1. Should
a wife submit to her husband?
Ephesians
5:22-24 says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as
Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
But as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to submit to their
husbands in everything.”
As I read
this verse, the question we’re trying to answer could be broken up into 2
questions:
One, what
is submission?
Two, what
is headship, or put another way, what does it mean to have authority?
So the
first question – what is submission?
Well, it
depends on the context. The same Greek word used for submission in the Bible is
used not just for husbands and wives, but with civil authorities, church
elders, other believers, employers, and private institutions. So I’m going to
propose a definition that covers all these bases. Are you ready?
Submission
is a heart-attitude that honors authority, obeys its legitimate commands,
forgives its misuses, and respectfully declines commands that are outside of
its jurisdiction to give.
The first
part of this definition – the part about giving honor and obeying legitimate
commands protects the heart against the sin of rebellion. The second part – the
part about forgiving misuses and respectfully declining illegitimate commands –
protects the heart against the sin of unforgiveness.
When you
put them together it’s like putting an impenetrable force-field around the one
thing in life that matters most, which is our relationship with God. No matter
how unjust or oppressive of an authority a person finds himself under,
submission will render that authority powerless to harden a person’s heart
toward God.
So, the
Bible’s commands about submission are meant to protect us and empower us.
Submission is not weakness. In fact, it is the most powerful action a person
can take in response to oppressive leadership because it invites the power of
God into the situation.
Now let’s
look at the second question – What is headship or what does it mean to have
authority?
Well, this
also means different things in different contexts. For example, church leaders
have authority to teach, comfort, or rebuke in a church context. Civil rulers
have authority to punish evil if it violates someone’s life or liberty or
property. Parents have authority to teach and discipline children.
Furthermore,
the Greek word used for authority in the Bible does not only mean the power to
make someone do something, but it can also just mean grace or anointing from
God to do something you’re called to do.
For example, Mathew 7 says Jesus taught with authority. In 2 Corinthians
13, Paul said God gave him authority for building up the Corinthian church.
So the
real question here is, what type of authority does the Bible give a husband?
I believe
that the authority given to husbands in the Bible is to love, serve, protect,
provide, and lead by example.
Now I know
some will say this definition softens what the Bible says to make it more
palatable to our politically correct culture. And honestly, I appreciate that
kind of challenge. I think Christians and Christian leaders more and more are
backing away from hard biblical truths in our culture because they don’t want
to offend.
But if
that’s your stance here, let me put the burden of proof on you for a moment and
ask where do you see in scripture that the specific type of authority given to
husbands includes the authority to give a command, or having the final say in a
major decision?
Now you
might say, well Jesus gives the commands to the church, therefore husbands can
give commands to their wives because that’s the metaphor that Ephesians 5 uses.
Ok, well let’s think about that.
A husband
does not literally die on a cross for the sins of his wife, right? A wife will
not appear before the judgment seat of her husband after she dies, will she?
Obviously not. So the marriage metaphor has limits.
Well, what
are those limits? To find out, we should examine portions of scripture where
Christ is specifically portrayed as a husband, or where the Father is portrayed
as a husband to Israel, or other passages that speak specifically about godly
marriage. Here are several examples:
Ephesian
5:25-33, Isaiah 54:5-8, Hosea 2:14-23, Revelation 19:7-9, Isaiah 62:4-5, Song
of Solomon, Jeremiah 31:32, Ezekiel 16:8-14, Ruth 4-5, 1 Peter 3:7, Colossians
3:19, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 1 Timothy 5:8
When I
look at these and other passages, the impression I get is that husbands are
given authority to love, serve, protect, provide, and lead by example.
Now in
contrast to these, whenever Jesus is depicted as giving commands, it’s usually
in the role of a king or a judge or a master or a creator, not a husband. Those
metaphors don’t apply to marriage.
So for a
wife, we might say submission is heart-attitude that honors her husband’s
calling to love, serve, protect, provide and lead their family, forgives him
when he falls short of this calling, and respectfully declines commands (or
force or pressure) since they are not within his jurisdiction to give.
My
marriage was nearly destroyed in part because I thought submission meant I
should always have the final say in every major decision. After God restored my
marriage, I began seeing my wife more as a partner and wise counselor, often
providing discernment and insights I would never have thought of. This has
brought us much closer together and has vastly improved the marriage model we
present to our daughters.
2. What
was the Impact of the Fall on Society and Family?
In
general, God created men to be more accomplishment-oriented and women to be
more relationship-oriented. This is why Adam’s primary commission from God was
in the area of labor and accomplishment – to cultivate and keep the garden of
Eden (Genesis 2:15). Eve’s primary commission was in the area of relationships,
as a helper and partner to her husband (Genesis 2:18).
Correspondingly,
when mankind fell to sin, Adam and Eve’s curses were also related to labor and
relationships. For Adam, the ground was cursed so his labor would become
toilsome. For Eve, God multiplied her pain in childbirth and warned her about
the effect of sin on her marriage (Genesis 3:16-19).
Of course,
men also have a relational side and women also esteem labor and
accomplishments. This speaks of our primary orientations, not our only
orientations.
Impact of
the Fall on Adam’s Labor
Before the
fall, I believe both the environment and Adam’s mental and physical abilities
were flawless. His labor would have been unimaginably fulfilling, marked by
fluid creativity and innovation. Over time, he would have experienced success
after success, his influence always expanding, like a career path that goes
from one plateau to another.
As the
population grew, all people would have used their unique gifts and abilities
and labored harmoniously alongside one another. Adam and his descendants would
have built homes, cities, technologies, and governing/organizational structures
completely devoid of sinful influence.
There
would have been an abundance of every kind of valuable good and service. No one
would have worried about how to survive. The earth would have been far beyond
any conception of utopia fallen mankind has contrived.
After the
fall, Adam’s labor became a frustrating struggle. He faced opposition from the
environment and diminished mental and physical abilities. He faced setbacks,
injuries, and confusing problems with no solution.
As the
population grew, people frequently worked against one another, vying for
position, ruled by selfish motives. Leaders enslaved and dominated others.
People toiled to make ends meet and worried about the future. There was
poverty, starvation, and violent conflicts over valuable resources.
Impact of
the Fall on Eve’s Relationships
Without
sin, Eve’s relationships with her husband, children, and others would have been
completely pure. She would have given herself to her husband unreservedly. She
would have been delighted to help him because she knew he always had her best
interests at heart. She would never have questioned his motives or worried he
might try to dominate her. She would never have felt jealous because she knew
his romantic desire was for her alone. She would have felt no compulsion to
control him because she knew he perfectly relied on God’s grace to lead their
family.
She would
have freely poured out love and wisdom into her children. She would have
watched her beautiful legacy expand to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and
on and on. Her family line would have been forever devoid of pain, fear, or
grief.
After the
fall, Adam and Eve’s marriage was distorted by sin. Pain and distrust crept in.
Just as God warned (Genesis 3:16), Eve was prone to idolizing Adam, looking
more to him for her sense of value and security than to God. This caused her to
often feel jealous and insecure.
Also, as
God warned, Adam was prone to ruling over Eve from selfish motives (Genesis
3:16). This caused her to become fearful about how he led their family.
She also
experienced multiplied pain in childbirth, which paralleled the pain she
experienced in their spiritual development. She saw her children rebel, hurt
one another, develop addictions, and cause her heavy grief.
Hope for
the Future
This
contrast between what is and what could have been can honestly be really sad
and heavy to think about, but the good news is that for those of us who know
Jesus Christ, everything that mankind lost by rebelling against God will one
day be recovered.
We will
spend eternity as part of God’s eternal family enjoying pure, fulfilling
relationships. And we will labor and accomplish incredible things working side
by side in a perfectly restored new heavens and new earth. This is the wonderful hope and the redemption
that Jesus Christ purchased for mankind on the cross. This is our future.
3. Are
Women a Higher Order of Creation?
When God
began to create living things in the Genesis account, each life form He created
was progressively more complex and beautiful than the last. This pattern
continued in the creation of mankind. Eve being created last means she was the
culmination, or highest part, of all that God created.
In a
previous video, I discussed how God in general created men to be
accomplishment-oriented and women to be relationship-oriented. This was
reflected by their commissions from Him. With that in mind, consider the
following three logic steps:
Step 1:
Men, in general, typify the strength of God and the building, protecting,
accomplishing nature of God.
Step 2:
Women, in general, typify the beauty of God and the relational nature of God.
Step 3: If
there were no beauty, there would be nothing worth protecting. The reason
strength exists is to protect and serve that which is beautiful. Likewise, if
there were no relationships, building and accomplishing would be empty and
meaningless. The reason we build societies is so that relationships (families,
communities, churches) can exist and thrive.
In other words, the strength of God exists to
protect and serve the beauty of God. The building nature of God exists to
protect and serve the relational nature of God.
I’ve
occasionally heard Christian leaders say there is no greater joy in the
universe than beholding the beauty of God. It’s not an accident that they
choose beauty as His attribute that is most worthy of marveling at. All of
God’s attributes are worthy of worship, but there is something truly special
about His beauty.
Even King
David agreed with this. In Psalms 27:4, when he considered what He would ask of
God if he could make only one request, he said:
“One thing
I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of
the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD.”
Women, in
a sense, are the culmination of God’s creation, because they uniquely reflect
His incredible, relational beauty.
4. Are
Women Weaker than Men?
1 Peter
3:7 says, “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an
understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman…”
This
passage can feel insulting to some women because it highlights how women, in
general, are physically weaker and emotionally tenderer than men. However, is
this actually a negative statement? If we interpret scripture using scripture
as we’re often exhorted, it makes sense to ask the question: What does the
Bible say about weakness? Consider these verses:
“…God has chosen the weak things of the world
to shame the things which are strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27)
“And
[Jesus] has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected
in weakness.’ …therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the
power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses…
for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians
12:9-10)
“I was
with you in weakness.. my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words
of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith
[would] rest on… the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5)
Now let’s
summarize the verses we’ve read:
1) God’s
power is perfected in weakness.
2) When we
are weak, then we are strong.
3) God
uses the weak to shame the strong.
4) Women
are weaker than men.
When I
first put these verses together, I started to feel envious of women! So much of
the power that is available to believers comes from embracing a position of
weakness and dependence on God. Paradoxically, I believe women in some ways are
uniquely qualified to steward the power of God because they are inherently
weaker. They can be entrusted with authority because they will more naturally
acknowledge their dependence on Him.
5. Do
Women Belong In the Home?
If someone
said to me, “Women are just as competent and qualified as men for the most
important jobs in society, so why should they stay home and raise children?” I
would say, “You just answered your own question.” The bigger problem in our
society is not inequality in the workplace, but the eviction of motherhood from
its rightful place of honor.
I fully
support equality in the workplace. My mother was a police officer and a
therapist during different seasons of my upbringing. My wife worked as a
marriage and family counselor. In my professional life, some of the best managers
I’ve reported to were women. I don’t deny that women often aren’t compensated
for the value they create in the marketplace in the same way as their male
colleagues. Nor do I deny that this inequality is wrong, detrimental to
society, and should be pointed out in public discourse.
But the
idea that a woman who chooses to be a stay-at-home mom is somehow missing out
or settling for less is a ridiculous notion. When exactly did raising the next
generation, sacrificially teaching them integrity and kindness and wisdom and
work ethic day in and day out come to be considered less important than the
labor of doctors or lawyers or accountants? How is caring for people’s bodies
or companies or money more important than the formation of their souls? It’s
not. In the long term, I’d argue it’s less important.
Motherhood
is the ultimate act of service, the greatest sacrifice, and the most pressing
need. Women are indeed just as competent and qualified for the most important
jobs in society. In some ways they are more qualified. This is why those who
choose the most important job of all – staying home to raise children – should
be held in the highest esteem.
6. Why and
How Do I Need to Be Saved?
The
following sequence explains the history and future of the universe according to
the Bible:
One.
Before God created mankind, He created a race of beings called angels. There
are different categories of angels. For example, some are warriors (Revelation
12:7), some are given charge over a new convert (Matthew 18:10), some worship
before God’s throne continually (Revelation 4:8), some deliver messages (Luke
1:19). Some rank higher in authority than others (Daniel 10:13).
Based on
these and other Bible passages, we could surmise that before sin existed, God
delegated various authorities and responsibilities to the angels He created in
the administration of His heavenly kingdom.
Two.
According to the Bible, one angel named Satan was initially full of wisdom,
perfect in beauty, and completely blameless. However, he chose to become evil,
was filled with violence, and wanted to displace God. Therefore, Satan was
banished from heaven (Ezekiel 28:12-19, Isaiah 14:12-14). Thus, Satan became
the ruler of his own kingdom in opposition to God’s kingdom (Matthew 12:26,
Luke 11:18). Many other angels also rebelled and likewise received worship in
place of God (1 Kings 11:4-8, 2 Kings 17:16, 21:3, and Acts 7:39-43, 2 Peter
2:4, Jude 6).
While this
narrative may sound fantastical, it’s worth noting that a fairly large
percentage of people believe in the existence of evil spirits and many even
believe they have experienced them. Likewise, large percentages of people also
believe in the existence of God and guardian angels.
YouGovAmerica, 10/21/2019, “Many Americans
Believe Ghosts and Demons Exist”
USA Today, 10/28/2021, “2 in 5 Americans
Believe Ghosts Are Real and 1 in 5 Say They’ve Seen One, Survey Says”
New York Times, 10/28/2021, “Many Americans
Say They Believe in Ghosts. Do You?”
Newsweek, 10/21/2019, “More Than 45 Percent of
Americans Believe Demons and Ghosts Are Real: Survey”
Gallup, 6/29/2016, “Most Americans Still
Believe in God”
ABC News, 9/18/2008, “Most Americans Believe
in Guardian Angels”
CBS News, 12/23/2011, “Poll: Nearly 8 in 10
Americans Believe in Angels”
Pew Research Center, 4/25/2018, “When
Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean?”
Time, 9/18/2008, “Guardian Angels Are Here,
Say Most Americans”
Three. When
God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, He gave them authority over
the earth. In Genesis 1:28, God told them to fill the earth, subdue it, and
rule over it. Likewise, Psalm 115:16 says, “The heavens are the heavens of the
Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.”
In the
original Hebrew, the language used Genesis 1 is completely unique in the Bible
and there is no consensus on how it should be interpreted. In fact, there are
over a dozen different views, ranging from literal to quasi-literal to purely
symbolic. Here are three examples from the more literal end of the spectrum.
One view
is the six days of creation in Genesis 1 were literal twenty-four-hour periods,
but God created everything with the appearance of age. He did this, they say,
not to be misleading, but because it was logically impossible to create
everything in six days without the appearance of age. For example, the first
humans, animals, plants, rocks, and soil all had to be in a mature state for an
ecosystem to function properly. Otherwise, there would have been nothing but a
bunch of seeds and embryonic cells scattered on barren, still-cooling volcanic
rocks with no nurturers, no food supply, and no way to survive.
Similarly,
the sun, moon, stars, and planets all had to initially exist at certain stages
of development to provide appropriate heat and light, to compose a functioning
solar system, and to be visible from the earth. Likewise, since landmasses and
geological features have time associated with them, creating dry land in one
day required the appearance of age. Advocates of this view compare the creation
event to Jesus’ first miracle of creating wine, which would have had the
appearance of age since wine is aged by definition.
A second
view is that the six days are symbolic of six much longer time periods that
correspond roughly to mainstream natural history.
A third
view similar to the second was proposed by MIT nuclear physicist and orthodox
Jew Dr. Gerald Schroeder in his book, Genesis and the Big Bang. He says that
while the universe is about 15 billion years old from the perspective of earth,
it is just over six days old from the perspective of where the Big Bang
originated since time passes differently depending on where you are in the
universe. He also points out that all animals appear fully formed in the fossil
record on days five and six, from the Big Bang’s perspective, just as Genesis 1
describes. Therefore, he proposes Genesis 1 is told from the perspective of the
Big Bang’s origin. Afterward, the perspective shifts to earth.
Dr. Gerald Schroeder, 1991, “Genesis And the
Big Bang: The Discovery of Harmony Between Modern Science and the Bible”
Four. Adam
and Eve chose to obey Satan and disobey God (Genesis 3). In so doing, they
realigned themselves under Satan’s authority (ex. Luke 4:6, 1 John 5:19). This
is why when Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth, he said, “…all
this domain and its glory… it has been handed over to me, and I give it to
whomever I wish.” (Luke 4:6) This is also why the apostle John wrote in 1 John
5:19, “…the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
Five. As a
result of their disobedience, Adam and Eve were separated from God’s presence
and forced to live in a creation now under a curse (Genesis 3:17-19, 24, Romans
8:20-22). Romans 8:20-22 says:
“…the
creation was subjected to futility… in hope that the creation itself also will
be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the
pains of childbirth together until now.”
Also as a
result of their disobedience, every person born into the world thereafter was
subject to sin and death, both by choice and environmental influences (Romans
3:23, 5:12-19). Romans 5:12 says, “…through one man sin entered into the world,
and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…”
Six. Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, lived in perfect obedience under God’s authority as a
representative of humanity. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus was “tempted in all things
as we are, yet without sin.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says God “made Him who knew no
sin to be sin on our behalf”.
As a final
act of obedience, Jesus made payment for the sins of mankind by undergoing
execution on a cross so that God might be both perfectly just in His
condemnation of sin and perfectly merciful in extending forgiveness of sin to
all who receive it as a free gift. Ephesians 1:7: “In [Jesus] we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the
riches of God’s grace.”
The famous
Roman non-Christian Historian Flavius Josephus wrote in Antiquities of the Jews
(book 18, chapter 3, section 3) in A.D. 93: “At this time [of Pontius Pilate]
there was a wise man who was called Jesus. His conduct was good and he was
known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations
became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and die. But those
who had been his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that
he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive;
accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have
recounted wonders.”
Flavius Josephus, A.D. 93, “Antiquities of the
Jews” (Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3)
The life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are recorded in the four gospels
attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Most non-Christian scholars assert
that these gospels were originally anonymous and their authorship was forged
nearly a hundred years later to bolster their credibility.
This
theory was popularized in the late 1800’s by two German scholars (Adolf von
Harnack and Theodor Zahn) who believed the gospels were folklore rather than
literal events. However, there are massive problems with this theory.
First,
there are no original sources to support it. Every single early manuscript in
existence ascribes authorship to Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
Second, by
the time the gospels were allegedly named in the late second century, all four
had circulated throughout Rome, Syria, Africa, Egypt, France, etc. It makes no
sense that they would have remained anonymous while circulating for nearly a
hundred years since the churches would have needed a way to differentiate
between them during gatherings. And even if they did somehow remain anonymous
that whole time, they would have eventually been named independently of one
another in different communities around the world, resulting in a diversity of
titles, as we have seen with many truly anonymous documents from antiquity.
Third, if
authorship of the gospels was forged to bolster their credibility, as the claim
goes, it makes no sense that two of the four gospels would be attributed to
non-eyewitnesses.
Fourth,
all of the earliest Christian writings by authors who either knew the apostles
firsthand, or were one generation removed, were unanimous and unambiguous that
the gospels were indeed authored Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Fifth, in
the first few centuries after Christ, even pagan writers such as the Greek
philosopher Celsus, who attacked the gospels as fiction, still accepted that
the gospels were written by their namesakes.
The only purported
evidence for the anonymity theory is that the gospels share some material in
common. For example, advocates ask why it appears that Matthew used Mark’s
gospel as source material for portions of his gospel since Mark was not an
eyewitness and Matthew was. However, multiple early church fathers explicitly
stated in their writings that Mark was a disciple of the apostle Peter and his
gospel was based on his memory of what Peter told him. Therefore, since Peter
met Jesus before Matthew and spent more time with Him than Matthew, it’s not at
all surprising that Matthew chose to incorporate some of Mark’s gospel into
his.
Some argue
that the apocryphal gospels, such as the gospels of Thomas, Judas, and Peter
are accurate, unflattering records of Jesus that the early church rejected to
save face. However, both the early church fathers and virtually all modern
Christian and non-Christian scholars agree that these gospels are forgeries
that were falsely attributed to apostles long after they were all dead.
Brant Pitre, 2016, “The Case for Jesus,” Ch.
2-5
Some
people argue that the Bible has changed over time. And they’re right. There are
countless minute textual variants amongst the thousands of early surviving
manuscripts. The vast majority of these variants are inconsequential grammar or
spelling changes. Regardless, by comparing all the manuscripts we have, both
Christian and non-Christian scholars have thoroughly mapped out all variants in
existence and can easily trace back to the original content. Furthermore, the
early church fathers quoted the New Testament over 36,000 times in their
writings and virtually the entire New Testament as it was originally written
can be reconstructed and corroborated from their writings.
There are
other reasons to trust the accuracy of the New Testament. For example, the book
of Acts, which was written by the same author as the gospel of Luke, includes
over 80 details that have been confirmed by historical and archeological
research into numerous cities or regions across the ancient Roman world. For
instance, it describes ship port locations, prevalent languages, pagan
religious customs, political hierarchy structures, location of landmarks, and
identities of high-ranking officials. The gospel of John also includes dozens
of historically and archeologically confirmed details such as landmark
locations, regional topography, and religious customs and hierarchy. In fact,
the New Testament writers included more than thirty historically confirmed
people in their writings.
But the
reasons don’t stop there. The disciples also included embarrassing details
about themselves and Jesus, and they included many difficult sayings of Jesus.
Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, 2004, “I Don’t
Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” Ch. 9-12
Further,
one of the most important pieces of evidence for the gospels being authentic
accounts is their many divergent details. True eyewitness or secondhand witness
accounts never perfectly match. If they did, it would only prove that the
witnesses had collaborated or been coached.
This point
was highlighted the nationally renowned cold-case homicide detective Jim
Wallace, whose solved murder cases have been featured a record six times on
NBC’s Dateline. Wallace was a devout atheist until age 35 when he was provoked
by a Christian friend to investigate Jesus’ death as a cold murder case and the
gospels as witness accounts. Wallace set out the debunk the gospels as
inauthentic, but instead converted to Christianity.
J. Warner Wallace, 2013, “Cold-Case
Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels”
Seven.
Jesus Christ’s payment for the sins of mankind created a way for human beings
to escape out from under Satan’s authority and realign under God’s authority
(Acts 26:18, Colossians 1:13).
Acts 26:18
says Jesus chose to die on the cross “so that they may turn from darkness to
light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in
Me.” Likewise, the apostle Paul explained in Colossians 1:13:
“For He
rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of
His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Eight. In
the future, Jesus Christ will return with God’s people from every generation to
take authority over the earth (Daniel 7:27, Matthew 5:5, Revelation 2:26,
11:15-18, 2:26). However, Satan, fallen angels and all humans under their
authority from every generation will be eternally separated from God and His
people (Isaiah 24:21-22, Daniel 12:1-2, Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50, 25:31-46, 2
Thessalonians 1:8-10, Revelation 19:20, 20:10-15).
The
prophet Daniel wrote: “Then the sovereignty, the dominion… of all the kingdoms
under… heaven will be given to… the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will
be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him… those
who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but
the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
Let’s
review what we’ve covered.
One, God
Created Angels.
Two, Satan
and Other Angels Rebelled Against God’s Authority.
Three, God
Created Mankind and Gave Them Authority Over the Earth.
Four,
Mankind Gave Satan Authority Over the Earth.
Five, All
Human Beings Were Born into Spiritual Slavery.
Six, Jesus
Christ Lived in Perfect Obedience to God’s Authority and Made Payment for the
Sins of Mankind.
Seven,
Human Beings Who Put Faith in Christ Realign Under God’s Authority.
Eight,
Jesus Christ and Redeemed Men and Women Take Authority Over Earth. Fallen
Angels and Unredeemed Men and Women Separated For Eternity.
How can I
be saved? If you are reading this and have not yet put faith in Jesus Christ to
save you from your sins and restore you into relationship with God, you can do
so right now. God sees you, hears you, knows your thoughts, and is present with
you right now. You can speak to Him. Let me walk you through three steps.
First,
acknowledge your need for God’s forgiveness. Second, put your faith in Jesus’
payment for your sins on the cross and in God’s mercy rather than your own
moral performance to save you from His just judgment. You can say this to God
out loud right now from your heart:
“God, I
know I am a sinner. I know I need your forgiveness. I know I can never save
myself from your just judgment with my best attempts at moral performance. I
believe You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins because
you love me. I receive Your free gift of forgiveness and eternal life with You.
Thank you for saving me.”
If you
prayed that prayer, congratulations! We now belong to the same wonderful
family! You have just entered through the narrow gate.
Jesus said
in Matthew 7:13-14:
“Enter through
the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and
the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
As Jesus
said, the path to eternal life is both a narrow gate and a narrow way. The
narrow gate is the initial decision to give your life to Christ, which you just
made. The narrow way is walking in relationship with Jesus Christ for the rest
of your life. This is step three.
To follow
the narrow way, there are three things you cannot do without: Prayer, God’s
Word, and God’s people.
Prayer is
talking to God. Do this often, every day if possible. Common elements of a
prayer time include praise (thank God for who He is, what He has done, and what
He means to you), entreaties (ask God to help you become the man or woman He
created you to become), confession (ask God to forgive you if you are aware
that you have sinned recently), and intercession (pray on behalf of others who
need God’s help).
God’s Word
is the Bible. He has given it to mankind to reveal who He is and what He had
done. Read at least one chapter often, every day if possible. Start with the
gospels and continue through the New Testament. Pray for God to give you understanding
as you read.
God’s
people are Christians. Immediately find a church nearby to attend. Pray for God
to guide you to the right church. It should be a church that believes the Bible
is the inspired Word of God and teaches directly out of it every week. Then
introduce yourself and develop relationships with men and women who have walked
with God for years who can help you on your journey.
If you are
afraid that you might stumble back into old sinful patterns, don’t worry; you
will.
If you are
afraid you don’t have what it takes to remain faithful to your commitment to
Christ for years and decades to come, don’t worry; you don’t.
If you are
afraid that Satan is much more powerful than you and you aren’t strong enough
to overcome him, don’t worry; you aren’t.
The only
thing you need do is keep turning back to God! It does not matter how badly you
stumble, how far you fall, or how long you stray. God will never, ever, ever
give up on you or stop loving you. Just keep turning back to Him. Keep turning
back to prayer, His word, and His people. If you do this, He will bring you
safely into His heavenly kingdom no matter how difficult the narrow way
becomes. It will be His accomplishment, not yours because He loves you, and
“love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Does
Evolution Disprove God? Part 1
The four
major origin questions are:
1. Where
did our time/space/matter/energy universe come from?
2. Where
did a finely tuned environment that can potentially support life come from?
3. Where
did the first life come from?
4. Where
did the diversity of life on earth come from?
Evolution
only purports to address the last question. Setting evolution aside for the
moment, there are valid arguments for the first three origin questions pointing
to the existence of God.
First,
where did our time/space/matter/energy universe come from?
Most
scientists agree that the evidence indicates the universe had a beginning,
called “The Big Bang”. If that’s true, it means time, space, matter, energy,
and the natural laws that govern them did not exist prior to the Big Bang. This
means the cause of the universe was outside of time, space, matter, energy, and
natural laws, which by definition means the cause was supernatural – outside of
nature.
In other
words, science supports the idea that the universe had a supernatural
cause.
A simple
yet profound question worth asking is: If there is no God, why is there
something instead of nothing?
Second,
where did a finely tuned environment that can potentially support life come
from?
Scientists
have identified well over a hundred life-enabling constants with very small
margins for error that are present on earth or in the universe that are
necessary to sustain life. Examples include the earth’s oxygen level,
atmospheric transparency, interaction with the moon, carbon dioxide level, water
vapor level, crust thickness, rotation speed, and on and on.
The odds
of every necessary condition occurring simultaneously for any single planet is
astronomical, no pun intended. A Christian astrophysicist named Hugh Ross
calculated it as roughly 1 in 10^138, which is more than the total number of
atoms in the entire universe.
Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, 2004, “I Don’t
Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” Ch. 4, pg. 106
Some
prominent atheists and agnostics have also made statements to the effect that
the earth and universe at least give the appearance of being designed to
support life. For example, Cambridge astrophysicist Fred Hoyle famously said:
“A
commonsense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has
monkeyed with physics, as well as chemistry and biology, and that there are no
blind forces worthy speaking about in nature.”
Fred Hoyle, “The Universe: Past and
Present Reflections.” Engineering and Science, November 1981. pp. 8–12
Likewise,
the famous atheist author Christopher Hitchens, who won the Richard Dawkins
Award for exemplary contributions to secularism and rationalism, stated on
camera:
“At some
point, certainly, we are all asked which is the best argument you come up
against from the other side. I think every one of us picks the fine-tuning one
as the most intriguing… It’s not a trivial [argument]. We all say that.”
Quoted in Chapter 16 of “The Miracles Answer
Book,” 2019, by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg
Similarly,
Cambridge physicist, author, and SETI chairman Paul Davies has said:
“There is
now broad agreement among physicists and cosmologists that the Universe is in
several respects ‘fine-tuned’ for life… rather it is fine-tuned for the
building blocks and environments that life requires.”
Smith, W. S., Smith, J. S., & Verducci,
D., eds., Eco-Phenomenology: Life, Human Life, Post-Human Life in the Harmony
of the Cosmos (Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer, 2018), pp. 131–32.
Some have
argued that the Many-worlds theory, which is one interpretation of quantum
mechanics, renders the fine-tuning argument moot since there are potentially an
infinite number of other universes that are not finely tuned.
However,
the Many-worlds theory is under ongoing debate and it is not based primarily on
the scientific method where one conducts measurable experiments to test
hypotheses. In fact, some scientists consider it unfalsifiable and therefore
unscientific because the proposed parallel universes are defined in such a way
that no information can be passed between them.
Bunge, M. (2012). “Parallel Universes?
Digital Physics?”. Evaluating Philosophies. New York: Springer. pp.
152–153.
Ellis, G.; Silk, J. (2014). “Scientific
method: Defend the integrity of physics”. Nature. 516 (7531): 321–323.
Third,
where did first life come from?
The
simplest form of life on earth, a one-celled organism, is incredibly complex.
It’s like a factory full of delicate instrumentation, communication systems,
transport systems, defense systems, production and assembly systems, quality
control and repair systems, etc. On top of all this, the DNA message in every
cell is equivalent to the complexity of 1,000 encyclopedias.
The
process by which first life is theorized to have arisen on earth is “Chemical
Evolution” in which a fully functioning, self-replicating cell naturally
developed through unguided chemical processes. However, life has never been
observed to spontaneously arise from non-life even in the most sophisticatedly
idealized conditions contrived in laboratories by top scientists, much less in
nature. And due to the cell’s immense complexity, a growing number of
scientists are acknowledging the enormous challenges this theory faces.
The cell’s
breathtaking complexity has led some secular scientists to consider that an
advanced alien race may have designed and seeded life on earth. For example,
biophysicist Francis Crick, who won the Nobel prize for deciphering the helical
structure of the DNA molecule, first proposed this idea in the 1960s.
Crick, F. H.; Orgel, L. E., 1973,
“Directed Panspermia,” pgs. 341–48.
New York Times, 26 June 2007, “Human DNA, the
Ultimate Spot for Secret Messages (Are Some There Now?)”
Since
then, numerous papers and articles in publications such as Scientific American
and National Geographic have discussed the possibility.
Scientific American (blog), 10/15/2012, “The
Panspermia Paradox”
National Geographic, 9/5/2013, “Did Life on
Earth Come From Mars?”
Also see: Paul Davies, 2010, “The Eerie
Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence”
In 2008,
the famous atheist and Oxford evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins stated:
“It could
be that at… somewhere in the universe a civilization evolved… to a very, very
high level of technology and designed a form of life that they seeded on to
perhaps this planet… it’s possible that you might find evidence for that if you
look at the at the detail of biochemistry, molecular biology, you might find a
signature of some sort of designer.”
“Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,”
2008, Richard Dawkins Interview
In 2013,
various mainstream and scientific publications covered a paper in which
scientists claimed to have found a “signature” like the one Dawkins mentioned.
The paper’s summary says:
“…the
proposal that [life] might have been seeded intentionally cannot be ruled out.
A statistically strong intelligent-like ‘signal’ in the genetic code is then a
testable consequence of such a scenario. Here we show that the terrestrial
[DNA] code displays a thorough precision-type orderliness matching the criteria
to be considered an informational signal.”
“Simple
arrangements of the [DNA] code reveal an ensemble of arithmetical and
ideographical patterns of the same symbolic language. Accurate and systematic,
these underlying patterns appear as a product of precision logic and nontrivial
computing… The signal displays readily recognizable hallmarks of artificiality
[i.e. design]…”
Vladimir Cherbaka and Maxim Makukovb,
2/17/2013, “The ‘Wow! Signal’ of the Terrestrial Genetic Code”
Huffington Post, 4/9/2013, “ET Genetic Code
May Be Found In Human DNA, According To Kazakhstan Scientists’ Biological SETI
Theory”
Evolution News, 3/12/2013, “In the Planetary
Science Journal Icarus, the ‘Wow!’ Signal of Intelligent Design”
Of course,
these sources don’t say anything about God, only aliens. But the point is that
life on earth gives the appearance of having been intelligently designed. Many
secular scientists philosophically rule out a supernatural cause as impossible
prior to examining any evidence. Richard Dawkins and Harvard Evolutionary
Biologist Richard Lewontin, for example, have said as much outright. So that
really leaves aliens as the only possibility they are able to consider.
The New York Review of Books, 1/9/1997,
“Billions and Billions of Demons,” by Richard Lewontin
Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, 2004, “I Don’t
Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” pg. 122 (quoting an e-mail response by
Richard Dawkins)
Some have
argued that perhaps we just haven’t discovered the answer yet and when you
begin explaining things you don’t presently understand with “God did it,” you
move away from science and into religion. You resort to “God-of-the-gaps.” It’s
a copout.
However,
in this case we’re talking about acknowledging positive evidence for
intelligent design. This is not resorting to “God-of-the-gaps” any more than
the scientists I just mentioned are resorting to “aliens-of-the-gaps.”
Let’s
review what we’ve covered. The four major origin questions are:
1. Where
did our time/space/matter/energy universe come from?
2. Where
did a finely tuned environment that can potentially support life come from?
3. Where
did the first life come from?
4. Where
did the diversity of life on earth come from?
Regarding
question one, we learned that science supports the idea that the universe had a
supernatural cause.
Regarding
question two, we learned that the odds of every necessary condition to sustain
life occurring simultaneously for any single planet is astronomical.
Regarding
question three, we learned that the simplest form of life on earth is
incredibly complex, seems to defy chemical evolution explanations, and gives
the appearance of having been intelligently designed, which has prompted some
leading scientists to theorize alien-seeding.
Clearly,
evolution does not disprove God since it only purports to address the last
question. But what about question four? Has evolution fully explained the
diversity of life on earth? We’ll address this question in part 2. If you’d
like to learn more, you check out my free book available at the link provided.
Thanks for watching.
DOES
EVOLUTLION DISPROVE GOD? PART 2
In part 1,
we discussed the first three origin questions, which are:
1. Where
did our time/space/matter/energy universe come from?
2. Where
did a finely tuned environment that can potentially support life come from?
3. Where
did the first life come from?
In this
video, we’ll discuss the last major origin question: Where did the diversity of
life on earth come from?
This
question has been conclusively answered by overwhelming evidence for evolution,
right? I mean even today we observe new species spontaneously appearing in
nature. What more proof do you need?
New York Times, 11/14/2022, “While Other
Insects Played, This Species Evolved the Blade”
Scientific American, 12/18/2011, “Evolution:
Watching Speciation Occur”
BBC, 11/23/2017, “Galapagos Finches Caught in
Act Of Becoming New Species”
Actually,
new species appearing is completely irrelevant. This is because standard
genetics tells us that new species not only can appear, but they inevitably
will appear due purely to natural reproduction.
The major
classifications in animal taxonomy are: 1) Domain, 2) Kingdom, 3) Phylum, 4)
Class, 5) Order, 6) Family, 7) Genus, 8) Species.
Let’s
pretend just for the sake of argument that creationism is true. In this
scenario, there is no need for all species to have existed in the beginning.
There is only the need for animals that existed in the beginning to be able to
produce every known species through natural reproduction, as opposed to DNA
mutations. Genetics tells us that this aligns most closely with the family
classification.
Take the
cat family, for example. If you start with just one male and one female cat,
all the genetic information is present for every cat species on earth to appear
over time, including tigers, leopards, jaguars, lions, panthers, cougars, small
cats, and domestic cats. It can happen through simple reproduction. In fact, as
stated, it is inevitable that new species will continuously appear over time
through natural reproduction within all animal families.
Natural
selection, common descent or ancestry, gradualism, gene flow, genetic
recombination, genetic drift, endosymbiosis. All of these terms refer to
processes that are known to occur within families.
All of
them are observable and established by the scientific method.
And all of
them have nothing to do with debunking creationism.
New
species spontaneously appearing, and all the mechanisms by which this happens,
are compatible with evolution, but they do not prove evolution any more than
they prove creation.
So why do
we sometimes read about new species appearing as evidence of evolution? This is
something that creationist scientists complain about – evolutionists
quote-unquote debunking arguments they have not made for decades or, in some
cases, over a century, while never addressing their current arguments.
For
example, Harvard geneticist and creationist, Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson, wrote a
book called “Replacing Darwin,” which explained the aforementioned reproduction
example, among other concepts. After publishing the book, he gave an open
invitation for evolutionary biologists to debate him on the content. The
invitation was accepted by Dr. Herman Mays of Marshall University.
In his
opening statement, Dr. Mays brutally attacked Dr. Jeanson as a pseudo-scientist
and then attempted to debunk what he apparently thought were several claims
that Dr. Jeanson promoted in his book. Every time, Dr. Jeanson responded by
asking Dr. Mays to specify where he found those claims in the book, which Dr.
Mays couldn’t do because the book didn’t contain any of them. Dr. Jeanson later
stated that Dr. Mays displayed almost no evidence of having read the book at
all, despite having claimed to read it twice. In subsequent interviews, Dr.
Jeanson pointed out that it is illegal in the United States for public schools
to teach intelligent-design-related concepts, which is why most scientists have
never considered natural reproduction rather than DNA mutations to explain our
planet’s biological diversity.
Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson and Dr. Herman Mays, 9/25/2018,
“Nonsequitur Presents Replacing Darwin: A Debate on Origins”
Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson, 2017, “Replacing
Darwin: The New Origin of Species”
For
creation to fully explain biological diversity on earth, all you would need is
at least one male and one female member of each animal family to be present at
the beginning of the diversification process. You wouldn’t even need much time
for this to occur.
Have you
ever heard that old trick where you ask someone whether they would choose $1000
dollars right now or one penny today, two pennies tomorrow, four pennies the
next day, and so on for 30 days?
The trick
is that is that, if you chose the pennies, after 30 days you would have over a
billion pennies, or over ten million dollars. After 40 days, you would have
over a trillion pennies, or a hundred billion dollars. And so on. That’s the
power of exponential growth.
The same
is true of animal reproduction. Of course, animal numbers are limited by what
the available habitats can sustain, but the potential for genetic
diversification in even just a couple dozen generations is nevertheless
staggering.
Incontrovertible
evidence for evolution in accordance with the scientific method would require
observing either the emergence of a new animal family by natural causes or one
animal family converting into another, which has never been observed. And
whatever paleologists assert the fossil record establishes, the hard evidence
for such an occurrence resides in the DNA sequences. In fact, over 99% of an
animal’s biology is found in the soft tissue. Fossils do not and cannot
constitute observable, incontrovertible evidence for evolution in accordance
with the scientific method.
Furthermore,
even if we set this aside and look for evidence of such occurrences based only
on hard skeletal structures, the fossil record still runs into a gargantuan
problem known as the Cambrian Explosion or the Biological Big Bang.
The reason
it is called the Biological Big Bang is because virtually all major animal phyla,
which is three taxonomy classifications above family, appear in the fossil
record suddenly and fully formed – not gradually or in stages. How is this
possible?
Shown:
New York Times, 9/17/1993, “Biology’s ‘Big
Bang” Took A Mere Blink of the Eye”
Nature, 2/16/2016, “What Sparked the Cambrian
Explosion”
Natural History Museum, 2/19/2019, “The
Cambrian Explosion Was Far Shorter Than We Thought”
Also see:
Budd, G. E.; Jensen, S., 2000, “A
Critical Reappraisal of The Fossil Record of The Bilaterian Phyla”
Budd, G.E., 2003, “The Cambrian Fossil Record
and the Origin of the Phyla,” pgs. 157–165.
Steven Gould (Harvard Biology Professor),
1977, “Evolution’s Erratic Pace,” pgs. 13-14
Jonathan Well, 2000, “Icons of Evolution:
Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong,” pg. 37
Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, 2004, “I Don’t
Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” Chapter 6
Interestingly,
in 2018 a team of nearly three dozen scientists published a paper in Progress
in Biophysics and Molecular Biology positing that the Biological Big Bang
occurred as the result of… you guessed it: Alien seeding. The study focused
largely on Cephalopods due to their genetic material supposedly being able to
survive travel through space, but the larger takeaway was that life on earth
appeared to defy unaided terrestrial evolution, in their assessment. The
paper’s abstract stated:
“In our
view the totality of the multifactorial data and critical analyses assembled by
Fred Hoyle, Chandra Wickramasinghe and their many colleagues since the 1960s
leads to a very plausible conclusion… living organisms such as… fertilised ova
and seeds have been continuously delivered… to Earth… which has resulted in
considerable genetic diversity and which has led to the emergence of mankind.”
Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology
(Volume 136, August 2018, pages 3-23), 2018, “Cause of Cambrian Explosion –
Terrestrial or Cosmic?”
The
natural emergence of a new animal family or one animal family converting into
another could only happen through DNA mutations. It cannot happen through
natural selection, common descent and any other family-contained mechanisms.
This
likely explains the wording chosen by the “Scientific Dissent from Darwinism”
statement which over one thousand Ph.D.’s in scientific fields have publicly
endorsed. The statement reads:
“We are
skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to
account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for
Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”
The
signatories include about 180 biologists, 250 chemists, 120 doctors of
medicine. It also includes about 450 university professors (approximately 100
of whom are professors of biology, chemistry, or medicine).
See: https://dissentfromdarwin.org/
Nevertheless,
the National Academy of Sciences put out a statement falsely claiming:
“…there is
no debate within the scientific community over whether evolution occurred…
scientists continue to debate only the particular mechanisms that result in
evolution, not the overall accuracy of evolution as the explanation of life’s
history.”
Ironically,
National Academy of Sciences member and Penn State Chemistry professor Philip
Skell is one of the Dissent from Darwinism signatories.
American Civil Liberties Union, undated, “What
the Scientific Community Says About Evolution and Intelligent Design”
The
Dissent from Darwinism website asserts the list exists in response to efforts
by some to quote “deny the existence of scientific critics of Neo-Darwinism and
to discourage open discussion of the scientific evidence for and against
Neo-Darwinism.” The website also adds that signing on to the statement does not
imply endorsement of any alternative theory, such as intelligent design or
creationism.
As one
example, the New York Times interviewed atheist and Brooklyn College Biology
Professor Stanley Salthe, who said he signed because evolutionary biologists
were unfairly suppressing any competing ideas deserved and to be prodded.
A number
of criticisms of the Dissent from Darwinism list have been voiced. Let’s take a
look at several. One is not well supported. A few are valid but need
qualification. One is irrelevant to the core issue, which is that no mechanisms
of evolution have been observed to cause the appearance or conversion of any
animal family, much less higher taxonomy classifications.
The New
York Times ran a derisive article in 2006 asserting that quote “many” of the
signers were evangelicals. While this could theoretically be true, the article
offered no percentage estimate and the claim was based on interviews of just
twenty of the signatories, of whom quote “some” or quote “several” were
evangelicals. The twenty interviewees accounted for less than 5% of the signers
at the time.
The
article also argued that only a quarter of the signers were biologists, whose
field is most directly concerned with evolution. This is a valid point,
although it could also be added that any science-based Ph.D. probably most
non-Ph.D.s can easily grasp the core issue.
New York Times, 2/21/2006, “Few Biologists but
Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition”
The
National Center of Science Education called the wording of the statement quote
“spin” and quote “misleading” because it only mentioned natural selection and
mutations and didn’t name any other mechanisms associated with common ancestry.
However, this criticism is irrelevant to the core issue.
National Center of Science Education,
2/26/2016, “Doubting Darwinism Through Creative License”
In his
2015 book “Basics in Evolution,” evolutionary biologist Michael Muehlenbein
pointed out that the Dissent from Darwinism statement was created by the
Discovery Institute, which promotes intelligent design and creationist ideas.
This point is worth raising. However, as stated, signing on to the statement
does not imply endorsement of any alternative theory, including intelligent
design or creationism.
Muehlenbein
also pointed out that the sum total of the signers accounted for well under 1%
of the total number of Ph.D.’s in the world that are qualified to sign it if
they chose. This point is also worth raising, although it includes no
information about what percentage of those qualified individuals is, one, aware
of the list’s existence and, two, aware of the core issue it raises.
Michael Muehlenbein, 2015, “Basics in
Evolution”
Nevertheless,
to Muehlenbein’s point, it’s fair to say that only a small minority of
biologists and other scientists express skepticism of evolution’s ability to
fully explain animal diversity.
This
raises an important question: Is it theoretically possible for a large majority
of experts in a given field to be wrong?
The answer
to this question is obviously yes. And there are many examples to point to.
It can
happen with governments and intelligence experts, taking many nations to war
based on information that turns out to be completely false.
It can
happen with economics and financial experts, who somehow fail en masse to
detect massive structural problems that plunge the world into a global
recession.
U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
7/7/2004, “Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence
Assessments on Iraq” (Conclusion 3)
Foreign Affairs, November/December 2013,
“Never Saw It Coming,” by Alan Greenspan
And it can
happen with scientists as well.
While
scientists enjoy the highest public trust of any group of professionals, the
trust is arguably not well deserved.
YouGovAmerica, 2/8/2021, “Scientists and
Doctors Are the Most Respected Professions Worldwide”
Pew Research Center, 9/29/2020, “Science and
Scientists Held in High Esteem Across Global Publics”
Guardian, 8/2/2019, “Scientists Top List of
Most Trusted Professions in US”
For example,
in 2005, Stanford Professor of Medicine John Ioannidis showed that most
published research findings are false because they are framed to satisfy
confirmation bias.
Public Library of Science (PLOS) Medicine,
August 2005, “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,” by John P. A.
Ioannidis
Scientific
retractions are nothing new. But in 2012 a major study of over 2000 retracted
scientific articles found that the vast majority were retracted not because of
error, but because of misconduct, plagiarism and fraud.
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences Journal, Vol. 109, No. 42, 10/1/2012, “Misconduct Accounts for the
Majority of Retracted Scientific Publications”
Guardian, 10/1/2012, “Tenfold Increase In
Scientific Research Papers Retracted for Fraud”
Guardian, 9/5/2011, “Publish-Or-Perish: Peer
Review and the Corruption of Science”
In 2013,
another major study of over 1,500 scientists uncovered a major quote “crisis of
reproducibility” in which the majority of published and supposedly verifiable
findings by scientists could not be replicated.
Phys.org, 9/20/2013, “Science Is in a
Reproducibility Crisis: How Do We Resolve It?”
Nature, 9/25/2016, “1,500 Scientists Lift the
Lid on Reproducibility”
Economist, 10/1/2013, “How Science Goes Wrong”
Washington Post, 8/27/2015, “Many Scientific
Studies Can’t Be Replicated. That’s A Problem.”
The fact
is that scientists, like all other field experts, are human beings that are
subject to confirmation bias, worldview bias, normalcy bias, groupthink, peer
pressure, career advancement pressures, self-preservation, and at times just
good old-fashioned dishonesty and corruption.
This
certainly includes the field of evolutionary biology, as was powerfully
illustrated by what was once considered possibly the most important discovery
in human history. In 1912, the New York Times heralded that some of the world’s
foremost evolutionary biologists had finally found definitive proof of the
long-sought missing link between apes and mankind. The human skull with an
apelike jaw was dubbed Piltdown Man and was estimated to have lived 750,000 to
950,000 years ago.
The
incredible fossil was introduced as proof of evolution during the infamous 1925
Scopes Monkey Trial. United States public school children were taught that
Piltdown Man conclusively proved Darwin’s theory for more than forty years. And
over 500 scientific papers were written on it.
There was
just one problem: Piltdown Man was an abject fraud.
The teeth
were filed down to make them look human. The jaw was boiled and stained to make
it look older. Jaw and skull fragments were planted at the site. The ultimate
science conspiracy theory was in reality, just a conspiracy. And all of the
world’s foremost scientists were none the wiser.
New York Times, 12/22/1912, “Darwin Theory
Proved True”
New York Times, 5/26/1925, “Scopes Is Indicted
in Tennessee for Teaching Evolution”
Time, 11/30/1953, “Science: End as A Man”
Time, 3/16/2010, “Top 10 Shocking Hoaxes: Pack
of Lies; Piltdown Man”
LiveScience, 12/8/2021, “Piltdown Man:
Infamous Fake Fossil”
BBC, 2/17/2011, “Piltdown Man: Britain’s
Greatest Hoax”
Let’s
return for a moment to the topic of public education. Many evangelical
Christians have asserted that intelligent design or creationist concepts should
be taught alongside evolution in biology classrooms. In response, a number of
reputable scientific organizations have vehemently protested the notion.
For
example, the American Anthropological Association has stated:
“Science
describes and explains the natural world: it does not prove or disprove beliefs
about the supernatural.”
The
American Astronomical Society has stated:
“Science
is not based on faith, nor does it preclude faith… the teaching of important
scientific concepts… should not be altered or constrained in response to
demands external to the scientific disciplines.”
The
National Association of Biology Teachers has stated:
“Explanations
or ways of knowing that invoke non-naturalistic or supernatural events or
beings… are outside the realm of science and not part of a valid science
curriculum.”
The
Geological Society of America has stated:
“Science,
in contrast, is based on observations of the natural world. All beliefs that
entail supernatural creation… fall within the domain of religion rather than
science. For this reason, they must be excluded from science courses in our
public schools.”
The
Paleontological Society has stated:
“…creationism
is religion rather than science… because it invokes supernatural explanations
that cannot be tested.”
American Civil Liberties Union, undated, “What
the Scientific Community Says About Evolution and Intelligent Design”
In my
opinion, these are fair and valid statements. As a Christian, I’d say the
sciences are the study of what God has created, but the actual act of God
creating something out of nothing defies science by definition, as we discussed
in the last video. This creation act is the subject of theological study, not
scientific study.
However, I
also believe science should play by its own rules.
There is
no evolutionary biologist on earth who has argued or would argue that mankind
has observed a present, living animal family spontaneously appear due to
natural causes or convert into another animal family.
While some
paleontologists claim the fossil record shows this, despite lacking hard DNA
evidence, in reality the fossil record shows not only families but virtually
all phyla appearing suddenly and fully formed, in seeming defiance of
evolutionary explanations.
Thus,
science has not conclusively answered the question of how animal families
originated, much less the higher classifications. This is a glaring gap in the
scientific body of knowledge and science textbooks should acknowledge it.
They also
should not claim without evidence that all life evolved from single-celled
organisms. And, going back to the last video, they should not claim without
evidence that single-celled organisms spontaneously arose from a primordial
soup via chemical evolution.
If science
textbooks authors want to acknowledge the glaringly obviously appearance of
design in one-celled organisms, fine. If they want to add that some scientists
speculate without evidence that the cells could have been brought to earth by
beings from another planet, fine. But then they should also point out that some
scientists speculate without evidence that the origin of the cells could be
attributable to the same cause as the Big Bang. The latter speculation is at
least as reasonable as the former.
The
Paleontological Society is correct that science cannot test or study
supernatural causes. However, this also logically means science does not have
the ability to rule out supernatural causes until a natural cause has been
conclusively identified.
Science
has not identified a natural cause for the existence of our
time/space/matter/energy universe.
It has not
identified a natural cause for the existence of a finely tuned environment that
can potentially support life.
It has not
identified where the first life came from.
And it has
not identified where animal families and higher taxonomy classifications came
from.
Therefore,
it has not ruled out a supernatural cause for any of these things.
Furthermore,
science will never rule out supernatural causes. Even if we met the aliens that
seeded the first cells and traveled to the parallel universes that explained
the life-enabling properties of earth, we still wouldn’t have proven the first
clue about where those aliens and universes came from.
If there’s
no God, why is something instead of nothing. Even an eight-year-old can
understand that logic.
If you
like to learn, you can check out my free book at the link provided. Thanks for
watching.
9. Is It
Arrogant to Say Christianity Is the Only Way?
The truth
is that every major religion and worldview claims exclusivity on many points.
Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, secular humanists, new agers, and
others all claim that certain beliefs they hold are true and whatever
contradicts them is false. And they should. This simply acknowledges that there
is such a thing as truth. And it acknowledges that truth is true irrespective
of whether it is comfortable or believed in by any individual or group.
The points
of disagreement between the different religions and worldviews are not trivial.
They typically involve questions about the existence of God, the
nature/character of God, the origin of mankind, the problem of evil, the origin
of death and suffering, the nature of the spiritual realm, the existence of
angels and demons, the nature of the afterlife, etc.
So the
real question is not whether Christians are arrogant to claim exclusivity on
key points since every other belief system also does. The real question is:
What is true?
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
10. Is
Kindness More Important Than Doctrines?
Some
people assert that treating others with kindness is more important than
adherence to any particular religious doctrine. However, in some cases, this
assertion is based on an underlying belief that having solid truth convictions
and treating people with different convictions kindly are mutually exclusive.
They aren’t. In fact, that’s the definition of tolerance. Tolerating another
person’s beliefs doesn’t mean saying their beliefs are true. It means treating
them with kindness and respect despite disagreeing. And it means respecting
every person’s right to choose what to believe.
This, by
the way, does not exclude proselytizing. For example, if two Muslim and
Christian friends care about each other and sincerely believe they know the
correct way to live in relationship with God, it is natural and commendable for
them to try to respectfully persuade the other over time. This can absolutely
be done with tolerance and kindness. Many people have relationships that could
be characterized by this kind of tolerance. It’s not uncommon.
Some
opponents of religion claim that any attempt to persuade someone to abandon
their beliefs for another set of beliefs is offensive. However, this is only
true when it is done with intolerance – that is with unkind or disrespectful
pressure, anger, or force.
Unfortunately,
intolerant proselytizing is also common. It happens all over the world, with
every major religion and worldview, including Christianity. There are countless
instances in which people have tried to intolerantly force their views onto
someone else. There are a number of reasons people do this.
• Maybe they are sincerely concerned for the
person’s soul and think intolerant pressure is justified.
• Maybe they are subconsciously insecure about
their own beliefs and it helps them feel more secure if they can persuade
others to agree with them.
• Maybe they attribute certain evils in
society to another worldview and feel a civic duty to oppose it.
• Maybe they look up to parents or clergy who
have modeled that it is ok to intolerantly force their beliefs on someone.
• Maybe they have been taught that those who
reject their worldview deserve to be mistreated.
I admit
that I am guilty of intolerant proselytizing in my life due to more than one of
these reasons. Nevertheless, for Christians, the Bible specifically commands
the opposite. For example, 1 Peter 3:15 says to share one’s faith with
gentleness and respect.
Obviously,
we’re all human and we all make mistakes at times in how we relate to others,
including how share our deepest beliefs. But I don’t believe the answer is to
reject any notion of absolute truth when it comes to religion or worldview.
This is self-contradicting because it essentially claims that it is true that
there is no truth and the beliefs of anyone who says otherwise are false. It’s
nonsensical. Not to mention, there are plenty of intolerant people working to
promote this view just like every other view. So obviously non-absolutism does
not eliminate intolerance.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
11. How Can
a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?
How can a
loving God allow so much suffering in the world? This is a great question.
First, I
think it is important to point out that a large portion of suffering in the
world is the direct result of human choice. Theft, violence, emotional abuse,
and sexual abuse fill homes and streets in every town and city in the world
every single day.
Where,
how, and when should God intervene to prevent this kind of suffering?
If God
simply removed everyone who did something abusive, there would eventually be no
people left in the world. If He removed evil, powerful leaders, the vacuum left
behind would just be filled by someone else.
If He took
away the free will of everyone who did something abusive, the world would be
full of robots with no capacity for authentic love or kindness or compassion.
Of course,
there is also a great deal of suffering in the world due to things like death,
disease, and scarcity. The Bible says God introduced these things into the world
as a result of sin. For example, after Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis, God told
them they would “die” and that the agricultural productivity of the ground was
“cursed.” Likewise, the apostle Paul said in Romans that the creation was
“subjected to futility” by God and is now in a state of “corruption.”
However, I
would argue that God doing this actually diminished human suffering overall,
not increased it.
Now, maybe
you’re thinking to yourself: “Hold on. Did you just say God introducing death
and scarcity into the world diminished human suffering? That makes no sense.”
Yes,
that’s exactly what I’m saying.
Let me try
to explain with two illustrations that, ironically come from cartoons.
In the
first cartoon, the grim reaper went on vacation so no one could die. Two guys
got in a bar fight and one shot the other in the head. To their brief
astonishment, he didn’t die. Then the fight continued. This realization quickly
spread around the world until all the restraints typically associated with the
fear of death were cast off and the world was plunged into anarchy until the
grim reaper returned and resumed his function.
We have
countless examples from history of how wickedly people treat each other just in
the absence of law enforcement. How much more would this be the case in the
absence of physical death?
In the
second cartoon, the human race invented machines that performed all labor so
well that there was no scarcity or discomfort and no need for anyone to work.
Society gradually became more and more indulgent of every carnal appetite.
Subsequently, human beings became dumbed-down pleasure addicts until their
machines finally broke down and they had to start civilization over from
scratch.
Now
imagine putting these scenarios together – no death and no scarcity. The
potential for evil in the human heart to be realized outwardly would multiply
exponentially. I think life might literally become hell on earth. So the root
problem with the world is not external, but the corruption inside our own
hearts.
The good
news for those who know Jesus Christ is that someday, after God’s final
judgment, there will be a future with no death or scarcity for those who have
been restored into relationship with Him.
The
apostle John wrote of that time in Revelation 21:2-6
“Behold,
the tabernacle of God is among [mankind], and He will dwell among them, and
they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe
away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there
will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have
passed away.”
“And He
who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new… I will give
to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.’”
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
12. Does
Marriage Prepare Us For Eternity?
In
general, a man values respect and success. He instinctively understands
hierarchies (such as in companies, ministries, or governments) and where he
fits into them. He wants to build something significant and rule over a domain.
He wants to impact the world around him.
However,
he is called to do this with kindness and selfless motives. When he builds an
organization, his goal should be to serve others, not exalt himself. When he
leads others, he should value the people more than his position. Learning how
to lead and cover a relational wife trains him how to do this. It is how he
forms God’s character and becomes who he was created to be.
In
general, a woman desires love and security. She understands relationships and
wants to feel close and connected to others. She wants to be seen as valuable,
beautiful, and worthy of being pursued. However, she is also called to fill a
position in God’s kingdom, both in this age and in the next. God’s kingdom is
built upon order and hierarchy. There will always be things to build and
accomplish and rule over. Learning how to show respect for a husband and submit
to his leadership trains her for this.
God thinks
long-term in His dealings with us. This 70 to 80 year life is very short
compared to eternity. This life is largely about training and preparation for
our eternal positions. The choices we make and the characters we develop now
will be with us for eternity. God gave us headship and submission in marriage
because it was the best possible way to mold us into the image-bearers we were
intended to become.
Have you
noticed in Ephesians 5 that husbands and wives are both commanded to do the
opposite of what comes naturally to them? Respect comes naturally to men, but
they are commanded to love (vs. 25). Love comes naturally to women, but they
are commanded to show respect (vs. 33). This is how God transforms us. True
obedience is not doing something because it comes naturally, but because we
want to please God.
13. Can
Women Have Authority? Part 1
Relationships
are the most valuable things in the universe. Women possess an innate
appreciation for this truth since they are generally more relationship-oriented
than men. This equips women to become excellent stewards of authority when they
also learn to assimilate pursuits that sometimes come more naturally to men,
such as building, defending, and respect for hierarchy.
Stewarding
authority also has a lot to do with wisdom and there seems to be a special
connection in the Bible between women and wisdom. It was the desire for wisdom,
pursued in a forbidden way, that caused Eve to disobey in the garden of Eden
(Genesis 3:6). And in the book of Proverbs, a book all about wisdom, wisdom is
personified as a woman (chapters 3-4, 8-9) and it culminates with a woman
(chapter 31).
It is
important to recognize that marriage is the only context where headship and
submission applies. The Bible does not say that every man is the head of every
woman. A woman can be a pastor, a president, or a CEO. She can have authority
over countless people. The only thing a woman can never be is the head of her
husband.
This is
because authority that bears spiritual fruit requires grace from God.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter how gifted or talented of a leader a woman is; she
still does not have grace to be the head of her husband. Nor does it matter how
much her husband prefers to follow; he does have grace to be the head if he
chooses to believe God for it.
If a woman
stewards authority over other people, like a CEO or a pastor does, it does not
mean she is answerable to her husband for how she operates in those roles. He
can counsel her and pray for her, but the authority is hers, not his. A
husband’s position as the head only gives him authority in the area of their
marriage and family. There may be some overlap between her family life and her
other roles, but God can give couples wisdom to navigate through unclear areas
when they ask Him for it. Headship and submission can look a little bit
different in every marriage. God gives grace for each couple to apply His word
to their unique relationship, personalities, and circumstances.
14. Is A
Wife Analogous to the Holy Spirit
If a
husband represents Christ to his wife, how does a wife represent God to her
husband? When God was about to create Eve, He called her Adam’s helper. The
same Hebrew word for Helper (ezer) is used to describe God as our Helper in
several passages such as Psalm 70:5 and Psalm 121:2.
In fact,
the role of a helper is such an important aspect of God’s nature that it is a
primary title given to a member of the Trinity. Jesus repeatedly called the
Holy Spirit “Helper” in John 14-16 (NASB translation).
The
etymology of the Greek word used for the Holy Spirit in this passage means
called to one’s side, just as Eve was taken out of Adam’s side. The Holy Spirit
may provide the best model for how wives relate to their husbands.
Sometimes
God relates to us as a King or a Master – He gives specific commands and
expects obedience (ex. Luke 17:10). However, when God relates to us as a
Helper, it is different. A Helper does not give commands. Instead, He gives
counsel. He makes suggestions and offers support. He doesn’t step out in front
to lead; He comes alongside and encourages.
This is an
incredible aspect of God’s nature. God is infinitely wise so He could easily
tell us exactly what to do in every situation. But instead He comes in humility
and offers assistance. When we dig our heels in and ignore the Holy Spirit’s
help (as we all have) He does not become resentful. He may be grieved, but He
accepts our decision and does not abandon us. He stays with us and works to
bring about redemption. He still tries to guide us into as much blessing as
possible on the lesser, harder path we chose. God’s ability to not hold a
grudge over a bad decision, but continue helping us in humility, is truly
amazing.
My wife
has modeled this to me many times. She knew deep in her heart that some choices
I made were not right. She communicated it clearly and respectfully and I
wouldn’t listen. Even though it affected her deeply, and even though I did not
recognize I had done anything wrong for a long time, she did not become bitter.
She continued to support me and encourage me.
When the
Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts, He is gentle and reasonable, not pushy or
demanding. Have you noticed that? Even when He rebukes us or convicts us, we
can feel that He loves us and wants what’s best for us. Many times when my wife
has spoken to me about things I didn’t want to hear, I had that same feeling. I
knew the Holy Spirit was speaking through her.
The helper
ministry may be the most beautiful, gentle, and humble way that God relates to
people. And the Bible designates this aspect of God’s nature for wives to
emulate as the most effective way to bless and guide their husbands.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link provided.
Thanks for watching.
15. How
Should a Couple Make Major Decisions?
When a
couple faces a major decision, I believe there is no single formula for how to
handle it. Instead, there are different biblical principles that could apply
depending on the situation and how God is leading each spouse at that time.
Here are several possibilities for how God may lead a husband and wife through
a major decision together:
One, there
are multiple options within God’s will. There is room for discussion, personal
preference, and compromise.
Two, the
husband and wife are in agreement about how the Lord is leading them. Unity
comes easily and they proceed together.
Three, the
Lord impresses upon the wife to submit to her husband’s lead. She knows her
husband is being led by the Lord. This is a picture of Christ acting as the
head of the church. Ephesians 5:22-24 applies.
Four, the
Lord impresses upon the husband to listen to his wife’s counsel. He knows his
wife is being led by the Lord. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit acting as
the Helper.
Five, the
Lord impresses upon the wife to submit to her husband’s lead, but she does not
know whether her husband is being led by the Lord. She only knows the Lord is
asking her to submit to him.
Six, the
Lord impresses upon the husband to defer to his wife. He does not know whether
his wife is being led by the Lord. He only knows the Lord is asking him to
defer to her. This may have been the case with Sarah and Abraham in Genesis
21:12.
Seven, the
Lord impresses upon the wife to submit to her husband’s lead even though she
knows he is not being led by the Lord. He is either deceived or he is
intentionally disobeying. However, the Lord asks her to entrust herself to His
care and pray for her husband’s heart. 1 Peter 3:1 applies. This is a picture
of how the Holy Spirit continues to love us and pursue relationship with us
even when we are disobedient.
Eight, the
Lord impresses upon the husband to defer to his wife even though he knows she
is not being led by the Lord. She is either deceived or she is intentionally
disobeying. However, the Lord asks him to lay the situation down before Him and
pray for his wife’s heart. This is a picture of how Jesus treats His church
when we resist His will for us. This also how God led the prophet Hosea to
treat his wife.
We can
only control our own response to a major disagreement, not our spouse’s.
Whatever he or she does, scripture exhorts us to still represent God to them.
If a husband believes his wife should submit to him about a particular
decision, but she is unwilling, he should accept it without becoming bitter,
just as Jesus frequently does with His church. Then he should seek God for his
next step. Likewise, if a wife believes her husband should listen to her
counsel, but he is unwilling, she should accept it without becoming bitter,
just as the Holy Spirit frequently does with us, and seek God for her next
step.
With many
decisions, the process is actually more important than the outcome. If one or
both spouses honor God and each other in how they walk through the
decision-making process, they can be victorious in His eyes regardless of what
decision is made.
If you’d
like to learn more you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
16. How
Can A Wife Change Her Husband?
1 Peter 3
gives a specific strategy for a specific kind of situation with a specific goal
in mind. This strategy is tailored according to how men are designed and
motivated. The first two verses state:
“In the
same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of
them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the
behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.”
The
Situation is a husband is being
disobedient to God.
The
Strategy is a wife’s chaste, respectful, submissive behavior toward her
husband.
The Goal
is the husband’s repentance.
Why is
this strategy effective? Men tend to value respect, leadership, and hierarchy.
When a man is treated with unconditional respect by his wife, even when he
doesn’t deserve it, it can awaken something inside of him. It can remind him of
his calling to be a noble, sacrificial leader.
When men
are made responsible for other men, they usually consider it a sacred charge.
For example, if a man is made the captain of a ship and the ship is sinking, he
is the very last one to disembark. He makes sure everyone else gets to safety
first because that is his duty. He doesn’t even have to be a particularly moral
man. He considers it an honor to be entrusted with a position of such authority
and he acts accordingly.
Next,
verses 3-6 state:
“…let
[your adornment] be… the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy
women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to
their own husbands… without being frightened by any fear.”
These
verses discuss the battle between fear and faith that a wife is likely to
experience while executing the strategy God gave in verses 1-2. There is
incredible vulnerability in treating someone with undeserved respect who has a
measure of authority over you. It is very easy to become fearful that nothing
will ever change. A woman who chooses to employ this strategy for changing her
husband really has nothing to hope in except God. She relinquishes all of her
own tools and methods.
The
passage encourages a wife to adorn herself with a gentle and quiet spirit
because at times she will be filled with loud, fearful thoughts. Therefore, the
only way to persevere in this strategy is to somehow become quiet before the
Lord so He can sustain her with His peace. By the way, the posture of having a
gentle and quiet spirit is equally valid for men when battling against fear or
anxiety.
God’s
kingdom works oppositely to how the world and the flesh lead us. We humble
ourselves to be exalted. We give to be entrusted with more. We serve to become
leaders. We bless when we are cursed. Along these same lines, wives treat
disobedient husbands with chastity, respect, and submission in order to change
them.
The world
and the flesh tell wives to become forceful, fearful, controlling, or
manipulative. God tells a wife to respect her husband as the head of their
marriage and pray that he feels the burden of leadership God has placed on his
shoulders. God tells a wife to share her input with her husband honestly,
gently, respectfully, and pray for God to change his heart.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
17. Spiritual
Maturity Part 1: What is the Foundation of Christianity?
What Is
Spiritual Maturity? How does the Bible define it?
There are
a handful of passages that speak to this. I am going to draw primarily from
three: Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11, and Romans 12. These passages each
identify various steps on the road to spiritual maturity. There is some overlap
between them, so I’ve combined them into one expanded list.
1. Repentance from Dead Works (Hebrew 6:1,
Philippians 3:4-9)
2. Faith in God (Hebrews 6:1, Philippians 3:9)
3. Knowing God (Philippians 3:10)
4. Sanctification / Mind Renewal (Hebrews 6:2,
Romans 12:1-3)
5. Walking in Unique Gifts & Calling
(Philippians 3:10, Romans 12:6-8, Hebrews 6:2)
6. The Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings
(Philippians 3:10)
7. Being Conformed to Christ’s Death
(Philippians 3:10, Romans 12:14-21)
This list
presupposes that an initial surrender of overt, willful sin took place at
conversion. Also, each of these steps is an area we hopefully continue to grow
in our entire lives so I don’t want to give the wrong impression that one step
must be fully conquered before moving on to the next.
Step 1:
Repentance from Dead Works (Hebrew 6:1, Philippians 3:4-9)
The writer
of Hebrews identified “repentance from dead works” as the “foundation” of
Christianity. Every time we do something that appears quote “good” or
“Christian” or “spiritual”, but subconsciously seeks to feed our sense of
self-worth or compensate for underlying guilt, we perform a dead work.
This does
not mean we shouldn’t exercise discipline. It does not mean we should stop
praying, reading scripture, or gathering with other believers if we do these
things out of guilt or self-righteousness. But it does mean being honest with
God and others about the condition of our hearts and asking Him to change us.
We can
also use parenthood or our careers as dead works – really anything we rely on
to help us feel acceptable through performance apart from God. However, dead
works are especially toxic when infused with religion and spirituality. Dead
works are at the heart of every false religion. Even atheists want to feel like
good people and often expend a tremendous amount of effort to convince
themselves they are.
In
Philippians 3:4-9, Paul listed several factors from which he might have derived
self-worth – his nationality, his family of origin, his impeccable moral
behavior, his career advancement, his respectability in the eyes of his peers.
Yet he gave up finding any value whatsoever in these things, saying:
“…those
things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ… I have suffered the loss
of all things so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a
righteousness of my own derived from the Law [i.e. dead works]…”
Dead works
are serious and dangerous. In a way, they are more deadly than overt sin
because they are so deceptive. They have the appearance of righteousness. They
cause some believers to think they are growing closer to God when they are
actually pushing Him away. They cause other believers to think they can never
be good enough for God and give up following Him under a cloud of condemnation.
Because
repentance from dead works is so foundational, it is often the most heavily
attacked area of a believer’s life. Satan constantly pressures us to try to
earn God’s acceptance through moral performance, and then gets us to pressure
others (including our children) in the same way. The way to combat this is
found in the next step – Faith in God.
Dead works
are ingrained in our fallen nature even from childhood. When I was four years
old, I stole several dollars’ worth of quarters from my dad’s home office. For
the next two days, I felt physically sick with guilt. I was afraid to expose my
sin to my father, so I secretly brought the money to church the next Sunday and
put it in the offering, hoping to alleviate my guilt.
It seemed
to work. I began to feel better. My relationship with my father had not been
restored since I was still hiding something from him. But at least I could
reason to myself that I was not a bad person since I ultimately gave the money
away to a holy cause.
This is
the quintessence of a dead work. It hides the truth of our condition. If I had
the courage to tell my dad the truth, he would have reacted exactly as God does
– he would have forgiven me and reaffirmed his love for me.
Incredibly,
God kept my pursuing my little 4-year-old heart. The senior pastor of this
large church happened to see me put the money in the offering and mailed a
letter to my parents praising their son’s virtuous character! When my parents
read it and began telling me how proud they were of me, I knew I was a fraud.
God gave me a wonderful opportunity to come into the light and confess my sin,
but I still chose not to out of fear. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful
illustration of the deceptive nature of dead works.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
18. Spiritual
Maturity Part 2: Do I Really Know God?
What Is
Spiritual Maturity? How does the Bible define it?
As stated
in Part 1, we are drawing primarily from Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11, and
Romans 12
In part 1,
we covered step 1: Repentance from Dead Works.
In this video,
we’ll cover steps 2 and 3: Faith in God and Knowing God.
Hebrews
6:1 and Philippians 3:9 identify the second step of maturity as “faith toward
God” or “faith in Christ”. Faith in God does not just mean believing He exists;
it is agreement with the Bible about what He has done and what He is like.
This means
believing our sins are really forgiven, He really loves us, and our
relationship to Him is the foundation of our purpose and value. When we believe
this from our hearts, dead works are no longer necessary — there is no reason
to work for something we already have.
Jesus said
in John 15:9-10, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide
in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.” Christ
loves us exactly as the Father loves Him – infinitely. It never changes or
wavers in the slightest. Our obedience or disobedience to His commands doesn’t
affect it one iota. It only affects whether we “abide” in it, which means we
allow our lives to be directed and shaped by it.
Step 3 is
knowing God.
The
apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10 sets apart “…that I may know Him…” as distinct
from other steps. This refers to knowing God relationally and experientially.
It means having a unique personal history together. Like any relationship, it
means two-way interaction.
Relationship
with God can be hard to define since He is invisible and inaudible, but it is
probably more familiar to each of us than we might initially realize. For
example, ask yourself the following questions:
• Have you ever experienced God giving you
wisdom about a situation in your life?
• Has He changed your desires or priorities
over time?
• Has He ever orchestrated circumstances in a
way that His hand was evident?
• Have you ever gone to church and the message
“coincidentally” addressed exactly what you were going through?
• Have you ever felt His presence in a
palpable way?
• Has He ever opened your eyes to a sinful
pattern you were previously oblivious to?
• Has He ever healed you from a past emotional
wound?
• Has He ever comforted you during a time of
grief?
• Has He ever empowered you to overcome a fear
or anxiety or bitterness that previously seemed insurmountable?
• Has He ever guided you through an important
decision, perhaps by imparting a sense of peace or clarity about what to
choose?
• Has He ever touched you with overwhelming
emotions during a time of worship?
• Has He opened your mind to understand a
scripture you did not previously understand?
• Has He shown you how to pray for someone by
guiding your thoughts during the prayer?
• Has He given you just the right thing to say
to a hurting friend in need of encouragement?
• Have you ever had a dream you felt was from
the Lord?
• Has He ever spoken something timely and
personal to you through His word, during prayer, or through other believers?
Most
believers have experienced several, if not all, of these. Knowing God is our
source of life. It is what enables us to live out every other step. It is how
biblical truth moves from our minds to our hearts.
No matter
how much we agree intellectually with correct doctrines, we will only give up
dead works to the extent we experience how much God loves and values us. We
will only find freedom from guilt to the extent we experience His forgiveness.
We will only be sanctified or fulfill our calling to the extent we experience
His grace at work in our lives.
I’m not
saying there isn’t a place for exercising faith when our feelings or
experiences don’t seem to line up with biblical truth. But there is
nevertheless a maturation that only takes place as a result of time and
experience.
Christians
are often encouraged to read our Bibles, spend time in prayer, and assemble in
community. However, we are not as frequently told why to do these things. These
are primary vehicles through which God’s Spirit interacts with us. They are
food and water. We cannot grow spiritually without these things any more than
we can grow physically without eating or drinking.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
19. Spiritual
Maturity Part 3: Does God Restrict Me?
What Is
Spiritual Maturity? How does the Bible define it?
In this
series, we are drawing primarily from Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11, and
Romans 12
In parts 1
and 2, we covered Repentance from Dead Works, Faith in God and Knowing God.
In this
video, we’ll cover step 4: Sanctification and Mind Renewal (Hebrews 6:2, Romans
12:2-3)
The author
of Hebrews listed “instructions about washings” as an important maturity step.
This refers to being washed spiritually, which is called sanctification.
Sanctification means letting go of sinful habits and attitudes and replacing
them with righteous ones.
Similarly,
the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “…do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Mind Renewal refers to letting go
of false, worldly beliefs and replacing them with righteous ones.
Let’s
break up Sanctification / Mind Renewal into four categories:
1) Exercising Self-Control
2) Responding to Conviction
3) Viewing God Accurately
4) Viewing Ourselves Accurately
Part of
sanctification is exercising self-control. This is why “self-control” is a
fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Self-control means repeatedly rejecting
sinful thoughts, words, and actions and instead choosing righteous ones until
they become habitual. This pursuit is greatly affected by what media,
relationships, and biblical teaching (or lack thereof) we let into our lives.
Proverbs
24:16 says “a righteous man [or woman] falls seven times, and rises again”.
People do not form new habits instantly; it’s simply impossible. It takes time
and practice. Therefore, there is no shame in stumbling as long as we get up
and keep going. God is very patient and gentle with our sincere attempts to
grow in righteousness.
2.
Responding to Conviction
Conviction
is a wonderful gift. It is the most loving thing God can possibly do when we
are in sin and don’t realize it. Or maybe we do realize it, but we don’t
realize how serious it is.
Conviction
is cause for rejoicing. It is like a wise doctor seeking you out on his own
initiative and telling you you have a very early, very treatable form of
cancer. Then he offers to remove it for you first thing tomorrow morning free
of charge. Wouldn’t you be filled with gratitude toward such a doctor?
God never
convicts us without providing grace to overcome. The very fact that He is
convicting us means He is also offering us the power to change. This is why
conviction is cause for celebration even though it may initially feel grievous.
There is
an awesome picture of this in Nehemiah 8. When Ezra began reading God’s law to
the people they were deeply convicted. They began to weep because they had
disobeyed for so long. However, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites said to them:
“This day
is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep. …Go, eat of the fat, drink
of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day
is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength. …Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
After this
word, they celebrated with a great festival. The people understood that God’s
goal was not to weigh them down with sorrow, but to offer them a new beginning.
Conviction stands in stark contrast to Satan’s counterfeit – condemnation – which
points out a problem but offers no lasting solution. Condemnation leaves us
ashamed and discouraged, but conviction is accompanied by hope.
When we
ignore God’s conviction (as we all have), it is like telling the wise doctor we
don’t want to address the cancer he found just yet. Instead, we tell him the
operation sounds inconvenient and uncomfortable. We’re not ready to give up the
lifestyle that caused the cancer in the first place. So we put it off. The
longer we wait, the more serious it becomes. The operations required to remove
it grow more numerous, painful, and expensive. Eventually, it becomes deadly.
The cancer of unrepented sin can kill our relationships, our calling, and even
our faith. Therefore, a major part of Christian maturity is learning to embrace
and celebrate God’s conviction.
3. Viewing
God Accurately
God is not
a Restrictor, but a Fulfiller. He does not withhold good things from us; He
protects us with wise boundaries. There is nothing in the universe God cannot
give us or would not give us. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own
Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely
give us all things?” James 1:17 says, “Every good thing given and every perfect
gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” The ironic truth is
that the vast majority of sins Christians commit are in pursuit of things God
already plans to give us!
Here is a
list of several common sins followed by short descriptions of the godly desires
they seek to fulfill:
• Sexual Immorality – Godly desire for sexual
fulfillment
• Witchcraft – Godly desire to connect to the
spiritual realm, since God is a spirit, as are we.
• Greed / Jealousy – Godly desire to steward
wealth/possessions, provide for loved ones, exercise generosity; enjoyment of a
home, food, travel, experiences, and everything money can buy.
• Pride / Envy – Godly desire to be affirmed
and feel valuable or significant
• Fear / Anxiety – Godly desire to make wise
plans and see them fulfilled
• Substance Abuse – Godly desire for
encouragement, refreshment, and relief from pain or stress
• Unforgiveness – Godly desire for healing and
a restored relationship
• Idolatry – Godly desire for any good thing
that is not prioritized above our desire to know God and obey Him
Satan’s
tactic since the beginning of creation was to offer a forbidden shortcut to
something God already planned to give. In Genesis 3, he said to Eve, “In the
day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.” God wanted Adam and Eve’s eyes to be opened eyes (ex.
Ephesian 1:18). He wanted them to be like Him (ex. Ephesians 5:1). He wanted
them to discern good and evil (ex. Hebrews 5:14). Each of these attributes
would have increased in them the longer they walked with God.
Satan
tried the same thing with Jesus. He offered Him authority over the earth if He
would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:9), even though God already planned
to give Jesus this authority.
Sin is
often pleasurable. The Bible doesn’t deny this. Hebrews 11:25 says Moses chose
to abstain from “the passing pleasures of sin”. However, the path to freedom
often feels like bondage at first, and the path to bondage often feels like
freedom at first. If we were allowed to indulge our most base desires (lust,
greed, pride, etc.) as much as wanted for as long as we wanted, it might
initially feel like freedom, but it would quickly grow into an addiction,
resulting in slavery. Not only would it no longer fulfill us, but we would need
it in ever greater measures just to feel ok.
However,
if we trust God’s boundaries and pursue the good things we desire His way, our
ability to enjoy them is richer and deeper. By learning how to make God our
primary source of fulfillment, the joy we derive from all our secondary desires
is magnified.
It is true
that not all of our desires will be fully or even partly fulfilled in this
life. This is where an eternal perspective is vital. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
says:
“For
momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far
beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at
the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but
the things which are not seen are eternal.”
This life
is very short compared to the endless millennia we will exist beyond it. The
depths of joy, peace, love, fulfillment, etc. we will experience in the future
is far beyond anything we can imagine right now. Having an eternal perspective
is crucial when we must lay down a deeply-felt desire, either temporarily or
permanently, in order to follow Jesus.
Part of
sanctification is learning the Lordship of Christ, which means to see Him as
our King and Judge. It means we would do or surrender anything we knew with confidence
He was asking of us, even if it involved pain or sacrifice, because He created
us and paid for us. We belong to Him and we are accountable to Him.
4. Viewing
Ourselves Accurately
Paul wrote
in Romans 12:3, “…I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of
himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment…”
Another part of Sanctification / Mind Renewal is replacing trust in ourselves
and our abilities with dependence on God. The truth is that we are all far more
dependent on God’s grace and protection than we realize. If God gave the enemy
full access to us, allowing him to orchestrate any temptation he wanted for as
long as he wanted, we would all fall headlong into bondage. The perfect
combination of temptations, wounds, and weaknesses is all that stands between
us and the sin we think we could never commit.
We also
have no ability to accomplish anything of eternal significance apart from God’s
empowerment. This is why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are
adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our
adequacy is from God.” God exalts the humble (James 4:10), displays His
strength through our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and makes wise the simple
(Psalm 19:7). However, he opposes the proud (James 4:6), debases human
strength, and nullifies human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). He even does this
with His own children – not just the lost. If we feel self-confident and
capable to accomplish what God is calling us to, we are not ready. However, if
we feel vulnerable and aware of our weaknesses and limitations, that is the
safest place to be.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
20. Spiritual
Maturity Part 4: Why Am I Here?
What Is
Spiritual Maturity? How does the Bible define it?
In this
series, we are drawing primarily from Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11, and
Romans 12
In parts 1
through 3, we covered Repentance from Dead Works, Faith in God, Knowing God,
Sanctification and Mind Renewal.
In this
video, we’ll cover step 5: Walking Out Our Unique Gifts & Calling, which is
the next step identified by all three passages (Philippians 3:10, Romans
12:6-8, Hebrews 6:2)
In Romans
12:6-8, Paul exhorts every believer to “exercise” our spiritual gifts to build
up the body of Christ. In Hebrews 6:2,
the writer lists “laying on of hands”, which is frequently associated in
scripture with being commissioned for ministry or bestowed with spiritual gifts
(ex. 1 Tim 4:14, 5:22, 2 Tim 5:22). And Philippians 3:10 identifies “the power
of His resurrection”, which is a reference to spiritual gifts since scripture
repeatedly points to them as the evidence that Christ rose and ascended into
heaven (Ephesians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 1:6-7, Luke 24:49).
How do
gifts or a calling relate to spiritual maturity? Let’s divide the answer to
this question into four parts:
1) Our Calling is Natural
2) Our Calling is an Inheritance
3) Our Calling is a Friendship
4) Our Calling Takes Time
1. Our
Calling is Natural
Jesus said
in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I
in him, he bears much fruit.” When a branch becomes mature, it does not have to
strive to bear fruit. Nor does it become anxious about whether it will produce
enough. It simply abides in the vine and fruit comes naturally. In the same
way, bearing eternal fruit is a natural consequence of becoming mature in
Christ and living out the things He puts in our hearts to fulfill.
Our
calling is often connected to our dreams and passions. God does not ask us to
be someone we’re not or exercise gifts we don’t have. He does not squeeze us
into someone else’s mold. He helps us discover the unique purpose He created us
for and live it out.
Psalm 37:4
says, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your
heart.” Notice the verse does not say God gives us what we desire; it says the
desires themselves come from Him. As we mature, God shapes our desires to align
with the purposes He created us for.
The things
we dream about when we mature are often very different than the things we
dreamt about when we were younger. The world and the flesh have a way of
drawing us after things God never intended for us. They evoke dreams of people
being impressed with us, recognizing us, and affirming us. However, godly
dreams seek to serve others in humility, not draw attention to ourselves.
Colossians 3:3-4 says our true life and the glory God ascribes to us is not
actually recognizable in this age. It is hidden. It will only be fully revealed
when Jesus is revealed at His second coming. It states:
“For you
have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our
life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
2. Our
Calling is an Inheritance
Paul told
the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:13-14) that the Holy Spirit was given “as a pledge”
of their inheritance. And Jesus said the Holy Spirit’s role is to empower us to
be His witnesses (Luke 24:48-49, Acts 1:8).
We
normally think of our inheritance as salvation, eternal life, or a place in
heaven. That is part of it, but it is also more than that. We are heirs of His
Kingdom. This means our inheritance includes the spheres of influence we are
called to impact in this life.
Maturing
in Christ can involve a gradual expansion of influence. First, we are given
authority over our own hearts. The Lord begins showing us what He wants to do
in that sphere and invites us to labor with Him. If we are faithful, He may
expand our influence, for example, to family members, friends, and coworkers.
A person’s
calling is multi-faceted. We can be called to get married and raise a family.
We can be called to exercise certain spiritual gifts or lead a particular
ministry. We can be called to a certain field or industry in the marketplace.
We can be called to minister to a specific age group, ethnic group, city, or
geographical area.
There is
nothing more threatening to the enemy’s kingdom than mature Christians. Mature
Christians change the world around them. Their prayers and acts of obedience
help destroy demonic strongholds that enslave family members, friends, and
coworkers.
The
journey into spiritual maturity is the most valuable pursuit a human being can
undertake, but Satan has many Christians convinced the pursuit of hobbies,
money, comfort, or human affirmation is somehow more worthwhile. The truth is
many Christians do not reach the maturity we are called to. Paul warned in 1
Corinthians 3:13-15 that some believers’ lives will bear no fruit and they will
be judged for this, even though they are still saved. Likewise, Jesus said many
who receive the gospel remain unfruitful because “the worries of the world, and
the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things enter in and choke
the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)
3. Our
Calling is a Friendship
Would a
father treat his six-year-old son like a peer? Would he discuss in depth his
marriage, his career goals, or his trials? Of course not; he would only share
what is appropriate to the boy’s age. The fact that the boy is only six years
old does not cause the father to love him less, but it does affect how he
relates to him. It affects how deep and mature of a friendship bond they can
share.
Jesus
relates to us in the same way – in accordance with our maturity level. This is
why it took three and half years of spending nearly every waking moment
together before Jesus could say to the disciples:
“No longer
do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but
I have called you friends, for all things I have heard from My Father I have
made known to you.” (John 15:15)
The
essence of friendship with Jesus is Him sharing what He is doing, or wants to
do, around us. He lays His burdens, dreams, and desires on our hearts. This is
also a foundation of our calling. Calling and friendship go together.
I have
heard pastors quote this verse and say that Jesus has called everyone who is
saved His friend. If that is true, why did it take so long before He could call
the disciples His friends? In this context, being Jesus’ friend is more than
just being saved. It is an indicator of spiritual maturity.
Notice how
John 15:15 says being a “slave” comes before friendship. A prerequisite to our
calling is submitting our lives to the Lordship of Christ, which means we would
do or surrender anything we knew with confidence He was asking of us, even if
it involved pain or sacrifice. John 14:21 confirms this:
“He who
has My commandments and keeps them [Lordship] is the one who loves Me; and he
who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose
Myself to him [deepening friendship and maturity].”
If we
spend our whole lives as spiritual children we can miss out on friendship with
Jesus, forfeit our inheritance in this age, and greatly diminish it in the age
to come. We can also set ourselves up for a difficult judgment when we appear
before the Judgment Seat of Christ, as Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 and
2 Corinthians 5:10.
4. Our
Calling Takes Time
God is
very patient and careful about opening doors to our calling. Why? Because if
there is anything we want more than closeness with Him, we are not yet mature
enough to have it without turning it into an idol. Many Christians have found
out the hard way that if we don’t learn to be content before stepping into our
gifts/calling, we won’t be content afterward without feeding our flesh. We will
start deriving our self-worth from the good things we are accomplishing and the
human affirmation we are receiving (dead works). We will drift into pride and
self-sufficiency, which Satan is immediately ready to exploit.
When Moses
was about 40 years old, he considered himself “a man of power in words and
deed”. He mistakenly thought it would be obvious to his brethren that “God was
granting them deliverance through him” (Acts 7:22-25). However, from God’s
perspective, Moses was a long way off from being ready for such a
responsibility. At eighty years of age, God finally called Moses to do the
thing he felt ready for at forty. Only this time Moses knew he was totally
inadequate and had nothing but God’s presence to depend on (Exodus 3:11-12). He
was finally ready by God’s standards.
Spiritual
maturity, like physical maturity, is inseparable from one key ingredient –
time.
While it
is certainly possible for time to pass without maturing (Hebrews 5:12-13), the
opposite is not true. It is impossible to mature without time passing. It does
not matter how passionately we worship, how diligently we study scripture, how
zealously we minister to others, or how consistently we fast or pray. All these
things are a good investment of time, but they can never be a replacement for time.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
21. Spiritual
Maturity Part 5: Am I In Pain?
What Is
Spiritual Maturity? How does the Bible define it?
In this
series, we are drawing primarily from Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11, and
Romans 12
In parts 1
through 4, we covered Repentance from Dead Works, Faith in God, Knowing God,
Sanctification/Mind Renewal, and Walking Out Our Unique Gifts & Calling.
In this
video, we’ll cover step 5: The Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings (Philippians
3:10)
The second
to last maturity step Paul identified in Philippians 3 is “the fellowship of
His sufferings”. Jesus’ identity as a sufferer is one of His most important
characteristics. For example, consider Isaiah 53, arguably the most lucid
description of Jesus in the Old Testament. Verse 3 says:
“He was
despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and
like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem
Him.”
Many
Christians read this and immediately think of the crucifixion. That is
certainly part of it. But does it also refer to something more enduring?
Something, perhaps, He carried with Him His entire life?
To answer
this question, consider another passage where men despise, forsake, and hide
from Jesus – John 3:19-20. For clarity, I will replace “the Light” with “Jesus
Christ” or “Him”. It says:
“Jesus
Christ has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than Him, for
their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates Him, and does not come
to Him for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
There it
is. This is why Isaiah said Jesus was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief”. When men despised, forsook, and hid from Him, Jesus was grieved for
their sakes, not His. He was concerned with what their rejection meant for
them, not Him. They despised and rejected Him because they loved evil and
feared exposure of their true condition. Jesus’ grief and sorrow were not
results of the cross as much as they were motivators for it. Grief and sorrow,
combined with love, are what caused Jesus to leave heaven and come to earth in
the first place.
In fact,
even throughout the crucifixion process, Jesus’ grief and concern were more for
others than Himself. When women wept for Him as He carried His cross, He
grieved over the horrors they and their children would experience in a few
decades (Luke 23:28). When He saw His mother from the cross, His concern was
that she be well taken care of when He was gone (John 19:26). When He saw the
Pharisees taunting Him, His still longed for their forgiveness and salvation
(Luke 23:34). The greatest sorrow He always felt was for others, not Himself.
This is the same sorrow the Father felt in Genesis 6:6 when He saw how evil man
became and watched countless souls being lost forever day after day: “He was
grieved in His heart”.
The
Christian worldview is simultaneously more wonderful and more terrifying than
anyone can fully imagine. To the same degree that God loves us (immeasurable),
He is also severe toward sin. To the same degree that eternity for believers is
wonderful, the second death is likewise horrible.
Our God is
a grieving Father. We cannot possibly grasp the pain He feels over the souls
that are lost day after day, hour after hour. Every single one was meant to be
His son or daughter forever. Instead, they will spend eternity in separation.
Several
years ago, I felt an understanding of the reality of hell that shook me to the
core. I had trouble eating, sleeping, or thinking about anything else for about
two weeks. Now that I am a father, the idea of one of my children dying without
Christ is more awful than I can bear to think about. Yet this is the pain God
feels continuously, multiplied by infinity.
I hate
thinking about hell. I hate that there are countless people there now and
countless more will go there in the future. I hate that angels rebelled, that
mankind fell, and all the terrible things that have precipitated as a result. I
hate this war and can’t wait for it to be over. I don’t hesitate to use this
language because I believe God feels the same way. He hates it too. He never wanted
this, but the possibility of it was an inescapable byproduct of creating beings
with free-wills, beings that could actually choose to love and worship and were
not controlled like robots.
In the
last video, we talked about how our calling takes time and requires a close
friendship with God. However, it can also be very painful because it can
involve internalizing God’s love for people that, in some cases, will die
without Him. This may be the most terrible suffering a Christian can
experience. This is part of what Paul referred to when said he knew “the
fellowship of His sufferings”.
Jesus was
rejected by close friends and family members. He was constantly attacked by
spiritual and political leaders. He endured heavy demonic opposition. He was
ultimately imprisoned, tortured, and crucified. But He chose all these things
willingly because He viewed them in light of the souls that would be saved as a
result. The apostle Paul and many others also endured various kinds of
suffering on behalf of God’s kingdom. Modern-day believers likewise can
experience rejection or persecution from friends, family members, or even
governments for their faith in Christ. This is another part of “the fellowship
of His sufferings”.
A final
aspect of the “fellowship of His sufferings” is experiencing Christ’s
compassion. “Compassionate” is the very first word God used when He declared
His nature to Moses in Exodus 34:6. The word compassionate means to suffer
with. Because He is compassionate, God experiences our suffering as if it is
His own.
Many of
the trials we experience are not directly on behalf of God’s kingdom, but are
just part of living in a fallen world. For example, we may face health issues,
a rocky marriage, a difficult boss or coworker, a broken friendship, or a rebellious
child. All of these can mature us if we turn to Jesus in the midst of our pain
and discover that He is suffering right there alongside us because He cares for
us.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link provided.
22.
Spiritual Maturity Part 6: How Will I Die?
Spiritual
Maturity Part 6: How Will I Die?
What Is
Spiritual Maturity? How does the Bible define it?
In this
series, we are drawing primarily from Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11, and
Romans 12
In parts 1
through 5, we covered Repentance from Dead Works, Faith in God, Knowing God,
Sanctification/Mind Renewal, Walking Out Our Unique Gifts & Calling, and
The Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings.
In this
video, we’ll cover step 7: Being Conformed to Christ’s Death
Paul
concluded the Philippians 3 passage with “being conformed to [Christ’s] death”.
This refers to a lack of desire left to live for worldly or temporal things
because only things of eternal value matter. This is likely how Paul felt when
he said in Galatians 6:14, “…the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
world.”
Perhaps
this also coincides with the final step of Romans 12, which commands us to
return love and a blessing to those who do us harm. Sincerely returning love in
response to being intentionally, maliciously inflicted with pain or loss is no
less miraculous than the blind seeing or the lame walking. It completely defies
temporal explanation.
Unconverted
Jews tried to kill Paul several times, yet he was not only willing to die for
their sakes, but even to trade his salvation for theirs if that were possible!
He said in Romans 9:3:
“For I
could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of
my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Moses felt
the same way toward people who repeatedly accused him and rebelled against his
leadership. In Exodus 32:32, he said to God:
“But now,
if You will, forgive their sin – and if not, please blot me out from Your book
which You have written!”
After
covering the seventh and last step on the road to spiritual maturity, maybe
you’ll reach the same conclusion I did, which is that spiritual maturity is
rare. In fact, I don’t think I’ve met anyone who is mature in all of the areas
we have covered, although I’ve met some who are mature in some of them. But
maybe this rarity is unsurprising. After all, people zealously pursue all kinds
of lesser things such as wealth, fame, career accomplishments, advantageous
relationships, physical fitness, etc., but relatively few people greatly excel
at any of them, much less all them. How much more then could we expect the far
greater pursuit of spiritual maturity, in its many facets, to be lacking
plentiful examples in such a dark and fallen world?
However, I
want to close with this crucial point. I believe it is more important that we
are growing than where we are in the journey. We don’t need to have arrived at
a particular milestone to be an effective model. In fact, when others see
changes taking place in us, it can actually be more impactful than if we didn’t
need those changes to begin with because it demonstrates the transforming power
of God and His word. This is why Paul told Timothy to obey his instructions “so
that your progress will be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15). Timothy was
younger and less experienced than many of those he was leading, but he could
still serve as an example because of the direction he was headed in, not
because of how far he had gotten.
If you
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
23. Was
Sarah Blindfolded?
Abraham
had no doubt he was in the center of God’s will for his life. The Lord appeared
to him physically or in a vision at least 4 times over a 25-year period
(Genesis 12:7, 14:18, 15:1, 15:17) and clearly spoke to him on several other
occasions (Genesis 12:1, 13:14, 15:4). He received powerful revelations of
God’s long-term plan for his family line, the nation of Israel, and the
salvation of mankind. These encounters sustained Abraham and enabled him to
sacrifice so much – his homeland, his friends and family, everything familiar,
any hope of a normal and stable life as he wandered about in the wilderness.
What did
Sarah have to sustain her? Only Abraham’s claims. That’s it. As far as we know,
she received no visitations from the Lord, no revelation about some great
calling, and heard nothing from God about leaving her home and family to start
a new nation. All she had to go on was a conviction from God to submit to her
husband’s leadership (1 Peter 3:4-6). As Abraham’s wife, Sarah was bound to
make all the same sacrifices as him, but with none of the encouragement. If we
were to compare Abraham’s faith to walking on water, then Sarah was walking on
water while blindfolded.
This was
the great trial that stared Sarah in the face for 25 years. Having no
confirmation her husband was really hearing from the Lord, Abraham’s claims
looked more and more doubtful every year. And this mission from God, as Abraham
called it, was costing her dearly – costing her everything.
Sarah’s
victory was not that she trusted Abraham, but that she kept entrusting herself
to God when she didn’t know whether she could trust Abraham. In so doing, she
became a great champion in God’s eyes. She is the only wife mentioned in the
“Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. The apostle Peter called her a spiritual mother
and a model to wives in every generation since (1 Peter 3:4-6). The apostle
Paul even called her a symbol of the New Covenant (Galatians 4:24). Though
neither Abraham nor Sarah realized it, God was changing her nature into a that
of a princess and a mother of nations (Genesis 17:15-16).
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
24. Was
Elizabeth Depressed?
Elizabeth
was a godly woman. Descended from Aaron, married to Zacharias the priest, the
Bible says she “walked blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of
the Lord” (Luke 1:6). This does not refer primarily to rituals or ceremonies
since the Old Testament is filled with commands for the heart such as do not
covet (Exodus 20:17), love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18), and
love God with all your heart (Deuteronomy 6:5). Elizabeth had a blameless heart
in the sight of God.
Elizabeth
overcame so much. She was barren her whole life in a society where a woman’s
entire worth was based on childrearing. To be barren, in the eyes of many, was
a curse from God. Imagine the pain she must have endured year after year while
she waited, hoped, and prayed for God to give her a child. She must have wept
herself to sleep countless nights after noticing other women whispering behind
her back in the marketplace, either pitying her or judging her.
Perhaps
Elizabeth sensed the call to be a mother from an early age. It must have been
tormenting and confusing as she approached her 40’s and then her 50’s and the
calling didn’t diminish. Maybe she thought she was going crazy. Maybe she
wavered from one day to the next about whether she should keep believing God
for a child or accept that it wasn’t His plan. Maybe she begged Him with all
her heart to take away her desire to be a mother.
Now she
was advanced in years, well beyond the ability to become pregnant. All hope was
lost. Many women in her situation would have been overcome by bitterness long
ago. They would have either blamed God, envied others, or despised themselves.
But not Elizabeth. She determined to serve the Lord with all of her heart despite
her shattered dreams and constant grief. She turned her pain into worship.
She must
have thought to herself a thousand times that she wouldn’t know why God allowed
this until she got to heaven. Little did she realize that all of heaven had
been watching her the entire time. All of this had merely been preparation for
stewarding the life of a man whose arrival all of Israel had been awaiting for
hundreds of years, whose ministry was prophesied of by both Isaiah and Malachi
(Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 4:5), and of whom Jesus said, “…among those born of women
there is no one greater” (Luke 7:28).
The angel
Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth’s husband Zacharias. He announced the coming of
their son John and explained his destiny. When Elizabeth became pregnant, she
kept it a secret and remained in seclusion for five months. Why? What was she
doing those five months?
Luke 1:25
tells us exactly what she was doing. She was telling herself, “This is the way
the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to
take away my disgrace among men.” In other words, Elizabeth spent those five
months alone with the Lord, settling in her heart that this miraculous
pregnancy was nothing less than the hand of God. She was preparing her heart for
what lay ahead.
Elizabeth
knew Gabriel’s prophecy about her son would be hard for others to swallow. It
must have sounded so grandiose and delusional to imagine telling friends and
family who her son was. “So you’re saying your son is a forerunner for the
Messiah? He’s the one those scriptures in Isaiah and Malachi are talking about?
And who did you say told Zacharias this – the angel Gabriel?”
In all
likelihood, many of them would sincerely fear for her sanity and think she
needed help. Others would probably believe she was deceived by an evil spirit
and perhaps even that this child was from the enemy. Other practical-minded
people might suggest she prepare for a miscarriage or that the child could be
born with health problems or deformities since both of its parents were so old.
If
Elizabeth announced her pregnancy prematurely, she would have unnecessarily
exposed herself and her unborn child to all kinds of skepticism, attacks, and
negative talk. Satan was just as interested in this child as God was. He was
ready at the drop of a hat to begin stirring up controversy in hopes of
thwarting the child’s destiny. Elizabeth wanted to be sure she was ready for
this onslaught. God had already protected her from doubt and skepticism once –
He made Zacharias mute for doubting Gabriel’s word. Now Elizabeth wisely did
her part.
She did
everything she could to make sure both she and her miracle child were ready to
face a doubting world with boldness and confidence.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
25. Was
Mary Naïve?
Mary loved
God with all her heart, but had no concept of the great cost of being used by
Him. She had likely never experienced rejection or ridicule by those closest to
her. She was a pure, innocent teenager engaged to be married to a godly man.
She had her whole life ahead of her. Mary had childlike faith that easily
believed God for something miraculous. When the angel Gabriel explained that
God would cause a child to supernaturally conceive in her womb, Mary replied,
“May it be done to me according to your word.”
In her
youthful zeal and naiveté, perhaps she even imagined the people in her life
would celebrate with her for having been chosen for this honor. She was likely
completely unaware of the firestorm that could be unleashed when word went out
that she was pregnant out of wedlock and claimed to be carrying God’s Son.
Would she be stoned for sexual immorality? Would she be committed to some kind
of asylum for the mentally unstable? Would she be handed over to the religious
leaders for deliverance and indoctrination? These were all real possibilities
in her culture.
However,
Gabriel also told Mary of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and she immediately went to visit
her. Unlike Mary, Elizabeth was a seasoned veteran of trusting the Lord through
difficult trials, as we discussed in a previous video. If Mary needed a
confirmation that her pregnancy really was from the Lord, she got it the moment
she entered the house. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, John leaped in her
womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she cried out with a loud
voice: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the
mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of
your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed
is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken
to her by the Lord.” This moment was God’s seal that Mary had come to the
right place to be strengthened for what lay ahead.
Elizabeth
spent an entire lifetime laying a foundation for her call to raise John. Now
she would have three months to pass her wisdom on to young Mary. Mary
desperately needed a mentor to prepare her for what she was about to face and
Elizabeth was perhaps the only woman on earth who was qualified. Mary’s
challenges were similar to Elizabeth’s, only greater. Elizabeth had to give
birth when she was too old; Mary had to give birth while she was a virgin and
potentially unmarried. Elizabeth was tasked with raising a prophet; Mary was
responsible for raising God’s Son. Elizabeth faced possible skepticism and
ridicule; Mary faced becoming an outcast or worse.
Through
their long talks, Mary likely became aware of what was at stake. She had no
guarantees of what to expect when she returned home. Would her fiancé bring her
before the authorities? Would her parents disown her? If no one believed her,
what would she do? How would she survive? A short time ago she was carefree and
engaged to be married. Now her life, as she once knew it, was over. She began
to see the great cost of being used by God in this way. She began to realize
what it meant to lay down her life. As they discussed her options, Mary knew
she needed to do what Elizabeth had spent the last five months doing. She
needed to settle in her heart that, despite whatever accusations may come, this
was nothing less than the hand of God. She needed to stand boldly and confidently
on His word even if every single human being in the world disbelieved her, save
this one godly relative.
Because
Mary had Elizabeth, she knew she was not alone. At least there was one person
who could relate to her unimaginable circumstances and understand what she was
going through. Thanks to Elizabeth, Mary knew that doing what God was asking of
her was possible. If Elizabeth could do it, so could she. Elizabeth had went
before her and paved the way. After three months of prayer, mentoring, and faith-building,
Mary returned home ready to face whatever may come.
If Mary
tried to tell her fiancé Joseph the truth, perhaps it went as well as could be
expected. Joseph did not believe her story, but at least he still cared for her
and wanted to shield her from public shame. He made plans to end their
engagement quietly. Mary must have felt heavy grief mixed with a deep, abiding
peace. She didn’t know what was next, but she knew she had obeyed the Lord and
that He would not forsake her. Then …a miracle! An angel appeared to Joseph in
a dream and confirmed everything! In one night, everything changed. Now Mary
was going to have a husband who believed her, who would protect and provide for
her, and who would treat her Child like his own Son. Now she had a covering and
a partner in the inconceivable task of raising the Son of God. God came
through. He proved to be faithful in the end… just like Elizabeth promised He
would.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
26. Was
Mary Frustrated?
Three
times in Matthew 2, Joseph uprooted his new wife and baby to move to a
completely unknown region because God spoke to him in a dream. This would be
difficult on newlyweds even today, but moving was must more difficult in those
days. Most people never went more than fifty miles from their birthplace during
their entire lives. There were no freeways and moving trucks – just camels and
feet.
Whenever I
read this passage, I can’t help wondering if Mary ever felt indignant or
frustrated that God kept speaking only to Joseph about such major decisions
that affected their whole family. After all, Mary certainly knew the Lord’s
voice. She had been visited by an angel. She had been given a special role in
God’s salvation plan. She had been entrusted with the responsibility of raising
God’s own Son. So why was He only speaking to her husband about their futures?
Perhaps
God was preparing her. Perhaps submitting to Joseph’s leadership about such
major decisions in those early years prepared her to remain submitted to God’s
authority in the years ahead. Mary was completely inadequate for her calling –
raising the Son of God to maturity. She would never be able to do this even
remotely well through her own wisdom or sincere efforts. She had to be
completely dependent on the Holy Spirit’s leading. She could not do things her
own way; it had to be the Lord’s way. Faithfully submitting to an imperfect
husband would prepare her to submit to God’s authority when she did not always
like or understand what He wanted her to do.
27. Was
Mary Broken?
In Luke 7
Jesus dined with a Pharisee named Simon who invited Him to his home. In the
middle of the meal, a woman who was known to be a sinner, perhaps a prostitute,
came into Simon’s home. She anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume and wiped them
with her hair as she wept with brokenness over her sins. Scholars point out
that we don’t know for sure whether this was Mary Magdalene. However, this act
bears a striking resemblance to Mary anointing Jesus just before His crucifixion.
Plus, like this woman, Mary Magdalene came from a sordid past, having been
delivered by Jesus from seven demons (Luke 8:2). Finally, at the end of the
passage, Jesus identifies this woman by her immense love for Him, which is what
Mary Magdalene is known for throughout the gospels. Therefore, it is not
surprising that many Bible teachers believe this was indeed Mary Magdalene at
the time of her conversion.
Imagine
how vulnerable and embarrassing this act would have been for this woman if she
had been self-aware… weeping uncontrollably and wiping Jesus’ feet while
everyone just stared at her silently. To add to it, she was in the presence of
a well-known spiritual leader in her community who she probably knew condemned
her. Yet, she somehow didn’t care. She was so intent on expressing her
brokenness to Jesus that she abandoned every semblance of discretion.
The single
most destructive type of fear that plagues the human race, including the
church, is the fear of having our sin exposed. This is the fear that keeps us
hiding from God, buried under guilt, compelled to perform religious works to
appease our consciences. However, the most foundational form of courage is the
willingness to expose our sin, before God and others, so we can be set free. Mary,
if it was her, embodied this courage. She did the opposite of what Adam did in
the Garden and what mankind has instinctively done ever since. Instead of
hiding from God because of her shame, she actively sought Him out and
voluntarily exposed it.
Simon the
Pharisee did not understand what was happening. At the same moment the woman
was being set free from bondage, Simon manifested his bondage. He began to
criticize her in his heart for being a sinner. Jesus, knowing his thoughts,
came to her defense, saying “Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for
she loved much.” Jesus then turned to the woman and said, “Your sins have been
forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided.
28. Was
Mary Accused?
In Luke
10, Mary and Martha welcomed Jesus and His followers into their home. This
wasn’t an ordinary occasion – it was the biggest event in the history of the
homestead. Their large group of guests included some of the most famous people
in the nation – Jesus and His disciples. Plus, it’s possible that many more of
Jesus’ followers were present since the seventy he sent out to various cities
had just returned to debrief with Him.
What an
incredible burden of hospitality! Imagine the pressure and anxiety that Martha
must have felt, and that Mary should have felt. Even in our culture, women can
become extremely stressed with the preparations involved in entertaining
guests. How much more would this have been the case in their culture, where a
woman’s entire identity and social value came from her domestic life?
The weight
of expectations for Mary to fulfill her hostess duties would have been
enormous. But she disregarded them. Instead, she sat at Jesus’ feet and
listened to Him teaching. To Martha and probably many others, this was
inexcusable. But for Mary it was worth it. She valued the opportunity to sit at
Jesus’ feet so highly that any amount of derision paled by comparison.
Jesus knew
Mary’s heart and affirmed her choice. Martha, a godly woman, took offense and
brought the matter to Jesus’ attention, sincerely expecting Him to stand up for
her and correct Mary. Instead, He stood up for Mary and corrected Martha.
The fear
of not living up to the expectations of family members, friends, employers, or
one’s culture can be overwhelming. This fear can make it seem impossible to
find time for the one thing in life that matters most – sitting quietly at
Jesus’ feet and being changed by His presence. Mary is a model for overcoming
this fear. She had courage to accept the scorn and criticism that is often
associated with choosing heaven’s priorities over mans’.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
29. Was
Mary Ridiculed?
Shortly
before Jesus’ crucifixion, in the middle of a meal, with her family members and
all the disciples present, Mary took a vial of perfume worth tens of thousands
of dollars, broke it over Jesus’ head, anointed His feet, and wiped them with
her hair (John 12, Mark 14, and Matthew 26). Imagine how vulnerable and
embarrassing this would have been if Mary had been self-aware. To make matters
worse, those present were indignant and scolded her, calling it a waste.
Perhaps
Mary’s family members thought she was being dramatic and wanted to be the
center of attention. Perhaps the disciples thought she was being self-righteous
and holier-than-thou. However, Jesus knew her heart and He defended her. He was
so moved and honored by her expression of love that He promised it would be
told to every generation afterward for all time. This must have made everyone
else’s criticism seem completely meaningless to Mary. She was only concerned
about one Man’s approval.
Someone
who pursues Jesus with all her heart and passion, without regard for
appearances or reputation, may be ridiculed by other Christians, friends, and
family members. She may be called too extreme or unbalanced. There’s nothing
the world hates more than a Mary Magdalene and it is not difficult for this
world’s spiritual rulers to find people to agree with their accusations.
However, those who pursue Jesus like Mary are willing to endure it because the
joy of having Jesus’ approval makes all the criticism seem meaningless by
comparison.
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.
30. Was
Mary Persecuted?
After
Jesus was crucified, Jesus’ disciples went into hiding for fear of the Jews
(John 20:19). Mary Magdalene might easily have been subject to the same fear
since she was known for having gone around from city to city with Jesus and the
disciples (Luke 8:1-2) and was also known as Lazarus’ sister, whom the
Pharisees sought to kill after Jesus raised him from the dead (John 12:10).
However, her desire to honor Jesus’ body overruled any fear she might have
felt. As a result, she has the honor of being the first witness of Jesus’
resurrection (Mark 16:9, John 20:16).
Afterward,
she was once again subject to ridicule and was once again defended by Jesus.
When she jubilantly announced to the disciples that Jesus had risen from the
dead, they thought it was nonsense and refused to believe her (Mark 16:11, Luke
24:11). Shortly afterward, Jesus Himself appeared to them and reproached them
for not believing her testimony (Mark 16:14).
Jesus
actually set Mary up to be misunderstood and ridiculed. He commanded her to
tell the disciples of His resurrection (John 20:17) knowing they might reject
her testimony, but He wanted to test them to see if they would seek the Holy
Spirit’s perspective rather than trusting their own reasoning. Mary’s encounter
with Jesus was completely outside their paradigm for what was possible. They
could not consider her testimony was true so they had no choice but to dismiss
it as nonsense. Many people cannot accept a believer’s testimony about their
journey with the Lord if it doesn’t fit into their worldview or their paradigm
for how God works. This can often lead to ridicule. This is another kind of
courage Mary modeled – the courage to share her testimony about God’s activity
in her life even though others might dismiss it or deride her for it.
There is
no fear in love (1 John 4:18). Therefore, love inspires the greatest acts of
courage. Mary’s life is a picture of this courage. She was criticized
(possibly) for her transparency and brokenness over her sins. She was
criticized for violating cultural and family expectations so she could sit at
Jesus’ feet. She was criticized for expressing overt passion and generosity in
her worship of Jesus. And she was criticized for sharing her experience of
Jesus’ resurrection. Every great thing she ever did was opposed and ridiculed
by others, usually other believers, and every time Jesus affirmed and defended
her. She refused to be ruled by fear because she was ruled by love.
She was
like a prophet, except instead of being persecuted for declaring God’s
judgments or future events, she was persecuted for her shameless love for
Jesus. The blessing Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount certainly applies
to her life:
“Blessed
are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of
evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven
is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
If you’d
like to learn more, you can check out my free book available at the link
provided. Thanks for watching.