Passing Through My Mind Today: If Not God, Who?

Passing Through My Mind Today: If Not God, Who?: Well known Christian apologist, author, and speaker, Ravi Zacharias brings up an interesting dilemma in his book "The E nd of Reason.&...

If Not God, Who?

Well known Christian apologist, author, and speaker, Ravi Zacharias brings up an interesting dilemma in his book "The End of Reason."

The question is this: How do we know what is evil and what is good? Why is genocide evil when self-proclaimed experts promise us that the earth is in danger of extreme over-population and starvation? How do we know that Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Idi Amin, and others are evil? Why is it bad to take a human life? How do we know that taking care of the poor is good?

Colleges study Nietzsche as a genius. Was he a genius or a fool? How do we know? Carl Sagan said that if man must worship a god, why not make it the stars? Why are most of us uncomfortable with that statement?

Zacharias points to the need for an objective definition of evil and of good.  He believes that into every soul is built a common knowledge that there is good and there is evil, and that only God can have placed that in our beings.  That makes sense when you consider that classic evolution predicts that the evolution of life in general and man in particular is based on survival of the fittest.

If survival of the fittest is the rule of norm instead of a set of moral absolutes established by God, then Hitler and Stalin, when they killed millions of their own people, were merely fulfilling "survival of the fittest" -- their own loyal followers and themselves.

The question cannot be answered in a few paragraphs, but I would point to this as a path that indicates it is God who is the Author of morality: In America, we have soundly shouted God out of our way. Since that has happened, has there been even a moment that all Americans, or even most Americans agreed on what is good and what is evil? As Isaiah wrote, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil."  St Paul wrote "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God."

We have turned to our own wisdom, and do we not now call evil good and good evil? I think we have and we do.

Passing Through My Mind Today: Whom Shall We Please?

Passing Through My Mind Today: Whom Shall We Please?: Proverbs 25:26 "Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked" In our world tha...

Whom Shall We Please?

Proverbs 25:26 "Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked"

In our world that insists evil is good and good is evil, many a Christian has fallen into this trap for fear of not being politically correct, or facing the loss of friends, or being belittled.

Better to be belittled for defending God than to have a thousand friends for approving the "wisdom" of man.

Passing Through My Mind Today: Worse Than Black Friday, 1929

Passing Through My Mind Today: Worse Than Black Friday, 1929: Genesis 3:1-24 The serpent was “crafty” and Eve was gullible. Nice to know not much has changed since the beginning.   Satan, in the fo...

Worse Than Black Friday, 1929

Genesis 3:1-24

The serpent was “crafty” and Eve was gullible. Nice to know not much has changed since the beginning.  

Satan, in the form of a serpent, lied without hesitation and Eve was overcome by his “reasonable” and false arguments. He said that she would not “die” if she disobeyed God, but her spiritual relationship with God died instantly. He said that she would be “wise” but she only became knowledgeable about the pain of sin. To Eve the fruit forbidden by God looked good, should taste good, and it would bring her up to God’s level. Suddenly God’s requirement of obedience was forgotten. Her dilemma sounds so much like our own as we face today’s temptations.

The familiar blame game was played out during the confrontation between God and His people. Adam blamed Eve and God. Eve blamed the serpent, and I suspect that Satan merely smiled.

But God’s love continued even in the face of rebellion. Verse 15 is the first promise from God that He would send a Savior to erase the gap now created between God and His world.  That would not have been clear to Adam and Eve. They could only know that God still loved them in spite of their sin.

As we live in a world that has pretty much rejected the existence of Satan and Hell, and even God in some cases, let’s remember that sin is a reality and it is pure rebellion against God. At the same time we can rejoice in the confidence that Jesus, God’s only Son, has indeed come and has restored to us what was lost so long ago.

(For a further description of Satan by Jesus see John 8:44)

Passing Through My Mind Today: ACCIDENT OR INTENT?

Passing Through My Mind Today: ACCIDENT OR INTENT?: Genesis 1-2:25 “God said”, “God created”, “God called”, “God made”, and “God saw that it was good” are all phrases that dominate the fi...

ACCIDENT OR INTENT?

Genesis 1-2:25

“God said”, “God created”, “God called”, “God made”, and “God saw that it was good” are all phrases that dominate the first chapter of Genesis.  Similar phrases about God continue to flow through the second chapter.  

The Hebrew word for created is only used in connection with God. As humans, we can reorganize substances that already exist into something recognizable, but only God can begin with literally nothing. God was and is the mighty Creator.

Not only is the Creation story adamant that God created our world but that His creation was good. The evil in our world is not inherent because it was created poorly. The evil that thrives in our world stems from the evil in people’s hearts. God created perfectly, without error.

Lastly, but not of least importance, God created mankind perfectly. God created man first and then woman, but the word “helper” used to describe woman is usually used to describe God as “Helper” in the rest of the Old Testament.  

God didn’t intend woman to be a “servant” of man, as we usually understand the word today, but a completer of man. In God’s eyes the two should inspire the best in each.

 Man and woman were different from any other part of creation. They were created in the image of God, able to relate to Him in a way unknown to the animals. 

Humans were to oversee and care for God’s creation. 

Sounds wonderful, but something went wrong, but more about that next time.  For today, let’s just remember to thank God for His gracious gift of this world and of life.  As difficult at it can seem and as out of control as it can seem, God is still the Master and He will bring it all together for His glory.

Just a Short Note

To my fantastic readers:
I finally found the adjustment on my options to allow you to comment as "anonymous."  Sorry that I was so long in finally finding it. If you now want to comment on any of the postings you should be able to by choosing "Anonymous." If you still have trouble, you can reach me at xyzwriter@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for your attention and for your patience!

Passing Through My Mind Today: What Is Essential In Christianity?

Passing Through My Mind Today: What Is Essential In Christianity?: Our culture is becoming more and more pluralistic. That can be good. Miriam Webster defines pluralism as " a situation in which peopl...

What Is Essential In Christianity?

Our culture is becoming more and more pluralistic. That can be good. Miriam Webster defines pluralism as "a situation in which people of different social classes, religions, races, etc., are together in a society but continue to have their different traditions and interests." But in America today, and even more so in Europe, pluralism has come to mean that different religions not only coexist in peace, but that all religions must be accepted as equally true. This oversteps the definition of pluralism.

It also oversteps the definition of "tolerance." Dictionary.com defines tolerance as "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one's own." Today, tolerance has been re-defined as giving a blessing to all beliefs; an approval of the idea that all beliefs, all actions, all lifestyles are not only okay, but approved by God. These can range from drunkenness to abortion to euthanasia to homosexuality, abortion, adultery, and even lying about our fellow men and women.

How does this relate to Christian beliefs and the teaching of Christ? I will have more to say on this in coming articles, but here are a few reasons why a Christian cannot agree that their religion (their God) is but one of many valid philosophies concerning gods and beliefs:

• Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (He did not say, "I am a way, one of many.")
• Luke, a writer who professes to have interviewed eyewitnesses and studied Jesus before writing his Gospel, says that Jesus was and is the Son of God. John, a traveller with Jesus, says that He was at the beginning of creation with God and is God.
• Paul, considered by most to be  the greatest of all theologians, confronted by the risen Christ on his way to arrest Christians, says that if the resurrection of Jesus bodily from the tomb did not happen, then we have nothing, but are to be pitied above all others, for we are still in our sin.
• Jesus stated that He accomplished His mission of redeeming mankind with His death on the cross. His resurrection is the proof that He told the truth.

There is much to say about each of these points and they are certainly do not cover all that a Christian must profess, but this is already too long for one piece. More will be coming on what we, as Christians, must profess and how we must profess those things in love. We will look at the question of whether Christianity is only a philosophy, or if it is centered in the real Son of God.

Please think and pray about our world and the direction of our culture today.

Passing Through My Mind Today: Our Christian Job

Passing Through My Mind Today: Our Christian Job: If you are a Christian you may be wondering Why Should I Bother? Matthew 28 makes it clear our primary job is to make disciples, but seems l...

Passing Through My Mind Today: Our Christian Job

Passing Through My Mind Today: Our Christian Job: If you are a Christian you may be wondering Why Should I Bother? Matthew 28 makes it clear our primary job is to make disciples, but seems l...

Passing Through My Mind Today: Our Christian Job

Passing Through My Mind Today: Our Christian Job: If you are a Christian you may be wondering Why Should I Bother? Matthew 28 makes it clear our primary job is to make disciples, but seems l...

Our Christian Job

If you are a Christian you may be wondering Why Should I Bother? Matthew 28 makes it clear our primary job is to make disciples, but seems like no one wants to hear. That's ok. Their response is not our concern--loving as Christ loves them is.

Whether agnostic, Muslim, Jewish, abortionist, atheist, LGBT or any person who has not yet understood salvation in Christ, we are to see them in love, not hate, not as less than we are, not as unlovable. We are to be Christ to them. That's why we question our hearts before approaching any unbeliever.

Be interested in them. Don't just pretend to be interested. Listen and begin to understand. That doesn't mean that we fall into the trap of approving their lifestyles or actions, so be careful; stay in the word of God and prayer every day.

I have friends and relations who have fallen into the trap of believing that God is just love, love, love, and whatever people do, it doesn't make a difference to him. They believe that no matter what the sin, whether simple lies or abortion and homosexuality, adultery, or even gossip, God just chuckles and keeps on loving, accepting and even approving.

God does keep loving, but he does not accept sin with a wink. He is a God of justice who will punish disobedience and will not allow sin to thrive. If he did, then Jesus died on the cross for nothing. Jesus gave up his life as payment for all those sins that we think God just overlooks or even approves.

God is love, but God is also just, and he will not accept unrepentant sin. All are sinners, both unbelievers and Christians. The difference is understanding that we are sinners, repenting of that sin, believing in Jesus Christ as our only way to God, and seeking to imitate Christ in all we do. Unrepentant sin is the eternal killer of the soul. That is why we reach out to those who don't understand.

To get back to the point of how we share these truths. Always we must check our hearts, for if we cannot feel compassion for the unbeliever, then we cannot show them the love of Christ; we cannot be open without being judgmental; we cannot lie well enough to convince them that we care.

So be Christ to the unsaved. Read the Gospels to see how Jesus treated the unbeliever. You will find that his anger was reserved for the religious leaders who rebelled by refusing to obey the truth they had studied so hard. They could not give up their own power to the Son of God. Jesus, however, showed great compassion (not approval) to the lost. That is what we are to do. Condemnation merely drives the unbeliever deeper into unbelief. Plant the seed. Don't be discouraged if you don't get to watch it grow.

Am I A Comforter?

Don't be so busy getting out of the church door after worship to get on with your day that you forget to look around you for someone who is in need of a friend:

"...God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (1 Corinthians 1:4)

We are given peace of heart and mind so that we may share it with those who are in the midst of pain or just plain loneliness. A bit of conversation may be that "comfort" that someone needs at the moment you walk by.

Surviving the Ads

An observation: When I have the joy of watching television without having it recorded on DVR, I get to watch all of the ways we can die, unless we do certain things.

My favorite is basically, "If you don't exercise, you will die!" Okay, our bodies need to move. Doctors say walking is the best activity of all, especially for seniors. I can manage that, and I walk the golf course several times a week. (Damn near kills me)

Back to the point. Note that many of these ads are "fear ads"..."You're going to die!" Well, fear, as we all know, builds stress. Stress...here it comes...kills! So the fear message drives fear which drives stress which will probably kill you faster than not exercising. 

So, walk as you can and liberally use your DVR or your mute button when you watch television.

Good Reading

If you are a Christian confused by all of the criticism you're receiving, Ravi Zacharias may by the author that restores your confidence.

Ravi was born a Hindu in India and attended university there. He later converted to Christianity and is, in my opinion, the finest Christian defender of the faith living today.

Recommended books include: 

"Jesus Among Other Gods"

"The Real Face of Atheism"

"Can Man Live Without God"

"The Real Face of Evil"

and "The End of Reason"

These particular books by Zacharias are not light summer reading, but they are immensely encouraging to those of us confused and discouraged by the direction of our world today.

You can also find great podcasts at www.RZIM.org under the heading of "Media" and subheading of "Let My People Think." There is no charge for use of this site.