Jesus Christ

Article on Christian Today about Rob Bell

eric — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:30:03 -0500

I just read the article, 'Rob Bell says he has no regrets over Love Wins'

I noticed how Rob Bell twists, "universalizes" and generalizes specific, absolutely-defined terms to say what better fits his personal, unbiblical theology. Making well-defined and established words to have vague all-encompassing definitions just shows you can't sidestep what you don't like so you have to redefine it.

What the Apostle Paul say about such people?

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. – Galations 1:6-10 ESV

Bottom Line:

Don't distort the Bible and then act like you're being victimized when you are corrected and proved wrong by the Bible and others.

The Call to Proper Accountability; Not the Lack of It.

eric — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:26:13 -0500

It has always bugged me that the verse in Matthew 7:1 is often misquoted by people. Here's what it says: ¹“Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

Then they conveniently ignore or purposefully leave out the context of verse one by leaving out verses 2-5 as they provide more insight and practicality:

²"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ³ "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

(Note: Now verses three through five balance it by touching on the hypocritical that prefer to constantly point out the mistakes of others, but what was on my mind pertains primarily to verses one through two.)

If you leave it at verse one, like most people prefer to do for their own "moral" protection, then they think they can silence you on your Biblical-based stance on an issue. They see this as a call to avoid accountability, which can be viewed as such if you leave out the other four verses.

Consistently Linked

This may sound silly, but most people can't fold down one finger on their hand without it also pulling another finger with it. Even if it is slight, they are linked together and affect one another. Go ahead and try it.

The same can be said of the Bible. You can't go around spouting one verse without "pulling" other verses with it that support what is being said (or disprove it if you're distorting it).

I once had a business owner quote Matthew 7:1 to me when I questioned their unethical business practices while using God to get business. They were indignant at the thought of anyone questioning the inconsistency in what they claimed with what they actually did.

It's Good For Us

Sadly, a lot of Christians don't want accountability because that means they would have to admit they aren't making the best choices and living their life inline with what Christ wants of us. They will pull out Matthew 7:1 to try and get people to turn a blind eye or they'll "judge" them too. This isn't at all helpful to growth in our relationship with Christ as they're taking it at putting an entirely negative slant on it.

You see, Jesus Christ's words in Matthew 7:1 are not a call to live a life without accountability. Quite the contrary, His words here are the beginning of the call to live a life of consistent accountability to one another. Verse two plainly says that the way we make judgements is the same way others will judge us and this is a good thing.

I'm to make sure I am representing Christ well in all I do; in judgements and decisions I make and how I treat people. If I hold you to Christ's standard of right and wrong, you better believe that I expect you to fully hold me to that exact same standard. This keeps me accountable and that's what I need to become more like Christ.

It Came Upon a Truck Stop Near

eric — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:57:50 -0600

I've been meditating more on God's announcements of His Son to the world based in Luke 2:8-20. How awesome it must have been for the dirty, smelly, low rungs on the social ladder that were known as shepherds. They were rough around the edges, but they had to be. They worked long nights guarding sheep from predators and making sure the property entrusted to them stayed together. It certainly wasn't a glamorous life and most in society didn't think too highly of them.

Had God picked our time to announce the birth of Christ I believe He would have done so at a truck stop. I don't have anything against truck drivers, at all. Its just that the nature of their business is more in line with the shepherds. They are tough, hard-working, and work long hours to protect and deliver the cargo they are tasked with carrying. Nobody in society really thanks them for their work despite how most benefit from it. We just don't think about it, really.

Luke 2:8-20, In Our Time

At the nearby truck stop, there were truckers checking their cargo and filling up their trucks. Suddenly, the sound of hydraulics and trailers was silenced by the appearance of an angel of the Lord that was hovering over the parking lot. It was surrounded by a light brighter than they had ever seen. These strong, tough men, were paralyzed with complete shock and terror at the sight. And the angel said, "Don't be afraid, for I am bringing you incredible news and joy that is meant for everyone. Born this very day inside the city, is the Christ, the Savior of all men. You will know it is the Christ when you find the baby wrapped in some ragged t-shirts and lying in cardboard box in a garage behind the hotel."

Just as they were soaking this in and getting more comfortable with this being, the parking lot was lit up with a choir of angels praising God and saying: "Glory to God who is above all and peace on earth with those that please Him!"

Then the angels left just as abruptly as they had appeared. The truckers started talking about what the angel had said. "We have to go see this baby that God has announced to us!" Immediately, they left and they found him, with his mother Mary and Joseph. They were all in the garage just as the angel had said.

When they saw this sight, they knew the Christ had come! They piled in their trucks and, with horns blaring and jake brakes grinding, they made as much noise as they could to get the attention of anyone they could find. They told all who would listen about what they had seen. All who heard them wondering about the things these truckers had told them, "Could the Christ be here now?". The baby's mother, Mary, was amazed and treasured all of these things in her heart and wondered what God would do next. And the truckers returned and let loose hoots and hollers, until they had no energy left, praising God for all they had experienced that night, just as they had been told.

You've Been Invited. Get Excited. Tell Others.

I believe that Jesus Christ was born in humble circumstances that those of us in similarly low points in life and status would understand that He truly came to save ALL who would call on His name. God didn't choose the equivalent of our pastors, deacons, theologians and politicians to receive the first invitations of this wonderful announcement. He chose the common person that was despised by the church's high society and ignored by the rest.

God still chooses those in lowly and humbled circumstances to announce His great news. How did He make it known to you? Will you make it known to others no matter their social or economic status in life?

Ask God to help you obtain that same level of excitement that the shepherds had. It truly is incredible news!

Don't Forget Your Spiritual Breakfast

eric — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:52:50 -0600

I gave the "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" speech to our oldest children this morning when they wanted to pick at their breakfast instead of eat it. (It's frosted mini shredded wheat. What's not to like?)

My proud speech: "Do you know what the most important meal of the day is? Breakfast. You need it to get you going in the morning and help you make it through the day. It will give you energy to run, play, and think. It is very important."

My wife and I got the kids ready and I dropped them off for school as is our priority most mornings. I knew I needed to read my Bible this morning and spend some time with God. In that still quiet voice that he used with Elijah on the mountain, He kept reminding me: "Spend some time with me."

I kept putting that time off for getting some small things done and knew I needed to stop and talk with Him this morning. I stopped what I was doing, and started to read from Nehemiah 1 and how he was in a constant conversation with God through out his day.

Then God used my Breakfast Speech against me:
"Do you know what the most important spiritual meal of the day is? Breakfast. You need time with me to get you going this morning and to help you make it through the day. I will give energy to run, to play and to think about things like you should."

It was an awesome reminder to make time for God, this morning. Now that I've started my spiritual breakfast I need to carry that over with other spiritual meals throughout the day. If I typically eat three physical meals a day and sometimes snack, it doesn't take that much more to do so spiritually, either.

So, don't forget to eat your Spiritual Breakfast and Spiritual Meals today.

It doesn't take much time and your day will have more energy and strength to make it through your day, everyday.

Jesus on What Hell is Like

eric — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:19:36 -0500

Studying Jesus' words on hell and the parable of The Rich Man & Lazarus (the begger) has always been very telling about what hell is like. I've always found this parable to be fascinating especially as God showed me, over time, new things about this parable I hadn't noticed before.

Luke 16:19-31: ¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Here's what we learn about hell from Jesus:

The rich man was alone
The rich man was in a flame or fire
The rich man knew his wrongs and that he deserved what he received
The rich man could not change his situation or any one else's.
The rich man could see what he could not have.

1) Ultimate Loneliness

There are some that say they're going to party with their friends in hell, etc. but Jesus points out that they will be utterly alone. The rich man was completely separated from God and all the good things associated with Him and His character. Everyone has experienced various degrees of loneliness, but this is the ultimate loneliness; no God, no person, just you and the knowledge of what you should have done in life.

2) Eternal Flame

It does not say that the rich man was burning up and then his pain was over, but that he was in an eternal flame. This flame does not run out of fuel. In Matthew 25:41 Jesus refers to this eternal flame: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” See Matthew 25:31-46 for complete context (notice who it was originally prepared for).

3) Awareness of Previous Life & Actions

The rich man knew Lazarus by name. This indicates that while he lived his life of extravagant luxury and self-absorbtion, he was well aware of Lazarus' plight. Yet, he chose to do nothing about it. For us, James 4:17 clearly states: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins.” The rich man knew his wrongs and that he deserved what he received. He had no excuse. He did not speak of his or Lazarus' previous life as he knew they both received what they deserved.

4) No Control

The rich man had absolutely no control over his situation in eternity. He could not dictate or request that someone go tell his family how to avoid the doom that awaited them if they didn't change their ways as he failed to do. He knew their fate was the same as his unless they repented. How tragic to know what will happen and not be able to do anything about it, especially towards family members and friends. (However, those of us that know Christ can do things today.)

5) Seeing What He Could Not Have

The part about the rich man seeing what he could not have sounds gut-wrenching. He could see even from far off, what Lazarus was enjoying. It seems torturous to be able to constantly see what you could not reach and know you never could.

Final Thoughts

It is worth noting that the Jews in Jesus' time put a lot of stock in Abraham being their father. If they were going to claim Abraham as their father, Jesus was going to point out Abraham's condemnation of their behavior. (It is worth nothing that Christ told this parable after addressing the Pharisees and their love of money. This context is important to remember.)

Some people might have problems with Jesus relaying Abraham speaking only of the rich man having good things in his lifetime and Lazarus having suffering. We do not have record of what Lazarus' life was like outside of his suffering, but the Bible clearly communicates that those without Christ and continuing to live a life of sin will not enter Heaven. All we have recorded is that Jesus spoke of the selfish self-indulgent lifestyle of the rich man. He doesn't touch on Lazarus' spiritual condition as the crux of the story was to point out the Pharisees' love of material things as well as their favoritism towards the wealthy. They were well-known for neglecting the needs of the poor, the orphans and widows.

I do not believe Jesus' words are an admission of opposites in the afterlife. Meaning, if you had good things in life, you'll have bad things in the afterlife and vice versa. Jesus, was merely pointing out that the rich man received what he wanted in life. His life's ambitions was for the “here and now” and the rich man's answer was based on what he was most interested in. If you base your life on material possessions and living it up now with no regard for Christ's work and what He requires, you will have missed the boat and there is nothing else to gain, afterwards.

I know some will say, “Well, that's just a story he told.” If you look at Jesus life as recorded in Scripture, everything he says is to address an issue of importance. Since He is also the Son of God, I'd think he'd also have a better understanding of the afterlife than we obviously do.

We are commanded to share the Good News about Him, but there is personal responsibility for everyone to accept or reject Christ. If having Christ save us and guide us through this life isn't worth sharing, shouldn't steering others away from hell be worth it?

Reminder

For those that have not accepted Jesus Christ's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, what do you have to lose and what do you stand to gain, in regard to eternity?

Resources

If you want to read more about the existance of hell, I suggest reading this article from Hank Hanegraaf at the Christian Research Institute.

I also recommend reading some of the articles listed at the top of BibleGateway's topical page on Hell:

Will Non-Christians go to Hell? - Nobody really believes that, right?
What About People Who Never Hear of Christ? - Will they suffer in hell?
I Wish I Didn't Have to Believe in Hell - Why we can't just ignore hell.
What if there's a Hell? - Could hell actually exist?