Radical vs. Religious

Most of us have to admit that the last thing we want to be known as is radical. When we think of radicals we think of people who are abnormal. We think of looneys who are dressed in togas with spittle on their lips as they live out of a box. It’s a scary picture. We think of John The Baptist eating locusts, so why would we want to be radical?

On the other hand some people are so tired of religion. They come to church, they see little power, little breakthrough, little glory. They get tired of the same old same old.

But we need to get into the Bible to get a true picture of Christianity and what it is supposed to be.

Let’s look at a couple of biblical stories that contrast the two. The reason that many people miss the kingdom God is because it comes in an unexpected way. It’s a frightening thing. And because of that people miss it.

There are many that will never receive because they are not hungry enough.

John 2:13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken


Notice some things about the Pharisees: First of all they were incensed about the efforts of Jesus to claim that he was the Lord of the Temple. It is so easy to build something and then to think that we are the Lord over it, then when Jesus tells us to do something, we think, "how dare he?. Doesn’t he know that I did this. That it is my temple? It is my program. "

Now let’s bring this a little closer to home. We think our lives are our lives. We think that we can do what we please with our lives, but then along comes Jesus and he very impolitely starts turning chairs over in our lives. He starts flipping tables on us. What is he doing? He is trying to say, "If you want a move of God in your lives, it is going to touch things that you would rather not have touched. It’s going to mess with your stuff. It’s going to mess with your mindset. It’s going to mess with your concept of who has ownership."

Remember Jesus flipping the tables was only a foreshadowing of the destruction of the temple that was coming. The bottom line is that there are two ways that you can respond: You can respond like the disciples and be restored, or you can respond like the Pharisees and miss it.

That is the mark of true hunger. Are you hungry enough?

Matt 19:22-24 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom? Because the rich have a tendency to be owned by their riches. As long as you are owned by the riches, you are not open to anything that might threaten that. It’s a hard thing to be hungry for God, for God will test your hunger.

My question to you is are you hungry enough, to be open enough to letting Jesus touch what he wants to touch so that you can have a vibrant relationship with God.

The Paradox of Love and Wrath

The same God that inspired John 3:16 is the same one that inspired 2 Thess 1:5 which says that

2 Thess 1:7-10 This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

God’s love and justice combine at the cross. If we emphasize love to the exclusion of wrath, it leads to a concept of love that is merely sentimental and humanistic.

Those who truly desire peace must be willing to defend life against those who would destroy it unjustly.

Islam and Jihad
We must not think of the Islamic Jihad that has been called for on the West as unthinking. In fact, there is careful thought involved. If we look carefully at the Koran, we see that jihad is a fundamental concept of Islam. Unfortunately, many have been able to justify suicide bombing as a way to further the aims of Islam. The problem is that Islam and Judeo/Christianity have fundamental differences in their concepts of legitimate authority, and justice. If values are not addressed we are missing the key to the struggle.

At the same time, Christians must clarify their values and recognize what our stance should be in light of the conflicts.

We must not think in black or white terms concerning a serious issue like war. We must have a firmly convinced mind about the nature of good and evil, about the role of civil government and about God’s love of justice. We must think Christianly.

A Just War?

We have been looking at the topic of War and Peace in light of the Bible. Again we need to think through as Christians. Is war justified in the Bible? Let's look.

Heb 11:32-34 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

This scripture looks approvingly on those in the hall of faith, who conquered kingdoms and became mighty in war.

The Just War Tradition.
As opposed to the pacifist tradion, The just war tradition holds that some wars are morally justifiable. Augustine was the first major Christian thinker who attempted to develop criteria for distinguishing justifiable and unjustifiable wars. Thomas Aquinas reiterated the presuppositions of Augustine.

In short the criteria for war was: that it was declared by a legitimate group, had a just cause, and that the they intended the advancement of good.


Justice or Peace?
Gen 14:14-16 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

Abram chose to rescue his relatives with force. This is not looked upon unfavorably, but to the contrary.

The Hebrew passage before shows that from a New Testament perspective, enforcement of justice at times has a higher priority than nonviolence when these two values conflict.

Soldiers came to John the Baptist and asked him what they should do:

Luke 3:14 Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely-be content with your pay."

Notice in this answer that John did not make any suggestion that they needed to quit the army because of their Christianity.

Jesus also had some encounters with soldiers.

Luke 7:8-10 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

Again, there is no suggestion that the centurion needed to give up his service in the military.

Rom 13:4-5 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

As we saw last time, the suggestion that Christians have no right to be in the military has a difficult time proving biblical warrant from scripture. In fact, it seems like military service at times is required in the face of injustice.

B. The Example of Jesus

John 2:13-16 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

This is the Jesus that we in the church don't always focus on. Here Jesus has a violent confrontation with those who were perverting the use of the Temple. Again, we see here that injustice overruled the disposition of non violence even in Jesus' life.

Rev 19:14-16 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Jesus himself shows that he did not remain passive in the face of evil. He acted forcibly to remove it. In the book of Revelation, we see that Jesus is going to make war. Christians need to take their cue from the whole Christ not just a partial Christ.

This is not to suggest a violent Christianity, only to suggest that there are times when legitimate authorities, not only can but should, use force in the light of injustice. A thourough reading of scripture saves us from a pacifistic, passive, romanticized Jesus.

The Christian Mind: War and Peace

We are continuing our series on the Christian Mind. So far we have looked at Psychology and last week at Politics. This week I would like to talk about war and peace. In the world we live in today it is important that we reason Christianly about the issues that face our culture. One of these issues is the topic of War and Peace.

“Christians have to say that it is a sin not only to use, not only to threaten to use, but merely to build a nuclear weapon”

So stated William Sloan Coffin of Riverside Church, at an international meeting on nuclear disarmament. His statement demonstrates the strong passions that are aroused on the issue of war.

From the beginning of the church’s existence down to the present day, the question of war has troubled us. Even the earliest Christians struggled with this question: Is serving in the armed forces of the Roman Empire consistent with allegiance to Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace?

I. THE PACIFIST TRADITION
From the beginning of the Christian era, there have been those who have believed that the use of deadly force is inconsistent with the ethics of Christ.

Hippolytus condemned voluntary military service by Christians. Tertullian and Lactantius condemned military service outright.

Many converts however continued to serve in the Roman legions.

In the middle ages, the Waldenses , originating in the twelfth century, condemned all war and the taking of human life, but eventually fought in their own defense.

During the Reformation , Anabaptist groups such as the Swiss Brethren and the Mennonites advocated pacifist positions., the Quaker movement, founded by George Fox also espoused Pacifism.

The Biblical basis for the pacifist tradition is found especially in a certain understanding of the Sermon on the Mount.

Matt 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

These texts are taken to be not merely the Christian’s attitude in the face of abuse, but rather a literal prescription for Christian conduct. Which begs the question:

How can the stance of nonresistance be consistent with warfare, or loving one’s enemies with the use of deadly force?

Christian pacifists recognize that the people of God engaged in warfare in the Old Testament. This could be seen as a concession to hardness of heart, like God’s permission to divorce in Matt 19 : 8. In the New Covenant, though, it is argued that the believers warfare is not carnal, but spiritual.

A. The example of Jesus.
For the Christian pacifist, the death of Jesus on the cross as an innocent victim in the face of injustice is the pattern for the Christian. In the pacifist understanding, if it comes down to justice vs. nonviolence, then one chooses nonviolence even at the price of allowing great injustices to be done to oneself or other innocents.

Other scriptures are used to support this:

Rom 12:17-20 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."


Rom 13:10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

According to the pacifist understanding of these scriptures, the Christian is precluded from serving in combat positions since these duties require the use of deadly force. Therefore, the tradition is based on a literal interpretation of the sermon on the mount.

1. Literal interpretation?
Let’s look at this a little closer. One must be careful of literal interpretation. When Jesus said that the lustful eye or hand was to be cut off, did he mean it literally cut off, or was he using hyperbole as a means of emphasis? When Jesus said you must hate your father and brother, did he mean that literally? No, for that would contradict other scriptures:

1 Tim 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

It is clear from John 19:26, that Jesus, far from literally hating his mother, was concerned for her welfare and commended her in to the care of John.

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

In John 18:22, Jesus after being arrested was struck by one of the high priest’s officers. Rather than literally turning the other cheek, Jesus challenged the injustice of the act.

John 18:22-24 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. 23 "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" 24 Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Paul challenged injustice as well:

Acts 23:1-3 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"

These actions indicate that the sayings on turning the other cheek are meant to provoke an attitude of non revenge rather than the posture of a doormat.

2. The Cross as example?
The cross is indeed a demonstration of patient suffering in the face of injustice, but it is incorrect to see this as the only lesson. Remember the cross was firstly a demonstration of the justice of God. The atonement was not just a good example but a demonstration of the justice of God.

Also there are limits to the example of Jesus. Because it overlooks the uniqueness of Jesus and his calling to be the sin bearer of the world. Jesus was already crucified for sins. We don’t have to be.


3. Private vs. Public
We need to be careful with regards to what was meant as commands for individuals and what was meant for governments. As an individual, I may choose to turn the other cheek and refuse to avenge myself. But the government is under no obligation to do so.

Rom 13:1-4 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

Love of my neighbor does not mean standing idly by when my wife is being attacked. It means using whatever force is necessary to protect her life and safety. My divine obligation is to provide for the needs of my family. Including keeping myself and my family alive!

To be continued...

What Can You Do About Government?

1. Search the Scriptures.

Get into the word of God and see what he has to say about the political events of the day.

2. Read widely.
Know what is going on in the world around you. Don’t rely on any single source, or else you only know about what that source wants you to know, and that perspective. That perspective may be biased.

Is there a media bias. A study done recently found that though 50 percent of Americans attend church or synagogue regularly, only 8 percent of leaders in the media do. And 86 percent of them never or seldom do.

3. Look at the candidates
To put your political ideals in to effect, they need to be communicated. Elect representatives who already share your ideals. Too many people vote for a candidate because he seems nice. But we should look at what he stands for.

Should we only vote for believers? Not necessarily. We should consider who best represents biblical values. At times a non believer may be a better choice because he better represents the biblical worldview and is a man of integrity.

4. Vote intelligently.
Know what the candidates stand for. It is telling that many people vote for those who believe contrary to their core values because they don’t really know the stance of the candidates. It is our responsibility to know.

5. Get involved through participation, contribution and the like.
Political campaigns don’t just happen. People make them happen, and being involved in the political process is our privilege as well as our duty.

Abandonment is concession.

‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’—Edmund Burke


We need to think Christianly about our involvement in government and politics. We cannot sit idly by in our nation and then complain about the leadership. I hope you have been blessed by our study of the subject.

Our Duty To Government

As Christians what is our duty to government?

A. Pray
1 Tim 2:1-5 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

We need to remember that our first responsibility is to pray for those in authority. Remember, they have been established by God.

B. Paying Taxes
Luke 20:25 He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

C. Obedience.
Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,

The general attitude called for in the Bible is obedience, except where it conflicts with God's commands.

1 Peter 2:13-17 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

D. Obedience is not mandatory if commands contradict the Lord's Will
Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Daniel 3:17-18 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Acts 4:18-20 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Here we see three instances of civil disobedience because government had overstepped its bounds to contradict the commands of God. This is proof that governments were created to serve God and not the other way around.

E. Honor your leaders.
Acts 23:55 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'"

Here is where I have a lot of trouble with Christians. No matter your party affiliation there is no need to speak of any president or even ex president, or leader with disrespect and contempt. This is not honoring to God. In spite of strong disagreements, one must show respect to the office for the sake of righteousness. Many Christians have been too lax with their tongues and have brought disrepute to the Church. Unbelievers may say what they will, but believers should speak the truth with respect.

F. Political participation.
Christians love to talk about how degenerate society is becoming. They point to immorality, in the schools, corruption, crime. Yet when it comes time to do something in the past they have been strangely absent.

Many have tended to shy away from political participation. Some of it may have been due to apathy, but I believe there has also been ways of thinking that have kept Christians from participation.

Excuse #1 “ Christians should not be involved in politics.”
But some of the greatest believers in the Bible were kings and judges of Israel. Can you imagine King David saying. "No thanks Samuel . I don’t think a believer should be involved in politics."

"But wait, you can’t use Old Testament theocracy as a model for today!" OK , let’s look at Daniel . Here he was a slave of Babylon, serving a pagan and brutal king like Nebuchadnezzar, yet he became prime minister in Babylon and again in Persia. Can you imagine Daniel telling Nebuchadnezzar that politics is too "dirty" a business ?

Excuse #2 "I believe Christians should be out saving souls, not politicking. The Bible says we should not be entangled in the affairs of the world."

The primary mission of the church is to win souls and guide them to maturity, but in the reaction against the social gospel , many fundamentalists went too far, refusing to touch politics with a ten foot pole. But as we have seen, God’s word has a lot to say about government , about crime and punishment, about defense, life, etc., etc. Should we just ignore these principles?

Excuse #3 "Politics is dirty."
Yes it is. Here again we have to think Christianly and realize that fallen humanity is involved in politics and anything fallen humanity touches is tainted.

Edmund Burke said, "The fate of good men who refuse to become involved in politics, is to be ruled by evil men."

Excuse #4 “Why bother to clean up the world. Jesus is coming.”
Many evangelicals believe that the rapture is imminent. Unfortunately, many with this end times view have tended to denigrate political involvement. They have the view that the Bible says that things will get worse and then the church gets raptured, so all our efforts are pointless.

We battle against evil, not because we are assured victory, but because we are commanded to do so! God has not called us to be successful, he has called us to be faithful.

No matter what one believes about the end times. We need to take the long view of history and realize that being involved politically is part of being a good steward of our world. Not being involved is poor stewardship.

Blessings!

Separation of Church and State?

1 Sam 13:7-13
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. 9 So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel.
Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, 12 I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."
13 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.

OT Israel was a theocracy--which means a society ruled by God. But even within the theocracy, there was a concept of separation within the government. There were priests like Samuel and there were kings like Saul. They had their own job descriptions and it was considered a terrible sin to step over the boundaries that God had set. Saul stepped over the line. Priests only came from the tribe of Levi.

Luke 20:25
He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

Through this statement Jesus indicated that there were two jurisdictions. The jurisdiction of God which is primarily spiritual and the jurisdiction of government on the earth. That is not to say that government is not answerable to God.

This separation becomes most obvious in the form of government we have today and the concept of checks and balances. We have an executive, a judicial, and a legislative branches in the federal government, and we also have separation of local, state and federal government. This all assures that not too much power is consolidated in the hands of one individual. This is a biblical concept that reflects the biblical understanding of the fallenness of man’s sinful nature.

Believe it or not, at the time of the establishment of the US, many of the states had official religions. Maryland's was Anglicanism for instance. The different religious groups in the colonies were suspicious of one another. This is what led to the First Amendment which reads that
Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Notice the restriction was merely to the federal government. It did not put any restrictions on the states from doing so.

The first amendment was a healthy concept of religious liberty to reflect that there are two jurisdictions: The jurisdiction of the church and the state. But it has been distorted to mean that religious thought should in no way influence the state. That is not a biblical viewpoint, since we saw last time that God is the creator of the state, which he has raised up to "punish evil doers" etc. Religious thought should influence the state. Yet of course the organized church is not responsible for the running of the state and vice versa.

It is interesting to not that Congress called on the President to declare a day of public prayer and thanksgiving the very day after it passed the first amendment. Does that sound like a prohibition of religious ideas from government?

Those who are opposed to a Christian worldview are the first to shout about this so-called "wall of separation" between church and state if any argument is made from a biblical standpoint. But we know that the first amendment was not written to keep religious views out of government, but to keep federal government from interfering with religion.

God’s word has a lot to say about politics, and Christians who believe God’s word are bound to proclaim God’s truth in the political arena. One has only to have a cursory look at the Bible to see that God holds nations accountable to His ways, whether those nations acknowledge Him or not.

Blessings!

God And Government

Some have the opinion that faith is a personal thing and that we should keep God out of government or the public sphere. This is a hotly debated topic at the moment. Let's, as always, look at the scripture and see what it has to say about this. What is government, and what should our role as Christians be in the government?

First of all we see that.....
Government was created by God.
Prov 8:15-16 By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; 16 by me princes govern,
and all nobles who rule on earth.

Rom 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Government is not an evil concept. On the contrary, government was created by God to do His will. This concept alone is going to affect our attitudes towards government, and help us think Christianly about government. Let’s look at the biblical reasons why God created government.

A. For the restraint of sin and the preservation of order
Rom 13:2-4 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

This is the cheif aim of government: to protect the "good" and punish the one that does "wrong". Now, who decides what is good and what is wrong? Ultimately God does. This is evident by the temporal judgments that God has leveled on nations ever since the days of Sodom and Gommorrah.

B. Apply scripture differently to government than to private individuals.
Here is an important rule of biblical interpretation. Just because Jesus said to turn the other cheek and to show mercy, does not mean that the government should let evil doers go free-- or to just roll over when a bomb is dropped on us, and say "Okay you bombed the west coast now bomb the east coast." No, the function of government is different, and so is God’s will and commands regarding it.

For instance Rom 12, and 13 shows that Christians should not pay back evil with evil, they should not avenge themselves, and they should forgive their enemies. But governments are to be a terror to evil doers and an avenger to execute wrath. Why? Because that is fulfilling God’s commands to governments in distinction to his commands to individuals. There is a scriptural difference between individuals and governments. The sooner we understand that, the sooner we will clear up much misapplication.

C. God’s word is to be applied as principle not as law.
In other words, we don’t find what should be the speed limit in North Dakota in the Bible or how long the hunting season should be in Nebraska, but some biblical principles might be applied.

Does the Bible say anything about hunting.? Yes it does. If you look at the covenant God made with Noah, you find:

Gen 9:2-3
2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.


Man, then according to the Bible, has authority from God to hunt animals. But does this give man the right to slaughter animals indiscriminately? No, because we find another principle in scripture.

Gen 2:15-16 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

God also gave man a stewardship mandate. In other words, he was to take care of the earth as well as benefit from it. So good stewardship would not include the wanton slaughter of animals. So, bringing these two scriptural principles together we surmise--that it is lawful to hunt for food in keeping with the proper preservation of resources.

This is biblical principle. Therfore, far from saying that government does not have to answer to God and the Bible, the scriptures say quite the opposite. We will see more when we examine the idea of separation of church and state tomorrow.

Blessings!

Guilt and Inability

Today we finish looking at psychology. The presuppostions of psychology have had a devastating effect on the church and its counsel.

According to Psychologists, guilt is not of God, but a form of abuse. It should be rejected at all costs.

According to the Bible, guilt is the reasonable state of the person whose conscience testifies to transgression of the law of God. Guilt is supposed to drive us to Jesus.

Some of us are so afraid to deal with guilt that we live in a fantasy world. But Jesus died for the guilty. If you are not guilty you have no part in Christ. Jesus said he came to save sinners, not the righteous. Therefore, one thing you see repeatedly in the scriptures, are people being guilty of their sins and that guilt driving them to Jesus for forgiveness.

But psychology says that guilt is evil--that it comes from a repressive society, parents, religion.

Therefore it ultimately puts the blame for the negative things in our lives, especially our behavior, on others. Ultimately we are putting the blame on God. Many psychologists would deny that they teach this. Not all do. But many put so much emphasis on the past, that the past is blamed and the counselee is told to shun guilt.

UNWILLING OR UNABLE?
According to Christian psychology, man is willing to follow God but unable. Those who refuse the gospel do so because of the way they were raised or their experiences.

According to the Bible man is able to follow God but unwilling. Men loved darkness rather than the light. Men worship themselves rather than the Creator.

1 John 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

The bulk of the testimony of psychology is one which paints man as victim, who cannot proceed until they are healed. The tenor of scripture is of a creation which was well able to heed and to do right, but willingly chose to go his own way because he loved the darkness rather than the light.

Much of the counseling that has flooded into American Christianity through psychology is contrary to God's Word of Truth. The Bible is clear that we often need the wise counsel of others, especially those who are mature in the faith

Rom 15:14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

Prov 24:6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

We dare not be independent Christians, living apart from the body of Christ of which we are members. We desperately need one another, just as my hand needs my arm and the rest of my body to function Thus we need counsel; but make sure that it's biblical counsel, because, "There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30). "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered" (Prov. 28:26).

In His inscrutable sovereignty, God allows trials, some mild, some severe, into every life. Some people have horrible childhoods - physical, sexual, and verbal abuse - that cause deep emotional wounds. The question is where does a person turn for healing? God's Word repeatedly claims that God Himself is our healer, sufficient to bind up our wounds and make us whole through trusting in Him (see Psalm 147:1-11 for one example of many). God's perfect and complete provision for our needs is the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are warned not to be taken captive by the world's philosophies and principles, but to walk in the fullness of Christ, our all in all (Col. 2:6-15; 3:1-4, 11).

When we learn to rely fully on Jesus Christ as our source of strength and healing, He gets the glory due to Him as the only True God. When we rely on worldly psychology for part or all of our healing (if it can, indeed, provide such), psychology gets the glory. This is not to say that walking with the Lord provides miraculous, easy, instant emotional healing. Many passages show the struggles and difficulty of the Christian walk (2 Cor. 1:9; 4:7-11; 11:23-28; 12:7-10). The Christian life is pictured as warfare, and war is never easy! But God wants each of us to learn that He is the all-sufficient One who knows us and can meet our deepest needs. We don't need the insights of worldly men to grow up in Christ.

Is The Bible Insufficient?

According to so-called “Christian” psychology, the Bible is not enough. Supposedly psychology has answers that the Bible does not. It is needed as an assistance to the scriptures.

Somebody might say “ Hey the Bible doesn’t tell me how to counsel and anorexic.” Maybe, but it doesn’t tell you how to counsel a murderer either. The Bible just confronts us with our self idolatry, places us before the cross, and calls us to repentance. Not fancy. But it works.

A bulimic girl sought counseling, all to no avail. Then she became a Christian but continued in her sin. Then it was back to the psychologist and the support group. Only this time it was a Christian support group. Again it didn’t work. At last, she confessed her sin to her fianceé. Surprisingly, he took her to the word of God. He confronted her with its commands and held her accountable to them. She abandoned her bulimia and never went back to it.

We are so impressed with the thinking of the world, yet God's way is the way if we are willing to do it.

2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Man As Victim or Man As Sinner?

We are continuing to look at modern psychology and how its religious tenets have infected our culture and even the church.

According to Psychology, The main reason people are filled with pain and frustration is their victimization.

The Bible says that the main reason for suffering is sin. Either our own, or others. Man may be victimized, but his real need is reconciliation with God.

1 Tim 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-

Notice it doesn't say the disappointed or the victimized. The church in this day has thought too casually about sin. The stress today is that people are disappointed and hurting and need to know that God "feels their pain." This has caused us to treat repentance as a casual thing.

A "Christian" woman called in to a radio "Christian" psychologist. She admitted that she slept with virtually every man she dated. Immediately the psychologist started asking her about her relationship with her parents. When he discovered that she had a distant relationship with her father. He declared, "Your problem is that you are trying to get even with your parents. Oh you will need two or three years of counseling." There was no call for her to repent in the entire conversation. She was a victim, not a sinner at all.

While sexual immorality is rampant among professing Christians, most of the time victimization and low self esteem is blamed as the cause. Now these may have been mitigating factors. But in the end we are responsible for our actions.

Psychology wants to depict man who is hurting and wounded and the church as utterly indifferent to those hurts.

The Bible depicts men not as primarily hurting but as lost and bound for hell.

"Christian" psychologist: “People are hurting and disappointed and need to hear that God loves them and identifies with their pain”.

How many times have I heard people say we need to share Christ with people because they are “hurting” . You know they may be, but that is not the primary motive for sharing the gospel. The primary reason is that they are going to hell in their rebellion.

Christ does want to heal us. But the path to getting our needs met is......

Matt 6:33-34 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God doesn’t want us focusing on our needs and disappointments, but focusing on Him and others’ needs.


Gen 4:4-7 The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

We see God confront Cain about his feelings. God denied that Cain had the right to feel the way that he did. How different from the way we deal today.

The Episcopal church after narrowly defeating a measure that would allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals, passed a resolution saying in effect. "That while it would not be faithful to the gospel to ignore that cries of hurt and anger that homosexuals feel it also would not be faithful to the gospel to ignore the cries of those who see sin not being called what it is."

Notice that here it is all about feeling and there is no concern for truth. No wonder the mainline church is in the state that it is in.

Why Does Man Behave As He Does

We continue our look at modern psychologies presuppositions vs. the Bible

Psychology believes that man behaves the way he does because of bad conditioning that must be understood and overcome-- behavior is a result of past trauma

The Bible states that Man behaves the way he does because he is a sinner by choice and is absolutely culpable before the cross--behavior is a result of who is being trusted. Self or God.

Obviously it is possible for any of us to be victimized by our past, and that it can have an affect on us. But according to the Bible that is not our main problem. We don't have to dwell there endlessly. The main problem we have is that we respond sinfully to these and other circumstances.

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Titus 3:3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

John 3:19-20 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Simon the Sorcerer: Acts 8:9-24

Acts 8:18-2318 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

Notice that Peter doesn't try to analyze his past. He deals with his heart right here in the present. He tells him that he is full of bitterness and captive to sin and needs to repent. he doesn't try to figure out all the reasons that led up to his behaving this way. It's telling how little the Bible deals with people's past. Yet this is one of the main preoccupations of psychology.

The really sad thing is when so called "Christian" counselors on the radio continue to advise people that the reason for their aberrant behavior is because they are trying to "please Mommy or Daddy" or some other thing. How often do you here people simply confronted to repent? More often than not you here about people trying to get their "needs met in inappropriate ways." This may also be true, but falls far short of the biblical diagnosis and perscription.

The Gospel of Self Esteem

We've been looking at how the world of psycholgy has infiltrated Christianity. One of the chief ways this has been done is through the gospel fo self esteem.

Psychology teaches that one of man’s biggest needs is esteeming himself more highly.

The Bible teaches that one of man’s biggest needs is to die to himself and live for God through faith in Christ.

They teach that a person’s self -esteem determines how well that person will function and what kind of contribution he will make in life. They say you must love yourself before you can love others.

When a college minister tried to recruit others to do college ministry, some of them excused themselves by saying that they had to love themselves first in order to love others. Where did they get that? Jesus command us to love others as you love yourself. But this interpretation is a mangling of Scripture. Jesus wasn’t telling us to love ourselves. He assumed that we did that plentifully. He was assuming our self love and telling us to love others in that same way.

So-called “Christian” psychology comes with the idea that Christ dying on the cross should make us feel good about ourselves.

The Bible teaches that one of man’s biggest needs is to die to himself and live for God through faith in Christ.

Gal 2:20-21 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

You can’t get more opposite than that. The Bible testifies to the self-idolatry of men and the need to renounce that for Jesus. You must die to self before you can truly love others.

Rather than promote high self esteem, true Christianity promotes a humble estimation of oneself and a high esteem for Christ.

Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

A person’s esteem of Christ will determine the contribution he makes to life. Christ dying for me on the cross should make me feel ashamed of my sins that put him there, eternally grateful for the sacrifice and eternally fearful of ever dishonoring the name of Him who saved me.

Now, there is such a thing as a proper biblical self image. And this comes from understanding what the scripture says about those that trust in Christ. I’m not saying that we have to think lowly of ourselves in order to be Christians but that we need to think biblically.

Luke 7:36 tells the story of a Pharisee who feels very good about himself. He looks down at the sinful woman, but is full of self esteem. The woman had a wretched view of herself. Who was the one shown mercy and saved? The woman.

Are you more concerned with understanding yourself, than with Christ? Are you concerned with self esteem instead of Christ esteem?

Psychology and the Christian Mind

When I use the term Christian mind I am referring to the way Christians think about the things in the world. Unfortunately many of us have only become good at thinking Christianly about church, but then when we enter the world, we are all too prone to leave our Christianity behind-- not so much in our morals or ethics but more in the way that we think about things.

When I say “think Christianly”, I am referring to thinking about things with a biblical mindset. Applying biblical principles and thinking them through the issues.

Unfortunately, much very good thinking about contemporary culture has been done by non believers. But believers have little ongoing dialogue with the culture. This is so important to recapture in our day.

In this series I would like to examine the way Christians should think and communicate about various things in our world. Today, I would like to look at Psychology. The definition of psychology according to the dictionary: The science of the mind and behavior.

Therefore Psychology is not just focusing on the physiology of the brain but it focuses on the why’s and how’s of human behavior and makes judgments and prescriptions about the human soul. When we recognize this, then we must realize that in a sense it is competing with the Bible. For the Christians believe that the Bible is the ultimate source of truth in the understanding and prescriptions for mankind. Therefore my contention is that much of psychology is more religious than science. There are over 500 competing psychological systems out there.

Is Psychology a Science or a Religion?
Unfortunately, much of psychotherapy is a religion due to its inability to follow the rules of the scientific method. When psychology observes human behavior, it is science. When it prescribes, it becomes religion, especially since it is based on the mind and not on observable medical disease but apparent aberrations which are misnomered disease.

The mind is a part of the soul. That is why there are over 500 psycho-therapies floating around with so much contradictory advise.

The scariest thing is how quickly professing Christians have been embracing psychological tenets and presuppositions. Especially when much of psychology has been embraced by “Christian” Psychologists. There has been a bleeding of psychology into Christianity and into the culture at large. Even our vocabulary has been affected. “A Freudian slip." "He is in denial". "She has low self esteem." These phrases have become a part of our language. Let’s think through the tenets of psychology carefully in light of the Bible.


I. MAN –HIS PROBLEM AND NEEDS

A. MAN’S FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM
According to psychology, man's fundamental problem is ignorance of himself and his psychic injuries.

According to the Bible, man's fundamental problem is deliberate disobedience and ignorance of the Living God.

Unfortunately much of so called Christian psychology has been influenced by this theme: that man’s biggest problem is ignorance of himself and his psychic injuries. This leads to the emphasis on man as a victim which we look at shortly.

I remember counseling a brother who when I showed him his responsibility through the scripture, told me that I was throwing law at him. I was accused of insensitivity to his real needs. Christian psychology does this over and over again as it attacks the church for being insensitive.

Rom 6:16-18 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

This scripture shows that it wasn’t ignorance of our psychic injuries that was our problem. It is that we had been slaves to sin and rebellion to God. We are living in a culture where criminals are not evil, they are “sick”. Where people are only depraved because they are deprived.

B. MAN’S GREATEST NEED
Therefore, psychology says that the most important thing is understanding oneself .

The Bible says that the most important thing is understanding who Christ is through His Word.

Here is the biggest difference between these two modes of thought. And nothing shows so clearly the difference between these worldviews.


John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

God’s purpose is not that you know yourself . It is that you know Him.

According to psychology, my parents failed and my self esteem suffers because of this. It affects the way I deal with God and man. If I ever hope to live my Christian life the way God intends , I have to deal with these childhood hurts and disappointments.

They make you feel that if you do not do this you will be at best superficial Christians--Or at worst totally defeated ones. Then they make you feel, that traditional Christian practices are not enough for you to grow.

There is no scripture which tells us to search out past hurts to feel how deeply they have hurt my self worth.

No the bible does not say to dwell on the past but to dell on Christ.

Phil 3:13-14
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The Bible says the old has come all things have become as new. We are new creations , with a new destiny. The past is dead! Praise God. The Bible says that is what some of you were.

Fix your eyes on him the author and perfecter of your faith.

Phil 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

To be continued.....