Are You Going to Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?

There’s a lot of confusion regarding Christianity. Calling oneself a Christian seems to be something thrown out there without much thought. People give it more thought to identifying themselves with a certain college when it comes to sports than they do about religion. Are you a Hawkeye? Oh yeah! Definitely! Are you a Christian? Yeah, I guess so.

It’s probably because to say you’re not a Christian you would get questions like, “What, you don’t believe there’s a God?” or “Are you an atheist?” Or some people might think you believe in some other religion like Islam, Buddhism, etc.

However, in America most people refer to themselves as Christian. Even if they don’t believe in it necessarily, it’s easier to say, “I’m a Christian” because to do otherwise would make you different or stand out. Even politicians identify as Christian, but only to get the vote or to sway their constituents to follow some objective they’re trying to promote. Take Hillary Clinton for instance. She says that as a Methodist she follows Christ’s command to care for the least of these by how she cares for children and the poor.

Many people wouldn’t bat an eye at someone like Clinton claiming to be a Christian. To care for children and the poor are Christian-like attitudes and beliefs. But like Satan in the Garden of Eden, he used God’s own words but then twisted the meaning. Gen 3:4-5 – “’You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Or how about when Satan confronted Jesus, he actually tried to twist God’s words to the one who is the Word Himself!

Matthew 4:3-10

3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

This is not to say Hillary Clinton is the devil, obviously. But a lot of people take pieces of the Bible to support something they believe or promote and then take it out of context. God’s Word is consistent from beginning to end. If a certain Scripture is used to support a policy to help the less fortunate, such as providing welfare, but then ignore far weightier matters such as abortion, then God’s words are taken out of context. Jesus confronted such people in His day by calling them hypocrites.

Matthew 23: 1-7

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

Then Jesus provided seven examples that were preceded by the words, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!”:

1 You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.

2 You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

3 You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

4 You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

5 You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

6 You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

7 You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

Being a Christian is so much more than claiming to be one, just like the Pharisees who claimed to be children of Abraham. Jesus said in John 8, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants…If you were Abraham’s children then you would do what Abraham did…You are doing the works of your own father…You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies…The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

In writing the Galatians, the Apostle Paul told them, and by extension the rest of us, what it looks like between those who follow Christ and those who do not follow Christ. Those that follow and identify with Christ are the ones who will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5: 19-24

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Does this mean that if you have ever done any one of those things that you aren’t a Christian and won’t go to heaven? No, of course not. If you have surrendered to Christ and asked Him to be your Lord and Savior, you receive grace and forgiveness. You begin to change from the first list (the flesh) to the second list (the Spirit). You begin to identify with God’s characteristics more and more every day. You also begin to hate and have a struggle with the flesh. Even the Apostle Paul after his conversion said in Romans 7, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it…For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am!”

The Apostle Paul hated sin and the acts of the flesh. He knew of the struggles but wasn’t bound by them. He identified with Christ and surrendered his life to live like Christ. Think about this, when you grew up in your home, you identified with your family and your attitudes and demeanor were like that of your father and mother. It’s like that with Jesus. When you switch allegiances from following the devil, you leave behind the acts of the flesh and begin to identify with God’s family and begin to identify with Him, which is the fruit of the Spirit.

But which list do you and your heart and attitude identify with? If you haven’t made a conscious decision to follow Jesus, to surrender your will to His, then you likely identify with the acts of the flesh. Here’s the list of the acts of the flesh and what each means:

Sexual immorality –  porneia. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity”, and it is primarily used of premarital sexual relations. From this Greek word we get the English word pornography, stemming from the concept of “selling off.” Sexual immorality is the “selling off” of sexual purity and involves any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5).

Impurity –                  This word in the Greek is akatharsia, which means “defiled, foul, ceremonially unfit.” It connotes actions that render a person unfit to enter God’s presence. Those who persist in unrepentant immorality and impurity cannot come into the presence of God. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8; Psalm 24:3–4). It is impossible to maintain a healthy intimacy with God when our bodies and souls are given over to impurities of any kind.

Debauchery –            or sensuality. The habitual and unrestrained indulgence of lust and sensuality. There are several places in Scripture where the word debauchery is used to indicate what we would today call "partying." It encompasses several aspects of unholy living, including but not limited to sexual immorality, drunkenness, crude talk, and generally out-of-control behavior.

Idolatry –                    According to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. The most prevalent form of idolatry in Bible times was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities.

Witchcraft –               or sorcery. The Bible has a lot to say about witchcraft. Witchcraft and its many cousins, such as fortune-telling and necromancy, are Satan’s counterfeits to holy spirituality. The Bible expressly condemns all forms of witchcraft. There are only two sources of spiritual power: God and Satan. Satan has only the power that God allows him to have, but it is considerable (Job 1:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:2). To seek spirituality, knowledge, or power apart from God is idolatry, closely related to witchcraft. First Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Witchcraft is Satan’s realm, and he excels in counterfeiting what God does. When Moses performed miracles before Pharaoh, the magicians did the same things through demonic power (Exodus 8:7). At the heart of witchcraft is the desire to know the future and control events that are not ours to control. Those abilities belong only to the Lord. This desire has its roots in Satan’s first temptation to Eve: “You can be like God” (Genesis 3:5).

Hatred –                      or enmity. Biblically speaking, there are positive and negative aspects to hatred. It is acceptable to hate those things that God hates; indeed, this is very much a proof of a right standing with God. “Let those who love the Lord hate evil” (Psalm 97:10a). However, the hatred that is negative surely has to be that which is directed against others. Hatred is a poison that destroys us from within, producing bitterness that eats away at our hearts and minds. This is why the Scriptures tell us not to let a “root of bitterness” spring up in our hearts (Hebrews 12:15). So heinous is the position of hate before God that a man who hates is said to be walking in darkness, as opposed to the light (1 John 2:9, 11). The worst situation is that of a man who continues professing religion but remains at enmity with his brother. In addition, the act of murder itself was certainly condemned, but hatred is a “heart” sin, and any hateful thought or act is an act of murder in God’s eyes for which justice will be demanded, possibly not in this life but at the judgment.

Discord –                     or strife. You can look in the world today and see no shortage of strife which can be defined as a vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism toward someone else or others. Strife could include being in a quarrel, struggle, or clash with others or another person and might even include an armed conflict but is not limited to being in competition or rivalry with someone else or with others. Strife sometimes includes a bitter and even violent disagreement even with those who are in authority.

Jealousy –                   Jealousy has been defined as resentment against a rival or a person who has been more successful.  It could be an uneasiness born from a fear or suspicion of unfaithfulness or a rivalry of another person or thing.  A workaholic may be jealous of someone else’s success and so is driven to a compulsion to work as hard as humanly possible to gain an advantage over a co-worker.   If we put something or someone above our desire or love for God, God will be jealous over that thing or person because we value that over Who we should value most and that is God.  Jesus said that we should “love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart, mind, soul and strength”.

Fits of rage –              or fits of anger. Rage is an uncontrollable anger that results in someone temporarily losing control, risking great harm to themselves, to others, and to personal property. Rage can lead to fury or violent anger that is displayed publicly or privately. Rage is described as the behavior of the ungodly and it’s a fruit of the flesh from which nothing good ever comes.  Someone that is easily provoked into a fit of rage had better examine themselves to see if they are actually in the faith because they should be showing fruits such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”.  Rage is nearly the opposite of self-control.

Selfish ambition –    or rivalries. It means to be self-seeking and always looking out for one’s own interests above the interests of anyone else. The Greek word for selfish ambition is eritheia, and the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle defined selfishly ambitious people as those who want to achieve political office by making themselves look bigger and better before others through trickery. Eritheia thus identifies heart motives of pride, self-love, and self-advancement. It reveals the drive to put oneself ahead of others, and to deceive by "spinning" the truth in order to look good and hide the inner selfish purposes as one pursues getting his own way.

Dissensions –             or seditions. Dissensions is a translation of the Greek word dichostasia, which literally means "standing apart”. Dissension means more than just disagreements or an emotional exchange of ideas. It indicates an "escalation" which may have originated in a simple discussion, which escalated to a loud exchange, which led to anger expressed loudly, to a loss of emotional control, to imputing motives, to name calling, and to finally even a potential fight. Thus we may have a “mild dissension” (An mild, emotional exchange, or a manageable argument), to a “strong dissension” which gets loud, intense, very emotional.

Factions –                   or divisions. Faction comes from the Greek erithia, meaning ambition, self-seeking, rivalry.  It means party-making. Vine says that it comes from erithos, a hireling, thus it denotes seeking to win followers. The word eritheiai and may be translated hostility or selfish ambition.  Selfish ambition or factionalism is serious. Those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness will receive God’s wrath and indignation and will experience tribulation and distress. If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. This selfish ambition that promotes a factious spirit is a deed or work of the flesh.

Envy –                          The secular definition of envy is a human emotion where a person lacks someone’s achievement, their wealth, their status, their possessions, their family and spouse, or any other thing or person that someone else has. 

Drunkenness –          The Bible affords ample proof that excessive drinking of intoxicants was a common vice among the Hebrews, as among other ancient peoples. This is evident not only from individual cases of intoxication, but also from frequent references to drunkenness as a great social evil. However, Ephesians 5:18 holds the key: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Two elements are being compared: alcohol and the Holy Spirit. Each has the power to take control of a person’s mind and behavior—with vastly different results. Getting drunk leads to a loss of self-control; being filled with the Spirit leads to more self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). We cannot be controlled by both alcoholic spirits and the Holy Spirit at the same time. When we choose to ingest mind-altering substances, we are effectively choosing to give ourselves over to the control of something other than the Holy Spirit. Anything that takes control of our mind, will, and emotions is a false god. Any master we obey other than the Lord is an idol, and idolatry is sin (1 Corinthians 10:14).

Orgies –                       The definition of an orgy is an overindulgence in something or a wild party, especially one where multiple people engage in sexual behavior.

All of these definitions describe behavior that is not characteristic of the nature of God. In fact, they’re the opposite. If you’re a child of God, then it’s your desire to be more like Him and leave behind the old nature (the flesh). But like Paul, a Christian will struggle. He or she will still sin at times. But that will not be characteristic of the believer.

Someone who’s not a Christian, the acts of the flesh pretty much define who they are. It is a pattern of their lives and there is no conviction of sin. They’re unrepentant. In fact, they’re drawn to the behavior because that is who they are. They live in darkness. Jesus said in John 3:19, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

Do they have to stay that way? No! By no means. In the previous verses in John 3, Jesus also said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned…”

There is hope. If you believe in Jesus and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior, you can change from identifying with the acts of the flesh and identify with the fruit of the Spirit – “love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control”. Which are you? Will you be one of those who inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?

A Response to White America

Picture by taliesin

This is a letter in response to George Yancy when he wrote a letter to White America in The Stone. Yancy wrote this letter in an apparent attempt to attack racism in America. However intended, Yancy has perpetuated the internal struggle America has endured over the past two centuries. This response is to provide an alternative perspective and solution.

You can read George Yancy’s letter here.

Dear Mr. Yancy,

I have, with great apprehension, opened your gift that you dropped on the doorstep of White America. I looked at it intently and tried to consider if this gift was relevant or deserved. I even wondered if this gift was something that I wanted to keep or throw away. I finally came to the conclusion that I wanted to take this gift and readdress it to not just White America but to the human race. And yes, this gift is being regifted back to you, Mr. Yancy, although slightly modified.

In your gift to White America, you are right on several points. I will admit that. There is a deeply rooted problem in America that stems from years of slavery, persecution, and discrimination. That problem still exists today. I would, however, try to direct your attention to a much larger issue. You bring up two very serious issues that plague America. You accuse White America of racism while admitting your own sexism. I would argue that there are a myriad of societal ills that plague America. I could list all the “isms” here but that list would be too long for this letter.

America has many issues that plague not just the black community but many segments of society. This is where I am regifting your very thoughtful gift to White America. I believe you’re being too narrow in your view of these issues. Mind you, I am not a highly paid or educated philosopher as yourself. So please bear with me as I bring out ideas that come from my own rambled, incoherent thoughts.

First, I want to address this racism issue. I find it interesting that you would argue that all of White America has benefited from racism. Can I point out the obvious? While I find this point argumentative, and especially debatable, have you not benefited, if one truly can benefit from such a notion, from racism as well? You call yourself a philosopher, someone who investigates truth, and yet how do you miss a vital part of your vocation? You derive a living on the subject of racism. You write on such subjects as “Black Bodies, White Gazes”, “Look! a White!”, and “Dear White America” for goodness sake.

Racism is a problem each and every human being has. Are you a racist? Am I a racist? Yes. And yes. “Racism is defined by the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races,” according to a Google search. Please allow me to elaborate. I may not be an intellectual but I can recognize that this is a worldwide problem. This is an issue of them versus us. I’m going to be uncomfortable around someone who doesn’t look like me, act like me, or show basic characteristics of someone like me. So, to put it in a nutshell, racism exists because we all have the propensity to compare ourselves to one another.

Racism isn’t a one-way road. But somehow, I get the sense in your writing that racism is only a condition from which whites suffer. Your entire article points to no matter how “innocent” whites appear, we are racist. There is no reciprocation from you to show how blacks and people of color, too, have this same problem. Do whites in America experience the consequences of racism in the same way as blacks and other minorities? Unlikely. But I’ve lived in a predominantly black city a number of years to get the sense of how whites are viewed within the community. I feel the anger and distrust from a number of black men and women in these urban areas only because I’m white. Is that fair? I don’t think so but I also recognize the reality of the circumstances that brought this about.

America, from its infancy, brought on the issue of racism upon itself. But let’s not be naïve to believe that this country is the only one in history to be burdened with this blight. Throughout history, peoples from various nations have enslaved other people groups. Isn’t it true that Black Africans enslaved White Europeans only a few centuries ago? Those could have been my ancestors. Couldn’t I have disdain or feel bitter for what happened to my people?

Racism wasn’t born in America. It has, however, been highlighted here more than any other time or place in history. However slavery has shaped this nation, it is now ours to deal with. I would like to see this country move forward in solidarity in removing the chasm that exists between the different races. What you write, Mr. Yancy, does a disservice toward that end. And I can only surmise that what you and other intellectuals teach and promote in academia only exacerbates the growing tensions in our country.

I will concede that as I write this I am responding much like you predicted, with a certain chip on my shoulder. But that is because when accusations are thrown at me that, much like every other human being, I get rather defensive. But why is that? Am I essentially acknowledging that I am a racist? I already said that I am. But not for the reasons you believe. I am racist because I am born of flesh in a sinful world that has rebelled against God.

If we’re going to really try to understand where the root of the problem exists in our society, we need to take an honest approach and open our minds to all possibilities. You use philosophy and the art of argument to dissuade anyone from having an intelligent rebuttal toward your comments. You use the techniques you’ve learned in academia, which has worked so effectively in our current Presidential Administration, to shut down any debate. You close it off as if your statements are the final word.

I contend, Mr. Yancy, that White America is not the sole contributor to the problem of race in our country. I don’t even argue that Black America is to blame. We can go down the line and look at Black, White, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, male, female, heterosexual, homosexual, German, English, African, Catholic, Evangelical, Atheist, Muslim, and so on and so on and come to the conclusion that the problem comes from one place and one place only. The human condition. We are all sinners born into a sinful world.

Do you know why America is in the condition it is in? It’s because we have sinned against God. Romans 3:22-23 states “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” In the previous verses, the Apostle Paul quotes from Psalms:

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

It is because we are enemies of God that in our hearts we are enemies of each other. It isn’t until we reconcile our relationship with God that we can begin to have a proper understanding and relationship with other people. No amount of philosophy, psychology, or psychiatry is ever going to change the human condition. Much like a Band-Aid can only cover an open wound can any of the aforementioned studies of behavior mask the afflictions of wounded minds.

The same God who created the universe is the same God who provides a remedy for the human condition.  God sent His Son Jesus, who, according to Colossians 1:15-20, is the exact representation of Himself, to reconcile humankind to our Creator. Colossians 1:21-22 tells us this, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…”

Our relationship with God matters. It’s a direct correlation to how we relate to each other. Peace on earth doesn’t happen until we have peace with God. So, although it appears in your letter that you intended to put White America at war with itself, I want to offer an alternative where we can all reconcile with each other instead.

A perfect world does not exist. It will not exist on this side of heaven. Even people today who put their faith and trust in the Almighty make mistakes and hurt people. Sin exists and will continue to exist until the return of our Savior in the final days. However, when we surrender our hearts and minds to Jesus, He begins the process of changing the way we think and behave. We become more and more like Him. Hopefully, over time, we begin to see how we treat each other and relationships will begin to heal and people will be at peace with one another. But this is a process and only those who surrender their will to God’s will experience this peace.

Unfortunately, we live in a world today that is increasingly hostile to God. People are not only turning their backs to God but are raising their fists to Him. Again, I go back to the fact that our relationships with each other are a direct correlation to our relationship with God. That is why we see so much anger and hostility toward each other, between countries, between races, even between families and marriages. The world is hurting because we are far, far from God.

The other side of heaven is a completely different story. In Revelations, Scripture tells us that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. There will be no sin and the divisions that exist today between people will not exist then. Relationships between people will be perfect because the relationship between God and people will be perfect.

Don’t get me wrong. Not everyone will get to experience this perfect relationship as it pertains to God. Many people have made decisions, and continue to make these decisions, to leave God out of their lives. The Bible makes it clear that the “the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” It is unfortunate that many do not want a relationship with God. And God will not force Himself upon them. Ultimately, it is still a choice.

I did read and hear what you said in your letter, Mr. Yancy. I did read with the goal of understanding your point of view. However, what I didn’t read is your solution. You wanted me to read and bear the brunt of your accusations without rebuttal. If I attempt to say that I agree with you, it would still bear no fruit in your mind because I’m still a middle-aged white male living in White America with my white privilege while living in the comfort of my racism. As you say, “Being a ‘good’ white person or a liberal white person won’t get you off the hook.” (Interesting that only a liberal white person is someone you mention as if good and liberal automatically go together.)

It seems, to me, as if there is no redemption for White America. We are prejudiced and racist and we should wallow in the muddy waters of our white identity. We are who we are. Never mind that many white people, like my ancestors, came to America after the Civil War. We had no part in slavery but because we’re white we find ourselves guilty by association.

You do propose, interestingly though, that we should love black people. And you mention black people like Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice among others as examples of black people we should love. Should we love black people without regard for their actions and attitudes toward us? If we feel the weight of black prejudice being thrust upon us, should we love them the same?

I’m not trying to suggest that White America shouldn’t love black people. I’m only trying to point out that your letter is deficient, void of a cohesive objective. It doesn’t provide a direction where we can go forward. To quote a section of your letter, you write:

I can see that this letter is being misunderstood. This letter is not asking you to feel bad about yourself, to wallow in guilt. That is too easy. I’m asking for you to tarry, to linger, with the ways in which you perpetuate a racist society, the ways in which you are racist.

So the question is if White America seriously considers how they have perpetuated a racist society, and are in essence racist, what is it that you want us to do? You don’t want us to feel guilty but you don’t offer a way for us to make amends.

Well, I want to offer a solution. I want America, and the rest of society, to move forward. But that requires something even deeper and painful than what you prescribed for White America. What this requires is a commitment. Not for a day, a month, or even a season. It’s a life-long commitment. Please consider not my words because my words are trivial. My words can be misconstrued and misleading. My words hold no weight to the balance of the matters of life. No, I ask that you listen to the Words of God. I ask you to read the Scriptures, from the Law and the Prophets, to the Gospels, to the letters written to the churches and the saints.

But I only wonder if you will read and hear what God has to say. You ask America to listen to you, but would you consider listening to God? Would you open His Word and consider His commandments? Ponder upon His laws and precepts. How do you measure up to God’s standards? Would you acknowledge that as flesh and blood you are incapable of being good and righteous before a Holy God? Would you consider that only God can provide a way of redemption through His Son, Jesus? Would you be willing to see what Jesus did for you and me at the cross of Calvary? Is it possible that you could see that Jesus died for your sins so that you could receive forgiveness and be redeemed through His blood?

Would you give it some thought about surrendering your will for His will? Would you allow Jesus into your heart to allow Him to begin the transformation to make you into a new creation created for His glory? Could you see how you’ve sinned against Him and repent of your sins? Could you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus every day? Could you do these things despite the intense and increasing persecution being brought upon the followers of Jesus because the world hates Him?

You asked White America to talk to their children, hold their children tight, and look upon their children fondly while all the while imagining their children as black. But what if we considered another way? What if we challenged ourselves to see each other and our children as we are through God’s eyes? What if we considered that the only way society can move beyond prejudice and bigotry is by identifying ourselves with Christ? What if Jesus is the only way that we’ll ever see each other as more than race, gender, or national origin and see each other as people saved by grace. Even Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous speech acknowledged:

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

The Meaning of Christmas

Christmas is such a special and memorable time. I know most people will be out buying presents and getting ready for some festive celebration. Shelby and I decided years ago that we didn’t want to participate in the commercialization of Christmas, so we didn’t buy presents.

However, the more I think about what Jesus did on the cross and by giving His life for mine, I realize how significant His gift was to me. The thing is is that gifts are a great thing. But it’s the kind of gift that makes the difference. Shelby and I have everything we need. But to give our time to someone, to help someone who is sick or in need, or to share the greatest gift of all, which is Jesus, is far better than anything we could buy at Walmart or Target.

I am deeply grateful for Jesus and all that He has done for me. He has given me a beautiful and supportive wife who even helps me write these blogs. I often don’t give her enough credit because these blog posts are so much better because of her. And that goes for every area of my life. Thank you Shelby.

This post is actually meant for everyone. But as Christmas draws near, I think of my family and friends. I don’t know each person’s heart or where they stand with God. It’s my prayer that they all know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But I know from the Bible that I can’t assume that.

I would like to be bold and ask each person what they believe. I’m just not as adept at speaking as I am at writing. These are questions that I so desperately want to ask everyone that I know. Do you know Jesus? How do you know Jesus? What does Christmas mean to you? Do you know for sure that you belong to Him?

I can’t stress the significance of these issues enough. Eternity apart from God is such a horrible thought that it’s like knowing someone is heading toward a cliff and knowing about it but doing nothing about it. No warning, no empathy, no nothing.

But to share God with someone is like caring enough for them to know of the joy, the love, and the blessings that I also know and experience. Since God loved me, He expects me to love Him and to love others. I often fall short of these goals.

It convicts me that I’m not as bold as I should be about my faith. But I do hope that many of my family and friends will read this. Because it’s that important to me and to Shelby. Thank you.

  

The Meaning of Christmas

Every year around this time it seems that this phrase, “the meaning of Christmas,” keeps popping up in conversations. You also hear, “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas." There’s little question the reason behind these phrases is due to certain people, such as atheists deeply opposed to Christianity, trying to remove God from our culture.

It’s understandable, considering the atheists point of view, why they are opposed to God. The definition of atheism, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a disbelief in the existence of deity.” It could be argued that disbelief is a belief in itself. For example, John Doe chooses to believe there is no God versus believing there is a God. The Free Dictionary says that disbelief is, “the inability or refusal to believe or to accept something as true.” Point being is that atheists, in the same vein as evolutionists, are choosing to base their argument on faith. The sad reality is that they’re betting their lives and that is going to end very badly.

What my concern is is that people are adamantly protesting taking Christ out of Christmas without understanding what Christmas means themselves. What do I mean by this? For many, my concern is that they are like those in Isaiah 29:13. Please read this very carefully.

Isaiah 29:13

The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

Why does this concern me? Perhaps because this rang true in my life for many years. I considered myself a Christian when I wasn’t. I had convinced myself that because I prayed for God to save me that I had essentially been saved. But there was something missing and I didn’t know it. Or maybe I did but I didn’t want to admit it.

I had stopped going to church. I continued to live my life as if it were my own. I was pursuing a sinful lifestyle and wasn’t concerned about what God thought. But I had been brought up in a family that went to church every week, was baptized as a child, confirmed as a young adult, and followed many of the traditions of Christianity.

The issue is what God says in Isaiah. I honored him with my mouth, like many do when they cry foul when someone says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. I followed human rules such as going to church on Sunday mornings. I acknowledged that there was a God but so does the Devil and his minions. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

What was missing? What do so many people miss? The problem is that many people miss a very important truth. It’s not difficult to see. Consider the Pharisees. You may think that the Pharisees were bad people and that you’re nothing like them. Think again. The Pharisees were even more religious than you. They “were very zealous for the law of Moses,” according to Thorn Crown Journal, and they “had a great zeal for God.” The problem is that just as in Isaiah 29:13, they were also strict adherents to oral traditions. These were traditions of men, even very intelligent men.

Why were the traditions of men so wrong? In many ways, the traditions became more important than God’s Word. The Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus because they treated their traditions as having equal authority as God’s laws. Like Got Questions Ministries state, “we are not to allow our relationship with God to be reduced to a legalistic list of rules and rituals.”

So what is everyone missing? Why does it seem that there is a world with their hearts far from God, despite the fact they profess Him with their lips? Ironically, there are so many people who say “Lord, Lord,” but are going down the path to destruction and don’t even know it. Jesus said, “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.”

What many people are missing and what I was missing is “surrendering.” Think about it. What good is it when a person asks God to save them and continues about his or her lifestyle without any consideration of changing? But it’s not just that, it’s also a recognition that God is King, He is Lord, and He is Sovereign over our lives. So am I saying that it takes some effort on our part to get right with God? No. Surrendering is just that…surrender. Our sin caused us to be enemies of God. Just as in war, there is a supreme power that wins. When we surrender to God’s ways and lifestyle, we surrender to the Supreme Power and His authority over our lives. Isaiah 55:9 says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We all need to understand that we have sinned against God by living contrary to His ways. The law, otherwise known as the Mosaic laws, helps us to see what are God’s ways. Do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and so on. Have you ever told a white lie? Have you ever taken a penny that didn’t belong to you? Have you ever in your anger say that you hated someone? If you have, then you’re a lying, thieving murderer. And by God’s standard, we all have sinned against God and have come short of His glory.

Though most everyone believes that God is love, and He is, God is also just. He cannot tolerate sin or for sin to go unpunished. That would be like having a judge in court say to a lying, thieving murderer deserving of the death sentence to say, “I love you and forgive you. I’ll give you a pass. You are free to go.” Would that be a just judge? Wouldn’t every person who witnessed such a judgment realize how wrong and inequitable that is to a civilized society? How much less would that be to a just God who is the ultimate Judge over our souls?

Many of these things were not explained to me early in my life. I thought all I needed was to pray some prayer, confess Jesus in front of others, and try to live a good life. Though that is what I believed, I didn’t even do that well. Suffice it to say, I missed it by a mile. I didn’t realize that to truly belong to God, or be considered one of His children, that I needed to surrender. I needed to make him Lord of my life. Even that statement isn’t completely accurate. Got Questions Ministries helps explain that Jesus is already Lord. It’s for us to submit to His Lordship.

Why is all of this so important to understand? It’s because too many people live a life of religion. It’s just like in Memphis or throughout the Deep South. This area is commonly referred to as the Bible Belt. However, like in the days of the Pharisees, there appears to be traditions of men that are viewed with higher priority. People are judged harshly and legalism becomes a common occurrence. As a result, there are church pews filled with people going through the motions, becoming Sunday Christians, and for the rest of the week blending in with the world.

True Christians would not want to blend in with the world. The world is antagonistic against God. 1 John 2:15-17 says that we should not love the world but love God. And to love God is to do the will of God.

1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

If we truly know Jesus, we would know that His desire is relationship, not religion. God doesn’t just want us to know about Him. He wants us to know Him personally. Think of your own parents. Don’t they want you to identify with them as part of the family? Don’t they want you to know them as Mom and Dad and not just know about them as some distant parental unit? Don’t they long for you to want to be with them and love them? Doesn’t God want many of the same things from His children? Hosea 6:6 says, “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”

So what does Christmas truly mean for the Christian? Is it about being offended by those who prefer Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings to Merry Christmas? No. We should care about our neighbor and more importantly, their eternal destination. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus, of course, but the miracle of the virgin birth is only the prelude to the greater event, Jesus’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross for the sins of all the world.

What Jesus did was satisfy the righteous requirements of the law and justify us before the Judge of all mankind for our sins. He took our place and bore our sins and nailed them to the cross. But while Jesus died for the sins of the world, it is still our individual responsibility to ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) We need to receive God’s gift. We need to surrender to His will.

Christmas means everything. Christmas is where Jesus humbled Himself and became like one of us. It was such a glorious event that even Linus of the cartoon strip Peanuts recognized the significance. Watch this video and see for yourself.

It is every true Christian’s prayer that all people come to know Jesus. What is the meaning of Christmas to you? I hope that for you that it means you invited Jesus into your heart and surrendered your will for His. That is the only way Christmas can be truly celebrated.

To Hallow or Not to Hallow Een

This October 31, many Memphians will be out celebrating what is today referred to as Halloween. In many regards, Halloween is considered a major holiday in the US, perhaps surpassing Thanksgiving and coming in behind Christmas, which is the number one celebrated holiday. But is Halloween a holiday that should be celebrated, particularly among Christians? According to one website, Wiccans see this as one of their eight major holidays, so how should Christians respond?

According to Dictionary.com, the name Halloween is derived from All Saint’s Day even though the Christian holiday doesn’t have any resemblance to the holiday celebrated today. In fact, it is more likely based on the Celtic New Year, which at that time celebrated the dead arising for one night, among other things.

There are several aspects regarding Halloween that should raise “red flags” among Christian believers. However, it is a matter of disagreement even within the Christian community about whether Christians in general should be involved in the holiday or not. While some arguments “for” participation may have merit, there is one aspect of the argument that is completely left out and will be discussed later.

(Read more)

I'm Mad

 

Image courtesy of sumetho / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

I’m mad.  Is that wrong?  I’m mad at the government.  I’m mad at our so-called leaders.  I’m mad at President Obama.  And I’m mad at every cotton-picking person in this country. 

Okay, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far.  But I am pretty ticked off at the world right now.  Why is it that the world has seemed to have gone crazy? 

Oh, I know.  I’m not supposed to get mad, be disrespectful, or voice my opinion because I’m a Christian.  Or something like that.

The truth is there are probably certain things I’m saying right now that I shouldn’t.  I shouldn’t even be thinking them.  But I’m human.  Flesh and blood.  Christians have feelings and emotions just like anyone else.  The mature ones, the ones that are walking closely to God, live under the control of the Holy Spirit.  I think I would do good to be controlled by the Holy Spirit than my crazy thoughts.

I just can’t understand why right seems wrong and wrong seems right to so many people.  Somehow under the guise of political correctness things have been turned upside down.  I guess it’s like when the Bible states how every man does what seems right in his own eyes.  It’s utter chaos.

We have a president that seems to care nothing about anything other than his own agenda.  If it doesn’t fit within the scope of his plans then the media and his faithful minions group together to squash his detractors.

Take the Affordable Care Act for example.  Despite not having the full support of the American people and knowing how unpopular this law was and is, President Obama and his minions had to use some form of political maneuvering to get the thing passed.  It wouldn’t have gotten passed had it not been for some unethical procedural moves.  The thing is is that this law should have been under heavier scrutiny.  It should had been more difficult for it to have been passed.  It affects something like a fifth of the economy!  And even beyond the financial implications are several spiritual ones as well.  Abortion is the first thing that comes to mind.  But despite all this, the liberals forced it down our throats and now we’re having to “find out what’s in the bill” a little bit over time.

It makes me mad to think that we have a runaway government that does whatever it seems to please.  We have a president that pretends he is a Christian talking about Jesus being his Lord and Savior and even promoting the idea of dignity of every human being.  Then in the same token, before a different crowd, he asks God to bless Planned Parenthood, the consistent killer of unborn children.  Where’s the dignity in that?  There’s no accountability and not enough people to care to turn this monstrosity around.

No, unfortunately we live in a world that would rather live in its own vomit.  So to speak of course.  The Bible mentions this in the same way a man returns to his folly.  People are quite content with the sin in their lives and would rather not give it up.  Some make jokes about this saying things like they’ll be partying in hell with their friends.  If only these people truly understood hell.  It’s not like any of us do, mind you.  But the Bible does give us a glimpse of what it’ll be like and it’s not good. 

Perhaps the most distressing thing about hell is the absence of God.  And what is God?  Or rather what are the characteristics and attributes of God that will be missing?  Love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, patience, longsuffering, and God’s grace are only a few.  What people fail to realize is that God’s presence is felt every day in this world.  God has not removed Himself but His presence is everywhere, for saints and sinners alike.  God is still holding the balance of the universe together.  He is being patient, He is being faithful, He is being loving every day. 

Some might think that there is no God because there is so much bad in the world.  People hurt, suffer, and die.  Many people go through unbearable pain.  There is a lot that can’t be explained away even with Judeo Christian theology.  I think that stuff like this happens to draw us closer to God.  It’s through the sorrow and the misery that gets us to realize our utter dependency upon God.  No matter what we think about the bad in the world, the reality is that we brought this upon ourselves through our sinful natures. 

What we should really ask ourselves is why should God show good to us?  Why should we have the opportunity to find peace, love, and joy?  We have sinned against our Creator!  We deserve what we deserve.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death.  So if we’re to be mad at God, we should probably first look at ourselves, our own misguided thoughts and behavior, in the mirror.  If anything, we should wonder why God would lavish His love on such an unlovable people?  Why would God send His one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins to save us?

We’re such an ungrateful people.  Instead of opening our eyes and realizing the extent to which God has gone to love us and restore us so we can have a relationship with Him, we push God aside.  We say no thank you and decide instead to wallow in our sin.  Some joke about hell and think that will be such a fun place to be with no rules or restrictions.  Heaven, of course, is some boring place where angels just sit on clouds playing the harp.  Who cares about that?

The question is is hell that great a place?  Is hell some place where anyone wants to be?  Think about that.  Hell is going to be a complete surprise to so many people.  Unfortunately, by saying no to God, they’re actually saying yes to hell.  We may not have all the facts about hell, but God does give us an idea of what hell is like through science.  What is cold?  Isn’t cold the absence of heat?  What is darkness?  Isn’t darkness the absence of light?  In the same sense, there is something significant that happens when God is removed from a place.  If God is all the things that was described above like love, kindness, and goodness, what happens when these attributes are removed?  Think about the worst nightmare you’ve ever had.  Amplify that experience a thousand fold.  I think that’s what hell is going to be like.

It sounds scary.  And it should.  It should cause us to think about our situation and where we are in relation to God.  In fact, it should cause us to fear God, who in turn controls not only the destination of our body, but our soul and spirit as well.  The Bible says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Again, I can already hear the laughter and the mocking regarding hell.  Statements about who needs God and who cares about heaven anyway because it’s going to be so boring.  However, if God isn’t present it’s going to be about the worst place anyone could imagine.  The Bible says it’s a place where there’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

I guess these are the reasons I am mad.  I’m mad at a world that refuses to grow up.  In fact, it seems like it’s very much the opposite.  More and more it seems like we live in a world where adults are acting more like children.  And the children?  Well, it’s getting so bad with them that the word entitlement is becoming more common by the day.

People are turning away from God.  The world is going down the cesspool of sin and despair.  Doesn’t anybody else see this?  Of course I know some do.  There are actually quite a few godly men and women who are devoting their lives to making a difference in others.  But more and more it seems that the rest of the world doesn’t care.  Maybe that’s just the United States.  To be fair, I shouldn’t make such a blanket statement for the whole world because I generally only see the depravity taking place here.  I see the news on TV of course and read many blogs and articles about the depravity in other parts of the world but I experience it here in the United States.

So why do I go from talking about the government and its corruption to talking about sin, hell, and depravity?  It goes to the state of our culture.  It’s what we as a people tolerate.  We elect people who represent our ideals and how we view the world.  We basically get what we deserve.  You may think that these elected officials in no way represent you and what you believe but why do we then tolerate them?  These people would not be consistently reelected to office if we weren’t okay with how they’re representing us.  No, I think that they represent what is going on in our culture.  We tolerate them like we tolerate sin.  And sin in turn takes every advantage and destroys everything good in our lives.

But it isn’t just the government that makes me mad.  Hollywood and the main stream media make me mad as well.  They promote homosexual lifestyles as being the norm.  They produce films and TV shows that pull at people’s heartstrings to sympathize with the plight of the homosexual’s mores.  And of course the sexual depravity began with the open onslaught against Biblical principles regarding heterosexual lifestyles.  They promote casual sex, adultery, pornography, the sex slave trade, and sympathy for the child molesters.  You say you don’t believe any of this?  Then you’re not paying attention.  Look at how they’re defending Woody Allen.  How much attention is given to the sex trafficking taking place at the Super Bowl?

To be fair, not all Christians have responded to sin appropriately either.  There seems to be for some a deep hatred toward those with sinful lifestyles.  These people don’t correctly reflect the attitude that Christians should have toward our culture.  The Christian church has enough to deal with when it comes to judging people within its own community, which is appropriate.  The goal there is to restore and train those within the church toward godliness.  But the goal toward those outside the church is to reflect God’s love and draw people into a relationship with the Savior Jesus Christ.

I believe many in the culture look at Christians as being hateful and self-righteous.  There may be some truth to that view and that is to the shame of the Church.  Not to provide excuses but many Christians are still in the growing process themselves.  Many are infants spiritually speaking.  It would do us well if the leaders in the Church would take appropriate measures to reign in hateful and ungodly behavior when engaging our culture.  Some local churches do this very well.  Many do not.

I am mad, that is true.  Maybe I’m mad because I know things will progressively get worse.  The pursuit of righteousness will seem to go by the wayside.  People will continue to love evil more than good.  People’s hearts will grow cold and their thoughts will be far from God.  The Book of Revelations shows us what that will be like.

I am mad.  There’s a Biblical reference to having an anger that is righteous.  It involves a perspective toward sinful attitudes such as hating sin.  I think the issue is not not being mad.  The issue is one not sinning in that anger.

But then again, maybe I shouldn’t be mad.  I know who the ultimate Victor is in the end.  I know that God is patient and not willing that any should perish but come to repentance.  That’s where I should direct my energy.  I can’t do much to change the nature of sin and how people seem to be drawn to it.  But I can commit myself to living for Christ and making much of Jesus.  Only Jesus can change a person’s heart.  If I live to introduce others to Jesus then I can have hope that the culture, government, and people can change, albeit one person at a time.