“The scariest verse in all of scripture.”

 When God created Adam and Eve He gave them all the advantage for which they could hope. They were flawless. No physical, mental, genetic, circumstantial, or any other flaw one could bring to mind. So perfect, in fact, that they did not even know of error. It was in this condition that they failed. The best mankind has ever had to offer, and they made a mess of everything. God declared that not only actions condemn us, but our blood condemns us as well. Passed down from father to child, blood guiltiness would forever hang over the whole human race because of Adam. The price for sin and blood guiltiness is the spilling of blood and death. But we are not just flesh and blood we are also spirit, and sin was so abhorrent to God that He made a place where those souls tainted by sin (all of us included) would be forever purged by unquenchable flame and forgotten forever - a second death. 

God humbled Himself and took on human flesh. Jesus (God in human flesh) had to be born of a virgin to be spared the blood guilt from a human father. He, although tempted to the fullest degree, never sinned. Being without sin or guilt of any kind He paid the price of sin and guilt. In doing so He created an infinite payment. The price of sin is infinite, but Christ’s payment is also infinite. He offers access to His infinite account, and to receive is to be declared righteous as Jesus is righteous. To collect one must only believe that He was who He claimed to be (God), who He claimed we are (sinners), believe in His infinite payment for our sins (the cross), and believe in His power over death (the resurrection). To believe is to be forgiven of all sins, both blood guiltiness and sins we commit, and sealed for all eternity and to spend that eternity with God in perfect bliss. It is a free gift, no work required, because Jesus completed the work. He will resurrect us as He was resurrected and sustain us forever - a newness of perfect life.

That is Christianity in as few words as I can explain it. The perfect conclusion would be John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  We are far too prone to stop there. That is not where the gospel ends, at the promise of eternal life. In what John MacArthur calls, “The scariest verse in all of scripture” Jesus has this to say: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in haven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” Matthew 7:21 – 23 NASB

If these words from our Lord do not shake you to your core, you don’t get what He is saying here. This statement comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. It’s a long section of scripture and contains many famous verses. This sermon starts back in chapter 5 with what has become known as the “beatitudes.” The Jews of Jesus’ time believed that God gave earthly blessing to those who He loved, and to the strong. A “God helps those who help themselves” kind of idea. Jesus turns that idea on its head. He said the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are gentle, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, pure, peacemakers, and persecuted for standing up for the truth are the blessed ones.

He then tells believers they are to be the light of the earth, shining Gods truth in a dark and lie-filled world. We then are treated to a very long list of how to live like a Christian, where even our very thoughts are called into account. He teaches us to give to the poor, how to pray, not to lust for money, to do good deeds for the praise of God and not man, to trust God and not worry, and many other details. He ends this long list of “this is what the Christian life looks like” with the warning, “Do these things or I will turn you away at the end.”  

You might have noticed a seemingly very large contradiction. I said earlier that the gift of forgiveness was free, that Jesus Christ had accomplished all the work already. Now I am telling you to do good works or He will turn you away. Well there we go, the bible has a giant contradiction and we can stop believing, “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Not so much…

What Jesus is saying, what the New Testament book of James says, what Paul and Peter wrote, is that this is what you will do if your faith is genuine. Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith.” You see calling Jesus “Lord” is not enough “.. the demons also believe, and shudder.” (James 2:19) Your faith must be genuine, and the test of genuine faith is perseverance through persecution (Romans 5:3-5 and 1 Peter 1:6-7), and obedience. These things don’t save you, Jesus saves. These things give you assurance that your faith is real. So be real and hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant” do otherwise and you have no assurance, and you may hear the words, “I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”

While We Have Opportunity

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. -- The First Amendment to the Constitution

 

When I was a kid I remember thinking: so long as these words were contained in the US Constitution my religious liberties would be protected. Well, that was then and this is now.

An Oregon bakery, Washington florist, Indiana RFRA law, and the Supreme Court. These are some of the relevant instances that have spurred this blog post today.
 

Sweet Cakes by Melissa, an Oregon bakery owned by professing Christians refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding, and may owe a fine of $135,000. There was a GoFundMe fundraising website established, and raised $109,000 before GoFundMe took the site down.
 

Arlene’s Flowers, a Washington florist owned by a professing Christian refused to provide flowers to a gay wedding. There was also a GoFundMe funding website established for her florist shop, and GoFundMe just took the site down last week.
 

The state of Indiana had a state version of the federal RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act), which caved under pressure from the media and our culture, and have since changed the law.
 

And just last week, the Supreme Court heard the oral arguments for why same-sex couples should have the right to marry.
 

With each of these examples, I find myself a bit overwhelmed. It’s simply incredible to me that this is the subject matter of our conversation today. I never would have imagined that (1) gay people would want to be married, or (2) Christians living out their faith would face governmental persecution in the US. But these are the times in which we live, and well, Christians can’t ignore this issue any longer.
 

When I am given an opportunity to respond to this issue, I generally begin by leveling the playing field. I make it plain that I believe all people, including myself (especially myself), are sinners. We are all guilty of breaking God’s Law and are deserving of death and eternal punishment in Hell. I also take the time to say up-front that I don’t have any negative feelings towards LGBT people, and I would reiterate again that I am equal to them. We’re all created in God’s image, and therefore, they are deserving of equal treatment, respect and love as fellow human beings.

 

I believe that government’s laws and ordinances should take a back seat to the gospel when we discuss these issues with people. Not because we shouldn’t discuss them - we should - but because they are of lesser importance when compared with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why I strongly believe that we explain the reason for our beliefs first, then if appropriate, touch on the role of government.
 

You see, people are told what we believe through the media, social media, and by the culture at large. What they’re basically told is that we are a bunch of moronic bigots who hate gay people. I’m tired of hearing the accusation, “Stop trying to hide your bigotry behind the excuse of religion…” This kind of argument has a strong affect on people in our society today. Therefore, since the world is loudly announcing our bigotry and mean-spiritedness, why don’t we take the time to respond?
 

Peter said this in his letter: “15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;” (1 Peter 3:15, NASB). I’ve started to recognize that the non-Christians in my life are always watching me. They wonder what I will say and do. They wonder what I think about things. Sometimes I hope to surprise them, while other times I hope to give them exactly what they expect. All the time I hope to present Biblical Christianity to them.
 

Were I to continue on with a discussion of LGBTism, having leveled the playing field, I then move straight onto God’s right to define how human beings are to live. This includes His right to define what sin is - which includes LGBTism, among many other sins. Having established a definition of sin, and many other topics about God and humanity, I then move into the good news of the gospel.
 

I point out that the gospel is good news, because God’s salvation not only justifies us in His sight, but he begins sanctifying us so that we forfeit our old sinful lifestyles. Paul listed a great many sins and then said of Christians: “Such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11, NASB). This means that God has the power to change our behavior and our desires so that we can live the way He wants us to live.
 

Taking this loving and patient approach, has allowed me many opportunities to have effective and clear conversations with people that I know - all by the grace of God. I think what it is, honestly, most people have never heard Christianity explained to them by Christians. It’s always told to them by liberal media, or social media … and we know what views they have of us. We should take the time and the opportunity to be bold witnesses for our Lord. I know this is what He wants from us.
 

Finally, I will conclude with a few additional thoughts. At this point in a conversation with someone, it is pretty clear on whether you would (or could) be involved in an LGBT ceremony. It is obvious that Christians can’t be. But now what is obvious to the one you’ve talked to, is that you don’t have any special animus towards them. In fact, it’s actually out of concern for God’s truth and because you cannot endorse sinful behavior.

 

Don't get me wrong here: I'm all about being involved in the legal process, and in caring about our current government. But our first priority must be the spread of the gospel and the strengthening of Christ's Church.

 

"9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." (Galatians 6:9-10, NASB).