FaithLife Ministries

“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.”

Romans 12:2

We are in the season of Lent where Christians spend 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter in spiritual preparation and reflection. It is a time for prayer, fasting, and remembering Christ’s life, death, and resurrection and what it means for us. For some people it also means self-denial and giving up something during Lent, such as things they enjoy, as a means of self-discipline. For others it might mean attending a Lenten Bible study or prayer meetings. In either case, it’s a time to focus on God and not us.

Many of us carry around some bad habits, things that we do that we know we probably shouldn’t do since we are now followers of Christ. We often make New Year’s resolutions to try and change our ways, but they often don’t last long, and we end up back where we started. It’s because old habits die hard. They don’t want to give up their grip on us, and we often don’t want to let go of them either, even though we know we should.

When Jesus met with Nicodemus at night, Jesus told him that we must be born again (John 3:3). Nicodemus didn’t understand and asked Jesus how he could re-enter his mother’s womb. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about. He was talking about a spiritual rebirth and being born again in the spirit (John 3:5). It’s like killing our old life to have a new one. The Apostle Paul describes it as a new creation in 2 Corinthians 5:17 when he said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”  Consequently, if we are a new creation in Christ, why do we still hang onto these old bad habits? And why is it so hard to get rid of them?

I would suggest that it’s hard because we think we need to get rid of them ourselves and by our own power. With that mindset we will always struggle because we cannot get rid of these physical habits with physical remedies. They can only be overcome by the Spirit of God through faith in Christ! As the Bible says in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord Almighty.” Unless we submit our lives to God and His Holy Spirit, we will never be able to rid ourselves of our old bad habits. If we want to truly get rid of our bad habits, we must let Christ and His Holy Spirit take over our lives. There’s no other way for it to happen.

But we should also be aware that Satan doesn’t give up easily. He does not want us to change, nor does he want us to believe in Christ. His aim is to draw us away from Christ and to keep us there, essentially worshipping him instead. So, he will do whatever he must to keep us from submitting our lives to God through Christ. The Apostle Peter asserts this clearly in 1 Peter 5:8 when he wrote, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” If we fail to pay attention, we will fall prey to the devil and his schemes.

But there is also more we can do than just be aware and alert. The Apostle Paul declares in Ephesians Chapter 6 that we are in a spiritual battle, not a physical one. In Ephesians 6:10-11 Paul encourages us to “Be strong in the Lord and is his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” In other words, we need to trust in God’s power and not ours, and to protect and arm ourselves in readiness for the battle with the evil forces that are sure to come. What are these protections you might ask? Paul lists them in Ephesians 6:14-17, and they include the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God). These are our spiritual weapons. With these, and God’s Spirit, we can defeat Satan and our old habits!

I recently saw the movie, The Jesus Revolution, which is a story about the Jesus Movement of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s that started in California. It documented the period when many young people of that time, especially “Hippies” (young people who rejected the norms of society and advocated non-violence), became followers of Jesus. They had become disillusioned about America and were turning to drugs, sex, and alcohol to find peace, love, and acceptance. But they did not find it there. Instead, they found it in Jesus! It was a move of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to overcome their addictions and find the life they were looking for. It reminds us that only God can take away our sin and our bad habits and give us true life.

If we want to get rid of our old habits, we must turn to Jesus and “renew our minds” and become a “new creation.” Complete faith and trust in Jesus it all it takes. How do we know? The Bible gives us two key stories where Jesus asserts this truth. The first is in Matthew 8:5-13 where Jesus heals the servant of the Roman centurion because of his faith. The second is from Matthew 9:20-22 where a woman with a 12-year bleeding problem believed if she just touched his cloak she would be healed, and she was. Jesus told her, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”

So, even though old habits die hard, it is possible to get rid of them. But only when we put our faith in Jesus and His power to heal us, change us, and restore us!

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

1 John 4:16

Valentine’s Day is coming up in another week and so it seems appropriate to talk about love this month. There has been a lot written about love over the years, including books, songs, movies and television shows. There was the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by Dr. John Gray, the top selling book on love and relationships of all time. Then there’s the song All You Need is Love by the Beatles. What about the movie Love Story which gave us the tag line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. And of course, there were television shows like the Love Boat that promised “something for everyone.”

Love can be either a noun or a verb, but I want to focus on love as a verb, an action, something that we feel, express, or do for other people. That includes feeling love for other people, saying I love you to someone, or doing something loving toward another person.

The dictionary provides several definitions for love as a verb. But the primary definition is to cherish, or to hold dear. This is the definition that best fits what I want to talk about. The other definitions are related to feeling passion towards someone (romantic), taking pleasure in something (eating, etc.), or thriving in something you do (work for example).

The New Testament was written in Koine Greek (Ancient Greek) and the Greek language has four words for love. They are Eros, for passion; Agape, for unconditional, selfless love towards others; Philia for brotherly affection; and Storge, for love of family. The Greek word Eros is not used at all in the New Testament, and the Greek word Agape is the one most frequently used in the New Testament.

In the New Testament, Jesus most often uses the word Agape for love, the unconditional and selfless love that we should show to strangers, the poor and helpless, and even our enemies. In 1 John 4:16 above, the Greek word the Bible is using for “God is love” is Agape and represents his unconditional and sacrificial love for all humans.

In our English-speaking nation today, however, people use the word love quite often and for lots of different things. It’s used to refer to our spouses, our families, our friends, our pets, our homes, our entertainment, what we eat, where we go, what we do, and what we individually value. So, it often depends upon the context in which the word is used to determine its actual meaning. Most often people use the word love to mean either passion for or taking pleasure in, love for friends, or love for family (eros, philia and storge). But rarely do people refer to the agape form of love.

Agape love is the highest form of love and can only be expressed through actions and what we actually do. In other words, we can’t say I agape (love) you, we have to show it in our actions. And those actions usually involve humility, sacrifice and selflessness, and are frequently done in secret. Otherwise, they would only be a self-seeking love that glorifies us instead of God. Agape love is the kind of love that God requires of us, because that’s the kind of love He showed us. “We love, because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

So, what’s the importance of knowing which meaning is being used for the word love? I think it helps us to see the difference between what our world thinks and what God thinks.

Our world often only thinks of love in terms of passions, pleasures, and selfish desires. When the world loves, it is usually talking about what they love that gives them pleasure or benefit. In other words, what is in their own self-interest, whether its recognition, receiving love, or getting something else back in return. 

However, when God speaks of love, He is calling us to be selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial towards others. When God says we should love others, we get nothing in return other than knowing that God is pleased, and He alone is glorified. This difference is important and what should distinguish Christians from non-believers.

Of course, Christians can also love and enjoy our spouses, family, and friends. We can also love other earthly pleasures because God provides them to everyone for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17). But we must also love our enemies, those that persecute us, and those that hate us because God still loved us when we did not love Him. We cannot love God if we hate others, refuse to forgive them, or refuse to help them when they are in need (1 John 4:20). Agape love is the kind of love that God requires us to demonstrate to others as followers of Jesus and is the kind of love that will draw others to Christ as well!

So, what does love mean? For a follower of Christ, it’s agape love – the selfless, humble, and sacrificial love for others!

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:1

Christmas Day is now behind us, and people have taken down their outdoor house displays, tossed out or stored the no longer needed Christmas tree, and put away all of the tree ornaments, lights and other interior Christmas decorations until next December. But is Christmas really over until then?

Last month I wrote about the secularized Christmas we experience today in America and much of the world. There seems to be no acknowledgement of the significance of Christmas Day beyond the traditions and joyful feelings that most people experience during the month of December. It is sad that Christmas has evolved into a mostly secular celebration. But even though that’s true, Jesus is still proclaimed at Christmas by almost everyone. How, you may ask, is that possible? Let me share three ways Christ is proclaimed in our secular culture, even apart from the Church.

First of all, the calendar most of the world uses today, called the Gregorian calendar, was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII to replace the Julian calendar, which was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC to replace the Roman calendar. The designations BC and AD that we use today stand for “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini”, which means “the year of our Lord” in Latin. So, whenever people write dates or refer to them, they are proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Lord!

Second, although many people today do not go to church even on Christmas, they often sing Christmas carols or listen to them on the radio. Those songs carry the message of the birth of Jesus as the Savior of the world. When people sing or hear “Joy to the world, the Lord is come”, or “Christ the Savior is born” in the hymn Silent Night, they are proclaiming that Jesus is the Savior of the world, whether they personally acknowledge it or not!

Third, the secular world recognizes Santa Claus as their primary Christmas character. Santa Claus is based on a real-life Greek Bishop named St. Nicholas, who would give gifts to the poor around Christmas. The name Santa Claus is an American derivative of St. Nicholas’s name in Dutch, which was Sinter Klaas. Consequently, although Santa Claus has become more of a secular figure, he is based on a Christian who lived out his faith and therefore represents a facet of Christ’s teaching on generosity. Acknowledging him (Santa Claus) acknowledges the One St. Nicholas served – Jesus!

Have you heard the song, the 12 Days of Christmas? Do you know what it is about? The 12 Days of Christmas is a sacred and festive Christian season denoting the 12 days between Jesus’ birth on December 25^th and January 6^th, which is Epiphany (the celebration of the wise men visiting Jesus from the east). This was established in 567 AD at the Council of Tours. Consequently, although Christmas Day is over, the Christian season of Christmas lasts for 12 days until January 6^th!

Now that Epiphany is also behind us, Luke 2:11 above reminds us that Christmas Day is not just a one day a year event, or even a season of twelve days. Although Christmas Day is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the entire world, that event cannot be confined to just one day or even 12 days. It is an event that needs to be celebrated EVERY day! For Jesus came to the earth “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). That means you and me (and every other human being)! If not for Jesus, we would still be lost in our sin and eternally separated from God our Creator. What a miserable existence that would be!

But even today, many people reject Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior. Instead, they choose to live that miserable existence apart from God. They do not know the peace and joy that faith in Jesus produces. It still surprises me that so many people don’t accept Jesus as their Savior because He is the only answer to our sinful nature and corrupt world that can overcome the violence, hate, suffering, and evil that is so pervasive today. The Bible clearly points out that this is why God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world – not to condemn it, but to save it from its own sinfulness (“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” – John 3:17)!

So, Christmas isn’t over! For those who would put their trust and faith in Jesus, God promises them His peace and joy in their lives. And not just for one day a year, but for every day of every year! Now, that’s something to celebrate all year long!!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

We are rapidly approaching one of the two most important days of the year for Christianity – Christmas! The other, of course, is Easter. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, the day when the holy Son of God entered our earthly world to be among us. The other celebrates Jesus’ victory over death and His resurrection, the day when He left our world, secured everlasting life for those who put their faith in Him, and who now reigns in Heaven over all the earth! These two days are universally known around the world, even among those who do not acknowledge that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6).

These are also the two days of the year when many people (mostly nominal Christians) will visit churches. Some likely attend out of tradition, others to please family members, and others out of a desire to reconnect with God. Whatever the reason, they hear the good news of Jesus!

But what about those who don’t come to church? Christmas is also a perfect time for Christians to tell others in our community what Christmas means and to share the good news about Jesus and the birth of a savior, just like the shepherds did (Luke 2:17)!

In America, Christmas has been secularized for many years and its true meaning has been lost in much of our culture. Christmas is recognized more today as Christmas trees and decorations, Santa Claus, Elf on the Shelf, secular Christmas movies, and non-Christian Christmas songs rather than by the birth of a savior and its meaning for the world. How tragic!

How did it get this way? It happened because we as American Christians let it happen. We allowed the culture to define Christmas as being about love, family, giving to others, and traditions, rather than about the birth of a savior! These are not bad things, they are just not the meaning of Christmas! As a result, we need to speak up and remind the culture what the true meaning of Christmas is!

However, many Christians are now afraid to witness their faith or share the gospel. Our culture in America has turned against God and the Church, and those who openly practice or share their faith can lose their job, lose their friends, or even lose their life (e.g. – church shootings). Satan is behind the scenes working to intimidate Christians to keep us quiet in order to promote his godless agenda (1 Peter 5:8). And sadly, many Christians comply and stay silent, even during the Christmas season. That’s not what Joseph Mohr meant when he wrote the Christmas carol, Silent Night!

Although it is much harder today to speak our minds and witness our faith, it is still possible. We still have freedom of speech in our nation, but we do not have freedom of consequences! The intimidation is real, and the potential consequences as mentioned above are real.

But the real question is this: What are we afraid of? Isn’t our faith in Jesus enough? Don’t we trust Jesus to take care of us and provide for us? Isn’t that what faith in Christ is supposed to mean in the life of a Christian? God promises to “never leave us or forsake us” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Jesus said in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” And the psalmist proclaims, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)

When we are afraid to speak up, aren’t we really admitting that either we doubt God’s Word or fear losing our earthly treasures and comforts? Do we not believe that God will still provide for us? Do we not trust that He will walk with us and give us His strength and courage to endure our trials? Because if so, then we are merely Christians in name only, and our faith is weak and powerless. This makes me sad when I read about the incredible faith of persecuted Christians in places like North Korea, the Middle East, and Cuba (read about them in Voice of the Martyrs at www.vom.org).

Now is the time for all Christians in America to speak up and remind others what Christmas is really about. We need to greet others with Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. We need to share the Christmas story, not our favorite Christmas cookie recipe. And we need to witness our faith in our Christmas cards & letters and social media postings, and whenever we have the opportunity in conversation with others. But we must do so with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

And let us not be afraid of what mortal man can do to us. Instead, let us trust God completely as Daniel did (Daniel 6), let us speak the truth boldly as Stephen did (Acts 7), and let us hold firmly to the faith in Christ that we profess (1 Corinthians 16:13).

If we don’t, who will?

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

1 Timothy 6:17

The Bible contains several paradoxes that our secular world just cannot accept. These paradoxes are like the following: To be considered great in the Kingdom of God we must be the least here on earth (Luke 9:48). Not many in our culture would ever agree with allowing themselves to be servants of others. Or how about loving our enemies (Matthew 5:44)? How many people treat their enemies kindly, let alone go near them? Or what about turning the other cheek when someone strikes us (Matthew 5:39)? Our human reaction is to strike back, not allow them to hit us again!

But perhaps the greatest paradox of all is that we get more when we give away. Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This just goes against all logic! When we give away what we have, we end up with less, right? At least, that’s the reasoning. But God uses a different kind of math. He says that when we give to others, we receive much more in return!

I believe that these paradoxes are given to us to understand the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. Jesus is letting us know that following Him has a cost, and that cost is in exact opposition to our secular world. We can either follow the ways of the world, or God’s way! As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Like Paul, we must desire Christ more than any earthly treasure. To truly follow Christ, we must let go of the things of this earthly life and put our complete faith and trust in Him for all that we need. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things we be given to you as well.” Having faith in Christ and being His disciple means trusting in Him to deliver on His promises!

So, the question is, when we choose to follow Jesus, what have we got to lose? When we follow Christ, we often must give up (lose) our wealth, our status, some of our relationships, our possessions, our comfort, and our desires. That is often very difficult for us to do and is what keeps many people from following Jesus. It is like the rich young man who asked Jesus what he needed to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to give all his possessions to the poor, but he could not do it because he had great wealth (Matthew 9:22). But to be truly blessed in this life, we need to let go of the earthly things that we are holding onto so that we might receive the abundant and truly valuable gifts of God. To the world this would seem ridiculous because they only see things from a worldly perspective.

But when we know Christ and trust in Him, we see things spiritually. When we follow Christ, what we actually lose is greed, worry, impatience, anger, fear, envy, and selfishness. And what do we receive in return? According to Galatians 5:22, we receive the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!” And we also receive God’s blessings in our earthly lives, whether they be financial, material, or emotional, according to His purposes. These are not gifts given to us to use as we want, but are gifts given to us to bless others and give glory to God!

The key for us is to trust in Jesus and know that God is always faithful, and that He will provide for us, care for us, and walk with us through whatever we face in this life! This allows us to live lives free from the worries of this world, and to live abundantly (John 10:10) and give generously (Proverbs 22:9)!

So, it’s not about what we lose, it’s about what we gain in Christ! Can I get an Amen!

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14

The secular world condemns people who are narrow minded. It is because they equate being narrow minded with clinging to values and traditions of the past, being closed to new ways of thinking, and not being willing to go along with those who have more progressive ideas. It’s the belief that new is better, old is outdated, and we must continually evolve as a society to meet the challenges of our times. And while new ideas, products and technologies can improve lives in the future, the reality is that not all of them do.

What we are witnessing today is the jettison of values that have provided a firm foundation for our society for thousands of years and the adoption of new values that are destroying our society right before our eyes. The traditional values of freedom, hard work, family, faith in God, and equality are being replaced by the values of more government control, socialism, LGBTQ rights, atheism, and diversity. And the truly sad part is that many people just don’t see it! They believe we are on the right path. But in reality, they are on the wide path to their own destruction!

Jesus said in his famous sermon on the mount that if we follow the wide path it will lead to our destruction (Matthew 7:13). Instead, He said we must take the narrow path which will lead us to life (Matthew 7:14)! He also said that only a few would find it. Why? Because most people tend to follow the crowd and are influenced to go along with whatever is popular at the time. It is often much harder to go against the tide and to stick to one’s convictions and beliefs when the world is going another way. And that’s why only a few follow the narrow road to true life. It takes conviction and courage to follow the right path!

When I was a senior in high school, I took my first computer programming class. It was taught by one of our math teachers, Mr. Wagner. One of the exercises we did in class was to run a program that simulated landing on the moon (this was 1971 by the way). Our task was to select the speed, pitch and direction to land the lunar module on the moon safely. As hard as I tried, I crashed every time because the speed, pitch and direction inputs had to be exactly right for it to work. In other words, there was only one way to land safely but an unlimited number of ways to crash and burn!

This was also demonstrated dramatically in the movie Apollo 13 when our astronauts had a crippled spaceship due to an explosion and had to return to earth. Their ship had many problems and they had to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere in a very narrow window or they would never return. One of my favorite quotes from that movie was when a reporter asked a NASA Director about all the problems and the possibility of success, he said that “this could be NASA’s worst disaster”. At that moment, the Apollo flight controller stepped in and said, “I believe this will be NASA’s greatest hour!” He knew the odds, but still had faith and trusted that they were on the right path, the narrow path, that was necessary to bring the astronauts home safely!

So, the question we must all ask ourselves is this: Are we on the right path in our life? Is it the wide path that leads to destruction or the narrow path that leads to life?

The wide path is what most people choose because it is easier and appears to offer more flexibility and options in our choices. Following a narrow path is much more difficult because it requires conviction to know that it’s the right path and the courage to trust and believe it is the right path no matter what the world tells us. We must take the narrow path if we want to end up where we truly want to be.

So, what did Jesus mean when He said that only a few find it? I think that many people falsely believe Jesus meant that only a few are chosen to receive eternal life and that the vast majority of people won’t be good enough to get to heaven. They are the people who think that they need to earn their way to heaven. But Jesus clearly indicated that He came to save all people. The only requirement is that they put their faith and trust in Him alone for salvation (John 3:16)!

I believe that Jesus was really saying that many people would rather choose the easy way and the wide path. For them the narrow path is too restricting and confining and requires them to follow certain principles that could result in their suffering, ridicule, or discomfort despite the potential gain. The few are those who follow Christ and who know that only Jesus is the way to true life (John 14:6). We cannot find the solution on our own, just like I could not find the exact inputs to land safely on the moon in my computer class. I needed someone to show me the correct inputs.

To find true life, we must put our trust and faith in Jesus alone, and He will lead us through the narrow gate. Sadly, out of pride, many people think they can get to heaven on their own instead of turning to Jesus. That’s why only a few will find it. Jesus does not exclude anyone from eternal life. People exclude themselves when they fail to put their faith and trust in Jesus to lead them there!

Being narrow minded spiritually means that we put our trust in Jesus alone and do not choose the wide path of the world and its corruption and sinfulness. Jesus is the gate to eternal life and only those who follow Him will pass through it. In John 10:9 Jesus says, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”

I, for one, am happy to be called narrow minded! I believe in God, I follow Jesus, and I put my faith and trust in Him alone! I want to be on the narrow path that leads to life. What about you?

“We live by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

The Christian faith has come under attack in our increasingly secular world. We are living in the age of enlightenment where many people feel that science and reason should rule over faith and belief in God. Most of the attacks tend to focus on the Bible as an old and out of date book that is not in keeping with today’s world that we live in. For that reason, many people reject the Bible and its teachings and as a result are unable to believe in Jesus or have faith in Him.

But the world, and some Christians, have it backwards. As followers of Christ, we do not put our faith in the Bible, though we do claim is it God’s authoritative word. Instead, we put our faith in Jesus Christ alone. The Christian faith is based on what Jesus did on the cross for every human being. As Acts 4:12 states about Jesus Christ, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” When we try to base our faith only on the Bible, we end up dissecting Scripture and analyzing every single word so that we miss the obvious – it’s all about Jesus! In other words, having faith is simple, but understanding theology is hard! Let me explain why.

The Simplicity of Faith

To have faith in Jesus Christ, there are only 3 simple things we need to know and believe.

First, we need to recognize that we are sinful by nature. If we think we are basically good and rarely make mistakes, hurt others, or do evil things, we are not being honest (1 John 1:8). Throughout history humans have proven how evil and sinful we really are and can be. Those who think they are good believe they are just fine and don’t need saving. They think they are good enough to get into heaven on their own merit. That belief is contrary to Scripture.

Second, we need to acknowledge that Jesus died for our sins to reconcile us with God. We cannot save ourselves by keeping God’s commands (Romans 3:20), because we are utterly incapable of doing so. The only hope that we have rests in Jesus and His willingness to suffer death on the cross as the punishment for our sins. He took God’s holy judgment upon himself to pay the debt for our sins that we could not pay. In doing so, He made a way for all humans to be forgiven and reconciled to God. That happens when we put our faith in Jesus alone!

Third, the purpose of the Bible is to show us our true nature and to teach us how to live according to God’s design as forgiven people in gratefulness for what Jesus has done. The Bible contains the history of God’s love for His creation, His commands for how we should treat one another, His sending His Son Jesus to show us His love for us and to save us, and His wisdom for how to live a fruitful and abundant life. God’s Word was not written to argue with, but to submit our lives to and lead us to faith in Jesus (Romans 10:17), repentance of our sins (Acts 17:30), and love for others (John 15:12).

So, putting one’s faith in Jesus is simple. It’s about understanding who we are, who He is, and what He did for us. That’s it! It’s called faith because it can’t be proven with our earthly minds. We can only believe it through the power of His Holy Spirit and by submitting our lives to Him.

The Difficulty of Theology

Theology can be generally defined as the study of religion or a religious practice. Many people like to discuss theology to try and get a better understanding of a religion’s beliefs and doctrine. But very often those discussions descend into arguments about what this word or that passage really means, and in the process, people lose sight of the bigger picture. There are three main reasons why this theological approach is difficult.

The first reason that a theological approach is difficult is the issue of interpretation. There are frequent debates among theologians as to what the Bible says and what certain passages mean for mankind today. But often they are simply differences in our own individual interpretation and not necessarily God’s intent. They also generally do not affect its truth or the basic issue of faith and salvation through Christ. The Bible is God’s revelation to us and communicates His message to us as His creation. As such, it is meant for us to understand His love for us, to help us gain wisdom for living our lives, and enable us to know His character and draw us closer to Him.

The second reason that a theological approach is difficult is the proper understanding of both Law and Gospel. The Old Testament (the Law) contains the history of the Hebrew people, God’s laws for them under the covenant of circumcision, and the writings of the prophets warning the Hebrews of God’s judgment on them for abandoning Him and worshipping other idols and false gods. God wanted to bless them but couldn’t because of their unfaithfulness to Him. As a result, the Old Testament also contains the prophecy of a coming Messiah, who was Jesus, God’s own Son (Micah 5:2). His story is found in the New Testament (the Gospel) and creates a new covenant for all people through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It is not about Law or Gospel, it’s about both! Knowing how Law and Gospel work together is necessary to understanding God’s message and His actions.

The third reason that a theological approach is difficult is the desire by many to make Scripture fit our ways rather than see it as a set of instructions for understanding and following God’s ways. Many people argue that the Bible is outdated and needs to be more relevant to our day and age. In other words, they want to change God’s Word, or re-interpret it, to fit their way of thinking rather than submit to it and God’s way of thinking. But if we begin tampering with God’s Word, then it no longer becomes God’s Word but man’s word. Given that man is sinful and corrupt, this would be unwise and lead us down a dangerous path to our own destruction (Proverbs 14:12).

When we try to base our faith strictly on a theological basis, believing in Jesus becomes more difficult because we end up arguing and debating theology and completely miss the salvation work of Christ on the cross!

Balancing Faith with Theology in the Christian Life

So, how do we balance faith and theology in our lives? To believe and live the Christian life, we must submit our lives to the Holy Spirit. When we do that, He gives us the ability to have faith and to put our trust in Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). He also gives us the ability to live lives worthy of Christ (Philippians 2:13) and enables us to understand Scripture and what God desires of us (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The Christian faith begins with that simple belief of who Jesus is, what He did for us, and why. That is all that we need to share with others to introduce them to Christ. But we also need to know and understand God’s Word so that we can stand on, and proclaim, His truth in our culture. We can then stand firm in our faith (1 Peter 5:9) and counter the secular arguments against it in hopes that it will lead others to put their faith in Jesus as well.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 1:10

We live in a time where the need for discernment has not only become essential, but critically important as well. Whether it is economic statistics, climate data, news reports, medical information, or political claims, we all need to know what is true, real or good in order to be able to make informed decisions that affect our lives. While this has always been necessary, it is even more so today with the advent of social media and the plethora of news outlets that provide a never-ending stream of information and perspectives on our world.

Consequently, I believe that there are three main areas where we need discernment today: lies vs. truth, perception vs. reality, and good vs. evil.

Lies vs. Truth

In our culture today, many people base their opinions and beliefs on what they read and hear and not necessarily about whether it is true or not. We’ve seen how public opinion can be shaped by exaggeration or exploitation of an event so that the public is made to believe a lie, or a distortion of it, rather than the truth.  People will often rush to judgment and act first and ask questions later, which can lead to people being hurt physically or emotionally.

Let’s look at 2 examples. First, in the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, MO in 2014, the initial media reports said that Michael Brown was shot while having his hands up in the air and saying don’t shoot. When the truth came out, the police officer was exonerated because the victim tried to take the officer’s gun away from him while he was in his police car and was shot in the process. He never put his hands up or said don’t shoot. But many people today still believe that’s what happened. Second, there is the case of Ryan Braun, the Milwaukee Brewer outfielder who was accused of using PED’s (performance enhancing drugs) in 2013. He strongly denied it and even tried to put the blame on the person who tested him. He was believed initially, but eventually the truth came out that he had taken PED’s, and his career and reputation never recovered.

All of us hold strong beliefs based upon our own experiences and what we’ve been taught or read. We are also quick to believe or trust people we know well. Those attitudes are hard to change, even in the face of the facts or the truth. We often try to make the facts fit our beliefs, rather than let the facts inform our beliefs. But if we are to have discernment between lies and truth, we must look for the truth and let our actions reflect what is actually true, not what we are led to believe is true.

Perception vs. Reality

Everyone has biases and previous experiences that affect the way that we see or interpret events around us. That often causes us to not be able to see the truth or the facts clearly. Sometimes we only see what we want to see. For example, in many sports games when a judgment call is made, we immediately think our team got a bad call because we want our team to win. Only when we see the video replay can we verify whether the call was correct or not.

Another common example is in news video clips and social media posts where only a portion of an event is shown which can lead to wrong conclusions. It is a technique that is used in just about every political ad to denounce or attack an opponent. Words are taken out of context and video clips don’t show the entire dialog or event in question. As a result, the reader or viewer is given misleading information in order to sway or influence their opinion or vote.

If we are not discerning about everyday things like this, we will often fall victim to the content provider’s bias and end up either being misled or worse, believing a lie. The video clips and news reports we should be most concerned about are the ones that appear to validate what we already believe to be true. They are the most dangerous because we immediately accept them without question and often do not check their accuracy. On-line fact checkers are also of questionable value because they too have been proven to be inaccurate or biased as well. We must do our own research to verify that what we see or what we are being told is true. If we don’t, we could end up spreading misinformation ourselves and mislead others along with us. As the old saying goes, “when in doubt, check it out!”

Good vs. Evil

Perhaps the most concerning lack of discernment today is that of good versus evil. We live in a culture that promotes sexual perversion in all its forms, that accepts the killing of innocent babies in a mother’s womb as a “right” and completely legitimate for any reason, that justifies racism against some people and not others, that endorses the silencing of voices from only certain viewpoints, and that allows theft of property (e.g.- under $950 in CA). All these evils are now determined to either be acceptable or even good for society. It’s almost incomprehensible that our nation has gone this far in accepting, and in some cases, endorsing these evils.

The only reliable way to discern between good and evil is through the lens of Scripture, which is God’s Word. If we use human wisdom or secular thinking, we will end up doing what we reason is good rather than what God says is good. God alone is good, and everything He does is good (Psalm 119:68). Whatever is not of God is evil. But for many people, God’s Word is not where they look to define good and evil. Instead, the look to their own reason or that of the secular world, which are both sinful and corrupt. In effect, people determine for themselves what is good and what is evil. When we make that determination ourselves, we proclaim that we are the authority over what is good or evil, or what is true or false, or even what is fake or real. That kind of thinking is absurd and has no legitimacy. It will also lead to chaos and the destruction of any society. If everyone can determine these things by themselves then there is no law and no order, and as a result, no true justice!

How do we become more discerning? There are two ways.

First, we need to turn to God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We get wisdom from God’s Word that enables us to discern what is of God and what is not of God. By reading and knowing God’s Word, we can more easily make that distinction in the events in our lives and world.

Second, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide our hearts and minds. Proverbs 3:4-5 says to “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” By submitting our thoughts and will to the Holy Spirit, we allow him to discern for us and lead us in God’s way and not our own.

Finally, discernment goes hand in hand with patience. We need to wait for all the facts to become known before forming an opinion. Therefore, let us also be patient and use that extra time to go to God’s Word and His Holy Spirit for wisdom to discern the truth!

“For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.”

Isaiah 32:6

Introduction

America is a different country today than even 20 years ago. It has become more secular than at any other time in our history, and we have witnessed the decline in the respect of the Bible and Judeo-Christian values. America as a nation continues to distance itself from God and has descended into ungodliness. What is ungodliness? It is anything that is not of God. Since God is good (Proverbs 34:8), then anything that is not of God is evil. We are witnessing a culture in America that calls evil, good, and good, evil. Evil is not only accepted, but also promoted! The Bible warns us that, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)

The Current Reality

America’s descent into ungodliness did not just suddenly appear the past two years. It has been slowly occurring over the past 60 years. I documented this decline in my book, About Face: A Call to Turn America Back to God, that I wrote and published in 2015.  In that book I document the decline in morality since 1963 across several statistics, including abortion, divorce, violent crime, drug use and church attendance. I also wrote about the rise in sexual idolatry, devaluation of life, greed, dishonesty, and lack of personal responsibility. This clearly shows that America has been descending into ungodliness for a long time. And we are now at a point where we have seen the emergence of gender self-identity, critical race theory, socialist policies, open borders, and attacks on police officers. These are all against God’s order and design and threaten the stability of our nation. Furthermore, this is also resulting in the coercion of Americans to accept these evils as if they were good!

It is obvious that America is becoming less Christian. Recent polls by Pew Research show that only 63% of Americans now identify as Christian and 30% of Americans now say they have no religious affiliation at all. This compares to 75% and 16% just 10 years ago! Furthermore, according to a 2020 survey by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, only 41% of Americans believe the Bible to be the Word of God and without error, and only 14% of Americans have a Biblical worldview! In other words, America has become more pagan as well!

It is also clear that many Americans have abandoned our Judeo-Christian foundation and have turned to the god of self and man’s wisdom instead of the one true God. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  

Not only that, but persecution against Christians in America has risen as well. Christian bakers are being sued, Christian professors and other employees are being fired, pro-life centers are being attacked, and mass shooters are now targeting churches. And while I have yet to personally experience this persecution, I know that the possibility exists that I could be targeted one day for a simple FaceBook post, attending a Christian event, or simply standing up for my beliefs. And if this continues, things could get a lot tougher for Christians in America.

Our nation is divided and headed down a self-destructive path. But let’s not forget that while ungodly forces may be currently running the media, corporate boardrooms, education, and many government positions, there are still a great number of Americans who trust in God, value our freedoms, believe in the free market economy, and respect our fellow citizens. All is not lost – at least not yet. There is still hope and time for America Christians to respond. But it will take courage, perseverance, patience, and prayer to bring this about.

It won’t be easy either because the Church in America is not unified around God’s Word and its truth. The true Church is who God will use to bring this about. Unfortunately, many churches and denominations have turned away from God’s Word as well and are following the same ungodly myths and beliefs Paul spoke about in his 2^nd letter to Timothy. So, the situation in America today is really not that different than when Paul wrote those words!

The Solution

First, to turn America away from its current path, we must start with the truth. God’s truth. The ungodly believe that each person can have their own truth, which is absolutely absurd on its surface. There has to be one standard of truth that applies to all people. And the only truth that will do that is God’s truth. So, we must ignore the media, academics, and government officials who make up their own truth and look to the Bible to find it! (Isaiah 45:19)

Second, we need to share Jesus! The only remedy for an ungodly person is to put their faith in Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to work in their life. It is Jesus who makes us Godly and righteous and enables us to do good. He calls us to live like Him and love others as He has loved us. When we do that, we help and bless other people, and we are blessed in return. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12, we are to “live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

Our task is to do these two things and leave the rest up to God!

Two Final Thoughts

First, many people think that Christianity is doomed in America. But we know from Scripture that is impossible. Remember Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18? Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” Christ’s Church in America, and on earth, will continue, and it will ultimately prevail when He returns!

Second, many people doubt that Christianity can grow again in America. But we don’t have to look too far back in history to see that when the Church is persecuted, it grows! Christian missionaries were driven out of China by Chairman Mao in 1948, and the Church in China grew from 4 million Christians to an estimated 100 million today! More recently there is growth in the number of Christians in Iran and North Korea as well. Even in Europe, where Christianity has declined greatly, it is not extinct and is still very active in places like England, Germany, and Sweden.

So, let us not lose hope, but instead cling to it, knowing that our God is greater than anything or anyone!! To God alone be the glory, and may He use you and I to witness to the gospel and His truth to help save our nation from itself!