America's Problem...

Let me begin by saying that I am not in any way a supporter of Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.  While I agree with their basic premise that all ethnic groups deserve equal protection and rights, I do not always agree with their tactics and statements.  But my fellow conservatives seem to be missing the point and so I decided to offer some thoughts to them.  Conservatives tend to think that only liberals are to blame... but just isn't true.

Disclaimer aside, they are not the problem.  Their tactics, misguided as they are, are not the problem.  I make this statement because in the fall out from the Zimmerman

Trial many people who were supporters of George Zimmerman are blaming Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson for the riots and hype surrounding the trial and its verdict.

The worst part of this trial in the social media sphere is that these hateful comments on both sides are coming from those who call themselves Christians. 

While they are not helping the problem, they are NOT the problem.  To blame them is to ignore a much larger issue.

It is no secret that racial tensions are running high in this country.  I am an avid proponent of the benefits of social media outlets such as facebook,

twitter, etc, but for every "good" thing these outlets accomplish, an equal and sometimes greater evil is accomplished as well.

In the course of President Obama's two terms in office I have witnessed an alarming trend on social media outlets.  People (supporters and opponents) referring to the President as merely "Obama". 

Not "President Obama" or even "Mr. Obama" (if they desire a less respectful address).  Even resorting to nicknames such as "Obummer".  Again these things are seen coming from those who call themselves believers.

Whether you agree with the President or not does not give Christians (or even American citizens) the right to show disrespect to his office and authority.

Romans 13 tells us that all authority has been ordained by God for His purposes.  Sometimes those

leaders are Godly and lead the Nation towards Christ in their decisions, sometimes they don't.  Sometimes they are God's blessing on a Nation and sometimes they are God's judgment.

Regardless of which way you feel President Obama is for our Nation, he is for better or worse our President.  He has been given authority and we are to show the respect due to that office.

That does NOT mean that we must agree with all that he does or even be silent about our disagreement with his views.  It does not mean that we must comply if he tries to legislate something the Bible deems immoral.  It does, however,

mean that we must voice our disgruntlement in the proper way.  That begins by respecting the office and more importantly the God who has ordained that authority.

I do not agree with much of what our President does, but President Obama is not the problem with America.

The news media plays its part in all of this of course, but even THEY are not the problem with America.

So what is America's problem?  Are you ready?  The answer may surprise you...

The problem is sin.  Sin is the problem.  More specifically, people who act on sinful temptations and given in to the desires of their flesh.  Everyone, from President Obama, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, George Zimmerman, Republicans, Democrats, you, and me, everyone wakes up every morning and resumes a battle with our flesh.

Sin causes racism, race baiting, murder, lies, hatred, bigotry, blasphemy, and every other kind of evil you can think of.

In fact, it is a battle that we may set aside as we sleep but our enemy attacks even in our dreams.  Ever had a dream wherein you did something immoral?

The enemy I refer to is not Satan, it is you and me.  Satan may lay a snare before us and he is certainly crafty foe.  But it is us who give in to his temptations and willingly place ourselves into his snare.

So where do we go from here?  Let me make 2 suggestions.

What will fix the problem?

1.) The problem of sin will NOT be dealt with through political and social activism or well-stated arguments.   Refuting Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or exposing the George Zimmerman's or even the Trayvon Martin's of the world will not fix this.

Attempting to deal with the problem of sin with clever argumentation will produce the same result as placing a band-aid on a crack in the Hoover Dam.  Eventually, probably sooner than later, it will burst through with a much larger problem.

Don't we see that trend in the escalation of the vigilante justice mindset that grips people on both sides of any hot issue.

2.) The problem of sin HAS been dealt with through the Person and work of Jesus Christ!  Amazing!  So what do we do now?  We, those who are in Christ, need to point people to the Savior!

Use God's Law, the great equalizer among all mankind, to bring the knowledge of sin (Romans 5:8; 6:23; 7:7, Exodus 20; Ephesians 2:1-10) and then point them to the kindness of God to have sent Christ.  Who came and took the wrath of God for our sin so that we could be forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Gospel is the answer for racists, racism, greed, murder, drugs, public schools, gang violence, snobbery, lies, pornography, adultery, lusts, or any other problem that faces our society.

Jesus Christ is the only One who can truly chance hearts, minds, and desires.  Only through HIM will this world change.

Christians, let's be sure that we are passionate about the wrong and sinful things in this world.  Let's be passionate about social injustices, but let's never let those things elevate themselves above the saving message of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The snare of the flesh...

Exodus 20:14 - [14] “You shall not commit adultery.”

 

Commandment number 7 has everything to do with preserving our neighbor’s purity and the purity of ourselves.  This makes sense to believers for Proverbs 27:17 tells us that as iron sharpens iron so we are to sharpen one another.

We look out for each other's best spiritual interest at all times.  The perverse and immoral behavior that we see applauded on television daily is not new to our generation.  Man has had a propensity for sexual immorality from the fall.  Peter Hammond – “The sexual revolution is revolting in more ways than one.  It is an uprising against God Himself.  It is a rebellion against His sovereign authority and a rejection of the Law of God.”  Why?  What are the implications on society if this were not a commandment?  And how does this protect and promote liberty?  Well, the world would like you to believe that promiscuity is a private matter that doesn’t hurt anyone besides those involved.  So you shouldn’t get involved in it because it doesn’t directly affect you.  However, this is patently false.  The reality is that everyone pays for the private sins of others.  Don’t think so? 

Let me give you some statistics…

From 1973-2011 there have been over 54.5 million abortions in the United States alone.  In 2012, there were 9 abortions performed every four minutes.  That’s 1 abortion for every 26 seconds.  That’s only surgical abortions folks.  Because every birth control pill contains an abortifacient element to it, the CDC estimates that we can safely add 14 million chemical abortions done per year in the US.  From 2009-2010 Planned Parenthood received over 487 million dollars in government grants.  Where do you think that money comes from?  You and me.  The abortion debate has nothing to do with women’s rights and everything to do with sexual freedom.  People want the gratification of sex with 0 responsibilities.  What other consequences come from sexual freedom?  How about the rampant spread of STDs, AIDS, and broken homes that come from infidelity by one or both spouses. Single parents raising their children because the man who fathered them doesn’t want to be a parent.

Any pastor or counselor will tell you that adultery destroys entire families… not just marriages.  So what does Scripture say about adultery elsewhere?     

We are to flee from all forms of sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20
Galatians 5:19 says that sexual immorality is a deed of the flesh, not a deed of the Spirit. 
Lust, which is the core of adultery, is not limited to the physical act of adultery nor is it restricted by age.  Given the age of internet integration that we live in, pornography addiction, which is adultery of the mind, is affecting more than just the 20-30 somethings.  A recent poll revealed that men between the ages of 55-70 who use their computer to surf the web have confessed to viewing pornographic material as often as once a week.  Women in the same age bracket confessed to having used online chat rooms to flirt with internet strangers.  Half of that group said that they seek out old boyfriends on facebook and have had emotional affairs with those old flames.

So don’t think you are immune just because you have passed a certain age… Satan doesn’t care what age the sinner is, he just cares that he tempts people to sin…Although adultery is specifically mentioned here, there is a principle laid down, that believers are expected to live pure and holy lives.  Adultery resides not in the physical, but rather in the mind.  The battle for purity and holiness begins with the mind, not the flesh.

Matthew 5:27-28 - [27] “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ [28] But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Jesus says that God sees lustful thoughts as adultery.  So for those who say they look but don’t touch, the Bible labels that person an adulterer.  It is a matter of purity.  By forbidding adultery God is protecting purity.  Purity both mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I showed you some statistics on murder, I would disgust you with further stats about STDs or grieve you with stats on divorce and such… but rather than that let me give you three reasons for obeying this law as it relates to promoting Christian liberty and see if that doesn’t provide a sufficient answer to our understanding.

1.) Obeying this protects purity

It is advantageous to be pure.  We are image-bearers of God.  God is pure and thus we are to be pure as well. Matthew 5:8 - [8] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Now, obviously sins has marred that image, but that doesn’t change the fact that we were created to be pure.  There is a speed limit on I-20 of 60mph.  I’ve hardly been on it once where people were obeying that law, should we remove all speed limits just because the majority break them?  Of course not!

Purity of heart consists of dedication to god.  At the core of the Gospel is the fact that we need to be cleansed and made pure from our sin.  So severe is the grime of our sin on our body and soul that it takes the blood of Christ to wash it off.  Pursuing purity is another way of saying that we are to pursue holiness.  After all, holiness is perfect purity.

1 Peter 1:16 - [16] …it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The dominant reason for su to pursue holiness and purity is because God is pure and holy and as Christians we are in relationship with Him.  We are to be holy because the Holy One has identified Himself with us in a work of His glorious grace.  Matthew Henry said that the calling of a sinner to salvation is a “powerful engagement to holiness”.  Obviously, obviously sexual purity is not the only area that we are to pursue holiness in.  But is there any other sin that can so adversely affect your body and life and the bodies and lives of others as lust and fornication?

2.) Obeying this protects the sanctity of marriage.

Why is that so important?  Let me give you a reason from Ephesians 5.  Ephesians 5:1-6 - Paul sets up there how it is that we are to “walk in love”.  That, he equates to being “imitators of God”.  We are to walk as Christ walked.  What did Christ do?  Verse 1 says that He loved us and gave Himself up for us as a sacrifice and offering to God.  How would that look in my life?  Well, we might say with Christ that we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross… or with Paul that we are to die to self or Ephesians 5:22-33

Adultery, the sin of adultery, directly undermines not only the purity of marriage relationships but it also distorts the Gospel.  Our marriages are to be a living illustration of the Gospel.  The wife is to submit to her husband as to the Lord; in other words, in like manner.  That submission points at honoring them from a principle of love for them; because God has ordained the husband to be the head of the wife.  As the church is to submit to the headship of Christ, so wives submit to their husbands.  You see the Gospel illustrated here?  Likewise, husbands are to love their wives.  Love then should be seen as a choice and not an emotional feeling.  How are husbands to love their wives?  As Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her!  Did Christ or will Christ ever abandon the church?  NO!  Did Christ or will Christ ever link Himself up emotionally, mentally, or physically with another bride?  NO!  Adultery, be it through the physical act, or a lust of the mind or even through flirting… damages the purity of marriage which damages the purity of the Gospel that we preach.  God designed marriage to be a union between one man and one woman that is not to be defiled by a failure for the wife to submit, or a failure for the husband to love, or divorce or any sort of infidelity.  Why?  Because Christ will not defile His relationship to His Father or us with a failure to submit to the Father, or a failure to love us, nor will He divorce us, nor introduce any sort of impurity to us.

3.) Obeying this shows practical evidence of the new birth

Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God.  Pursuing holiness is marking sin in our life and putting it to death by the Spirit.  It is agreeing with God’s Word.  Loving what He loves and hating what He hates. 1 John 2:6; John 14:15

We must pursue purity in all areas because it most proves that we are born again children of God.  We must pursue holiness because our comfort and assurance depends on it.  “We cannot be too often reminded of this.  We are sadly apt to forget that there is a close connection between sin and sorrow, holiness and happiness, sanctification and consolation.  God has so wisely ordered it that our well-being and our well-doing are linked together.” – JC Ryle

Is there a greater comfort in this life than knowing we are secure in Christ?  I know of no such comfort!  And that is how observing this law is liberating for the believer, because as we are pursuing purity … pursuing holiness; particularly in this area of sexual purity of mind and body.  As we do that, we have a clear conscience before God, assured by the Holy Spirit.  1 John 3:21; Romans 13:5

So here do we go from here?  If you aren’t pursuing holiness, Christian, resolve afresh to chase hard after a holy life.  Or we might say, a Spirit-led life.  A life abiding in Christ.  John 15:4-5.  Abide in Christ, believer, Jesus said that if you abide in Him and Him in you that you will bear much fruit.  That will be fruit of holiness I assure you!

Do you want to attain holiness?  Are you lost?  Do you need Christ?  I assure you that if you are lost, then you certainly DO need Christ!  Along with a deep conviction of our sin comes a deep desire to be cleansed of it; that is true repentance.  Come to Christ, be forgiven and cleansed of all sin and be made holy in His sight by His blood.

Guest Blogger: Brian Thornton - Legalism, Discipline, & Grace

I am honored to have my friend Brian guest author this post for me.  I was edified by it, hope you will be too. Comments welcome.

I have been asked by my friend, Jason, to discuss the differences between discipline and legalism in the church and how/where grace might apply in the midst of the two. Some describe a true church as a three-legged stool consisting of the right proclamation of the word, the right administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and church discipline. Some would argue that church discipline falls under the second leg of a right administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, but really, who has ever heard of a two-legged stool? Sadly, many churches fail to properly exercise church discipline by not doing it at all. Probably (hopefully) a smaller minority fail at proper church discipline by being overbearing in their practice of it (lording it over the people). Both extreme swings of the pendulum are dangerous and unhealthy for the local body that makes up a church. I think it is also quite possible that what some consider to be church discipline is really legalism, while what others think is legalism in a church is actually nothing more than the practices of a biblical church. In both areas of confusion, misunderstanding and error, grace (and the implications of the gospel) is often sorely lacking. Let’s see if we can flesh this out a little bit.

Let’s start by defining our terms. Within the context of a local church body, what is known as church discipline can be defined as actions taken by the congregation toward a person(s) within that congregation which results in that person(s) being removed from fellowship, with the intent of bringing about repentance by the offending party and a restoration back into fellowship with the congregation. The goal of discipline within the church is always repentance and restoration. It is never punishment or retribution or control. Church discipline is, according to Scripture, the responsibility of the congregation, not the leadership. Matthew 18 makes it very clear that the final decision of removing a person from fellowship falls on the shoulders of the congregation. When church discipline is done badly or not according to Scripture, the results can be disastrous.

Legalism, quite simply, is going beyond the bounds of Scripture, or going beyond what is written, as Paul put it (1 Cor.4:6). It is requiring something that God does not require. An example would be the church leadership telling a person in the church they are not saved and going to hell because of the types of clothes they wear (no joke, this truly happened to a friend of mine). This church added a dress code to the work of Jesus for salvation. That’s going beyond what is written. That’s legalism. Another (and possibly more volatile) example would be a church teaching that there is only one true and correct day to gather as a church to worship together. This may bring to mind groups like the Seventh-Day Adventists who require worship on Saturday and condemn anyone who doesn’t do likewise, but there are scores of churches and denominations that believe the same thing about Sunday being the only proper and true day for gathering together. Legalism can take many forms. It can be quite obvious or very subtle.

The paradox is that what some consider to be church discipline is really nothing more than legalism, and what others think is legalism is actually just the church being the church. For instance, we were involved at a church a few years back where the elders decided they wanted to begin having an intentional, systematic reading of Scripture in the weekly service. This would usually involve a considerable passage from both the Old and New Testaments, as well as the sermon text for that morning. The response from some was really pretty shocking, as several charged the elders with being legalistic with this new practice. While a practice like this certainly could become legalistic if it began to be somehow required or practiced in an unbiblical manner, what the elders here were trying to do was nothing more than adhere to one of the clear commands in Scripture given by Paul to the church: “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim.4:13). This was not legalism in any way, shape or form. This church was not going beyond what is written. It was simply the church trying to be the church.

Sometimes, though, what a church considers to be the practice of discipline is actually just plain old ugly legalism and heavy-handed, overbearing leadership. In another church, a young couple had missed the Easter service and had instead gone to visit the wife’s mother that weekend. The following week, the husband went to answer the door one evening and, upon opening it, came face to face with the elders of the church who were there unannounced to “discuss” the couple’s lack of devotion to the church. In another instance these same elders met with another church member to decide the fate of his membership in the church. These leaders, however well-meaning, and regardless of how much they thought they were engaging in church discipline and shepherding, were actually “lording it over” their congregation and were steeped heavily in unhealthy legalism and even spiritual abuse.

In all of these examples I have given here, I would say the one thing that was lacking was grace. The congregants complaining about the “legalistic” Scripture reading did not impart grace to their shepherds. All they knew is that this was a change in the way things had been done and they didn’t like it. And the elders of the overbearing church were not giving their sheep grace and the benefit of the doubt with respect to what they saw as actionable sin in their lives. Some of these may sound over the top to you, but think about your own interaction with other believers. Are you prone to making quick judgments that may be void of grace?  Do you tend to fail to give someone else the benefit of the doubt before making a rush to judgment? I know I do. And the times I make those types of judgments are the times I believe that I have either forgotten the gospel or am failing to apply it to the other areas of my life other than my salvation.

You see, we talk about the grace and mercy of the gospel a lot as Christians when it comes to salvation, but how much do we apply that to the rest of our lives? We have been shown much mercy and patience and longsuffering by our Creator. How much do we, in turn, exhibit grace and mercy and longsuffering to others? Because of the gospel, we have not received what we deserved. But how willing are we to impart undeserved favor and mercy to others.  Everyone to whom much has been given, of him much will be required, (Luke 12:48). How much have you been given? Are you giving to others in the way you have been given? I believe that if we would take the implications of the gospel and let them filter out into every area of our lives, then legalism would diminish, church discipline would be used only when truly needed and with much wisdom, and grace would permeate the church of Jesus Christ. To him be the glory in the church. And may we glorify him as the church by applying the grace of the gospel to every area of our life, not just to our salvation.

Pastor's Bookshelf: By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me by Sinclair Ferguson

We sing about it.  We recite it.  We are saved by it alone.  We know it.  But how often do we take it for granted?  I'm speaking of course about God's Grace.  A foundational and wonderful truth about the One True God of this world is that He has elected to make known His grace to us... us... unworthy sinful fallen people.  God owes us no mercy, no grace... no salvation; nothing but wrath and justice.  Yet by His grace we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son.

Sinclair Ferguson takes you to the Bible to bring out what Scripture reveals about God's grace.  How amazing God's grace is in salvation and every day life.  How God's grace upholds the salvation of all believers and how God's grace is truly all sufficient. 

From beginning to end I loved this book.  It seemed to begin a bit slow, but by chapter two I was enthralled.  I know personally that I tend to take God's Grace for granted in my life.  Lord forgive me for ever presuming upon or forgetting the power of your grace extended to me through your Son, Jesus Christ.  If you don't own this, order it now.  You can pick it up at Ligonier.org or from Amazon.com.

Two of my favorite quotes from the book:  "No therapist, no psychiatrist can relieve you of guilt.  He or she may help you to resolve feelings of false guilt that can arise for a variety of reasons.  Prescription drugs may provide certain kinds of ease.  But no therapy, no course of drugs, can deliver you from real guilt.  Why?  Because being guilty is not a medical condition or a chemical disorder.  It is a spiritual reality.  It concerns your standing before God.  The psychiatrist cannot forgive you; the therapist cannot absolve you; the counselor cannot pardon you.  But the message of the Gospel is this: God can forgive you, and He is willing to do so." (pg. 57)

" Until we acknowledge our sin and guilt, we will never come to discover that it can be forgiven.  But when we do, actual forgiveness begins to give rise to an awareness of forgiveness psychologically, spiritually, mentally, inwardly.  With that comes an increasing sense that the bondage of guilt has been broken.  At last, we are set free.  Wonder of wonders, we discover that at the very heart of the Gospel is this fact:  God has taken our guilt upon Himself in His Son Jesus Christ." (pg. 58)

**I received a free copy of this book from Reformation Trust Publishing for review; but was in no way obligated to give a positive review.