Myth-Buster Series: God Cannot Be All-Powerful AND Completely Good (Problem of Evil)

An unbeliever may say: "If God is all-powerful and all good, then why do bad things happen? Either God is all-powerful and doesn't care enough to stop them from happening, or He does care and is unable to stop evil, or He just doesn't exist at all."

Certainly no one denies the presence of evil in the world. Christians acknowledge that terrible things happen
every day. But how do we account for evil and still maintain God's power and goodness?

We Brought it on Ourselves

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12)

The simple answer to the question of why bad things happen in the world is: it's OUR fault. No one can say  they are not part of the problem because everyone has sinned and turned away from God; no one even seeks God (Romans 3:10-18). We are responsible for the mess we're in. It is because of our rebellion against God that we see the effects of sin and death in the world today.

For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a)
God tells us plainly, just like He told Adam in the Garden (Genesis 2:15-17), that death is the just consequence for sin. From our perspective, death seems like a "bad" thing. We don't like it. It's not pleasant to see loved ones die and it doesn't seem pleasant to die ourselves. Death is, indeed, a very sad thing. But when we look at sin through the lens of God's justice, we see that death is "good" in the sense that God's judgment is always right and fair. We may not like to admit it, but we all experience suffering and death because we DESERVE it. However, even though God is a good judge for punishing sin, that does NOT mean He enjoys doing it. On the contrary, God tells us that He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, even the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 30-32). He urges people to repent from their sins so that they will live, rather than remain in their sin and die. The very fact that God offers us an alternative to death tells us that God is more than fair with us.

Even Though We Have Sinned, God is Gracious

We are all wicked sinners who have earned a death sentence because of our treason against the perfect and holy God, yet He shows us grace! As condemned people, every breath we breathe is one more than we deserve. Remember, God told Adam plainly: "If you eat the fruit of this tree, you will die." As soon as Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he opened himself to receive judgment. God would have been just and fair to carry out Adam and Eve's punishment that very day. Although they were expelled from the Garden and came under the curse of sin from that time on (Genesis 3:16-19), Adam and Eve did not die until many years later. Once they had sinned, every day after that was a gift from God and stands as a testimony to His patience and grace.

Not only did God grant mankind some extra time before executing justice, but He also gave them the promise of a Savior who would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15) and then He performed the first animal sacrifice to indicate how this Savior would atone for their sin (Genesis 3:21). Contrary to what most people think, doing "good deeds" doesn't make up for our sin (Isaiah 64:6). Yes, God has given us His law so that we might know what is right, but it only shows us our sin; it doesn't fix the problem (Romans 3:20). Death is the penalty for sin. Therefore, only a death can make anyone's sin right.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

The ultimate display of God's grace toward sinners is when He DIED on their behalf. It's one thing to give a criminal on death row some extra time before his sentence is carried out. We might even be willing to grant one last request. But it's almost unthinkable to suppose that a completely innocent person would willingly take the punishment on himself so that the criminal could go free. Such is God's immeasurable grace toward a wayward people! In light of this truth, God commands us to give up our sinful ways and put our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus so that we may have eternal life instead of eternal death (John 3:16).

To complain or protest about the "bad stuff" that happens in life is to forget man's wretchedness and God's holiness and grace. Given our sin against our Creator, we don't even deserve to wake up each morning. We are all on borrowed time. Whenever something "bad" happens to us, we should remember that it's only by God's grace we are not dead yet. Why do bad things happen? That's easy: because we've sinned! We shouldn't even be alive right now! The better question is: Why does anything good happen at all to sinners like us? The answer is marvelous: because God's grace is so great that He can show immeasurable patience and love to people who deserve only His wrath. Behold God's goodness and repent from your sin, trust in the power of Jesus' sacrifice to cover everything you've ever done wrong (past, present, and future), and live!

Myth-Buster Series: Is Jesus Just a Copy of Pagan Deities?

Internet sites and movies, such as Zeitgeist, have recently served to perpetuate an old idea that the story of Jesus was influenced by similar ancient myths of pagan gods/heroes. This theory first started circulating in the 1800's and was expressed, perhaps most notably, in Sir James George Frazer's work, The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion. Even though this notion has been repeatedly refuted by other scholars since it first emerged (i.e. Adolf von Harnack) until now (i.e. Dr. Edwin Yamauchi; T. N. D. Mettinger), it continues to circulate. (It is significant to note that many of the scholars who have refuted this idea are not sympathetic to the Christian worldview.)

Since many people still bring up this old argument, it is wise for Christians to be prepared to face it. So what kind of evidence to the proponents of this view use? For the most part: parallels. The seek to emphasize the similarities between Jesus and ancient figures such as Horus, Mithras, Dionysus, Adonis, Krishna, Attis, etc. which include:
-"Virgin" Births (on December 25th)
-"Infant Massacres" in the land at the time of their births
-Visited by "3 Kings"
-Attended by "Shepherds"
-Became a prodigy child teacher at age 12
-Had 12 disciples
-"Died" (some even crucified)
-"Resurrected" 3 days later

The claim, then, is that the New Testament writers must have borrowed from these other accounts since there are so many similarities between them. So they say. But does this idea hold up if we look at what the Bible says about Jesus and compare it to what the other ancients said about their own deities?

People who hold to the "Copy Cat Jesus" theory tend to focus on the supposed parallels (many of which are stretched or simply made up) between Christianity and the surrounding pagan religions, but neglect the vast differences. When we look at the New Testament (which is easy to do, since Christians actually wrote down their beliefs in an organized manner) we find that the Christian faith is drastically different from pagan mythologies in many respects, particularly in its exclusive nature and commitment to history.

Christianity is Exclusive
Monotheism (belief in only one divine being) is a unique aspect of Christianity. The only other religions which come close to resembling Christianity in this way are Judaism (which DOES serve as a foundation for Christianity) and Islam. All three of these religions are based in the Old Testament where we find verses stating that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4) and that there are no other gods besides Him (Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6-8). This view of God differed significantly from Israel's pagan neighbors who were marked by their religious syncretism (merging religions together). We see this in 1 Samuel 4 & 5 when the Philistines capture the Ark of God and try to add it to the other gods in their own temple. Conversely, God commands the Israelites to make a distinction; He does not allow them to worship BOTH Him and other gods (1 Kings 18:21). Ultimately, God brings judgment against Israel for adopting the inclusive view of the other nations and worshiping their gods (Jeremiah 1:16).

The New Testament continues this theme of worshiping God to the exclusion of everything else. In fact, it is repeated over and over that there is only one God and only one way to God: through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5-6). Furthermore, the insistence upon the singular and precise nature of God is a key motivating factor for Paul's missionary journeys. He believes that he is right and all of the other religions are wrong. Therefore, they must be corrected. In Acts 17 when Paul is in Athens, we again see Paul's monotheism contrasted with the syncretism of Greeks who have altars and shrines erected to as many gods as they can think of. And just in case they might have missed one, they have an altar set up to "an unknown god." Paul uses this opportunity to proclaim to them the truth about the One True God and admonishes the Greeks for believing that God could be like a created thing (v. 29). Notice that the Greeks don't start mocking Paul until after he references Jesus and the RESURRECTION (v. 31-32). If the idea of "dying and rising gods" was so prevalent in the ancient world then this reaction from the Athenians doesn't make any sense, especially since they were very religious and would have been familiar with most of the beliefs and practices around the known world.

Christianity is Historical
The Christian faith is also unique in that it is inescapably linked to historical events that took place in real time. The Apostle Paul does not hesitate to admit that if Jesus has not, in fact, risen from the dead, then Christians are believing in vain and are to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:12-15). Thus we see an unparalleled commitment by the New Testament writers to accurately record and affirm the historical details of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Luke's stated intentions in his gospel is to write an orderly account based on the testimony of eyewitnesses so his reader may be certain that what he is reporting is true (Luke 1:1-4). In his second epistle, Peter purposefully distinguishes the message of the Apostles from "cleverly devised myths" by pointing to his own eyewitness account of seeing Jesus transfigured on the mountain and by explaining how prophecy is from God, not the invention of man (2 Peter 1:16-21).

Pagan myths, on the other hand, are disinterested in history. In his book*, John N. Oswalt explains that myths aim to represent broad concepts like natural forces and cycles in an attempt to mirror the ideal world where the gods live, which is separate from the physical world where humans live. The stories of heroes are not meant to be taken as particular individuals who lived at a particular time. Rather, a mythic hero is a symbol, removed from the constraints of time and space to represent an ethnic group. The story is timeless. It's not about what happened in the past; it is the story of what happens every year (cyclical). The purpose of retelling or reenacting that story is to connect with the ideal world so that the events of the story will play out in the physical world. Pagan myths were not valued in terms of their historical merit, but by their perceived ability to represent the ideal world of the divine. Too many specifics limit the scope of the myth and don't leave enough open to interpretation.

However, the story of Jesus is significant for Christians because it IS particular. He’s the one and only Son of God who came at a certain time and place to fulfill prophecy. He came to do what only He could do: live a perfect life, die for the sins of humans, rise again from the dead to break the power of death, all to save His people from sin and death and restore them to Himself. He died once for all, never to be repeated again (Hebrews 9:27-28). While Christians benefit from what Jesus did, they do not participate in the story; it has already occurred. It is finished! (John 19:30)

We don’t tell His story to manipulate events in our world (i.e. agriculture or fertility). We proclaim the Gospel, to tell people about what God has actually done in history. We call people to repent from real sins and put their faith in the real Jesus Christ who is a real man (though fully God) who died a real death on a real, Roman cross to save real humans from real sin and real hell so that they can be with the real God forever. We tell the story because people need to know who Jesus really was and what He really did so that they can properly respond. Telling or reenacting the story doesn’t make it more “true” for us. It’s true because it actually happened.

These two distinctions of Christianity, its exclusivity and historicity, are essential to understanding the difference between the worldview of the New Testament writers and the pagan religions of the first century. However, there is much more ground to cover in order to fully address the "Copy Cat Jesus Myth. If you are interested in a more detailed analysis of how Jesus Christ actually looks nothing like these pagan deities, you can refer to the resources below:

YouTube videos:

-Mary Jo Sharp

-Dr. Mark Foreman

Articles:

-Easter: Myth, Hallucination, or History? by Dr. Edwin Yamauchi

-Defending the New Testament Jesus by Lee Strobel

Books:

-Pre-Christian Gnosticism: A Survey of the Proposed Evidences by Dr. Edwin Yamauchi

-*The Bible among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? by John N. Oswalt

-The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

As you can see, there is a wealth of information to refute this particular myth.

Myth-Buster Series: Prayer Doesn't Work?

Someone once told me that prayer does not work. She said that she had asked God to heal someone she loved who was sick, but this person died anyway. Many people have similar stories of times when they went to God about something important to them, but He did not do what they asked. Does this mean that prayer does not work or that God does not care?

There’s an assumption being made here that goes something like this: "If God is real and He cares about us, then it would only make sense that He would give us what we ask, at least most of the time." But this is a human-centered, self-serving view of God and prayer. We often see God as the means to our ends. Prayer, we suppose, is the way to access His power and bring it to bear on the problem or issue we're facing. But there’s a problem with this mindset because it contradicts what we read about God in Scripture:

"[A]ll the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?” - Daniel 4:35

The Bible tells us that God is sovereign, meaning He alone is in control and has all of the means and authority to do whatever He wants, whenever He wants. It is His will, His agenda, that is carried out, not man's. Surely if this is who God is, He has the right to say “No” whenever He wants. It may not suit our desires or preferences, but "No" is a perfectly valid answer. If God had to do everything we ask of Him, who would really be in control?

As children, we have to deal with "No" when it comes from our parents. Even caring, loving parents say, "No" to their children out of a desire to do what is best for them. Just like earthly fathers, God also says "Yes" at times, but He is under no obligation to do so! He has the prerogative to say, "Yes," "No," or "Not now," whenever He deems it appropriate. Just because God says “No” does not mean He is not real (or does not care) and just because He does not always explain Himself does not mean His decisions are without reason. 

When we go to God in prayer, we must drop any attitude of entitlement. God made us and gave us life, but we rebel against Him every day. We all deserve death for this treason, but while we were still sinners, He sent the Son, Jesus Christ to die for the unrighteous (Romans 5:8) and promises eternal life to all who repent from sin and put their trust in Jesus (Mark 1:15; John 3:16). For some reason, we need to be constantly reminded that we owe God everything, He owes us nothing, and yet He keeps giving!

In addition to God's sovereignty, Scripture also describes God's immutability, which means He does not change. Since God is completely perfect and has always been perfect, He has no need to grow, learn, or change in any way. Thus, it should not surprise us to learn that God never changes His mind (Numbers 23:19). However, we might start to wonder, "If God never changes His mind, why do we bother to pray?" Again, if we approach prayer with the idea that we can somehow get God to do what WE want, then we've missed something very important. We must remember that's not the way that Jesus taught us to pray:

"Pray then like this:
'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.'" - Matthew 6:9-10

Prayer is about bending our will to God's will, not the other way around. We are to pray for HIS will to be done, not ours. We are to pray for HIS kingdom to rule over the earth, not ours. Our goal is to pray for God's agenda to succeed rather than ours. Again, some may ask, "If God is sovereign and does as He pleases anyway, why do we need to pray for God to do His own will?" Obviously, God does not need us to pray to do what He wants. However, even though He can accomplish His will however He wants, God lets us be part of the process. Prayer is about how God gets us on board with His plan as He works in us to change our desires so that they look more and more like His desires (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

As our desires change, what we ask of God also changes. In the Lord's prayer, Jesus instructs us to ask God for what we need, "our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11) even though He says in verse 8 that “your Father knows what you need before you ask.” Again, we might ask, "What's the point?" Clearly, prayer is not about informing God of our needs or wants; He already knows everything. Rather, prayer is about acknowledging our dependence on God. When we pray for something, we are admitting that we cannot do it without God. Prayer makes us more aware of just how much we need God and how great and awesome He is. Through this process, we experience a deeper relationship with Him and He is glorified (John 14:13).

Also, when we realize that God already knows everything, we are free to pray whatever is on our heart. We cannot hide anything from God, so we might as well be real with Him. Even when we are in a bad mood, we can be honest with God. We can admit to Him that we know our hearts are not in the right place and then ask Him to help us adjust our attitudes.

When we pray in this way, we acknowledge that we are the ones who need to change, not God. Prayer is not a system that can be worked to get what we want; we cannot manipulate God. But when we stop asking God to do us favors and start asking Him to make us more like Jesus, we are praying according to His plan rather than ours (Romans 8:28-29). Prayer only "works" when we desire God more than the things He can give us. So the next time you pray, try to pay more attention to what God does IN you rather than FOR you.

For more insights on prayer, you can read or listen to a sermon by John Piper here.

Myth-Buster Series: Does Science Disprove God?

"There's no such thing as God," someone may claim. When asked how they know this to be true, the answer is often a simple, one-word answer: "Science!"* Game over. Issue settled. What can we say, right? If that's what "science" says then there's no need for further discussion . . . or is there?

If you ever find yourself in a position like this, you have three choices: 1.) You can drop the matter and retreat with your tail between your legs 2.) You can start firing off theistic, scientific arguments related to creation or intelligent design or 3.) You can challenge the underlying assumptions using the truth of God's Word. (Yes, there are also several, less-civilized options you could employ involving punching and/or name-calling, but I'm assuming you care - at least a little bit - about preserving your Christian witness.)

So how do we "challenge assumptions"? In theory, it's simple: you ask questions. But there's an art to it. You want to ask good questions that get a person to think about things they normally take for granted. In this case, a question like, "What do you mean by 'science'?" would be a great place to start.

Many people do not realize that "science" has become a loaded term. It doesn't merely refer to the scientific method anymore - the process of making observations, stating a question/problem, forming a hypothesis, testing it through experiments, analyzing the data, and coming to a conclusion. Rather, today, the word "science" has morphed to include naturalism - the philosophical belief that everything arises from physical properties and causes while excluding and discounting any and all supernatural explanations. However, naturalism has nothing to do with science. In fact, it's quite unscientific in that it rules out a whole spectrum of possibilities before the process even begins. But since many (though not all) scientists come from a naturalistic mindset, their assumptions have been grafted into the discipline itself. Ironically, such scientists are displaying their own faith-commitments with these assumptions despite their condemnation of the "faith-based" nature of other "religions".

But even if we just stick to the scientific method itself without accusing anyone of imposing their own beliefs
on it, we find that the whole system itself relies on MANY assumptions which we can challenge by asking questions. Consider the following:

1.) Assumption: The very name, "science" comes from the Latin word for "knowledge" which assumes that truth exists and it is possible to know it.
Question: How do we know that truth exists in the first place?

2.) Assumption: Science is based entirely upon human observation which assumes truth can be known through our senses.
Question: Why do we assume that our senses are reliable?

3.) Assumption: When we use experiments to test a hypothesis, we assume that we can use the laws of logic to tell the difference between "true" and "false."
Question: How do we know we can trust these laws to give us truth?

4.) Assumption: When we make predictions about the future based on past experiments, we assume the laws of nature won't change and that future will be like the past (known as "uniformity of nature").
Question: How do we know the future will be like the past?

How can anyone answer these kinds of questions? If the person in our example wants to stick to the mantra, "Science!" they have a bit  of a problem. The scientific method cannot account for the concepts of truth, knowledge, the laws of logic, or uniformity of nature because they are preexisting conditions, which means they must already be in place for it to work. To use science to explain where things like truth and knowledge come from would actually involve committing a logical fallacy called begging the question (a form of circular reasoning) which means to assume as true what you are trying to prove as true. It's like when you use a word in it's own definition. So if science can't answer this question for us, where do we turn?

Well, naturalism can't help us here because truth, knowledge, logic, etc. are abstract (nonphysical) concepts. How can we get the notion of truth from matter and energy? Can you measure logic in terms of mass or volume? Does knowledge give off light or heat? Of course not. Yet, the very same naturalist who says that everything has a physical cause will use these nonphysical principles in his scientific research even though he cannot adequately explain their existence.

With good questions, we can point out the inconsistencies that arise when we try to take God out of the picture. Then, if we get the opportunity, we can show how God's Word tells us where truth, knowledge and logic come from: “in [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3) Any kind of knowledge or understanding we have about the world comes from God because He is the creator and source of all things visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). God owns the universe and everything in it, including science and all of the laws upon which it rests (Psalm 24:1).

Does that mean only Christians are able to do science? Clearly not. Every day, unbelievers live in God's world and borrow from the laws He put in place all the while denying His existence. For a time, God graciously allows people to live in His world, study it, and unlock its mysteries even though they don't give Him any credit or praise for creating it in the first place. But that isn't to say He does not eventually take just action against them:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:18-21)

God has made Himself clearly known to us through what He has made (Psalm 19:1-2). The unbeliever's problem is not a lack of scientific evidence (there's plenty!), but it is the sinful rebellion against God that prevents him from acknowledging his Maker. Thus, the denial of God's existence is not based in intelligence or science, but in foolishness:

                                     “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God."
                                          They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
                                          there is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1)

In conclusion, real science (i.e. the scientific method) does not disprove God, but it relies on nonphysical principles which can only be explained by God's existence. Science, in it's pure form, leads us to a deeper understanding of God through what He has made. We must not allow the faith-based assumptions of naturalists cloud the notion of what is "scientific" and what is not. They cannot account for truth, knowledge, and logic, but Christians can. Therefore, we must not avoid or shy away from science because of "anti-God" stigmas. Rather, we should use good questions to challenge faulty assumptions and reveal the foolishness of denying the God who has made Himself clearly known through His creation. Our ultimate goal is not to win arguments, but to gently and lovingly lead people to a knowledge of the truth in the hope that God will grant them repentance from their sin as well as faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

*I recognize that many people take a much more sophisticated approach to arguing against the existence of God than the example given in this post, but since I have found it to be a common line of dialogue I thought it would serve as a good starting point.

Myth-Buster Series: "Does God get angry with me when I sin?" - God's Judgment vs. God's Discipline

Many Christians seem to deal with unnecessary shame, guilt, fear, doubt, depression, and despair because they confuse God's judgment with God's discipline. Contrary to what some may think, Christians are NOT perfect. They make mistakes and still struggle with sin even though they have been saved. Sometimes they are tempted to think that God is angry with them or that they have let God down because of something they have done. They might fear that God is judging them or that He has left them. But what does the Bible actually say about God's judgment and how He deals with Christians?

First of all, it's important to note that God does indeed hate sin (Proverbs 6:16-19; Psalm 5:4-6) and will punish every act of disobedience before all is said and done (Romans 2:5-8). The uncomfortable and unpleasant truth is that hell is real and some people will experience God's wrath and judgment there. Until that time, God's judgment on unbelieving people looks like Romans 1:18-32 where the Apostle Paul says three times (v. 24, 26, 28) that God "gave them over" or "gave them up" to their sin. He does nothing to stop them, but instead lets them run headlong to their own destruction without feeling any sort of remorse for what they are doing.

However, even though we all deserve that fate, God demonstrated His love for His people in that while we were still sinners, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins (Romans 5:6-8). Instead of judgment, God gives grace to His people. He still punished their sin, but He punished it when Christ took it upon Himself and received the full penalty for it (God's wrath) as He hung on the cross (Isaiah 53; Hebrews 10:10-14). Here's why that is such good news:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

Christians have absolutely nothing to fear because ALL of their sin was placed on Christ (past, present, and future) and ALL of God's anger and judgment has already been poured out on Him. God no longer has any reason to be angry with His children or punish them. Jesus took all of that.

So what do we mean by God's discipline? Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “God loves you right where you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there.” Even though God loves His people enough to die for them while they were still in the midst of their sin, He has a plan to change them from sinners into saints (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1). From the time a person becomes a Christian to the time they die, God works on them. The Biblical word is “sanctify” which means to make holy, clean, or pure (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). As C. S. Lewis puts it, God is making us into little Christs. That is the ultimate goal and God will use every means necessary to move His children toward that end (Romans 8:28-29).

What does this process look like? It starts before people become Christians when the Holy Spirit first convicts them of their sin (John 16:8) and it continues after their conversion. Even after people become Christians, God continues to point out those areas of their lives that are not yet conformed to the image of Christ. God's discipline looks like that of a Father who faithfully guides His children to where He wants them to be which is where they need to be (Hebrews 12:4-11). He corrects them out of love because it is what’s best for them even though the process is uncomfortable. Christians experience an ongoing process of conviction and remorse for the sin that is still in their lives which then leads to confession, forgiveness, maturity, and an even deeper knowledge of God's love. 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 clarifies the difference between "Godly sorrow" which leads to repentance and "worldly sorrow" which leads to death. While we should feel remorse when we sin against God, we should not get sucked into a cycle of self-hatred, depression, and despair. Godly sorrow only lasts for a little while before God helps us move past it by remembering the truth: Jesus already died for that sin and God no longer condemns us for it.

It is important to note that Satan loves to confuse Christians by blurring the lines between God's judgment and His discipline. His weapons are lies and accusations (John 8:44; Ephesians 6:16; Revelation 12:10). When the Holy Spirit convicts someone of their sin, Satan jumps at the opportunity to shoot flaming arrows at them: "You really messed up this time!" "God hates sin. You've been sinning, so that means God hates you!" "You're never going to get anything right!" "God might not forgive you this time." "You'd better do something to make up for what you did." He is relentless as he tries to twist appropriate, "Godly sorrow" into guilt-ridden, self-hating, "worldly sorrow." His accusations sting because Christians can't deny that they have sinned, but these "arrows" can only do damage if Christians let Satan keep their focus on themselves and what they have done wrong. If they only look at themselves and how bad they are, they have no source of hope. However, Christians can use the "Shield of Faith" to extinguish those flaming arrows by keeping their eyes on Jesus and what He accomplished for them on the cross. Where truth is known, lies have no power. Faith must be placed daily in the reality that Jesus has already taken the punishment for sin and there is leftover anger for God's children. 

When God's children stumble,  fail, and sin, He is not surprised. He does not get frustrated or impatient with them. He does not roll His eyes at them. He does not get angry with them. He does not punish them. Why? He already dealt with their sin. For Christians to believe that God is angry at them, or punishing them, or judging them because they messed up is to believe that Jesus did not get the job done, that there is still some anger or some punishment left over for them. If you are upset by the sin in your life, that is a good thing! The Holy Spirit is convicting you and leading to you toward repentance. If you never feel any remorse about sin, that could be a sign of God's judgment (Romans 1:28). The next time you feel worried that you might have let God down or that He is angry at you for some reason, look to the cross and find comfort in the words of the Savior: "It is finished."

Myth-Buster Series: Understanding God's Will vs. Looking for "Signs"

Consider the following story:

"A man is contemplating whether or not God wants him to marry the woman he is currently dating. One morning, he prays and asks God to tell him what he should do. He then flips on the TV as he gets ready for work. While he’s getting dressed, he sees a news story about a woman with the same name as his girlfriend. Not sure what to make of that, the man leaves his apartment and starts walking to the office building where he works. He chooses a route that takes him past a jewelry store where he and his girlfriend had looked at rings a couple weeks earlier. He glances in the window and, to his amazement, sees that the ring his girlfriend had pointed out to him is on sale for 25% off! Concluding that God must be trying to tell him something, he dashes into the store and buys the ring on the spot. Less than a week later, he proposes (she says, “Yes!”) and the couple is married that June. Less than a year after that, the couple begins to experience some problems. She is anxious to have kids and start a family. He isn't sure if he really wants kids, but he knows he at least wants to wait a while. The fighting is terrible and the underlying tension when they aren’t fighting is even worse. The man looks at the frustration and hurt feelings involved with his marriage and wonders: Did I misread God’s signs when we were dating? Is God now trying to tell me that I made a mistake? Am I supposed to start over now and try to find the woman that God REALLY has in mind for me? God wouldn’t want us to stay in a situation that makes us so unhappy and miserable, would He?”

One may wonder how many self-professing Christians can relate to this man's predicament. When the "Christian" divorce rate is reportedly so close to the national average, it seems reasonable to conclude that at least a few people have had a similar experience wrestling with the question of "What is God's will for my life?" Indeed, this question likely comes to mind for many Christians at some point in their lives, especially when facing a significant life decision. Unfortunately, some of us spend weeks, months, and even years just waiting around for God to give us a "sign" so that we'll know what to do next. At the same time, we ignore His Word that has been placed in our hands. If we are really interested to know what God wants us to do, why would we neglect studying what He has already said to us?

The reasons might vary a little bit from person to person, but it basically boils down to a combination of three factors:

1.) "Supernatural" signs seem more spiritual, impressive, or exciting to us than reading an old book.

2.) Waiting for a sign is less work than reading an old (and thick) book.

3.) Cryptic and vague signs are easier to interpret in our favor than God's Word.

If we are serious about understanding God's will, then we need to consider how He has told us to go about it. First of all, God has given us stern warnings about divination - trying to gain insight about the future through pagan means like fortune-telling, interpreting omens, consulting spirits of the dead, etc. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). We need to check our motives here to see if we're really interested in submitting to God's plan for our lives or if we just want to know what is going to happen before it happens.

Romans 12: 2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." The apostle Paul is telling us that if we are to rightly discern the will of God, it is going to involve our minds. We are going to have to do some thinking in this process and we will have to think differently than the way the world thinks.

Well, how does the world think? In Colossians 2:8, Paul says that "hollow and deceptive philosophy" depends on "human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." The world bases its thinking on man's ideas rather than God's truth and these ideas produce futile thinking. This phenomenon is as obvious today as ever with Secular Humanism becoming the prevailing worldview in our culture over the past couple of centuries. Based on the celebrated, human tradition of Darwinism, the Big Bang theory, and evolution via bacteria-to-human mutation, this narrative has produced such fruit as: Marxism, Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, the Soviet Union and other communist regimes across Asia with a reputation for mass genocide, eugenics (enter Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood), and finally rampant abortion in the United States and worldwide.

How are we as Christians supposed to think? Psalm 1:2 says that we are to delight in God's law and meditate on it day and night. In other words, we need to think Biblically! Unfortunately, this doesn't just happen overnight. We need to train ourselves to think this way through continued study and mediation. Unlike eastern meditation that involves turning off the mind and emptying it to achieve some higher level of consciousness, Biblical mediation involves engaging the mind that God has given us and filling it with His truth. God reveals His truth to us when we use our minds the way He designed them, not when we use them to come up with our own human traditions or try to set them aside entirely.

Once we start using our minds the right way and go to God's Word to hear from Him on His terms, we find that God has told us a lot concerning His will and He's rather clear about it. Here are a few examples:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable," (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

You may have noticed that none of these verses explicitly tell you which college to attend, what line of work to pursue, which person to marry, etc. However, that is where your mind and meditation on God's Word come into play. Walking in God's will means applying Biblical principles to everyday situations and decisions. It's rather difficult to guess "What Would Jesus Do?" if we're not in the habit of studying His words and actions.

If the man in our story had been reading his Bible on a regular basis and was in the process of training himself to think and pray Biblically, he would have known that "the prudent give thought to their steps" (Proverbs 14:15), that God loves children and calls them a blessing (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 127:3-5; Matthew 18:1-6), what to look for in a woman (Proverbs 31), that the role of a husband is to lay down his life as Jesus did for the Church (Ephesians 5:25-33), and that God intends for marriage to be permanent (Malachi 2:16; Matthew 19:6).

There is no need to remain stagnant and hampered by indecision. We may not know everything about God's plan for our future, but He has given us enough to make informed decisions. And even when it is not obvious to us which course we ought to take, we may still have confidence in our sovereign God who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11) which is for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28-29). In some matters, we might have two or three good options to choose from. There isn't really a "wrong" decision to make, so whatever we choose to do God simply asks that we do it for Him and His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23). This, again, will drive you back to meditating on Scripture as you ponder what it means to do this or that for God's glory. But some of us need to stop worrying about making a mistake (as if we had the ability to throw off God's plan) and start living out of the freedom with which God has blessed us.

May your mind be transformed as your thinking is shaped and renewed by the wisdom found in God's Word. And may you seek His face through prayer and trust that if you acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will indeed make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-8).

For further study: Voddie Baucham's sermon - "Spirituality and Your Mind"

Myth-Buster Series: I'm a Christian and I don't need go to church.

So last week we busted the myth that you can pick and choose what you believe in the Bible. It's complete, it’s solid and its truth surpasses time and cultural thinking. I want to call this part two: I'm a Christian and I don't need to go to church.  How this part two, well again I have a story for you...well and addition to last week's story...

Again, I have seen and experienced this myth first. Last week I told you the story of how my family left the first church we attended when I was a kid because of last week's myth. After my parents made the decision to leave that church, they didn't hesitate in looking for new church. We attended a couple different churches in our town and ended up at a church in Sheboygan that felt similar in style to the one we left.  At this time I was in 8th grade. And just like last time, we got really involved. Things seemed to be going well: the priest was an interesting character but he believed God's word to be complete, to be authoritative and life changing. And I'm sure my mom had a lengthy conversation before we committed to this church. But the honeymoon only lasted for about three years...there were some issues arising with the national church. On the national level there was a priest who divorced his wife, came out as gay and had a partner and then was being ordained as bishop. Anyways, slowly things were changing at my church and my priest ended up leaving the church, soon followed by my parents, and it wasn't pretty. It left my family jaded about church.

I went off to college thinking I would find a church easily, but instead my experience left me critical, which made me rationalize the idea of well, I'm at Bible college, I don't need Sunday mornings when I have awesome classes during the week about God.

Now I don't know every Christian’s reasoning who doesn’t go to church. I know for me and my family, the changes at church were disappointing, frustrating and hurtful. I'm sure there are those who say they have experienced some hurt and don't want to experience it again. Then there are others who get saved, say I don't need church, I'm good, I'm saved, I've got Campus Life, my group of friends that I hang out with....you know the verse, " For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  Matthew 18:20. Or have you seen that video by Jefferson Bethke, "Why I hate religion but love Jesus."  This has become a reason for some: "see this guys has a problem with the church and he's saved." 

Whatever the reason, we all must submit ourselves to God and what His word says.  My experience, my hurts, my opinions, it all needs to be submitted to what God’s Word says. And the same goes for those who are real about following Jesus, if you truly believe, you'll listen and do.

First, I need to make this clear: your salvation is not dependent on your church attendance. God doesn't care about how many times you go in a year, but he does care if you care about his people.  Even though your salvation is not dependent upon church attendance, it is vital for your long-term growth and healthy relationship with God and with his people.

Let's see what God's word says about the church...

Ephesians 1:22-23:  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 4:15:  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head that is, Christ.

Ephesians 5:23-24: For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Colossians 1:18:  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

What do these verses say about Christ's role with the church and our role? Christ is the head and we are the body. 1 Cor. 12:27 says we are part of the body, the moment you believe,  ^" Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

If we are the body and Christ is the head, what does that mean? What kind of relationship are we to have with Christ?  Take a look at Ephesians 5:24, and Matthew 28:18:  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  As we are the body of Christ we are the church we are supposed to submit to him and his authority, right?

Romans 13 talks about submitting to authorities in place. God says he has put them in place for our benefit.  The local church is one of those authorities God has put in place.

God did establish this for our benefit:

Now to Romans 12:3-5. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

As members of the body of Christ, we belong to each other...what does that mean?

Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. We have responsibility to each other.

We are to love others just as Christ loved

We are forgive each other just as Christ forgave.

We are to patient with one another.

There are a ton of verses about how we are supposed to treat one another within the church. God's word also talks a lot about how we are to hold each other accountable.

Matthew 18 and Hebrews 12 talks about how to handle church discipline. 1 Timothy give instructions for the local church, who should be deacons and overseers...how do conduct ourselves. 1 and 2 Corinthians has instructions about giving, worship, communion, gifts to serve the church. Titus is about church leadership and what should be taught within the church..All the letters written by Paul were letters to local churches....Romans, 1 &2 Corinthians, Philippians, Ephesians, Galatians, and Colossians.

And they weren't perfect either...they all had their problems...sexual immorality, idolatry, false teaching, gossip...etc...

So God created the church, establishing Jesus as the head of it, as members of the body we belong to each other meaning we have responsibilities...and we are to meet regularly...

Hebrews 10:23-25:  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We meet regularly because we need to know what truth is:

1 Timothy 4: 6- 16:
⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

We meet regularly, to encourage on another, hold each other accountable.

When you don't meet regularly, we lose track of truth, we become hard hearted, we drift away from our faith. I know, I have been there.

Campus Life is not a church. We don't have pastors, deacons, elders. We are a part of the local church. We aren't multigenerational...we aren't here for your long-term growth. We are a tool to be used by the church.

As one has said, "there are no such things as lone-wolf Christians." It's true. As a follower of Christ we are called submit to the authorities God has put in place, one being the church. We understand that we belong to one another as one body, and we need to be plugged in regularly so that we can have healthy fellowship with Him and each other. We are in a battle against the evil in this world, and God gave us the church so we don’t have to fight alone.