I shared a link today where an atheist group is suing to have the 911 cross removed from the 911 museum. I can't say I am surprised to hear that and I find that I am a bit aggravated by it. Instead of being angry, I am literally in tears because of what this is representative of.
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment." (Luke 16:22-28)
If even those who can admit that there is a God will go to hell without repenting of their sins and accepting Christ, how much more certain is it for those who refuse to acknowledge that God even exist.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23)
What is it that stops someone from coming to Christ? Is it pride, or fear, or shame? Does intellect get in the way? Does one structure their beliefs around the hypocrisy they see in those who claim to be Christians? I am sure there is some custom excuse for each and every one.
That hole you feel inside when your alone and no distractions remain is your separation from God. No amount of money, or things, or adventure, or drugs, or alcohol, or escapism will ever fill that hole. And living a life of constant distraction or living vicariously through reality TV will only comfort for so long.
The reality is this...
Everyone is a sinner
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one"
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
We cannot save ourselves
Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
Christ payed for our sins on the Cross
1 Peter 2:20-26 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Revelation 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood"
Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."
Salvation is free
John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"
Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
I plead with all of you to stop trying to fill that emptiness with things and activities and replacement realities. Without Christ, you have no hope and your fate is an eternal tormented separation from God. God will meet you where you are. You only need to seek Him.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Context
I understand that it is common practice to use phrases to express oneself. But this practice is only effective if a common context exists within the conversation. Without common context, these quick little sentences can take on many different meanings within a group of people. Even when a common context exists, however, that context can be wholly different than the one where the phrase originated.
As an example, lets use the common phrase "Judge not lest ye be judged." I think I can safely say that most who use this phrase realize it is a passage from the Bible. It is often used to instruct others that they should not judge other people. Outside of the Biblical context, it may be a perfectly acceptable response to someone who is judging. It really depends upon the setting. However, when the discussion is how a Christian should act, the context is clearly identified as a Biblical one. This is where this phrase is normally incorrectly applied.
If we look at the entire context of that passage, a different meaning emerges.
Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
In context, this does not say Christians should not judge. Instead it is in regards to hypocritical or self-righteous judging. In fact, verse 5 addresses the hypocrisy by saying first remove your plank so you can clearly see how to remove the one in your brother's eye. It does not say you are not permitted to remove the plank from your brother's eye.
If we continue reading to verse 6, we are actually instructed to make a moral judgement so we avoid vainly sharing the Truth of the Lord with those who have turned from God and find no value in Him and those who would viciously oppose Him. There is and even deeper discussion here, but for brevity I will leave that for another time.
Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
If we were not to judge, then how would we know that we are giving something holy to dogs or pearls to swine?
There are many references in the Bible about judging and there are many more passages that are judgemental. In John 7:24, Jesus says to Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. So we are being told how to judge here. In Matthew 4:17, Jesus says Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus was judging them as sinners needed to repent.
I imagine I could go on for pages citing example after example, but I think the point has been made. Without context, a phrase could mean anything to anyone. It is important to know the circumstances before true understanding can be achieved.
As an example, lets use the common phrase "Judge not lest ye be judged." I think I can safely say that most who use this phrase realize it is a passage from the Bible. It is often used to instruct others that they should not judge other people. Outside of the Biblical context, it may be a perfectly acceptable response to someone who is judging. It really depends upon the setting. However, when the discussion is how a Christian should act, the context is clearly identified as a Biblical one. This is where this phrase is normally incorrectly applied.
If we look at the entire context of that passage, a different meaning emerges.
Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
In context, this does not say Christians should not judge. Instead it is in regards to hypocritical or self-righteous judging. In fact, verse 5 addresses the hypocrisy by saying first remove your plank so you can clearly see how to remove the one in your brother's eye. It does not say you are not permitted to remove the plank from your brother's eye.
If we continue reading to verse 6, we are actually instructed to make a moral judgement so we avoid vainly sharing the Truth of the Lord with those who have turned from God and find no value in Him and those who would viciously oppose Him. There is and even deeper discussion here, but for brevity I will leave that for another time.
Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
If we were not to judge, then how would we know that we are giving something holy to dogs or pearls to swine?
There are many references in the Bible about judging and there are many more passages that are judgemental. In John 7:24, Jesus says to Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. So we are being told how to judge here. In Matthew 4:17, Jesus says Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus was judging them as sinners needed to repent.
I imagine I could go on for pages citing example after example, but I think the point has been made. Without context, a phrase could mean anything to anyone. It is important to know the circumstances before true understanding can be achieved.
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