Finding Comfort in the Wrath of God

God is so omniscient that He is aware of every detail in our world all the time. And He is righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17). And He hates all that is done in sin to hurt someone (Psalm 11:5). He despises what is wicked and unrighteous and unjust. Therefore Psalm 11:7 states, “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” Or as The Message has it, “Nobody gets by with anything. God is already in action.” The wrath of God and his forgiveness are not only compatible, they are fuelled by the same power – his astounding love and goodness.

 If you are a Christian this truth is meant for your comfort, not to terrorize you. You are absolutely forever free from God’s divine judgment and wrath (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Let me state this as clearly as I can, the fact that “Nobody gets by with anything” is for your comfort because it is written “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19).

All of us have been hurt and wronged at one time or another. Many of us have been lied about, insulted, abused, and mistreated. There have been times when we have been treated unjustly. The mistreatment may have been emotional or physical or financial. And the deep cry of our hearts has been “This is wrong, it’s not right, it’s not fair. It shouldn’t have happened. He shouldn’t get away with this. She should have to pay.” Or perhaps we’ve seen an injustice done in the world and we wonder, “How can these people get away with the wrong they are doing?” We understand deep down inside that it is wrong for people to get away with the terrible things they do.

 The Almighty says they won’t; “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” This quote from Romans 12 is from Deuteronomy. The full quote is, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35). So put away your bitterness and lay down your burden of anger, stop nursing your hurt feelings, stop wondering if justice will ever prevail. Take a deep breath and give up revenge and let your heart heal. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).”

 You will be vindicated. The wrong will be set right. Give vengeance to the One to whom it belongs and be comforted.

The New Morality

Perhaps you have heard the recent news that New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg wants to ban the Big Gulp along with large milk shakes and movie popcorn. He’s concerned about obesity (And yet, the day after announcing his desire for a ban on large sugary drinks the mayor proclaimed New York’s Donut Day. Then announced he was in favor of legalizing marijuana). Obesity is a problem. More than a third of people in the United States are obese and experts see the number rising. And an obese person tends to develop other health issues.

 It seems that too many people like their snacks supersized. So the mayor wants to make sure the drinks and snacks are smaller and healthier. Certain government leaders believe it is a moral imperative for those in government to do whatever they can to trim the fat (in your diets not their budgets). In fact, First Lady Michele Obama’s noble cause is fighting against childhood obesity—it’s a good cause, seriously. And Mrs. Obama has done a good job at encouraging families to be more active and make better food choices.

 But there is a problem with the new morality. Both Mrs. Obama and Bloomberg have taken a firm stand on the issue of nutrition. In their estimation consuming a Big Gulp is bad for you and the government is morally justified in using the power it has to remove bad food choices from the public. Fat people should not have the right to eat or drink something that will make them fatter. Having the right to choose what you want to eat isn’t always good. However, both the mayor and the First Lady fervently support a woman’s right to choose to abort her baby for any reason.

 The First Lady and the mayor believe that any action taken by the government to restrict the rights of woman to choose an abortion is morally wrong. This brings me to another recent news story. The US congress just recently voted against a law that would prohibit gender based abortions. It seems the Democrats are fearful of appearing judgmental about the morality of ending a baby’s life. But they boldly proposed a bill that would ban Styrofoam cups in the House’s cafeteria.

 We live in a world where our elected leaders see absolutely nothing wrong with using the power of government to impose a morality that tells you to put down the Big Gulp and step away from the Styrofoam cup, but they won’t protect the lives of unborn children. The prophets of this new morality will devote time, money and energy to warn you about the danger of high fructose corn syrup, while ignoring the weightier issues of life and death. The new morality will not allow you to enjoy a hot dog and 64 ounce soda, but it will let you choose to end the life of a baby because you wanted a boy instead of a girl.

 What kind of mindset can embrace this distorted morality? I humbly suggest that it is a person who has no sense of true biblical morality. We should worry about a government and a morality like this. When those in power take it upon themselves to decide what is morally right depending on the prevailing cultural trends, when they look to their own sinful hearts and the crumbling culture around them for guidance, they will eventually leave little room for your own conscience.

Scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12).” It also states “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).” We need to learn to fear God and not man if we are ever going to regain a true and good morality.

Happy Father’s Day

This Sunday, June 17^th is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads. But as we approach this day to honor Dad I think it is necessary to draw attention to what has become a great problem in our country: the loss of masculine leadership in the home.

Sadly there are more children being raised by single mothers today than at any time in our country’s history. Divorce is a big contributor to the problem. But also more and more women are choosing to simply have children out of wedlock. There are single moms who do heroic work as a parent and I do not wish to diminish their good work; God bless you. But the ramifications of children without a father is taking its toll.

According to published reports, 63% of teen suicides come from fatherless homes, 90% of all runaways are kids without a Dad, 85% of children with behavioral troubles are fatherless, 71% of all high school dropouts, 75% of young people abusing drugs and 85% of all young people in jail and reform centers all come from fatherless homes.*

But tragically a child can be fatherless even when Dad is living at home. The National Center for fathering reveals that 40% of Dads never read to their children. Many fathers spend less than two full hours a week with their children. And 54% of 4-6 year olds prefer to watch TV than spend time with Dad. No wonder so many families have problems.

The Bible says that fathers are to be teachers in the home (Proverbs 1:8). They are to correct and chasten their children (Proverbs 3:11, 12). And God holds them responsible to bring up their children “in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).” A Dad’s job is to intentionally train his kids for a life of godliness and impact in our fallen world. Psalm 127 says: “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.  Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!” Rare is the Dad who carefully trains and prepares his kids, handling them like an arrow intentionally and deliberately launched into the world.

The Christian father is really an instrument of God’s grace and love. Dad should never present himself as the ultimate authority in the home, rather he should point to God and Christ being the supreme authority and the Bible the means by which we know God’s will. Let your children see you worship the Lord and trust Him in all things  

I’ll tell you honestly and from experience: there are not too many problems that could not be solved by an honest, moral, upright, courageous, loving father. And studies show that one of the best things a father can do for his children is to show them how much he loves and respects their mother.

So for all the Dads who are going above the call of duty, those who are willing to put the well-being of their families above their own pursuits—thank you and God bless you. And if your role as a father needs improvement, it’s never too late to start.

 *National Principles Association, U.S. Depot of Health and Human Services, U.S. Dept. of Justice

Thank You. Who Are You?

We have arrived at the one year anniversary of Essential Matters. When I began writing this blog last summer my goal was to write about important, essential matters from a Biblical perspective. I know I am not the only person out there doing this. But I do think I bring a unique biblical perspective, a primitive one.

 I believe in one God and one alone, Yahweh, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus is a true human being, fully human though divinely conceived. I believe in conditional immortality. Only Yahweh is immortal (1 Timothy 6:16). The fate of every human being in the world is wrapped up in John 3:16; believers receive the gift of everlasting life, unbelievers simply perish.

And I believe in the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the coming kingdom of God that will restore our world, and the present power of the gift of the Holy Spirit given to every believer.

 I have written on various subjects from science, social issues, government, theology, work, news, ethics and sports. But what has really surprised me are the number of readers of this blog and where they live. Readers are from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Kenya, Thailand, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Latvia. I’m stunned!

 Thank you—who are you? I would be very happy to hear from you; tell me who you are, where you live, how you discovered the blog and anything else that may be on your mind. You can leave a comment here at the blog. Or if you wish, you can write to me personally and privately at chuck@graceministryinternational.org. And again, thank you for reading the blog. Why not become a follower of the blog? And tell your friends.

Ten Reasons to Believe In an Historical Adam

Last week’s blog looked at the “new” theory of theistic evolution. The theory states that God did not create Adam in a special moment of time. Rather Adam came into existence through the process of evolution. This theory desires to merge science and theology into a reasonable explanation of man’s origin, even though there is no evidence that the evolution of one species into another has ever happened.

 Now, both theologians and scientists make mistakes, change their minds, and occasionally make misleading statements. Sometimes we argue not from evidence but from an “a priori” position. Can science and religion ever meld to give us a definitive answer about Adam and Eve?  I don’t know.

 But, here is the heart of the issue: why should we care whether or not Adam and Eve came into existence the way the Bible says they did? We should care because it is foundational to the Bible’s veracity and the concept of sin and redemption. I know Richard Dawkins said “we are distant cousins of bananas and turnips”. But here are ten thoughtful reasons why we, as Christians, should believe the biblical account of our first parents.

 1.      We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction.” Doctrine is what we should believe, reproof challenges our errors in thinking, and of course correction gets us back on track. The Bible presents Adam and Eve not as a fable or legend, but as real people.

2.      If all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, if it’s His Word to us, we should take Him at His Word. Does God mean what He says or not? The creation record in Genesis is pretty straight forward and easy to understand.

3.      The biblical story of creation is meant to dethrone other ancient stories of creation. Moses wrote the creation narrative not in imitation of pagan myths but to explain to God’s people how things really began.

 4.      The opening chapters of Genesis are stylized, but they show no signs of being hyperbolic poetry. Compare Genesis 1 with Psalm 104 and you’ll see the difference. And even if Genesis 1and 2 are poetic why would this alone make it less accurate historically?

 5.      There is a straight line of history from Adam in Genesis 2 to Abraham in Genesis 12. You can’t arbitrarily set Genesis chapters 1 through 11 aside as fantasy and then say that Abraham is historical. Moses connects Abraham to Adam and all the history in between deliberately.

 6.      The important genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1 and Luke 3 treat Adam as historical.

 7.      In the New Testament, Paul presents us with an historical Adam and compares him with Christ (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22, 45-49).

 8.      Without a common descent from Adam and Eve we lose any foundation for believing that all races of people have the same nature, the same inherent dignity, the same problem of sin, and that despite our tribal mentalities we are all a part of the same human family. And we lose the truth that there is one God who is drawing the whole world to Himself through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:22-31).

 9.      Without an historical Adam the biblical doctrine of the imputation of sin from Adam and righteousness from Christ cannot stand (Romans 5:12-19).

 10. Without an historical Adam the biblical teaching of Jesus as the “last Adam” and that as in Adam all die so in Christ all shall be made alive, has no solid basis (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 45).

There is a lot resting on the truthfulness of Scripture concerning Adam and Eve. May I suggest that we hold on to what Scripture says?  It was once assumed by experts that many of the cities and people named in the Bible never existed. Archeology has proved the Bible right and the earlier “experts” wrong. Just this past week archeological evidence was discovered that provides the first historical reference outside of Scripture that the town of Bethlehem existed.  Perhaps in time science will catch up to the biblical account of the creation of Adam and Eve.

Theistic Evolution

It is as old as the proverbial question “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” I’m talking about the question of the cosmos and life. How did it all come about, through evolution or divine creation? For a long time there were only two answers: random, natural evolution and “In the beginning God created…”

But now within the creation debate there is a theological and scientific middle ground known as Theistic Evolution. Natural or atheistic evolution says there is no God. Life can and did come about naturally from perhaps nothing into preexisting, non-living building blocks under the influence of natural laws like gravity.

Theistic evolutionists believe there is a God, but He was not directly engaged in the origin of life. He might have created the building blocks, He may have created the natural laws and He may have created these things knowing that they would evolve into the forms of life we have today, including human beings, but at some point God sat back in his chair and let nature do her thing.

William Dembski, an American philosopher, mathematician and a Research Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Cultural Engagement at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, explains. “For…creationists, humans bearing the divine image were created from scratch. In other words, God did something radically new when he created us—we didn’t emerge from pre-existing organisms. On this view, fully functioning hominids having fully human bodies but lacking the divine image never existed. For most theistic evolutionists, by contrast, primate ancestors evolved over several million years into hominids with fully human bodies (God and Evolution, p.91).”

Theistic evolutionists suggest that Genesis 2:7 is really presenting us with the record of God simply singling out one of many humans to put His image upon. Therefore Adam was not the first human being. “According to [this] preferred model, anatomically modern humans emerged some 200,000 years ago, with language in place by 50, 000 years ago. Then around 6, 000-8, 000 years ago, God chose a couple of Neolithic farmers, and then he revealed himself for the first time, so constituting them as Homo divinus, the first humans to know God (Should Christians Embrace Evolution, p. 47).”

So what’s wrong with this theistic evolutionary theory? Why can’t we say that Adam was a real person but not the first person on the planet? First, it contradicts Scripture. The Bible clearly says that “In the beginning God created” and that everything was created “according to its kind (Genesis 1:1, 11, 12, etc.). In other words when God created life on earth each plant and animal reproduced the same species. There could be red tulips and yellow tulips but the tulip could not transform itself into an oak tree. Adam did not evolve from some ape like creature, he came into existence, according to Scripture, by a direct creative act of God. If you are calling yourself a theist who believes in God, then why not take Him at His Word?

Secondly, the theory of evolution is still just that—an unproven theory. Bang! Crash! Boom! Sorry, that was the sound of scientists falling over backward in their labs. But it is true—there has been nothing discovered in the fossil record to give evidence that one life form has ever evolved into another. In his recent book “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution”, Richard Dawkins boldly states that human beings are "distant cousins of bananas and turnips.” But there is no evidence of this at all. Sorry to dash your hopes of Ancestry.com adding a produce section.

In fact scientific experiment after experiment has failed to produce any evidence of evolution. One example is Richard Lenski's experiments at Michigan State University. In one project Lenski raised E. coli bacteria in jars for 55,000 generations. The bacteria are subject to selection pressure from each other. But Lenski's E. coli have to date remained (drum roll please!) E. coli; no new species has ever been produced. Meanwhile mutations have subjected the bacteria to loss of function.

In next Monday’s blog I will present why I believe it is essential that we take the Bible’s account of the special creation of Adam as theologically sound and historically reliable. Stay tuned!

President Obama and Same Sex Marriage

An absolutely remarkable thing happened last week in the area of evolution. That which was became something it wasn’t and then evolved back to what it once was. If this occurred in the scientific field it would make headlines everywhere. But it happened with the President of the United States.

In 1996 while running for political office in Illinois, Mr. Obama wrote this to a Chicago homosexual newspaper: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.” But then President Obama began to “evolve” and in the 2008 presidential election said “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian—for me—for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”

But then on May 9^th on ABC news the remarkable evolutionary miracle took place where that which had changed became again what it once was. The President said, “at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married." Phenomenal! But what spurred the devolution? Money! The Washington Post reports that the President was under extreme pressure from many Democrats and fund raisers to support same sex marriage and sure enough right after the philosophical devolution the President raised $15 million dollars at George Clooney’s fund raiser.

You almost want to sigh and say “it’s too hard to fight against this thing. Let’s just join the party.” But here are several reasons why we as Christians should continue to speak the truth boldly and winsomely about why same sex marriage is wrong.

1.      The Bible explicitly declares that it is morally wrong (Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:7-10). It is deviant behavior just as stealing is when compared with honest work.

2.      Since homosexuality is a sin it can be forgiven and people can change (1 Corinthians 6:11). Therefore we need to warn of the sin and then offer God’s grace and mercy.

3.      The promotion and legal recognition of homosexual marriage will not be for the common good. It rubs against the grain of nature and to do this can cause you to get splinters. Society loses more than homosexuals gain by distorting the definition of marriage: the most basic unit of society father, mother, and children is damaged.

4.      Marriage is not just a term we use to define any relationship. It defines the most intimate relationship of a man with a woman, psychologically, physically and spiritually. The union of a man and women in marriage makes them whole (one flesh Genesis 2:24). It is their differences (maleness and femaleness) complimenting one another that make the couple whole. Homosexuality is pure narcissism so there is always something missing emotionally and physically in the relationship.

5.      In our age of tolerance we work hard to not label things as good or bad. But saying this is good and that is bad is an expression of God’s common grace to all. How many stupid things have we not done because everyone knew what was right and wrong and we did not want to bring shame upon ourselves or our family? We do not help society, our children and grandchildren if all of life is grey and not black or white.

6.      And finally, we are being duped if we think that a laissez faire attitude on this issue of same sex marriage will bring peace and the good will of others towards Christianity. The next step after giving up the fight is not peace in the valley, but conquest. The pressure will not stop just with homosexual marriages. The definition of marriage will continue to expand until there is no specific definition of marriage and male/female relationships will be in free fall.

Speaking in evolutionary terms all of this looks like we are heading back to the pool of slime out from which we climbed But let not your heart be troubled. When God spoke saying “Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)” the darkness was expelled. His Word still expels darkness.