High Moral Ground? Socialist Salvation?

High Moral Ground? Socialist Salvation?

Everyone wants the high moral ground. People want to come across as more loving, more compassionate, and more intelligent than their “opponent.” Gone are the days when people valued humility and recognized that they did not know everything. No, today we paint our opponents as callous hatemongers, and we honestly believe we are intellectually elite.

Lately, the push has been in the realm of forgiveness and student loans. While I do have an opinion in this arena, I refuse to be sucked into that quagmire of continuous bickering. (And…I realize that everyone has an opinion.)Socialism is not Salvation

Instead, I want to focus on something far more important. Salvation. How has the current worldview altered our understanding of salvation? There has been a major push, especially in university settings, to embrace and promote socialism.

Socialism is a political and economic system where wealth and private property are assumed by the state and transferred to everyone to make a more equal society. While this equality sounds good in theory, socialism has failed in every country where it has been tried. (And in several cases it has led to communism and dictatorships).

But the idea of socialism has really tickled the ears of many young people. They love the idea of abolishing capitalism and sharing the wealth with those who have less material goods. They love this utopian idea of equality.

It has even caused many to claim that this is the more Christian thing to do.

But is it really? Is salvation and reconciliation to God all about equality? Are we all going to be equal on Judgement Day? Are we really going to be able to spread salvation to everyone? Are we going to be able to take the obedience of some people and magically transfer it to the masses because we think that system is more compassionate? Or is it possible that salvation is about sin and the blood of Christ?

The simple answer is no–when it comes to salvation we cannot count on a socialistic approach.

I don’t say that to be mean, controversial, or judgmental. I say that because Jesus Christ clearly taught that we would all give an account for our own actions. We all have an independent responsibility. We have all been given free will and we will be judged by what we do–not what our neighbor does. I can’t transfer some of my salvation to someone who is lost just because I think that is more compassionate or equal. Who am I to think that I can tell a righteous God what He should do on Judgement Day?

Consider the Truth in the following verses:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12)

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

“For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Matthew 12:36)

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Matthew 25:31-33)

“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

“For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

Notice in Matthew 16:27 Jesus says, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”

Each according to his works. Not their works.

Socialism does not work for salvation. And while it may feel like you are taking the high moral ground by supporting it, you are ultimately condemning people to an eternity in hell by making them think they will be okay. Actions have consequences.

If you really want to help people, then help them learn how to take responsibility for their own actions. You can’t transfer the obedience of a few to the disobedience of many. You can’t transfer the cleansing blood of Christ to those who have previously rejected it. You can’t cry out “This is unfair!” to the Judge of the universe. At that point it will be too late.

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Make My Heart Glad

Make My Heart Glad

“My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.” (Proverbs 27:11 KJV)

glad hug

Are you making someone glad today?

A number of times in Proverbs,  Solomon speaks what a foolish son brings upon his parents. Things such  bring shame, reproach, grief, heaviness, and calamity upon the parents of foolish children. A good name is important but that good name can be threatened by the bad behavior of children, especially children who should be old enough to know better. Conversely, when one’s child shows themselves to behave with wisdom, it makes their parent glad. When another person would seek to bring reproach upon the father, they would not be able to do so because of his son’s foolishness.

Christians are the children of God. When Christians behave themselves foolishly or sinfully in the eyes of men it brings reproach upon our Father. Some folks say, “I don’t go to church because of all the hypocrites.” And sadly, in many cases they are correct in their assumptions, because some Christians do behave hypocritically. Some Christians are saints on Sunday, but monsters on Monday and the world knows it. This behavior makes the church and Christians in general look awful. We need to conduct ourselves at all times in such a way as to bring glory to God and in doing so we make the heart of our Father glad!

Read Proverbs 10:1; 17:25; 19:13, 26; 28:7; 29:15; 1 Peter 2:11-12

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Snakes had Limbs?

Snakes had Limbs?

I read a headline today that said, “Prehistoric Snakes Had Limbs.” Evidently, some archaeologist dug up a fossilized body of a snake that had arms and legs. Those who know the Bible will not be shocked to discover this because part of God’s curse on the serpent in Genesis 3:14 was, “On your belly you shall go.” The implication of that seems to be that before this, serpents had some kind of arms and legs and did not crawl on their bellies. Of course, those who found the fossilized remains are claiming that they are “millions” of years old. It seems odd that scientists would find a fossil that verifies the Bible’s truthfulness about serpent biology, but then deny what the Bible says about geology. Why can’t they let the verification of God’s word extend to its claim about the age of the earth as well? Of course, if they did that, then they would have to rewrite decades of textbooks that proclaim evolutionary biology!snakes arms

Here’s the “secret” that evolutionists don’t want anyone to know. Even with all the billions of years that they claim happened in which evolution took place, they still don’t have enough time! This is why they have come up with theories such as punctuated equilibrium which says that at certain times in history evolution took great leaps forward where all of the laws of biology were ignored, and trillions of random beneficial mutations occurred. There is no evidence for that, but that is what must happen for their theory to be true. (It also makes great science fiction and comic books!) The biggest hurdle they face, however, is how life originated to begin with. Life just does not come from non-life, and something doesn’t come from nothing.

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Plans for Tomorrow?

Plans for Tomorrow

It is not wrong to make plans for tomorrow or even for months ahead. Paul’s letter to Rome shows just how far ahead he had planned his life. As he was collecting the funds from the Gentile churches, he reveals his plan. It involved: (1) finishing gathering the funds; (2) making sure they were safely delivered to the church in Jerusalem; (3) delivering the gifts in such a way they would be accepted; (4) arriving in Rome for a visit with that church; (5) and, having been encouraged by the Romans and receiving help from them, to take the gospel to Spain where the church did not exist (Rom. 15:22; 1:12).

So how did all this turn out? The funds were gathered and delivered to the saints, but the rest of this plan simply did not happen. Notice his words in verse 31, “…that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe.” As he continued his journey, God used prophets in every city as he visited them to continually reveal what lay ahead. “And see, now, I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the thing that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me” (Acts 20:22-23). Yet, he still made plans to visit both Rome and Spain. It is not wrong to make plans for our lives, but there is one matter to be remembered.

Paul even mentions this one thing in his letter. He said, “That I may come to you with joy by the will of God.” He said, “by the will of God.” Think of Jesus in Gethsemane. He prayed about the future, knowing that there was no way to escape the cross. In every prayer there He said, “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).

See that important exception in James chapter four. He does not say we should never say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit.” This planning ahead was not wrong. What should we say? “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this…” (Jas. 4:13, 15).

There is no master plan, which we sometimes think when we say, “if the Lord wills.” His master plan for Jesus was fixed, but such a plan does not exist for us. His master plan is to use you in such a way to help you grow in Christ and arrive in heaven. We have the freedom to make choices as to where and how He uses us. However, as we make plans of any kind, our hearts need to remember to make those plans realizing that we really do not know what awaits on the morrow.

Making plans is not wrong. The Bible is filled with examples of those who did this. Making plans and leaving God out is wrong.

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Answer not a Fool According to his folly

Answer not a Fool According to his Folly

“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” (Proverbs 26:4-5 KJV)

“Aha!” exclaimed the atheist, “See here is a contradiction!” Not so fast my friend! There are a number of ways to reconcile this apparent contradiction. First, we need to acknowledge that this could only be a contradiction if the writer is using the same words in the same sense. Words often have more than one meaning, e.g.,  cool, literally, love. Is the writer using the phrase, “according to his folly” in the same sense in each verse? “According to” in verse four could mean answering him by descending to his level of irrationality and in verse five it could mean addressing the foolishness itself while remaining rational. Second, we need to understand the nature of a proverb. They are each inspired of God, yet they are not meant to apply in every circumstance. They are only true when and where they apply.answer not

Is the writer acknowledging that there are more than one kind of circumstance in which one may encounter a fool and his folly? Is he saying there are more than one way of dealing with them? I believe so in both cases. Under the right circumstances,  answering a fool “according to his folly” can make the fool see the irrationality of his actions or words. Under the wrong circumstances, answering a fool “according to his folly” may make both of you look silly. There is a time and place to properly rebuke a fool but there may also be a foolish time to do so. Wisdom will allow you to know the difference between the two.

Read Matthew 21:23-27; 22:15-22

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