Seven Exercise to Mental Wellness

The Bible is the greatest book ever written for man and the words of the Bible prove this fact over and over again. It has been said that it is the “owner’s” manual for life. Certainly it was written by the one who knows man best-his Creator. Just as we would look to the owner’s manual for our automobiles, houses, and other items we possess to become more intimately acquainted with these items, so also we should look to the Bible to become more intimately acquainted with ourselves. Modern psychologists have nothing to boast greater than the principles set down for man’s well being in the Bible. Perhaps no clearer example of this can be found than in the book of Philippians.

Paul wrote the book of Philippians to thank the brethren in Philippi for the monetary gift that they had sent Paul by the hands of Epaphroditus (1:4,5; 4:18). But Epaphroditus also brought some additional news to Paul regarding the church a Philippi. They had heard about Paul’s current imprisonment and were worried about him (1:30). Paul comforts the church by letting them know that this situation he is in resulted in the increase of the gospel (1:12). He also relates to them that he hopes that he will soon be released from his imprisonment and will visit them again (1:25, 26). However, Paul wants them to know that whether he lives or dies all will be well (1:21). Their concern for Paul’s situation had evidently lead to a congregational anxiety that was preventing them from living according to the principles of the gospel. The rest of the book of Philippians is addressed to the concern that Paul has regarding the Philippians-that they should set their minds on matters over which they can control, not over matters that lead to worry and depression. This would bring them out of their “blue funk” and bring them back to greater service to the Lord.

The crux of the book of Philippians in this regard is found in chapter four. It is in this chapter that Paul discusses the action one can take to bring one’s self into the peace of God. The prescription that Paul gives to the brethren is a combination of mental and physical exercises. First, they were to “rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4). This is a mental exercise. The Christian has everything for which to be thankful and nothing for which to be ungrateful. This should lead to a perpetual spirit of joy in the Christian’s life. The sacrifice of Jesus for our sins should humble us into recognition that nothing is so important in this life so as to be cause for anxiety and depression. The Christian has everything! For this reason, he can rejoice! Psychologists have stated that in times of extreme tension, one should picture oneself in a place of happiness. The principle was first iterated long ago in the sacred scriptures.

Second, Paul says, “Let your moderation be known unto all men” (4:5a). This is a physical exercise. The Christian is not to be caught up in the extremes of the world. There is on the one hand the extreme of debauchery in all its forms and practices and it was prevalent in the Philippian’s society as well as ours today. On the other hand there is the extreme of isolationism. This is the concept that we must completely cut ourselves off from those around us who are not Christians and never have anything to do with anyone. Both of these are extreme choices that Christians faced then and face now. The Christian must exercise moderation in living a life that includes interaction with society, but does not participate in its sinfulness. Balance is certain one of the fundamental principles of modern psychology and here it is clearly stated in God’s word.

Third, Paul writes, “The Lord is at hand” (4.5b). Many have interpreted this phrase to have reference to the second coming, but the context suggests that this more likely refers to the ever-present awareness within the Christian that God is with us. This is a mental exercise. Hebrews 13:5c states, “for he hath said, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'” The expression, “The Lord is at hand” indicates to the Christian that God will always be there for him in time of worry or depression. It is a great comfort to recognize that God is always by our side and is not going to leave us as long as we don’t leave Him. With God, there is no problem or trouble or worry or fear that can’t be overcome, for all things are accomplishable with Him (Philippians 4:13). Modern psychology is replete with the principle that you are never alone. The self-help group is a common occurrence in today’s society. The Christian’s “self-help group” has a Member the likes of which this world cannot boast.

Fourth, we read, “Be careful in nothing” (4:6a). This is a mental and physical exercise. The word “careful” should really be translated “anxious” as indicated in the American Standard Version. Anxiety for the things of this life can become a big problem for the Christian. Jesus taught us to understand that God knows the things of which we have need and that he will supply those things if we but seek Him and His kingdom first (Matthew 6:25-34). When we start to dwell on the cares and concerns of this life, let our minds and our actions turn to things of the kingdom. What can we think and do to further the cause of our Lord upon the earth? We can study the word. We can visit the sick. We can help the poor. And the list goes on and on. There is no shortage of activity. Today we hear from psychologists these words, “Get involved.” Being involved in something goes a long way toward eliminating anxiety that crops up as a result of eating the bread of idleness.

Fifth, Paul states, “but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (4:6b). Here is a mental exercise. Prayer unburdens the Christian from the ceaseless parade of events about which he is concerned, but has no direct control. Prayer provides a means whereby the Christian may exercise a heart of thankfulness to the Creator, Sustainer, and Provider. Prayer provides opportunity for the Christian to divest himself of wrong choices made in the course of the days events. Prayer motivates the Christian to act in ways that will improve his relationship with his God and his fellow man. There is much blessing in prayer. Modern psychology acknowledges these activities as being therapeutic and helpful to an individual’s mental state. Oh, if we as Christians, would only acknowledge the power of prayer in times of trouble how great burdens would be removed from our weary shoulders and what great relief would be obtained from the troubles of life.

The conclusion of enacting these five exercises in one’s life is this: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” There is a certain peace that comes through understanding and applying these five principles in one’s life. Modern psychology may be able to provide a measure of peace and tranquility, but not to the extent that can be provided by God. The peace that God gives “surpasses all understanding;” that is, no efforts on the part of man solely through his own mental abilities are going to be able to provide the type of peace that God can provide. This is because modern psychology cannot supply God. Faith in God comes through hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17) and ultimately the peace of God depends as much upon our faith in God as it does upon the principles that God sets forth in this passage. Faith must always be presupposed when applying the principles of having a healthy mind to us as individuals. Without faith, none of these exercises will prevail to bring peace to our troubled souls. The hearts and minds of the Christian will only be guarded through Christ Jesus. As great as this promise may sound, however, there is yet more that the apostle wishes to address regarding our mental health.

Sixth, we read, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (4:8). The exercise in this verse is mental. It is an exercise of focus upon the spiritual. It is the proactive exercise of the mind to think. The exhortation is not to just let your mind drift upon any and every old thing that comes along, but to purposefully and deliberately concentrate upon good things. When we fill our minds with positive thoughts, there will be no more room for negative thoughts. Worry, anxiety, depression, and despair are all negative thoughts that seek, almost without invitation, to invade our daily consciousness. It is a fight and struggle to battle these things, but we must. When we bring our focus back upon the true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, and virtuous, there is no lack of things about which to cogitate. One of the great failures of modern psychology is that while it can help you understand what you are thinking and bring you to a greater awareness of your thoughts, it cannot provide content for your mind. The gospel, however, does this very thing.

Seventh, Paul has this to say, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do” (4:9a). Here is a physical exercise. When we have done everything that we need to do mentally to prepare ourselves for Christian service, we must make application. Paul says that his teaching and example constitute an example for us as well. If we are looking for ways to behave, let us look to the example that Paul left as he followed Christ in his life (1 Corinthians 11:1). We have half the book of Acts to let us know how Paul behaved as well as many of his epistles in which we find great teaching regarding how to live the Christian life. This is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. Again, while modern psychology can suggest a course of behavior, it cannot suggest a lifestyle that will so thoroughly meet our needs as that which we find within the gospel of Christ (2 Peter 1:3).

The grand conclusion to these seven steps of mental health is found in the words, “and the God of peace shall be with you.” This is yet in addition to the previous promise. Not only do we have the assurance of the peace of God being with us, but also we have the assurance of the God of peace being with us. Greater blessing can no Christian have than to know that the very God who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves will provide a life that is filled with contentment and peace as well as provide the companionship that we need to finish such a life in His service. May we ever seek to apply these seven steps in our time of need.

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Righteous Judgment

In the business world, there is a saying, “Perception is Truth.” The concept basically is this: you should react to people the way they perceive you, regardless of whether those perceptions are correct or not. The result of this type of thinking is a one-way relationship. These relationships are commonly practiced in business and “understanding” is not part of the equation if you are on the wrong side of that relationship. Customers do not want to understand a vendor’s problems; they just want them fixed. A boss does not want to understand an employee’s problems; he just wants results. There are exceptions to these circumstances, but they are few and far between. This is probably one of the more difficult things that I have had to deal with in the business world being a Christian. When it comes to relationships, Christianity is about understanding your brother and not being quick to judge wrongfully.

The idea of “Perception is Truth” often invades the church. A brother will get slightly offended at another brother for some small thing. Instead of asking about the offense, he just dismisses it. Over time, small offences build up and a perception is built regarding that brother. That perception may or may not be warranted, but to the brother who is offended, it is “truth.” These perceptions often generate gossip and tale bearing. In the end, they cause strife and division within the church, all because someone judged another based upon a perception.

Many today have been infected with this notion. Is this concept correct? The Bible clearly teaches that it is not. We read in John 7:24: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Jesus rejects and repudiates this popular notion that one may judge based upon perception. In the context of John 7:24, Jesus was teaching in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (v.2). Many were speaking about Jesus at the feast, but quietly (v.11-13). Part of this gossip included the rumor that he had a demon (v.20). Jesus reads their hearts and repudiates this by showing that the same critics formed hypocritical judgments regarding healing on the Sabbath (22, 23). They had quickly come to wrong judgment regarding Jesus based upon gossip that they heard. The “evidence” upon which they had drawn their conclusions regarding him was all perception. So Jesus rebukes them, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Christians also get bogged down in the same nonsense and become objects of this rebuke as well. It is so easy for us to listen to gossip regarding other Christians. Unlike Jesus, we cannot read the hearts of individuals who act this way, so the Bible gives us several principles upon which to ensure that our Christian relationships remain in tact. These principles are love, patience, longsuffering, and brotherly kindness. Applying these principles in our life will go a long way toward not judging according to appearance.

How do we use love to not judge according to appearance?
How do we use patience to not judge according to appearance?
How do we use longsuffering to not judge according to appearance?
How do we use brotherly kindness to not judge according to appearance?
Are there any additional items that must be respected after all of these have been applied? Jesus has set down a few items for us to follow in regard to our personal Christian relationships. Our problem is that we fail to follow these rules and thereby cause great hurt and pain among our brethren unnecessarily. (Please note that the situation under consideration is a personal relationship between two Christians; these rules do not apply to publicly taught false doctrine or immoral public behavior.) What are these rules? Jesus states them in Matthew 18:15-17 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”

The first step is to speak to the brother privately about his offence. This is probably the most uncomfortable step that we have to take. It is much easier to go to others and start talking about someone else; it is much harder to talk to the person who has committed the trespass directly. However, this is for the good of everyone, and is consistent with the Biblical teaching of love. Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:8, “And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins.” When we go to a brother privately and discuss things and resolve them, we have helped to not spread things beyond what they should be known. The Holy Spirit calls this love. This first private consultation may reveal a number of things regarding the brother who trespassed against you; it may in fact reveal that you misjudged something that he did. These things can be cleared up privately without the need for additional parties to intervene and especially without having to go before the “unjust” (1 Corinthians 6:1-8).

After one has spoken to a brother privately and this brother refuses to repent, the second step is to bring two or three witnesses for the purpose of establishing every word. It is not enough with God for one person to go and start telling every one about this situation. God demands that we take two or three with us to establish every word. At this meeting, an accounting of all that has taken place will be recorded; the additional witnesses will judge the trespass. If the judgment of these additional witnesses is not heard and obeyed, then the matter will be brought before the church.

The church has final authority in regard to the trespass. By the time the issue is presented to the church, it should be clear what the offending party has done and what he needs to do to correct the situation. If the church’s decision is not obeyed in this regard, then the one who committed the offence is to be as a heathen or publican.

What should we do so that we do not practice this in our lives? We must practice the instruction that Jesus gave in regard to personal relationships regardless of our own personal comforts.

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The Quiet Revolutions of Christianity

By Kevin Cauley

How does a person change the world? Some people are naturally charismatic and can energize multitudes toward action and change. There are others who boldly dare to personally governments by laying down their life. And yet others through armed conflict enact change in their area of the world. But how does the Christian change the world? Do we take up arms? Do we sacrifice our lives for change? Do we move great mobs of people to demand change? Paul wrote some very sound words in 1 Thessalonians 4:11. He wrote in part, “and that ye study to be quiet. . . .” The New King James Version says, “that you also aspire to lead a quiet life. . . .” It is not through great personal leadership that Christianity advances; it is not through high-profile martyrdom or through waging war that Christianity moves forward, but through the quiet revolutions of the individual mind and conscience.

Christianity is a religion focused upon individual faith. Faith does not occur within a mob mentality. Faith does not occur within a democratic society. Faith does not occur within the masses of those in a dictatorial regime. Faith occurs in the individual heart and mind. It is a process that is solitary and singular within the individual’s thoughts and desires. It comes through hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17)-notice, hearing the word of God. Hearing is an individual activity. No one else can hear for us. We must hear for ourselves. When the hearing is mixed with simple trust and obedience, the individual has faith. The revolution occurs within the mind on the spiritual level and the heart is forever changed to reflect that new belief.

Christianity is a religion focused upon individual commitment. Commitment is not a loud and noisy event. It occurs within the recesses of the heart and soul. While its results are seen through action, commitment itself is silent and individual. Jesus said to those who were contemplating following him, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. . . . So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:28-30, 33). The point Jesus is making is that it is folly to commit to something which you cannot complete. Jesus wants everyone to know that if they make the decision to follow Him, they must stick to that decision. But that decision is individual and singular. It must be a commitment on the part of the individual to take up the cross of Christ-no one else can make that decision for you.

Christianity is a religion focused upon the individual’s response to Christ. No one can force another person to be a Christian. There must be a revolution of the heart in order for one to become a Christian. Can others encourage, plead, exhort? Yes! And this helps the individual make the decision that he needs to make, but the decision, nonetheless, still belongs to the individual. So don’t look for a noisy display of outward show in true Christianity. That is not how it is done. True Christianity involves working steadfastly (1 Corinthians 15:58), patiently, lovingly, tenderly, quietly. How does a person change the world? It changes one heart at a time.

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For Purity of Purpose

It is clear from the scriptures that in order for one to be saved, one must be baptized (Mark 16:16). Since the word “baptize” is a transliteration from the Greek word “baptizo” the significance of the word is lost to us in the English language. So it is within the context of how the word “baptize” is used that we come to the conclusion that baptism must be immersion. Specifically in Romans 6:1-11 where we are taught that baptism is in the likeness of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. To be buried, one must be completely immersed in the burial material, in this case, water. For one to be baptized in a way that is not burial (such as pouring or sprinkling) would not be a fulfillment of the need to be buried. To this, most members of the Lord’s body would agree. However, when it comes to the stated purpose for which one is baptized, many accept the idea that as long as the candidate is submersed, then they are saved, regardless of their state of mind. So with this idea, many say that although one may not believe that baptism is necessary for remission of sins, if one is immersed God will forgive those sins regardless of the individual’s belief regarding baptism itself. Is this a correct understanding of the scriptures? Let’s examine the question in light of the plan of salvation. The Bible teaches that for a person to come into a state of salvation, one must: (1) hear the gospel message (Romans 10:17), (2) believe it (John 3:16), (3) repent of ones sins (Acts 17:30), (4) confess the name of Christ (Matthew 10:32) and (5) be baptized (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Each of these steps involves purity of purpose. Let’s look at some scriptures that indicate this.

When we look at the step of hearing the gospel, we recognize that not any hearing will do. It takes more than just letting the word go in one ear and out the other in order for a person to respond. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27 that the person who hears and acts upon what he hears is like a wise man, but that the person who hears and does not act upon what he hears is like a foolish man. In other words, not only must we hear the gospel message, but also we must hear it in a certain way, with a specific purpose. We must hear the gospel with the view that we are going to act upon it or with the view that we are going to obey it. So when one hears the gospel, one must hear it with the purpose in mind of obeying what one hears.

When we look at the step of believing the gospel, we recognize that purity of purpose must be involved here as well. It is not sufficient to believe just anything, but we must believe the message of the Gospel. Moreover, we must not have ulterior motives for believing the gospel. One cannot believe something with the purpose in mind of simply making another person happy. One must believe with a view of salvation in mind. There are certain things that a person must believe in order to be saved and there is the proper motive for believing those things. Romans 10:10 states that with the heart man believes unto righteousness. The heart must be pure in order to believe the gospel. The purpose must be understood.

When we look at the step of repentance, the Bible is clear that it is more than merely being sorry. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 we read, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” It is not sufficient to merely be sorry for one’s sins. The purpose of repentance is more than mere sorrow. The purpose of repentance is to stop doing the sinful things that one once did and to reform the pattern of one’s life after righteousness. So repentance must be with the proper attitude and correct purpose or else it is no repentance at all. Again, the purpose must be understood for one to be saved.

One’s confession as well must be pure. Does saying the words, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” regardless of one’s attitude fulfill the requirement of confession? No. An atheist can say the words, but that does not make him a Christian. The words in and of themselves contain no “magic” formula that works salvation upon an individual. These words must come from the heart; they must be meant. Again, Romans 10:10 says that with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. That presupposes that one has already believed. Confession must be done with purity of purpose and that purpose must be understood for one to be saved.

Now we get to the step of baptism. Should we conclude anything different regarding this particular step of salvation? Should we conclude that in all the other steps one’s motive and purpose must be pure, but that when it comes to baptism that we do not have to have a pure motive and purpose? There is nothing magic in the waters of baptism. The water is just water. So dunking a person under the water just for the sake of dunking someone under the water is not going to cut it. If the proper motive and purpose is not present, it is meaningless just like all the other steps of salvation. If a person is not baptized for the proper motives and purposes, he is just getting wet. The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16).

At this point many will ask, “What if a person is being baptized to obey God, but does not understand that baptism is for the remission of sins.” In response, I ask, “Can a person merely hear the word of God ‘to obey God’ but not act upon the words that he hears?” “Can a person merely believe something ‘to obey God’ but not believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?” “Can a person merely repent ‘to obey God’ but not actually change one’s life?” “Can a person merely confess ‘to obey God’ but not actually mean what he says?” If one cannot do these things “to obey God” without actually involving the purity of purpose with which these things are done, what makes a person think that they can be baptized ‘to obey God’ without actually involving the purity of purpose with which baptism is to be done?

The truth of the matter is that baptism is an act of faith. When a person is baptized, they must believe that baptism is for the remission of their sins–that is the act of faith. Colossians 2:12 says, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” Without that act of faith involved in baptism, one is merely getting wet. If a person is just baptized “to obey God” what is the act of faith? Wherein are you putting your trust when you are baptized “to obey God?” Someone says, “I am putting my trust in God.” Great! So what are you putting your trust in God to do? When faith trusts God, it trusts God to do something (Romans 4:20-22; Hebrews 11). Baptism doesn’t need to show that one merely believes God; confession accomplishes that! Baptism is not just a restatement of one’s confession. It is more than that. Notice what Peter says on the matter of baptism. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Notice what is said in this passage. 1) Baptism saves us. 2) Baptism is not merely taking a bath. 3) Baptism is the response to God of a good conscience. 4) Baptism saves by the resurrection of Jesus. Notice item number 3). When we are baptized, we have to have a good conscience about it–we must do it with the right purposes in mind. The good conscience when taught properly is going to understand that baptism is necessary for salvation and is going to motivate the individual to take the appropriate action. To say that one can be baptized correctly without understanding the purpose of baptism denies the role of the conscience in baptism.

Many have asked me the question: “Can you be taught wrong and baptized right?” In response, I ask, “Can you be taught wrong and hear right?” “Can you be taught wrong and believe right?” “Can you be taught wrong and repent right?” “Can you be taught wrong and confess right?” If we cannot do these things, then what makes us think that we can be taught wrong and baptized right? The bottom line is that God has clearly identified the purity of purpose for baptism. There is no reason for someone not to know what the purpose of baptism is when they are baptized and if they are not following the purposes that God has clearly set forth, they are just getting wet.

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September 11th and the Problem of Evil

PBS recently aired a television special asking the question that most don’t want to confront, “Why is there such evil in this world?” “Why would God allow such evil to occur?” Why wouldn’t God stop such an evil event as happened on September 11th, 2001?”

The classic argument made by Atheists is as follows: “If God is perfectly good, and if God is perfectly powerful and if God does not want evil to occur and if God knows when evil will occur then why doesn’t he do something about it?” Atheists claim that the very fact that God does not stop such things from happening means that he is either not all good, not all powerful or not all knowing and that therefore if he lacks one of these attributes then he cannot be God.

This argument is the only one that Atheists have. Other arguments are made, but these arguments are based upon false teaching by some that claim to be Christians. One such argument is based on the assumption that God is a respecter of persons and that God specifically chooses who will or will not be saved. Thus God would become unjust for offering salvation to some, but not to others and with this we would agree–not that God is unjust, but that the assumption that God does not offer salvation to all equally is a false assumption. The Bible teaches that God is not a respecter of persons and thus would be unjust if he offered salvation to one person, and not to all people.

The problem of evil, however, cannot be handled in such a manner because God does allow evil to happen in the world. Let’s examine for a moment this argument on the part of the Atheist.

The Atheists suggests that God could just prevent people from doing evil. However, if God simply prevented people from making the choice of evil, then there would be some serious implications regarding free will–there would be no free will. That God allows us to make free choices necessitates the possibility for evil. Take away the possibility to do evil and God must also take away the possibility for real good to be chosen as well. In essence people would become mere automatons, only being able to do what they are programmed to do. We would be o better than a computer program.

As a result of merely being a sophisticated computer program we would hardly expect God to hold us responsible for our actions. Additionally, God’s doling out rewards and punishments based upon such a system would prove God to be unjust. If we are just a sophisticated computer program then God himself should be held responsible for our action. After all, would we hold the computer program or the programmer responsible for the result of a bad program? Ask any programmer alive. He is the one who gets rewarded or punished based upon how his program operates.

However at this point the Atheist will counter with a suggestion. “Why can’t God allow us to choose between right and wrong but simply not allow such drastic consequences of choosing the wrong?” This simply cannot be. Being able to choose wrong without there being consequences to choosing wrong is no real choice at all. How can one define evil without consequences? What would make the choice evil? In fact, the choice would be no evil at all because there would be nothing that happened as a result of the choice. A theoretical choice is no choice at all. What makes a choice a choice is the fact that there are practical consequences to the choice. In order to make a choice there must be real consequences to that choice or it is no choice at all. Even the law recognizes the difference between the practical and the hypothetical. A defendant in trial can talk hypothetically regarding a crime all day long and it can never be used against him in court. However if he confesses to actually making the choice, this can be used against him in court. A hypothetical choice is no choice at all.

At this point an Atheist has yet another suggestion for us. “Let’s allow the individual to make choices and allow only certain consequences–consequences that would only affect the individual who made the choice itself.” This seems like a reasonable suggestion. Let’s take away the terrible consequences of the choice of evil as it would apply to other people but not the one who chooses evil. Assuming that this could be done without some pretty amazing miracles occurring what could this imply concerning the choice of evil? Well, first it would mean that evil would not be such a big deal. You could choose evil and really all that would happen would be that you might have some bad thoughts and perhaps hurt ones self. Now, let’s suppose that you choose to do something to another person that is evil, say murder another person. You pull out the gun and fire it, but the bullet stops miraculously in the air and the other person stays alive. Now God confronts you on the Day of Judgment and says you are going to be punished for murder. But you say, “how can you punish me for this when the murder never took place?” This would be a valid argument. We try people all the time for attempted murder as opposed to murder itself. Even our own judicial system understands that there is a difference between the attempt to murder and murder itself, because the consequences are different. We recognize that different consequences imply harsher sentences.

Moreover, what kind of world would this be? What would be the point of choosing an evil if you knew there were never going to be any consequences? It would be a world in which it is so obvious that God exists that no one would be interested in choosing wrong. In order for someone to choose between right and wrong there must be an equal balance between the two choices. If you know that when you choose a wrong that God is going to be there to stop the consequences it isn’t really a choice. Why bother? The balance between the two choices is obviously in favor of God, so it would not be a real choice at all. In order to freely choose, not only must we be given the choice itself, but the opportunity to exercise the choice. In other words the choice is not merely possible theoretically but practically as well or there is really no choice.

Finally, the argument that God does not exist based upon the problem evil is really a self-destructive argument. What is the primary assumption in the argument? Is it not that REAL EVIL EXISTS? Not just what one person says is evil, but that actual objective evil exists. Now who is going to determine what is really evil and what is not? There is a very famous quotation from the French existential philosopher Jean Paul Sarte in his book “Being and Nothingness.” He says, “If there is no God, then anything goes.” About this his is 100% correct. If God does not exist there is no objective right or wrong there are only choices and there is no basis to say whether one person’s choice is any better than another. The very argument that Atheists make is in essence taken away from them because if there is no God then absolute evil cannot exist. But in order for Atheists to PROVE there is no God, absolute evil must exist! If absolute evil does not exist then whey they call evil is no evil at all. The very argument the Atheist makes against God end sup proving that there is a God. Because in order for real objective evil to exist, real objective Good must exist to tell us what evil actually is!

The Atheist has no case upon which to make his claim. He has no argument to present. He can merely assert, unproved, what his own thoughts are on the matter and an assertion is just that, an assertion and it contains within it no evidence, reason, or logical conclusion on the matter.

The events of September 11th, 2001 were and are tragic indeed. However, I would not want to face those events with the “knowledge” that there is no absolute evil. Every Atheist in the world must confess that those responsible for those events of that horrible day really did not commit any evil at all because they have no ground upon which to stand to judge such an event to be truly and objectively evil. For the Atheist must admit that what one society may deem evil, another society will uphold as a heroic act and unless there is some absolute standard of right and wrong, one cannot judge any particular act wrong outside of the context of any individual society. And if one cannot do that, then one cannot say what is right and what is wrong.

Yes, I am thankful that I am a Christian because I know that God holds justice within his hand and that one day all choices will be presented before him and an account will be made. In that day all wrongs will be righted, all evils punished, and all injustices corrected. Here is a picture of right and wrong with which we can clearly and confidently say that the acts of September 11th, 2001 were truly evil.

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