Pastoral Musings

Apalling news that has just reached us.

From the Family Research Council

FRC.ORG

Racism Alive and Well at Planned Parenthood

A shocking set of recordings was released this week that could prove disastrous for Planned Parenthood’s ties with the African-American community. Lila Rose, a pro-life student and reporter at UCLA, launched an undercover investigation aimed at exposing the racism of the nation’s largest abortion merchant. With the help of an actor, she contacted Planned Parenthood clinics in seven states, inquiring if they would be willing to accept a donation earmarked for the abortion of black babies. The results were jaw-dropping.

Rose was appalled to discover that every last clinic agreed. Not one employee objected or questioned the request, even when the actor insisted that the purpose was to “lower the number of black people” in America. When the caller phoned an Ohio branch, he was told that Planned Parenthood “will accept the money for whatever reason.” Read the outrageous transcript from the Idaho clinic, which is also available with Rose’s other recordings in a montage at http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LK08B57&f=WA08B46.

Actor: …I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don’t want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids.
Planned Parenthood: Yes, absolutely.
Actor: And we don’t, you know, we just think the less black kids out there the better.
Planned Parenthood: (Laughs) Understandable, understandable… This is the first time I’ve had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I’m excited and want to make sure I don’t leave anything out.

When Judgment Is Sin

There are times, however, when it is a sin to judge. Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt 7:1-5) KJV While it should be obvious by now that this passage has been misused by those who seek to apply it to all forms of judgment, this passage does indeed teach us that there are times in which judgment is sin. The form of judgment which is here prohibited is that which is an unmerciful, hypocritical condemnation of others. Jesus stated that the measure of judgment we give to others will be returned to us. James echoed Jesus’ words saying, “ he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy.” (James 2:13) KJV Thus, merciless condemnation is condemned by Christ. At the same time Jesus was rebuking them for hypocritical judgment. While it is right to judge in some circumstances, it is never right to judge when we are guilty of worse offenses than the one which we are condemning in the life of another (thus the analogy of the mote - speck of dust - and the beam – large timber.). To judge the sin of another while committing sins that are equally evil, or worse, is to condemn our own self. Paul said, “Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.” (Rom 2:1) KJV It is commendable (and commanded) to seek to help our Christian brethren see error in their lives and correct it. It is a sin, however, to live our lives always looking for the bad in others while turning a blind eye to our own faults. This is a common error, and it is altogether too easy for us to fall into this error. Let us heed the admonition of the wise apostle who said, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor 10:12) KJV

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matt 7:1,2) KJV

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37) KJV

“Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” (Rom 14:3,4,13) KJV

“ Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” (1 Cor 4:5) KJV

“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” (James 4:11,12) KJV

Team Pyro has done it again.

A very creative response to a question about angelic visitations results in a great defense of the sufficiency of Scripture. 

Matt 7:1-4
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
KJV

The first verse of this passage has often been quoted in attempts to silence people who would speak out against sin.  Does this interpretation truly apply?  I think not.  In fact, if context means anything, it tells us that we should be careful of ourselves before we would judge others.

The issue that is being addressed here is the issue of one who has a beam (large piece of hewn timber) in his eye trying to remove a mote (speck of dust) from the eye of another.  This analogy portrays one who has great faults trying to help one with lesser faults deal with those faults.  If one would form a mental picture of a man with a 2X12X12 in his eye trying to get a microscopic speck of dust out of someone else’s eye it would be somewhat humorous.  Yet, it is pitiful at the same time.  You see, the man with the beam has no idea that it is in his eye.  It seems that we tolerate amazingly heinous sins in our lives, but are irritated by the little things we see in the lives of others.

Ultimately, we must heed the old proverb that says “One must clean up around his own doorstep before going to clean his brother’s house.”

If we do not do so, but spend our time criticizing and condemning our brethren, the lack of mercy that we show them will be the lack of mercy that we experience.

Matt 7:1,2
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Just musing…

The Incarnation of The Son of God

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-4,14) KJV

The Necessity of The Incarnation of The Son of God

Man was in need of a savior. What was to be done to meet that need? For man to be set free from sin and its consequences there was a need for a sacrifice, because the Word of God specified that “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23) KJV The justice, holiness, and glory of God must be vindicated. Sinners could not simply be forgiven without restitution being made. That restitution must be made in the form of a death that would be the equivalent of the sufferings of the eternal wrath of God. We are told “almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb 9:22) KJV It was necessary that one die for man.

If one is to die for man, the one who dies for men must be a man so as to enter into all of the temptations into which man enters. When we consider the fact that Jesus is as much God as the Father is God, we begin to understand that there was no way for Jesus to endure temptation without becoming a man. James tells us “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” (James 1:13) KJV Since Jesus could not be tempted He had to become a man to face temptation and conquer sin. Jesus could not die either, because He is God. Paul told Timothy that Jesus is immortal (See 1 Tim 6:15,16). For this reason, also, Jesus had to become a man. The writer of Hebrews spoke of this saying, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb 2:9) KJV

Another reason why the incarnation was necessary is the fact that the savior of men must not only be a man, but he must also be God. God stated to us that He is the only Savior. “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa 43:11) KJV Again, He said, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isa 45:22) KJV The only way that we could have a savior was for God to become a man and be both God and man. This is the blessed truth of the incarnation: “Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” (1 Tim 3:16) KJV

The incarnation was also necessary because there was the need for our Savior to be the head of the human race. Our savior had to be representative of all of humanity. There was in the past a representative head of the human race. His name was Adam and he caused mankind to fall into sin. The Scriptures tell us that Adam prefigured Jesus. “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” (Rom 5:14) KJV Adam was especially created by God to be the first man. Being the first (and ,in the beginning, the only)man, Adam represented all of humanity, because he was the head of his home and the only human head. He was actually a picture of Christ who is the second Adam who came to give us life through righteousness. “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Cor 15:45-47) KJV Thus we see why God had to become incarnate if He were to save men from sin.

The History of Christ’s Incarnation

The incarnation of Christ is a historical fact, but there are things surrounding that incarnation of Jesus the Son of God that go back much further than the historical happening. Before Jesus became flesh it was foreordained of God that He come in the flesh. “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” (Acts 2:22,23) KJV The fact that Jesus was foreordained to die implies that before the worlds were framed Jesus was also determined to become a man. The writer of Hebrews understood this fact and wrote concerning Jesus saying: “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” (Heb 10:5) KJV Whatever arguments there may be about the correlation between this passage and the Psalm that it is quoting, we can be sure that this speaks to us of the fact that Jesus was sent into this world as a human being.

Not only was Jesus foreordained to become a man, but it was prophesied many years before He came that our Savior would be human. When Adam and Eve fell, God spoke to the serpent which had deceived them saying, “ I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen 3:15) KJV We find that this did indeed come to pass according to promise: “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal 4:4,5) KJV

One thing that we must keep in mind concerning the incarnation of Jesus the Son of God is the fact that this is an utterly supernatural occurrence. There have been some instances in which ideas concerning the conception of Christ bordered upon a belief in some sort of divine/human procreation. In reality, the incarnation of Christ was the result of a special act of Divine creation. The angel Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) KJV Just as in the original creation of the world the Spirit was active (See Gen 1:2;Job 33:4; Ps 104:30), so He was active in the special creation of the body of the Son of God in the womb of the virgin Mary. Thus the incarnation became not only a promise, but a historical fact.

Results of Christ’s Incarnation

What are the results of the incarnation of Christ? What benefits are derived from it? The results are many. First of all, God revealed Himself to man in Jesus. God could not be seen by man. He told Moses, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” (Ex 33:20) KJV

Man needed to see God, however. Man needed to know God and His ways. Man needed God to come and save him. Yet, if God came in all of the fullness of His glory, man would experience destruction and damnation only. Thankfully, God revealed Himself in His only begotten Son, Jesus. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (John 1:1 KJV Jesus’ incarnation was the means by which God revealed Himself, His will, and His redemption to man. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Heb 1:1-4) KJV Jesus, being of the same essence and character as the Father, radiated the glories of God. In fact, John said, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) KJV Those who saw Jesus also saw the glory of God in Him. Jesus also revealed the heart of the Father to men. God spoke through Him. Jesus’ incarnation was the gracious manifestation of God to a fallen world that could not otherwise see God in peace.

God can neither suffer, nor die. As the incarnate Son, however, He could suffer and die because He was man as God. Jesus’ incarnation enabled Him to enter into temptation and learn what how to sympathize with us. “We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15) KJV The wonderful blessing is that, while He was tempted, Jesus was without sin. In the midst of this suffering of temptation Jesus learned something else that is not natural to God – obedience. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” (Heb 5:8,9) KJV Jesus experienced obedience by obeying the will of God for men in all things, and then submitting to the death of the cross (See Php 2:8). Jesus’ incarnation enabled Him to enter into every temptation, feeling, passion, and requirement that is common to man. Having done so, He died for our sins and bodily rose from the dead becoming our perfect Savior.

Modalism seems to do some creative maneuvering when confronted with various passages of Scripture that demonstrate the reality of the triune nature of God. In my experience, some have sought to have the prayer of Jesus in John chapter seventeen simply a conversation with Himself, albeit Himself as the Son talking with Himself as the Father.

What does post-modernism have to do with this? Simply put, one who embraces such mental and linguistic gymnastics as some modalists do would have to make words mean something different than what they truly are. If words can mean anything, or words do not mean what they plainly appear to mean, then modalism and post-modernism are close kin.

On the other hand, if words mean anything, then we can accept the reality and truth of the Trinity by reading the Gospel of John. It’s there that we will find a wealth of passages that show Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit as distinct from one another, yet in perfect unity with one another.

Personally, I prefer to accept that language has meaning, and embrace the truth of the Trinity for that and many other reasons.

Just musing…

That is the question asked at “The World From Our Window.”

My experience tells me that there are two three reasons why young people are leaving church:

1.  They are seldom given a good, Biblical foundation for their faith.  There is so little expository preaching that presents Biblical truth.  There is so much more hobby-horse preaching in “fundamental” churches than there is true, relevant, Biblical preaching.   Young people may not always be able to articulate what is wrong, but they sense there is a problem when doctrines and practices are not supported with Scripture, but rather with emotions.   We MUST give them something to believe in!

2.  Insincerity.  How often do young people hear their pastors speak of how we should love one another, but do not see them practice it?  Pastors and church leaders must take heed to themselves (1Tim 4:16) so that they can see their errors and deal with them instead of living and acting as if they are above correction.  There is so much abuse that people take at the hands of leaders who are insincere.  It is no wonder that many young people leave.  Young people are idealistic and expect their leaders to practice what they preach.

3.   Their home life.  Simply put, many parents do not walk according to Biblical truth.  Mom isn’t the submissive person she should be.  Perhaps she’s a whining snivel, or a domineering person.  Maybe Dad is not a true servant leader.  Perhaps he’s abusive and domineering and justifying it as “headship.”  Many parents tolerate things in their homes that are not acceptable, Christian practices.  Many parents allow TV shows and music that are vulgar to be played in their homes.  Often the parents are the ones watching the filth.

It’s time for God’s people to clean up their act!  Pastors and church leaders need to repent of getting fat off the offerings of God’s people while not ministering to them as they need ministering to.  We  ministers should give attention to Scripture and preach it.  We should also live it.  Fathers and mothers should repent of their carelessness, apologize to their children, and put the pieces back together so that they can have a godly home where their children are trained to glorify God.   Much can be done if we will all work together.

Just musing…