Author: believersarmedanddangerous

In the last blog, we looked at moral relativism which teaches that all moral systems are equal.  In other words, if I think it’s immoral to pick my nose in public but you think it’s okay, then I have no right to criticize you for your public nose-picking.  Of course, public nose-picking isn’t the problem.  It’s when we get to more important issues like abortion, war, murder, and such.  Then moral standards truly become an issue.  Is there an absolute standard, or as philosophers like to call it, an objective standard for morality?

Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason (str.org) tells the story of asking people at random whether it was wrong to torture babies for the fun of it.  He often got a response something like, “Well, I wouldn’t do it myself, but I don’t know if I could call it ‘wrong'”.  This should be frightening to us all.  Someone’s moral standard is so low as to not condemn the torturing of infants for no reason than sadism is terrifying.

So, the question arises, “From what source, then, do we get our moral standard?”  There are only three major possible sources.

1.  Personal standards – Someone’s moral standard is one they’ve set for themselves.  Some might think so long as it’s not hurting anyone, it’s moral, or whatever benefits me is moral.  Ted Bundy, the serial killer, used to discuss what he was about to do to his victims before killing them.  His argument was that personal moral standards were all he had to go by, and since his standard was that it was okay to kill someone if it benefited him, even if it was just to make him happy, it was moral.  This of course, would cause chaos as we all live by our own standards.
2. Cultural or societal standards – Cultural standards are that a culture or society can set its own moral standards.  It’s more than just saying, “What’s legal is what’s moral.”  It’s more what is tolerated is moral.  We see this in the United States today.  We believe all moral standards should be tolerated.  Of course, the definition of “tolerance” has been changed from allowing a particular standard to exist to acceptance then allowance, and now to endorsement.  Morality based on a society or culture would mean we would need to accept Nazism since it was a cultural and societal norm.  Abortion has become this in our American culture today.  Because it is accepted by many is not evidence of morality.  Killing babies for your own personal freedom is destructive to our society.  We value each other less as life becomes cheap.
3. A Higher Source – We need to seek morality from a higher source, and evidence shows that that Higher Source has proved to be that moral standard.  Certain universal/objective moral standards exist.  Every culture on earth sees torturing infants for the fun of it as immoral.  From the lowly isolated tribesmen to the great industrial countries, it is held to be immoral to torture babies for the fun of it.  This standard was not inherited from other cultures.  The isolated tribes believed it long before modern man touched their cultures.  So, where would this universal moral standard come from?  From some outside Source able to influence all morally sensitive creatures on earth. 

So, there are objective/absolute standards.  We cannot successfully create our own either as individuals or as a society.  For people to exist successfully, moral standards agreed upon by all except the deviants must be adhered to.  We cannot be the highest moral entities since morality cannot rest upon us.  To believe we are would be more than presumptuous, it would be self-deluding.  There is a Source higher than man which sets the moral standard.

Since objective moral  standards are, by nature, an organization of values, then we must believe moral standards come from an Agency and have not risen accidentally.  That Agent need not be omnipresent, omnipotent, etc., but It must just be at a higher level than we are and able to heavily influence all mankind as a whole.

Relativism is something we face every day in America.  Relativism is the idea that all points of view are equally valid.  It comes in many forms.   General relativism is the most familiar: “There are no absolutes”.  Moral relativism is another: “Who are you to say it’s wrong to have an abortion?”.  The third major form is cultural relativism, “All cultures are equally moral and valid.”

We think it’s a new thing, but really, it’s been around for nearly as long as man has walked the earth. 

Judges 17:6 (ESV) ⁶  In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

We do it all the time ourselves.  We value our own viewpoint against God’s commands.  We call that sin.

Relativism is seldom taught as valid in philosophy classes anymore because it has been pointed out that all three major forms of relativism are self-refuting like saying, “I can’t write a word of English.”  That notion is false on its face.  If you’ve written a sentence in English, it’s obvious you can write a word of English.

General relativism, “There are no absolutes,” is self-refuting in that it claims there is at least one absolute: “There are no absolutes.”   A logic professor of mine was a relativist and believed there were no absolutes.  Early in the course of evening classes, he showed a form of logic which requires a particular conclusion if the premises are correctly presented.  I asked him if that was always true.  He said, “Yes.”  “Every time?”, I asked.  He said, “Yes.”  “Without exception?”, he said “Yes” getting a little frustrated by my continuing to ask the same question.  Then I said, “Then there are absolutes.”  The look on his face changed.  He realized either he was teaching us a lie, or his belief that there were no absolutes was wrong.  This took place at the beginning of a three-hour class, and he was visibly effected throughout the three hours as his worldview had been dashed.  General relativism is self-refuting.

But, what about moral relativism?  The same logical problem arises.  What moral relativism really says is that all moral standards are equally valid.  Well, in practice, it boils down to “all moral standards except mine are equal.”  My standard that all moral standards are equal is superior to those who think biblical moral standards are the standards to live by.  Since my moral standard is superior, that refutes the idea that all are equal.

The third, cultural relativism, still faces the same problem.  I had a Sociology professor that was a cultural relativist.  He would go on and on about how all cultures are equal and that we have no right to criticize other cultures.  When asked if Nazism was equal to the culture of the Jews it killed, he backed away.  He was later asked, “If all cultures are equal, what about cultures that don’t think all cultures are equal? Is a culture which believes all cultures superior to those who don’t think that.”  Of course, he saw his dilemma.

So, when someone tells us there are no absolutes or there are no basic moral values, or there is no culture that’s superior to another, just ask them the questions above and see them try to collect the pieces of their broken worldview.

Next week we’ll look at moral absolutes.  Is it truly morally wrong to steal, rape, murder, and how do we know?

The year Disneyland first opened Star Tours, my family just had to experience the ride.  In case you’re not familiar with the  attraction, it’s pretty much just a large flight simulator synced to a video appearing in the ride’s “windows”.  Of course, they’re not really windows but video screens.  But, the forces a passenger feels are so realistic and so well match the video that you become convinced you’re really in a space craft zooming through space.

How do they do this?  They can convince you certain forces are at work, acceleration, braking, banking, climbing, etc., by tipping the “craft” in various ways.  You have no true point of reference since there aren’t any real windows.  You are forced to rely upon the fake reference points the video screens give you. You see only what they want you to see.

Many false religions and Cults work much the same way.  They put you in a “box” which is isolated from the outside world.  You’re told not to associate with outsiders except, perhaps. to evangelize them.  Your friends and family within the organization become your only world.  You’re presented with an alternate reality with the organization’s evidences as the only source of information.  You’re limited solely to the resources the organization offers.  As the leadership tips, turns, and shakes your “box,” you become convinced reality is what they’re telling you, not what little you see of the outside world.  You live in a world that is nothing more than illusion.

In addition, there’s an operator working the controls trying to convince you his way is the truth.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV)
³  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

There are other Jesuses out there, other gospels, even other Bibles.  Those are just video screens presented to give you a biased view of the world, God, and how He works. 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (ESV)
³  But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  ⁴  For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Sadly, the passengers in this “box” become so acclimated that they no longer can see the world for what it is.  They’re like prisoners who have been institutionalized.  They can’t live outside, so they want to stay in no matter what the cost.

Most cultists and members of false religions are sincere people following a person or organization and blindly believing all they are told.  Family members weep over them.  Friends pray for them.  Christians seek to help them see the light of Christ.  Eventually, the Holy Spirit gets through to many, and they will come out into the light of day.  Some even inspect the box and the mechanism, the organization that made them believe the deception they lived.

Our job as Christians is to love these people and show them the real world and shine God’s light on the tour they have been dedicated to. 

A friend who is an ex-cultist told me recently that she disbelieved all the stories and truths she was told and the love she was shown by Christians and others.  She was certain she knew the truth.  But, once she began to doubt she was in the truth, all those stories, all those truths, and all that love came flooding back to her mind.

She’s now a Christian trying to help other cultists find their way to the exit on a ride that, to them, seems so real. 

People come to Christ.  They might be atheists, cultists, or they just don’t have a belief, but they come to Christ.  We must never give up on them. We must also be aware of the traps that are out there and not step into the box ourselves.

Do you ever wonder why the statue in New York Harbor isn’t called the “Statue of Freedom” or why that bell in Philadelphia isn’t called the “Freedom Bell”?  How about why the Navy calls it “liberty” when sailors are in port rather than “freedom”?   It’s because “Freedom” and “Liberty” mean very different things.

The Hebrew word for “freedom” (hupsah) and the Greek word (eleutheria) nearly always speaks of freedom from slavery.

The word “liberty” in both the Old and New Testament is a little different.  Where freedom means total release from a situation, liberty means a partial release and addresses our actions.  The individual is still under behavioral restrictions.  You can see this most clearly speaking of Paul’s captivity in Acts 24:23:

Acts 24:23 (ESV)
²³  Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

Paul wasn’t totally free from Roman captivity or the Roman legal system.  He had liberty within that system, but his behavior was restricted.  He still needed to abide by the law of the land and some other specific rules regarding his captivity.

In a similar way, we are free in Christ, free from sin.  We have been released and no more can sin rule our lives.  Paul uses this idea in Romans 6:18:

Romans 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

We are no longer slaves to sin.  We have our freedom from that slavery.  We are now voluntarily slaves of righteousness, bond slaves.  Ours should be a life of freedom from sin, but not total freedom of action.    

So, we still need to follow the two greatest commandments to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Paul dedicates all of 1 Corinthians chapter 8 to this topic.  He tells us we may be free to eat meat sacrificed to idols, but that freedom is limited if it stumbles a brother.

A pastor friend of mine used to tell me we were free to drink alcoholic beverages, but he chose not to because it might stumble someone who thought it was sinful.  He didn’t want to stumble his brother.

So, as Christians, we have freedom from the bondage of sin and liberty to do as we like with certain considerations, but like the liberty Sailors get in port, there are certain restrictions on our behavior which may damage the freedom of others should we participate. 

This is, of course, not a salvation issue but an issue concerning our Christian walk.  Let’s live in our freedom from sin.  Let’s live lives of liberty.  But, let’s not let grace go to our heads and forget the commands we are still under and the consequences of our actions.

Many years ago, an atheist friend of mine, Adam, called me.  He had seen me come to Christ 20 years earlier and asked me to come and talk with his son who was in danger of being influenced by the Mormons.  I asked another good friend, Ruthie, to join us.  Ruthie had been a temple Mormon and was now a Christian.

Shortly after Ruthie and I arrived, it became quickly apparent we were not there for Adam’s son but for Adam himself.  The conversation opened with my telling Adam I wasn’t a Christian because it made me feel good or for the rewards to come.  I was a Christian because it’s true.  Ruthie joined in to tell him of God’s love and how it was a free gift.  Adam seemed to fight against what we said, and as we left, we weren’t sure where he stood but knew it had been a divine appointment.  Two weeks later, Adam went forward at a Calvary Chapel to accept Christ.  Two weeks after that, Adam died.  At Adam’s memorial service, his oldest son stood and told us the last two weeks of Adam’s life had been the most peaceful two weeks of Adam’s life.

Sure, people need to hear that Christianity is true.  But they also need to know God loves them.  Many have been burned by situations in their lives.  Hurts done to them by churches, Christians, cults, and other sources turn them off from listening to the truth.  What they do hear is the love God has for them.

There are, of course, many non-believers who have serious road blocks on their paths between them and God.  Sometimes it’s anger.  Sometimes it pain.  Sometimes it’s just an unwillingness to allow Somebody take control of their lives.  So, they need the Truth explained to them.  But for many more, they need to see God’s love from His people first before they can believe the message is genuine.

Jesus said we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  The heart speaks to the heart of others.  Our mind speaks to the minds of others.  Most lost people need both the love and reason to come to Christ.  We should be ready to supply both.

I was talking with a friend just yesterday and I said the only reason the atheists haven’t been completely eliminated intellectually is because most Christians don’t know enough about the truth of our faith to answer them well.  Ours is not a blind faith.  It is a faith founded on fact, on reason, on truth claims which can be checked.  We have nothing to fear from the non-believer.  Some of the greatest minds over the centuries have been Christians: Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Newton, C.S. Lewis, Gutenberg, Leonardo da Vinci, Copernicus, Adam Smith, George Washington, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Enrico Fermi, and the list goes on endlessly.

But, with truth must come love.  Paul says, if we can do all sorts of miraculous things but don’t have love, we’re just background noise.

 1 Corinthians 13:1 (ESV)
¹  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

We need both love and truth to further the kingdom of our Lord.  We should study to show ourselves approved of God, have an answer for anyone who asks of us, but if we can’t love them, if we can’t see them through the loving eyes of God who loves both us and them unconditionally, if we love them but don’t share the Truth with them or tell them the Truth but don’t show love, we’ve not done what God had commanded.  We’re poor examples, poor ambassadors for our Lord.

2 Peter 1:16-18 (ESV)
¹⁶  For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷  For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸  we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

I love this passage.  It speaks of the certainty of the Gospel record, that the books weren’t written by people who had nothing to do with the story but by people who were eyewitnesses to the Lord’s ministry.  In fact, one of the requirements for the books of the New Testament were that they be written by those with “apostolic authority,”  those who were there throughout the three years Jesus walked the earth or, like Luke and Mark, were close companions of those who were.

At the beginning of his first letter, John speaks of his time with Jesus and tells us the same thing Peter does: 

1 John 1:1-2 (ESV)
¹  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ²  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—

So, John was an eyewitness as well and identifies himself as such. 

Luke opens his Gospel telling us he has researched this and tells of what he found, that he interviewed people who had seen and walked with the Lord:

Luke 1:1-4 (ESV)
¹  Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, ²  just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, ³  it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
⁴  that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

His opening to the book of Acts is very similar:

Acts 1:1-3 (ESV)
¹  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ²  until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³  He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Much of Paul’s ministry was personally witnessed by Luke since the third person narrative is replaced in chapter 16 with the first-person, “we”.  Luke was Paul’s partner in ministry through most of Paul’s work, and as such, met the great leaders as well as the common Christians who had witnessed the Lord’s ministry.  In fact, many think Luke had a prolonged interview with Mary, Jesus’ mother, since his is the Gospel with the most information about Jesus’ childhood.

Another evidence of the genuineness of the books of the New Testament, of course, the apostles themselves. All but one, John, died violent deaths without ever denying what they had witnessed.  You might live for a lie, but you don’t die for one especially one you made up yourself.

And, if it were a lie, for what reason, so the apostles could live in wealth?  No, the apostles all lived lives of humility.  Was it for fame?  No, the apostles spent most of their time trying not to attract the attention of the powers that be who sought to kill them.  Was it for power?  No, during their lives, these men held very little sway over people except for the message they carried.  The teachings and character these men displayed were also consistent with their message of honoring God with honesty, love, and truth.

The Gospel message is true, not some made up story by a conspiracy of men who thought they would spring a lie upon the world.  Take it from those who were there, the eyewitnesses.

What is the church?  Certainly we see churches on streets in our neighborhoods, downtowns, in almost any populated area .  But, are those churches in the biblical sense of the word?  According to the Bible, the church isn’t a building, it’s a group of people, of saints, of fellow believers.  In fact, very few church buildings were constructed prior to the early fourth century.

What does the bible say about the church?  Jesus spoke of His Church (Matt. 16:18).  His use of the term speaks of a large universal group.  Then there’s Paul who addressed some of his letters to particular churches:  1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV)  “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.”

So, the word “church” can be a large body or a small local one.  In fact, the Greek word for “church,” (ekklesia) simply means “assembly.”  We, the church, are the assembly of God’s people, “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.”  With this understanding, we may have a number of local churches in our own city or town, but there is only one church worldwide, the total number of living saints, followers of Christ.

This also would lead us to understand that most local churches as we most commonly use the term, have non- believers present.  In the biblical sense, these folks are not truly members of the church.  Some are seeking God.  Some are seeking refuge.  Others are quite good at playing the Christian role.  They pray publically, they do good deeds, they help others, they even profess their faith and perhaps witness to the lost, but they are lost themselves.

I was one of these people.  For five years, I played the Christian game.  I thought being a Christian was just being someone who went to church regularly and tried to live a good life according to biblical principles.  I was mistaken, and I think there are a lot of people in local churches unknowingly playing the game like I was.  Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a bank makes you a dollar bill.

Others have less godly motives.  Some join a local church for the business connections, maybe to find a spouse, or maybe just because they’re lonely.  We welcome them to our local bodies of believers to hear the Gospel message, but biblically spaeking, they are not truly church members until they have turned control of their lives over to Christ.

The church is truly God’ family.  It is called “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27).  As such, we are the visible representation of the invisible God.  When people look at us, they should see the love of God.  When they watch what we do to help others, they should see the hand of God operating in their lives.  And, when they hear the words we speak, they should hear the voice of God calming the angry, reasoning with the uninformed, caring for the suffering.

We have no excuse for anger, rudeness, or disrespect toward others, even to our enemies.  We are told just the opposite: 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ESV)  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,   correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,   and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Who do we think we are confronting others who are hurting as we were, misused as we were, lost as we were?  We are the church, God’s ambassadors to a foreign land (2 Cor. 5:20).  Let us represent our King well and see to it that His work is done.

2 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵  And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶  as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

Scripture twisting is nothing new.  It was present in the first century, and I imagine, in Old Testament times.  Sometimes it’s harmless enough.  For instance quoting something as Scripture when it isn’t at all: “God helps those who help themselves.”  Jesus didn’t say that, Ben Franklin did.

An extreme example of Scripture twisting was committed by the Marharesh Mahesh Yogi when he said, “‘Jesus said ‘Be still and know that I am God.’  So, be still and know that you are god.”‘  Too many things wrong with that one to list them all, but Jesus didn’t say this at all.  It’s a quote from Psalm 46:10 where God says we are to be still and know that He is God.  See how the Yogi has twisted this to suit his own purpose?

The Mormons claim the stick of Joseph mentioned in Ezekiel 37 is a prophecy predicting Joseph Smith and the establishment of the Latter Day Saints.  There is no foundation for this belief.  The passage speaks of the reunification of the tribes of Israel.  But Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS, used this Scripture in an attempt to lend God’s authority to his group.

Jehovah’s Witnesses take Psalm 83:18 as their action verse:  (KJV) That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

The word “Jehovah” is not a Hebrew word.  There is no “J” sound in either Hebrew or Greek.  “Jehovah” is a mistranslation of “YHWH”, the tetragrammaton which represents God’s name (see earlier blog posts for a detailed description of this) .  So, we don’t actually know God’s name.  Yet the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society wants to identify their people with that name to lend biblical authority to their organization.  They believe they must be God’s organization since they carry God’s name.

Additions to change the meaning of a passage of Scripture is another way to twist it.  The New World Translation (NWT) of Jehovah’s Witnesses translates  Colossians chapter 1:16-17, this way:  Speaking of Jesus:  “because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him.  Also, he is before all other things, and by means of him all other things were made to exist, “

See the word “other” included in the passage four times?  You won’t find that word in any other translations.  It isn’t in the Greek either.  It only appears in the New World Translation.  So, why do they put it there?  Because it makes Jesus one of the things created rather than the Creator Himself which supports their  theology.  Remove “other” and Jesus is clearly God the Creator.

Not everyone who claims to be one of God’s people or a member of God’s organization is.  As Peter says, they twist the Scriptures to their own destruction.  The Bible says to watch out for these people and for yourself:  1 Timothy 4:16 (ESV)   Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.  Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 

So, we need to be careful and check everything we hear against Scripture as did the Bereans (Acts 17:11)

I don’t often recommend books, but I do recommend “Scripture Twisting” by James W. Sire on this subject.  It’s available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback forms.

We are all tempted every day.  But, is temptation sin and does it come from God?  James, speaking of sin,  tells us it’s a progression: 

James 1:13-15 (ESV)
¹³  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

According to James, then, temptation doesn’t come from God, but is the first domino.  If we stop with temptation, we have not sinned.  It’s when we dwell on the temptation, roll it around in our minds, ponder our desire, that it becomes sin.

If God doesn’t tempt us, where does temptation come from?  Satan is called “the tempter” in 1 Thess. 3:5.  Then temptation comes from Satan and his underlings.  But, there is another source for temptation and eventually sin, our own flesh.  Romans 7:21-25 says that our body leads us into sin.  Our body has desires and needs.  Some of those are not to be honored.  We struggle all the time against the desires of the flesh, the desires of our bodies.  But, Scripture says we should not live according to our fleshly desires but according to the spirit, God’s way (Rom. 8:1-8).

Even Jesus was tempted (Matt. 4:1; Heb. 4:15).  So, we have a God Who personally and directly understands the temptations we face (Heb 2:18), yet He did not sin.

Why does God allow us to be tempted?   James talks about that, too:

James 1:2-4 (ESV)
²  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Temptation, when it  is resisted, increase our faith and produce steadfastness or endurance.  It makes it easier to resist temptation next time it arises.

1 Cor. 10:13 says we will not be tempted beyond our ability to resist.  It says God will provide a way of escape, and that’s just what we should do at times.  When Joseph was tempted by Potipher’s wife, he ran.  Sometimes, we need to run, too.  There’s no shame in that.

Another technique for dealing with temptation is to memorize Scripture.  I like 1 Cor. 10:13.  It speaks of temptation directly and is long enough that the temptation is often gone by the time I’ve repeated the full verse.

God understands temptation because He has experienced it.  He provides a way out of sin as a result of temptation, and He tells us living by the Spirit of God is the only way that pleases Him.  However, we will fall, we will yield to the flesh or to Satan’s influence.  When that happens, God has provided a way to be forgiven, to be cleansed, through repentance and confession (1 John 1:9)

We must strive to live according to the spirit and not the flesh, but when we fall, God is waiting and anxious to forgive us of our sin.

Last week I promised to address a benevolent God in the light of children’s suffering.  Suffering comes in various forms from illnesses to physical abuse to mental and physical torture.  The question arises, how can a benevolent God allow such things.  Let me say at first that as Christians, our hearts should break over the sufferings of others.  Jesus told us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is with our hearts we should reach out to the suffering.  But, it is with our minds that we should look at the reasons for suffering.

Let’s first look at mental, emotional, and physical suffering.  This comes at the hands of others.  A child is called”stupid” or “a failure” or worse is beaten, raped, even tortured and killed by another usually in authority over them.  Why doesn’t God stop this sort of abuse?

Abuse of any sort, of course, is done according to the will of the abusers.  As we’ve seen in previous posts, God has given us freewill. It’s as much a law of the universe as gravity.  For God to stop these godless acts, He would have to change the laws or violate His promise of freewill.  God doesn’t break His promises.  He has given these laws for a reason and will seldom violate them.  Yes the deviant who sexually molests a child is evil, but it is his own freewill he’s acting on, not God’s.  The child’s will to stop the abuse can’t be acted upon because the pervert overpowers the child.  But, the fact this pain occurs is not to say God is not present.  He is and weeps at the godlessness and barbarity of man.

God loves us and wishes for us to love Him.  A world with freewill but without suffering is unrealistic.  God grants us freewill so we might love him freely and genuinely. If He had created us with the love for God built into us, it would have been a forced love, not given freely.  The cost for us to freely love is the choice not to love God, to choose to do things which are ungodly.  It is then that suffering is imposed on others who are weaker.  This isn’t the result of God’s will but man’s. 

The second category is natural evil, the pain of illness,birth defects, accidental physical injuries and such.  Paul tells us suffering is a fact of life.  Yet, for the Christian,suffering builds our character, and our  relationship with God and man.

Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
¹⁶  TheSpirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

While we certainly may not enjoy the suffering, it draws us closer to our Lord.  James tells us in the first chapter of his epistle that we are to embrace the trials in our lives as they build character and endurance  by proving our faith.

We spend about 70 years on this earth.  That time is so short compared to the eternity we have awaiting us.  Paul agree and says the suffering of a few years seems almost insignificant compared to eternity.

Romans 8:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

As Christians, earthly suffering produces much.  It should cause us to act like Christ by comforting and assisting those who are hurting.  It draws us closer to God and gives the world a chance to see the heart of God through the acts of His children who seek to comfort those in pain. Suffering also brings many who suffer to Christ seeking the peace He provides. 

God is no masochist. He seeks to use us as His hands and feet to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and comfort the hurting.  We are His ambassadors to a hurting world.  We are the body of Christ.