Protest

“The lady doth protest too much” is a line from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. So what is it doing in a Christian blog?

This phrase is typically quoted to suggest that someone is strongly denying something or hiding the whole truth,or to imply doubt in another person's sincerity. It can become obvious when a Christian deliberately becomes very vocal against something or someone, and you can easily see that there is some insincerity being expressed. A simple example are those adolescent expressions that you really don’t like that girl because she annoys you, when it is evident to all around that you really, really like her a lot! The speaker thinks they are covering their feelings, but no one is convinced.

When we repeatedly go on and on against the same people or things, we risk being seen as insincere. We also come across as shallow, not being able to see that there may be some value to someone, to that “false teacher’s” life and work. We become good at picking out the faults in other people, but not noticing our own, or worse still thinking that our sins are less significant to a Holy God which gives the green light to being ‘the judge of all’. That title is already reserved by God as recorded in Genesis 18:25 where it says: Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Shakespeare highlighted this flawed character trait in his play around 400 years ago, and the issue is as important today. He was showing a very human flaw, but we can see the direct parallel to the life of some very vocal Christians around us. Maybe the solution is to be less outspoken about the faults of others, lest we ourselves are seen as protesting too much. Put simply, Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

It is worth noting the one that Jesus said had the sawdust in his eye, and the one who had the plank. Remember it this way, ‘the Pointing Person has the Plank’. Our Saviour calls it right!

A Dreadful Thing

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.                                    Hebrews 10:30,31 NIV

Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher took this as the text of a sermon in July 1741 and many came to know Christ in a very real and miraculous way in Enfield, Massachusetts. He titled his message, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”. This sermon, as a result, has gone down in history as a part of the great awakening in the early days before the USA was formed.

Of course, we have advanced in so many ways, and so much so that we would never hear or condone such a sermon from one of our pulpits. To suggest that God could be angry with sin in such a way that it would be a great dread, is unthinkable and out of step with society. We say, God is a God of Love, and He would never act or behave in that manner. This man Edwards was an extremist.

Don’t you think it strange that our churches in this enlightened age are declining and some are even having to merge, or even close down? We have made God so ‘luvvy-duvvy’ that He is incapable of serious judgement of our wrongs, or to put the words correctly, our sins. Yes, we should not over emphasise hell and judgement at the expense of the great Love of God, but we cannot ignore the truth of Scripture that it indeed “is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” as described by the writer to Hebrews.

Are we becoming too afraid to preach the whole counsel of God’s love AND judgement? If that is the case, then why should it be so?

My Responsibility

But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. Luke 12:48 NLT

We know ourselves best, and no one knows us better. No one except God that is! I like the fact that we serve a reasonable God who doesn’t expect more of us than we are capable of doing or can handle. When we start out on this journey of faith, we know little, and if we stumble our God grants mercy and grace, and doesn’t rush to judgement. However, when we are mature Christians, God expects better from us than the occasional thoughtless stumble.

Our Pastors, teachers and leaders have our respect, but with that respect comes responsibility. As a shepherd of a flock, whether a megachurch or a small group, the Pastor must earn, and continue to earn, the respect of those he or she leads. It is one thing if a young Christian does something wrong as our verse says, but it is another thing entirely if the leading shepherd who has been entrusted with the care of the flock, knowingly steps out of line and fails. That action has a ripple effect across the few or many of his or her flock.

But I am not off the hook as a mature Christian, with many years of Bible knowledge and experience behind me. It is also important that I behave as an example to others, and don’t knowingly do anything wrong, but it goes the other way too. I cannot ignore the misdeeds of someone more senior in the faith, or in my church. That would include Pastoral leadership, after all it wouldn’t be the first time that a well respected leader has fallen short of their known responsibility and led someone (or many) astray by words, example, or both.

Let me be honest here. I do not like the burden of responsibility I feel being caught in the middle. Staying silent only stays the day of reckoning when more damage may have been done, but speaking up makes enemies of the very ones you had held in high regard, and many still will, so there is a cost. However, I go back to the verse for today which reminds me of my responsibility: “when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” That applies to us all to some degree or other. Are you up to it? Am I??

The Coin

Every coin has two sides, and Jesus recognised this when he taught his disciples the full message of His Father’s love and judgement. Each is a side of the same coin, and just as no coin has only one side, love and judgement go together and are needed to complete the whole truth.

In the past, some evangelical preachers were seen solely as ‘hell fire’ messengers as if that was the only message of the gospel. I think we have moved on from that, but perhaps we have replaced it with something just as incomplete. The message that Jesus loves everyone, irrespective of their actions, and if we just love the sinner fully and completely, that will be enough to see them enter the gates of heaven. I think we need to be careful that we don’t preach or teach a ‘one sided’ Gospel.

Scripture is full of warnings to sinners of remaining in their sins, and not turning from their sinful ways. The words are old fashioned, but they remain necessary. Words and phrases like, ‘confession of sin’, ‘repentance’, ‘born again’, and ‘saved’. Again, we need to be careful to preach and speak the whole counsel of God.

Teaching the message of love, without pointing out the consequences and dangers of remaining in sin, is incomplete, and only part of the full Gospel of Jesus Christ. God accepts us in His love just as we are, warts and all, but that same love doesn’t allow Him to leave us the way he found us! Now that is amazing grace. Paul puts it this way:

Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Romans 6:14-16 NLT

Heavenly Minded?

So anyone who thinks they are standing strong should be careful that they don’t fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

My mum had a saying that went, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”, and in a way that sums up these verses. I also suggest that Alexander Pope hit the nail on the head when he said, “A little learning (knowledge) is a dangerous thing”. Every gathering has an expert on any given subject, and most of the time they give themselves higher plausibility than they are worth. In the army, they are known as “Barrack room lawyers”, and they will profess to know everything and pass judgement on just about anything and anyone.

Respect is something that is earned, and does not happen overnight. You do not give it to yourself. Respect is conferred ON you by others. The folks who know everything, tend to be seen as a bit of fun, but they are not usually respected. The kind of person who resists passing easy judgement on a subject or person too quickly, is one who has been taught well, and has learned a lot over a long period of time.

In the verses above, both Paul and Solomon are wise and respected by their peers. Paul spent years learning at the feet of one of the wisest and most clever in his day, Gamaliel and spent about three years in his own wilderness. The wisdom of Solomon was conferred directly by God himself. Both can be trusted in the things they say and teach, which is more than can be said about some of today’s teachers that you will find on the internet under the guise of Bible interpreters of note. As my dad said more than once to me, “pen and paper will accept anything”. Today, we would translate that as, “don’t believe everything you read and see on the internet”. Dad was wise beyond his earthly years!

The time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching. But people will find more and more teachers who please them. They will find teachers who say what they want to hear. People will stop listening to the truth. They will begin to follow the teaching in false stories. 2 Timothy 4:3,4

Asset or Liability?

I don’t profess to be an accountant, but I can grasp the concept of a financial asset, against a liability. One is a good thing, the other is not. One gives a plus amount in the ledger, but the other takes away from the account. Any accountant worth his or her salt wants plenty of assets, but no liabilities. Not even one!

In our journey through life as Christians, we want to be considered an asset to the Kingdom of God. It would hurt us to think that we might be a liability to the witness of the salvation we profess. We are warned about being a liability, and the Bible would call this a ‘stumbling block’ as shown in Romans 14:13 which says, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”

So, what’s our lifestyle like? Do we help or hinder the young in faith, no matter their age? After all, we have so much to learn and we should want to grow into an asset, not a liability, as we help others to become an asset too, so keeping the cycle going.

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9:42

Shallow

We have just seen an election campaign in the USA like no other I have ever witnessed, and I have seen a few. In a few days after winning the ticket to become the next President, many things said before have changed. Not just a little, but in a big way. In essence, Donald Trump won by using deceit at the highest level, not to mention downright lies to achieve his goal. He is already changing his mind on things like NATO, the wall along the Mexican border, affordable healthcare (Obamacare), his expressed views on the Clintons,the Obamas, and climate change to name just a few.

Before we rush to judgement on all those who voted for his success, and the lies he peddled, let’s take a look closer to home. We go by the name Christian? I wonder how we stack up against the things we say and do, and the Biblical standard we profess? In many ways we are no different from Donald Trump. We talk big, but deliver small. We claim that the answers to life’s ills are contained in the Bible, but we don’t act like it. Some even go to church on a Sunday, looking and sounding the part, but you wouldn’t know it during the rest of the week.

Before we shout about anyone else being a charlatan or a hypocrite, I suggest we take a long hard look at ourselves, and I include myself in that. Evidently there is much in common between a lying politician and a shallow christian. The biggest difference though is that any political charlatan can be replaced in a few years, and the world carries on. However a hypocrite claiming to be a Christian who does not live a good and Godly example in the way that he or she knows they should, will stand before a just and holy God and the outcome is eternal. Equally, we know that the Bible is not silent on this serious and important matter.  

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15,16

The axe is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10

Appearances and Impressions

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

We don’t do very well with abstinence, do we? We much prefer to dabble a bit in some things we know we shouldn’t have anything to do with, but we’re only human after all, right? The other thing we’re not good at is appearances. We’re not sure what to do with our thoughts and feelings when something appears to be wrong, and while part of us knows to avoid it, the other part suggests that it isn’t so bad, after all lots of people do it and some claim to be Christians.

I think it comes down to our definition of sin, and where we draw the line. Although we might have difficulty in pinning it down, the mother of the great Charles and John Wesley didn’t. Susanna Wesley guided her children with these words: “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.” Could we handle that?

Whatever we do, by the very nature of our humanity, we always leave an example, either good or bad. However, one thing is certain, we do leave an impression on other lives as they watch how we live and handle life. That includes the things we don’t do. In recent years we have turned away from sounding legalistic by saying there are things we shouldn’t do, but here is a verse telling us clearly to avoid not just obvious sin, but the very appearance of evil. So, I must ask again. Will be dabble or abstain?

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6

False Teachers

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:43-48

I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 1 Corinthians 6:5-7

​Like you, I have heard a lot about false teachers, and the harm they can undoubtedly cause the family of God.​ I hear it almost exclusively on social media, where it looks like just about every popular speaker or teacher is ‘called out’. All that is, except the ones who point the finger. There are some questions I find myself asking, and they are these:

The definition of a false prophet or teacher is given as: “In religion, one who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or who uses that gift for evil ends.”

Who exactly is doing the calling out, and what are their own credentials? There are many doing it, and they do not speak with one voice.

When we start judging like this, we fall into our own trap when we tell others not to judge. We are then in danger of being proud, and not humble.

“The Bible says” is always the reason given for telling us who the false prophets are, but is it possible that some verses can be used in isolation or out of context? It is no coincidence that the false teachers also use Scripture.

Who are being told about these dangerous teachers? Usually a small group in social media, but never the person who is deemed to be the false teacher. If you are going to call someone out, should it not be the false prophet, and not only a group of friends who have no say or influence? Unless you need some kind of approval or consent of course.

I have found websites and self appointed teachers in their own right who have set themselves up as ‘false prophet busters’, who seem to enjoy a level of celebrity because of their own message, and who tend to attract their own followers who are undoubtedly sincere but following a human being and not the person who should be followed, Jesus.

There is a major issue of the example we are showing to others we may be praying for. If our own lives fall short in the slightest way (and we are all sinners) our witness is devalued in the sight of those we are trying to reach, perhaps permanently, or until a less judgemental person comes along who radiates the love of Jesus.

Where and with whom does it stop? I have found that when my finger is pointed, there are three others aimed back at me.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Galatians 6:1​

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But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 17-25​

A Literal Hell?

This question has been on my mind recently, because I read part of a magazine given to me by a member of another faith group which said about the second coming of Jesus Christ: ‘ the righteous dead and the righteous living would be taken to heaven, but the unrighteous will die’. It is the words ‘unrighteous will die’ that got me, so I did a bit of self reflection. Do I believe in hell, or more importantly does the Bible say there is a literal hell?

The group in question believe that the saved will get to heaven but the unsaved will be annihilated, and that from earthly death until the resurrection, everyone is in a ‘soul sleep’ without consciousness until the second coming, and then the righteous go to heaven, and the unrighteous ‘really die’. So, the bad and evil people of this world will not suffer in hell for their murder or abuses, but just fade away. Not only that, but after their earthly death, they would not be aware of their previous existence, never mind their evil deeds. The word that comes to mind is ‘convenient’, after all who wants to think about a place of torment, let alone believe in it? Personal story. Some time ago I met parents who turned from Roman Catholicism to Jehovah Witnesses because their daughter had taken her own life, and their church saw it as a mortal sin, but if their daughter did not go to hell, or heaven, that gave them comfort, hence the move to become Jehovah Witnesses. Seventh Day Adventists among others also hold similar views, but is this right according to Scripture?

The absence of hell from some doctrines does not mean it doesn’t exist, after all the vast majority of mainstream faiths do believe there is such a place, and it isn’t enough to naively say that a loving God would not send anyone there! Isn’t our God one of love, but also justice? Without both there is no balance, or reason for either. That’s what my Bible tells me anyway. So, it’s a sobering thought, but in case you are wondering, yes I do believe there is a place of punishment for willful sin after we die, and in my opinion, that would be a literal hell.