Born to Stand Out - Part 1

By Tom Rose

In many churches today, we hear a message that fits our modern sensibilities. God loves people unconditionally and wants them to be all they want to be. Personal ambition, personal fulfillment, personal gratification – these have all become part of the lexicon of evangelical Christianity – and the essence of what it means to have a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Christians in the first century were different. Truth be known, the gospel is not simply an invitation to become Christ’s friend, associate in battle, or companion on the journey. The Bible includes an unmistakable mandate to become His righteous servant. To gain some insight and understanding of how God portrays such a person, take a moment to read Psalm 1:1-6. Some scholars refer to its mere 128 words as the wisdom psalm – effectively introducing the entire Book of Psalms. Its theme is as big as the whole Bible because it tells of people, paths, and ultimate destinations. Using two elements of contrast, this psalm separates all people into their respective spiritual categories – the Godly and the Ungodly. This psalm is wholly about man – with every verse making reference to him and his ways. By observing the conduct of men, God pictures the Godly (vs. 1-3) and the Ungodly (v. 4), then from the fruits of their lifestyles they are judged either to prosper or perish (vs. 5-6).

In the beginning verses it seems a righteous life is composed of both doing and not doing. Given three negative examples (v. 1), the righteous: walks not, stands not, and sits not in the way of the ungodly. Rather, the righteous delight in God’s law and meditate on it, centering their life on God’s Word and His will (v. 2). Verses 3 and 4 describe the consequences of taking two different paths in life. The godly are illustrated as a tree living in harmony with nature, producing seasonal fruits, and remaining hearty and ever prospering regardless of conditions. The writer contrasts this scene using only five, powerful words exclaiming, “The ungodly are not so!” The unrighteous are pictured as unprofitable chaff. Verse 5 announces that the ungodly are found guilty by God and cast out.

Upon closer examination one finds this psalm explains what it means to be “blessed” by God. [It should be noted that this word in the Hebrew language really means “blessednesses,” and is always plural. There never was a singular form of the word because there was no such thing as a single blessing from God!] Verse 3 shows the righteous defy the wind (a metaphor for adversity) because their “leaf shall not wither,” while verse 4 shows the unrighteous are driven away by the same wind. Additionally, the righteous know God (v. 2) and are known by Him (v. 6). This suggests the life of the Christian is regulated by the Lord through a knowledge of His Law. The child of God also takes comfort in that the Lord knows the way of the righteous. Hence, the faithful believers have a complete sense of who they are and who God is.

(Next week: The condition of being Godly will be illustrated by the example of an early Christian, and some conclusions will be drawn for everyone to consider.)

Some Marks of the Maturing Christian

By Tom Rose

We all know maturity when we see it in everyday life. Some examples would be: a painter efficiently trimming a window with no paint on the glass; a veteran teacher keeping track of individual student skills while instructing a room full of kids; and an experienced mother exuding patience and persistence calming a distraught child. Likewise, God expects all His believers to improve their life and walk as a Christian. Indeed, Paul reminds the Ephesian church that regardless of their role, they are "all to come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect* man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). *[Perfect in this context means “fully developed.”]

In her column, the late Ann Landers described maturity as “the ability to do a job whether you’re supervised or not; finish a job once it’s started; carry money without spending it; and last, but not least, the ability to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.” The writer of the Hebrew letter expressed a similar thought when looking at the lack of spiritual progress among the brethren. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:12-14).

First, maturity in Christ is a shift from reading the Word to believing and living it. God is not impressed with what we know. How could our feeble efforts to know impress Him who is Omniscience? Rather, it is the degree of our faith and devotion to Him. It is not what we eat, but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we read, but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that makes us Christians. This is the place God has chosen for us: to be obedient servants, and not all-knowing scholars.

Secondly, maturity in Christ is developing your faith beyond rules to relationships. Many Jews in the first century were a devotedly religious people, and their religious activity was “doctrinally sound.” Yet, because they did not know their God and did not seek to know Him, it was all meaningless. God wanted a people who wanted Him. Today, we need to emphasize Jesus as the center of a joyful, fulfilled life (see Gal.2:20).  We need to spend hours, days, and a lifetime of seeking to reach His head in prayer and devotion. To some, Christianity is an argument. To others, it is a performance. But, to those who truly want to find Him, it is the experience of a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.

Finally, maturity in Christ is integrating childlike qualities into our adult behavior. Children exhibit an openness when meeting a new person. In about five minutes, they relate like lifetime friends – honest, open, and real with each other. Because children don’t expect too much, they aren’t often disappointed. Eager, enthusiastic, energetic, and playful, they have the ability to make even the most mundane task incredibly exciting and special. Additionally, since children haven’t really learned the meaning of the word “failure,” they possess the desire to “go for it” most of the time. They take risks in life because they intuitively know that to risk is to learn and to grow. Moreover, children seem to realize that happiness is an attitude they create. Perhaps that’s why children often act silly or cheery and frequently make jokes. They know how to cultivate a sense of humor that keeps them chronically happy. Lastly, children are filled with unconditional love. Have you noticed how quickly they forget their anger and forgive others, letting go of grudges? Children accept you totally for your good points, and your not-so-good points. Most children are prepared to accept people as people, even if offended or hurt, as they will come back to forgive and love over and over again. Our Lord’s words, "Let the little children come to Me, ...for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mk. 10:14), reminds us of the importance of becoming like children.

In closing, consider that a standard piano keyboard has 88 keys. The same keys can be used to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto, No. 2 in C minor. It just depends upon the time and effort one takes to mature their skill at the piano. The same is true for a maturing child of God. Unfortunately, the religious convictions of many people are but thinly veiled rationalizations for their conduct, rather than a transforming influence upon it.” The aged and worn apostle Paul, taking stock of his own maturity, told the Philippians, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14).

Can One Believe in Science and God? - Part 2

By Tom Rose

Some scientists realize there are serious intellectual problems with macro-evolution, but still they do not want to accept Creation, perhaps because in accepting Creation they would have to deal with The Creator. On the other hand, if a scientist truly believes in God, doesn’t it seem illogical for him/her to accept what the Bible teaches about sin and salvation and reject what it says about Creation? Such are some of the dilemmas facing each individual as he/she decides on how the world and all its multiple life forms came into existence .

In addition, these individuals must also account for the complexity of man if he is not a special creation. Today, science affirms that man has the largest of all brains (to compensate for duller senses compared to other animals), is able to converse and communicate with true speech, can learn multiple languages, achieves based on the learning of his ancestors, and lives a reasonably lengthy life-span yet has the longest period of parental dependence (18-25 yrs.). These traits, common to all mankind, leave a huge gap between man and other animals in the primate family.  Also, those who believe in the Bible and macro-evolution will have to explain the origin of man’s soul, his desire for worship, and a belief in the hereafter.  Taken side by side, creation and macro-evolution are both belief systems.  Neither creation nor evolution is truly a scientific theory, because neither can be proved nor disproved by the evidence available.  In truth, both positions require faith: one theistic, the other atheistic or materialistic.   

If one goes outside on a clear dark night and glances up into the starlit skies, what do they see?  Order and beauty.  If one looks into the regions of smaller and smaller objects, what is seen there?  Order and beauty.  Whether in the far reaches of space or in the sub-atomic world of matter, scientists will forever be impressed with the detail, intricacy and energy that comes into their fieId of view. Moreover, throughout history man has been curious about his origin along with other elements in the natural world.  Even Job asked, “Has the rain a father?  Who has begotten the drops of dew?” (Job 38:28)

Ladies, did you ever see a beautiful afghan or quilt and fail to ask: who made it, where did you get the pattern, how long did it take?  Gentlemen, did you ever gaze on a refurbished antique automobile and fail to ask: where was it manufactured, how did you find all the parts, can you start it up?  Why don’t we ask the same questions when we look through a telescope or a microscope?  I suggest that modern culture separates out a belief in God from our scientific discoveries.  Thus, I worry as much about the atheist who denies the existence of God, as the Christian who works so hard in his attempt to control his destiny that he fails to truly need and trust God.

In conclusion, scientific knowledge should increase our faith and belief in God because the more we understand about the universe and how it works, the more we should be convinced that the universe could not have "just happened" by chance.  “For by Him (Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Col. 1:16)

Therefore, for those who believe in God, science becomes the means by which we can explain how the universe was created and now functions.  Rather than using science to explain away God’s existence, one may view science, coupled with God’s Word, to point to a marvelously designed creation. One planned by an all-powerful Creator whose existence and etemal power “is before all things and in Him all things consist.” (Col. 1:17)

Can One Believe in Science and God? - Part 1

By Tom Rose

We live in an age in which people all but worship the word 'science.’  In essence, science enables us to explain and understand how the universe, and the world in which we live, works and operates.  Yet because of this knowledge many have come to believe that science has made a belief in God unnecessary or obsolete.  Some think that one no longer needs to believe that God is behind the origin of life since many of its operations can be understood and explained by modern scientific inquiry and analysis.  Is such thinking valid?  What would you think if someone told you that airplanes did not have to be made by anyone, because we can understand and explain how they work and operate?

When one considers the topic of evolution, it is important to establish the meaning of several words.  Micro-evolution (also termed specialization) is easy to envision as a part of the natural world.  Varieties of flowers or domestic animals account for diversity within their kind.  For example, a breeder’s new rose creates a new species, but it is still a rose!  Macro-evolution, on the other hand, is a theory that all of the varieties of creatures we observe today developed by a gradual set of changes, over a very long time, from common ancestors.  Usually this theory includes the concept of life itself having developed from lifeless chemicals.  Micro-evolution is often mistakenly used as evidence for macro-evolution, but these are two vastly different concepts. There is no evidence that large changes above the “family” level (a taxonomy term) could occur or have ever occurred (e.g. the cat family with lions and tigers are distinct from the horse family with family with asses and zebras).

When Curt Sewel, a respected scientist, read The Genesis Flood, by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris, he stated, “It made the entire Genesis account reasonable, in terms that were compatible with my knowledge of science .”  He then added, “I saw that the problem wasn’t with any kind of scientific measurement; the basic problem was the set of assumptions behind the theories.”  To illustrate, a foundation stone of modem science proclaims that everything in nature has always followed the laws of nature, and that these laws have always behaved in the same ways they do now.  This is known as the “Law of Uniformity.”  Implicit in this assumption, though seldom stated, is the belief that a supernatural event never took place.  Arguing that any such supernatural action, such as creation or a Noah flood, would have been a “singular event” that obviously could not be repeated in a scientific experiment, it must be placed outside the domain of science. In this way, the Genesis account is put aside as a non-scientific story, and is automatically ruled out of any scientific explanation.

(To Be Continued)

Faith Not Form

By Tom Rose

I’m not sure that Edward Gibbon had our generation in mind when in 1788 he finished his classic work on the fall of the Roman Empire, but his words are timely for life in these times. (The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon) He proposed five major reasons why the Roman civilization crumbled, and at the top of his list was the decay of religion.  In that society "faith faded into mere form and lost its touch with life and the power to guide its citizens to a higher level."  In other words, faith became empty, artificial, and even contemptible.

As we shake our heads and ponder how these things came to be, listen to a modern sociologist, Os Guinness, as he looks at our current culture.  He observes, "Look at it from the point of view of the religious believers.  Religion to them was once life’s central mystery, its worship, life’s broadest canopy of meaning as well as its deepest guarantee of belonging.  Yet today, where religion still survives in the modern world, no matter how passionate or 'committed' the individual believer may be, it amounts to little more than a private preference, a spare-time hobby, a leisure pursuit."  Secularization, working from within the system, has accomplished its goal of neutralizing Christianity and is quickly becoming the dominant world view of the West.

We keep ourselves so busy that we cannot or will not take the time to understand life from a Christian perspective or integrate Christian principles into our daily lives.  Our journey through life becomes increasingly fragmented and out of control, which in turn produces mega-stress. Alexander Whyte summed up our problem when he said, "We cannot look seriously in one another’s faces and say it is want of time. It is want of intention. It is want of determination. It is want of method. It is want of motive. It is want of conscience. It is want of heart. It is want of anything and everything but time."

Busyness, the curse of our culture, robs us of the things that are of the greatest importance, including our souls.  If we are too busy to study the Bible, attend church, encourage and pray for others, and enjoy the simple things of God’s creation, then we are simply too busy!  Indeed, Satan has taken us captive and has us just where he wants us.  The more we struggle and the faster we go, the tighter the snare becomes.

Anytime our relationship with Christ does not go beyond the superficial level, we are in serious trouble.  Christianity is a religion of the heart, based on a personal relationship with the Creator of this universe. It is between us and God – one on one.  Worship of an impersonal God is little more than idol worship. Yet familiarity with religious things and concepts by no means constitutes a relationship.  Note carefully the words of the prophet Isaiah as restated by Christ in Mt. 13:14-15.  “You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.  For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

Jesus is the single most complex character who has ever marched across the stage of human history. Indeed, the Jesus of the Gospels is a living, vibrant, dynamic, forceful personality, and the world has never experienced any other individual like Him. Today, gather your courage to go beyond the superficial and begin to find the rewards that an intimate relationship with Christ can offer. Consider your familiarity with Christianity as a blessing, not a curse, for the study and pursuit of Christ should yield growth and allegiance, not contempt and indifference. While you have time and opportunity, seek the sacred scriptures and allow His Word to sink into your being and breed contentment, for in them you have eternal life (Jn. 5:39).