Apologetics – Lesson 1: Does it Really Matter What a Person Believes?

We start our journey into apologetics with a basic question: Does it make sense to believe in God? This leads us, logically, to two questions, which are encompassed by the first:

• Does it really matter what a person believes?
• Does God really exist?

In Lesson 1 we will approach the first of these two questions.

Does it matter?

If we are going to be honest with ourselves we have to admit that we do not live in a Christian society. While many of the values our country was founded under are derived from Christian principles, it is clear that our society does not conform to the Bible in all matters. It is also clear that we do not live in an atheistic society. Were this true we would not see the huge number of churches and other places of worship dotting the landscape. The simple truth is, we live in a pluralistic society. By that I mean that our society embraces many faiths and philosophical viewpoints at the same time. All too often when we bear witness to the Gospel of Christ we are confronted with the attitude of ambivalence. No one cares what you have to say because they think they can just go to the next church, mosque, shrine, or temple and find a religion that best suits they’re lifestyle. And they’re right.

Mankind has remade God in his own image so many times over the centuries that we really can find a religion that suits just about anyone’s personal taste. How can the gospel of Christ compete with this kind of marketplace? Here is a sample of what is out there:

• PANTHEISM – Everything is God.
• POLYTHEISM – Many gods.
• NEW AGE – God is within all of us.
• HINDUISM – A form of polytheism mixed with reincarnation.
• BUDDHISM – The quest for “enlightenment.”
• ISLAM – Allah is God and Mohammed is his prophet.
• REINCARNATION – Try and try again…
• ATHEISM – There is no god.
• AGNOSTICISM – God cannot be known.
• MORMONISM – God is an exalted man from another planet.
• JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES – Jesus is Michael the archangel.
• CHRISTIANITY – The Triune God of Scripture.

This is just a sample and the descriptions are brief but you can usually find this, and more, in every major US city.

We have also been given much advice by our society. The politically correct among us will assert that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. Philosophers will tell you that you cannot know objective truth and that your perceptions are what make something true. Truth is subjective. Scientists tell us that faith is for those who believe in myths and make believe. Science cannot prove that God exists therefore there is no God. Bus is any of this true?

The Law of Non-Contradiction

There is a fundamental rule in logic that nearly everyone agrees with. The Law of Non-Contradiction, simply stated, means that two contradictory statements cannot both be true at the same time and in the same respect. Something cannot be true and false at the same time. My favorite way of illustrating this is the Father-Son analogy. I am a father and I am a son. I am not a father and a son at the same time in the same relationship. I am a son to my father but not a son to my son. Likewise I am a father to my son but not a son to my son. Make sense?

So how does this apply to faith? Glad you asked! When the atheist proclaims that there is no god, while at the same time the Muslim is proclaiming that there is no god but Allah, we know one thing with certainty. They cannot both be right! Somebody is wrong. It is possible that they could both be wrong but both of these statements cannot be correct.

There are important implications here for matters of faith. Everyone cannot be right in his or her beliefs and if God really exists it matters what you believe. If God exists he does not exist for some and not for others. We should endeavor to seek for the truth about God.

The Law of Common Sense

The law of common sense, as I call it, is not as popular today as it once was. As Mark Twain once said, “The problem with common sense is it’s not common.” Given the amount of craziness in the world I doubt he knew how right he was. Nevertheless there are some important points that we can draw on this just from our daily existence. It is only in the realm of faith that we are willing to allow for violations to the law of non-contradiction. In all other areas of our life we depend on objective truth. Here are some examples:

• When you go to the doctor you want him to diagnose you based on facts not what he feels.
• When your child is about to run in front of a truck you do not rely on his or her feelings to determine if it is safe.
• You would never tell you stockbroker to invest your money based on feelings and what he believes to be true.

Despite all of this why, when it comes to the arena of faith are we told that truth does not matter? Is this consistent? I think not.

The bottom line here is that it is not loving and kind to tell someone that it does not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. Someone can be very sincere but be sincerely wrong. You may have all the faith in the world that a bridge will support your weight but if termites have eaten through it then your faith is not based on truth. Real faith has content; it is not a blind leap in the dark. If God exists it is not how sincere you are that matters but how right you are in your faith. Is the content of your faith in line with the truth about God?

The Truth

I said at the beginning of this study that we would be learning how to answer objections to the Christian faith and not spending time and energy refuting all other faiths. I realize that what I have said thus far in no way proves that Christianity is true. If that were my goal then you would be right in saying that I failed miserably. Fortunately for me, that was not my goal. My goal was to refute the concept that all faiths lead to God or that it does not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. I will let the reader be the judge of how well that was proven.

From here we will turn to the Bible. You see, the Bible boldly proclaims that there is a true and living God. Because the reality is, my friends, that God does exist and He exists as the God revealed in the Bible (Jeremiah 16:20; 10:10a.) The Bible does not make an attempt to prove God’s existence but tells us rather simply that He has revealed Himself to us in three ways:

• God is revealed in Creation (Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 19)
• God is revealed in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• God is revealed in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3, 14; 3:16)

I realize that we have not spent any time at all up to this point proving that the Bible is true in what it says about God. Much of this will be addressed in the forthcoming lessons. The point here is if the Bible is right about God then all other faiths are wrong. We should never settle for worshipping a lie. Christianity is often critiqued in our culture for being exclusive. In that the critics are right. The Bible teaches that there is no God but the Triune God of Scripture. According to the law of non-contradiction there cannot be multiple faiths claiming exclusivity. We have the witness of creation shouting to us that there is a creator (more on that next lesson.) This God has revealed Himself to us and he has done so in the Bible.

We do not have to convince or persuade people that God exists. Christians are called to bear witness for the truth and the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15.) God has promised that His Holy Spirit will convict and convert as He did for us. Praise Him.

God bless.

Apologetics – Introduction

When I think of what it means to be a knight in the service of Christ I am confronted in Scripture with key passages that use warfare to illustrate the Christian life. Ephesians 6:10-20 is probably the most explicit with the key point in verse 12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 ESV) I invite you to read the full passage and I think you will be easily confronted with this simple fact: Christians are at war. Not a physical war but a spiritual war. Not a war on battlefields with terrain and topography but a war against the very power of this world which is Satan. A daunting task to be sure (If you don’t think so then you are not paying attention.)

One of the principle battlefields is in the area of reason and debate. It is through the study of apologetics that we can learn how to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV.) This is a key tool in our arsenal as Christians when we talk about our faith and when we are confronted with the logic of the world. Sadly, this is also an area that is largely neglected. We have Christian knights running around with blunt weapons and dented shields when we throw them into the war. Such ought not to be the case.

In response to this our church created an introductory study in apologetics as part of our Wednesday night classes (you can find more information on this at www.wallen.org under STEPS classes.) My friend and associate pastor, Jim Glover created this study a couple years ago and has been teaching it on a regular basis. Last year he asked if I would be interested in taking over the teaching of the class. I was glad to accept and spent the summer of 2011 revising the study guide and preparing to start teaching in the Fall of 2011. The first class, though small, went very well and I have enjoyed teaching on this important subject. We are ready to begin the next semester of the classes and I will be teaching this material again. This time I thought it might be a good idea to present a weekly blog article outlining the main points of the class. This way people who do not have access to this information can get it and those in the class can catch up a little on what they may have missed. We start with a basic introduction:

What is Apologetics?

The first question we usually get asked is, “What is apologetics?” Simply put, apologetics means to give a defense. This is derived from a Greek word we see in 1 Peter 3:15 and Acts 22:1 which is normally translated as giving a defense. It is important to note that the scene here is not of a battlefield but a courtroom. When people ask us why we believe we are called to be ready to provide a defense.

Why Study Apologetics?

The next logical question is why we do this. Why is it important for Christians to be able to defend their faith? Isn’t it enough to simply share the Gospel? Do we really have to engage in apologetics? To this I give two reasons:

First, to better share your faith. It is important to present the basic Gospel and call the world to repent but along with that we are called by Scripture to be ready to present a defense. It is possible to engage in evangelism without engaging in apologetics. It is also possible to engage in apologetics without sharing the Gospel. But why would you want to? Apologetics and the Gospel are intended to go hand-in-hand. When they do not all you have is argumentation. Regardless, this is one of the means by which God calls His people.

Second, to fend off doubt. Not every question or objection to Christianity is intended as an attack. Most, in fact, are simple questions that deserve an answer. These same questions need to be addressed first in the mind of the Christian. Many Christians have some of the same questions as the skeptics. There is nothing wrong with asking questions. Understanding basic Christian apologetics gives you a basis for answering these for yourself.

Questions and Objections

Throughout the study we ask and answer many questions and objections to the Christian faith. Many of these are presuppositions already in the mind of those who are asking. Some of these are:

• It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.
• The Bible is full of errors and contradictions.
• Why are there so many different versions of the Bible?
• Aren’t there missing books of the Bible?
• People who never even knew Jesus wrote the gospels.
• Evolution has proved that God does not exist.
• The Bible is full of myths and legends.

We must understand how to deal with these presuppositions. First we must recognize that everyone has some kind of presuppositions (even Christians.) How a person responds to the evidence presented depends largely on their presuppositions. For example, an atheist will refuse to believe any account that contains supernatural events because they have a presupposition that tells them that the supernatural is impossible. A Muslim will not believe the Trinity because their authority (the Koran) contradicts this possibility. These must be brought to light or the conversation will go nowhere.

We also need to understand that we cannot argue someone into faith. We can present the evidence and bear witness to the truth but the strength of our argument will not be what convicts them of sin and drives them to the cross. The Holy Spirit must act on the person to bring repentance and faith. We are called to present the evidence of Christianity and show the light of the Gospel to this dark world.

Apologetics for the Glory of God

Finally, we come to the principle reason why you should learn apologetics. God is glorified whenever His people obey His command to share the Gospel. If the glory of God is not your goal in apologetics then you will fail regardless of the outcome. We do not engage the objections of the world to win an argument or to show off our knowledge. We do it because there is a crucial message that people need to hear and that message is obscured by the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. You may be the instrument God uses to shine the light of the Gospel in the skeptic’s life. Or you may be able to teach your children to remain strong for the faith when they encounter the world’s opposition. There is no telling How God will use this in your life.

Introduction

We approach the subject of apologetics on two fronts:

• Does it make sense to believe in God?
• Does it make sense to believe the Bible?

The focus of our study is in these two areas and most of the time will be spent on the latter. Why is this? Simply said, we start here because this is where the objections begin. Many of the world’s skeptics and some of the biggest enemies to the faith have determined that if you can destroy these two principles then you can destroy Christianity. And they’re right! What we need to learn is what the facts really say and how we can respond to these objections. We do not spend time in studies of what other faiths teach. There is simply not enough time in a study like this to learn how to properly challenge all other faiths. What we do is provide a solid defense for our faith and learn how to challenge the assumptions of the skeptics.

I will plan on making a summary available each week for the subject we are discussing in the study. I will post it on Thursday of each week (so the members in the class can’t cheat. J) It is my hope that this way others will be encouraged.

God bless.

Passage of the Week – January 8, 2012

[4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)

 

These words should be familiar to anyone who has spent any time studying Jewish culture and the Bible. Deuteronomy 6:4 comprises the Shema and is recited by Jews every day. The plain confession to the one God of monotheism is hard to miss. For centuries Christian apologists have looked to this verse in defense of monotheism and that there is only one God. Of course we have the benefit of the New Testament and we know that God exists as one eternal being in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)

However, it is not my burden today to provide a defense of the Trinity. What I want to focus on is the rest of this passage. Notice the command present in the next verse. How can we love the Lord in this manner? How can we love anything in this manner? What does this look like? Lest we think that Christians are exempt from this we must remember that this is repeated by Christ in the New Testament (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27.)

The next question that needs to be asked is do we obey this? Have you loved the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength in the last day? What about the last hour? I know I haven’t. One of the hardest things about living as a Christian on this side of Eternity is dealing with the demands of the Law. God requires perfection (Matthew 5:48.) the trouble is that even in our redeemed state we miss the mark of perfection. To be sure the process of sanctification continues and we are to be growing toward that goal but we will always find areas where we fall short.

This is why I am convinced that Christians need the gospel as much as non-Christians. We need to be reminded that the demands of God’s perfect Law are beyond our ability to meet. It is only as we lean on Christ and His perfect righteousness that we can approach God. The wonderful thing about this is the more you lean on Him, the more you are protected from sin and temptation.

As for the rest of today’s passage, I think it is self-explanatory. Always remember the Law and make it a part of your life and family. Remember also that the Law must always point us to the Gospel.

What does it mean to be a Christian Knight? – Introduction

I have had this blog active for a couple years now and I realize that I have never tried to explain the origin of the name. The name “Knight” for me started in cyberspace as a handle on various message boards and over time it expanded into a perspective on how I see my Christian walk.

I have always been fascinated by the idea of knighthood. In medieval times knights were the heroes that people looked up to. They represented the highest form of service, morals, and faith. Of course, I am speaking of the ideal and not necessarily the reality. Men like King Arthur, Sir Galahad, and Sir Percival likely never existed in real life. However, the legacy remains as a standard for valor and virtue that mirrors the Christian life in many ways.

There are three principle areas where the standard of knighthood and the Christian run in parallel. They share similarities of Service, Conduct, and Warfare. The following is a brief introduction to each of these which will be expanded upon in upcoming articles.

Service: Knights of old were first and foremost servants. Their lives, possessions, and honor were pledged in service to their lord and king. The parallels between the knight’s devotion to his lord and the Christian’s duty to Christ should be obvious. As a Christian, my life is not my own, I have been bought with a price (1 Co. 6:20.) He is the King whom we serve. This is not a partnership; it is a dictatorship with Christ as our Lord and Master.

Conduct: One cannot think of the knights of old without thinking of the code of chivalry. This code governed the life of the knight and their conduct with others. As a Christian I also have demands on my conscience that my King has required. We are free from the curse of the Law but we are under obligation to Christ for the salvation we have in Him. Our conduct does not earn our salvation but it does reflect the gratitude we have in the salvation He has provided and demonstrates that we are His. (James 2:26.)

Warfare: A knight’s primary duty was in the arena of war. He was no mere foot soldier but a specialized warrior and commander. He defended his king and lord with the sword and lance. As a Christian I am not involved in physical warfare for His Kingdom but I am a soldier in my King’s army for the ongoing spiritual war. I am called to arm myself (Ephesians 6:12-20,) defend the truth (1 Peter 3:15,) and protect those in need (Galatians 2:10.)

I believe that the ideal knight is a good analogy of the Christian life. Many in the church today are very comfortable with treating Christ as Savior, Lord, Mediator, and Friend but we need to also remember that we are under the monarchy of the King of kings and in His service. Just like the real knights of old we may fail to live up to this standard from time to time. Unlike them we have a merciful King who has paid our debts and stands ready to forgive. Our honor for serving this King should far outshine the knights of old. Our King is far greater than any earthly potentate.

In my Christian walk it has often helped me to think of my relationship to Christ as that of a knight’s service to a benevolent King. Do not misunderstand. I hold very dear the fact that Christ is my Mediator, Savior, and Friend. The relationship we have with Christ is far more intimate than the lord to the vassal and the love we are to have toward Him is far more personal than even the greatest earthly relationship. Regardless, in our western culture we have grown very used to thinking democratically. Our leaders are typically elected by the majority and their human faults are laid bare for all to see. We have lost the sense of respect for our leaders that was held by the knights of old for their kings. All too often this is translated to our relationship with God.

I make it my goal to serve Christ with the same honor and integrity equal to the ideal knight (2 Corinthians 5:9.) To be a Christian Knight is to accept Him as Lord and devote your Service, Conduct, and Warfare to His cause. Do I fail in this from time to time? Absolutely, but praise God that my King is also my Savior and Friend. I call upon my Christian brothers and sisters to join me in pursuing the goals of being a Christian Knight. This is no new thing but maybe thinking of your Christian walk in this manner will help you stay on task and remember whom you serve when temptations come.

I will expand on the Knight’s duties in future articles.

 

Passage of the Week – January 1, 2012

A new year is upon us again and it is a good time to begin things anew. Thus I plan on resuming regular posting on this blog. I will attempt one article per week along with a Passage of the Week on Sundays. To all my faithful readers (both of you) I hope to bring a renewed focus on what it means to be a man (or woman) of God in today’s world and what it really means to be a Christian Knight. Hopefully you will be encouraged.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

(John 1:1-5 ESV)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

(John 1:14-18 ESV)

This year I have decided to make an extensive study of the Gospel of John as part of my personal Bible Study and devotion. I am using John: St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary by RC Sproul as a guide and basis. This week starts off with the John 1:1-18 which is known as the Prologue. I may have more comments about Sproul’s commentary as the year progresses but so far it is very good.

Have you ever spent time pondering what these verses mean? Jesus’ divinity simply jumps off the page in the first couple verses. He is our creator God and nothing was made apart from Him. Without going delving deeply into the theological impacts of the Word suffice it to say that you cannot interpret or translate this verse in any meaningful fashion and miss the underlying premise: Jesus (the Word) is God.

Then notice what happens in verse 14, “the Word became flesh.” The divine put on flesh. Think about that for a moment. We just celebrated Christmas, which, apart form all the commercial trappings that we bring with it, is about the incarnation of the Son of God coming as a babe in the manger. The king is born and the Son is given. That King and Son is no less than God in human flesh. The Creator and Master of the universe entered into His own creation. This is the core of what John is saying in the Prologue. This Jesus that John is about to proclaim, is God. You simply cannot miss that in John’s Gospel (or his epistles for that matter.)

The message is very simple but very profound. As such the application is to ponder the King we serve and understand who He is. As we stand at the beginning of another year let’s maintain focus on whom we serve. Like the knights of old, we serve a King. This King is Jesus and He is God. Serve Him with awe and reverence and always remember that we do not serve a man or organization but the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Close Church for Christmas?

First of all let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas. As I write this, our Christmas day is winding down so I had better make it a belated Merry Christmas. (Better late than never.)

I would like to respond to the actions taken by many churches today. This year, Christmas happened to land on Sunday and it seems that many church leaders made the executive decision to not have the normal Sunday worship service today. To be somewhat candid with my fellow churchmen let me say this:

Shame on you.

You had a rare opportunity and you intentionally let it slip through your fingers. I have heard all the reasons given for doing this and, frankly, not one of them balances against the massive opportunity you had to witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I know that Christmas day is a busy one for many people. Ours was no different. But that is no excuse for allowing those people who would have come to your service, though they do not normally ever darken the door of a church, to slip by without confronting them with their sin and need for Christ. If I may borrow the metaphor, this was a gift-wrapped opportunity. Now I know I have let many an opportunity pass me by in my life. More than I care to admit. However, this is why you got in the ministry in the first place isn’t it?

Think also of the people in the church. You deny and impede their opportunity to corporately worship their Lord on the day we celebrate His incarnation. How does this make any sense? What kind of message does this send to the young people?

I realize that I am throwing a fair amount of guilt around but I think it is well-earned. You will get another chance in about five years. So if the Mayans are indeed wrong about the world ending in 2012 (that’s a joke, son) then you can try again in 2016. You have plenty of time to prepare a message that convicts and provides hope to those who need to hear it.

God Bless.

Dad’s Eulogy

I do not often use this blog to discuss the goings on in my personal life. The purpose for me of doing this is to edify and encourage the body of Christ and to proclaim the Gospel to those who may be passing by on the internet super-highway. This is an exception to that rule. A little over a week ago God called my Dad home. It was quick, sudden, and unexpected and we have been reeling from the blow ever since. For reasons I cannot fully explain I was moved to insist that I have the opportunity to speak at Dad’s funeral. I wanted to honor my dad and proclaim that Gospel that he lived and died by. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am not a street evangelist nor am I a preacher but I knew if I didn’t do this I would regret it for the rest of my life. We do not often get opportunities like this and if we are going to Honor our Lord and Savior then we need to react to the promptings of the Spirit when they arise.

Here is the text of the eulogy I presented at Dad’s funeral on May 28, 2011…

I want to thank everyone for coming today. I also want to thank Mom and the Pastor for allowing me to do this for my Dad. What I do today I hope and pray that my children will one day do for me.

When I was growing up Dad would regularly fall asleep in front of the TV. You could always tell by the snoring (which he always denied.) When I would turn it off of change it he would instantly wake up and complain. “Dad, you were sleeping.” I would always say. His reply was always the same, “I was just resting my eyes.” I told him that someday I would put that on his tombstone. “Here lies Carl Baker, he’s just resting his eyes.” I will come back to that later.

Dad was many things in his life, you couldn’t define him by a profession as is so common today. He was just a regular honest worker. There are many other things you could define him by:

• Dad was a tinkerer. Mom calls him a carpenter but he did far more than that. If it needed fixed or improved he was your man.
• Dad was a picker. He would take things that others had thrown away and turn some of them into beautiful and useful items. Others were still junk. (Sorry Dad.)
• Dad was a talker. Most of us are born with a filter between our brain and mouth. Dad’s never worked quite right and as he got older it degraded and nearly vanished completely. You always knew where he stood (whether you wanted to or not.)
• Dad was a farmer. He loved to plant a garden and grow everything from corn and beans to apples and strawberries. Some may think he did this to save money. I think he did it because he loved to plant a seed and see God make it grow.
• Dad is a follower of Christ.

There are many people here who can talk about Dad’s life and there will be an opportunity for you to do so at the end of the service. I knew him for 37 years, only 34 of which I can recall with any amount of clarity. My privilege to day is to talk about Dad’s faith. A faith he planted as a seed in me that God has grown. Dad taught me many things about being a Christian. Since I have become an adult I have expanded on that through a study of theology and the Bible. Dad was no theologian but he taught me many things about being a Christian nonetheless.

Dad believed the Bible to be the Word of God. Whenever confronted with a problem or a situation he knew was wrong my Dad’s response was simple, “It’s not Biblical.” That settled the matter for him. No argument, no question. Dad understood the authority of the Bible. Because he understood this he also believed what it says about mankind and our need for a Savior.

Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. God has set a standard that He wants us to follow and we have wandered badly from that standard. We often compare ourselves to others and think we are not as bad as them so we will be ok. But when we compare ourselves to His Law we stand convicted, all of us. You, me, and even my Dad.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We stand here today to mourn and celebrate the life of my Dad. We also stand here reminded that things are not right with the world. Death is the enemy. Without sin there would be no death. This verse also reminds us that Salvation comes from God as a free gift.

John 3:3 – Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. In order to be saved from our sin there needs to be a change in our hearts. Dad always described himself as a “born again Christian.” He liked to say it so much that I hated to tell him that the statement was redundant.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. God has made a way for us to be saved from the just punishment our sins deserve. Jesus Christ, the Son of God entered into this world as a man, lived a perfect life and willingly gave himself on Calvary’s Cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Our sins are transferred to Him and His righteousness is transferred to us. This is the way, there is no other. Dad knew this.

Romans 10:9-10 – if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Christ defeated death by rising again after three days. The grave could not hold Him. What must our response be to God? The Bible says we must repent which means to admit we are a sinner and turn from our sin. My Dad knew he was a sinner and put his whole life in the hands of Christ. If you knew him you saw the evidence of this every day.

The Bible makes another promise that is especially relevant to us today. It is a lengthy passage but well worth our consideration. 2 Thessalonians 4:13-17 – But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

For those who know Christ death is not the end. My Dad’s body lay here and we rightly mourn our loss but he stands right now with his Savior in paradise and waits for the day when Christ will make all things new. I ask you today, do you know Christ? Have you been forgiven of your sins? Take my Dad as an example. Let today be the day when you repent and turn your life over to Christ. Then some day your epitaph will say the same as his. “Here lies Carl Baker, he’s just resting his eyes.”

Work or Worship?

I would like to describe to you a day in the life of a typical person with a typical life and an unfortunately very common ailment:

• You wake up in the morning after maybe 5 or 6 hours of sleep, if your are fortunate, and go about your normal morning routine already thinking up what needs to be done today.
• You collect your smart phone to check email and make sure you didn’t miss anything important during your slumber.
• Over breakfast or coffee you are at your computer responding to email and making out your daily task lists.
• On the drive to work you either listen to voice mail or make a few phone calls that cannot possible wait until you are in the office.
• At the office you hit the ground running going to meetings, completing your tasks and making sure that everything gets done.
• Over lunch you are at the computer running through email and checking off items on your task list. That is if you bother with lunch at all.
• The rest of the day is much the same. You get a few more assignments and spend all the afternoon and partially into the evening carrying them out.
• You leave the office sometime between six and eight o’clock. The trip home is filled with plans for the next day and what you need to accomplish in the evening.
• At home you might have dinner with your family if you make it on time but if not you eat alone while going through email. By the end of the day you might get an hour to relax before going to bed.
• The next day the cycle repeats itself again.

What I have just described is a relatively typical day in the life of the American businessman. And, while I admit that some of this is slightly overstated for effect, it is an accurate picture of what I have experienced and observed in others during my career. You may ask what is wrong with this? Is there anything wrong with being dedicated to your career and your employer? The answer to that is yes, and no. Allow me to explain…

The picture we have here may look like simple commitment and dedication but look closer. There is an underlying theme here that is a very serious issue. Where is God in this equation? I will argue that what we have here goes beyond simple dedication and enters the realm of worship. In this case the worship of a career or work. Such an attitude is thoroughly inconsistent with a Christian life and testimony.

One of the worst sins we commit, likely THE worst, is to place something ahead of God in our worship. Paul explains it in Romans like this:

Romans 1:24-25 ESV

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Any time we place something ahead of God in our priorities Scripture calls that worship. Only God is worthy of worship and therefore assigning the glory due Him to any other thing is one of the greatest sins we commit and likely is the greatest sin. This is true if we are worshipping our job, our family, or money. God demands to be first and He is worthy of it. If you are not a Christian then the lifestyle I have described may look quite appealing and typical. (Success can also be worshipped.) To you I say turn from your sin and embrace Christ as Lord and Savior. Your career cannot save you from the debt of sin you owe God. Only Christ can.

For the Christians reading this I say to you that this lifestyle is unworthy of the new life we have in Him. He has called you out of sin and that includes the worshipping of creation. Unfortunately, as long as we are in this life, we still have that old man of our sin nature, which tempts us to turn from our creator and into other things. We need to stare that old man in the face and make sure he blinks before we do. God has given us His Spirit to combat the old man and He is faithful to see us through the temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13.)

What should our attitude be with our job? Does not Scripture tell us to honor our earthly masters as serving the Lord? (Ephesians 6:5-8) Indeed Scripture does teach us to serve our employers but notice in what context this is placed:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, - Ephesians 6:5 ESV (emphasis added)

Our service to our employers is part of our service to Christ as is our service to our family but He must come first. In the latter half of Ephesians we see a description of Godly living which includes honoring God, the church, wives and husbands, children, and slaves and masters. Time and space do not permit a thorough analysis of the book but a simple read through explains the priorities in a Christian life as follows:

1. God
2. Family (includes family by blood and church family)
3. Work

I place work in third place because Scripture places it in third place. This does not mean is deserves less attention or that it should be ignored. It only means that is should not supplant the other priorities. It is easy to ride the pendulum from worshipping work to ignoring it completely but Scripture does not call us to do this. It simply needs to take its place. Where, I ask, in the lifestyle I describe is there for God and family? Sadly, I see this every day.

Why do I belabor the point? Why bother with this when there are plenty of other things that I could write about? My reasons are simple. First because I do not see this addressed much. People go about their days much like I describe and pay lip service to God on Sunday then dive back into the pattern. It saddens me when my brothers and sisters in Christ live like this and think that they are simply being faithful employees. Second, I subscribe to the philosophy of “Physician, heal thyself.” I am not arrogant enough to think that I am immune to the lifestyle I have described. I have looked into that old man’s face and blinked. Thankfully, he has blinked more times than I have and God has continued to grant me victory over this. One thing you learn from staring into the abyss of temptation is how easy it can be to fall over the edge. May this be an encouragement to by brothers and sisters to keep fighting and arrange your priorities as God has arranged them.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Twelve Doctrines of Christmas

This was originally posted over at Aomin blog but I just had to repost it here. For all the theology geeks out there here is a little Christmas humor:

 

Passage of the Week – November 14, 2010

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

(Hebrews 10:19-25 NASB)

 

Christians are an interesting lot. Our confession is that we are saved from our sin by the blood of Christ and not through our own deeds. Yet, all too often we fear to come before God in prayer and worship because of some infraction or guilt. The author of Hebrews here reminds us that we have confidence to enter into God’s presence in worship and communion because of the very blood that has been shed for us. We are encouraged by the very word of God to hold fast to our confession because of the sacrifice of Christ. How could we abandon the confession that has set us free and allowed us to come into the presence of the King of kings.

We are also reminded here that we need each other. This is a lesson I have been reminded of this week. I realized I had been isolating myself and that I desperately needed the fellowship and support of my brothers and sisters. Today I learned of a fellow Christian who is much like I have been in trying to go it alone. This saddens me deeply. You see, our faith and confession are not just personal, they are also corporate. We are not simply all subjects of the same King. We are brothers and sisters all adopted by the same Father who is the King. One cannot hold to a confession that is as offensive to the world as this one while standing alone. We cannot hope to stand alone against the enemies of our faith. We need each other. We need to pray and uphold each other throughout the good times and the bad. This is the way God intended the Church to function.

As you go about your lives this week remember to make sure you are walking the path of righteousness that has been well trodden by those who have come before you. Remember also to walk with others, support them and allow yourself to be supported. If you see someone trying to walk alone come along side them, encourage them, and pray for them. Only together can we stand.