaw” Christians spoke out for the release of Richard and finally got their wish in 1956. The Underground Church did many other extraordinary and often heroic things for the cause of Christ. They loved the Communists and would stop at nothing to reach them with the Gospel, even though it was the Communists who were so terribly persecuting them.

Pastor Wurmbrand was imprisoned many times, and each time he underwent various tor tures. Once, soldiers put him inside a wooden box, one that was just large enough for Richard to stand in. Then they pounded nails in the sides so that they were only centimeters away from Richards flesh. He would have to remain perfectly still for hours and hours on end or else he would be cut and shredded by the razor sharp nails all around him. Handcuffs with razors on the insides were put around their wrists on many occasions. Richard was thrown into a freezing cold “refrigerator” chamber and left in there until the brink of death. Then Communist doctors would rush in and rescue him from the cold and make him very warm again. Then right away they would throw him back into the “refrigerators”. They repeated this cycle countless times each day. Wurmbrand said that many times while the Communists were torturing him and others, they would smile and their faces would shine with “rapturous joy”. They would yell at the Christians, “We are the devil!” while they slowly bore holes into the Christians’ flesh or burned them until their skin peeled.

The communists also tried brainwashing on some prisoners. They would make people sit for sometimes 17 hours a day listening to “Communism is good. Give up!” Pastor Wurmbrand and many other Christians were forced to endure countless hours of horrible , all in the name of Communism and atheism, but they held out, keeping their mind focused on Christ and feeling comforted that they were taking part in His suffering.

During Richard’s longest stay in prison, his wife was also imprisoned. There she was brutally ra ped many times and forced to do hard labor. Their son was left to wander the streets. However, when people found out that he was an orphan because his parents were in prison for being Christians, they would turn him away and not give him even the scraps of food off their tables. It was a crime to help the orphans of imprisoned Christians.

After fourteen years, Pastor Wurmbrand was released for prison. He and his wife started their life over in complete poverty. Word had spread throughout the world of the underground church in the USSR and of Wurmbrand’s imprisonment. Two Christian organizations paid the Communists $10,000 to let Richard leave Romania and go to the West. Before he left, he was told to never speak of the terrible persecution and that he had lived through, or else the Communists would hunt him down wherever he was and drag him back to Romania (they actually did this to some other Romanians who had escaped. They found people as far away as Paris and Italy.) In 1965 Pastor Wurmbrand and his family were finally allowed to leave Communist Romania.

In the West Pastor Wurmbrand led the charge in informing and educating people about the Underground Church that exists all over the world, even today. There are thousands of Christian brothers and sisters that are being persecuted for their faith in Christ. Communism was a tool that Satan used in hopes of stopping Christ from saving His people, but just like every other futile attempt, he failed. However, there is still persecution in non-Communist countries and many of us here in the West, know little (and sometimes care little) for their battles and struggles. We must remember the Underground Church in our prayers and speak out against the horrible persecution of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This was Pastor Richard Wurmbrand’s wish for us all….remember the Underground Church.

I have never been persecuted on account of my faith. Here in America, the extent of our “persecution” is being made fun of by some fat, smelly kid at school because we go to church and pray before we eat. I have never seen such faithful, longsuffering, determined and joyful dedication to the cause of Christ. Richard Wurmbrand loved his tor turers. He prayed for them. He never hated them. This is a response that could only have come from the Holy Spirit and the power that raised Christ from the grave. It is truly supernatural and superhuman, a product of the enabling grace of God.

I think that the best thing that we can do for our brothers and sisters in the Underground church is to pray for them. Pray that God gives them strength to endure. Pray that they keep Christ as their focus and remember that Heaven is their reward. Pray that God will deliver them from their suffering, either by death or freedom. I think that we forget about our family…we think that they are just faceless bodies walking around on the other side of the world. But they are people; more than that they are family in Christ, and they are being tor tured. They are being tor tured for Christ.

Made for Worship

We were created to worship God.

Our purpose is to glorify our Creator. However, we do not fulfill our purpose. This is the essense of sin - not being who God has commanded us to be (ie. worshippers of our Creator). In its essense, sin is not doing something, but rather not doing something, that something being truly worshipping and glorifying the God of the universe.

Think about why God created you. He made you for a specific purpose. Because He has created us for a specific purpose, we will only be completely fulfilled and satisfied when we are doing what we were created to do. To echo the words of John Piper in reverse, "We are most satisfied in God, when He is most glorified in us."

The glory of God is our goal and our purpose. Pray that God will keep you focused on that end and that end alone.

Made to Worship

Before the day
Before the light
Before the world revolved around the sun
God on high
Stepped down into time
And wrote the story of His love for everyone

All we are
And all we have
Is all a gift from God that we receive
Brought to life
We open up our eyes
To see the majesty and glory of the King

He has filled our hearts with wonder
So that we always remember

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free
You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see who we were meant to be

And even the rocks cry out
And even the Heavens shout
At the sound of His holy name
So let every voice sing out
And let every knee bow down
He is worthy of all our praise

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free, yeah
You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see who we were meant to be

Lyrics by Chris Tomlin. Check out the song, "Made to Worship," here.

The Sum of All Goods

The sum of all our goods, and our perfect good, is God. We must not fall short of this, nor seek anything beyond it; the first is dangerous, the other impossible.

- Augustine

Just think about those words for a while. Do you seek God as your perfect good or do you substitute lesser goods (or evils) for the greatest Good?

And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
(Mark 10:18 ESV)

Faith and Works

The question is asked, “How can justification take place without the works of the Law, and how by the works of the Law can there be no justification, since James 2:26 clearly states: ‘Faith apart from works is dead’ and ‘a man is justified by works,’ using the example of Abraham and Rahab (James 2:23–25)?” And Paul himself in Gal. 5:6 speaks of “faith working through love,” and above in chapter 2:13 he says that “the doers of the Law will be justified before God.” The answer to this question is that the apostle is distinguishing between the Law and faith, or between the letter and grace, and thus also between their respective works. The works of the Law are those, he says, which take place outside of faith and grace and are done at the urging of the Law, which either forces obedience through fear or allures us through the promise of temporal blessings. But the works of faith, he says, are those which are done out of the spirit of liberty and solely for the love of God. And the latter cannot be accomplished except by those who have been justified by faith, to which justification the works of the Law add nothing, indeed, they strongly hinder it, since they do not permit a man to see himself as unrighteous and in need of justification.

Here is an example. If a layman should perform all the outward functions of a priest, celebrating Mass, confirming, absolving, administering the sacraments, dedicating altars, churches, vestments, vessels, etc., it is certain that these actions in all respects would be similar to those of a true priest, in fact, they might be performed more reverently and properly than the real ones. But because he has not been consecrated and ordained and sanctified, he performs nothing at all, but is only playing church and deceiving himself and his followers. It is the same way with the righteous, good, and holy works which are performed either without or before justification. For just as this layman does not become a priest by performing all these functions, although it can happen that he could be made a priest without doing them, namely, by ordination, so also the man who is righteous by the Law is actually not made righteous by the works of the Law at all, but without them, by something else, namely, through faith in Christ, by which he is justified and, as it were, ordained, so that he is made righteous for the performance of the works of righteousness, just as this layman is ordained a priest for the performance of the functions of a priest. And it can happen that the man who is righteous by the Law does works which are more according to the letter and more spectacular than the man who is righteous by grace. But yet he is not for this reason righteous but rather may actually be more impeded by these works from coming to righteousness and to the works of grace.

Another example. A monkey can imitate the actions of people, but he is not a man on that account. But if he should become a man, this doubtless would not take place by virtue of these actions, by which he has imitated a man, but by some other power, namely, God’s; but then having become a man, he would truly and rightly perform the actions of a man.

Therefore, when St. James and the apostle say that a man is justified by works, they are contending against the erroneous notion of those who thought that faith suffices without works, although the apostle does not say that faith justifies without its own works (because then there would be no faith, since, according to the philosophers, “action is the evidence that form exists”33), but that it justifies without the works of the Law. Therefore justification does not demand the works of the Law but a living faith which produces its own works.

Luther, M. (1999, c1972). Vol. 25: Luther's works, vol. 25 : Lectures on Romans (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Mother, Child and Womb?

I first saw this story in the Waterloo Courier a couple days ago. I cut it out in hopes of writing something about it, but now I can't find it (big suprise). However, after a simple Google search, I was able to find it again.

Apparently the PCUSA, in an attempt to use "sex-inclusive language," has opened up discussions concerning the renaming of the Trinity. If accepted, the members of the Trinity will no longer be the, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit," but will instead be called, "Mother, Child and Womb." Other possible names are, "Lover, Beloved, Love" and "King of Glory, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love."

Give me a break. This may be one of the most pathetic attempts at political correctness that I have ever seen. According to that Courier article, the "change" was being spearheaded by feminists. Figures.

Normally, I don't like to engage in name calling, but I think Rush Limbaugh is right - these people deserve the title of "feminazis." It's not that I think that all these other names don't apply - they do. Some of them are actual analogies found in the Bible. My only problem with this is that this name change stems from a desire to be politically correct and "sex-inclusive." Give me a break.

Let's stick with the names Jesus used.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
(Mat 28:19-20 ESV)

You can see the complete article here. Be sure to check out the comments below the article - some of them are quite funny!

Calvinism: An Infection

Check out this disturbing clip from the Reverand Jerry Falwell's church, where Ergun Caner (right) rants against the "infection" of Calvinism. He seems to think that "infected" people (aka Calvinists) have no reason to share the Gospel. He says we aren't willing to "preach, and teach, and reach" the unsaved. But not Mr. Caner - he will be "standing on top of [his] hands" when he stands before God's throne.

Well that's a bunch of crap.

It actually gets quite hillarious towards the end, especially when Mr. Falwell contradicts himself in his own prayer.

JC is in the house (John Calvin that is...).

You Must Despair and Give Glory to God

Concerning the statement, ‘It depends not upon man’s will [or exertion, but upon God’s mercy,’ Rom. 9:16], I respond: In this passage Paul was doing nothing less than disputing about predestination, but he was speaking against the Jews and the righteousness of the law and he meant to say, ‘You must despair, give God the glory, and confess that you didn’t start it.’ When I was a monk I depended on such willing and exertion, but the longer [I worked at it] the farther away I got. What I have now I have not from exertion but from God. So in this passage Paul was saying everything against presumption, so that we may say, ‘Lord, whatever [good] there is in us exists by thy grace.’

So he also appeals to that saying, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy’ [Rom. 9:15], that is, ‘you won’t do it without my forgiveness.’ In short, all this is spoken against those who are proud: ‘He to whom I give it will have it; you are not to win it from me by your holiness.’ What more should he do? He says, ‘You are to have it. But when you seek it and insist on having it because of your righteousness, I won’t suffer it. I would rather throw everything away — priesthood, kingdom, even my law. But expect grace from me, and you will have it.'

Luther, M. (1999, c1967). Vol. 54: Luther's works, vol. 54 : Table Talk (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

The Calvinist Heresy

Head over to nateNotes and check out his take on Calvinist Propoganda. Its an inside look at how Arminians are battling the Great Heresy against free will.

After you are done there, check out this other site where one of those heretics gives his reasons for being a Calvinist...pathetic. Reason number 10 is by far the worst of them all.

God the Sovereign King

I am currently involved in a discussion about how we, as finite beings, can speak about an infinite God. The big subtopic right now is the use of analogies in religious conversation. Analogies are very common in the Bible and Christian language as a whole. I tend to prefer biblical analogies (Father-Son, Shepherd-Sheep, Great Physician etc.) but I don’t think that human analogies are inappropriate. I definitely see the value of both. Analogies can be very helpful to us finite beings, in our quest to comprehend the infinite. Analogies have been used by God, so I think that it is ok that we use them, however I think that we must be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that we are "capturing" the whole of God in our analogy (or in any of our finite words for that matter). God is beyond description - He is indescribable.

However, I do think that there is lack of analogies highlighting the awesome, sovereign and just power of God, compared to the multitude of “nice” analogies highlighting God as our “Father” and “friend.” These are certainly not wrong but I just think that there may be an imbalance. Where are the analogies helping us to understand the glory of God, or the wrath of God, or the holiness of God? I’m not saying they don’t exist, but they certainly don’t get as much “coverage” as the “nice” ones.

Pro 19:12 ESV A king's wrath is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

Pro 20:2 ESV The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.

The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given, and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose?

The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. - Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

We of course, should not dwell only on this "side" of God, for He is also a God of love - in fact God IS love. However, I don't really think that we are in danger of this. It seems to me that much of Christianity has turned God into merely a loving and infinitely gracious father and friend, who looks the other way when we sin because He loves us so much....and that's it. Where is the awesome fear of the glory and power of God? Where is the recognition of God's great holiness and righteousness? If we leave these CRUCIAL attributes out, then we are no longer talking about the God of the Bible, but instead we are talking about a man-centered, man-made God.

Who Are Your Favorite Theologians?

I know this may be a difficult or even impossible question for some people, but I still decided to make it into a poll. I'm sure we all have one or two (or three!) theologians that we really enjoy reading and seem to "connect" with. I got the list of theologians from Wikipedia.com and I think it is a pretty good list. I know I left people out, but I tried to keep the bigger names (in some cases just the recognizable names). I am definitely no learned scholar and I have not read many of these men (at least not thoroughly). That is one reason that I decided to create a poll about this - to get the opinions of much wiser and learned people than myself. I would ask that you would limit your answer to only three. I realize that it may be hard to choose only three, but that’s the magic number (deal with it!). Of course, you don’t have to pick three. If you have only read (or heard of) two of them, then only choose those two (if you agree with what they said of course!). I also think that it would be really neat if you would briefly explain your selections in a small comment (you don’t have to, but it would be very much appreciated). You can post those comments at the end of this post.

I really am excited to see how this turns out! The more I read of these great men, the more I am awed by how little I know. However, I think that it is important not to stop there. Sometimes I find that it is easier for me to read the words of sinful (albeit smart!) men than to read the Words of God. These great theologians only became great theologians by studying the Word of God. All the great truths that these men help to teach us are in the Word. We must remember to always go back to the Source, for only in it can we place absolute trust. These men may be good appetizers but the real food – the life giving food - is found only in the Bible. The Word of God is to be our bread, our sustenance. May we feast daily from it.

Where No Man Has Gone Before...

Yes, that is a quote from Star Trek. Yes, I have watched Star Trek. Yes, it can be good some of the time (the old ones suck, but the Next Generation isnt bad). We all have had dreams of going to outerspace and exploring around (Come on! Don't deny it!). Well, I have at least. Space has always fascinated me. Mostly it was because of the size of everything. The planets are huge, stars are even huger and galaxies...

Another thing that has also always amazed me are the distances. Everything is so unbelievably far apart. Did you know that the closest star to the earth is 24,689,699,200,000 miles away (2.4 lightyears)? That is a long way away and that is the closest. The whole Milky Way galaxy is 529,064,983,000,000,000 miles across (90,000 light years)? It takes light 90,000 years to go from one side of the Milky Way to the other! Those distances are unfathomable.

There are over 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. That is a big number. Though we can't really know this for sure, it is estimated that there are over 50 billion other galaxies out there in "space". That is fifty billion other Milky Way size galaxies. That would be 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars (1x10^22). Thats a lot of "big balls of gas burning billions of miles away."

What got me into this stuff again was a program that I stumbled upon called Celestia. It is a free program that lets you view the universe in a 3d world (uh...I mean...universe). You can go anywhere and see anything. It has all the stars in the Milky Way and a few hundred other galaxies, but that is enough to keep you busy for a lifetime. You can look at our solar system and go see Pluto (its pretty boring looking though). Its just an awsome program that everyone should download. It helps you to get a sense of just how big this universe is.

When I think about this stuff, I just can't help but be drawn back to God. Who is this God who created so much? The scale of all this is unfathomable to us...yet God holds it all in the palm of His hand. Think of that - the palm of His hand.

Psa 8:3-4 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, (4) what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

What are we? Insignificant. But thats just it. We're not insignifcant. God, in all His glory and all His power and all His unfathomable might, thinks about us. But He doesnt just think of us - He cares for each of us personally. He truly and deeply loves us, more than we will ever know. God, who has a name for all 1x10^22 stars (Psalm 147:4), actually cares about our lives. He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place; to take on our sin and give us His righteousness. The almighty, all knowing, all holy God of the universe, sent His own Son to take our place, recieving the full measure of God's just punishment of sin, but giving us life. The maker of the Universe died for us. He came down from his throne above the stars and walked on this little, insignificant place we call Earth to save these little insignificant, sinful things called humans; things that h ated Him and even killed Him. Who is this God?

Mat 8:23-27 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. (25) And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." (26) And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

Thank you God for your very Self. I praise you, first, because of who you are. You are the almighty, uncontended Lord of the Universe. I am awed by you. Second, I praise you for what you have done. Thank you for giving us your Son. Thank you for being mindful of us...little insignificant humans, completely undeserving of You.

Lord thank you.

An Argument for Honesty in All Situations

When you ask most people, “Is it ok to lie?” you usually get the same answer: “No.” Overwhelmingly, most people value telling the truth over lying. This is understandable. But what if you are lying for a good purpose? Most lies are selfish – they are told to protect the individual from something uncomfortable. But what about lies motivated by “good” intentions. The classic example is of the Jews during the Holocaust. – Suppose you are hiding Jews in your house during the Holocaust. Then one day, N azis come to your door, asking if you have any Jews hiding in your house. What do you say? You can either say “Yes”, which will mostly likely end with you and the Jews being killed, or you can say “No”, which may save you all (physically at least). This is where people’s resolution against lying breaks down. Many are willing to grant a “pass” to lying in this situation – the good that would come from lying would outweigh the bad. But would it? That is the question that I want to ask. I will try to present the case for honesty in all situations, even ones as extreme and horrible as hiding Jews from the N azis.

First, it would be helpful to establish where we get this general principle/command that telling the truth is right and lying is wrong. Exodus 20:16 says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This, of course, is one of the Ten Commandments. This verse only directly opposes bearing false witness against your neighbor (lying about someone else), however many people do use this verse in support of their condemnation of all lying in general. If we take the strictly literal approach to this verse, than it would be ok to lie to your mother when she asked you if you stole a cookie from the cookie jar. But we all know that you should not lie to her, but this is still not the same as “bearing false witness against your neighbor”.

Proverbs 12:19 says, “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” Truth will stand firm for all eternity, but lies will fade away and be found out.

Just a few verses later Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Here lying is clearly condemned and the very strong word “abomination” is used to describe what God thinks of those who lie (abomination meaning God feels “extreme disgust and hatred” towards them). However, take note of how God responds to those who are faithful (and we can logically assume “faithful” to mean “those who speak the truth” because of the context) – they are His delight! He loves it when people speak the truth but h ates it when people lie.

Zechariah 8:16-17 says, “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; (17) do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I , declares the LORD." Here God clearly commands that we “speak the truth” and tells us that He “hates false oaths”. Verse 19 goes on to say, "Therefore love truth and peace.”

Paul tells us in Romans 1:8 that the wrath of God has come upon those who “suppress truth”. Later in Ephesians 4:25 Paul tells us to “put away all falsehood” and “speak the truth” to our neighbor.

Thus far we have looked at verses that specifically deal with how we should act. Now let’s take a look at what God says he is like in relation to truth:

The most famous verse that deals with God is John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Here Jesus clearly says that He Himself is Truth - God is Truth itself. John 1:4 further supports Jesus’ claim to be Truth – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Next I will just list a few other verses that speak of God’s truth:

Isa 45:19 I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Psa 43:3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

Psa 45:4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!

Psa 119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

I think that we can see that Scripture does condemn lying and praises those who speak the truth. It is also clear that God, by His very nature is Truth. He loves the truth and is Truth in Jesus Christ. However, some passages in Scripture seem to contradict the seemingly clear overall message from Scripture that lying is wrong. The most common example is probably the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies, found in Joshua 2.

Jos 2:3-5 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." (4) But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. (5) And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them."

Here Rahab clearly and intentionally lies to the guards, telling them that the Israelites had left her house, when they were in fact hiding in her roof. No where in the Bible is this lie condemned and Rahab is cited in Hebrews 11:31 as having great faith. Of course I cannot claim that the Bible specifically says that Rahab sinned in her lie, because the Word does not say this. However I believe, based on the multitude of verses present throughout the rest of Scripture that condemn lying, that Rahab did indeed sin with her lie. Some say that because Rahab was not specifically condemned for her lie (and was in fact praised for her faith in Hebrews 11) that she did not sin. Matthew Henry writes this in his commentary of this passage:

It is plain that she deceived the officers that examined her with an untruth - That she knew not whence the men were, that they had gone out, that she knew not whither they had gone. What shall we say to this? If she had either told the truth or been silent, she would have betrayed the spies, and this would certainly have been a great sin; and it does not appear that she had any other way of concealing them that by this ironical direction to the officers to pursue them another way, which if they would suffer themselves to be deceived by, let them be deceived….But God accepts what is sincerely and honestly intended, though there be a mixture of frailty and folly in it, and is not extreme to mark what we do amiss.

To this I ask you a question - “Does the fact that lying about stealing cookies from the cookie jar is not specifically condemned in Scripture mean that it is ok for you to lie about stealing cookies from the cookie jar?” Of course not. We apply biblical principles and commands to our lives everyday, without needing direct commands from God for every situation that we face. Just because it was not specifically condemned in Scripture does not mean that it was right for Rahab to lie. Silence does not prove innocence. Lying is clearly condemned throughout Scripture. I think this also applies to God’s praise of Rahab. Yes, God did praise her, but for what? It was for her faith. By faith she let the Israelite spies into her house and believed them and that was what she was praised for, not her lie. She showed a great deal of faith when she risked her life to protect those men, but showed a lack of faith in God when she didn’t trust Him enough to protect them from harm if it was His will. Despite this lack of faith in one area, she did show great faith by even letting the men in and believing what they had to say, and therefore she is rightly praised in the Bible as a great woman of faith. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary puts it this way:

This was a palpable deception. But, as lying is a common vice among heathen people, Rahab was probably unconscious of its moral guilt, especially as she resorted to it as a means for screening her guests; and she might deem herself bound to do it by the laws of Eastern hospitality, which make it a point of honor to preserve the greatest enemy, if he has once eaten one’s salt. Judged by the divine law, her answer was a sinful expedient; but her infirmity being united with faith, she was graciously pardoned and her service accepted (Jam 2:25).

Many will consider this view extreme. “Are you really saying that you would tell the N azis the truth and face almost certain d eath?” they ask. To that I would say, “I don’t know”. I say this not because I do not strongly believe that it would be wrong to lie, but rather because I question my own strength to do what is right. It would only be by God’s amazing grace that I would have the power to do the horribly difficult thing of telling the truth. Without His enabling grace I would fail miserably. I know some would say that it would be worth committing the small sin to prevent the larger one from happening. To this I say, “No!” It is never right to counter sin with more sin, no matter how “good” the consequences may be. If you accept that lying is sin then you must not say that it is ever a permissible action – sin is always wrong and to be avoided at all costs! God hates sin and as Christians we are to live as new people, m odeling Christ who was sinless and Truth itself. Our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). One major way that we glorify God is by obeying Him (in fact I would venture to say that all we do to glorify God would fall under obedience). We are never glorifying to God when we break His commands and cease to be like Christ. This is not to say that there is no forgiveness, for there is an inexhaustible amount for God’s children, but that does not mean that we have liberty to sin (Romans 6:1-2). When I hear the “lesser evil” argument, I shudder. No where in the Bible is choosing the “lesser evil” permitted because all evil is wrong and not to be done.

Some may ask, “What if it is God’s will that you lie to them? What if you’re lie is the way that God planned to save you?” This question demonstrates an incomplete view of who God is (His holiness, perfection, righteousness) and the seriousness of sin. God never “wills” that we sin against Him (here we could go off on another super long tangent about God’s will of decree and our free will etc., but I will not do that here. God’s will of decree is something that we, as humans, cannot affect or change, but His will of command is what He has told us to do through His Word. For more information on God’s two wills go here.). God detests sin and desires that His people live righteously all the time.

Yes, it would be horrible if you and the Jews were killed because you told the truth. But it would be far more horrible if you lied and defamed the name of God by sinning against Him! Our primary responsibility is to God, not man. Abraham knew this when he placed his son Isaac up on the alter, preparing to kill him in obedience to God; his love for God exceeded his love for his only son. Jesus knew this as well when He said, “Whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Thus it is clear that our primary responsibility is to God and God alone. If He commands us to do something, it does not matter what the outcome is, for He is God and is to be obeyed.

However, we can have assurance that God is not a cruel and unjust God. He is a God of love who works all things for His glory and the good of those who love Him.

Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

We can rest in the truth that God is in complete control of every situation and that He loves us at all times. This trust in God allows us to obey God’s every word (see Hebrews 11) and do it joyfully – which includes telling the truth in all situations.

P.S. - If you disagree with me, feel free to leave a comment. Or, if you feel so inclined, start a thread in the W.C.2.M. forums, where you can discuss this issue in a little greater detail.

Bold I Approach the Eternal Throne

As many of you know, I love C.S. Lewis. He has quickly become one of my favorite authors of all time - in Christian and non-Christian literature alike. I just finished Surprised by Joy which was a very interesting and thought provoking autobiography of sorts about Jack's (as his friends called him) early life. It's main focus is on his initial rejection of God and Christianity and then it goes on to describe his long journey back to God. Jack says in his book that perhaps he was the "most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England." He describes his conversion as more of a fight against God, with God slowly reeling him in, patiently allowing him to struggle but never letting go.

I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The prodigal son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape? The words compelle intrare, compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.

Jack is right when he wonders (not merely in the inquiring sense, but in a sense of awe and amazement) about this great Love that would accept sinners such as us. It is not as if God comes to us and sees us waiting excitedly for Him to save us. Before God saves us, we detest Him and want nothing to do with Him. He is our enemy; One who we fear and loath above all others.

Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things h ates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

1Co 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

It is a great testimony to God's indescribable and uncontainable love that He chooses to save us at all.

Joh 3:16-17 ESV "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

1Jo 4:15-19 ESV Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (16) So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (17) By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (19) We love because he first loved us.

Because of God’s great demonstration of His love for us, in the sacrafice of His son Jesus Christ, we now do not have to fear God! He is no longer our judge, our condemnation, but now is our Father and Savior! The curtain in the Temple was torn and we no longer must shield our faces from God with a veil.

2Co 3:12-18 ESV Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, (13) not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. (14) But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. (15) Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. (16) But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (18) And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

God's Sovereignty in Salvation

I think that knowing that God is sovereign over ALL things, including every salvation, will definitely affect the way that we preach and evangelize and pray. Specifically in regards to how we live, God's complete sovereignty means that we totally depend on God and recognize His complete control.

Jam 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- (14) yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (15) Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." (emphasis added)

I think that this verse illustrates God’s complete control in each and every situation.

The Bible says that those who are not children of God “hate the light”. They fear It and will run from It. Therefore a non-Christian (without God’s grace) will NEVER accept Christ and put their faith in Him. They him and indeed are BLIND to Him. To them, it is all foolishness. They cannot choose Him.

1Co 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

After realizing this first part (Total depravity) we then can see that the only chance for this person is if God intervenes…God is needed, not just to have died on the Cross to provide a way but also to give us the ability to even see the way that He has made for us. Our faith is also a gift from God. He gives us the grace to have faith in Him because we would NOT otherwise. John 1 talks of the “Light” and how the world “hates it” and will not turn to it. That is total depravity.

With regards to evangelism we will recognize that it is solely God (the Holy Spirit) that opens the eyes of the sinner and gives them grace to have faith. Therefore, the burden does not rest on us. God says that He has ordained the Word to be the agent that reveals grace and salvation to men. Therefore, our responsibility is to preach the Word and that is it…after this is where God takes over. If it pleases Him to open the eyes of the person and save them He will, and if it does not he won’t. It also gives all credit to God and none to the preacher or the listener.

Now I am not saying that we can go out to the World and lazily and sloppily preach the Word to the world. God tells us to work as if we are working to Him, and indeed in this case we directly are working for Him! But the salvation of the person does not rest on the witness. They can’t “screw” up the Message. This is why Paul rejoiced even when people were preaching the Gospel out of selfish reasons. Jesus Christ was being proclaimed!

Phi 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. (16) The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. (17) The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. (18) What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Paul also said this…

1Co 2:1-5 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. (2) For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (3) And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, (4) and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (emphasis added)

Likewise, the listener cannot resist the Gospel, if God indeed has elected him to salvation. They cannot refuse Christ. This truly shows the IMMENSE power of the Word!

So I think that our view on salvation and how it is accomplished is very important to our lives and the way we evangelize.