God Our Savior

God Our Savior

In Isaiah 21-25, God, through the prophet Isaiah, contrasts Himself with the various man made gods of which those in the Ancient Near East were so fond. In fact, the children of Israel had also put their hope and trust in these so-called gods. Time and again the prophet of God says the One true God of Israel is the Lord and there is no other savior.

wooden idol

They crumble, they burn, they rot… how again are these a savior?

The Lord could do physically what the idols of man could never do. Likewise, spiritually, He could do what they could not. He could blot out the sins of His people. And while some would bow their knee or swear to, and by, images of wood or stone, eventually ever knee would bow to the Lord and every tongue would confess His name.

The idols might have changed but the principle taught herein has not. Men today still worship and bow to images and gods (i.e. sports, money, pleasures, power, entertainment, recreation…) that are no gods. They put their trust in temporal things that cannot satisfy them, sanctify them, or save them. There is only on Savior and one Hope. What are you putting before the Lord? Obey Him and be faithful.

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Preacher or Elder? Please Consider!

Preacher or Elder? Please Consider!

I’ve never been great at beating around the bush, so please allow me to get straight to the point. If you are a preacher, elder, or church leader currently caught up in adultery, pedophilia, homosexuality, drunkenness, or pornography please step down until you get your own life under control.

elder preacher fornication

Elders and preachers get caught up in temptation too.

I am so very tired of meeting young people who placed their faith in a youth minister, camp director, preacher, elder, etc. only to discover years later that the person they held up as a “model Christian” is now a scandal in his local congregation. Yes, I agree that young people should not put men whose feet are made of clay on pedestals, but the reality is that most of them do. And many are walking away from the church because of this.

If this were just a one-time issue I would never have considered writing this. But it seems to be occurring more often with greater frequency. You open Facebook and see a picture of a youth minister with his arm around two young girls at a Christian camp. Fast-forward three years and now his marriage is in shambles because for the past six months he has been sleeping with a sixteen year old in the youth group. Not only is he facing a broken marriage, but he may also be facing criminal charges that would tarnish the name of the church in that local area. Or maybe it’s an elder many look up to in a congregation who gets addicted to pornography. Or maybe it’s a preacher who loves to hug little children every Sunday—only to discover years later he struggles with pedophilia.

Please, if you are struggling with these issues right now—or feel yourself on the brink of falling into one of these temptations—please have the courage to take some time off and get help. Please don’t tarnish the bride of Christ with yet another scandal.

We all shake our fingers at Catholic priests and the tremendous amount of damage they have done to young boys. But the reality is we have our own problems in the New Testament church. (I know some will chastise me for even pointing this out, because “we are not supposed to air out any dirty laundry” regarding the church. Friends, we’ve been polishing the outside of the cup too long. It’s time we take a good long look at the contents of what’s inside!)

Right now our local congregations do not handle confession well. If this is going to happen we need cooperation from elders and congregations. We must have a plan in place. Consider the plight of a man whose income is tied to preaching in the pulpit, but he needs help with pornography. His livelihood is at stake, making it highly unlikely that he will confess and seek treatment, unless there is a plan in place that will help him during his time off. Maybe they help him find temporary work with an agreement that he can come back or maybe it’s a paid sabbatical so that he can seek counseling.

If you are caught up in these sins I beg you to take a sabbatical, step down, or take an extended leave. Consider for a moment the beautiful impact you will have on your church family when you return and can say, “I had walked back on the broad way, but I took some time to heal and am now happily back on the narrow path.” That message will influence young people in a healthy way and will help strengthen their faith, rather than them hearing through the grapevine that their preacher got arrested in a prostitution sting.

It is way past time our church leaders and preachers teach Truth in the pulpit and demonstrate it in their daily lives. It is time we clean up the bride of Christ and get her ready to meet the groom. Paul wrote: “ For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). We must keep the church pure and that has to start with the leaders. If we are going to call ourselves servants of Christ then we must conduct ourselves like Christ.

Please prayerfully consider what I’m saying. If you need help, counseling, or resources I am happy to provide those confidentially. (In fact, there are hundreds of Christian men ready and willing to help). If you are caught up in one of these sins the best sermon you can preach is by stepping down, getting help, and drawing closer to Christ—showing true fruits of repentance. Please don’t wait. Young souls hang in the balance of your decision….

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Paul Committed to the Lord

Paul Committed to the Lord

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he knew the end was near. He looked back over his life and used two illustrations from the Grecian games to describe it. He mentioned fighting (wrestling or boxing) and racing. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (4:6). It is at times like this that a man reflects on how his life has been spent. It is a time for self-evaluation.

Committed Paul

The Apostle Paul was committed to God.

Look at his words in chapter one. He urged Timothy to never be ashamed of the gospel nor of Paul. “Share with me in the sufferings for the gospel” (1:8). Four verses later he mentions his suffering again. “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed…” Throughout much of his life he had been despised, mocked, blasphemed, beaten and imprisoned. The world looks at such men with contempt, yet Paul was not ashamed.

How could this be? Read the rest of this verse. “For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” Just what had he committed to the Lord? Take time to consider the following thoughts as if you knew your life was about to end and then reflect back on it. What have you committed to the safekeeping of God until the day of judgment?

  • He had committed to the Lord his choice to suffer shame at the hands of men for Him to recompense on the final day.
  • He had committed his soul to the Lord. That eternal spirit was about to depart from his body, and he had loved the Lord with all of his heart and soul. He believed the Lord knew this and would keep it until the end.
  • He had committed his body as a living sacrifice and it was offered on the altar of service. Now the time had come for his life to be sealed with his own blood. With absolute confidence he knew he would be vindicated someday.
  • He had committed the future into God’s hand and while there was much uncertainty about that future, he knew Who held the future. “I know whom I have believed…” He may not have known the “what,” but he knew the Who!
  • He had committed all that there was to Him who was able. On this earth there were times when Paul was bound and helpless because there were those who were able to do this to him. Yet Paul knew that their power was nothing compared to the power of the Almighty. There is no comparison to be made between the two. Those Roman soldiers thought they were able to control Paul’s future. He knew better.

How deep is your commitment to the Lord? How much of yourself or your life belongs to Him?

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An Appeal for a Good Conscience

An Appeal for a Good Conscience

Please explain 1 Peter 3:21’s statement about baptism not being a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a good conscience. “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21)

Conscience baptism

How are baptism and conscience related?

Some say this verse teaches a person has a good conscience BEFORE baptism, thus indicating that salvation precedes baptism.  This is not what the passage is saying, for several reasons.

A good conscience, while in most cases a good thing, is not necessarily in itself proof that one is saved and in a right relationship with God.  Saul of Tarsus said he lived in good conscience all his life (Acts 23:1), which would include the time when he persecuted the church.

Therefore, even if it could be proved from this verse that a good conscience comes before baptism (which it can’t), even so that would not necessarily prove that baptism is not necessary for salvation.

Another point to bring out about a good conscience is that the term could be describing a heart that is sincere, a person who is earnestly seeking to obey God.  A person earnestly and sincerely seeking to obey God, after reading in the Bible the commands to be baptized, would obey the command to be baptized rather than question it as so many do.

Above all else, remember this. The verse starts out by saying something that a 10 year old could understand. Baptism now saves you. That’s very clear. So when we try to figure out the rest of the verse, any conclusion we come to is wrong if it contradicts that very plain statement: Baptism now saves you.

Baptism now saves you. How? It’s not the water. Not as a removal of dirt from the body. The water might cleanse the dirt from your body, but the water won’t cleanse your soul from sin.

Only the blood of Christ does that. Jesus said that his blood was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 26:28). Paul said that we have redemption and forgiveness of sins through his blood (Eph. 1:7). Is it any wonder that Ananias said to Saul that he would be washing away his sins if he was baptized? (Acts 22:16) In baptism one spiritually comes into contact with the blood of Christ that cleanses us from our sins. We are commanded to be baptized in water (Acts 10:48; John 3:5), but the water itself doesn’t spiritually cleanse us.

So how does baptism save us? We’ve already examined its connection to the blood of Christ. This verse gives us another way baptism saves us. Peter says that baptism is an appeal. Appeal in the Greek literally means a request, a craving. Baptism is an appeal, a request, a craving…for what?

A good conscience, a clear conscience, the kind of conscience you get when your sins are forgiven.

Baptism is an appeal, a request, a craving for forgiveness and the clear conscience forgiveness brings. The Bible teaches that God will always and immediately grant that forgiveness we crave to any penitent believer the moment he is baptized (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16)

Therefore, that good conscience that tells you that you are now saved and you are now forgiven comes only after baptism, because baptism is how we appeal to God for that forgiveness which brings about that good conscience?

Are you ready to appeal to God for a good conscience?

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FORNICACION

¿CONSTITUYE FORNICACION SOLAMENTE LA INFIDELIDAD MENTAL Y ES ESTA UNA CAUSA VALIDA PARA EL DIVORCIO Y SEGUNDAS NUPCIAS?

La pregunta anterior es realmente un dolor de cabeza para muchos, sin embargo  a manera de introducción, ¿Podría usted imaginarse cuantos divorcios tendríamos por ahí si la actividad mental fuera lo suficiente para “despedir” a la esposa y contraer nuevas nupcias?. Sin temor a equivocarme  es probable que todos los hombres casados podrían ser divorciados por tal causa. Es realmente necesario un análisis más de cerca a la palabra “Fornicación” para realmente determinar qué es lo que Dios acepta y que es aquello que El nunca dijo. Analizaremos la palabra en el original y sus formas, pero también echaremos una mirada detenida a el uso de esta palabra en el contexto de Mateo 19:9.

fornicacion

La fornicación es pecado.

ANALIZANDO LA PALABRA

En primer lugar cabe mencionar que el término fornicación es bastante amplio y que puede indicar a groso modo: “una relación (que envuelve el sexo) pero que es ilícita”. Algunos han llegado  a pensar que usted fornica cuando está soltero y cuando se es casado usted adultera. La realidad que esto no es del todo cierto usted puede estar casado y al mismo tiempo sostener una relación sexual ilícita es decir una fornicación. Cabe recalcar que el término como tal aparece 447 veces en el N.T en todas sus formas diversas pero  principalmente son 3:

  1. πορνεία (Porneia) = fornicación, inmoralidad sexual. En la reina Valera del 60 aparece 111 veces en 93 versículos . Esta inmoralidad sexual incluye muchas conductas diferentes tales como: (Mt 5:32; 15:19; 19:9; Mr 7:21; Jn 8:41; Heh 15:20; 1Co 6:18 entre otras). Esta generalmente es la palabra que se utiliza para hablar en un sentido espiritual de infidelidad.  Muchos han alegado que inmoralidad sexual incluye( la pornografía, la masturbación, los gugetes sexuales tales como muñecas o artefactos de plástico etc.. ). Aunque realmente todo sea realmente malo y Dios no esté contento con ello, el significado de fornicación  definido como inmoralidad sexual  debe de ser observado en el uso mismo de la palabra en otros pasajes. El famoso erudito Joseph Thayer  define en 3 puntos esta especifica palabra. En todas ellas incluye la frase “coito”.  Es probable que muchos estén confundidos con el pasaje de Mt 5:28 “…cualquiera que mira a una mujer para codiciarla ya adulteró con ella en su corazón…”. Sin embargo este asunto es diferente… aquí se usa adulterio en vez de fornicación. El adulterio abarca sin lugar a dudas ambas cosas; mental y física. Pero fornicación desde el punto de vista de Thayer siempre es “coito”. En Mateo 19 Jesús está poniendo en contraste la  aquello que Moisés había tolerado en Deut. 24 cuando inicia diciendo “lego de humin” (Pero yo os digo). El “humin” es una construcción en dativo lo que en español indica un objeto indirecto. “hoti” que aparece  inmediatamente  después siempre introduce una cláusula  en este caso introduce dos.  Esos dos enunciados  son objetos directos del verbo  “digo”, el Señor dijo:  Pero yo les digo (1) Cualquiera que repudie a su mujer salvo por causa de fornicación y se casa con otra adultera (2) y el que se casa con la repudiada adultera.
  2. πορνεύω (Porneuo)= fornicar, forniquemos. Prostituir el cuerpo de alguien por deseos de la carne, entregarse a a una relación sexual en coito. Esta palabra aparece 8 veces con esa terminación.
  3. ἐκπορνεύω (Ekporneuo)= fornicado. El único pasaje donde se usa esta palabra es en Judas 7 cuando se refiere a Sodoma y Gomorra. En este caso se está refiriendo a un contacto sexual diverso y amplio sin ninguna limitación o restricción de ningún tipo.

PASAJE EN MATEO 19:9

En la Morfología de nuestra palabra en cuestión (fornicación) de Mateo 19:9 queda de la siguiente forma:

Fornicación: Sustantivo, Dativo, singular, Femenino.  

Sustantivo: Una palabra  para identificar algún tipo o clase de persona, lugares o cosas.

Dativo: Es el caso del idioma griego que indica ventaja o desventaja, interés personal o expresa el objeto indirecto de la oración. Las preposiciones “a” y “para” son implicadas en este caso.

Singular: Es el numero en la palabra y está hablando de un solo individuo.

Femenino. Es el genero de la palabra, en este caso esta palabra es femenina no que la persona que vaya a realizar la acción de la palabra lo sea sino que en sus clasificaciones la palabra como tal está en esa clasificación.

En palabras más simples y sencillas la morfología nos ayuda a ver esta palabra de la siguiente forma: “Y yo os digo que cualquiera que repudia a su mujer, salvo por causa de fornicación( es decir; alguien que a entrado  en esta categoría  con un interés propio y  personal que ha cometiendo coito) , y se casa con otra, adultera; y el que se casa con la repudiada, adultera.”

La fornicación NO es una actividad mental solamente y mucho menos podemos alegar que tal actividad mental (infidelidad) sea una causa verídica y valida delante de los ojos del Señor para repudiar a alguien y volverse a casar. Lamentablemente la Biblia de las Américas ha traducido “Infidelidad” en Mateo 19:9 causando confusión a lo que por sí solo era confuso para muchos. No es que sea una mala traducción sino que es evidente que en el momento donde un hombre o mujer tiene “coito” con alguien que no sea su cónyuge, ese individuo le está siendo infiel, pero sacar la palabra “infidelidad” de su contexto nos lleva a aspectos muy amplios en los que la palabra original no puede legislar. En Mateo 19:9 Infidelidad( Fornicación) se está refiriendo al contacto sexual obligatoriamente porque:

  1. Si ese no fuera el caso entonces el Señor Jesús abre una ventana muy grande para divorciarse y volverse a casar, que solamente la infidelidad sexual.
  2. La “infidelidad mental” puede ser cometida en varias ocaciones durante todos los días. ¿ Como haría la parte “inocente” para saber cuando su pareja le está siendo infiel y divorciarlo? Al final solamente la persona misma conoce su mente, corazón y Dios…¡pero en este caso la parte inocente…también! (Sarcasmo).
  3. Si los Judíos en Mateo 19 ya estaban despidiendo a sus mujeres con carta de divorcio por muchas y diversas razones ¿Estuvo Jesús de acuerdo con ellos? Esa sería la implicación necesaria sí se argumenta con lo de la “infidelidad mental”.
  4. Si las definiciones del Griego no apoyan por ninguna esquina el concepto de infidelidad mental como una causa valida para el divorcio y nuevas nupcias, de donde se parte para argumentar a favor de este asunto. Simplemente queda hueco y vacío.

Esta discusión y la respuesta a la pregunta inicial constituye una parte doctrinal importante y requiere claridad a la hora de abortar el tema, ya que sino se tiene cuidado estaríamos dando  autorización para el divorcio y mil y un causas que no son aceptadas por Cristo aquí en Mateo 19.

Es el hermano Roy C. Deaver quien en un debate en cuanto a matrimonio y segundas nupcias contra el hermano Gus Nichols, toma la posición que en Mateo 5:31-32 y Mateo 19:9 legislan para la parte culpable de infidelidad Sexual. Explica el hermano que el castigo para el culpable es la imposibilidad de unirse a alguien más en sagrado matrimonio por su irrespeto sexual y mental al pacto. Dios a travez de toda la Biblia ha establecido sus leyes, y quienes las han traspasado, el Señor los ha castigado. Así que en el matrimonio el Señor puso leyes y quien las transgreda también será castigado. En el debate también se encontraba el Hermano Thomas B. Warren quien estuvo en acuerdo con lo que el hermano alegaba. En la página 379 del libro “Your marriage can be great” Editado por Tom Warren Ph.D el hermano Deaver vuelve a recalcar lo mismo que había afirmado en el debate.

La fornicación es un irrespeto que nace en el corazón y concluye en la acción “contacto físico sexual” mientras que el adulterio es una violación al pacto del Matrimonio que PUEDE  SER llevado a cabo en ambos sentidos; Físico y mental. La única razón para divorciar a alguien y volverse a casar es ese contacto físico(coito) ilegal con cualquier ser viviente. Divorciarse y volverse a casar solamente porque “me fue infiel en pensamiento o porque se estaba masturbando” NO ES y nunca ha sido la autorización divina. Divorciarse y volverse a casar por causas ajenas al “coito” es categóricamente pecado (Transgresión de la ley de Dios).

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