Biblical Standards

Christians are often accused of defying logic and reason to become superstitious mystics when we run to quote our Bibles as the authority on what is true and how we should live. The problem with this accusation is that thoughtful Christians contend (perhaps not loudly or cogently enough) that it is supremely logical and reasonable to understand the Bible as God’s authoritative voice on life and reality. Christians are not asserting a belief in an illogical universe, but one that is best understood as the product of a transcendent and personal God, who can, and arguably has intervened in this universe from time to time throughout its history – the greatest and most dramatic intervention being the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because the Bible specifically predicted that intervention centuries before it happened, along with a slew of other historical events, Christians have logically deferred to this Book as the avenue through which God has communicated to his creation. If then this God exists, and he has given us reason to be confident that he has spoken to us in the Bible, then it would be illogical and irrational for us to ignore his authoritative words in our quest for truth and in deciding how we will live our lives.

For more sermons and devotionals on Biblical Standards, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Tolerance

We live in a society where the advocates of “tolerance” are increasingly intolerant. We should be careful not to miss this hypocrisy. These loud and angry voices decry views and beliefs that fail to conform to their own. Under the banner of “freedom” modern secular voices emphatically denounce the freedom of Christians to assert their convictions regarding God’s written revelation, Christ’s lordship, and the biblical data regarding the coming judgment. I can sympathize with the natural tendency to recoil at the assertion of these sobering realities, but one cannot rationally claim to be “open-minded”, “accepting of diversity” or “tolerant”, while vehemently attacking those who are convinced of the reality of God and a pending accountability. For centuries the idea of “tolerance” described the peaceful coexistence of those with divergent views. Today our culture employs the word “tolerance” to justify a rancorous campaign to insist that everyone conform to their intemperate values. We can be sure that until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ we will live in a world that chafes against the authority of God and his written revelation. That will continue. But we should not buy the rhetoric that holding to an increasingly unpopular view is “intolerant.” Christians should continue to peacefully and respectfully stand up and speak up for the things that we will all be held accountable for one day. This is what our Lord desires and requires.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org

Bible Critics

The Bible has many critics.. Many brash and outspoken people in our society take pleasure in criticizing, maligning and disparaging the Bible – most of them have very little knowledge of what they are attempting to disparage. When I happen to be present to hear such remarks, I am sure to ask some simple questions regarding how much of the Bible these critics have actually read, or if they can tell me why there are two “Testaments,” or any number of orienting questions which are usually quick to reveal how little familiarity these detractors actually have regarding the content of the Scriptures. It’s not that I am asserting some Gnostic ideology that only a few enlightened initiates could possibly understand the Bible, it’s just I find that most hecklers have never fairly considered the book they so vehemently belittle. I can only imagine the outcry were I to take the same approach and scornfully dismiss their favorite novel, movie or sports team with a similar lack of familiarity concerning what I am disdaining. What would they do if I were to definitively criticize their job, industry, or family without any real knowledge of what I was talking about? They certainly wouldn’t take any of it to heart. And neither should we. Occasionally we encounter thoughtful concerns regarding the Bible’s validity which warrant our consideration, but we can be sure that most of the time the critics are clueless.

Fickle Feelings

Our feelings are fickle but God’s word is unchanging. There may be several factors, righteous and otherwise, which will influence our emotions, yet the Bible stands as our unalterable source of divine information providing eternal clarity regarding God’s values and priorities. This is why the Bible must serve as our perpetual guide for decision-making. God repeatedly warns us to “not lean on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) but instead to affirm with David that God’s word is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It is tragic that much of modern Christianity has advocated a shift from objectively thinking our way through the Christian life in the light of God’s written word, to subjectively feeling our way through the Christian life being pushed and prodded by our fluctuating emotional impulses. How many clear passages of Scripture are ignored because Christians don’t “feel it”? How many express commands in the Bible are disobeyed because God’s people don’t “feel led”? This should never be. We must act on God’s inscribed directives, not our shifting sentiments. So may we all reaffirm the historic Christian resolve to subject the entirety of our lives to the authority of God’s word, even when our feelings are left to catch up.