Opus 2024-450: Not Always

I’m reading a book that is dealing with the paradox of having a God who created the universe, and who has all power, and all knowledge, but ends up, repenting, or being sorry, that he created mankind.   How did the two go together?

Couple that with John 3:16,

(Joh 3:16 KJV)  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.

And the concept that we find in Peter,

(2Pe 3:9 KJV)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God wants the whole world to come to repentance and eternal life and yet Jesus said it wasn’t going to happen.

(Mat 7:14 KJV)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

God knows what he wants.  He has the power to force the issue, except for that little matter of free will.  Of course if you don’t believe in free will, if you are a disciple of B.F. Skinner and behaviorism or you are hard-core, five-point Calvinist, this is nonsense to you.  But God, because he has given us free will, because he created us in His image, because He knows the real meaning of love, is not going to force the issue.

God has chosen to have a relationship with man which says that He does not always get what He wants . But keep in mind that is His choice.  It reflects his personhood.  It reflects who He is.  It reflects whom He wants us to be.

Part of growing up is to accept responsibility for our actions.  It is very comforting to be a small child and let mommy decide what we will wear and have for dinner.  If you are still living that way at 40 you have a problem.  So grow up spiritually.  Realize that God wants you to trust in Jesus but He will not force you.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-367: Pigs and Pearls

There’s a verse that came to mind because a phrase came to mind.  The phrase was “throwing pearls before swine”.  The verse was,

(Mat 7:6 KJV)  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I was thinking about this because I was reflecting on being gaslighted so often in my life.  One of the things that makes some of us susceptible to gaslighting is that we have a low opinion of our opinions.  I took very seriously the idea of turning the other cheek and the mental attitude behind that.  I took it so seriously that I applied it to much of my thinking and my opinions.  So I’ve always doubted the conclusions that I come to.

As I grow older, and I hope finally grow up, I’m beginning to realize that God has been able to speak to me over the years and show me things.  I would listen, but then I would get gaslighted and things would slip away.

What has caused me to think is a small bit of reading I did recently out of the Works of Wesley. He was writing to an unidentified correspondent about love, and throwing it around in the way that Wesley likes to do.  It seemed kind of strange to me because it didn’t get down to the actual meaning of love.  He quoted things in a way that seem to be out of context, and not quite accurate.  And thinking about that I realize that he was trying to convey to people who did not acknowledge the Bible as the word of God or God as the creator of the universe truths that are sublime.  They were wallowing in the mud and he was offering them pearls.

Tie that together with a YouTube site that I came to from listening to Andrew Klavan.  It’s called the Young Heretics.  As I was sampling, one of the videos to see what it was like the host, Spencer Klavan, was going on about how hard it is to understand words from another language.  I got as far as to understand that he felt it was impossible.  What he was trying to get out is that there are nuances in words in Greek and Hebrew but we just can’t get in the English and you can’t get in one spot of translation.

Good example of that would be this word “love” that Wesley was referring to.  In the New Testament, the word is usually agape in the Greek.  It is a complex and deep word.  It is a word that we need to get in context so that we can actually understand what he’s talking about.  That’s when people like Wesley quote the verse, “Perfect love, casts out, fear” (I John 4:18), and then try to make it refer every experience you have the rest of your life.  They are really losing their reliability.

Which brings us back to throwing pearls before swine.  I need to look up the context and see if it agrees with what I’m saying.  What I’m saying is that throwing pearls before swine doesn’t help the swine at all and could damage the pearls.  That throwing out deep theological truths in front of unbelievers is really a waste of time.  It doesn’t help them.  It waters down the truth.  I guess if the swine eat too many pearls it might even upset their digestion.

Save the deep truths for the open hearts.  Stick with the simple stuff for people who are not listening.  Better yet, live in such a way that they ask questions.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-231: Endorsing the Six Commandments

Awhile back I watch Peter Robinson interview three men on the topic of Christian culture.  Only one of the three, Stephen Meyer, was a definite Christian.  Tom Holland was a bit vague so I assume he was not and Douglas Murray, an open homosexual, never even acted like that was a possibility.  What was strange was the topic.  They were discussing the importance of Christianity in molding Western culture.  What was even stranger was that Murray and Holland seemed to feel like we needed to get back to the place where Christianity was the basis of our society.

The two men who were not Christians were not ready to embrace the faith or for Christians to evangelize.  It was more of an intellectual admission.  They had a point.

In once sense American was founded as a Christian nation.  It was not Muslim or Hindu, thus the predominate religion was Christian.  In another sense, we were never a Christian country because the people serious about Jesus have always been a minority.

The important factor was that the general population agreed with the values, priorities and morals of the Christian faith even if they did not embrace it.  Jesus did not tell us to expect to be in the majority.

(Mat 7:14 KJV)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

I know that does not set well with many people.  We want everyone to be saved.  So does God.

(2Pe 3:9 KJV)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But it isn’t going to happen.

What we can expect, and demand, is that people embrace the expectations for living outlined in the Bible.  Start with the Six Commandments.  I say “six” because the first four are geared toward believers but the last six apply to everyone.

If you are not ready to repent and trust Jesus for salvation then the least you can do is endorse the plan God gave us for a civil society.

Endorse or perish, not because of the fire from the sky but because of the disintegration of everything that you want in a civilization.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-146: Common Common

As I scanned the offerings on my I-pad from You Tube I saw a clip with a discussion between Joe Rogan and Bill Maher.  It was only about ten minutes and the topic was “common sense” so I took a chance.  I didn’t have much confidence that Maher had any idea what it means but maybe Rogan would.  

What was fascinating to me is that both of them think of themselves as centrist types of guys.  Maher didn’t say anything that made me think he was anything more than a left winger who is not the cutting edge of liberalism any more.  He seemed to be channeling Dennis Prager because he repeated something Prager has been saying for years, “I didn’t leave the Democratic party.  It left me.”  Rogan’s comments made me think he has less potential than I had hoped.  

Common sense is one of those things that many people talk about but each means something different.  My common sense is not your common sense.  What seems obvious to me is nonsense to you.  It is obvious to me that if you pass a law against carrying a firearm the only ones who will pay attention to the law are those who could be trusted to carry.  It is clear that making murder a hate crime is meaningless as a method of reducing crime.  On a more mundane level, if you eat a few chips out of a bag then you should seal it up to keep the remainder crisp.  Is this brain surgery?

I actually think that there is a common common sense.  The problem is in the definition of the golden rule.  Traditionally the golden rule was along the line that Jesus shared,

(Mat 7:12 KJV)  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Different cultures and religions express it is different ways but it is understood.

Modern thinking has changed the golden rule to things like,

He who owns the gold makes the rules.

Do unto others, then cut out.

People tend to quote Jesus and live according to the wag version.  It is not a lack of knowledge but a lack of willingness.  We could transform the country and the world if people would simply start living by what they know to be right.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-208: Destructive Forces, Part 2 of 3

Mars has abandoned the educational system.

Venus has emasculated the church.  When I went to seminary we had no women on the faculty.  There were a few female students around but not enough to share.  If I bothered to go back and visit I bet I would find that they are a majority.  The problem is that the feminine traits of compassion and sensitivity have taken over from the need to save sinners from going to hell.  When I was young the most quoted verse was John 3:16.

(Joh 3:16 KJV) 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.

Now the verse de jour is

(Mat 7:1 KJV) Judge not, that ye be not judged.

One lets us know that sinners need to be saved and God loved us enough to provide a way.  The other, the way it is quoted, means that we should never accuse anyone of sin.  As women have taken leadership roles the men have dropped out.  Of course some would say that women took leadership because the men refused, but that is just part of the same problem.

Venus has destroyed the family.  Women have been sold the bill of goods that a career is the only way to find fulfillment.  In pursuit of that goal they dump their kids in day care and go to work.  They enjoy the extra income and since she is earning so much the man of the house feels he can kick back and relax.  Often he will get to where he does not work at all.  When I was in the ministry it amazed me how many pastors there were who would never dream of asking the church for a raise but had no problem with their wife going to work to subsidize what they were doing.  Men are not saints.  If the women will pay the bills and clean the house they are quite willing to take a nap and go hang with the guys.

It has driven the scientific method from science and made truth an aberration.  The problem we are seeing with modern science is that it is based on feelings instead of facts.  Global warming is a total farce and yet the fear factor destroys our industry. 

To be concluded...

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-209: Physician, Heal Thyself

As I observe what appears to me to be the hypocrisy and total lack of integrity on the left I go through a bit of introspection:  Am I guilty of the same type of disconnect?  We are generally very quick to see the faults in others and slow to see our own.  That is the source of Jesus’ comment,

(Matthew 7:3 KJV)  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

I have noticed that the leftists in the media and politics like to take their own devious priorities and accuse conservatives of being guilty.  Remember Hillary and her talk of a “great right wing conspiracy” when it was really the left that had the conspiracy going?  Remember all the talk about the violence being generated by conservative talk radio when it was the left showing no restraint.  Who is it that is being uncivil in the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings?  In psychology it is called “projection”.  Jesus knew about it.

So I find that when I see others doing things I think are wrong I need to take a deep breath and look at my own actions and motives.  Jesus again,

(Matthew 7:5 KJV)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

The only thing I will add that people don’t like to hear is that one reason we are called to self examination and honesty is so that we can then proceed to evaluate others.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-186: An Accident Averted

Warning:  Theology ahead.

Recently we watched a guy who turned south on a highway we were on.  There were numerous lanes.  He wanted to go south.  The road was connected to his destination.  The car responded to his direction.  There was no law enforcement officer saying, “No.”  The reason we noticed?  It was a one way road heading north.

You would have thought he would have known better.
    Already crossed the southbound lane.
    Signs saying “no right turn”
    Arrows on the ground
    No center line

He was finally convinced by three lanes of traffic heading straight towards him.  It worked out well with shaking heads and laughter for all.  Embarrassment usually doesn’t do permanent harm.

What will it take to convince you?  How is life working for you?  I don’t mean whether you got the raise or whether your transmission just blew up.  I mean the general sense of purpose and satisfaction.  Sometimes the choices we make seem so right and are so wrong.  Jesus put it this way,

(Matthew 7:13 KJV)  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Just because the road is wide and inviting does not mean it is the right way to go.  Maybe it is time to rethink some life strategies and priorities.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-112: The Majority

The majority is not always right.  That is one of the reasons that the Founding Fathers of America set up a government with checks and balances that protected minority groups.  Sheep and cattle run in herds.  Fish have their schools.  Geese have their gaggles. 

As comforting as it is to be part of a group we are ultimately responsible for our decisions.  Because of human nature we often, if not usually, make the choices that are selfish, short sighted and downright wrong. 

That is why Jesus said,

(Matthew 7:13-14 NAS77)  Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.  For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

One of the discouraging things about the straight and narrow is that there will be plenty of room.  It will not be crowded, which means that it can be lonely.  It also means that those on that road must watch as the masses destroy themselves.

Are you looking for hope?  Are you happy about the way society is going?  Are you content being part of the problem or would you rather be part of the solution?

The narrow road waits.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-59: The Church of Obama

When Barak Obama was elected there was speculation on whether he was a Christian or not.  I believe he claimed to be at some point.  He went to a building weekly that had the word “church” in its name. 

Six years later there might be some that still think he is a Christian but there are even more that think he is a closet Muslim.  I don’t think he is either.  If narcissism was a religion I would probably make him the pope.  I don’t think there is enough evidence to push opinion in any other way.

I could ask the same question about many on the conservative side.  Think of George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter.  All have made claims and statements that would say they think of themselves as Christians.  Fortunately it is not for me to make the final judgment and I don’t have enough involvement with any of them to need to make a call.

How do you tell?  There is a line I have heard, “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you.” 

Unless you are on the committee that decides to take someone into membership of your local church this is a question that we should be directing towards ourselves not toward others.  If you look at the favorite Bible verse today you see the same point being made.  You are all familiar with it,

(Mat 7:1 KJV)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.

You may have ignored the context.  The following verses don’t say you should never judge, just that you should judge yourself more severely.  It comes together in verse 5.

(Mat 7:5 KJV)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

So don’t get stressed out about the faith of Barak Obama.  Look to your own house.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-74: Location, Location, Location

What are the foundations of your life?  What are the abiding principles that guide your decisions and set your priorities.  For Christians these foundations are found in Jesus and His teachings.  There are two places where Jesus talks about foundations and they have slightly different emphasis.  Both make it clear that we are to build our lives on keeping His words. 

Luke emphases blooming where you are planted.  The wise man digs down to rock.

(Luke 6:48 KJV)  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

In the next verse the foolish man does no preparation, just starts to build.

(Luke 6:49 KJV)  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Matthew relates it differently.  He starts with the wise man.

(Matthew 7:24-5 KJV)  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Notice that there is no mention of digging.  In this teaching it is a matter of picking the right place to start with.  Compare it to the foolish man.

(Matthew 7:26-7 KJV)  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

I can picture Jesus giving this lesson to different people and emphasizing different aspects of the teaching.  For some who have no choice it is important to dig down deep, to bloom where they are planted.  This gives us hope when we are locked into less than perfect circumstance.

The other group were more flexible in their options.  It was important for them to find the right location.  Katrina took out houses regardless of their foundation.  Maybe we need to go where the rock is to build, not just dig where we want until we find rock.

Which teaching applies best to you today is between you and the Holy Spirit.  Do you need to dig deeper or should you find a better foundation for your life?

Take your pick, both lead to Jesus.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-255, Cornerstone Considerations: D of I, International Equality, Part 1

We are not just to be separate and different.  We are to be equal.

“to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,...”

This is a hard one for those of us that believe in American Exceptionalism.  I think it is best expressed by a concept that is grounded in the Bible and has become what we call the “golden rule.” 

(Matthew 7:12 KJV)  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

This is one of those concepts that you find in many different cultures and philosophies.  It is central the Christian faith and to the American experiment. 

We also have a unique concept of love.  It is also a demand.

(Leviticus 19:18 KJV)  Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Some point out that you can’t love others if you have a sick sense of self.  It is possible to make too much of that but it has a grain of truth. 

One of the ideas that was at the root of the Great Awakening, and thus central to the thinking of the Founding Fathers, was the idea that all were equal before God.  The teaching of the Great Awakening was based on the idea that we were all equal in Christ.  This finds its highest expression in the writing of Paul.

(Galatians 3:28 KJV)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

This did not mean that there were no kings or that men were not the head of the family but it had a sense of equality that brought the kings down and lifted the slaves up.

This is the American sense of “equal.”

To be continued....

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-53, Compromise: A Survival Trait of Freedom

Do you get tired of being in the minority?  Get used to it.  I live in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia.  I do not have one federal or state representative that agrees with me on anything important.  Locally I think there is one school board member who might have his head on straight.  I keep voting and speaking up but I am used to being ignored.

We who are believers are always going to be a minority.  In terms of salvation, Jesus said it this way,

(Matthew 7:14 NASB)  "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I don’t believe the difficulty is actually in finding it.  I think that it is simply a matter of being willing to admit I am a sinner and in need of grace.  In our culture that is offensive.  It offends my self-worth and damages my self-esteem.

The principle of being the “few” applies to more than the Marines.  The political gate is also narrow and hard to find, for the same reasons.  People who believe in eternal values and God’s version of morality will always be in a minority.  If you don’t believe that, listen to “conservatives” talk about what they call “social issues.” 

Minorities have a need to work in coalitions.  I am afraid we are in a position which means we must always compromise and take half a loaf, not in our personal moral behavior but in our political demands.  Until the elites gained control and started trashing the Constitution with impunity, we lived in a form of government that had built in checks to keep the majority from tyrannizing the minorities.  The Founding Fathers were aware they were building such a system.  Maybe because the Founding Mothers told them to make it so.

The purpose of minorities is not to force others to adopt their ways but to maintain their freedom to believe as they believe, in spite of others and in the midst of others.  Therefore there is more diversity when you have minorities that are strong.

So don’t despair.  Don’t give up.  Don’t be a Gloomy Gus.  If you want to know how bad it can be, read the book of Revelation.  Don’t forget to read the final chapters and find out who wins.  You see at the end of the game it is not the team that had the best polls or the most fans that wins.  It is not even the team with the most yards gained or the best looking quarterback.  The winner is the one who has the most points on the scoreboard.

We don’t need everyone doing it our way.  We simply need enough power to keep them from forcing us to do it their way.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-27, Christian Cliches: Casting Your Pearls

“Don’t cast your pearls before swine” is good advice but does not go with our modern multi-cultural crowd.  Before you get too upset about such an insult as inferring that people are pigs, understand that these are the words of Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild.  It turns out He is not as meek and mild as many people claim.

This is part of the Sermon on the Mount which begins in Matthew 5 with what are called the Beatitudes.  What is also ignored is that it comes right after the section that people love to quote.  You first find,

(Matthew 7:1 KJV)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Our world loves this verse.  They don’t love what comes a few verses later:

(Matthew 7:6 KJV)  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

It would seem that Jesus is telling us we need to make decisions that are close to judging.  We are given the responsibility to decide who the pigs are.

Don’t feel like you need to let everyone know everything.  Don’t feel that you need to let little children wash your good china.  Don’t entrust your precious children to the public schools. 

Pigs make good bacon but they make terrible judges at the cake competition at the county fair.

homo unius libri