I am on a much needed vacation with our best friends. Each fall, around my birthday we go to the mountains to recharge and catch up on life. I am always up early and have my coffee and devotion time. Today I decided to write down my thoughts on the past few months. Our church has split due to irreconcilable differences over the progressive ideas that are attempting to rewrite history and our country has made a huge decision by electing a new president that has overcome many obstacles with hopes of making our country great again.
Unity is going to be tested because the media and others have pushed divisive thoughts, both politically and religiously – it has been exhausting! So, I want us to think for just a minute about a man who changed the world. One who came with a simple, yet profound message. A message that challenged, corrected, and changed people – with love. His message was different. He did not speak against the old ways – instead, his words challenged us to take them to a whole new level!
But first, the basics. God’s Word is just that…God’s Word. The story of humanity, or the struggles of humanity, is captured in the Bible. More importantly, it contains the gift of salvation for all. To understand the story, you must read and study it…ALL of it! Not just the Old, not just the New, not just what Jesus said…but, All of it!
Some say that if Jesus didn’t say it (“red letter text”), then it does not apply. He was a teacher that spent 3 years helping the disciples to learn what the Israelites for centuries had forgotten. When he departed, His Spirit was shared with them in a mighty way – so much so, that it changed their lives forever! These same people who ran and hid after His arrest, were willing to die for Him! Their words were considered Holy just like His words.
Now, fast forward to the twentieth century. In our country we have experienced wars, famine, market crashes, assassinations, discrimination, sexual revolutions, technology advances…and the list goes on. In the twenty-first century, with all of the advancements we have made, we are still struggling with who we are and what we are supposed to do. Jesus taught us that the right way – is not an easy way. Remember the story about a camel and the eye of a needle? Or about the christian life being like a race, or warfare? Much of the Old Testament contains stories of how people failed and tried to take the “easy way”. Our grace and our hope come through Christ. God, His father, is merciful and just. The Bible is full of examples where people fail and God shows them mercy. It is also very clear – our actions have consequences!
When we sin, we are separating ourselves from our Holy God. We also hurt those who love us. Through the saving grace of God, we are forgiven…but that does not remove all of our guilt or shame. We learn from our mistakes and hopefully move closer to Him. Depending on the severity of the mistake(s) we have made, there is a corresponding consequential impact! This impact could last a brief time or many years! The good news is that through the abundant grace of God, we can bear it and we have the opportunity to become wiser. But, how do we learn what is right?
There are rules! Just like most organized groups, there are rules that you are supposed to abide by, or you may – probably will – be banished from the group! Those with strong values, will flourish! As Christians, our guide is God’s Word – The Bible. Yes, there are many different religious groups who choose to worship in different ways; however, the one constant for our Christian faith is God’s Word. The challenge as we study the Bible is not to focus on a single word, or even a single verse! But to understand the overall story and how it applies to our life. As you study, you will find there are a lot of themes that are consistent that point us to a moral code that we should follow. Along with this there are guidelines and warnings that are consistent in the story. These exist to warn us – to learn from others’ mistakes. But to also be aware that there are those who will lead us down the wrong path!
I wish I had saved an article I read years ago about Hugh Hefner and his impact on our society. Since his first Playboy magazine published in 1953, an industry was born that became a multi-billion dollar corrupter. Consider this quote from Jim Daly:
“The death of Hugh Hefner has elicited tributes of many kinds, including that he was a pioneer who liberated the sexual frustrations of a culture. In reality, his efforts and entrepreneurial pursuits helped enslave generations of both women and men.
“Pornography corrupts what God created for enjoyment within marriage and objectifies the gift of our sexuality. Despite all the outward appearances of lavish and luxurious fun and frivolity, his is a sad legacy of brokenness.”
You can read the article here:
https://jimdaly.focusonthefamily.com/hugh-hefner-died-view-sex-compare-gods
In 2009, it was estimated that every second, over 28,000 people “click here” to view pornography.
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/pornography-and-virtual-infidelity
Consider the impact this one example has had on our society over the last 50 years! And it is only getting worse, because we are all fighting the temptation to sin. We can not win this battle alone. We need to recognize that we need each other to lean on and to help us in our journey to be holy. The moral codes help us to restrain our appetite to sin and are as true today as they were when they were written down. Some want to confuse, deny and change the meaning of what is moral in our world. So, please be careful and know who you are listening to and what they really believe base on their actions. There are a lot of ways to twist the words in the Bible to cause you to question what is truth…a famous line from Pilot that continues to this day.
I have heard people say that Jesus never said homosexuality is a sin. While this is true, because this word did not exist in Hebrew or Greek, the context of the meaning of the word is mentioned many times in one way or another. I am not going to get into the debate on the specific words used in the bible vs today; however, I do want to point out the 2 key themes in the bible that are clearly supported in history: Marriage and Immorality. Below are two passages quoted from Jesus that I want to point out for you to research on your own.
In Mark chapter 7:20-23 Jesus said: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
The New International Version (Mk 7:20–23). (2011). Zondervan.
Then in Matthew 19:4-5 – Jesus said: 4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
The New International Version (Mt 19:4–5). (2011). Zondervan.
Marriage outside of the Christian Church is in a sad state of affairs; however, that is a choice that others have chosen. While I do not agree, that is their choice. The Bible is clear about Christian marriage and how we are to approach a new way of living out our lives as an example to others – an example that has love – God’s Love – as the foundation for our lives. We need each other in order to understand, to grow in our faith, and to hold each other accountable in order to maintain the sanctity of the gift to be holy.
We, sinful people who have chosen to follow Christ, are held to a higher standard of living. Over the centuries there have been debates, even wars, to attempt to settle differences. Sometimes, when the truth is not accepted, we must walk away and dust off our feet in order to not be corrupted by others. May we seek to be unified in God’s word and seek His truth in love for one another.