The Bible, Charlton Heston, and arguing with my imaginary staff

 If you've been reading ye ole' blog for the last couple of weeks then you know I've been attempting to start at the beginning of the Bible in an attempt to lay a foundation for understanding the Bible as a whole. I want to lay the groundwork for my readers to understand the story of the Bible, which is God's Word. I want to try and go from the very beginning, at Genesis 1:1, to the Gospel accounts of Jesus. It will be a difficult task, but I am being well paid...(INTERRUPTION)

Me: What?

Imaginary producer guy: You're not being paid. 

Me: Why not? 

Imaginary producer guy: Because you're doing it out of the good will of your heart, etc, and you want some excuse to combine your journalism and Bible degrees, which you are otherwise not using. 

Me: But there's no money in it?
Producer: No. 

Me: You're sure?
Producer (annoyed): Yes.

Me: Yes, there's money, or 'yes' you're sure there's no money. 

Producer (more annoyed): Yes, I'm sure there's no money. You're so poor you're making your producer up. 

Me: Oh. Right.

Anyways, so out of the goodness of my heart, I'm trying to lay the groundwork for understanding the Bible story.[i] I’ve already completed two blogs on the subject. But I started thinking that it would be good if I explained where I am coming from when I teach/write/blog. So what I’m going to do is explain a bit about the Bible itself and where it came from. This is not the place for an all-out debate about the Bible. I’m not trying to skirt the issue, but there are other, smarter men who have already done this. My goal is to teach through the core story of the Bible and I am doing that on the basis of certain beliefs. You don’t have to agree with me, but I do want you to understand where I’m coming from.

I believe the Bible was written by God, through 40 men, over 1600 years of history. The authors of the books of the Bible were all Jewish but one, (Luke was a Gentile, or a non-Jew). The authors were incredibly diverse in background, but unified in its truth and message. It was written by fishermen, nomads, shepherds, priests, physicians, politicians, warriors, kings, prophets, the young and old, the educated and uneducated. I believe the Bible is without error and was sovereignly and purposefully created by God throughout history to reveal to man the truth about God, man, the world, evil, and man’s ultimate redemption by God. This is the basis for the blog you’re reading.
                           

So first off, how did we get the Bible? Jews, throughout their history, were given the books of the Bible by God. He either spoke to certain men, (Moses/Charlton Heston)[ii], telling them what to write, revealed the truth through visions and dreams to others, or so worked through men as they wrote and spoke that their words were exactly what he planned to say. Here’s how Paul and Peter, two messengers and preachers immediately after Christ, explained the Scriptures.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16) (Paul)

“knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit,” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

John Stott, a really smart Christian pastor/theologian/writer/apologist once wrote:

“Out of whose mouth did Scripture come, then? God’s or man’s? The only biblical answer is ‘both’. Indeed, God spoke through the human authors in such a way that his words were simultaneously their words, and their words were simultaneously his. This is the double authorship of the Bible. Scripture is equally the Word of God and the words of human beings. Better, it is the Word of God through the words of human beings.”[iii]

But then, you may ask, “how did we get the present day Bible from however many thousands of years ago, (Moses/Charlton Heston), to our present day? If I tell a friend something, he has a hard enough time telling another person what I originally told him without distorting what I said in one way or another. How do we know the message of the Bible hasn’t been distorted and the meaning lost over the last 6,000 years? How do we know the Bible is trustworthy?” Good question. Here are my answers:

1. The Jews throughout history were extremely laborious about how they copied the transcripts of the Bible writings. Here I’ll quote from the book Firm Foundations, which is quoting from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary,

“They (the Jews) used every imaginable safeguard, no matter how cumbersome or laborious, to ensure the accurate transmission of the text. The number of letters in a book was counted and its middle letter was given. Similarly with the words, and again the middle word of the book was noted…”[iv]

I follow this up with the story of the Dead Sea scrolls, also quoted in Mcllwain’s book. In 1947, a shepherd near Jerusalem threw a rock into a local cave and heard the sound of pottery breaking. He investigated and found the cave was full of pottery holding ancient scrolls. It was later discovered that these scrolls contained fragments of ancient Biblical and non-Biblical writings. Scholars who compared the most recent manuscripts of the Bible, which were written in 900 A.D., with the Biblical writings among the scrolls, (written in the second or third centuries), found no significant differences between the texts. Think about that, a difference in transcripts over several centuries and no discernible differences found![v]

2. Jesus viewed the Bible as inerrant, trustworthy, and true. I could try and say it better than Josh McDowell, but either I can’t or I’m just lazy. Either way, he says it pretty well here.

3. God is in total control. This may be circular logic, but then again, maybe I’m just making really good sense here. Follow me on this. If God is in complete control of the universe and he wanted to make sure he communicated exactly and specifically with the human race the truth about life, marriage, sexuality, goodness, righteousness, love, peace, wisdom, money, and so on, don’t you think he would take pains to ensure this knowledge and information was recorded accurately?

4. The Bible has consistently been proven to be accurate on matters of history and prophecy, which has been verified by archeological finds throughout time. (See also any of the Indiana Jones movies).

Look, I’m not saying there are not some things in the Bible that aren’t really hard to understand and explain. I’m not saying there aren’t difficult matters within the Bible that make you scratch your head or make you angry. I’m not saying you even have to agree with me about the Bible or about God. I am saying that for the purposes of this blog we, (I say ‘we’ to include myself and my imaginary producer), will be working/writing on the belief that the Bible is true and without error. I wanted to lay that groundwork before we got too far into the writing. I apologize for the rather tedious nature of this blog posting, but it had to be done. If you have any questions or concerns, please write my producer. 

Stay tuned for the next blog where I'll write more about Genesis and introduce you to my fake secretary, Lolita. But not that guy down there.

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[i] I'm basing a good bit of my thinking off "Firm Foundations: Creation to Christ" by Trevor McIlwain. The book is a very large book that breaks down the Biblical story in 52 lessons. Full disclosure: I'm 99.5% certain he has done a better job than I will, so if you'd like to read it, check out Amazon.com. (He even probably had enough money for a non-imaginary producer).

[ii] If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then go rent the Ten Commandments. Other Charlton Heston movies are good too, but not necessarily related to the Bible. I also like Jaws, which isn’t really Biblical, nor does it include Charlton Heston, but it is about a large shark and has a great soundtrack. But I digress…

[iii] John Stott, The Contemporary Christian (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 168-69

[iv] Firm Foundations, Creation to Christ, Trever Mcllwain. He lists The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, part 3, J.D. Douglas. And yes, I am too lazy to figure out the right way to properly cite my sources.

[v] Another good quote someone smarter than me said, “Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, Biblical Interpretation, 72, conclude: ‘Estimates suggest that at least 97 percent, if not more, of the original New Testament can be reconstructed from the existing manuscripts beyond any measure of doubt. The percentage for the Old Testament is lower, perhaps only about 90 percent.” Quoted from J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word.

Back to the Beginning, # 2, Genesis 1:1-27, aka, God Makes Lots of Stuff

If you’ve just joined us here at the SoWhatRamblings blog we are doing a series on the first books of the Bible, with the intent of laying a solid foundation for understanding the Bible as a whole. If this is your first time reading this blog, make sure to let one of our ushers know[i] so we can give you a welcome packet and a coupon for a free toaster and a cookbook by the author.[ii]

We are going through Genesis at this point, trying to go step by step through the beginning stories and truths of God’s Word. My goal is to lay out this information in such a way that a non-believer, or a person with very limited Bible knowledge, can begin to gain an understanding to the foundational truths of the Bible. That being said, if you read this and have questions, let me know. If I’m doing a bad job, let me know. In my heart I am a teacher, (either that or a taxidermist), and I want to do my best to communicate clearly both what the Bible says and how to understand and read it for yourself.

So what we’re going to do here is go through Genesis 1 and see what it has to say. This blog is a bit different than my past ones because it is more instructional and “teachery” than before. But my goal is to get you in the Bible and get you thinking about the Bible, so that takes a different approach than former blogs. With that said, let’s dive in. I would encourage you to read through the passage beforehand. If you don't have a Bible, you can go to BibleGateway.com by clicking the hyperlink. 

Here are the different and important things seen in Genesis 1. This is by no means exhaustive, but I am trying to cover the major points:

The Identity and Person of God. The Spirit of God is seen in the very beginning of the Bible, (v2). There is also some distinction that begins to be seen about the character of God. This is first seen between God and the Spirit of God in verse two. Then in verse 26, God says, “Let US make man in our image…” Questions arise, “Is God schizophrenic? Are there two parts to God? What does this ‘us’ mean? What is the significance of ‘the Spirit of God’?” There is something unique about the person of God. The answers are not clear at this point, but it does lay some “truth seeds” which will germinate throughout the rest of the Bible. Like I said in a previous blog post, the book of Genesis begins to lay seeds of information which come to fruition later in the Bible. It begins to lay a foundation for Biblical truth. At this point we are just in the planting or the first building stages. But we need to begin noticing these truths, or seeds, so as we go along in our reading/study we can gain a fuller understanding of what has been laid out in the initial stages.[iii]

God creates out of nothing. He creates by the Word of his mouth. Again we see the all-powerful nature of God. We see over and over again in Genesis 1, “And God said…and there was”, “And God said…and there was.” “And God said…and there was”. God creates out of the Word of his mouth. There is no one like him, who can create life and existence out of nothing. He is all-powerful. He is a worthy God and only HE is the creator of all life.

Creation was made in a seven day period. The days were recognized by evening and morning. How does this affect our understanding of creation? How does this information contrast with an evolutionary viewpoint? (Again, keep asking questions and making observations).

All that God made was good. The creation of God reflected the nature of God. There was nothing God made that was not good and blessed. Each living thing created produced offspring “according to their kinds”. In other words, the plant life reproduced similar plant life. The fish and water creatures reproduced other fish and water creatures. The animals produced other animals like themselves.[iv] In the same way, God produced things according to his character, which was good and glorious.

The creation of Man is significant. In verse 26-27, it reads, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps in the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

- There are several things to note here. One is the “us” that is used the verse. I mentioned this previously in the post, but keep in the mind as you continue to read the Bible. Secondly, just as the animals, fish, plants, and birds all reproduced “according to their kinds”, God now makes man “in his image”. I won’t go into detail as to what “in his image” means here, but it is enough to note that there was no other being or creation made in the image of God, but man. There is no fish, animal, plant, or bug that carries the image of the Almighty. There is no other creation with the dignity, uniqueness, and blessedness as man because no one else was made in the image and likeness (somehow) of God.

- Thirdly, man was the only being given rule and authority. Man was called by God to rule over the creation, to have dominion over all. God didn’t say for fish to have dominion. God didn’t ask a horse to have dominion over all creation. God didn’t ask an oak tree to exercise dominion over the creation. He told man and man alone. Man was the only one given the unique responsibility to have dominion over the earth.

- What does this tell me about man? Man is special. Man is unique. Man and women have inherent dignity and specialness before God and all creation. Man is not special in what he can do, be, think or achieve, though those things are nice. Man is special because he is made in the image of the Almighty God and Creator. This also tells me man is greater than the summation of atoms and primordial ooze that somehow gathered itself together at the beginning of time. Man was made by God, in his image, and is incredibly significant.

- Man is also, by design, under the authority of His Creator. Man was made to be under the rule of God. In the very first chapter of the Bible, man is given responsibility and commands from his Creator. God was meant to be the Lord over man. Man was meant to submit himself to his Creator. If man rejects the divine authority and his divine design, what will become of him?

The image of God is seen in both of the sexes. Both male and female bear the image of God. God’s image is seen not only in man. Therefore the male cannot be exalted as the supreme creation to authoritatively dominate and rule over woman as God’s image bearer. Nor can woman be seen as the uncorrupted species or sex who alone knows and exhibits God’s character. The female has glorious significance before God the creator because she was made in his image. Man has dignity and significance because he was made in God’s image. Man with all of his strengths and woman with all of her uniqueness both exhibit the image and glory of God.

This also means that a person’s sex is sacred. A person being male or female is because of the sovereign will of God. You may ask about transgender, gay, or bisexual people and it is a fair question. But at this point, in Genesis 1, we are just trying to see what the Bible has to say. And right now it shows us that the image of God is seen in both sexes, and each individual sex, (male or female), is sacred to God.

What does this tell me about God? At this point, one chapter into the Bible, I’m not totally sure, (remember the seeds analogy). But it does tell me that God must have some significant purpose for humans. Only upon humans does he place his image. Only to humans does he give instruction and rule over creation. What will this lead to? Who knows?

- It does tell me that God is awesome and powerful. He is unique in his power, intelligence, design, and character. He is good and his creations are good. He is distinct above all Creation. He is the Lord and ruler of what he has made. He can create simply by issuing a command. He is glorious in the diversity with which he creates. Men, fish, bugs, trees, mountains, sun/moon, starts, galaxies, oceans, rivers, not to mention subatomic particles were all made by the mind and voice of God. The laws of gravity, physics, electrons, neutrons, and all of the random sciences of the universe that hold our bodies together, allow us to grow, help us breathe, eat, sleep, recreate, think, work, etc. are all purposefully created by God.

What does this mean for men? It means that all men, all women, and all races have dignity and significance. The sick, elderly, mentally ill, and broken, are yet made in the image of God. They may not have any uniqueness or dignity in and of themselves in what they can accomplish, say, think or buy, but they are made in God’s image and are inherently special. Black, white, red, yellow, and brown all are made in his image. Race does not define a person, but being created by God and bearing his image, does.

Okay, thus ends a review of Genesis, chapter 1. What I’ve covered here is only a small sampling of what the chapter contains, but I hope I have hit the highlights. Stay tuned. Next week I’ll be doing a raffle to win a new car[v] for charity.[vi]

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[i] We don’t have ushers.

[ii] I only know one recipe and I got if off the back of a Campbell’s soup can.

[iii] A few notes on how to study the Bible: Ask questions and make observations.

Ask lots of questions. It’s okay to study the Bible and not necessarily have all the answers. It’s very good to ask questions if you don’t understand something. Some people who read the Bible feel like they have to immediately have the answers while they are studying when it fact it may take years to gain understanding of what the Word is teaching about a subject. It is okay to ask questions not always have the answers when studying the Bible. Always ask who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Secondly, make observations like the ones I mentioned earlier. Note the use of words and what meanings it could possibly have. Picture studying the Bible like you are piecing together a puzzle. (It’s a flawed analogy, but roll with me for a second). There are incredible truths to the Bible that we have to learn bit by bit. As we study through a passage or a book of the Bible, we will begin to “pick up the pieces” here and there as we learn. Eventually, those pieces will be put together to clarify a subject, book, paragraph, or context. But we won’t gain understanding if we’re not observing.

[iv] Look for key words or repeated phrases as it will naturally highlight something the author wants you to see. In this passage we see several phrases or words over and over again, “And God said”, “And it was good”, “According to their kinds”, etc. Repeated words or phrases show us something important that we, as the reader, should pay attention to and learn from.

[v] There will be no raffle.

[vi] The charity is for the parents of difficult children…mostly this includes my wife and I. 

Did Adam have a belly button?

Inigo Montoya-Don't kill his father

At last post I mentioned I would begin laying a foundation for understanding the Bible from the very beginning. Here is my first attempt to do so. Therefore, my loyal readers, (mom), we enter into the Biblical story, hoping to slowly but surely lay a framework from which we understand the book of the Bible as a whole. And where else do we start, but the beginning. As Inigo Montoya said in The Princess Bride, “I am waiting for you, Vizzini! You told me to go back to the beginning...so I have”.

  

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1

Think for a moment, that you have never read the Bible before. Maybe you haven’t. If so, that’s okay. We’re forgiving here at the SoWhatRamblings blog. It’s our motto, (maybe). But even if you have read the Bible, put yourself in a position of one who hasn’t. Imagine you are reading the Bible for the first time and you read Genesis 1:1. What would you think? 

The first sentence of the Bible is incredibly profound. Even more so, the first book of the Bible is foundational to understanding the rest of the Bible because in the first book the groundwork is laid for who God is, who man is, what is the problem with this world, what is the problem with mankind, what is man's purpose, how God dealt with man, how God cares for mankind, how God saves people, what God desires, and on and on and on. Picture a garden. Genesis is like the first planting of seeds in that garden. So much of what is planted is only in seed form and much more will be discovered, but the garden will never bear fruit, never accomplish anything without the planting of the seeds. (I'm quite proud of that analogy by the way). Picture a house. You cannot have a house without a foundation, a basic structure, a slab. Genesis is the slab of the rest of the Bible. If you don't properly understand Genesis you will not understand man, sin, salvation, the church, Israel, marriage, sexuality, law, grace, the covenants, or Jesus. Did I just drop the hammer? You bet I did. 

"Is this (Genesis) important? You bet it's important. Because every pagan philosophy that's ever been introduced clashes with Genesis 1:1." - Tommy Nelson (Full audio sermon on Genesis 1:1. Long, but good).

Genesis means "beginning". Therefore the book is appropriately, if not so creatively named, because it is the beginning of God's story of how he created and dealt with, the world. 

Without further ado, onto the verse...

Genesis 1:1 has incredible depth and profound impact for us as a reader. Let us consider the following: 

- God and his relation to time and space. "In the beginning" God stands outside of time. He is not confined by its boundaries and exists as the eternal being and Creator. All of us exist within time and space, but God exists outside of time. He has no beginning and no end. It is HE who creates beginnings and creates time. 

- The created world in all its wonder, has its origin in a divine designer. The worlds do not exist out of chaos or chance, but from the care, intelligence, and intricate planning of the mind of God. This means the world has amazing significance. The creation is significant because it exists out of the mind of a Creator. From the glory and strength of the great mountains and waterfalls to the intricacies of microscopic cells and atoms, God has worked purposefully and carefully. In our studies of science we can know that ultimately there is purpose and there is design by and all powerful, all wise God. 

- God created the world out of nothing. There was nothing before God. He was alone in his divine majesty. The Bible teaches, whether you agree with or not, that the world came into existence by God, out of nothing. This has life altering ramifications for humans. They are not the result of cosmic chance or beings that climbed out of the sludge pool of creation. Man and women are beings divinely made with purpose and design. They have inherent dignity. They are special. They were made by God. 

- As God is the creator, he is also the owner and Lord. If I make something, it is mine. I made, (to be crude), my son and daughters. By right they are "my" children. I can discipline, teach, and love them as I see fit because I am their Father and they are mine. If I build a bookshelf out of wood, I can choose to sell it, destroy it, or use it accordingly. As the maker, I have the right to determine what to do with my creation. These examples are crude and limited, but you get the point. God is the creator of all life, animate and inanimate. There is nothing that has come into being without his will. He therefore is the rightful ruler of what he has created. You may not like it and you may, as is your choice, reject his authority. But by divine right of the Creator, he is the Lord and owner of all that exists. 

- This answers the questions: How does the world exist? By the word of God. How does man exist? Because God created him. 

P.S. I use the word “man” and “mankind” in the sense that I’m talking about everyone, men and women. It’s not that I’m a sexist; it’s just that I’ve always used it that way and I figure most people know what I mean by it. If I’m offending anyone, I’m sorry, but it would be too taxing on my very feeble brain to remember to say “people” or “humankind” all the time.

 P.P.S. I am doing this as a 1^st attempt at possibly creating a curriculum for students to know the Bible, starting in Genesis. Therefore, I would appreciate any constructive criticism as to better ways to communicate the material. So if you read this and don’t understand something or it comes across as unclear, let me know. Just be nice about it. 

Genesis is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Direction for Ye Old Blog

So I have been thinking a lot lately about how to help people understand the Bible, God, Jesus, and toasters, (except the part about toasters). I also thought about the millions of people who read this blog, (about as true as the toaster comment), who come to this blog seeking good words about life, God, and the Scriptures. My earnest desire and passion is to help people know the Bible and know how to read it for themselves. I was thinking about writing about the book of 1^st Timothy or the book of Deuteronomy, but in each instance I was struck by the fact that unless my loyal audience knows the context of these books and how they fit into the Biblical narrative, then they will a) have a hard time understanding what I was teaching, and b) it would give me a lot more work to do in teaching because I would be forced to explain so much of the context before actually getting into the books themselves.

The fact of the matter is that the Bible is not a collection of random stories. It’s a story that runs together with the same themes, ideas, and concepts consistently woven together throughout the stories, histories, and songs we read. It’s like reading a great mystery. You start to get a picture of things in the first chapter. Throughout the book the mystery continues to build until it reaches its apex towards the end of the book. The Bible is similar in that we start to read “In the beginning” and the story builds until the end where it climaxes in an incredible finale. But just as in a good book, you don’t start reading in chapter 23 and expect to just jump into the story. There’s so much about the characters and the background that you miss out on. To fill in the gaps you guess, assume, or make up your own theories about what has happened previously. It’s the same as in the Bible. You don’t jump into the Psalms and just go from there. Nor do you read a book in the New Testament about Jesus, then jump into the prophecies, then hightail it to the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation. What you end up doing is just confusing yourself and making weird assumptions about the meaning of the books. In order to understand the Bible as a whole, you have to understand the background of how and why the books were written and what they say in their proper order.

All that being said, because of the incredible demand of my readers (which mostly includes my mother); I am going to embark on an attempt to start teaching the Bible story from the beginning. My goal is twofold, 1) to teach the Bible in a semi-chronological way to help people understand the story of the Bible as one story, rather than a random collection of writings that don’t fit together, and 2) I want to practice on you, my loyal readers, (mom), so I can be better prepared to teach others, specifically my children. Also, I want to present the material in such a way that a person who has never read the Bible can follow along and have a framework from which they can know what the Bible says, even if they choose not to believe it.

I will not be attempting to go through the entire Bible. That would be both ridiculous and hard. I am both sensible and lazy and therefore will not be attempting such a task. Instead, I am going to be focusing on some of the main accounts of the Word so the reader can begin to follow the major threads that run throughout the Bible as a whole. Hopefully, in the end, the threads will run together so you can see the picture, as it were, that develops throughout the book.

P.S. I reserve the right to get distracted and go off on tangents about other topics as they interest me. But I promise to return to this theme throughout. 

P.P.S. If you're wondering, then no, this blog has nothing to do with toasters. If you're that into toasters, I recommend visiting here. And yes, I feel sorry for you for clicking that.  

Letter to my Daughters, #3 - Trees

Dear Lillian and Annie,

My favorite trees are Magnolias and Dogwoods. When I was a kid we would visit my grandmother on my dad's side, (Grandmother Hendley, from whom Lillian gets her middle name). She lived in Albany, Georgia, which had an environment favorable to the growth of both Magnolias and Dogwoods.

Grandmother Hendley had several massive Magnolias in her yard. Magnolias are fantastic climbing trees. They also have the sweetest and most beautiful flowers. The flowers are white with a big seed in the middle. The smell is absolutely tremendous, even when the flowers are fading.

Dogwood trees have beautiful flowers too. Some say the flowers represent the cross of Christ. There are four petals and each petal has a red tip at the end, symbolizing the blood at Jesus' head, hands, and feet. Even when the flowers fade, the tree is still beautiful.

As beautiful and incredible as the flowers are on both of these trees, the flowers only last for a few weeks each year. Then the flowers fade, wither, and fall. Yet the trees continue to grow and live on during the rest of the year. What is it that keeps the trees alive and growing throughout the rest of the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter? It is the roots and inner structure of the trees. Without them the trees would rot and die. The flowers only last for a season, but the roots sustain the tree forever.

The trees are an analogy for lasting love. Beauty is wonderful, (and indeed you are both beautiful), but it won't sustain a relationship. Romance is wonderful, but it will not sustain a marriage in the Winter seasons of a relationship. What makes and keeps a relationship is commitment, character, and a relationship with Jesus Christ, (i.e. the roots). You can get wrapped up in all the flowers of Spring, the infatuation and passion of a relationship, but the flowers eventually fall and the early passion will fade. What lasts is committed love, character, friendship, laughter, and walking with Jesus Christ.

Let it not be said that your mother and I do not love each other or that we don't have passion and delight in one another. My point rather, is that our relationship and marriage are not grounded in these things. There are seasons of great joy and romance in a marriage, (Spring), and also seasons which are tough, long, and barren, (Winter). Your mother and I have based our relationship not on the flower of romance, (which is great), but on the lasting roots of the love of Christ and truth of the Bible. My prayer for you both is that you would have relationships grounded in what is lasting so you could enjoy the flower of romance, rather than have relationships grounded in beauty and romance yet have little in the way of character, faithfulness, and committed love.

I love you both.
Love your Daddy,

Paula Deen, Judgment and the Judgment of God

Recently, celebrity chef Paula Deen got into some trouble, (“some” may not be the most appropriate word), when she admitted using the “n-word” some 30 years ago.[i] There are also allegations that some of her co-workers or restaurants encouraged inappropriate and derogatory language and behavior. Court cases are still pending for the same. In the meantime, supporters have fled from Paula Deen, her company, and her restaurants. Media members have excoriated Deen as well. Blasted across TV shows, the internet, and newspapers are articles either supporting or pronouncing judgment on Deen.[ii]

My purpose here is not to defend or accuse Paula Deen, but to illustrate a point about the legal examination we all will have to undergo at one time or another. Each one of us will have to give an account to God for every action, every casual word, and even every thought? Deen is in trouble for admitting she said something 30 years ago, but when the Almighty comes to judge the living and the dead he is going to review a lifetime’s use of our minds, hearts, and tongues. In addition, he is not going to focus on the large details of our lives, i.e. ‘were generally you a good person, husband, father, worker, etc.?’ but the specific minutiae of every year, month, day, and minute of each individual life. In our day the wrong deeds or words of a person can be plastered on every TV show, Facebook account, email, and news story for days on end. The pressure and judgment a person receives socially, legally, or civilly can be immense. Can you imagine what it will be like to stand before the throne of God and have to give an account for every thought, every action, and every word spoken from the day you were born until the day you died?

As politicians are fond of saying, “Let me be clear”, I am not trying to come across as a religious zealot, like so many people seen on street corners or preachers on TV who scream about the coming wrath of God. We are all familiar with these types of people, who are known for sweating, screaming, and carrying around scary signs that show people in torment and flame. You’re in luck because for one thing I can’t scream on a blog. Secondly, I don’t sweat while typing at a computer. Thirdly, and more importantly, I am not trying to frighten or terrorize anyone, but I do want to have a frank and honest conversation about the truth of who God is, what is told to us in the Bible, and how current events pale in comparison to the coming judgment.

For starters, let’s look at what a few verses have to say about the judgment of God:[iii]

- “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:14

- “but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead,” 1 Peter 4:5.

- “because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead,” Acts 17:31

- “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God,” Romans 14:12.

- “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done,” Matthew 16:27.

- “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,” Matthew 12:36.

Those last two, by the way, were said by Jesus.

We could go into a lengthy discussion about this topic and each of these verses, but let me just highlight some pervasive thoughts in these verses:

1   Judgment is coming. I know it’s not popular or “nice” to talk about judgment. Sorry. As much as I try to be considerate and loving in communicating the truth, there is no skirting the Bible on the pending judgment for all. It is what it is. Like in the old western High Noon, 12 o’clock is coming; you’d better be ready for it. Jesus is coming back, and when he does he will judge all. No one can escape it. There will be no rock to hide under and no shelter in the day of trouble. Again, I’m not trying to scare you, but you’d better be aware. These passages repeatedly use the phrase, “the day”, “that day”, and “the day of judgment”. The indication is clear. There is “A Day” above all other days, where men and women will be judged.

2)      Everyone will have answer for every deed, every secret thought and every careless word. There is no action, word, or thought which will not be considered before the throne of God. God deals in specifics, not generalities.

3)      There is no disagreement in attitude or plan between God and Christ regarding the pending judgment. Some believe in a dichotomy between God, as seen in the Old Testament, and Jesus in the Gospels. They look at Jesus as some kindly forgiving one who will overlook every evil deed, whether one has repented, sought forgiveness, or trusted him for salvation, while God is a mean vindictive deity. No, the Son and the Father are of one mind. There is no confusion between the Godhead. Jesus and God will sit in judgment on all mankind and there will be no dispute and no wringing of hands between them about the guilt or punishment to be handed out.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking I’m a jerk. Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “Wow, he got here from Paula Deen?” Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “Man I’m screwed”. Let me respond to each in order:

1.       No, I’m not a jerk. I’m simply trying to make you aware of the truths of the Bible. If you doubt me, read it for yourself. I’m trying to point out truth. Sometimes truth is painful, (just like my son learns that a pot is hot when on the stove.  It’s not the stove’s fault for being hot). I do hope I have communicated truth as kindly possible.

2.       Yes, I got here from Paula Deen. I am that talented as an author and Christian commentator on today’s events. It’s a gift. It’s the reason why this blog is the 52,000,000,000^th most popular blog in the world.

3.       You are screwed. I’m screwed. Your postman is screwed, (if you were wondering). If you honestly think about what the Bible has to say, you have to admit we’re all in serious trouble. Who can stand before the pending judgment of God? I mean sure, we’ve all had some good days here and there, but if God is going to judge the secret thoughts and even careless words of my mouth and his standard is total purity then we are ALL in trouble.

Here’s the good news, which the Bible calls “the gospel”. God, knowing the pending judgment of evil, sent his Son to be a sacrificial lamb for the sins of men. Jesus came to earth, lived a life of perfect purity and obedience to God, and then was nailed to a cross and “judged” as a guilty man. He did this so people could escape the wrath of God, so God could look at men and see the perfection of Jesus Christ, and not the imperfection of their thoughts, actions, and words. All a person must do to receive this gift is to simply turn from their evil and trust that Jesus has paid it all for them. Then they can say like the old hymn,

No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Amazing Love, how can it be, that thou, My God, should die for me.

- Charles Wesley

We are in a world where men do, say, and think evil, harsh, and horrible things about one another and even themselves. God, in his righteousness, has set a day when he will judge evil, even the hidden things in men. Yet God has already brought about judgment on Jesus Christ, his Son, so that evil men, like you and me, may escape “that day”.

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[i] Full disclosure: I don’t know anything about Paula Deen other than she is big on butter, making good food, and has had several shows and cooking-type books. Other than that, you got me. Cooking isn’t really my thing. I’m more of a sports guy. I’m not going to get into the discussion of what is an appropriate judgment and consequences for her actions. Several have already done that quite extensively and I’m not one to recreate the wheel.^[i] My purpose today is to highlight what I saw as an interesting correlation between the treatment of Deen and the Bible.

[ii] No, I don’t approve of the use of the “n-word” or discrimination.

[iii] I acknowledge this is a DEEP subject and one about which many writers and theologians have written whole volumes about. That being said, my purpose was simply to stir the pot, so to speak, and get folks thinking. This blog is in no way an attempt to give a systematic account of the judgment of God. For anyone who is really interested in the subject I would recommend sitting down with a Bible, a good concordance, possibly a Systematic Theology volume, a pen and paper and studying it on your own.

An Observation from today's Defense of Marriage Act Ruling

Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,--

Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,

Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

- James Russell Lowell, “This Present Crisis”.