The root of atheism

If the basis for creation is faith in God, the root of atheism is man wanting to be god. This may sound odd, but consider the following words found in Aldous Huxley’s article, “Confessions of a professed atheist.” Huxley says, “I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning, so I looked for reasons to assume it had none. My problem was not with the spiritual. I just concerned myself with proving there was no valid reason why I should not do as I wanted to. The philosophy of meaninglessness was an instrument of liberation. We wanted freedom from political and economic system and liberation from morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.”

Although Huxley’s statement helped me clearly understand the mentality of an atheist, this is something Christians were already told. In Romans 1, Paul stated that man was without excuse because there was so much evidence to support God (verse 20). Moreover, those who denied the creator turned to all sorts of uncleanness and dishonored their bodies by pursuing the lusts of their hearts (verse 24). In other words, rejecting God allowed them to do whatever they wanted. They got the sexual freedom they craved (verse 26-32).

Darwinism, another rejection of the divine, leads to a similar outcome. Attitudes of “survival of the fittest,” “might makes right,” etc. lead to a society that rewards uncaring, selfish, self-centered behavior.

The outcomes of rejecting godly truth are straightforward – this only leaves us to figure out why it was rejected. Why would anyone not believe in God and His word? It is not because of the lack of evidence – it has to do with a carnal mind that wants to do whatever they want and not be held accountable. Those who live this way may be able to live this way on the earth for a little while, but everyone is going to give an account to the Lord for what they did here on earth in the end (II Cor. 5:10). Their perceived freedom will come to an end.

To abort babies or engage in homosexuality in the name of “freedom of choice” is foolishness. People can deny God, but they will not be able to deny His power on the last day! Remember that He is real.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Chuck                          

Respecting the Holy Spirit

The Bible contains some warnings regarding the Holy Spirit – there are certain things we should never do to Him. Consider these admonitions.

• “Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thess. 5:19)
• “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit,” (Eph. 4:30)
• “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him” (Matt. 12:32)

The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead (Rom. 1:20) and is to be recognized as God just like the Father and Son (Acts 5:3-4; Heb. 1:8-9). Each part of the Godhead plays a part in the plan of redemption. Therefore, our actions toward Him can help us get to heaven or prevent us.  We must never minimize the Holy Spirit’s role. This is why the statements above were given concerning the Spirit.

What role did the Spirit play in helping man get to heaven? The answer is given in John 16:13: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”  Without the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles as promise and in fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4, then we would not know the will of God.  We could not even go into all the world and preach the gospel so people can be saved (Mark 16:15-16).

Knowing all of this, we can understand why quenching, grieving or blaspheming the Spirit puts our soul in jeopardy. Those who refuse to accept the gospel message are essentially rejecting the Holy Spirit. The inspired writers of the scriptures were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Pet.1:20-21).  This is why Paul told the brethren at Rome to listen to the message – in doing so they were being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). They were not led in some mystical, mysterious way. It simply means when we do what the spirit revealed, we are following Him. May we always respect the Holy Spirit.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chuck                                  

How can we know?

Last week, we received a Bible question through our website. “How do you know if you have the truth??” What a great question! To answer this, we need to turn to the Lord. Jesus stated two important facts. First, the truth has been given (John 16:13; John 14:6). Second, we can all understand the truth (John 8:32; Eph. 3:3-4). If we do not accept these facts, then we cannot know whether we have the truth.

Could someone believe that they have the truth and still be wrong? Yes. Many people think they understand the scriptures and have eternal life, but they do not (John 5:39-40). This shows that the word of God can be mishandled (II Pet. 3:16). Christians are instructed to rightly divide the word of truth (II Tim. 2:15). But the question remains – how can we know if we have the truth?

Identifying truth requires careful examination. Only those who seek will find (Matt. 7:7). We need to study the scriptures diligently (Acts 17:11) and consistently (II Cor. 15:5). Self-deception is prevalent, so we must be extremely careful (James 1:22). We must exercise humility and be willing to admit when we are wrong (Acts 18:24-26). We must also be consistent and handle all of the word of God properly, not “most” of it (I Pet. 4:11).

When determining whether someone has the truth, pay attention to how they handle scrutiny. Those with the truth must be willing to accept questions (I Pet. 3:15). Refusing to discuss what we believe should raise a red flag. Instead, those who think they have the truth should welcome questions as opportunities to confirm the truth. Over the years I have found many people who claimed to have the truth but called open discussions “wastes of time.”

Friends, we need to accept the fact that most people in the world will reject the truth. Accordingly, we should not let the small number of God’s faithful followers discourage us (Matt. 7:13-14). There is truth, and we must never stop seeking it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chuck

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever

You may have recognized the title from Hebrews 13:8. This is a great statement and worthy of examination. What did the inspired writer of Hebrews mean by stating that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever? Here are some valuable lessons to learn:

Jesus has not changed

In a world where technology changes faster than we can keep up, the Lord is a constant. He was our Savior yesterday, He is our Savior today and He will continue to be our Savior in the future (Phil. 3:20). Because Christ continues to be the way and the truth and the life, the way unto the Father will never change (John 14:6). Other “prophets” might wrongly teach other paths, but Jesus remains the same!

Jesus’ authority has not changed

Relating to our previous point, Christ has all authority (Matt. 28:18) and will continue to do so. The Father cried out from heaven that we are to listen to His Son (Matt. 17:5). Whatever was done yesterday, is done today and will be done in the future must be by the authority of Christ (Col. 3:17). This power is as much in effect today as it was after His death – the authority does not pass away with time. Recall that the Hebrew writer started off his book by stating that the Father has spoken unto us by His Son in these last days (Heb. 1:2).

Jesus’ words have not changed

The passing of time will never mean that the Lord’s words need to be updated. Jesus Himself told His followers that they would be guided into all truth (John 16:13). This statement assures us that we have all we need – no additional truth needs to be delivered. Moreover, these delivered words of Christ that were here yesterday, today and forever are the words by which we will all judged (John 12:48). As followers of Christ, we should be encouraged by this consistency. We need to value and remember that fact that our Lord and Savior is the same yesterday, today and forever.                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Chuck

Consequences of standing for nothing

Recently I heard a lyric to a song on the radio that goes, “If you stand for nothing, you will fall for everything.” This line immediately made me think of what the apostle Paul told the brethren at Ephesus: “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,” (Eph. 4:14).

Nobody in their right mind wants to be deceived, especially regarding Biblical teaching. The sad reality is that many people are being deceived though, and we need to everything we can to stop it. How can we prevent it from happening? And how can we determine if we are being deceived? The Lord has provided many aids, but we will just focus on the ones Paul mentioned in Ephesians.

First: Grow up

The first thing the apostle told the saints was to “be not children”. God’s people need to grow up, meaning they need to increase their faith (II Pet. 3:18). Even though Christians are always God’s children, this text it is talking about maturity. Those who never get grounded in Him will remain a “babe” in the faith and will struggle to discern good and evil (Heb. 5:13-14). The goal of every convert ought to be to desire the spiritual milk as a babe and then progress to the spiritual meat as soon as possible (Heb. 5:12).

Second: Do not believe everything you hear

The Ephesians’ church was told to not be carried away with every wind of doctrine. It is one thing to be trusting, but we should not take this too far. God’s people are commanded to test the spirits to see whether they are of God (I John 4:1). Our faith should not change or become unstable every time we hear someone make a claim – we are supposed to be rooted in the doctrine of Christ (II John 9). Many teachings sound Biblical but lack scriptural support. Phrases like “baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace” or “cleanliness is next to godliness” and “accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and you will be saved” might sound like the doctrine of Christ, but they are not.

Third: Remember that religious teachers are just men

Paul also instructed the Ephesians’ brethren to not to be tossed about by the trickery and cunning craftiness of men. Many people elevate the words of religious teachers and even follow them blindly. Those who claim to be teachers of God’s word must be held to that standards it contains (I Pet. 4:11). The mere fact that Paul told these brethren to not fall for their teachings is proof that the claims of religious teachers should be verified with God’s word and challenged when wrong. Even the apostle Peter was rebuked for his sinful behavior (Gal. 2:11). False teachers will desire to be elevated, but it can only happen if we allow it.

Forth: Know that you can have victory

The mere fact that these brethren were given instructions about what they should not allow is evidence these things can be prevented. As Jesus pointed out, we can know the truth, and the truth will set us free (John 8:32). We must use this truth! If someone is teaching error, we can correct them (Acts 18:26-28). If this person does not change what they teach, we can walk away from him (Matt. 10:14). Remember, we can resist even the devil himself (James 4:7).  Let us all heed these words and not be children who are carried about with every wind of doctrine.

                                                                                      Chuck