What Should Christians Do?

Should I drink alcohol?

Should I watch TV?

Should I listen to secular music?

Should I let my children play video games?

Should I only eat organic food?

Should I read the NIV or only use the King James Bible?

Is it okay for Christians to date, or should we use courtship instead?

These are just some of the questions Christians are asking these days. And, as you can probably guess, the answers are not going to be found in the Bible.

So what should Christians do when they encounter a problem that isn’t spelled out for us in the Scriptures?

The Apostle Paul has the answer for us in 1 Corinthians 8.

“Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that ‘we all have knowledge’ about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

“So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, there is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

“However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

“But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.”

~ 1 Corinthians 8  

Now I’m going to assume that idol worship is not an issue in your life—but it may be, depending on your culture. That being said, the principle here remains the same.

We have freedom in Christ. So if something is not listed as openly sinful in the Bible, then it probably isn’t. However, if you personally feel that God wants you to live a certain way, or wants you to abstain from certain activities, then do what ever you feel He has called you to do. You have that freedom as well.

But we should all be considerate of one another, lest we cause a brother or sister to sin against their conscience. (1 Corinthians 8:9-13, Romans 14:13) And above all, we should remember not to judge others based on our own standards. If they love Jesus, then that is enough. Let God judge their actions.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

~ Matthew 7:1-5 

Know your Enemy.

If you were raised in the church or simply grew up in a “Christian” nation, then you have probably heard the term: “God never changes.” And this is true. According to the Bible God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) But I would also submit to you that Satan does not change either. He does adapt with the times—the delivery methods of temptation do change—but his underlying motivation does not.

According to Ezekiel 28:15-19, the sin that caused Satan to fall was his pride and a belief that he, a created being, could—and indeed should—become God. This desire to be worshiped is further exemplified in Matthew 4:9 when Satan tempted Jesus.

Becoming God is Satan’s ultimate motivation. It is also his trademark—a “Calling Card” if you will. If Satan cannot become God, then he will do everything in his power to make himself either equal to, or more powerful than God; or to convince man that he himself can become God.

A good example of this can be found in eastern religion. Many eastern concepts focus on uncovering one's own devine nature and ascending to a state of oneness with the devine cosmos. Furthermore, the concept of Ying and Yang is the absence of any absolutes. There is good in evil and evil in good. Ergo, Satan and God are equal—if not one and the same.

And of course, Satan wants to eliminate God altogether if he can. If God is good and you remove God from the equation, then you are left with nothing but evil. Therefore Satan replaces God. If God does not exist, then there is no standard for what is good, and no justice for what is evil. 

People cannot deny the existence of evil—we hate it. Yet many try to deny the existence of the very God who says He will judge evil and punish all wickedness. (Ecclesiastes 12:14, Proverbs 11:21, Isaiah 13:11, etc.)

But perhaps the Devil’s most cunning scheme of all is that of the Conspiracy Theory. He uses the speculation of End Times Prophecy to distract Christians, misleading them with rumors and theories until they are more obsessed with discovering the identity of the Antichrist than they are with Christ himself. Eventually they forget about God and succumb to the belief that Satan is the one in control, even though the Bible clearly teaches that God alone wields absolute authority. (Job 1-42, Revelation 1-22) So, once again, Satan’s agenda is to claim God’s power and authority for himself.

In light of this, we can clearly see that Satan’s underlying motivation hasn’t changed much in the last 6,000 years. He still wants to usurp God and kill, steal, and destroy anything God holds dear. (John 10:10)  His motives haven’t changed, and neither has his vocabulary. 

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

~ Genesis 3:4-5 New King James Version (NKJV)

This is one of the most well-know passages in the Bible, where Satan tempts Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Notice how Satan used the promise of being like God to tempt Eve—again, hearkening back to his original sin. (Even at this early point in history, Satan was still trying to usurp God.) Furthermore, this passage is where the Devil first uses the phrase: “Surely you will not die.”

Surely. That is the key word to remember.

I have heard this word used by multiple individuals from a variety of backgrounds over the years. But what's interesting to me is that almost every conversation revolved around the same topic: God’s judgment of sin. “Surely God would not punish people” sounds an awful lot like, “You will not surely die.” But if God didn't even spare the angels who sinned, then why should He spare any of us, when the Bible clearly says that everyone has sinned? (2 Peter 2:4, Romans 3:23)

The Bible says that Satan is the “father of lies” and the “god of this world”, and that he has blinded the eyes of the masses. (John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 4:4) However he is a defeated enemy—Jesus crushed Satan’s head when he rose from the grave. (Genesis 3:15) Furthermore, Jesus has freed us from sin and the condemnation we deserve for participating in it. (Romans 8:1-4) 

Yes, Satan has been defeated. But he is still dangerous. He is a wounded beast—a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) And you never know what a wounded beast is capable of. We can see Satan's handiwork and the trademarks that give him away—he will always try to make himself equal to, or greater than God. But we all need to be cautious. Satan will try to destroy us if he can. But ultimately God will destroy him. 

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

~ Romans 16:20  New Living Translation (NLT)

* See also:     The Answer to Atheism: Part 5
              
              

Jesus Wasn’t Really Killed.

Now before you go writing me off, please hear me out. Jesus did die on the cross. He was buried, and He did rise again. However, if you look at what the Bible says, Jesus was not actually killed. He did die for the sins of the world. But He died of his own accord. He gave up his life. No one took it from him. Ergo, Jesus was not killed. Read with me, if you will, John 10:17-18 and Luke 23:44-46 

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” 

~John 10:17-18 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis Added]

“By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!’ And with those words he breathed his last.”

~Luke 23:44-46 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis Added]

No one took Jesus’ life. Not the Jews. Not the Roman executioners. No one. He laid down his life voluntarily for us, and he took it back again when he rose from the dead.

Also, I want you to notice that the Bible says Jesus is the one who had authority to lay down his live and to take it up again. (John 2:18-22, 10:17-18) 

Now if the Bible is to be believed, then according to Jesus, he raised himself from the dead. When you compare this claim to what is said in verses like Acts 2:24 and Romans 8:11, the only logical conclusion is that Jesus and God are one and the same. Which is exactly what Jesus said in John 10:30.

Jesus died extremely fast for a crucifixion victim. The Bible tells us that the Roman guards were so skeptical that they decided to make sure he was dead by stabbing him in the chest with a spear. (John 19:34) But Jesus had already given up his spirit.

No one killed Jesus. He gave up his life on his own. Paying our debt once and for all, so that we could be made right with God.

"Excuse me, but do you know that you're going to hell?"

We’ve all experienced this scenario before: A professed Christian, on fire with holy zeal, walks up to you and says, “Excuse me, but do you know that you’re going to hell?”

The person usually means well enough, of course. Many Christians might even see this as an act of love. But most people interpret it as a scare-tactic meant to terrify the weak-minded into converting. And it has been my own  experience that the very mention of hell and God’s judgment of sin is usually more than enough to put even the best conversationalist on the defensive.

     That being said, I do believe that there is a right way of presenting the truth about hell and God's judgment, and that is to bookend God's righteous judgment of sin with His offer of salvation by grace through Jesus Christ. To offer any other means of salvation aside from God's undeserved grace is to preach a gospel other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. (I cover this in greater detail in the article entitled: The Call to Repent)

Now I realize that you may have a different opinion about this than I do, but I personally believe that we who profess to follow Christ should avoid condemning the world of sin in the public arena on the grounds that it generally pushes people away from Jesus and paints Christians in a negative light. No one likes to be told that what they believe is wrong, that they’re a sinner, and that they’re going to hell. I don’t like it when people I’ve never met condemn me, and I’m sure you don’t either. Even though it is true that everyone has sinned and is guilty before God, the Bible tells us to win people over through our actions and life testimony, and to be respectful of others when answering their objections to the truth. (1 Peter 2:12, 3:15-16, 1 John 3:18-20)

Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that it is not our job to convict the world. That responsibility belongs to God and God alone.

“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate (The Holy Spirit) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.”

~ John 16:5-11 New Living Translation (NLT)

When we force ourselves into someone’s personal space—whether that is going door-to-door or preaching at them from the street corner—we are, in essence, trying to do God’s job for Him. But it is not our place to play judge, jury, and executioner. God will judge the world. Not us. (Acts 17:20-31, Psalms 9, etc.) And when we go around pointing out the sins of strangers without first recognizing and repenting from the sins in our own lives, we make ourselves hypocrites before both God and men. (Matthew 7:1-5)

God will convict the world. Not us. He is already doing it. People are looking for answers and meaning in their lives. Most turn to religion; whether that is Buddhism, Atheism, Humanism, or any other religion from among the plethora of religions out there—people will always seek to fill the void they feel in their souls with something. 

They are asking questions. 

They want to know why they’re here, where they came from, and where they’re going. 

Is there life after death? 

Is there any meaning to our existence?

God is moving in their hearts, revealing Himself to them through all that He has made, and convicting them of their own sinful condition. (Romans 1:20, John 16:5-11)

It is not our job to condemn the world. 

It is not our job to convict the world of sin. 

Our job is to answer these questions when asked—to tell people the good news about Jesus and show them that there is life, liberty, and hope through him.

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My (Jesus) purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

~ John 10:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

~ John 3:16-17 New Living Translation (NLT)

* See also: The Answer to Atheism: Part 5

                                                         The Call to Repent

God of Wrath, or God of Mercy?

One of the biggest mistakes people make regarding Christianity, is when they group the Old and New Testaments together without any understanding of the significance of the two. This simple oversight is what gives rise to many of the so-called contradictions we see between the God of the Old Testament, and the God of the New Testament. 

One is a God of wrath and vengeance; raining down death and judgment. 

The other is merciful and patient; the giver of everlasting life.

So what is God really like? He can’t be both, can He? 

God established early on in the Old Testament that the penalty for sin is death. (Genesis 2:16-17) But Adam and Eve disobeyed God. They plunged the world into sin, and death spread to all things. (Romans 5:12) This, of course presents a problem, because God cannot look upon sin. (Habakkuk 1:13) 

Furthermore, if any sinful thing came into the presence of God, it would be instantly killed. Which is why people in the Old and New Testaments repeatedly fall to the ground and shield themselves from God whenever He speaks to them. Not even Moses, one of the most godly men who ever lived, could see God face-to-face. (Exodus 33:17-23) When we compare this fearful relationship to what we see in Genesis 1-3—when man and God could walk together in fellowship—we can clearly see how far things have digressed. 

By the time of Noah, man’s sin was so great that God regretted having ever made man. (Some translations say that God was “Grieved that He had made man.” ) Humans were pure evil. The Bible says that every intention of their heart was evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5) And so, being completely just in His hatred of evil, God wiped them out. He had given them over 1,000 years to repent, and they still rejected Him. However, God does not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous (Genesis 18:23-26) and so He spared Noah and his family. (This character trait is something we will see again and again with God throughout the Bible.)

God further exemplified His hatred of evil many years later, when He gave His Law to the Nation of Israel through the prophet Moses. (The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) But the Law was only a temporary solution; an imperfect system designed to show us how far we had fallen, and to provide us with some protection against God’s judgment through animal sacrifice. However, there was no guarantee that God would even accept the people’s sacrifices when offered. They could still offer them. But if the people were not truly repentant—following the Law religiously without actually turning from their sins—God could reject their sacrifice. Over time the Law became very one-sided and religious; not the intimate, personal relationship God intended for us. 

After the death of Moses, God lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan, where He then used them to enact His judgment upon the wickedness of the people living in the land. As with the people of Noah’s day, God had given the Canaanites 400 years to repent. (Genesis 15:13-16) But they refused. 

And so, at last, the Day of Judgment came. The Israelites were ordered to drive out the people of Canaan and to take possession of the land. However, God warned the Israelites that if they broke His law and began living like the nations around them, He would use other nations to do to Israel what they had done to the Canaanites.  (Deuteronomy 8)

This is inevitably what happened. God pleaded with Israel to repent and turn to Him; to choose life. But the Israelites chose to abandon God instead. And so in 586 BC, God handed Israel over to king Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. 

But God had promised that He would never abandon Israel. (1 Kings 6:13)

In Babylon, the people remembered God. They repented and turned from their sins. So God brought them out of captivity. The Jews rebuilt Jerusalem and vowed to always serve God and to obey all of His Laws. (Nehemiah 9:38)

This was the last recorded event of the Old Testament. It would be another 400 years before the events of the New Testament came to pass. 

During this time the Jews became extremely legalistic in their religion. The Pharisees and Sadducees came to power and abused God’s Law; using God's commandments to manipulate the people and secure their positions as the political and spiritual rulers of Israel. 

And then came Jesus—that upstart from Nazareth—with his ideas of mercy, and kindness; destroying 400 years of tradition, legalism, and fear all in the span of just three years. 

This is the point that is most often missed by biblical skeptics. The arrival of God’s Chosen Messiah—the one who’s coming was foretold in Genesis 3:15— changed everything.

No one could ever hope to meet every requirement of the Old Law, and the animal sacrifices only provided a temporary solution for sin. That’s why God’s judgment was so swift in the Old Testament—considering the fact that He still gave people hundreds, if not thousands of years to repent and turn back to Him. 

But Jesus did away with the Old Law. (Romans 7, 8:1-16, Hebrews 8-10) We don't have to struggle to follow the Law and offer endless sacrifices in the hope that God might forgive us. He already did. 

Our sins were transferred to Jesus when he died on the cross. He died to pay the price for our sins, now and forever. We don't need priests to intermediate between us and God. Jesus is our High Priest forever and we are now the adopted children of God. We don't need to go through another person to speak to our Father. (Hebrews 4:14-16, Romans 8:15)

The purpose of the Old Testament was to show us how far we had fallen and to encourage us with the promise that one day God would send a deliverer who would fulfill the requirements of the Law and restore our relationship with Him. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus.

So does that mean God has changed? Is He no longer a God of wrath? 

Not at all. 

All this means is that God has given us the opportunity to be saved from what is to come. God cannot abide evil. He will judge the world. But He is being patient for our sake, because He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. He wants everyone to be saved. (2 Peter 3:9)

Jesus is like a lifeboat. The world—the entire universe in fact—is a ship. 

The ship is broken and sinking. But God has provided a way to escape. 

We are living in a “Grace Period.” God will save anyone who is willing to turn to Him. But eventually the last lifeboat will be full. And when that happens, God will judge the world. He has held off for 2,000 years, but the signs of His Return are all around us. (Matthew 24:3-14) 

So then, is God a God of Wrath or a God of Mercy? 

The truth is: He is both. 

He is completely just and will punish all evil. But He is also merciful and has provided the entire world with one last chance to escape the coming judgement. All that He requires is that you put your faith and hope in Jesus Christ and follow Him.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

~ Romans 6:23 New Living Translation (NLT)

“I (Jesus) tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

~ John 5:24  New Living Translation (NLT)          

Context is King.

We live in an information age. The invention of the Internet in the 1990’s has made it so that anyone can find information on virtually any topic with the click of a mouse. Unfortunately, this also means that it has become far easier for people to lie and deceive each other. This is especially true whenever the Bible is involved.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have seen Bible verses used out of context to either justify something that is contrary to God, or to discredit and insult God, His word, and those who follow him.  

            This is why it is so important to view things in context. If there is a Bible verse quoted, read the entire passage—the verses before and after it. If it still doesn’t make sense, then look at the cultural and historic context and cross reference the passage with other verses. Don’t base your opinions on something you read on Facebook. Look into it for yourself before you jump to conclusions. Just because sometihng is popular on the Internet doesn't mean it's true. We need to be cautious. (Matthew 24)

In short: Context is King. A verse taken out of context can be used to justify virtually anything—any doctrine or theology that suits your fancy. Unless you want to be deceived, I would encourage each and every one of you to think for yourselves concerning these things. The Internet is a great tool, but it is hardly foolproof. There are many people out there who hate God and seek to destroy Christianity by any means necessary. They are quick to condemn evil and point out the flaws that make Christians human. But I would challenge them to find fault with Jesus Christ himself. He is the one they find so offensive after all. 

If you pride yourself in your wisdom, then take to heart what I’ve said—think for yourself. But if you don’t believe me and still think of Christianity as the enemy of free thought; then I would encourage you to read some of what the Bible has to say about believing whatever you're told without question. You may be surprised to learn that God’s Word actually commends people for being open-minded. (Acts 17:11)