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Reason to Raise a Question

Every once in a while I come across people who are prepared to excuse their bad choices on the simple fact that they cannot help themselves.  The argumentation runs like this:

I have an urge or a desire for _____

I am a good person

A Good person cannot have bad urges

Therefore, whatever I want is a good thing and I should go for it.

Let us consider each of these statements that lead to the conclusion, as well as some of their variations.

I have an urge or desire for ___

There is no question that we have urges and desires.  These are driven from a variety of sources, but typically from perceived or real lacks/hungers that often times may be quite legitimate.  A person who is hungry may have a sudden urge to see a cake as he walks past a bakery.  A person who is short on cash may have a desire to take a twenty dollar bill he sees on the floor.  Some of these urges may be able to be fulfilled in a socially honorable way, and some may not.  For those of us who accept that there is a God and that He is a judge, we must consider, whether or not an urge may be proper in society, is it proper under the oversight of a God of judgment. 

If we are truly honest with ourselves, often times the perception of a hunger or desire may be misinterpreted as we look at a potential object for its fulfillment.  We may look at the cake feeling hungry, and feel that might be a good way to fill it.  But what is that we are really hungering for?  How does this cake fulfill it?  Can we not agree that sometimes a person feeling anxious sometimes will use cake as an excuse, claiming to be hungry, when actually what they are hunger for is comfort?  We should at least question whether the urge we are feeling is a true urge or whether it is a cover for a deeper hunger/urge that might be very different.

We can certainly agree that part of our current experience as humans is to hunger: for friendship, love, food, warmth, peace, happiness, or for any number of other things.  It is likely that we can all agree that we can have legitimate hunger but find illegitimate ways to fill it.  The aforementioned cake will not serve a diabetic as a good or safe choice to fill his hunger.  But this leads to the discussion of the next assertion.

I am a good person.

Most of us as human beings like to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.  We have a tendency to pick and choose systems of ethics which make ourselves look good, ignore the things in the system that are unflattering, and then favorably compare ourselves to others who seem despicable in order to convince ourselves that we really are in the upper 50% on the great bell curve of goodness in life. 

“After all, I have not murdered anybody.”

“I let people do what they want, and don’t judge others.”

“I give to charity regularly.”

“I used to go to church as a kid.”

The list goes on.  We pick and choose according to what we think is important, and “wonder of wonders” we find that we are good!

This is a notion to which that Christians are certainly not immune.  We conveniently forget that we have a God who saves us from our depravity which had doomed us to Hell.  We conveniently forget that we tend to live with 1 John 1:9 as our most frequently used verse.  

The question of human goodness, however, abundantly disproven by both scripture and experience.  It has been said “The most scientifically proven doctrine of the Bible is the doctrine of human depravity.”  Our own experience shows that people fully versed in the  scriptures are capable of great wrong.  The Bible itself tells us that our hearts are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).  Paul writes that if we were capable of being good enough to attain heaven on our own, there would have been no need for Christ to die (Galatians 2:21).   This premise is therefore, quite false.

A Good person cannot have bad urges

It follows then, in the mind of such folks that if you believe that are good, and that your goodness is proven, then when you have an urge or a desire, it must be okay.  Most people in our culture float in a medium of ethical and moral neutrality, so such issues as goodness or badness of the urges are not really in question.  

For such, the only real question is “Is it convenient?”  Most will go into a cost/benefits analysis on the question of fulfilling the urge rather than considering “Is this right or wrong.”  Their own personal answer to the question of whether or not they are good or bad has rendered moot the question of good or bad urges or choices.  It is beyond questioning.  

The question for them is, “How much will cost me in economically, or socially, or legally if I fulfill this urge?”

Christians are not immune to thinking which leads to the same kinds of choices.  Some will claim the verse 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” as a statement of carte blanche that what we now think and feel surely cannot be influenced by depravity.

We further these ideas when we teach people that “God made you and he makes no mistakes.”  This is poor doctrine.  It is not livable and excuses many into making horrible decisions.  “It feels right, so it must be right.”

 I have heard Christians argue that they no longer have illegitimate hungers, and that any desire is okay with God.  Therefore, its okay to go out and get it.  I have also personally known Christians who imitate the culture we live in and simply go straight to “costs/benefits” analysis.  They may not question “Is this the right thing to do.”

We must also return to the item discussed under premise one: Is this urge I am feeling the real urge or is there something driving it down below?  Consider the stereotypical middle aged male, who suddenly feels the urge to make a major purchase of a sports car.  He makes the purchase without even consulting his wife.  He wanted it, he feels he’s earned it, so he gets it.  After all, he has always wanted to have a hobby car.  He’s a good guy.  He’s got the money (i.e. its a somewhat affordable payment). 

Was the urge really about fulfilling a lifelong dream?  Or was it about his struggles with aging and respect?  Was it about finding a new hobby, or was it about control?  

We certainly have great reason to question this premise.  We can agree that sometimes the presenting urge is much more complicated than we may realize on the surface.

Therefore, whatever I want is a good thing and I should go for it.

A person who, for whatever reason, is convinced that he is morally good (not bankrupt) and that there is no wrong, or he can do no wrong is capable of the worst sorts of evils.  A person who believes that what he wants is beyond question will tend to act on those which are in his power and are not inconvenient.  He will seek to fulfill those hungers and desires by the means that are at his disposal.  If the cost can be minimized, deferred or ignored and their is a benefit to be reaped, he will act on that urge.

People who do great evils often do so knowing that there is a potential cost to be paid, or an ethical system they are violating.  They may know its wrong to kidnap and murder, but they do so in the belief that they can get away with it, or hope they won’t.  Even people with a defective internal moral guide know that society will punish them for the wrong they commit, so they conceal the act.  A child who torments animals will hide the actions from his parents.  A man who misuses small children hides the actions from his neighbors.  A religious fanatic who believes a god will excuse his murders will still hide his plans from his neighbors.  All the while, they are convinced of an unassailable rightness of their actions or motivations.  They may not perceive it that way, or state it that way.  But fundamentally, at the least they will understand their own superiority justifies the choices which are made in those situations.  

I would suggest that, by contrast, we should offer an argument like this: 

Old Argument

I have an urge or a desire for _____

I am a good person

A Good person cannot have bad urges

Therefore, whatever I want is a good thing and I should go for it.

New Argument

I experience an urge or a hunger that may be real or a presenting hunger that masks a different need

I have reason, by experience and Scripture, to show that I am not a good person, but rather am moral and ethically bankrupt

My urges and desires may be founded on things that come from my moral and ethical bankruptcy, and are not beyond question.

Therefore, when I have a desire/hunger I should exercise caution on how I go about or whether I ought to fulfill it.

My next Blog entry will address why refuting the “Old Argument” is so important in light of an important cultural change taking place in the Western World.

Mr. Williams and the Only Answer to Suicide

What do we do with suicide?

The recent suicide of Robin Williams has brought this question again to our cultural conscience.  He came to a place in his life, struggling with substance abuse, financial and interpersonal problems, where he suddenly believed that there was no hope.  He apparently used a belt to end his life by hanging.

We have thrown lots of money and research at this problem.  There are no shortage of help lines and psychiatrists.  There are therapeutic drugs and retreats.  Yet we still have people committing suicide.  Worse yet, given the lauding the Mr. Williams has received, many have raised concerns that this may spawn a wave of copy cats, all of whom may end their lives saying, “Maybe now they will appreciate me” or some such.

Does it mean that a person has automatically gone to Hell?

Some people have dealt with the problem by decreeing that the suicide always goes straight to Hell.  Certainly, if a person really does believe that there is a Hell, and can be convinced that there is an automatic “Go straight to Hell, do not pass go” after suicide, such an idea could be a powerful deterrent.  At the very least, when someone is considering suicide, its fair game to raise the question: “Are you sure that this act will end your suffering?”  After all many cultures do believe, not to mention the tradition of our own, that there is a place of suffering in the after life.  We can and should ask, “Yes, its bad for you right now, but what makes you believe that what comes after isn’t worse?”  

But is it true that Suicide is an automatic ticket to Hell?

Isn’t it a form of murder?

While we can argue that it is a form of murder, the Bible never seems to use the act this way.  Murder is an act of hate (1 John 3:15) in the Bible, whereas the primary motivation for Suicide seems to be despair, though as we shall see, perhaps not always (see below)..  Its root cause is different.

The scriptures are less clear than we might like.  We moderns want a “spelled out” systematic theology for everything.  In scripture, there are no itineraries for suicide.  There are no classifications, or splitting of hairs.  No formal denunciations, despite the fact that there were several high profile examples of them.

Many cultures in the ancient middle east did consider suicide, at times, to be a noble option. Curiously, the Bible makes no statements for or against it, but does show examples of people who did it, most notably Saul and his armor bearer, and Judas.  There was a traitor general named Zimri, who got caught in a seige, and there was also Ahithophel, who hung himself.  For Saul, Zimri and Ahithophel, these suicides were primarily motivated by the fact that they could see a horrible end coming for themselves soon that might very well involve torment.  For Judas, it was a crushing psychological remorse.  Yet there is no statement associated with these acts that shows what came next for them, nor is there even a denunciation.  For Ahithophel, one almost gets the feel that it was as natural an act as setting his affairs in order!  Its really hard to say.  

For Saul, the scripture shows that Saul compared suicide as preferable to capture and torture.  I certainly hope I am never faced with a difficult choice of suicide or torture! We also have Samuel’s statement in 1 Samuel 18:29:  “The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines (NIV).” 

Some assumptions must be made then, as to what Samuel meant here.  Did he mean “With me in the grave?” Unlikely, but possible, especially given that Saul would not be buried right away.  Did he mean “Hades in general,” as a holding place for the dead?  Many Bible commentators think that there were two compartments in Hades, one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous dead.  So if they were in different compartments, presumably with Samuel in the righteous side, both could still have been “together in the realm of the dead,” yet experiencing very different levels of (dis)comfort!!

I am inclined, though I would not want anyone to base their destiny on my inclination, that Samuel meant that they would be in the abode of the righteous dead.  Saul did many wrong things, yet he had been a bearer of the Spirit of God and a man of faith for a period of time.  The question of what happened to Saul argue against the notion that we can have clarity on the eternal destiny of suicides, but should make us cautious about any declarations regarding the final resting place of a suicide.

We also have the early church history.  There are a number of accounts of Christians who chose suicide for themselves rather than be slowly tortured to death by the Romans.  Even in the immediate post apostolic period, we have records of Christians cornered on roof tops of buildings and choosing to jump to their deaths rather than be slowly tormented to death by demon enraged Roman persecutors.  

Thirdly, its my belief that a person who is truly saved can never lose his salvation.  This despite the fact that he continues to sin even until the day he/she dies.  Since there is no sin that can cause a person to lose that, it follows that suicide cannot cause a person to lose their salvation.  One can, quite fairly respond that suicide is evidence that they never really believed in God anyway.  But that is a rabbit trail for a different day.  The root cause of and dealing with suicide needs a different, clearer way, and these facts make claiming that suicide an automatic ticket to Hell a dubious proposition. 

People often commit suicide because they have no hope

Where is the hope?  Our world is not a hope producing world.  It promises much but it renders little in return.  It keeps us chained to itself by tantalizing our hungers but only gives enough to keep you wanting more and more.  We have a void in our lives, and we cannot find anything here in this world-system that can fill that void.  Since the vast majority of times a person commits suicide have to do with despair, then this is where we should look for an answer to the problem.  Let’s leave behind the question of suicide as an alternative to torture.

Robin Williams is a by-product of the secularist world view that he espoused.  As far as the evidence shows, he seemed to be fairly hostile to Christianity.  He sought refuge through pleasurable experiences with drugs, and by the accolades he received from his audiences and peers.  Certainly he also enjoyed his family, and loved his children.  Loving your children and enjoying their love is good and right. Enjoying the applause of others for a job well done is not wrong.  But they do not make a firm foundation for life.  Mr. Williams’ own life shows that even the love of others can be taken from you, and replaced with despair producing rejection.  He also apparently felt guilt over experiencing the pleasures of drugs, which ended up by contrast killing his close friend John Belushi.  Mr. Williams was facing the loss of many things he had worked hard for, decreasing demand for his talents, and continuous running battle with addiction (along with the spiritual element that drugs introduce into the life).  He came to a place where, as Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings, would say,  “He could see the end beyond all doubt,” and it was a bad end indeed.  

Did he HAVE to have a bad end?  No.  But depression, despondency and despair warp our view of reality. Having had suicidal thoughts in my past, I am aware of the emotion of despair and the warped view of reality that comes with it.  For Mr. Williams, he "saw" a bad end.  And so, he gave up.

But...There is always reason for hope.  

Jesus Christ is the Reason for Hope

Jesus Christ was sent as an act of the Holy Trinity to be the living statement that God has not discarded mankind.  Jesus Christ, as an act of love, took despair producing Sin and crucified it on the cross.  Jesus’s cross shows us that even things that look like they are an end really are not.  If he can overcome the cross, than through Him we can overcome the difficult, despair producing things we face.  

Jesus’ resurrection shows us that there is an afterlife, with the reward of friendship with God forever and ever.  It shows us that there really is a “happily ever after.”  The resurrection shows us that our hard work, done for God, in life, will always have its reward. Jesus freely offers us meaningfulness that goes beyond the grave.  There is always a reason to go on, and to persevere in the now.  Paul observed: “To me, to live, Christ; to die, gain.”  By that, he meant that continuing to live allows him to experience the power of Christ, and growing Christlikeness this side of glory.  Becoming like Jesus is a great reason to live.

Psalm 139 tells us that God has written our days in his book, before one of them came to be.  He always has a plan, and is using our circumstances for our good…we just have trust him that he knows best; hard as that can be some days.  Is He good? Yes.  All the time? Yes.  That means I need to trust him in my circumstances even when my view of reality, distorted by despair, says something different.

Persevere.  It produces Godliness (2 peter 1:6).

Persevere.  It brings a reward: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12, NIV).”

Are Your "Concerns" Getting You Off Center?

I have wrestled over the years with how I talk about fellow Christians.  We are commanded not to gossip. That’s plain enough.  Yet, I do find myself in conversations where a particular Christian comes up “with a concern about a fellow Christian.” It can be horribly tempting to weigh in on decisions that they have made, or on actions they have taken.

What do we do with it when we are offered such opportunities from others?  What guidance can we find from scripture?  We know we must not gossip, which is, in a technical sense, a command of negation: “Don’t do this.” Yet we tend to find ourselves justifying our speaking against fellow Christians, by saying “I am sharing a concern, and therefore its not really gossip.”  In our mind then, it is not gossip….

Commence eye rolls.  

But are there more things we can see in scripture that can grant us clarity and close what we perceive are loopholes?

1 Thessalonians 5:14 has some good advice.  “Be patient with everyone.”  That’s a good place to start.  We are all at different places on our journey toward Christ likeness.  Give people a chance to grow in their understanding, and let God train them in their life and choices.  You may find yourself wishing at some point where you struggle for others to be patient with you, right?  Let’s hope that we have shown graceful patience toward others as they grow, that they may show grace to us when we need it most!

Here is another from 2 Thessalonians 3: “We hear that some among you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies (NIV).”  Busybodies.  Hmm.  The Greek word is periergazomai.  Literally it means, “to work around the edge.” Another translation for this word is “Meddlers.”  Isn’t that a great picture?  Instead of doing what they are supposed to be doing, they are off to the side taking shots at others! Busybodies and Meddlers.  Instead of being where the work is, their energy is spent “off center.”  When we decide we are going to talk about others, are we being a busybody?  Are we meddling in things that are not our business? Isn’t that really being “off center” and not where Christ wants us to be?

A person said recently, “When something happens that’s really none of my business, and I didn’t get asked about it beforehand, then I need to understand that I won’t be held accountable for that.”  In other words, he was saying first, “Its none of my business,” and second, “I will just leave that alone.”  That keeps you from meddling, for sure!  Do we, as Christians, really have to have an opinion on everything?

In the end, being patient with others, restraining a critical spirit, and avoiding meddling really are simply applying the law of love, which for us has two parts: “Love your neighbor as your love yourself;” “Love one another as I have loved you.”  Doesn't it say some where in scripture that "Love builds up?"  And doesn't it say that "Love keeps no records of wrongs?  Aren't we all called to love our fellow man and to do good to all, ESPECIALLY the household of believers.  Let us all try to lead by example in this area and speak well of each other.

Are You Thin on the Oil?

I took my car in for maintenance today.  I have been putting it off.  Not a good idea with a car with over 100000 miles on it.  I can’t afford a new one, and thanks to some debt restructuring I did a few months ago I owe a fair bit on it!  So its a good idea if I stay on top of those things.  And even if I did not owe on it, what a shabby way to treat what God has given me if I don’t properly maintenance it.  Am I really being grateful?  If He can’t really trust me in this little thing, can He trust me in much?

But I don’t.  I let things go longer than I should on the car.  I don’t take it in for every flashing sensor.  I don’t have it in at 3 months 3 thousand miles.  In fact I went 6000 miles this time.  Its really rather dirty inside too, which produces interior wear.  I don’t wash the bird doo off often enough, which means I am damaging the exterior.  I follow other cars too close sometimes which makes me susceptible to flying rocks.  I can’t remember the last time I had it in for a full service, or a coolant change.  I don’t faithfully check the air in my tires or regularly check the oil level.  

I know some of the guys out there have skins that are just crawling right now.  Hearing stuff like that is like having finger nails dragged across a chalk board.  You know that I am putting not only my car at stake with my dereliction of duty but actually others as well.  An improperly maintenance car may actually put other people’s life and health at risk.  “Shame on you, Pastor!” you may actually be thinking. Many of the effects of poor maintenance result in a slow degrade that is simply not reversible except at great expense.  And that degrade is usually quite invisible!

Just so you know, I DID take it in for an oil change today, and they did the “20 point check” on it.  So that is something right?  Yeah, I know some of you guys are still shaking your heads.

But guess what?  This is the blog of your “Spiritual Doctor.”  So now that I have you roped in real nice, it is time to lower the boom on you.  How are you doing on your “Soul maintenance?”

Regular maintenance on your car deals often time with a lot of “invisible” things that a person won’t notice until perhaps its too late.  Soul maintenance is dealing with things that really are very much invisible, and the effect of poor maintenance is often far from overt.  In fact it will be quite invisible to you, though others will probably notice the erosion first.  And failure to do soul maintenance WILL result in catastrophic damage to yourself and to others around you.  

Jackie can tell if I have not had a quiet time recently.  I will get nasty (she might say, “Nastier”) and testy (the kids say “testier”).  If I go a couple of days without soul maintenance, watch out!  Usually by then, as obtuse as I am, I even begin to notice it.  That usually happens at the end of the day as I am sitting haunted by the things which I have said and done.  

An oil change is easy to forget because it happens once every few months.  The disciplines of Bible reading, prayer and confession, service and worship are things that ought to be a part of our regular rhythm of life.  Guys, you were unhappy with me “sinning against my car” by not maintenancing it. But are you daily reading the word and checking your life against it?  Are you asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, daily, and confessing your sins to God?  Are you being God’s hands to others that desperately need His love?  Are you making personal worship a daily habit and corporate worship a weekly practice?  If not, watch out!  Your soul might be running a little thin on the oil!

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The Purpose of the Christian Life: Christ

To live is Christ and to die is gain.

I have had the privilege of reading this for a few folks who are in the hospital.  Some of you may find this an odd text.  Normally you would expect a psalm or a passage that gives some kind of bigger picture for your suffering.  You want a passage that is going to give you hope or promise you healing. Usually I will read such a passage.  But for some I do not.

Where I am convinced that a person has a saving faith, and there is great doubt about the outcome, I read Philippians 1:21.  Where I believe the person has a solid understanding about God’s real plan for life, and is soaked in the word I read: "To live- Christ; to die- gain."   

You see, Paul was on trial for his life.  He knew that outcome, as far as human understanding goes was in doubt.  He did believe he would probably be saved from death, because he could see and believe that he still had a role to fulfill.  To remain alive, he knew, was Christ.  “To live- Christ” means that he understands the real goal of life is to become like Jesus.  Becoming like Jesus means that you begin to reflect his character.  You show his love, grace and mercy.  You are patient with people, and walk humbly with your God.  Life, if we live with the right attitude can make you better or it can make you bitter.  The difference is your perception of the purpose of life. 

Most of us live life like this:  "To live is gain, and to die, Christ."  

Do you see the reversal? That’s backwards from the real verse.  Yes its good to go and be with the Lord.  But what we seem to  really want (for all practical purposes) in our prayers and theology is gain.  It comes out in the frustrations I hear people express:  “I thought God wants me to be healthy wealthy and happy.”  No, thats the bad theology that the false teachers are giving on the TV set.  Its a lie.  They have never even read their Bibles.  

Peter did not spend his life healthy, wealthy and happy.  He died upside down on the cross.  If the "Name it and claim it" crowd is right, I guess he must have been sinning when before he died, because that’s the way lapsed believers die.  God wants us healthy, wealthy and happy.

Paul didn’t spend his life healthy, wealthy and happy.  He spent it on the run, getting beaten, stoned to death, and ship wrecked.  He apparently had some type of eye conditioned that remained with him throughout his ministry years.  He ended his life poor cold, sick and wretched, then ushered to an executioners block.  I guess he forgot to name and claim a better life for himself.  Or he didn’t really believe when he tried to speak it into existence.

I guess Peter got his theology messed up in 1Peter.  He keeps talking about suffering in that book.  That’s not really God’s plan if we are to be healthy wealthy and happy.  Peter was just in error I guess.

John was on the “Rock” of Patmos.  He forgot to name and claim his way to wealth out there I guess.  He must have been a lapsed Christian.

Of course all this is just baloney.  Peter, Paul and John weren’t lapsed.  These false teachers don’t read their Bibles and then hope that you don’t either.  They hope you send them “seed money” so they can buy fancy cars, theme parks, and dodge taxes.  They promise that if you do, you’ll be rich too….if you have enough faith.

Gain.

We have bought into a lie of the world that says, “if you take on a Patron, whether a god or a corporation, it should be ‘I’ll scratch your back and you’ll scratch mine.’” That’s what we have come to believe God is for.  We are here for gain.  We are here for God to please us and serve us and do right by us.  We will scratch your back God, if you will scratch ours. And that means gain.   "That’s your job God!"

“God is good” if he stops a few bullets with a pocket bible.  “God is good” when I get a deal on a car repair.  “God is good” if he keeps the secular bullies off my back.  “God is good” when he keeps some cash in my wallet.   We’ve sure got it backwards.

Life is suffering.  That’s what Peter taught in 1 Peter 4:12: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.”  In other words, it should be “normal” for us to experience trials, and not a surprise.  Paul taught this world was the domain of Satan, and that those who “live godly in Christ will suffer persecution” (2Tim 3:12).  Jesus taught that to love the world is to be at enmity with the father and that wealth rusts, and clothes rot.