Marginalized?

by Robert Fraire

One of the things that seems more and more obvious as the days go by is that the acceptability of being a Bible believer in the culture has been diminishing very quickly. In American history it has been seen as a positive in most areas of culture to call oneself a Christian. From presidents to athletes, to businessmen, many people in the past announced their Christian faith as an aid to their standing with the people. Christians were seen as being honest, kind, selfless and caring. I'm here to tell you today: Time are changing.

Now there are many people who will screech in horror at someone saying they are a Christian. Intolerant, simpleton, hateful, backward, and insane are the words they use to describe Christians. The group of people who speak this way used to be very few in number and on the fringe of society. But their numbers have grown. Now when a national reporter speaks to someone about their Christian faith you can often hear the sarcasm and contempt in their voice. The political spectrum has shifted to the point where those on the "liberal" side of politics make no false pretense of their disdain for Christian beliefs. "Right to life" and "traditional marriage" are just two of the areas that bring out the wrath of the Left. In many ways we have learned to expect these reactions, but recently the numbers that subscribe to this type of perspective have grown to well over half the public.

One mechanism that has been used in this downgrading of Christians is the question: "Do you believe that the world was created literally in 6 days" or "Do you believe that the Bible should be taken literally?"

President Bush recently answered this question. He said that the Bible is "probably not" literally true. Why would he respond this way? It seems he wanted to give an "acceptable" answer.

The basis for this question is the assumption that Darwin's theory of macro-evolution is 100% true, and not only true, but proven to the point that there is NO ONE of any intelligence that has any doubts as to its truth.

So when a Bible believing Christian says that they do believe the Bible is literally true, they are automatically dumb and simplistic. According to the power brokers of culture, someone is disqualified for national prominence if they take the Bible seriously.

Even on the conservative side things have gotten to the point that a friend of mine told me during the Presidential primaries that he wouldn't vote for Huckabee because he is "too Christian" and the press would hound him with questions. Therefore he has no chance to win.

Now my point was not to say that everyone should have voted for Huckabee. But when a conservative Christian is seen as "disqualified" to be President by other Christians the reality of the marginalization of Christians on the national stage is complete.

So what are we to do about this? Should we abandon our belief in God's literal creation? To many who claim the name of Christ, that is exactly what they do. They filter their understanding of the Bible by what science tells us is true.

So does it really matter if we abandon the literal creation? Yes it does. Next post I will examine what importance to the whole Biblical message is the literal creation.

The Gentleness of Wisdom

by Bruce Mills

Perhaps the most difficult book in the Bible to read and apply to one's life is the book of James. I say that, not because its language is difficult to understand or the issues it deals with are obscure and unfamiliar, but rather because it is a book which takes a verbal baseball bat and hits you right between the eyes with truth about matters that deal with daily life. In its brief five chapters, it deals with suffering and trials, discrimination and partiality, controlling our speech, interpersonal relationships, misuse of wealth, and the relationship of righteous behavior to our faith.

There are many verses in James which hit me very hard, but I don't know that any hit me any harder than James 3:13--"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom." That last term, "the gentleness of wisdom," really jumps out at me. I admit that my greatest struggle in my Christian walk is with a lack of gentleness in how I approach others who are in need of correction or rebuke. In my effort to explain to them what they need to do to correct their situation, I am often harsh and insensitive. So James 3:13 just rips me apart.

Most people don't think of gentleness (or meekness, as the ESV translates it) as being connected to wisdom. Most people associate wisdom with the accumulation of a vast amount of information about a particular subject, but there is far more to wisdom than simply knowledge of facts and ideas.

The person who is truly wise has both expert, professional knowledge and practical moral insight based on an understanding of God's character and will. And one of the attributes of God's character which was so visibly demonstrated in the person of Christ is gentleness.

Today people tend to associate the word “gentleness” with being a jellyfish—something spineless and spiritless. In James’ day, however, quite the opposite was true. Back then, gentleness meant bringing a high-spirited horse under control. The spirit and strength of the horse weren’t lost, simply harnessed. So gentleness referred to strength under control.

Gentleness also referred to a brilliant teacher who could debate others without getting angry, or a soothing medicine that brought comfort to a painful wound.

So then, the qualifications for being wise have nothing to do with one's IQ or ability to pack away facts or one's impressive eloquence. The test of wisdom is a life that is patterned after the truth and is under control.

Gentleness and wisdom are linked together by genuine salvation. Only a believer can display this kind of gentleness, as he or she becomes more and more like Christ. This means that the wisdom James is encouraging us to seek is available ONLY to believers. We cannot expect our unbelieving friends and family members to have the kind of wisdom James is talking about.

Gentleness is a God-honored character trait which is never bitter, malicious, self-seeking, self-promoting, arrogant, or vengeful. The gentle person does not feel the need to contend for the recognition of his rights or acceptance of his personal views. Rather, his life will be characterized by modesty and unobtrusiveness.

The apostle Paul described how this balance between wisdom and gentleness works out in our evangelism in his instruction to Timothy where he said that, "The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

Gentleness is a key component, then, in refuting the error of others and leading them to the truth of the Gospel. That does not mean we avoid such issues as the holy justice of God, the awfulness of their sin, and the need for repentance. But it does mean that the wise believer presents the truth of the Gospel in a way which challenges the thinking of his listener but does not offend with harsh words or angry tones.

And gentleness also needs to be a characteristic of how we deal with fellow believers who are in need of our counsel and advice on a day-to-day basis. If we wish to be truly wise and God-honoring in how we deal with others, we need to make sure that gentleness pervades all we say and do. Even when our message is hard to receive, it must be communicated with an attitude of gentleness and compassion for the other person. I admit that I am struggling with this, but I plan to keep on working at becoming more obedient to James' instruction in this verse. I pray that God will convict you of this truth as He has and is convicting me.

Our Relationship to Our President

by Bruce Mills

"Honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:17, ESV). With those words, the apostle Peter established a principle which is often ignored or overlooked by many Christians. The apostle Paul gave the same principle in Romans 13:7 in regard to the believer's responsibility toward government and governmental authorities--"Pay to all what is owed to them...respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." He was not saying that Christians only need to show respect and honor to those whom they believe deserve respect and honor; rather, he is affirming the universally understood principle that kings and emperors are to be respected and honored because of the position they hold. Paul also instructed Christians to pray for their secular government leaders--"I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

Why are these instructions so important? Because it is my observation that many within the generally conservative American evangelical community do not demonstrate the kind of respect and honor that Scripture calls for regarding those political leaders with whom they disagree. I have heard many Christians (and I have fallen into the same trap) besmirching and ridiculing the character, behavior, and actions of men such as Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and now, Barack Obama, because they disagree with their political positions.

Sometimes their dismay over those matters is justified, such as when Bill Clinton engaged in immoral sexual behavior and then lied about it to the American people. Yes, his conduct was reprehensible, but that does not abrogate the responsibility of believers to pray for our leaders and honor them. God has sovereignly placed them in their position of authority over us and we are commanded to respond with submission and honor.

As Barack Obama has assumed the presidency of this nation, conservative Christians again find themselves in the position of having to demonstrate respect and honor for a man whose political positions and personal beliefs are often in conflict with the requirements of Scripture. Many find President Obama's position on abortion to be abhorrent, his position on homosexual marriage to be an abomination, and fear that his support for the nation of Israel may be less enthusiastic than his predecessors. In addition there are grave concerns among many that conservative values and those who hold to them will be increasingly marginalized and rejected as being "outside the mainstream." Some even go so far as to say that speaking out on certain biblical positions will be deemed hate speech and may be prosecuted by the government.

I have no idea how many of the perilous predictions that many evangelical Christians are expecting will come true under President Obama's administration. But I do think it is reasonable to expect that many will be very unhappy with him because of the effects of his executive orders and legislative pursuits upon values important to conservative Christians. However, none of this should have any impact upon our commitment to pray for and demonstrate honor and respect for President Obama.

Keep in mind that at the time that the apostles Paul and Peter wrote the words which opened this post, the emperor was Nero. He was the man who carried out the worst atrocities upon his victims. He enjoyed dipping Christians in wax, impaling them on poles around his palace, and then lighting them on fire, yelling, "Now you truly are the light of the world." He also sent many into the arena at the Circus Maximus where he would wrap Christians in animal skins, throw them to lions or dogs which would then tear those men and women apart in front of thousands of entertained spectators. At other times he would crucify them, and after the crowd would get bored, he would set the Christians on fire.

Additionally, Nero was an adulterous bi-sexual who ordered his own mother's execution. He was just about as vile as a man can be, yet this was the emperor whom Peter said to honor and for whom Paul instructed his readers to pray.

There is simply no way to validly compare President Obama to a man as evil as Nero. But, like Nero, Christians are to pray for President Obama and request the Lord to grant him wisdom and strength to carry out the duties of his position, and that the Lord will restrain him from poor decisions and direct him toward wise and good decisions. You may not agree with him politically, but he is our president. Thus, we are to obey the commands of Scripture to submit to, honor, respect, and pray for Him.

I Will Build My Church

by Bruce Mills

This weekend, I attended our church elder board's yearly retreat at which we gather to brainstorm new ideas, consider how to more effectively minister to our church flock, and build stronger relationships with one another.

While we were there, we went through the process of sitting as an ordination council for two men who have served in ministry at our church for the past year-and-a-half. Before coming to our church, they had both prepared themselves with excellent biblical and theological educations from highly respected Bible schools and seminaries, and were involved in ministry at other good churches, where they proved themselves to be men of godly character.

Like those who have gone before them, these two men underwent an extensive, in-depth questioning of their theological beliefs and understanding. Although I have already undergone the same thorough "grilling," I must say that I do not recall that the questions my ordination council asked me were as difficult as those which we asked these two men. However, these two men responded with a level of intellectual acumen and verbal articulation of their understanding of the Scriptures that was marvelous to behold. They were thoroughly grounded in the Word and completely capable of presenting their theological understanding of the Scriptures in great detail. They were, in a word, outstanding.

That is not to say that I agreed with every point of their interpretation of certain biblical texts and issues. But those on which I disagreed are matters which many good, sound Bible teachers disagree upon, so their viewpoints are well within the sphere of sound, conservative, orthodox evangelicalism. They are both men of the Word; men whose passion is to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known. Their character is impeccable, with both of them having proven themselves to be godly examples to those who follow their leadership.

Having had the privilege of participating in their ordination process, I pondered how unique these men are in the current American evangelical culture. Today there is a serious downgrading of the standards which are established in Scripture for the elders who shepherd the flock of God. Such requirements as being above reproach, temperate, free from the love of money, or managing one's household well have been seemingly discarded in favor of pragmatism and a charismatic personality. And the biblical mandates that elders be "able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2) and "able...to exhort in sound doctrine" (Titus 1:9) are often ignored in favor of those who can tell a winsome story or a "feel good" sermon designed to pump up their listeners. But having heard both of these men teach God's Word, my observation is that they are both careful, studious exegetes of the Scriptures whose greatest concern is to accurately proclaim the truth.

In conclusion, when I see men such as these, I am reassured of the truth of our Lord's statement in Matthew 16:18 that "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." God is still raising up men of godly character with an unwavering commitment to proclaim Christ and to do the difficult work of studying the Scriptures so that they can effectively admonish, exhort, and teach other believers so that they are matured and made "complete in Christ" (Colossians 1:28). I congratulate both of them and look forward to our future ministry together in the name of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Like a Child...

by Bruce Mills

This past week, I was discussing spiritual matters with a coworker whom I recently learned is a believer. It was a very pleasant conversation and quite encouraging, since there are few genuine Christians in my work environment. It was great to hear what God has been doing in the life of this man.

In the course of conversation, I asked him when it was that he came to saving faith in Christ. He replied, "Well, I made a profession when I was 16, but as I look back on it, I'm not sure that it was genuine. I think that it was sometime later that I truly believed and my salvation became genuine, but I don't know when. I've attended church all my adult life, but it has always been kind of just going through the motions. But when I really began to grow spiritually was a few months ago."

I asked him what it was that was the catalyst which caused him to focus on walking in obedience to Christ. I expected a response such as a certain sermon, book, pastor, or teacher. But his answer was far more interesting.

He told me that about four months previously, he had taken his 11 year old daughter fishing with him. After a day of successful fishing, they were on their way home and were having a pleasant time of father-daughter interaction about how well things had gone that day. After discussing all the fish they had caught, he asked her, "Is fishing your new favorite thing to do?" She paused and then said, "No, Daddy, praising Jesus is my favorite thing to do."

He said, "It hit me like a lightning bolt--that's what life is all about. Living every moment so as to bring glory and praise to Jesus Christ. I realized that glorifying Christ needed to become the passion of my life. And I knew right then that I had to begin living my life with the same perspective as my little girl."

As I thought about that conversation later, I was reminded of Christ's words to His disciples in Luke 18 after the disciples attempted to prevent parents from bringing their children to Jesus for His blessing. He rebuked the disciples and told them, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" (vv. 16-17, ESV).

Why would Jesus make such a statement? Because in the same way which children display complete faith, trust, and reliance upon their parents and do all they can to please them, so too, believers are to place their complete faith and trust in Christ and seek to please Him in all they do. And genuine love for Christ will always manifest itself in giving Him glory and praise. My friend recognized that his daughter's expressed love for Jesus was an example of that attitude, and he was convicted of his own failure to live that way. So he determined that he would begin living a life that was as committed to Christ as is his daughter. He recognized that glorifying Christ must become his consuming passion, so that every area of his life is impacted. That is what the apostle Paul meant when he said, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV).

All of us need to come to Christ "like a child" and surrender every area of our life to Him. I pray that you will make obedience to Christ and His word the passion of your life, because Jesus said that those who do not "shall not enter it."

Baptism into Christ

By Bruce Mills

I am teaching the book of Romans in my Sunday School class, and we are working our way through chapter 6. This past Sunday, part of what we studied was verse 3 which begins with this clause: “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus…”

This raises the obvious question, what does it mean to be baptized into Christ? The first place to start if we are to gain an understanding is with the word “baptism.”

When John the Baptist baptized people, it was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). So the clear and obvious intent was a turning to righteousness. In receiving John’s baptism, the sinner renounced his sin and through symbolic cleansing, identified himself with the Messiah and His righteousness. Thus, baptism uniquely represented identification.

The word which is used here translated “baptized” is the Greek word baptizō. It means “to immerse.” It is used that way in both Scripture (Luke 16:24, John 3:23, Acts 8:38) and in ancient secular Greek literature. It was used when referring to dying cloth a different color, a process which requires immersing the fabric under water. It was used of someone drowning, which requires that the person be under the surface of the water. It was used of a ship sinking, which results in the ship being under the water.

When the KJV translators came to this word in the Greek text, the Church of England was already practicing sprinkling as the method of baptism. So rather than translating the word in accordance with its meaning, they simply transliterated the word and created a new English word “baptize,” and thereby avoided having to go against the accepted standard in the Church. But the word clearly means “to immerse.”

But there is more to this than simply meets the eye. To really understand what Paul was saying here, we need to go a little further into the original Greek. There were two closely related words for baptism in the Greek language, and they have slightly different nuances to their meanings. The first word is baptō and it means “to dip into.” It is also used in Scripture a few times (Luke 16:24, John 13:26, Rev. 19:13). It is a synonym for baptizō, but baptizō is the more intensified form which means “to immerse.” Now, you might ask, “Well, dip…immerse…what’s the difference?” Here’s the difference: the word baptō refers to a temporary immersion which has no significant, lasting impact on the item immersed. But baptizō implies a permanent change or impact upon the item which is immersed.

The clearest example of the difference in how these two words were used by the Greek poet and physician Nicander about 200 BC. He wrote a recipe for making pickles, and it’s helpful for us because it uses both words. Nicander said that to make a pickle, the cucumber should first be “dipped” (baptō) into boiling water and then “immersed” (baptizō) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern immersing the cucumber into a solution, but the first is temporary. The second, the act of “baptizing” the cucumber, produces a permanent change in the vegetable, both in its nature and taste.

And when something is immersed into something else, it comes out different than when it went in. Notice that in the examples I gave of how the word baptizō was used in secular Greek literature, there was definitely a lasting and permanent impact upon the item which was immersed. If it was a garment which was being dyed, it came out a different color which was permanent. If it was a ship which sank, it was permanently beneath the water. And if it was a person who drowned, there was definitely a lasting impact to that immersion.

And in Romans 6:3, Paul says we have been immersed into Christ. We come away from that process different than when we went in. So the person who places his faith in Christ enters that relationship as Christ’s enemy, but once immersed into Him, he becomes one of His children—and it is a permanent relationship.

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, Paul says this: “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” He says all of Israel was baptized into Moses. He cannot be referring to water baptism, because the only people who were immersed in water were the Egyptian soldiers, and they were drowned in it. The Israelites didn’t even get their feet wet. So what Paul is saying here is that the people were permanently identified with Moses as God’s spokesman and leader when they placed themselves under his authority in the crossing of the Red Sea. Up until that crossing, they were still in Egypt and could have renounced Moses’ leadership and retained their allegiance to Pharoah. But once they crossed the Red Sea, they were unable to turn back and were forever identified with Moses.

In a similar but infinitely more profound and permanent way, all of us (that is, all Christians) “have been baptized into Christ Jesus,” thus permanently being immersed into Him, so as to be made one with Him. We have submitted to His authority over our lives and are permanently identified with Christ.

This is why churches should use immersion as their means of baptism…because it properly pictures or symbolizes the relationship of the believer to Christ.

Now, many people interpret Paul’s argument in Romans 6:3-10 as referring to water baptism. However, Paul is simply using the physical analogy of water baptism to teach the spiritual reality of the believer’s union with Christ. Water baptism is the outward identification of an inward reality—faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Paul was not advocating salvation by water baptism; that would have contradicted everything he had just said about salvation by grace and not works in chapters 3 through 5 of Romans, which has no mention of water baptism.

Water baptism is only a public symbol of faith in Christ. There is nothing miraculous or supernatural that takes place when a person is baptized. It is only a symbol. The reason that the apostle Peter said baptism is a mark of salvation in 1 Peter 3:21 is because it gives outward evidence of an inward faith in Christ. And in Acts 22:16, when Paul said, “And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name,” he was not saying that a person is saved by water, but that water baptism is a symbol of genuine saving faith.

As I said before, if Paul was saying that the act of baptism was the means of removing one’s sins, then it would contradict everything he said about salvation by grace through faith alone. And, if baptism is required for salvation, then there is a serious problem with Jesus’ statement to the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise that day. Also, we must also consider all of the deathbed confessions that have taken place throughout history. So, you can’t say baptism is a requirement for the forgiveness of sins in some cases but not in others. It either is or it isn’t. So it must be simply an outward symbol of the inner reality.

The tragedy is that many people mistake the symbol of water baptism as the means of salvation rather than the demonstration of it. And when we turn a symbol into the reality, we eliminate the reality, which in this case is salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.