Does God Punish Us for What We Believe?

In recent months I have become increasingly aware of a problem many Christians are creating which is keeping them from reaching the irreligious who otherwise might be very open to the gospel message. Christians are giving unbelievers wrong ideas about God, salvation, and judgment, the primary messages of Christianity, by responding to the question, “why do I need Jesus?” with the answer, “If you don’t believe in Jesus you will go to hell.”

What’s the problem with this statement? Isn’t it true? Well…Yes and no.

When Christians hear the phrase, “If you don’t believe in Jesus you will go to hell,” there are a lot of other things that come packaged with it, salvation by grace, mercy, justice, etc. When a non-Christian hears that phrase they hear that God is capricious, caring more about what you believe than what you do. This is a major stumbling block for non-Christians considering Christianity, and it’s a completely unnecessary one if only Christians would be more careful in how they communicate the Gospel. The gospel is offensive enough without Christ’s followers adding to the offense with badly chosen words.

So how should we communicate the truth of “If you don’t believe in Jesus you go hell,” in a more effective, more precise manner?

We need to understand the Gospel better. While it’s true that those who don’t believe in Jesus will go to hell, their lack of belief is not the reason they go there. People go to hell because of their moral transgressions against God. While it is true that those who die without Christ will face judgment and hell, it is not one’s beliefs that earn hell, but one’s actions. God does not judge based on belief, He judges and condemns those standing before Him based on their rebellion and moral criminality. It is only because of the grace of God offered through Christ, that I and other Christians can receive the mercy of God, which we have not earned and don’t deserve.

We Christians have failed in communicating the need for Jesus to the unbelieving world. We have gotten so caught up in talking about Christianity with other Christians that many of us have forgotten that non-Christians don’t understand our buzzwords; and speaking “christianese” confuses them at best and gives them the wrong impressions about what God really does and offers at worst.

Head Knowledge Versus Heart Knowledge

Growing up in the Church, I have often heard people say, “The problem is you only have head knowledge, but you don’t have heart knowledge.” The thinking is this: You can have all the “head knowledge” you want, but if you don’t engage the heart (an emotional response) with that knowledge, you will be a spiritually dead (or at least spiritually weak) Christian; and will be more likely to fall-away or backslide should you run up against an intellectual roadblock.

The fact that I have never once heard this idea reversed (i.e. “The problem is, all you have is heart knowledge; you need to get a little head knowledge.”) exemplifies the preference among much of evangelical Christianity for emotion over thought when it comes to the Christian walk.

Favoring emotion over knowledge is a tremendous problem facing the Church today. Like many troubling sayings in the Church, the problem arises not from the saying itself but because the saying has been repeated so often for so long and without any explanation or supporting scripture that it has taken on a whole new meaning in the minds of many people. This misunderstanding has caused Christians, in some cases, to completely discount and eliminate the rational aspect of the Christian life in favor of an almost exclusively emotional response.

This really hit home for me while I was perusing a discussion thread titled, “Discerning God’s Voice,” on one of the Christian Internet forums that I visit from time to time. The thread posed the question how one knows the “will of God,” with a specific example of a decision being faced by the thread originator. Nearly all of the responses leaned heavily toward an emotional answer to the question; here are several examples:

“..if you don't know shelf it, set it aside until you can discern it more in your heart and with God.”

“God’s will always leaves us with a sense of peace at the end.” (sense of peace = emotional tranquility. Apparently, this sense of peace is how we know we are within God’s will, according to many of the posters.)

“…when you heard those words in your head, did the feeling after leave you at peace or with more confusion and questions?” (The originator of the post talked about “hearing a voice in his head” and was wondering how to tell whether the voice was from God.)

“Yes, if you are feeling peace in everything, that is the Holy Spirit.”

The most egregious example was this one:

“God leads us by peace! God doesn’t scare us! God speaks in a still small voice, in our bowels = in our belly. Never listen to your head; the mind is at enmity against God. Listen to your belly, close your eyes and listen, focus on where the voice comes from, either head or gut.” Go with the gut!!!” (I could do another long post responding to all the problematic statements here. I disagree emphatically with every sentence this poster wrote.)

(Emphasis added in each example)

The problem as I see it is this: While it may be that having only “head knowledge” can lead to a spiritually dead Christian, it is almost inevitably true that having only “heart knowledge” leads to immature Christians; which, in the present evangelical landscape, is a far larger problem than spiritually dead Christians, in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of spiritual deadness out there as well, but almost by definition all the spiritually dead are also immature, and when you add them to all the “spiritually alive” (or at least emotional) Christians who are fundamentally immature as well, you get a problem which affects a huge percentage of Christianity (and the fact is, those who are spiritually mature are unlikely to be spiritually dead).

I am drawing a parallel between “head knowledge” and maturity because without information about God and his law/will, one will never move beyond a purely emotional response to Him and grow out of immaturity. Such “thoughtful maturity” is often called “wisdom” by the Biblical authors. Wisdom doesn’t come through emotional “heart knowledge,” it requires information which only comes through the study of and meditation on the Word of God. In other words, it requires “head knowledge.”

While there is encouragement for the believer to seek after and/or apply human wisdom in countless passages in both the Old and New Testaments, I can’t think of a single example of a Biblical exhortation for the believer to seek an emotional experience. If you know of any, please provide me with the citation (obviously, we are told to love God, but as any married couple can tell you, and in the immortal words of DC Talk: “Love is a verb.” Love can be associated with an emotion, but true love persists even when the emotions fade away, as they do in every relationship from time to time). Let me highlight just a few examples of wisdom from the Bible:

Proverbs 4:5-13
Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
"Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.
"The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
"Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
"She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty."
Hear, my son, and accept my sayings
And the years of your life will be many.
I have directed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you will not stumble.
Take hold of instruction; do not let go
Guard her, for she is your life.

Not only does this passage encourage the acquisition of wisdom, at the very end it points out that instruction (or learning) is absolutely essential to gaining and retaining wisdom, and wisdom is absolutely essential to life.

Ephesians 5:15-16
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

Ecclesiastes 10:10
Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

Proverbs 24:6
For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-2
Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith…

(This passage is a demonstration of the application of wisdom)

Acts 15:1-12, in which the early Church elders gathered to discuss the issue of circumcision for gentile believers, clearly highlights the need for wisdom over an emotional response. We are told that the Church elders discussed and debated the issue, not that they waited for a feeling of peace about the subject or a word spoken to them from God. Although they doubtlessly prayed for wisdom throughout their debate, in the end they made their decision based upon the words of Jesus and the prophets, and the work they clearly saw God doing amongst the gentile believers. This decision had everything to do with the knowledge they had from their study of the Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus. Head knowledge.

There are many, many more examples that could be cited (especially from the Book of Acts), but this article is already plenty long.

My point is this: Head knowledge is essential for wisdom and maturity in Christ, both of which believers are instructed to pursue. Heart knowledge bolsters faith and helps us in enthusiastically serving God. However, when heart knowledge unsupported by head knowledge fails (as all emotions do from time to time) the believer has nothing to support him and is lost in confusion and darkness. Head knowledge supports the believer through the emotional deserts that all Christians go through.

Study your Bible; study the thoughts of great thinkers and philosophers in the Faith. Acquaint yourself with the workings of the world. Don’t be naïve. Take the time to acquire some head knowledge; it will serve you well and maintain your faith through hard times, help you make good decisions, and it will guard your heart.

New "Documentary" Questions the Resurrection

Academy Award winning director James “Titanic” Cameron’s latest work, “The Lost Tomb of Christ,” will be airing March 4th, 2007, on the Discovery Channel. In it the director and creator of the FOX series “Dark Angel” and the "Terminator" movies, claims that 10 ancient ossuaries, or small caskets used to store bones, discovered in Jerusalem approximately 25 years ago may have contained, among others, the bones Jesus of Nazareth.

I read about this “documentary,” for the first time only this morning (February 26, 2007) in a brief article by Marshall Thompson of the Associated Press entitled, “Scholars, Clergy Slam Jesus Documentary.”

According to this article, Mr. Cameron even goes so far as to suggest that one of the other ossuaries found with the one which allegedly contained the bones of Jesus, was inscribed with the words “Judah, son of Jesus,” thus “proving” that Jesus even had a son.

Apparently, the Cameron piece is not the first work to cover these particular ossuaries. Ten years ago the BBC ran a similar documentary making the same claims. Mr. Thompson writes in his article that Amos Kloner, the first archeologist to examine the burial site where these ossuaries where found is saying the same now regarding the Cameron work that he when the BBC produced their piece.

“They just want to get money for it,” states Mr. Kloner, adding that the idea does not hold up to archeological standards.

So far, there appears to be little to no scholarly support, from any arena, for the ideas and theories of “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” as they were put forward in the press release issued by the Discovery Channel.

This is nothing new. It seems like we Christians are taking these types of hits from such high-profile sources about every 3-6 months these days. Fortunately, this new “documentary” sounds like a lightweight hit piece; I’ll be looking forward to finding out more about it as the broadcast date approaches.

I only have two real comments at this time, the first about the documentary, and the second regarding the one pastor’s response to the show as he is quoted by the AP writer, Mr. Thompson:

First, even if the ossuary bears the name “Jesus” (transliterated, of course), it does not prove anything. The name “Jesus” was one of the more common names of that time among the Jews; it was, after all, the contemporary equivalent of the more ancient form of “Joshua,” arguably the most revered Jewish leader of the Nation of Israel next to King David. This “Jesus” is just one among hundreds or thousands of other individuals of the same name that lived in early first century Israel.

Frankly, if James Cameron is trying to make the case that this ossuary is that of Jesus of Nazareth, he is either very ignorant, has a great deal of prejudice against Christianity, or has some other evidence that this article fails to mention. I will withhold judgment on which it is until after the documentary is broadcast.

Second, Attallah Hana, orthodox clergyman in Jerusalem made the following statement as reported by AP writer Marshall Thompson:“The historical, religious and archaeological evidence show that the place where Christ was buried is the Church of the Resurrection…[this documentary] contradicts the religious principles and the historic and spiritual principles that we hold tightly to.”

The article demonstrates a basic misunderstanding of the point that (hopefully) most Christians will make about this documentary in his selection of this one statement from Mr. Hana. This statement is simply explicatory; describing the nature of the claim Mr. Cameron is promoting, rather than addressing the substance of the claim. Christians (I hope) shouldn’t care whether the documentary “contradicts the religious principles…[that Christians] hold tightly to;” I hope we would care whether the claims are true or not. If they are true then I for one want to know, as I would rather not waste my time following a false religion. If they are not true (and I would bet a great deal of money that all such claims Mr. Cameron will make in the documentary are not only false but rather silly and ridiculous as well) then we should let everyone know exactly why the documentary is wrong and then go about our business, as the documentary will be forgotten in less than two months time (although, rabid anti-Christians will continue to tout the documentary as proof of the bankruptcy Christianity for months, and possibly years to come).

Let’s not get worked up about this, if it’s stupid (as it probably will be) then we Christians can pretty much ignore it. If it has some substance, then we can do what we did with the “Da Vinci Code” and methodically take it apart with good scholarship. Either way, it should be interesting coming from a skilled filmmaker like James Cameron. I’ll keep you updated as I find out more.

Divine Judgment from a Four-Year-Old

I know I haven’t put up a post in a great while, I hope to change that in the future.

Right now I have another story about my oldest son, Daniel.

I was returning home from an errand with Daniel, and watching the rain come down on Monday afternoon.

“Dad?” asks my son, “why won’t God send another flood?”

“You mean like Noah’s flood?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” I responded, “Because God promised us that he would never flood the world again.”

Looking for the right words Daniel sputtered, “But Dad…North Korea!”

All I could reply through the laughter, “You make a good point, Dan!”

And now for something completely different...

My oldest son, Daniel, is starting to ask all kinds of questions (he’s four), and thinking deeply about all manner of subjects. One of my favorite Biblical teachers, Steve Gregg (‘The Narrow Path’), says of children, “Children, especially those about six to ten years old are the deepest thinkers and greatest philosophers you will ever find. How many of you have recently contemplated, for any length of time, what you would be like if you were a tree? These are the kind of things children think about.”

Anyway, Daniel has been asking questions about Heaven lately, and as I have recently studied the topic and am currently teaching our Church’s High School class on it, I am full of all kinds of fun information to share with him.

Daniel was concerned recently about dying, and I (and my wife) had re-assured him that there will be a time when God will give His followers their own bodies back to them, but in a perfected form that will never get sick or break again. After thinking about this for awhile, apparently trying to get his head around the idea that our resurrection bodies will not break or grow old ever again, he asked, “Will we be made of concrete? ‘Cause I don’t want to be concrete. Not ever.”

Obviously, in his mind, concrete is the only possible substance capable of such imperviousness to injury and illness.

A day or so later, my wife had drawn a hopscotch diagram on the slab deck in our backyard, and Daniel was trying to play on it. Suddenly, my wife, working away in the kitchen, hears him shouting from the backyard, “Help, Mom, I need help!”

Running into the backyard, she finds Danny standing on the number two square of the hopscotch diagram. “What’s the matter, Danny?” she asked him.

“Help, Mom, I can’t do this!”

“Why? What’s the matter?”
“Because,” said Daniel, while looking at the number 3 square, “I don’t have three legs.”

God Speaking

(Caption: Greg Koukl, founder and President of the Christian Apologetics organization Stand to Reason.)

Last week I was listening to a great lecture on “Decision Making and the Will of God,” given by Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason when this summary of some of his material jumped out at me. It is so insightful that I couldn't help sharing it with you.

To setup his comments, Mr. Koukl had spent the previous hour discussing the idea, much touted in the Christian community today, of listening for God’s private, personal messages and guidance when it comes to everyday decision making (should I marry this person, take this job, buy this house, etc.).

After exegeting numerous Biblical examples of God speaking, Mr. Koukl deducted several key points of commonality from the texts regarding how God speaks and the nature of messages He communicates when He does:

1. It’s very rare – There is no indication that God’s intervention to tell a person do something particular is the standard way of doing business in the Bible (think Peter’s dream on the roof top).


2. It’s an intrusion – You don’t see Paul or any of the Apostles stuck where they are, waiting to hear from God so they can know what do next. It always happens while people are on the move. God stops them, and redirects them in some fashion.


3. It’s supernatural – It’s a voice out of Heaven, it’s Jesus appearing in a vision, it’s an angel tapping you on the shoulder (literally).


4. It’s Clear – Whenever God speaks, the audience gets the message. It’s never up to us to listen carefully to try to hear what God is saying (often we are told that we don't hear from God because we are not listening). It’s up to us to obey when He does communicate. You can’t obey an unclear message.


5. It’s often against wisdom – If it was with wisdom the followers of God would (hopefully) be doing it anyway, they wouldn’t need to be told by God.


6. It becomes God’s moral will for you – It must be obeyed.

Now for Greg’s summery:

"Frankly, I don’t think we really take our own belief in God speaking very seriously. I had to speak at an engagement once and the person in charge of was giving me some information about the details, and I said “Well, what should I speak about here?” And the person said, “We prayed about it and we think that God wants you to address this topic or that topic. But you can do whatever you want.” By the way, this from a very spiritually mature and astute person. And I questioned that; I said “If God said it, then how is it that I have the liberty to ignore it?”

We do that all the time, as I mentioned before; “God told me to do this" one day and the next day they were doing something opposite. We don’t really take it seriously. I don’t know if you realize how serious a claim it is when you tell others that God told you to do something. When the prophets in the Old Testament did that they put their lives on the line. Step back just a minute from Christian lingo and just imagine, is it a serious thing to say that God told you to do something? I mean, is that serious or what?

But these kind of words trip out of our mouths every single day and we don’t give it a thought, and then we hear someone say “Oh God!” and we say “How dare you use God’s name in vain!” Yet you have been vainly spewing out the name of God on a regular basis with damage! “Oh God,” that does no damage, the other does. Stop it! It’s misleading to young Christians it’s destructive to all Christians."

By the way, if you haven’t ever checked out the articles and resources on Stand to Reason’s web page, I highly recommend it. It’s very left-brained kind of stuff (which is why it appeals so much to me), and it is some of the best stuff out there on the topics they cover; hard-hitting, well thought-out, clearly communicated, easy to understand, and solidly grounded Biblically.

Check them out.

More of the Truth: 9-11

(Caption: This is a photo of the Pentagon lawn taken moments after the airliner struck the building. The piece of aircraft skin in the foreground clearly bears United Airlines markings.)

When I wrote the previous post, I could not remember the address of the very first myth-debunking site that I came across. Titled "9-11 Research," this site appears to be setup with the intention of drawing in unsuspecting conspiracists. If you read the introduction on the index page of the website it appears that the creators of the site disbelieve the "official story."

However, nothing could be further from the truth. While 911myths.com is devoted to hard science and expert analysis, 9-11 Research is devoted to what can be shown of the tragic attack through photos, news reports, and eyewitness accounts.

This site has the largest quantity of unique photographs from 9-11-2001 and the following days that I have seen, plus a comprehensive archive of eyewitness testimony regarding the Boeing 757 that struck the Pentagon and the crash of United Flight 93 (If you haven't seen the movie of the same title, I highly recommend it).

Another site that I couldn't remember is "Debunking 9-11 Conspiracy Theories," which may be an even better science and analysis site than 911myths.com. It contains a huge number of photos, and analysis from world-renowned experts in the fields they are commenting on (whereas, the doctors and experts on the side of "9-11 truth," tend to be from other, non-related fields of research). I highly recommend spending some time at this page.

If you know someone who doubts the "official story," or is be wavering on the brink of conspiracism because of "facts" (oft-repeated lies) put forward by the "9-11 Truth" movement, please send them to these two sites in particular, they are the best of the sites I have discovered:

debunking911.com - maybe my favorite (even though it was created by a self-described "flaming liberal;" just goes to show that even liberals can exercise common sense when they really want to)
911research.com - Please spend some time at this site, especially reading the eyewitness accounts, if you have any doubt at all of the truthfulness of the "official story."