Monday, November 24, 2014

Thankful for Eternal Life

There are many things we want to be certain about.  We want to be sure that:
* there's enough money in the bank to cover expenses
* the tires are in good condition before a big trip
* our kids are getting a good education
* I have job security
* my spouse loves me
* our doors are locked at night
* my loved ones have what they need
* I have time for fun and recreation
* I can afford to retire some day
* We have medical insurance
* I have food and shelter
* Etc.

However, of all the things in our life that we should be trying to lock down, so that we have total certainty, the most important thing to be sure about is our eternal future.  This past Sunday I shared with my church what the Bible says about eternal life.  For those who missed it let me share with you what just might prove to be the most important bit of information anyone ever told you.

Truth #1 - It is possible to know 100% for sure that when this life comes to an end you will be in heaven with Jesus for eternity.  

Truth #2 - If you're "pretty sure," "not sure," or "hoping" that you'll be in heaven one day, then chances are you're banking on the wrong thing to get you there.  The reason for this is because when we understand and believe what the Bible says about eternal life there is no longer any doubt.  Doubt about eternal life in heaven happens when we are banking on our own good behavior to buy us a spot in heaven.  We hope that we've been good enough or that we haven't done anything too bad or that our good decisions will outweigh the bad decisions.  So, we live with doubt because we're not ever quite sure if we've been good enough to earn God's forgiveness and acceptance.

Truth #3 - The Bible says that neither you nor anybody else, even the most religious person you can think of, has done enough good things to earn heaven.  The saints, the prophets, the disciples, pastors, missionaries, monks, nuns, priests, no person other than Jesus has lived a perfect life.  Even if I was able to be perfect from this day forward there's no solution for my past sins and say I only committed 10 sins a day?  That's still 3,650 sins per year.  No matter how you cut it we're all in trouble.

Truth #4 - Although we could never do enough Jesus did do enough on our behalf.  I can't do enough good things to erase my mistakes and sins but Jesus paid the price of my debt to God on the cross.  The Bible is very clear that he paid for all my sins in full.

Truth #5 - If I believe Jesus did all the work necessary to get me to heaven and that his sacrifice was enough to cover all my sins then I won't have any doubts whatsoever about going to heaven.  Doubt surfaces when I trust myself to get to heaven and doubts disappear when I trust Jesus as my Savior.

There are many verses in the Bible that will reassure you about truth #5.  Read: John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8,9, 1John 5:11-13 and tell Jesus that you trust that his death and resurrection was enough to secure your eternity in heaven.  God's not impressed by your good deeds.  He's only pleased when you choose to trust him, believing that you have eternal life given to you as a gift, thanks to Jesus' sacrifice.

Thank you God for assurance of eternal life...not because I deserve it but because you gave it to me as a gift many years ago when I trusted you as my Savior.





Thursday, November 20, 2014

Does God permit lying in some circumstances?

 Lying and half-truths is a topic I have to address as a dad on a regular basis.  Well, recently it came up again but not because we had an offender in the family.  In our family devotions last week we ran across a passage that caused my boys to ask, “why did God tell him to lie, dad?”

The situation we see in 1 Samuel 16 isn’t any different from the ethical dilemma many people have faced.  Can I lie under certain circumstances?

·      What should I do if a beggar asks me if I have any money, and my boys hear me say I don’t, but they know I do.
·      Say, my wife asks me how her new outfit looks?
·      What if a family I’m serving in another country asks me how I like the dinner I could barely stomach?
·      What if a mom lies to her abusive husband in order to escape the home with her kids?
·      Can a football team run a trick play and score the winning touchdown as a result of their masterful deception?

We all seem to be OK with setting some conditions on telling the truth in some situations as seen above.  However, we have a hard time knowing what to say when confronted with the direct question, is it OK to lie?

First of all, we all understand that the Bible teaches us to be truthful and honest starting with God’s confrontation with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and also seen in Exodus 20.  Furthermore, we know that God is truth and that He does not lie and therefore as his children it is our goal to be like him (2 Cor 4:2.)  Additionally we understand that the whole truth is very important in these situations:

1)   Total honesty to legal authority figures is vital for an orderly society and explicitly taught in Scripture.  We must tell the truth and the whole truth when asked by those responsible for our “law and order.”  That goes for children in the home as well.  The Israelites were taught to tell the truth and they couldn’t conveniently leave vital information out when in a court of law (Lev 5:1, Deut 19:18.) 
2)   Honesty communicates loyalty, increases trust, and it fosters intimacy, each of which are vital for the development of relationships.  So, total honesty is expected in marriage and in close friendships as well as between believers in a covenantal relationship.  As long as these relationships are healthy and mutual, to hold back personal information would be seen as dishonest and would miss opportunities for intimacy.
3)   Lastly, honesty about sin is a vital part of:  healing (Jas 5:16,) fellowship with God (1Jn 1:9,) and it proclaims the truth of Scripture to others… all of which are very important.

This is what we need to teach our children.  Simply, tell the truth and tell the whole truth.  In the process I need to be careful to model for them a consistency of truth-telling knowing that they are watching and listening to everything and tend to see life in very literal terms.

However, as my kids become adults I need to help them see that not everything in life is as black and white as we’d like it to be.  Just like there are exceptions and conditions to the command not to kill I have to help my boys learn to always be men of integrity and truth while knowing there will be some occasions that they shouldn’t tell the whole truth.

In 1 Sam. 16, God instructed Samuel to be prepared to give a half-truth to King Saul, if he were asked why he was in Bethlehem.   Why was this Ok for a God who is truth?  I believe there are four reasons why God would want us to not be transparent and in some cases deceptive.

1.     First of all I’m reminded that God doesn’t reveal everything to everyone and what he does reveal He doesn’t give all at once.  He has chosen to reveal bits and pieces of himself and the spiritual world and he has done so through installments of revelation throughout history and throughout our own lives.  Does that make God a liar?  It simply models for us the option to allow some information to remain a mystery until the right time and place.  So, in our relationships it’s important not to mislead or lie, but we can choose to withhold information to leave it a mystery.  Mysteries about me will reveal the people who truly are interested in me because those people respectfully pursue those answers to know me.  This is how we find our true friends and our mate.

2.     Careful allotments of personal information is a very strategic way for teaching others.  We can teach someone a skill or impart knowledge, but we don’t dump it all at once.  A good example of this is how we teach our kids about the birds and the bees…technically what we say to our two year old is usually a lie because we know that to give the whole truth would be at best confusing and at worst detrimental.

3.     We must lie sometimes to protect yourself and others.  We all know that there is certain information about ourselves that we would not divulge to certain people for fear they would use that against us.  Such has been the case for American POW’s who are interrogated and those who helped hide Jews from the Nazis.  Such is the case today in abusive homes and places where evil men exploit those who are vulnerable.

4.     Many people demanded that Jesus reveal who he was, but it often wasn’t the right time or the right situation.  Additionally, these people held no position of authority over him so he had no legal nor moral obligation to answer them.  If a person who is not a legal, moral, or spiritual authority seeks to interrogate us, we are free to use Godly discretion as to how much we reveal, knowing they don’t have our welfare in mind nor do they have responsibility for an orderly society.  Their motives are selfish.

God tells Samuel not to tell the whole truth to Saul because Saul held no legal nor moral right to demand total transparency and transparency would jeopardize innocent lives.  As was proven soon afterwards, such knowledge would only lead Saul to fixate on killing the ones God had ordained and it wasn’t yet God’s timing for David to become a fugitive.

I can’t easily explain these exceptions to my young kids, but after they've learned the importance of honesty and telling the truth I need to help them begin to learn that when evil people demand information from them, they’re free to say nothing or to mislead.  Now, if they deceive their family, parents, teachers, law enforcement, friends and church family, that’s a problem that needs my attention!

Friday, November 7, 2014

Intimidated by family devotions because of the verses that stump you?

As we were reading through 1 Samuel we came across a verse where God literally instructs someone to lie.

I recently read with my boys 1 Samuel Chapter 16.  The Prophet Samuel, who was to anoint David as the next king of Israel, asked God what he should say if someone asked him why he was in Bethlehem.  Now, if the current king found out what was really going on, who knows what might have happened next! 

So, God told Samuel to take heifer and to tell anyone who asked, that he was in Bethlehem to offer a sacrifice. Technically it was the truth but the answer was meant to deceive.  So, I reminded my boys that when they do this, use a half-truth in order to deceive their parents, we still call it a lie. Of course, now I have to explain why God instructed someone to be less than truthful with his answer. What would you say to this? 

When you encounter difficult passages in your family devotions, what do you do? 


My encouragement is that you to leave the difficulty hanging for a while.  For instance, If you have a good answer don't give it right away.  Instead let the tension provide an opportunity for your kids to think and pray about the right answer for a day or a week. On the other hand, if you don't have a good answer, which is always intimidating for me as well, we have 3 choices:
1) I can say "oh boy, look at the time. I'd love to give you an answer but I have a heifer to sacrifice." - Give them a lie
2) I can give them my best guess - Possibly a half truth
3) I can admit I'm not sure and then go and research the answer together with my kids - learn the truth together


Of course option 3 is a very healthy and Scripture-honoring decision that will affirm your commitment to the Bible as the source of truth in front of your kids while showing them that you're humble enough to admit that you don't pretend to know everything.

Now, I know some of you may be distracted from the point of my article because of the ethical tension I just raised from 1 Samuel 16.  If you're wondering why God would suborn lying...well, let's talk about that next week ;)