Did Jesus Die?

Ah yes! Easter/Resurrection Sunday 2017. The “Super Bowl” of Sunday church services. This is the day that pastors look forward to the most, I suppose. The pews are more full than usual with visitors, both unsaved first timers and folks who satisfy the wrath of God by attending church on this one day out of the year. Preachers are sweating the message as this one needs to count. This message needs to hit them in their heart. The Holy Spirit needs to convict them so that they choose salvation this day and follow Christ. Messages of second chances and redemption roll from pulpits across the globe. But… I am not a preacher, nor am I pastor, so I am going to break the rules and speak on something completely off the wall. This week for my special Resurrection Sunday message I am going to address two questions that are raised by the skeptics: Did Jesus actually rise from the dead and walk out of the tomb, and if so, then did He actually die to begin with?

Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?

To many of our atheist friends the notion that Jesus had risen from the dead three days later is as absurd as Jesus being born of a virgin. However, many times during His earthly ministry Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection. Even the story of the bronze serpent on a pole in Numbers 21 is a type of Jesus’ crucifixion. But the question that remains is whether Jesus walked out of His own grave. Jesus said “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:17-18). Jesus did just that as He gave up his Spirit when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Scripture says “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6). Later “...as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.” (v.9). Now any skeptic would say that these women were delusional and hallucinating. This leads us to the next event: “Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, ‘Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.’  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” (Vv. 11-15). These guards were the same ones that fell out when the angel appeared to them (Vv. 3-4). There are many theories that the skeptics rely on to disprove Jesus’ resurrection. But one does not need to stray far from this story from the guards and the priests to see the evidence. Their unraveling reveals the resurrection.

Traditionally, if a Roman soldier fell asleep and allowed the prisoner to escape, then he would be put to death. “But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.” (Acts 12:19), this occurring after an angel freed Peter from prison. Also, “And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.” (Acts 16:27). Could it be that the guard, thinking that he allowed the prisoners to go free because he was sleeping, thought it would be best to take his own life than to be put to death for his shameful failure? It appears that you would certainly be put to death if you were a Roman soldier who failed to keep guard. But we do not see that with the case of the “disciples stealing Jesus’ body while the guards slept”. Why? First, if we read the context, we see that this story is in response to his resurrection, not of the disciples actually stealing the body. Second, the guards were not asleep, but became “as dead men” when they witnessed the angel rolling back the stone (Matt. 28:4). So, biblically speaking, the guards were the only eyewitness to the resurrection. Third, we can assume that the guards and leaders acknowledged that Jesus did indeed rise because they were expecting it, which is why they sent guards to keep watch and why they fabricated this story instead of assuming that the guards actually fell asleep and were lying about the resurrection. They knew that what the guards were telling them was the truth. Some of the refutations to the Jewish leader’s story are: “1) If the guards were sleeping, how did they know that the disciples stole the body? 2) There is no way that the disciples could possibly have overcome the guard. 3) It is preposterous to believe that the disciples died for a lie that they created.”^[1] That last point is the most important. Who on earth would choose to be tortured and killed for a fabricated story? The apostles preached Jesus crucified and resurrected and not a single one of them cracked under pressure and confessed that they had taken Jesus away and buried Him elsewhere. Also in the Scriptures, we see Jesus appear to His disciples in a physical form and not one of an apparition. He was able to have Thomas stick his hand into His side (I wonder what that felt like. Awkward?), and even eat fish- two simple things that only a physical form of a person can accomplish. So that leads us to the next question…

Did Jesus Die?

As a skeptic, it makes sense: If someone can prove to you that Jesus walked out of the tomb, and you are convinced, then He must’ve not died to begin with. There are many theories that abound with this one. One of them is that Jesus simply passed out from exhaustion and was revived by the burial spices. However, something happened after Jesus died that would crush all of the skeptic’s arguments. “Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” (John 19:32-34). The water and blood here is significant. “This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called pericardial effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called pleural effusion. This explains why, after Jesus died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Jesus’ side (probably His right side, piercing both the lungs and the heart), blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel.”^[2] According to Scriptures Jesus had suffered this flooding in his heart and lungs. So, even if the scourging, beating, crucifixion, and piercing did not kill him, this alone would have if it had not already signified his death. Who on earth could survive such fluid building up and suffocating such vital organs? Who on earth could survive having a spear go through their heart and their lungs and then three days later move around as though it was a flesh wound? The piercing and flow just solidified the fact that he was dead.

As Christians, we know that Jesus died as it was necessary for Him to be our final sacrificial lamb. If He had not died then our sins would not be atoned for and we would still be dead in them. If He had not risen then there would be no hope for you and me to be renewed in redemption, justification, and sanctification. Jesus would have been just another martyr who died for a cause. To the skeptics that is exactly who He is- a good man who died for what He believed in. However, as those who are redeemed, we know what they don’t…

He is risen and He lives!

In Christ Alone!

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[1] House and Holden. Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences. Grand Rapids,MI.: Zondervan, 2006..

[2] Michael S. Houdmann. "Why did blood and water come out of Jesus' side when He was pierced?” http://www.gotquestions.org/blood-water-Jesus.html.

 

Should Christians Lend Themselves To Lent?

As the season of Lent 2017 winds down I thought that I would lend a thought to Lent. If that is past tense would I have lent a thought to Lent? Anyway, as I have been driving various routes this past month I have seen many church signs about observing this “time of reflection”. The question that comes up often is whether Christians should observe Lent. Many do, and many don’t. But before we begin to answer that question we need to first discuss what is Lent. It should not be confused with “lint”, which is that stuff that I carry around in my pockets that seem to always be empty. Nor should it be confused with that nasty stuff that piles up in your belly button. It should also not be confused with Lindt, which are those oh so delicious chocolate truffles that are covered in hazelnuts. I got you craving one of those, don’t I? It’s OK, you don’t have to deny it. Go on and go getcha one. I’ll wait for you…

Now that you’re back… what is Lent? Lent is basically a 40-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and leads right up to Easter/Resurrection Sunday. It can be viewed as a time of fasting, self-denial, repentance, and reflection. In regard to “fasting”, many believers who observe this give up various luxuries (such as watching TV), vices (such as smoking and drinking, which should be given up altogether), and foods that one would deem unhealthy (like Lindt truffles). Some even observe devotionals, and some even take the time to read their Bible for the 40 days when otherwise they would not. The period of 40-days is thought to have originated in observance to the 40-days that Christ had spent in the wilderness fasting. Its purpose, other than an overall denial of the self, is to prepare oneself for Easter Sunday. It is believed that it began during the council of Nicaea in 325. There is so much more to discuss about Lent in regard to various histories and theories and what not, but for the sake of our attention spans we will avoid that. Besides, a full-on history report is not why I am here. The question is whether a Christian should observe it.

My take on it is not a simple “yes” or “no”. In theory, there is nothing wrong with a Christian observing Lent. However, its observance and the reasoning for it is actually pointless if you think about it. If one so chooses to spend 40-days in self-denial, great. But what does the scriptures tell us? Jesus said in Luke 9 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (vv. 23-24). As Christians we are indeed expected to deny ourselves. This involves turning away from sin (repentance) and turning from our carnal and worldly passions. James 4:4 says “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” And Colossians 3:5 states “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (KJV). We are new creatures in Christ once we are made righteous by accepting Him as Lord and following Him. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). So for a Christian to take the time to repent and to fast from worldly pleasures is a great thing for our spirit indeed. But is 40 days good enough?

Jesus said in Luke 9 for us to deny ourselves and take up our cross “daily”. As Christians we should be examining ourselves on a daily basis. In regard to communion, 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 says “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 also says “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”. We should constantly be examining ourselves and seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24). There is nothing wrong with self-examination. But it needs to lead to a self-denial of our sinful ways and worldly lusts. In James 4 it goes on to say “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (vv. 7-10). We should be willing to dig deep and crucify whatever wickedness that we find. We should weep over our own destructive ways. We should confess our wickedness to God and seek Him in both Word and prayer so that we may be renewed and strengthened. And if we believe that 40-days is good enough to accomplish this then we are fooling ourselves. How do we expect to draw near to God if we spend the other 325 days of the year proudly bathing in the worldliness that is an enemy to God? It is like eating nothing but Doritos, Fudge Rounds, Hot Pockets, and Mountain Dew for 325 days, then eating a healthy whole foods diet for the other 40 and expecting not to get diabetes or cancer. Oh yeah, and you can throw those Lindt truffles into that junk food regiment too.

So should Christians observe Lent? It is entirely up to them. However, giving up TV, drinking, smoking, red meats, or whatever you may choose to set aside to get closer to God is not what He desires because it is all works based. For example, let’s say you give up TV for 40-days and maybe replace it with prayer and more Bible reading. That’s great, but what do you plan to accomplish after your 40-days are over? If you are sweating during those 40-days because you are missing your favorite episodes of The Walking Dead (I will never understand Christians who watch such unholy filth), or if you are counting down the days until you can once again grab the remote, then you’re doing it for the flesh and not the Spirit. Your desire isn’t truly to be more holy and to enter into a more powerful relationship with The Lord, but instead is to appease Him. What we should yearn for is a lifetime of seeking God’s face as did King David. We should constantly be examining ourselves and repenting of our sins that separate us from the fellowship that God desires for us. We should also set aside anything that stands between us and God or that we feel is a hindrance to our spiritual growth. You think TV is a hindrance and should be set aside for Lent? Why only 40-days if it is a hindrance? Is seeking God more than a 40-day setting aside of those things that weaken us and cause us to stumble? Growing to be more like Christ is a lifelong process for the believer. It takes constantly putting away those things that are a hindrance as the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. Only doing this once every year is doing away with them, only to place them back in between you and God. If you are a Christian who does this everyday then observing Lent will have no purpose for you other than being a meaningless tradition as you run with the crowd. However, if you only take 40 days out of each year to repent, fast, pray, and seek to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and grow closer to God, then it is time to make those 40-days into a lifetime. Christ sacrificed himself so that you would be made holy by each passing day. Can you not give Him more than 40-days?

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:11-14).

In Christ Alone

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 2)? The Son of Man

My family and I once attended a Barnes and Noble to look for some books for the children. My eyes glanced up to a display of books that are part of a “Who Was…” series (“Who Is…“when it is written about someone who is still living). Some of the people that these book focus on are Albert Einstein, George Washington, Muhammed Ali, etc. I was surprised to find that they had one titled “Who Was Jesus” (there we go with that “was” thing that I had mentioned in Part 1). My curiosity got the best of me and I skimmed a few pages. I wasn’t surprised to find that this Jesus wasn’t born of the Virgin Mary, nor was He God incarnate (or the “Son of God”), but that He was a “good moral teacher”. The title “Son of Man” would be a more fitting description for those who do not know who Jesus truly is or deny His deity. It is better described as His humility, or Him in the human flesh form. This is when Jesus hungered (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), cried (John 11:35), and bled (John 19:34). It can also be viewed as a descriptive form of his humility in that he was born of a woman (“man” as a collective representation of “mankind”) and that He was raised by a man in His earthly father Joseph. Jesus also refers to Himself as the Son of Man in that He was claiming to fulfill prophecy as the Messiah. In Daniel 7:13-14 it says “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Jesus was essentially saying that He was the one who Daniel prophesied about when He claimed the title the “Son of Man”.

In Part 1 I had briefly touched on the divinity of Jesus with His title “The Son of God”. I had just briefly touched on what it meant when He had called himself the “Son of Man”. However, to grasp these two titles we need to ask the important question: If Jesus is God then why did He come to earth as man? There was once a hit secular song by an artist by the name of Joan Osborne called “One of us”. In the chorus she sings “What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus. Tryin' to make his way home.” (Some of you are all like “Oh yeah! I remember that song.”) In reality God did endure being a slob like one of us. He could have chosen to remain in Heaven and enjoy all of His glory and praise. But no. He chose to come here as one of us and endure the same hardships that you and I face. He traded His crown for thorns. His royal robe became a robe of blood. Can you imagine the creator of Heaven and Earth hanging on a cross as folks mocked him? Can you imagine trading praises from the heavenly host for jeers and scorn? Why would anyone do that? Why would any God so chose to be humbled in that way?

Philippians 2:5-7 states “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (NASB). Jesus chose to set aside His place in Heaven and instead come as a humble man. In doing so He did three things: He showed us who God is, became a High Priest, and became the Lamb who was slain. These three things are very important and they deserve a deeper look.

The Mirror of God

Jesus said in John 14:7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Jesus revealed to us who God is. Studying the life of Jesus we see love, compassion, and mercy as He dealt with the sick and the poor, both physically and spiritually. He didn’t limit himself to just Jews, but even Gentiles (Mark 7:24-30). He said in Mark 2:17 “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” He also showed us righteous anger and judgment as He flipped over tables and chased the money changers out of the temple. We can learn that God too is merciful and desires repentance (2 Peter 3:9), but at the same time will judge those who are living outside of His will, whether saint (Hebrews 12:7-11), or sinner (Matthew 13:41-42).

The High Priest

Hebrews 2:17 states “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” What exactly does this mean? In the Old Covenant the High Priest entered into the Holiest Place in the temple to offer sacrifices for himself, as well as the people of Israel. The most remarkable thing about Jesus is that He was without sin, whereas the High Priest still had to atone for his. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15). Jesus, in His flesh, felt everything that we do. He walked with nowhere to lay his head. He knew thirst and hunger. He knew ridicule and mockery. He felt pain. He cried. He bled. He died. You get the point. Therefore, as or High Priest, He can have sympathy for what we endure because He endured them too during His pilgrimage here on earth. This He understands as He is our mediator in Heaven before God, as the High Priest was the mediator between God and the people. “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1).

The Lamb Who Was Slain

In 1 Peter 1 it states, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (vv. 18-19). This statement harkens back to the sacrificial lamb that was used by the High Priest during the Day of Atonement. This lamb was to be free of any defects and any spots. In other words, pure and one could say “perfect” for the sacrifice. As I had mentioned earlier from Hebrews 4 that Jesus was without sin. Therefore, He was the perfect sacrifice. Further in Hebrews the author states “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.” (Hebrews 7:25-28).

The verse from Hebrews 7 is a great summary for the point that I am trying to make. Jesus offered up himself as the perfect and final sacrifice. Only the High Priest could do such a thing to intercede for the sins of the people. Jesus acted as the High Priest by offering himself as the final sacrifice to atone for our sins. He continues to act as intercessor through His blood for those who believe on Him. So we see evidence from this verse alone that Jesus was the slain Lamb, as well as the High Priest. But what set him apart from all the other High Priests that His sacrifice was the final one and that God would accept it as that? “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins]. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:22-28).

As High Priest He offered a final sacrifice. But it is a sacrifice whose atonement isn’t for once at a set point per year, but is ongoing for everyone who believes and confesses their sins (Romans 10:9), always interceding on our behalf. This He did as the perfect Lamb because He chose to be the sacrifice in our place because we deserve to die instead for our transgressions. But He, as God the Son, chose to die so that we may live.

I may have briefly touched on Jesus’ divinity in Part 1 and the reasons for His becoming the “Son of Man” this time, but honestly I can’t do such a great truth the justice that it deserves while being brief. Next time I will finish this series by exploring the “Name above all Names”.

Decay Pt. 4: This Needs Salt!

Do you like all you can eat buffets? My aging self can no longer hold his own at an all you can eat buffet and after the second plate I am done. However, I have more fanfare for a breakfast buffet than I do dinner. One of the issues that I have with a breakfast buffet are the eggs. They generally lack flavor. Usually adding salt can remedy the situation. Now, you may be like me and dislike adding salt to foods and instead choose pepper. Or you could go all out like I do and throw a ladle of sausage gravy all over your eggs. That’s how we roll in the south.

            Now before I continue discussing buffet eggs and salt I should recap what I have covered so far in this series. In Part 1 I had brought to light how mankind in America (and I am sure that other parts of the world are not immune as well) has become like an untamed savage. In Parts 2 and 3 I had linked man’s unrestrained debauchery to that of the people of Romans 1, who had become debased in their minds and had elevated their own personal desires and views to that of an idol. Mankind and his wickedness is his new god. All of this is because man has rejected God, and therefore, God has rejected him. They have been left alone to themselves and their own devices of evil.

            So what does a world of fallen savages have to do with salt? In my last three parts I laid out the argument against the unbeliever. We shouldn’t be surprised at how one who is without God would act and live. It is surprising, however, how low man has gone in these recent years, and he will continue to go further down without the restraint of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. We know that the unregenerate man is guilty before our holy God and he remains guilty until he accepts Christ as his savior and is thus made righteous before God. “…but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9). Now, I am sure that if there were any unbelievers who happened upon this blog (it is hard to say that with a straight face because I only have three readers), they would probably say “Who are you Chris? Holier than thou? It is just like you Christians to think that you are perfect and better than everyone else!” So, to answer such a remark, allow me to present another group that is responsible for the downward spiral of mankind: The Church.

            Now, I hope that I didn’t cause you to choke on your tasteless buffet eggs, but allow me to elaborate on my indictment against the Church. I am not talking about the bride of Christ as a whole, but I am talking about the modern church (sometimes referred to as the American Church). And this doesn’t include all churches in America, but the system, or way of thought that a majority of churches in America operate under. Typically these churches are the popular ones and the megachurches, but not all popular and megachurches fall under this category. You follow? The characteristics of such a church are as follows: Entertainment based worship that focuses more on appeasing the crowd than appeasing God; Entertainment based worship that seeks to replicate the world as much as possible; Worship that does its best to not seem offensive or uncomfortable to anyone who is unchurched or an unbeliever; Entertainment based worship that uses lighting, smoke, and mirrors in order to please the eyes of the audience; Churches that focus more on programs and less on lifting each other up or reaching the lost; Pastors that rely on being “hip and cool” in order to seem like they are just as much a part of the world as any unbeliever in attendance (because to dress up and act “holy” is considered hypocrisy) ; etc. In other words it is a church that is more focused on itself and its desires to reach the world by trying to act like the world. Holiness becomes a “four letter word”.

            Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 5 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (v. 13). Salt not just preserves food, but also is a flavor enhancer. So how is a believer related to salt? One way we can look at this is that they preserve God’s truth in a world where all truth is subjective and like meat that lacks a preservative, eventually rots. Another way that we can look at it is that they alter what lacks flavor. Now, don’t get me wrong on the latter. I know that in its effort to be relative to and reach the world the modern church acts like the world and thus “alters” the bad flavor of the world (say that five times fast). However Jesus said “if the salt loses its flavor…it is good for nothing but to be trampled…” The salt that was used for flavoring and preserving was pure salt, whereas the salt from the Dead Sea was contaminated, flavorless, and ineffective and was used to keep vegetation from growing over footpaths. Notice that the flavorless salt is contaminated and is no good? Jesus is ultimately saying that the salt (believers) should remain pure and not stoop to the level of contamination, even if that means to try to turn contaminated salt into pure salt. He goes on to say: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (vv. 14-16). The problem is that we have a modern church that tries to copy the darkness of the world to be relevant to the world, but by remaining light. Is that even possible? It is but the result is not a powerful bright light that permeates and overcomes the darkness. John 1:5 says “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Just like black and white, so is light and dark, “And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). There is no gray. The power of the modern church has instead been reduced to a dim light, a mix of light and dark, that leaves a dying world asking “Jesus, is that you?”. They cannot see “…your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Therefor they cannot see the true Jesus.

            The results of a church that is trying to live like a dim light or a half contaminated barrel of salt is that it gives credence to the non-believing “Christians are hypocrites” crowd. Believe it or not there is a godly standard to live by (holiness), and many have an idea of what that looks like. Surprisingly a great deal of people who have rejected God even know what this looks like and what is expected of Christians. So when we try to push the envelope towards being like a sinful dying world, no one is impressed but ourselves. We become the fools by playing the fools in order to reach the fools. The other result is that we forgo holiness and being separate from the world, and that results in a church that loses its unique identity as being salt and light. 1 Peter 2:9 states “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”. We are called out of the darkness to be light, not a half dim flickering light but a powerful example to the ever changing power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. People should say “Wow! Look at the power in the lives of those Christians. I wonder what it is that is different in their life”, not “Wow! Look, those Christians act just like us. There is no proof of power of any Jesus in their lives. So what on earth do I need Jesus for?” This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 5 when He said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” God cannot get the glory if we have one foot in life and the other in death.

A further result of a church that has become a dim light is that they develop a distorted view of sin and holiness. This is why the modern church has a great deal of sin within its ranks (and even leadership), and instead of being dealt with biblically it is being either ignored or celebrated. How is it that there are denominations like the Presbyterians who allow for homosexual practices and leadership, and the Methodists who recently have been having meetings to discuss whether or not to allow (celebrate) homosexuality in their congregations and even their leadership positions as well? The result of this action is that the dying world believes that God does condone sin and homosexuality and therefore those who preach against it are wrong and are in fact in the sights of God’s judgment. God ends up being recreated into something that He is not. Where the debased minded man has elevated himself to his own idol, the modern liberal Christian church ends up on its own path of a downward spiral that ultimately makes a new god its own idol. It all begins with allowing a little bit of the world in, then comes hypocrisy, then comes confusion, then comes the sin, then comes the pride, and then comes the fall. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6).

            The sad thing is that the modern church has convinced itself that in order to reach the world they must be like the world. But Scripture says “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4). James compares those who try to live for God while living for the world “adulterers”. So who are they committing adultery against?

God.

But…there is hope!

Decay Pt.1: The Beginning of the End

No time in the history of American civilization has the depravity of man been on display as the most recent election year in 2016. When I was growing up I remember men with integrity and character being the nominee of their respective party and I am certain that it had been that way since the beginning. I remember a big tantrum being thrown during the 1992 presidential race because both George Bush and Bill Clinton were accused of having affairs. As a matter of fact, we all know what became of Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. An adulterous affair and the following cover-up were certainly the black cloud that threatened Clinton and his presidency. America wanted honest men. Men who stood for something and were faithful to their country, their families, and their God.

However, 2016 was different. The decay became evident, yet many Christians and conservatives couldn’t see it, and many anti-Christians and liberals failed to believe it. The sphere of decay was evident before the nominees were even named for the Republican and Democratic parties. Marriage had slipped into nothingness as men began marrying men, women began marrying women, pedophiles began to cry out for the same privileges, and men and women continued to treat the sacredness of their marriage as if it was just some passing new flavor at Starbucks. You don’t like it? Throw it out and get something else! The innocence of the children continued to dissolve as they grew up too fast on Twitter. And a million innocent babies never got to see the sunshine, stars, and moon.

These things shouldn’t have surprised anyone because we knew that eventually we would get there. The most baffling, however, is that the police became the enemy. Black lives were the only ones that mattered as officer after officer took a bullet and left behind children and wives. As a matter of fact, if you even said that “all lives mattered”, you ran the risk of being assaulted because to state such obvious truth was “racist”.

If you disagreed with the left, you were a foolish bigot (especially if you were a Christian who disagreed with homosexuality). If you disagreed with the right, you were called a “libtard”, among other things. Hate became redefined as simply disagreeing with or questioning someone else. More and more mankind split itself right down the middle in America. We became a nation divided with wounds split wide open for the whole world to see and the blood flows like the Nile.

Then came the election. There were many to be chosen. Men of honesty, integrity, character, and faith. However, on one side, we chose an angry, foul-mouthed narcissist with multiple marriages who, despite his “Christian faith”, has nothing to repent of. On the other side we chose a woman who has a track record of dishonesty and lying and had ample evidence stacked against her before she even became the nominee. And she won!?! Even though socialism has failed every nation that has tried it, there were a lot of people who really wanted the socialist to take her place as the nominee. This is what we wanted as leaders. Despite our choices this is what we chose to lead us. This has become the American people’s idea of good leadership.

During the debates both candidates fought and spewed insults that were even below that of two fifth graders fighting by the monkey bars during recess. And their supporters followed suit against the other side. It became a contest as to see who could insult the other the worst. But the worst of the worst came after the election. Trump supporters were beaten in the streets by Clinton supporters. The insults increased and people were smeared just as much as the blood that was in the streets. Rioters looted and destroyed property because the election didn’t turn out the way that they wanted. Hatred reigned supreme. Over two months later, the day after Trump’s inauguration, the fires still burned as many women marched in the streets, dressed as their own perverted genitalia, holding signs spewing hate, rioting still, and cursing those who they had seen as a threat to their cause. But how can we call the mass murdering of unborn children a “cause”?

I was once a “metal head” and one of my favorite bands then was Tool. On one album they have a song called “Right in Two” and there is a lyric that has returned to my mind in these recent days:

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs.
They make a club.
And beat their brother, down.
How they survive so misguided is a mystery.

            How did we get here? Men exchanging sexual relations and vows with the like, women as well? Brother killing brother over political differences? Christians being persecuted over their beliefs that have been intact since the beginning of creation? Bullies bullying bullies over their differences of opinion? Crimson rivers flooding their banks? Eyes fixated upon darkness in lust? God in the grave and mankind upon the pedestal?

And society calls it good!

How did we, as the evolutionists would like to say, become like the Neanderthals?

Black vs. white vs. citizen vs. non-citizen vs. gay vs. straight vs. woman vs. man vs. family vs. urban vs. rural vs. upper class vs. middle class vs. lower class vs. veteran vs. pacifist vs. well off vs. welfare vs. you vs. me vs. America vs. everyone else vs. thugs vs. police vs. media vs. truth vs. common man vs. Hollywood vs. Christian vs. atheist vs. my rights vs. your rights….

Republican vs. Democrat…

Conservative vs. Liberal…

Trump vs. Clinton…

But…

THIS ISN’T ABOUT POLITICS.

Why “Refined4Him” ? Part I: My Story

Why does this blog “Refined4Him” exist? Well, let me take a moment to explain myself and who I am and where I came from. I act as an enigma on this blog for the simple reason of protection for the privacy of my family, but mostly because I prefer to pass the spotlight onto Christ. So let me tell you my story.

Hi! My name is Chris. I am a soon to be 32 year old father of soon to be three (two boys and one girl), and husband to a beautiful wife, wonderful mother, and amazing cook for over ten years. I know you may think “food’s not important”, but I live in the south where food is everything. By the way, I am Virginia born and raised.

I grew up a child of the Eighties and Nineties. I grew up in a secular home where God’s name was mostly mentioned before an expletive. We never attended church, prayed, worshiped, etc. We loved and were loved, but we were certainly lost. Our TV played shows like Night Rider, Magnum P.I., and Family Ties, and our radio blasted Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson, and a young Madonna. What on Earth was Gospel music? My parents divorced when I was about seven years old and my Brother and I went to live with my Mom in an apartment complex. I often refer to these apartments as the “ghetto” of the county in which I lived. Being the only white people there (I am not being racist, I am just stating the facts), I was beat up everyday by all the other kids. I was not used to this kind of hatred. We then moved to a cul-de-sac where again I was being beat up everyday. This time by white kids. See, I told you I wasn’t being racist. My Brother even beat up on me everyday while my Mom worked two jobs to support us. I went to a new school where I got picked on…and beat up just about everyday. I sure was a tenderized little boy! Again, this kind of hatred was new to me. I remember sitting in my room at night when I was ten and just crying and saying that no one loved me and all I wanted to do was die.

When I started the sixth grade, my Brother and I moved in with my Dad. He was able to spend more time with us because he worked only one job. The teasing and beating at school worsened when I started middle school. I wanted to die…by my own hands. I had hated life and everything that went with it. I had no friends. By this time in my life I had kept hearing about this God that controlled everything. He controls everything? So He controls my crashing life? I was determined that God was bringing all this on. I hated God.

By high school my Dad started drinking heavily. There were some nights where he wouldn’t even come home. My Brother was away at college, so I was at home by myself most of the time. Nothing but me, my sad state of affairs, and a God who had brought ruin to me. Oh how I hated Him. I remember coming home from school in tears, pointing my middle finger to the sky saying “(expletive) you God and your wife Mary. I hate You!” (yes I actually thought that God had married Mary in some kind of celestial wedding and that’s how that Jesus guy was born. Shows you how much I knew). I was listening not just to bands like Metallica and Megadeth, but also anti-Christian bands like Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Deicide (who’s name means “the killing of God”). I loved these guys and their anti-God message. I hated God and Christians (even though at this point I didn’t even know who Jesus was). Let’s fast forward to post high school.

I went to community college seeking higher education and women. Although, I only succeeded at one. I made Dean’s List every semester. I ended up dating girls that were nothing but trouble. Finally I said “I am done with these girls. I need a country girl, not these metalheads. I need a farmer’s daughter. LOL”. I remember about this time my Mom started throwing around this God guy again. But this time with strange words like “love, prayer, blessing, etc.” Wait a minute! Isn’t this God the guy who hated me and ruined my life? Whom I hated and wished I could kill? What was wrong with my Mom? I think she was losing her mind. She one time requested for Mother’s Day that we attend church with her. GASP! Do what? Church? Isn’t that where all those Christian people go who talk about that evil God and sing funny songs that I don’t know the words to? Yes MomL

It was a bad experience. The preacher was an old man who about ten times during the service put down “that rock ‘n roll music“. Putting down my music? Is that what church is about? Figures! Well after this I lightened up about my hatred and just didn’t care to believe. I knew there was a God, but didn’t want anything to do with Him. I remember working at a call center that was run by Christians and had many Christian college students that worked there. They did this funny thing before we started work called “prayer”. People would request prayer for things. I even chimed in once or twice. I remember everyone that sat around me had joy and were very friendly. Strange! Then one day a guy asked me if I knew where I was going when I died. I said “Heaven”. He asked how did I know that. I said “I guess since I’m a nice guy and didn’t kill anybody that I was alright“. He laughed and said that wasn’t good enough and proceeded to witness to me and tell me the Good News about that Jesus guy. He then asked if I wanted to go downstairs and be saved. I declined. I later told my friends about this. They told me the guy just wanted to molest me downstairs. Those filthy Christians!

Then I met the farmer’s daughter. She was raised in the church and was baptized and even was….(gulp!)….saved! Saved??? We dated for about two months and then I decided to dump her. She didn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes like I wanted. But as I was preparing to do this, a voice “within” said “No. Don’t do it. Keep her.” Who on Earth was that? That wasn’t me talking. Later on I wanted to proceed again, but again I heard “Don’t do it.” Who is that talking? And why do you want me to keep this woman?

During our time together this woman would ask if I was a Christian. I told her “yes” because my Grandma was and my Mom lost her mind. She asked me what my denomination was and I think I told her “Methodist Baptist” because my Grandma was Methodist and my Mom, who lost her mind, was from Baptist stock. I was Christian by association. She asked me if I was saved. Ooooohhh! There’s that word again. I told her “yes” because it sounded good at the time. I fell in love with this woman and no longer wanted to dump her. We had happy times together. Anytime we went to any kind of Christian activity and the opportunity to repent and say the sinner’s prayer would come up, I would just nod and say it wasn’t necessary. I had heard the word “saved” so much that I figured I already was. I was good to go. Although through the years, something just wasn’t right.

We were married in June of 2001. She was a Christian who wanted to get back into a relationship with Jesus because some jerk made her weak in her walk and caused sin in her life. I was the jerk who was living in ignorant bliss and sin who thought I was a saint and all was kosher. She began to talk more about this Jesus guy and salvation and repentance and all kinds of other funny words that I didn’t learn in public school. We would go to churches and concerts where these things were talked about. I thought, “I’m not that bad. God loves me, so I’m saved. Right?”. I was into pornography, I cussed like a sailor, I listened to anti-Christian music, I had a temper, and I was overall selfish. Yeah. I was good alright!

Then in the summer of 2004 I started reading a book by Billy Graham called “Answers To Life‘s Problems“. It was a book where people would ask questions like “Is what I do really sin?” to “Why do Christians dress up for church?” After reading this book I realized just how vile I really was. I knew what needed to be done. I had heard about this for years. I was on my knees July 2004 asking that Jesus guy to forgive me, come into my heart, and save me from my vileness. The transformation was phenomenal. All those vile things that I enjoyed became my pain. A war started within me. The Holy Spirit versus Satan.

Kudos to Billy Graham, but I owe it all to my wife for bringing me to the cross. You see, it was God who was telling me to “keep her”. He brought her to me to bring me to Him. Even when I hated Him and wanted nothing to do with Him, He was calling me. He was setting up the road to salvation. Jesus who I knew nothing about…I am yours.

If you knew me and my beliefs now, then you would be shocked at the sanctification that has taken place. I consider myself holy. Not “better than”, but “separate from” the world and things of the world. I will draw emphasis on this at another time because I am sure that by now your eyes are hurting. But one day I caught my wife looking at Christian blogs and said “Hmm. I wouldn’t mind having one so I could, well, preach on”. Sure enough she set this blog up. I named it based on a screen name that I had been using for sometime. You will see under the logo at the top why I chose the name Refined4Him and what it means to be refined. You will also notice that this blog is stripped of flashiness and is very basic. Because it is not I, but Christ.

I shared with you who I am and what brought me here. I hope that you enjoyed the message and humor. But more importantly, I hope you enjoyed my testimony. That a man who hated God so much that we wanted to kill Him, can be called to the cross and forgiven. I would consider wanting to kill God a very serious sin, far worse than adultery, drugs, violence, etc. If He can forgive me, He can forgive you to. Just ask and believe. May God bless you and I pray that I do my job well with this blog in the future and thus far in glorifying Him and teaching and lifting in His name. If I fail, may I be forgiven. Thank you readers as I start a new chapter with this blog. Again, may you be blessed by the Father, Son, and Spirit.

UPDATE: My Dad doesn’t drink anymore and is remarried with two handsome little boys. And no, I don’t beat up on them like my Brother did. My Brother no longer beats me up because I am bigger than him. My Mom obviously did not lose her mind. Although we did not know the Lord, I love my family very much and have forgiven them any trespasses that may have occurred in my life. I pray that those who know Him will walk more intimately with Him, and those who don’t know Him will. God bless!