How quickly perspectives change! There's the news item about a traveler who had a flat tire while rushing to the airport, then didn't perish in the plane crash because he missed the flight. Or that job, or thing, or person we thought we couldn't live without -- but later thanked God that he kept from us. Or the adversity that sorely tested our faith, but proved in retrospect to be a vital stepping-stone to spiritual progress. And what about that middle Cross on Golgotha? As of Friday afternoon, it looked just like the other two. Then Sunday morning dawned, and suddenly there was no longer … [Read more...]
PREJUDICE AND GOD’S KINGDOM
Originally the human family consisted of one race and one class. As differences emerged, fallen men and women began to mistreat each other based on those differences. Hatred, envy and pride are the real culprits, and they do not need different skin colors for an excuse. In former Yugoslavia, white Bosnians and Serbs killed each other without mercy, as do white extremists in Northern Ireland. Across Africa, black ethnic leaders massacre other tribes, perpetuating ancient hostilities that continue without logic or purpose. White people practiced slavery in America, and black Africans sometimes … [Read more...]
IS LYING ALWAYS WRONG?
An Advent Christian minister in the Northwest asks a question which he has encountered in pastoral counseling. "Is it ever okay (from God's perspective) to lie?" * * * One of the Ten Commandments forbids bearing "false witness" (Deut. 5:20). Jesus himself commanded his followers to be so known for truth-telling that oaths are wasted on them (Matt. 5:33-37). Paul admonishes believers always to tell the truth (Eph. 4:25). John reminds us that "we know him who is true, and we are in Him who is true" (1 John 5:20). The Bible closes with a warning that liars will have their part in the lake of … [Read more...]
LET US BE KIND
No personal trait of Jesus Christ is more obvious in the Gospels than his kindness. I am especially impressed with Jesus' kindness to people who did not usually receive kindness -- little children, women, the poor, the sick, the physically or mentally impaired. Jesus was also kind to sinners -- people with a history of failures and flops. Because Jesus reveals God to us, this also shows us the heart of our God (John 1:18). God is kind to undeserving sinners, which includes all of us. His kindness prompts our repentance (Rom. 2:4). The gospel itself is called "the kindness of God" (Titus … [Read more...]
GASHMU SAYS
A recent event involving an untrue rumor reminded me how quickly gossip travels, and how nearly impossible it is to correct. Someone has aptly noted that spreading gossip is like throwing feathers into the wind. Once launched, there is no gathering them up again. No wonder God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites: "You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people" (Lev. 19:16). Yet how we sometimes love a juicy bit of gossip. Indeed, "the words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels" (Prov. 26:22). When the subject of gossip arises, I always think of Gashmu, an obscure … [Read more...]
GAMBLING
A gracEmail subscriber writes, "Does the Bible actually condemn gambling? If not, where does my church get the notion that gambling is wrong?" * * * I do not know any biblical text which specifically says that gambling is wrong. However, it becomes wrong when it springs from improper motives or manifests lack of self-control. "Thou shalt not covet" is as ancient as the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:17). The New Testament also prohibits greed or covetousness, which it classifies as a form of idolatry (Eph. 5:5). "The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil," warns the Apostle Paul -- a … [Read more...]
FORGIVING OTHERS
A gracEmail subscriber in Delaware writes, "Someone in a Bible class recently said that we don't have to forgive everyone because some people are purely evil. I have always thought it our duty to forgive anyone who wrongs us." * * * Jesus said that we are to forgive anyone who sins against us and asks for our forgiveness (Lk. 17:3-4). Refusing to forgive is really not an option if we expect to be forgiven ourselves (Matt. 6:14-15). The Christian is called to imitate God. That means, among other things, that we are to forgive others just as God has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32). As a practical … [Read more...]
NOT WORTH LOVING?
A gracEmail subscriber who grew up in a devoutly Christian home is convinced that he is not worth loving, not even by God. His head thinks that this negative opinion is untrue, but his heart cannot shake off its feeling of profound worthlessness. He asks for suggestions or advice. * * * Jesus says that our enemy the devil is a liar and a thief (John 8:44; 10:10). In this case, the enemy has fed you a lie to steal your joy and confidence in Christ. At its core, the lie is that God’s love for you is based to any extent whatsoever on your worth or worthiness. The truth is found in Jesus’ … [Read more...]
DEPRESSION AND FAITH
A gracEmail reader in Texas writes, "Am I saved if I trust in Jesus, even though sometimes I am depressed and have doubts? My depression is physically based. I don't know if I get depressed because of my lack of faith, or if my faith goes lacking because I become depressed." * * * You seem to be sorting through this quite well. Depression is often physical in origin, whether from hormone imbalance, chemical irregularity or mere exhaustion and fatigue. We are psychosomatic creatures -- our emotional, spiritual and physical aspects are all intertwined. Depression itself is not "wrong" or … [Read more...]
USING GOD’S NAME LIGHTLY
A husband and wife who are both gracEmail subscribers ask for help in finding a common understanding of the meaning of the Third Commandment of the Decalogue, which says: "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (KJV). * * * The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford University Press) translates the Hebrew text of Exodus 20:7 as “You shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD your God; for the LORD will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.” It then explains in a note that the command forbids the taking … [Read more...]