The Moral Evidence of God

Posted on April 20, 2016 by parklinscomb

Let’s assume for a moment that God doesn’t exist, but we do. If God doesn’t exist, then the only explanation for the existence of life is evolution. And if evolution is how we came to be, then we are logically no more than very organized rocks and minerals—the dust and minerals left after the body dies and decays. And if we are nothing more than highly organized rocks, could there be such a thing as right and wrong, good and evil, or morality? Let’s think about it.

Rocks and what they do are completely without morality, amoral. If a rock does nothing for a million years, it’s inaction is neither good nor bad—it’s just following the laws of physics. And if a rock, perched on a hillside, rolls or falls down that hill crushing smaller rocks to smithereens along the way, it’s neither right nor wrong—it’s just a rock obeying the law of gravity. Meteors crashing into a planet are only atoms and molecules doing what atoms and molecules naturally do.

And if we are only highly organized rocks, then morality doesn’t exist for us either. Murder, theft, rape, cheating, lying, injustice, and violence lose their meaning, becoming only like gravity, chemical reaction, or fusion—without moral value, the “rock standard”.

But we all know better—pagans, philosophers, agnostics, atheists, and even children. We know that there’s an objective, world-wide standard of good and evil behavior—a right and a wrong. The apostle Paul put it this way, “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law…they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness…” (Romans 2:14, 15).

And it is this certainty of the existence of an objective moral code, that evidences God. Without Him there is no moral standard—just the “rock standard”. He is the origin of this standard that men everywhere recognize and live by. And He will hold us accountable.

With God, murder is heinous; without God, it is “meh”. With God, kindness, loyalty, and courage are valuable and good; without God, they are as insignificant as a meteor falling helplessly into the sun (who knows and who cares?). With God, good and bad have great meaning and value; without God, good and bad do not even exist.

Bottom line, the existence of God and the existence of morality are irrevocably and logically linked. To say that there is no God is to recognize no right and wrong. But to say that there is such a thing as morality is to also recognize that there is a God. To confess one is to confess the other; to deny one is to deny the other, as well.

Of course, there are many more layers and questions related to this proof than this brief article can address, nevertheless, the moral argument for God’s existence is a strong one and should be carefully considered by the honest seeker.

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Certain About His Calling and Choosing You—Self Control

Posted on April 18, 2016 by parklinscomb

2 Peter 1:6 “and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,”

How certain is your salvation? On the one hand, nothing in this world or the next can separate us from Christ’s love (Rom. 8:39); on the other hand, it is also true that we ourselves can lose our salvation through neglect and unfaithfulness (Rom. 11:22). Staying called and chosen (2 Peter 1:10) is something that we should be giving focus to, because what we do effects it. Last week we focused on adding knowledge to moral excellence; this week we’ll add “self control” (2 Pet. 1:6).

2 Peter 1:6 “and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,”

It’s no great news flash that self control is probably the least popular of the virtues listed in this passage—unless, of course, you’d like someone else to exercise some of it. But in numerous ways, it is the key to the exercise of the rest of them.

It is “the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites” (according to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). And it is necessary for any human being to exercise any sort of righteousness. Human beings (perhaps as part of our being made in the image of God) are a fusion of reason and passion. While some might wish for a “Vulcan-like” lack of emotion, the truth is that our emotions and passions are what make it possible to enjoy life. Yet, it is undeniably the passions that so often get us into trouble. Self control, self mastery, having a grip on yourself, is what properly monitors and moderates our passions, lusts, anger, pride, hatred, joy, laziness, impatience, grief, greed, and all the rest of our emotions, longings, and inclinations—good and bad.

Self control is necessary to be diligent, for example. Self control will push the disciple to keep working hard, when it would be easier to either quit or give a mediocre effort to the task at hand. Self control in diligence deliberately refocuses the mind’s attention away from distractions and gives the proper spiritual concentration to things like moral discernment, prayer, the work of the church, and one’s own heart to name just a few common things.

Self control is likewise important in regard to the gaining of knowledge, since reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word is so often interrupted or preempted by modern gadgets and and entertainments. And the same could be said for perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love found later in our context.

But how does one “get a grip on oneself”? There’s the question of questions, and the answers aren’t especially easy.

It should start with early childhood parental discipline, in which the softer clay of the child’s heart to say no to itself to avoid punishment. But not every child has this advantage, especially in this “progressive” society. So, lacking this, what now?

Learn to say no to yourself and mean it. It sounds very simple, yet to many without much self control, it is really hard. “No” in self control really means no; not maybe, not except for…, and not “just one won’t really mean that I’ve messed up”. Mean it! Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Remember each time you’re tempted, you do have a choice.

Secondly, know where the lines are that you must never cross. This may be slightly different for everyone, but it is learned by experience, godly teaching, or observation. And by the way, the first line to never cross on some things is the line of doing it in the first place—drink, drugs, illicit sex fit this category. Successful dieters will know how much they can eat and will not eat a smidgen more. Good men will know the point where they must walk away when they get angry. Godly teens will know the godly lines of affection, when they date. TV watchers will know when they need to turn it off and pick up their Bibles.

Be self controlled, and be increasing in it, to make your calling and election sure.

Park Linscomb

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Certain About His Calling and Choosing You—Knowledge

Posted on April 17, 2016 by parklinscomb

For the last few posts we’ve been talking about our calling to salvation from the Lord. We’ve noted that God’s calling to eternal life is both generous and inclusive of everyone, but we’ve also noted that as Jesus put it, (Matthew 22:14) “…many are called, but few are chosen.” Staying called and chosen is something that we should be giving focus to, because baptism isn’t a “one and done” kind of thing; and salvation, despite the fact that it is by grace, does take some effort on our part (2 Pet. 1:10 & Php. 2:12). Last week we focused on moral excellence, this week “knowledge” (2 Pet. 1:5).

2 Peter 1:5 “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,”

“Knowledge” can be understood in a number of ways in the Bible, but in the New Testament the word is always referring to head knowledge (as opposed to a “Adam knew Eve”, a personal relationship). So, part of our making our calling and election sure (KJV) is supplying knowledge of God’s word to our Christian walk.

Knowledge is sometimes minimized even by religious people. They have faith in what their leaders say it says, or they find the Bible lengthy and sometimes hard to understand, or they read the Bible once and they got everything out of it that they think they’ll ever need. So even though the Bible remains a perpetual best seller on book lists, it is probably one of the least read proportionally.

What a shame. Jesus criticized the Sadducees in midst of a discussion on the resurrection saying, “…You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). And lack of knowledge is usually the root of much false teaching (2 Peter 3:16). God’s truth isn’t something that you can make up as you go, like a story-teller “spins a yarn”. The Bible’s teachings are truths inspired from God Himself and they are important for us to know.

Why? Biblical teachings, taken as the inspired word of God, form and inform our perceptions about the spiritual world beyond our ability to see with the eye. They teach us what is solidly true in the spiritual reality, which we can then believe with confidence. Confidently believing these truths, we then behave accordingly; our beliefs naturally will issue forth in what we do, how we worship, whether or not we persevere, how we will live, what our priorities will be, whether we stay encouraged, and how serious we get about full, committed discipleship.

Worldly knowledge or false knowledge will also work this way. For instance, if we believe (like many in the world) that there is no God, we’ll live sinfully with little or no conscience. If we believe that saints will intercede for us, we’ll ignore Jesus the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). If we believe that God is like a doting grandfather, we’ll take sinful advantage of God’s grace (and find ourselves unforgiven in the end). If we believe that God likes everything that we like, we’ll offer Him all kinds of inappropriate things as “worship”.

So, yeah, supplying knowledge is pretty crucial to making our “calling and election sure” (to quote the KJV). And that is done through reading His word, certainly; but let me also suggest meditating on it, discussing it with others, and asking important questions of ourselves about how the Scriptures teach me, reprove me, correct me, and train me for righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

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Certain About His Calling and Choosing You—Moral Excellence

Posted on April 1, 2016 by parklinscomb

For the last couple of posts we’ve been talking about our calling to salvation from the Lord. Certainly, God’s calling to eternal life is generous and inclusive of everyone, but as Jesus put it, (Matthew 22:14) “…many are called, but few are chosen.” Staying called and chosen is something that we should be paying attention to in our lives, because baptism isn’t a “one and done” kind of thing. Salvation, despite the fact that it is by grace, does take some effort, focus, and care on our part (2 Pet. 1:10 & Php. 2:12). Last week we focused on diligence, this week “moral excellence” (2 Pet. 1:5).

2 Peter 1:5 “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,”

“Moral excellence” is sometimes translated “virtue” in older translations, but the Greek word used here is about more than just being a nice guy. It is about obeying the moral law of God with courage. The philosophers of the ancient world spoke of this word (aretē) as being a kind of moral goodness that effectively acts, even when it was dangerous or inconvenient. It could perhaps be captured in the famous quote attributed to Edmund Burke “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Moral excellence effectively does something.

The Bible is filled with heroes of moral excellence for us to meditate on and emulate. Joseph for example had moral courage to resist a sensual Mrs. Potiphar, though it initially got him in hot water. He refused to go along to get along.

Ruth looked after her mother-in-law Naomi despite—perhaps even because of—the fact that her prospects were poor. Doing the right thing was the only option that she entertained, even if it were to her serious disadvantage.

David took the insults of the Philistine Goliath to heart and wondered why no one else was going out to take up the challenge that he had thrown down against the armies of the living God. In faith he acted in moral excellence and slew the giant, beginning the rout of the Philistine army.

Daniel and friends defied the king of the most powerful nation in the world (Babylon) in moral excellence, refusing to defile themselves with food from the king’s table, refusing to bow down to his idols, and deliberately disobeying a law against prayer.

And Peter and John after hearing the command of the Sanhedrin to stop preaching in the name of Jesus showed moral excellence as they told these distinguished leaders of the Jewish nation, “…Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19, 20).

It is the essence of letting “your light shine” (Matt. 5:16), being and doing good, actively being the light that this dark world needs. Granted, it will make us different and seldom popular. Darkness is not fond of the light. Evil isn’t thrilled with effectual goodness. But part of being the called is showing moral excellence, doing the right with courage even when the darkness would whisper, “Believe what you want; just keep it to yourself.”

This takes a courage that comes from a conviction and certainty that what the Lord has commanded is always right. And this is why Peter says, “…in your faith supply moral excellence.” This is a deliberate stepping over the line in the sand, crossing over from moral mediocrity (way below God’s standard) to moral excellence.

The inspired New Testament urges us to aspire to life beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary. Supply to your faith moral excellence!

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Certain About His Calling and Choosing You—Diligence

Posted on March 28, 2016 by parklinscomb

2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”

In my last post about our calling I talked about our calling (from a general perspective) from the Lord. Certainly, God’s calling is generous and inclusive of everyman, but as Jesus put it, (Matthew 22:14) “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Staying called and chosen is something that we should be paying attention to in our lives, because baptism isn’t a “one and done” kind of thing. Salvation, despite the fact that it is by grace, does take some effort, focus, and care on our part (2 Pet. 1:10 & Php. 2:12).

And according to 2 Peter 1:5 & 10, it begins with diligence. According the dictionary, diligence is “constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind,” also “care; caution”; and its application to our spiritual efforts to make certain about our calling and election sure is repeated twice.

Why stress diligence? First of all, the world with which we’re surrounded is fairly lackadaisical about spiritual and religious matters—even folks that consider themselves religious are often not taking it all that seriously. But discipleship to Jesus is not merely one among many things that I should have in my life; it needs to be the primary thing in life. In other words, the last thing in this world that should receive a “lick and a promise” is the Lord’s calling. Yet, with so many poor examples of how to prioritize religion around us, it can be easy to adopt the same lack of seriousness and diligence.

But beyond this, let’s also own up to the fact that over time it can be easy to grow comfortable with where we are spiritually and the degree to which we’ve grown. If we have grown beyond the world’s definition of “religious” we can start to think that we look pretty good—compared to others. But discipleship isn’t about comparing ourselves to anyone else except Jesus.

Paul could provide a good example for us here. Despite the fact that he knew the Scriptures much better than most, despite the fact that he worked harder than the other apostles (1 Cor. 15:10), despite the fact that he was by any measure a spiritual giant; Paul tells us this about his own spiritual diligence,

Philippians 3:12-15 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;”

The phrase “reaching forward” is the Greek word for “strain” and is the word used for what a runner in a close race does as he crosses the finish line, or what we might do if we drop our keys someplace that we can’t quite reach easily. Effort, extra effort, straining, reaching to gain just a little bit more. That’s what disciples do in diligent growth and service.

Spiritual self-satisfaction is a serious danger to the Christian. Let us never be satisfied with what we know of the Scriptures, with what sins have been banished from our lives, with what good works we added, with what Christian virtue we’ve cultivated, with how many souls we’ve shared the Gospel with, with how long we’ve been serving the Lord, or any other “measure” of spiritual growth in our lives. Instead, let’s show diligence and press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ.

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Help for Gander Brook

Posted on March 28, 2016 by parklinscomb

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 12.06.04 PMFor those who know me, you know that I’m deeply involved not only in the local work of the church in Manchester NH, but also in the work of Gander Brook Christian Camp in Raymond ME. Recently (March 17), the campsuffered a fire in the director’s cabin caused by a lightning strike.

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 12.08.46 PMThe damage was extensive enough that existing building will need to be demolished and a new one rebuilt—and soon, since Gander Brook’s regular camping season begins in only about 3 months. Gander Brook’s mission to the young people of the church of Christ in New England is important and so I’d like to humbly ask anyone who has a heart for Christian camping, a heart for Gander Brook and its mission, or a heart for mission work in the northeast to consider making a donation to help us to rebuild. You can do so online by clicking here. May God bless your generosity

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What is Real Obedience?

Posted on March 17, 2016 by parklinscomb

1 Samuel 15:22, 23 “Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.’”

The Lord talks a lot about obedience in His word…

  • (John 3:36) —“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
  • Matthew 7:21 ““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 heaven will enter.”
  • James 4:17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

The essence of discipleship and biblical faith is following and obeying the Lord.

The problem is that obedience is hard, that we don’t always want to do what the Lord says. Our desires and wills get in the way. Sometimes what the Lord commands doesn’t make sense to us as human beings. And of course, Satan is always going to be right there beside us whispering in our ears that the Lord doesn’t really have our best interests at heart. These and many more things cause us to resist obedience and seek a “work around”.

When I was in early elementary school, my mom tried to get me to eat a small helping of sliced cooked carrots. Now, I was not a fan of cooked carrots, but mom made the attempt to reason with me (silly woman) by saying, “C’mon Park, they’re good for your eyes.” So, to get her off my case, I countered by picking up two slices of cooked carrot and proudly announced my “obedience” that I would eat only two carrot slices, one for each eye. Mom wasn’t impressed with my version of obedience and promptly informed me that I was going to eat the whole helping (probably 6 or 8 slices), which looked like a mountain to me.

One of the more popular “work arounds” to obedience—especially among, but not restricted to, religious people—is to redefine it, so that we can believe ourselves to be OK with the Lord. By our definition we’re being obedient. The problem is—like with my mom—our definition of obedience doesn’t count; it will be the Lord’s definition that we will be held accountable for. So, I thought that it might be useful to take a quick look at what the Lord’s definition of obedience is…and what it is not.

For example, obedience is more than hearing. One of the inspired leaders of the early church, James, wrote, (James 1:22-25) “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”  You see, just reading your Bible, just listening to sermons, just reading blogs, and just coming to Bible classes isn’t the same as actually doing what Jesus says.

Truth is more than just something to hear or learn, it is something to do. Jesus said, (John 13:17) “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” And Jesus also told a famous parable about two builders; one built on rock and the other on sand. The one who built on rock, Jesus explained, was the person who both heard His words and obeyed them. The builder who built on the sand, Jesus also said, was the person who heard His words, but didn’t obey them.

As a preacher of the Gospel I appreciate the encouragement I hear as worship is finished, “Nice sermon!” What I cherish even more than that, however, is “I’m going to do that!” Are you obedient?

But obedience is also more than mere agreement. Sometimes we confuse the two and we think of ourselves as obedient, just because we agree with God. We usually agree with God about murder being wrong, about being kind being a good thing, etc. But what happens when Jesus says stuff that we don’t agree with—things like the appropriate grounds of divorce, a cappella worship, male leadership in the church and in the home, homosexuality as a sin, and teachings about forgiveness and revenge. There’s where the proverbial “rubber meets the road”—when we may not agree. But obedience obeys, even when it doesn’t agree.

There are plenty of stories in the Bible about people who disobeyed, because they didn’t agree with God. One of the more famous is Jonah, a prophet of God who was given the job of preaching repentance to the Assyrians (Nineveh); and he tried to run away from God and the job. The rich young ruler of Matt. 19:16-22 was giving Jesus all the right answers, until Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him. The story of Balaam, Uzziah, and Jeroboam also illustrate people who were obedient until they disagreed with God. God wasn’t pleased with any of them.

An illustration: A poor farmer scratched out a living on his farm for 60 years. Then he fell ill with a terminal disease. In his last few weeks of life, an oil man came to visit and offered to give him 10 million dollars to put one oil well on a corner of his property. The farmer realizing that he didn’t have much time left called his 3 sons to meet with him and he told them about the beautiful farm he’d always dreamed of having, but never had enough money for. He drew them a map and diagram of where and what kind of new house he wanted built, where and how big a new barn should be built, where the new fences and pastures should go, where a new water well should be drilled, where to plant the corn, where to put the family vegetable garden. All the sons said that they would obey their father’s wishes. The farmer died soon after and the sons got out the diagram and began to build their father’s dream farm, except…

  • One son made a change to the kind of farmhouse built
  • Another son made a change to the location of the barn
  • And the other son decided to grow soybeans rather than corn

Were the sons obedient to their father, or did they just agree on most things with him? The  answer is they only agreed, they weren’t obedient. Obedience hears a command it may not agree with, that may be dangerous, that may run contrary to its desires, that may run contrary to what may be safe or popular or pleasant—but real obedience obeys nevertheless. Are you obedient?

Obedience is more than lip service, too. True obedience is more than merely saying, “OK.” Many claim to be Christians; many sing, “I have decided to follow Jesus…and then live lives of chronic disobedience. Jesus tells the parable of the two sons…

Matthew 21:28-31 “’But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They *said, ‘The first.’ Jesus *said to them, ‘Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.’”

Are you obedient?

Obedience is more than partial obedience. Remember my cooked carrot slice story? Partial obedience. King Saul found out partial obedience wasn’t good enough, too. God gave him the task of destroying the Amalekites for their terrible sins. Saul went out with Israel’s army and defeated them. As he was returning victoriously, he greeted Samuel the prophet, (1 Samuel 15:13-15)

“…Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.””

He had mostly obeyed, with only small exceptions; surely it was good enough. But no.

People still do this today. Take salvation for instance, many will believe in Jesus, repent of sins, and even confess His name before men, but fail to be baptized into Christ for forgiveness of sin. Worship is another example. Jesus commanded worship be done in both spirit and in truth (John 4:24); but there are many who’ll worship God in spirit but not in truth with instruments, with dancing, and some with comedians. Others worship in truth but not in spirit by playing with their cell phones in worship, passing notes in worship, or worship on auto-pilot. The command isn’t “in spirit OR in truth”—rather it is “in spirit AND in truth.” Anything else is only “partial obedience” and is not obedience at all. Are you obedient?

Obedience is also more than saying “later”. Delay, procrastination, and temporizing really are a form of rebellion. We recognize it when a child has a vegetable on the plate he/she doesn’t want to eat. Or a teen who has to clean up his bedroom. Or an employee is given a job she doesn’t want. The response always runs something like, “Yeah, I’ll do it tomorrow.” And when the Lord commands us to do something that we’re afraid of or resistant to, we often resort to “tomorrow” or a “more convenient season”.

Governor Felix heard Paul  “…discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, [and] Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.”” (Acts 24:25). As far as we know, he never became a Christian and lost his soul by delaying obedience. This is why the Hebrew writer said, (Hebrews 3:7, 8) “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,”

The great danger of a delay strategy is that we don’t know when the Lord will return or when our life might end—young or old. And having “good intentions” won’t be enough to save our soul.

Are you obedient?

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Certain About His Calling and Choosing You

Posted on March 15, 2016 by parklinscomb

2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”

A calling was an important event in the life of a disciple in the ancient world. One did not simply join a teacher or rabbi; you had to be “called”. And once you had been called, it was important to live up to that calling; your teacher was going to have certain expectations of you as a student.

It could be compared in several ways to applying to a college. You know the reputation of the college, you apply to the college, and perhaps you might be accepted or “called”. You’re thrilled, and to make a long story short, you move into the dorm and get ready for college life. The first day of semester comes and you go to your classes—or your don’t. You read the required materials—or your don’t. You study for the tests—or you don’t. You do your projects—or you don’t. You pass the course—or you don’t. And you continue on to the following semesters until graduation—or you flunk out and they make you leave. The serious student knows what he or she is signing up for, has a goal in mind, and puts their proverbial nose to the grindstone until completion. Because getting accepted (called) is not the same as graduating.

So also is Jesus’ calling. Now, fortunately Jesus calling is open to all:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-16)

But, like following a teacher or rabbi, or like going to college, following Jesus involves expectations; and unless you meet those expectations you won’t remain in His “school”, as it were. Jesus said, Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Yes, there’s grace and forgiveness in the Lord, but that’s also why Peter urges early Christians (and us, of course) to be “diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing” them (us). It’s also why Paul wrote,

  • “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,” (Ephesians 4:1) and …
  • “so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:12) and…
  • “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

Now, neither Peter nor Paul are teaching us to attempt to earn our salvation—salvation cannot be earned; but they are strongly urging and warning us to put our hearts, minds, souls, and strength into our new life in Jesus, making our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).

In the next few weeks I will talk a little about some of those things that we need to do to “make certain of His calling and choosing you.” In the meantime, let’s pay better attention to our spiritual lives, because getting called is not the same as hearing “Well done good and faithful servant” in the end.

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Only the King Makes the Rules

Posted on January 21, 2016 by parklinscomb

The book of Romans begins with a presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—ending in chapter 8 with “no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (8:1) and how we “overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (8:37). What a great salvation!

But with God’s great salvation in the background, the theme of chapter 9 changes to answer an urgent question asked by Jewish Christians of his day, “What about my unbelieving family? What about the nation of Israel? Will they be lost?” How could all these good, dear people “…to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh…” (Romans 9:4, 5) be lost for not believing in Jesus? Paul expressed his own deep concern, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). You can almost hear his great heart breaking.

Paul needed to answer this question compassionately—but truthfully. He started by assuring them that God’s promises about Israel will surely be fulfilled (v.6), but reminded them of a familiar set of Bible stories with applications that they probably hadn’t seen before. He pointed out in Romans 9 that although Abraham had several sons (e.g., Ishmael, Isaac, Zimram, Jokshan, Midian, etc.), only Isaac was the “son of promise”. Doubtlessly, Ishmael may have wondered, “What was wrong with me?”; nothing, but God’s choice was firm. Again, Paul reminded them of Isaac’s twin sons, Esau and Jacob; Jacob was chosen to be the father of the nation that finally became chosen Israel and the bloodline of the Messiah—but Esau was not. Paul then pointed to more familiar stories (Pharaoh: “He has mercy on whom He desires”), a parable (the potter’s prerogative), and a quote from the prophets (Hosea: “…I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE…”) to make this crucially important point—it is God alone that makes the choices that sets the criteria about salvation and choseness. Salvation wasn’t going to be by Mosaic law, Temple sacrifice, or sincerity (Romans 10:2). Choseness wouldn’t be founded on bloodline. It would be by putting faith in Jesus Christ and all that this includes by choice and edict of the Lord. Paul is essentially saying—with great heartache and compassion to the Jews of his day—wish whatever you want to wish for Israel, with as much earnestness as you can muster, but God was choosing to include the Gentiles and salvation would be through Jesus. “But, but…!”—no, the standard of salvation and choseness is always God’s final, sovereign call—not ours. His promises will be fulfilled His way, not ours.

The principle still stands true today—and so does the problem, with a twist. The twist is that the problem is not Jewish in nature anymore, but Gentile. Many Christians are deeply concerned for their beloved family and friends. Many of us could say right along with Paul, “that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart” (Romans 9:2) for their souls’ salvation. But the principle remains the same, the fulfillment of God’s promises remain as much His unilateral, royal prerogative as it was in Paul’s day. And the hard truth is that salvation will not be by the sinner’s prayer, not by “receiving Jesus into your heart”, and not by being a good person. Neither will it be by the religious traditions of persuasive preachers, by intellectual theologians, by decisions of religious convocations, by being married to a Christian, by being the child of a religious family, by church attendance, nor by any other human device. Choseness and salvation—forgiveness, grace, hope, inheritance, and glory—are God’s sovereign choices, on His terms, not ours.

As Paul continues through Romans 10 and 11 he teaches 1) that Jews who had not believed in Jesus had been pruned off of the cultivated “Olive Tree” of the Lord (11:17ff) in favor of believing Gentiles, 2) that it had actually been predicted by the Lord, but 3) that not all hope was lost. Jews could still place their faith and give obedience to Jesus Christ and be grafted back into God’s “Olive Tree” (11:23,24). So also with family and friends today. Hope—the only hope—continues to be in believing in and obeying Jesus, the sole Chooser of the conditions of salvation and choseness.

Today as we struggle with our personal feelings, fears, and hopes for family, friends, and good people of various religious persuasions, we must keep uppermost in our minds that…

  • Jesus is the sovereign of the great Kingdom of Heaven, God’s chosen people
  • the way of salvation isn’t open-ended or adjustable
  • God alone is God, we are not
  • reconciliation to Him is not on our own terms, but His alone

The Lord’s choice of criteria remains, as always, 1) hear the Gospel (Rom. 1:16), 2) believe in Jesus (John 3:16), 3) repent of sin (Acts 2:38), 4) confess faith (Romans 10:9,10), 5) be baptized for forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38), and 6) live a life of faithful discipleship (Luke 9:23). Anything else is a loser’s bet of our eternal soul, because only the King makes the rules.

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The Meaning of the Name We Bear

Posted on January 7, 2016 by parklinscomb

What does it mean to be a Christian? It may sound like an odd question in a religious blog, but I believe it is a question worth asking. Why? Because it gets misused a whole lot in our everyday language, and language often helps form our thoughts and attitudes about things.

The word was first applied to disciples of Jesus in Antioch of Syria (Acts 11:26). Why? Well, because it was recognized that they were followers of Jesus Christ and their behavior was deliberately Christ-like—they were Christ-ians. But today is is often applied to anyone who claims a belief in God. In its general use, the word Christian has ceased to mean that the wearers of the name would think, speak, or act like Jesus would—only that they’re religious and not Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or something else. And that’s a real shame, because I believe that disciples chose to wear this name as a clearcut reminder of what they should be in everyday living.

May I mention just a few major ways…

Christians should bear Christ’s respect for the Bible. Jesus had great respect for the Scriptures. He knew that they should not be changed to accommodate man’s traditions (Matt. 15:1ff), that God’s word must be obeyed (Lk. 18:18-20), that God’s word must be the last word in spiritual matters (Matt. 22:29), and that they give life (Matt. 5:39 and Luke 16:29-31). Thus, Christians should lift up the Scriptures higher than any creed, tradition, man-made doctrine, theology, or commentary. Christians must do more than just read the Bible, they need to do it. Christians will neither add to nor take from the Bible’s simple, straightforward teachings. And Christians will certainly always look to God’s, not man’s, word for its words of life.

Christians should bear Christ’s love for others. Christ did more than just teach about love, He is the perfect example of it. He showed compassion to the multitudes (Matt. 9:36), compassion to individuals (John 8:1-11), loved even His enemies (Lk. 23:34), and gave Himself for our sin (2 Cor. 5:21). And Christians, too, must follow His example of love toward fellow Christians (John 13:35), love for all men (Gal. 6:10), love for enemies (Rom. 12:20), and even love for persecutors (Rom. 12:14). These are exhibited and known through Christian fellowship, kind deeds, kind words, and always doing good in return for either evil or good.

Christians should bear Christ’s attitude and conduct. Without question Jesus was zealous for God’s things (John 2:17), completely committed (Matt. 26:39), and sinless (Heb. 4:15). Therefore, Christ-ians are to be zealous, excited, full of passion for God’s will (Titus 2:14), really committed to following the Lord wherever He leads (Rom. 12:1,2), and morally upright (Eph. 5:1-5). Courageous, whole-hearted, completely-living-to-Christ living makes the world sit up and take notice that there’s something important going on. Luke-warm, half-hearted, “good enough” discipleship isn’t really discipleship; and the world sees, recognizes, and is repulsed by it in the end.

But not only are we missing a clear reminder of who we are to become, when we aren’t aware of the meaning of the name Christian, but we also stand in danger. Those who wear such a holy name need to honor it, not bring reproach upon it. Paul warned, (Romans 2:24) “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.”

Let us proudly wear the name of Jesus Christ through the name Christian; but let us remember what it requires of us, so that we may live faithfully and give honor to Him who not only has given us new life but has given us a new way to live.

Are you a Christ-ian?

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