⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed^[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

I quoted this passage in the first post of this series, but it needs much more attention than the brief mention I gave it.  When you read this passage, don’t you feel a bit of disgust toward the Pharisee?  I feel a bit appalled as I read how he viewed himself and how he viewed other people.  He comes to the temple, a place to worship God, and basically worships himself.  He thanks God that he is not like other people and points to the good deeds that he does.  The indication he gives for being worthy of worship is how good he is compared to others.  Bleh!  I want nothing to do with this arrogant, judgmental hypocrite!

In contrast, the tax collector will not even come into the temple.  He stands far off, feeling unworthy to even enter.  To further illustrate his feelings of unworthiness, he beats his breast and cries out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”  Yes!  This is the good guy of the parable!  That is who I am!  Knowing this I can close the Bible and walk away feeling good about my humility and God-centered attitude, thankful that I do not have an attitude like the Pharisee.  Wait a second…but in saying that I have the exact attitude of the Pharisee (yes, I got you with this in the first post).

Who are we kidding?  We are far more like the Pharisee than the tax collector.  The tax collector is emotionally and expressively showing his unworthiness before God and seeks him as the only one who can change his status before almighty God.  Let’s face it, if someone was acting like the tax collector in church we would probably think they were a bit overboard and judge them for being too expressive.  This guy feels the weight of his unworthiness though.  He feels that he has nothing to offer to God which drives him to ask God for mercy.  The tax collector sees how sinful he is and how holy God is.  He has a right picture of the enormous gap that separates his righteousness from God’s and comes to God as the only one who can bridge that gap with his mercy.

The Pharisee on the other hand sees neither God’s holiness nor his sinfulness.  He has a low view of God’s holiness, thus a low view of God and a low view of his sinfulness, thus a high view of himself.  The Pharisee sees himself as being able to bridge the gap.  Why does he think he can do this?  How does he measure his righteousness?  He compares his good deeds and actions to others.  He looks at other people and sees that he does more than them.  He looks better than them and on that basis, he feels that he has successfully attained enough righteousness to bridge the gap between him and God.

Jesus sees it another way though.  Who these men trust in for their righteousness yields two tremendously different results.  Jesus concludes about the tax collector: “this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.” It’s extremely important to realize that one man left the temple condemned by God, and the other left the temple justified. One man is saved, and the other is not. One man is a Christian, and the other isn’t.

All of this exposes our tendency to compare ourselves to others in order to determine our place before God and to point to our good deeds as a source of righteousness.  Even when we compare ourselves to the Pharisees, this is sinful and we go down to our house unjustified.  The only being we should compare ourselves to in order to consider our righteousness is God.  And when we have an accurate view of him and our sinfulness, we will always fall short and be left begging for mercy.  This is why Jesus came.  He came to bridge the gap between us and God.  So when you are tempted to compare yourself to another person or think you are a good person because of your good deeds, compare yourself to God and then drop to your knees and thank him for providing Jesus as the bridge to the gap between his holiness and your sinfulness.

“Please pray for my talk I am giving tonight.”

I have spoken these words or ones similar to them.  Recently though I have started to think about my use of this “my talk”/”my sermon” phrase.  If it is truly my sermon filled with my words, it is quite useless.  What do I have to offer?  Peter said in John 6:68, “Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  Who has the words of eternal life?  Jesus does.  So where shall they go?  Surely not to Mitchel Kirchmeyer.  I don’t even go to myself.  Jesus has the words of eternal life and he is who I go to.

Basically what I want to do in sermons or talks that I give is transfer ownership.  If the only things that I am going to say is what God has already said through his Word, then it becomes God’s talk or God’s sermon.  I want to be able to say this.  I want to be able to say I am delivering God’s Word to people.  In reality, a preacher is really just one who relays a message.  They do not create the message.  God has already created it and has told us to communicate it.  So when I have the opportunity to preach a sermon or give a talk, I want to look at myself as a messenger that has been given what to say by someone else.  I want to say with the psalmist in Psalm 119:74: “Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.”  By God’s grace, I want people to rejoice when I speak because they recognize that it is God’s Word being spoken.

Some may say it’s silly to pick at words like this.  Who cares if I say “my sermon” or “my talk”?  They are just words; they don’t mean anything.  On the contrary, they mean a great deal.  Jesus said in Matthew 12:34 that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  That isn’t to say that everyone who labels a sermon or talk as “theirs” is evil and don’t have God in mind.  There is a risk though to begin thinking that we must produce the message.  We need to make it good.  We need to speak life-changing words.  When in fact, God has already spoken them.  All we need to do is relay the message he has already given.

However, I could see an argument arise from this that swings to the opposite end of the spectrum which would sound something like this: who are we to claim that our words are the words of God?  Isn’t that a bit pretentious and arrogant?  This is true.  Who am I to claim that what I am communicating is what he wants people to hear?  I think this is why communicating God’s Word, whether that be as a pastor, speaker, bible study leader, mentor, or whatever role may lead to it, requires a mix of humility and confidence.  We can have confidence in God’s Word.  It is infallible and truthful.  When it comes to our ability to interpret it and communicate it though, we need humility.  Simply because we are fallible; we can make errors.  And despite our best efforts, we are not always truthful even when we think we are being truthful.

All of us who preach, explain, and interpret God’s Word must recognize that we are merely messengers delivering the words of someone else.  In our communication of these words we can place our confidence in their truth, but at the same time we must be humble about our interpretation of them.

In the introduction post to this series, I made mention of Matthew 5:20.  Here is that passage in its entirety:

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

To the people of the 1st century culture, it would probably have been a bit shocking that Jesus would tell them their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.  These were their religious leaders.  They followed all the rules and taught others them as well.  They had the entire Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) memorized.  They fasted regularly and followed the laws of their faith meticulously.  If we were to literally try to do more than them, it would be hard to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  Doing more though, is exactly where the Pharisees went wrong.

In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus says:

²⁷  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

You see, the Pharisees were more concerned with outer modification than they were with inner transformation.  They changed their actions and behaviors, but paid no attention to their heart.  They sought following rules over following God.

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees” is part of the introduction to Jesus’ sermon on the mount in chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew.  After this introduction, he starts teaching on Old Testament laws that people were following.  Throughout the sermon, he picks a moral law that people are following on the outside and reveals the spirit behind it which is inner transformation.  So if we want our righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, our hearts must be changed rather than just our behaviors.

The lesson that Jesus teaches us through the Pharisees about our righteousness is extremely important.  We are much more like them than we know.  Our country is plagued by the idea that Christianity is about following rules.  Thousands if not millions of people believe that Christianity is about behavior modification.  Follow these rules, enact these traditions, stop doing this, start doing that, and you are a Christian.  This isn’t Christianity though.  Christianity is about our heart and if the only thing that we point to for evidence that we are Christians is how we have modified our behavior, then we aren’t Christians at all.  We are deceiving ourselves.  The Pharisees did this.  They defined their righteousness by their rule following and religious activity.  But Jesus says that they outwardly appear righteous, but inside they are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  They appear beautiful on the outside but are full of dead people’s bones and uncleanness on the inside!

There is only one way our righteousness will exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees and that is through Jesus.  When we look at our lives, see our sin, recognize that we need a Savior, and turn to Jesus as the one who saves us, we are given his righteousness.  We don’t need to follow rules to be accepted by God, but we are accepted by God because of Jesus’ perfection.  His righteousness is credited to us.

When Jesus calls us, we are given a new heart and a new spirit.  Our heart and mind are opened to the reality of what God has done for us through his Son.  He has clearly demonstrated his love for us.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16).  “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  God has made his love for us evident.  In Ephesians 3:18-19, the apostle Paul prayed for us that we “may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  Paul wants us to just begin to comprehend this love that Christ has for us so that we will be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  When we see God’s love for us, he will be expressed through us.  We will be filled with the fullness of God.  Christ’s love and character will shine forth to those around us.  And if we want to know Christ’s love for us, we need only look to the cross.  And if we want our actions to be righteous, we must have our hearts transformed.  And if we want our hearts transformed, we need to remember that our sins have been wiped away by a loving Savior.  When we embrace him as the sacrifice on our behalf, the Holy Spirit is poured into us and we are made new.

There is only one way that our righteousness will exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees and that is through Jesus Christ.  We must turn to him as our Savior, relinquish our rights to him as Lord, embrace his love for us that surpasses knowledge, and allow our hearts to be changed by the King of the universe.

Wait a second…that sentence sounds vaguely familiar…

He (Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous , and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner!’ (Luke 18:9-13)

The Pharisee approached God with confidence because he is not like the tax collector. How often do we approach the throne of God with confidence because we are not like the Pharisee?

I’ve noticed that when I read stories in the gospels and come to an interaction between Jesus and the scribes, Pharisees, or Sadducees, that I tend to look down on them. I judge them. I put them in a category that I am certainly not a part of. But if I really think about it, I have some things in common with them. In fact, I have a lot in common with them, far more than I care to realize.

This post is the introduction to a series of posts I am going to do in which I explore my Pharisaical tendencies. I want to see for myself how much I am like the Pharisees that I am so prone to despise. In doing this, it will show me, and of course, you who are reading, how much more we need Jesus.

Remember that great scene in the last movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, when Elrond meets Aragorn at the entrance to the Dimholt road. Elrond tells Aragorn of their bleak situation with little hope for victory over the powers of Mordor.  He restores hope to Aragorn though when he gives him the sword of his ancestors and challenges him to embrace his identity.  He tells him: “Put aside the ranger, become who you were born to be.”

We have a chance to be who we were born to be and to invite people to become who they were born to be.  They are meant for God.  They were made for Him.  Let’s introduce them to the awesome God they were made for.

For some more thoughts on evangelism, check out this post.

(for starters I’m always open for correction in my theology because I know I’m sinful and can be wrong, Second I apologize for my bad typing skills Also you can tag other people if you would like)

Christians,

I want to talk about something that I have been going through the past couple of days. Well, my roommates would say the last semester, and my journal would say the past year and a half. My point is that it’s been more pressing the past couple of days. Anyway, the issue that I’m talking about is my inner struggle with the desire to be married or to stay single. It has been a roller coaster ride for sure and I guarantee that I’m not close to the finish, but I want to just show what I have found.

First of all I want to say that both being married and being single are biblical principles. I’m not going to go through all of the arguments that people hold about these scriptures, but to show that they are in fact in the bible.

Marriage

Genesis 2: 18 “It is not good for man to be alone” This is a direct resemblance of God’s character. Gen 1: 27 “So God created man in his own image”.  Our God is a triune God, three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all each an individual but at the same time one. He has perfect community with Himself and we reflect that by having a desire for perfect community.

Genesis 2:22-24. Some commentators (Mark Driscoll) would say that this was the first marriage ever. The Father/creator brings his daughter/creation to the future husband. (v. 22). Man expresses his love and approval for her (v. 23). Then God gives a sermon on what marriage should look like (v. 24)

Ephesians 5:22-33. Here, Paul is writing to the Ephesians about the profound mystery that is marriage. This is one of my favorite passages. Paul goes into how the wife should submit and respect the husband. This is because this is how men feel the most loved. Then God calls men to love their wives as Christ loves the church. This is a call to die everyday for our wives, because showing unconditional love and showing we care for them that much is how they feel the most love. I want to really emphasize Eph 5:31-32, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”  The beautiful thing about marriage is that is reflects the loving and passionate relationship that Jesus has with His church, you and me. THIS IS AMAZING!!! What a powerful thing marriage is!

Singleness

1 Corinthians 7:6-8 and 32-35, “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.” Paul is now writing to the Corinthians. A lot of people disregard this passage because in verse 6 Paul says this as a “concession not as a command.” But I want to point out that in verse 32-35 he gives wisdom and logic in his reasoning.

32I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Yes people can argue if this is from the Lord or not, but I see truth in the claims that Paul is making. This is optional not a command.

Isaiah 56:1-7 “…To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbath who choose the things that please me and hold fast to my covenants, I will… give them a name better than sons or daughters…) I encourage people to look this passage up because there is more there. The reason why I give this verse is because a commentator by the name of John Piper gave reason that being a eunuch means more than just loosing body parts, but is equating to the people that remain single in the name of Jesus Christ. A quote by Piper,

“And with this promise there comes a unique calling and a unique responsibility. It is not a calling to extend irresponsible adolescence into your thirties. It is a calling to do what only single men and women in Christ can do in this world, namely, to display by the Christ-exalting devotion of your singleness to the truths about Christ and his kingdom that shine more clearly through singleness than through marriage. As long as you are single, this is your calling: to so live for Christ as to make it clearer to the world and to the church”

The Reason Why

I’m not really going to talk about marriage because people know that it is an awesome beautiful thing that God created. I’m not anti-marriage, I just think we put too much importance on it and there is a calling (for some people) that is higher than the calling of marriage. I was listening to a sermon and I realized in all of the conversations that I had with people about this subject, people mostly responded by defending why I should get married. A few people talked about how singleness is a calling for some people and it is a great calling. No one challenged me to seek out my singleness and take advantage of it, so that is what I want to do now.

This Is Me Stepping Onto My Proverbial Soapbox

Just like Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 7, singleness is a time where you can give your undivided attention to the Lord. When you are married you have so many things fighting for your attention. You have your wife that you are called to love and if you have children, you will have to constantly pour into their lives. You will also have a job because you need to take care of your family because “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Tim 5:8)

SINGLE COLLEGE STUDENTS! We have an opportunity unlike any other where we have free time to devote to Jesus. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:27 “do not seek a wife.”  He says this because the time we have right now has been given to us by God. We shouldn’t yearn for the future, but be exceedingly joyful where we are currently. I challenge the people that desire to get married to take this time of singleness and get to know your Savior deeply and passionately so you will be able to live your life with your family well. By doing this you will set disciplines in your life to put Jesus first above all. To the people that are not sure if you want to get married yet (I am in this boat still), I say do not fret over if your called to get married or not, but trust God that he has every good intention for you. While you are waiting for an answer or a clear sign, follow God with every minute you have. Finally to the people that are called to a life of singleness I say, GO! Live a life that gives God complete glory, a life that deserves a name greater than son or daughter.

P.S.

I want to be clear here that when I talk about how singleness gives God glory, that does not mean the opposite of singleness gives God the opposite of glory (aka singleness gives God more glory than being married). A good amount of people jump to that conclusion and I want to once again say that the bible gives accounts of how both give God glory. They just give Him glory in different ways. One is not better than the other, they are just different callings.

I would like to thank Mitch for allowing me the opportunity to post on his blog.  We’ve had a few small conversations recently about this topic and he invited me to write more about it, which I am more than happy to do.

“The Law” and How Christians Should Relate to It

An issue that seems to confuse and frustrate Christians is our relationship to the Law.  As Christians, we believe that we have all broken the Law and need to be saved from the impending judgment/wrath that the Law demands, death.  Jesus Christ saved us from sin and death and brought us into that right relationship with God.

If Jesus is our Savior, what is our relationship to the Law supposed to look like?  If we cannot be saved by the Law, are we as Christians just supposed to ignore it?  Do we ignore the Old Testament and just focus on the New Testament?  These are legitimate questions.  On the one hand, we have verses like Galatians 3:25 which states “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”  On the other hand, we have Jesus declaring in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”.  To a believer who is growing in their faith, this can be a tough and confusing topic.

I would like to offer a solution as to how Christians should biblically implement the Law into their lives.  Upon review of the many chapters and books in the early Old Testament which pertain to the Law, I believe that the Law can be summed up in three different categories:

Moral Law

This is the law that refers to principles or rules of personal right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong.  The clearest examples of this type of law are many of the Ten Commandments preventing humanity from stealing, committing adultery, murder, worshiping other gods, etc.

Ceremonial Law

This is the law that refers to the proper procedures that the Israelites were to perform to worship God as a result of their sin.  Examples of these types of laws include the Israelite requirement to bring offerings and sacrifices to the Temple or the Tent of Meeting.  Another example are the Celebrations the Israelites were commanded to perform annually to worship or revere God, such as Passover, Feast of Weeks, etc.

Civil Law

These are the laws that refer to how the nation of Israel is governed.  An example of these types of laws is the requirement that the Israelites eat certain types of foods.  Another example is God’s command that the Israelites not intermarry with other nations.

All of these laws in the Old Testament have their significance and purpose.  The Moral Law was given to show the perfection of God and how we cannot live up to that perfection.  Romans 3:20 says “through the law we become conscious of sin.”  Ceremonial Laws were given to remind the Israelites of their sin.  Hebrews 10:3 states “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins”.  Civil Law was given to govern the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people to carry his name throughout the world.  Exodus 19:6 says “For all the earth is mine, and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”  Since God had not poured his Spirit upon every believer yet, in order for the nation of Israel to be a holy nation in the world, strict laws were given by God to set them apart from the world.

Here is how our relationship to the Law changed when Christ came.  When Christ came to earth, he did two things, he died for our sins to cancel the penalty of death due to us.  He also changed our relationship to the Law.  He didn’t cancel it, nor did he require the same act of obedience to the Law for those who believe in Christ.  Jesus explains it well in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”.  Jesus describes the Old Testament with the Law and the Prophets as being completely valid and necessary where he does not desire to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

I would make the biblical argument that Jesus Christ fulfilled two out of the three types of Law (Ceremonial and Civil) making them no longer necessary while upholding the necessity of the third (Moral Law).  I will go through each of the three types of laws individually to show how Christ either fulfilled them or upheld the same relationship to them.

Moral Law

I believe biblically that Christ upheld our mandate to follow Moral Laws outlined in the Old Testament.  We are not to seek salvation from Moral Laws, but yet as Christians, we are to strive to live holy lives as we grow closer to Christ.  One example of Christ upholding our relationship to Moral Laws is from his sermon on the mount.  He not only shows us how many of the Ten Commandments we have broken, but he shows us how we break them in our hearts on a regular basis.  Never once does Christ break a moral law or condone breaking moral law in the New Testament.  He does condone breaking other laws, but those are explained in different categories below.

Ceremonial Law

When Christ came, our conduct toward ceremonial laws changed.  Going back to Matthew 5:17, Christ said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”.  I believe ceremonial laws were fulfilled by Christ.  One example is Hebrews 9 which paints a beautiful picture of how Christ changed the mandate for ceremonial laws.  Yom Kippur, described in Hebrews 9, is the annual Day of Atonement in Jewish culture.  This was the one day per year that the Most Holy Place in the temple was to be entered by the High Priest.  He entered the Most Holy Place with blood to make atonement for his sin and the sin of Israel.  Christ fulfilled this as Hebrews 9:12 tells us “He [Jesus] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”  Jesus negated the need for presenting the annual blood reminder for our sin by paying it by his own blood once and for all.  By paying the sacrifice on the cross for our sin, we may now enter into the Most Holy Place, the most intimate presence with God.  Passover is another example of Christ fulfilling the Law for us.  While in Egyptian captivity, the Israelites were required to kill a lamb and spread the blood of the lamb on their doorframes, which would cause the wrath of God (death) to “pass over” their household.  The Israelites were required to hold an annual week of remembrance called Passover in the generations that followed.  When Jesus came and died for our sins, he showed us how his blood being shed meant that God’s wrath (death) would “pass over” those who believe in him, ultimately fulfilling the ceremony of Passover.

Civil Law

In relation to Civil Law, I believe that Christ also fulfilled the need to follow the strict civil law guidelines of the Old Testament.  The reason for this is that something changed when Christ came.  Now that our sin is paid for, we can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  Paul mentions now in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that as Christians our bodies are now a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.  Because we have the Holy Spirit and are led by God, we no longer need strict civil guidelines that the nation of Israel had.  Because the Israelites were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but only saw glimpses of the Spirit here and there, they were prone to wander as a nation.  Even with strict guidelines, they found several ways to wander from God.  Deuteronomy 14:2 says “for you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession”.  The people of Israel were God’s holy nation on earth and sin could not be tolerated as God’s holy nation.  Christ confirms for us the change in Civil Law and how he fulfilled it.  One example is that Jesus declared in Mark 7:14-23 that there is not a need to abide by the strict Old Testament food regulations and that what makes a man unclean is not food that he eats, rather it’s what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.  Another example is that Jesus showed us the change in Sabbath regulations.  He heals many people on the Sabbath and picks grain with his disciples, both types of work required death by Old Testament Civil Law according to Exodus 35:2.  A third example is found in John 8 when Jesus was seen forgiving a woman who had committed adultery and stood up against the throngs that wished to stone her, as required by Old Testament Civil Law.  Not only does Jesus stand up against her stoning, but he declares her forgiven of her sin.  Jesus Christ’s numerous occurrences of treating Civil Law differently show that by his death on the cross and allowing a way for the Holy Spirit to indwell us, we no longer need the strict Civil Law to guide our daily lives, for we are led by the Holy Spirit.

I hope that this explanation of Old Testament Law and how Christians relate to it was helpful to some.  I especially hope that I can spur and encourage Christians to see that we should not abandon the Law, but recognize how Christ fulfilled the Law and what that means for our lives.  The Law is something that we as Christians should recognize are God’s holy standards that we cannot live up to due to our sinful ways, yet through Jesus Christ death and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are declared righteous in God’s eyes.

“Is Christianity true” vs “do I like Christianity”

Admittedly there are some doctrines in Christianity that are tough to swallow, such as the doctrine of hell.  There are some questions that are hard to answer such as, “How is it fair that people in remote parts of the world die without hearing about Jesus and go to hell because they haven’t accepted him as their Savior?”  Difficult, challenging, and sometimes heartbreaking things to talk about?  Yes.  Truths that aren’t easily likable?  Yes.  Do the affirmatives to these two questions make Christianity less true?  No.  Does something that is easily acceptable make it more true?  No.  (It also doesn’t make it less true.)  Does something that is more difficult to accept make it less true?  No.  The likability of a claim (in this case, a religion) has no effect on its truthfulness.  I don’t like gravity because it stops me from being able to fly.  This doesn’t make the fact that gravity exists any less true.

“Is Christianity true” vs “do I have time for Christianity”

Often this comes out as, “I’m really busy right now so I don’t have time to get involved in Christianity” or “when I’m older and out of college I’ll look into it”.  I think this really brings out the heart of the matter in both of these questions I’ve highlighted.  Regardless of whether you share my beliefs that Christianity is the one true religion and Jesus is the only way to God, this is what Christianity teaches.  The message of the gospel is that we are sinful, we need Jesus, and without him we are on a path toward everlasting torment in hell.  Now that is pretty serious stuff.  These are the kinds of things the Bible teaches though.  It teaches that by the acceptance or rejection of Jesus as our Savior, our eternal fate is determined.  In my opinion, once hearing the Christian message, the most important question to be answered would be “is it true.”  Is what the Bible teaches reality?  Whether you believe it or not, this book claims to hold the words of the one true God and claims to teach the way for the only means of salvation.  Is the book right?  Are its claims true?

I think the most important question we can ever ask is “does God exist?”  Secondly, if he does exist, how do we learn about him?  By definition, Christianity says that God exists and that the Bible holds the means to know him.  It claims to have the answer to the question that has entranced human beings for ages.  Now what needs to be asked is: is it true?

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Is this true of my life? Let’s imagine an audience sat down in a theater and watched the movie based on my life. The whole movie is about my hope that I place in a life after this one. Throughout the movie they observe how I live in relation to this hope. Would they pity me if at the end of the movie I died and found out there was nothing afterward? Would they feel bad for me for living the way I did only to get nothing?

If we have no hope after this life, Christians are most to be pitied because Christ asks us to live as if there is hope after this life. He tells us to rejoice when we are insulted and persecuted because great is our reward in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12).  He challenges us to have faith that this is not our home.  He says that if the world hates us, it’s because we don’t belong to it (John 15:18-19).  He tells us to not store up treasure here but to store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).  He tells us to deny ourselves and give our life for the sake of the gospel so that we won’t forfeit our soul in pursuit of worldly things (Mark 8:34-36).

Paul took Jesus’ words to heart.  He lived as if death would be the door to something better.  That’s why he said that to live is Christ but to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).  He told people that he desired to leave this world because then he would be with Christ which is by far better (Philippians 1:23).  I want to live with this faith.  I want to place no faith in earthly pleasures while putting all my faith in the eternal joy I will experience in the presence of Christ when I die.  Do you?

What earthly treasures do you place your faith in over treasure in heaven?

The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:9:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Every Christian has been brought into marvelous light so that we may proclaim the excellencies of the one who called us out of darkness.

Peter goes on in 1 Peter 3:15 to say:

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”

Every Christian is to be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us. The hope that we receive from Christ. This defense, though, is to be done with gentleness and respect.

While talking to somebody about my faith, I am not superior to them. I am not better than them. I am a beggar. I have nothing and am nothing. Christ has given me everything. I am nothing without him. What I am offering is an explanation of what I have been given and an introduction to the one who has given it.

People who aren’t Christians aren’t people who don’t share my beliefs. They are lost souls. They don’t have Jesus, they don’t have eternal life, and they are living in darkness. Evangelism is not to change someone’s beliefs or worldview. It is to change their eternal destiny. It is to point them to the only one who can truly satisfy. Evangelism is proclaiming the excellencies of the one who has called me out of darkness into marvelous light! Oh how good you are sovereign Lord!