To Know God, To Know Self

"Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts; the knowledge of God and of ourselves." This is the first line in Calvin's Institutes, Battles translation. How true Calvin's words still ring. There is no wisdom of real value that doesn't include these two aspects. To know God is the foremost, and to know God is to know ourselves better, more clearly. For we learn and see by comparison. To set ourselves alongside God is to set up a model of learning. How do we match up to God? How do we see God in comparison to ourselves? Are we thoroughly consistent to the way God made us and intended us to continue? That is what God's perfectness is all about. He never changes, not even slightly. He is perfectly sufficient in Himself and will continue to be. There is no reason for Him to change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. There is no variableness in Him nor shifting shadow. He cannot change. And because He is God, He is holy, that is, He is totally unlike us. We change. We violate our nature regarding the way God made us to be. We were made in His image. We were to reflect perfectly His moral being. Not to do so is what sin is, what it is to be unholy--not to be like God. He is holy, that is, He never violates His being, and so is unlike us. He both does not and cannot be unholy. I wish I could be like God. I wish I could be stable and perfectly trusting in Him, never doubting or second guessing. Never changing from what He made me to be.

Oh, That I Knew Where I Might Find Him

Job was a man who lived in the land of Uz, probably about the same time that Abraham lived, “and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (v. 1)  We see in the first two chapters of the book of Job that God pointed Job out to Satan as an example of an upright man who followed God with all his heart. He bragged on Job. Because Satan cannot understand goodness and godliness he accused Job of serving God only because God had blessed him so much. Job was a wealthy man and had ten children. God gave Satan permission to take away from Job all his possessions, even his children. Satan did that through various disasters. Job refused to sin and falsely accuse God of wrong doing. Of course, Job did not know that God had given Satan permission to cause the disasters that took from him all his possessions and the lives of his children. He thought God Himself did it. Since Job would not stop serving and worshipping God Satan requested to take Job’s health away from him. God gave him permission, except he could not take his life. Satan caused him to have very painful boils all over his body. Still Job would not curse God or falsely accuse Him of wrongdoing.

After a time three of Job’s friends came to sit with Job and comfort him. After hearing Job complain of his ill fate they tried to counsel him, and even started to falsely accuse Job of sins that might have caused God to treat him the way He did. They never knew Satan was the real cause of Job’s troubles. And it is in this setting that Job spoke the words of chapter 23.

Job 23: 1 Then Job answered and said: 

2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;

My hand is listless because of my groaning. 

3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,

That I might come to His seat! 

4 I would present my case before Him,

And fill my mouth with arguments. 

5 I would know the words which He would answer me,

And understand what He would say to me. 

6 Would He contend with me in His great power?

No! But He would take note of me. 

7 There the upright could reason with Him,

And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.  (i.e., God would take his troubles from

         him)

8 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there,

And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 

9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;

When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

10 But He knows the way that I take;

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. 

11 My foot has held fast to His steps;

I have kept His way and not turned aside. 

12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;

I have treasured the words of His mouth

More than my necessary food.

13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change?

And whatever His soul desires, that He does. 

14 For He performs what is appointed for me,

And many such things are with Him. 

15 Therefore I am terrified at His presence;

When I consider this, I am afraid of Him. 

16 For God made my heart weak,

And the Almighty terrifies me; 

17 Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness,

And He did not hide deep darkness from my face. 

I want to focus on verse 3, Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! 

Often when men find themselves in hard situations they want to tell God all about it. Usually they want to either curse Him or try to bargain with Him to get them out of their difficult circumstances. Nearly always the hard times are because of their own decisions and actions. Yet they want to blame God, or at least convince Him to make life easy and pleasant for them again. They want to be relieved of their present ill condition. In a sense this is what Job wanted. He desired to come before God that he might present his case before Him, that he might get some relief both from his losses and from his friends’ false accusations against him. It seems he wanted to present before God his innocence and uprightness and to argue that he should not be going through what he was, that God had no real reason to do what He did to him. He thought he could reason with God and God would see his point and agree with him and make things good again. He obviously did not know that God did not set him up for his ruin but to bless him, both as an example to Satan and all mankind, and to give him twice as much as he had before, including seven more children. 

But Job did not know where to find God. He did not know where to go to present his case before Him. And that is the case with most people in the world. They may want to find Him but they have no idea where to look. They may want to find Him just to know Who He is and what He is like. They may want to curse Him and accuse Him of things that are their own fault. They may want to correct God, thinking they are wiser than He. They may even be one of the very few in the world who want to find Him that they might find forgiveness for their sins and be accepted into His family. But like Job, they do not know where to find Him. Maybe they should just give up.

The truth is, though, God is not at all hard to find. A man does not have to travel long distances to come to Him. He does not have to look behind every tree and bush or under every rock to find Him. God has not made Himself hard to find. He is hiding from no one. 

Acts 17:22   Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;  23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:  24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.  26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,  27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;  28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring.’  29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.  30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,  31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

As is said in the text, God is not far from any of us. He has told us in the Bible that he is everywhere at all times. Anywhere anyone is, God is there. King David, in  Psalm 139 said, “7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?  8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10  Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”

David realized He could go no where that God was not present. God is always near by when we want to find Him. 

So why is it that men cannot seem to find God? God gives the answer to that also. Jeremiah 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” That’s the key! A man must seek God with all his heart. He must be honest and sincere. He cannot come to God pretentiously. God knows every man’s motives and thoughts. And He will not be toyed with. A man must come to God seeking Him as He truly is, as He has told us He is in the Bible, or a man will never find Him. If a man will come to God in repentance from sin and seeking salvation, he will always find God. But if he wishes to come to God for his own selfish purposes God will not make Himself known to him.

Unknown to Job and to nearly everyone in the world, coming to God is easy and quick. Come to Him with a true heart to know Him, and God will let Himself be found. Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” Seek Him now lest He refuse to let you find Him, for then there will be no hope and you will be eternally damned in the end.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Emphasis added.

OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART, LORD

One of my favorite YouTube videos is of a ten year old, blind, autistic boy singing the song Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord. The request of the song writer, and hopefully of the singer, is that he might see God in the glory of His holiness. That is my desire. I cannot say that I am perfect in that desire but it is still my desire. I could want nothing more than that. There could be no greater experience than to see God as He is, to behold His glory. 

The psalmist wrote, "Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18). Until such a time when we will literally see God in eternity we may yet behold Him in His law, His word. For in it is the expression of Himself. He even went so far as to say, "I will bow down toward Your holy temple  And  give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your  truth; For You have  magnified Your  word  according to all Your name (Psalm 138:2). The King James Version translates it, "thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Either way we see His word is His presence verbally and the means by which we are able to "see" Him. The word name refers to the person himself. When we hear a person's name we do not think of the sound or spelling of the word but of the person it represents. We think of his character and respond emotionally and volitionally to that thought. So it is with the word of God. It characterizes Him to us. In His word we see Him more fully than we could otherwise, until that glorious day when we will meet Him face to face.

We are exhorted to "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in  holy array", or, "the beauty of holiness" [KJV] (Psalm 29:2). Also, "Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,  And  give thanks to His holy name (Psalm 30:4), "For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name (Psalm 33:21).  "O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3), "Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious" (Psalm 66:2). And the only ones who can truly rejoice in Him are His people. So, "I will  tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You" (Psalm 22:22). By these Psalms I am reminded of the last stanza of the hymn "I Love to Tell the Story":

I love to tell the story;

For those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting

To hear it, like the rest:

And when, in scenes of glory,

I sing the new, new song,

’Twill be the old, old story

That I have loved so long

ending with the chorus,

I love to tell the story,

’Twill be my theme in glory

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and his love.

But all of this is because of the first stanza,

I love to tell the story

Of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and his glory,

Of Jesus and his love:

I love to tell the story

Because I know ’tis true;

It satisfies my longing

As nothing else can do.

"It satisfies my longing as nothing else can do." That's the key to it all. The story we long to tell, even to "those who know it best," is the story of the Person of God in Christ Jesus. He is all our joy and satisfaction.

Unless otherwise stated all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible Update. Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

FORGIVENESS

FORGIVENESS

a confession and instruction for my own soul and others' consideration

What is forgiveness? How does one give it and receive it? How far does it go? What should one's response to it be, both in forgiving and being forgiven? What is the result of it all?

I do not know what you think of forgiveness or how you accept it or delve it out. I do not know what forgiveness is in practical terms, as far as the receiving end is concerned. I can forgive others but have a hard time accepting or believing in forgiveness for myself, whether by God or man. A lot of the reason for that is because I do not feel worthy of forgiveness. (That is, of course, self-defeating since the very purpose of forgiveness is to restore relationships that are not worthy to be restored. All sins are acts of unfaithfulness, a disregarding of another's person and worth, including that of God Himself.) And I do not feel worthy of forgiveness because I am often asking for forgiveness for the same sins over and over again with no apparent end in sight. I assume I will fall again and even realize in myself a continued desire for that same sin. (I suppose at least a part of that problem is because I keep looking back at the sin I am trying to get away from instead of the Savior I am to get to. And so the temptation continues. We will go the direction we are looking and do what consumes our mind, even if we do not want to. We are not so much to try to stop sinning as to try to be righteous.)

I know the Bible says Christ died for our sins, removing them fully from us, this being evidenced by the resurrection, and now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. But so many passages tell us one who will not turn from his sin cannot be forgiven. I cannot turn from my sin! I cannot even imagine living without it being a continual thorn in my side, a continual temptation that I cannot completely resist. I do not want my sin but I cannot get away from it either. It is a conundrum! I should not be surprised at this as it is the very thing the apostle Paul complains about himself in Romans 7:14-25. I am convinced this is a description of a true and mature Christian because of verse 24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" This is not the attitude of the ungodly or cheap professor of Christ, but of one who greatly desires sinlessness and an untarnished relationship with his Lord. He then goes on to answer his own question in verse 25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord," with the conclusion of the whole matter for us to ponder and apply to ourselves, "So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." The answer to the conundrum is that it is sin, not myself, that desires to continue the sin. But it feels so like myself. I want it, but I don't. Apparently Augustine found this in himself also. He is reported to have said that he found two things in himself, a love for the good and a love for the evil. But he found a third thing also, a love for the love of the good but a hatred for the love of the evil. That is the description of a real Christian. There is the desire for the evil alongside the desire for the good, and in truth he wants to be and do the good and despise and refuse the evil for Christ's sake. No unsaved, unconverted, unredeemed person can honestly say that. The experience of Paul and Augustine is my own as well. (This conundrum is the reason for the hope expressed in Romans 8:1, 2.) So, am I on good ground for forgiveness?

What is the ground for forgiveness? What makes it possible? One might say repentance from sin and faith in Christ, but that is the means not the cause. The blood of Christ in His death along with His resurrection is the cause. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 tells the story most fully, while the revelation and explanation of it all is in the New Testament. "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." (1Corinthians 15:3-4); "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin (referring to Jesus); that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21); "And he (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:27-28); "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28); "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7); "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17); "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23); "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself." (Hebrews 7:25-27); "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:11-12)

In theological terms the cause of forgiveness is the substitutionary atonement of Christ when He died on the cross. The God-man paid the price of death in our place to reconcile or restore us in good favor with God, against Whom alone, in reality (Psalm 51:4), we truly sin. All sins are against His laws and His person, not our own. And if Christ paid the penalty in full then "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:33-35)

Forgiveness is the removing of any animosity or hard feelings of any type against someone who has sinned against us. It is a full restoration of relationship to the person who did us wrong, seeing and treating him as if he had never sinned against us. (Sometimes someone might hurt us not knowing it. That is not a sin. That is just our letting our emotions and sensitivities get in the way.) To forgive does not mean to forget the occasion, but not to bring it up against the person, even in our own mind. If we remember the occasion often, dwell on it or feel ill toward the person for it we have not forgiven. The ball then is in our court. We need to deal with our own attitudes. Not to do so is to sin against that person and sport an attitude of bitterness.

Sometimes we will hear how God forgives and forgets our sins when we confess them with a true heart. One might wonder how he can forget something like God does since the occasion will not necessarily be erased from his mind. But the scriptures do not depict God as forgetting the event, but simply not holding it against the person and restoring the relationship as it had been before. Consider 1 Kings 15:5, "Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." I am forced by the 1 Kings passage to reject the idea that God forgets the commission of the sin as if it never happened. God obviously remembers the occasion. The remembrance of David's sin against Uriah is many years after David's death, let alone the pronouncement of his forgiveness by God. So also are we to forgive others. Forgiveness is to not hold any grudge against a person who has made right with us. The attitude of forgiveness is to want to restore the relationship fully even before or if they refuse to make right with us. That is God's attitude toward us (consider the father in the parable of the prodigal son). "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." (Psalm 103:13, 14)

When someone has come to you to ask forgiveness or, similarly, to tell the story of his failure against you, do you lay the sin aside so that it does not interfere with your relationship to that person? And do you hold him close to your heart with great love and concern for him in his spiritual and emotional need instead of thinking of how he disregarded you, determining never to let him get that close to you again? To love another is to concern oneself about him not ourselves. So to refuse full forgiveness, which includes and is, in reality, all about loving them, is an act of self-centeredness and self-righteousness. To refuse full forgiveness and restoration is to consider oneself to be too good to be treated that way instead of realizing you are just as sinful as he is and have disregarded others' persons and worth as well. What the action of the sin was is irrelevant. One is not any less a sinner or more worthy of respect, etc., because he has not sinned "that" sin. To think so is pure self-righteousness—a sin as bad as any other sin whatsoever! The only people Christ scoured were the self-righteous. He did not come to die for or call the righteous (self-righteous) but sinners. Knowing that, how can anyone refuse full forgiveness and restoration to another, no matter what he did?

What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is the removing of any animosity, enmity or hard feelings of any type against someone who has sinned against us. It is to consider and treat him as guiltless.
     "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." (Psalm 103:8-14)
     "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12)

     "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17)

How does one give it and receive it?

We are to love others without regard to their faults and sins, including their sins against us, and be merciful to them in their weaknesses, knowing we are just as faulty and sinful as they are. In humility we are to desire a right relationship with them and seek to restore any broken one, putting their sin against us away from our minds, desiring the best for them without regard to ourselves. And when we are the sinner we are to humbly own up to our sin, confess it to whom we failed and seek restoration whatever the cost, believing in and accepting their forgiveness, both of man and God. (It is a matter of pride if one will not give or accept forgiveness, whatever his excuse may be.)

     "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." (Proverbs 10:12)

     "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
     "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 
(Romans 5:6-8)

How far does it go?

To forgive is to forget, to refuse to bring up the sin again—forever! To accept forgiveness is to do the same, except on the receiving side. As many times as it is needed keep forgiving and being forgiven. The process never ends in this life.

     "But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children." (Psalm 103:17)
     "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21, 22)

What should one's response to it be, both in forgiving and being forgiven?

The sin is put away. Now go on as if it had never happened, determining never to bring up the sin against us and determined not to sin again against man or God (but understanding we will both sin and need to forgive other's sins until we are perfected in death). Be submissive and humble in it all, every time, honoring God and man for His sake. Rejoice in both giving and receiving forgiveness. Both are a blessing of God!
     "And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." (2 Samuel 12:13)

     "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalm 32:1, 2)

     "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 103:3, 4)
     "The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression." (Proverbs 19:11)

What is the result of it all?

Restoration of our joys in our relationships in this life with God and man, bolstered by hope for freedom from sin in ourselves and others and the indescribable, perfect joy and blessing we will share with each other in the very presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Whom we love and so desperately desire to please!

     "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)

     "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalm 16:11)

Do We Analyze Our Relationship With Christ?

How often do we who profess to know Christ analyze ourselves as to our closeness to the Lord, consider the purity and sincerity of our relationship? It seems desperately few do. I do not think many Christians are really close to the Lord or even want to be. The vast majority of believers seem to have a strained relationship with the Lord. Nearly all I personally see do not live out the Biblical pattern and mandate. They make claim of Christ but do not possess the fruit of the Spirit. There is no real difference between them and the unconverted. Repentance in the church of Christ is called for, it is desperately needed. And what will become of the church if it will not repent and get right with God to live out Christ? The answer is in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3.

My Soul Cleaves To The Dust

Psa. 119:25 ¶ My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.
It is often we find ourselves in spiritual weakness, nearly consumed by our base, corrupt nature. At times it seems we cannot shake it. This is when we can say our soul clings unto the dust. To shake it loose from us is almost impossible. This is the time we need a long bath in God's word that we might be clean. There is no other solvent that can remove the filth of carnality. There is no hope outside of God and His word with submission of heart and mind. Let us ever be in the washtub of His word and remain revived in body and soul.

Wanted: Common Sense

This letter to the editor was not printed because it contained too much of another's work. The editor requires the most of the work be original.
__________________________

I read a quote from the Czech Republic newspaper, Prager Zeitung, that sums up my sentiments perfectly, except I would prefer a less contentious word than "fool." It can be found on bernardgoldberg.com, posted November 16, 2012.

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president.”

Common sense and wisdom have fallen in our country. Were that not so the absolute foolishness of such matters as the same-sex marriage issue and elevating animals to the same level as humans would not be happening. Some things are just obvious to any thinking mind. But when rational thinking is subverted by emotionalism and self-will enrobed in fantasy anything can happen—and is! The only hope for this country is if its citizenry will come back to God and reality and live accordingly. I pray that God will open the hearts and minds of our president, all others in authority and the people of this nation to do just that. Were that to happen we would have a truly great nation again.

Homosexuality and the Bible, letter to the editor

This post is a slightly edited copy of a letter to the editor of the Salina Journal, Salina, Kansas I wrote in 2012 or so. The city council was wanting to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city's anti-discrimination policy. There were three public forums to allow the public to express their views on the subject. I attended the third one, which is mentioned here. This letter to the editor is in response to a man who was presenting an unbiblical viewpoint on the subject. This letter did not get printed in the paper, I assume because it was too long, even though I took it down to about four hundred words as the editor requested. I post it here for those who would like a little more information to defend the biblical position on homosexuality, or for those who need to be corrected on the issue. I have chosen not to give the full name of the man I am disagreeing with to be charitable.

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At the last public forum on the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity into the city's non-discriminations ordinance, former United Methodist pastor, Dr. W. E. S., stated his views on homosexuality and the Bible. He also made a paper on the subject available on the front table. It seems to me he is merely attempting to reinterpret the Bible to fit what one might call the popular thought of the day on this subject. What he said does not at all represent the consensus of Bible interpreters throughout the ages, nor the straight-forward proclamation of the Scripture itself.

He argues that the term "homosexual" was coined by Freud and is not used in many of the translations. The point is moot. The concept is obviously in scripture in both words and phrases. The ancient Greek word, arsenokoites, used in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 means "homosexual", especially referencing the active partner of the relationship. Another Greek word, malakos, in 1 Timothy 1:10 refers to the passive partner in a homosexual relationship. Jude 7 uses the term "strange flesh" referring to homosexual behavior in contrast to immoral heterosexual behavior mentioned previously. The Greek word translated "strange" in some English versions literally means "other," referencing "another kind" of flesh—i.e. unnatural sexual activity.     

The apostle Paul in Romans 1:18-32, condemns both homosexual behavior and desires in no uncertain terms, especially in verses 24-27. God, through the apostle, calls homosexual desire and practice unnatural, in violation of God's created order. The reason for this downfall from the exalted position into which mankind was created is because mankind rejected God and His truth, believing, rather, a lie which they made up themselves. "Professing themselves to be wise they became fools" and turned truth and the created order on their heads. Nowhere in scripture can one find even a hint that God created anyone to be homosexual. Such is an aberrancy to scripture and the created order. Hence, the explicit commands against men having sex with other men, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Homosexuality is there listed among other perversions of nature such as bestiality and the sacrificing of children to an idol.

Dr. S. wants us to believe that the prohibition is not against all homosexuality but only against those who were born heterosexual but commit homosexual acts against their personal nature, not those who were born homosexual. But where does he get the idea anyone was ever created homosexual? Not from the Bible for sure! Never is there the slightest hint of such a thing. The concept of  "natural" in the Scriptures is that which is in accordance to the created order of all, not a so-called personal created order. All were created according to the order  given in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. God created a man and a woman, signifying the complementary roles of the opposite sexes. This truth is everywhere in scripture while the opposite can only be imagined. God Himself, who is Jesus Christ, affirms the created order in Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9. Scripture only condemns homosexual desire and practice, never affirms it. Like every other sin, it must be repented of, one putting his or her faith in Christ for forgiveness and restoration. Eternal judgment awaits those who will not. Like everyone else, I lived an aberrant life in many ways. Thankfully the Lord kindly and graciously turned me from sin to Himself to trust only in Him. I pray all who read this will do the same.

True Spirituality

Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart

By: George Croly

Spirit of God, descend up on my heart;

Wean it from earth; thro’ all its pulses move;

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art,

And make me love thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,

No sudden rending of the veil of clay,

No angel visitant, no op’ning skies;

But take the dimness of my soul away.

Teach me to feel that thou art always nigh;

Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,

To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;

Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love thee as thine angels love,

One holy passion filling all my frame;

The kindling of the heav’n descended Dove,

My heart an altar, and thy love the flame.

Amen.

As I read this hymn I was reminded of what true spirituality is and what it seeks. It is not the emotional ecstasy sought by the mystic and charismatic, the instability of sought-out feelings as anchors of the soul. No, it is the stability of the sure confidence of God in Christ. It seeks not an experience, though it is experiential. It seeks not a feeling, though it is felt. It seeks nothing but the reality of God in the truth of His Word which foundations the confidence of our faith. 

The request of the hymnodist is the Spirit's descent upon him with the result of his being weaned from this world, its ways and stuff in conjunction with a deepening love for God and the realization of His presence. One can not but be reminded of the Scriptures

1John 2:15  "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."                             
James 4:4  "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."  
Proverbs 30:7  "Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:  8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."            
Psalms 27:4  "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of he LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple."

Psalm 42:1  "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."
Psalm 119:131  "I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments." 

These verses encapsulate an abhorance of this world coupled with an intense longing for our Heavenly Father in His person and commandments, to know them and keep them. This is true spirituality. There is no other.

What is Truth?

What is Truth?

What is. That is the answer to the question. Truth is what is. The same goes, of course, for reality. It is what is. Truth and reality are exact synonyms. They do not merely hint at each other, they are each other. What is real is truth, and vice versa. 

Truth is what is. It is not what one believes or wants to believe. It is simply what is. It is not determined by consensus or debate. It just is. It is whether one wants it or not. It is whether one presents it as such or not. It is by itself and needs the consent of no one. It is both self-existing and self-propagating. Truth is and shall continue to be just because it is.  

Truth is honest. It is open, it is transparent. It never presents itself to be other than what it is. It never hides itself or any aspect of itself. It shows itself with clarity and in a forthright manner. It is real; it is reality. 

Many people evade the truth, at least as much of it as makes them uncomfortable. Should that which is opposite of their desires be proclaimed they will immediately dismiss it. At times they will offer excuses why the truth cannot be applied to their situation, as if truth should give special consideration to “special” situations. At other times they will quite well deny the existence of a particular truth or of truth itself. In the latter case they defeat their own argument by even making it. To make a statement assumes the existence of truth. In the former case, their denial is nothing but an obvious, pretentious evading of their living outside the ream of truth.

People also keep hidden what they do not want others to know. They fear exposure or openness, for they have faults and outright lack integrity. It is, as Shakespeare said,    

When we have our naked frailties hid,

That suffer in exposure.

All such hiding is an evasion of truth. How well Thomas Fuller put it,

Craft must have clothes, but truth loves to go naked.

Those who have nothing to hide, don’t. It is only those who live outside truth who put on masks and aires. In fact, those who live uprightly welcome investigation. What have they to fear? They will only be proven to be true, and such cannot be derided.

The Lord Jesus Christ depicted it well,

           This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the

           darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The Light refers to the Lord Himself, but also truth, for He is the embodiment of truth. He exposed the falsity of mankind. Hence, they did not come to Him lest He and His teachings should expose them. 

           For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that 

           his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:20)

They loved the darkness--a lack of truth and a covering--for their deeds were evil. 

But the real shame is when people hide the truth about themselves from themselves. Such is the height of hypocrisy. They lie about themselves to themselves and then proceed to believe their own lie. They attempt to live in a world that is not real in order to placate their evasion of that which they know is real. They falsify reality for their own comfort. They ought to remember the true rhyme,

           What a tangled web we weave

           When first we practice to deceive

And what an entanglement they have gotten themselves into!
Falsity begets falsity, and continues to bear until one’s world is full of its children. Here truth and goodness can find no place. A sign is placed on the door of such a one’s heart,

NO TRUTH ALLOWED!

The door is bolted shut and the the windows covered lest the light of truth should come in and the filth of their hearts be discovered. 

Truth is what is. But how seldom it is welcome! Still, it is. Live it and love it. It is your best friend and most essential commodity.

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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.