How Do You Explain Religion?

 

As long as there have been people, there has been religion. As far back as we can trace, people have been religious from Day 1. While religions differ across continents and centuries, the common denominator is that people believe in a higher power, and they do something to pay homage to that deity. The fact that the world is still very religious in 2021 is a big problem for those who believe in Darwinian evolution.

 

We are supposedly evolving towards perfection. Darwinists have no problem with their caricatures of dumb cavemen believing in God; those barely human, dumb-as-bricks mongrels were too stupid to know any better. But by now there should not be any more religious people. Evolutionists teach that religion is an illusion, and it requires that one believes what is false to be true, and what is true to be false. The very idea of survival of the fittest means that humans should reject what is false because we should only do that which contributes to our own survival. Don’t take my word for it. Famed atheist Richard Dawkins said the existence of religion presents “a major puzzle for anyone who thinks in a Darwinian way.” Evolutionists know that religion hurts their theory. 

 

Religion does not contribute to our survival, humanly speaking. People give up things because of religion. Consider Christianity: most of us give away our money as an offering, wake up early on Sundays and spend our time at services; we abstain from things the world says we need; we deny ourselves and submit to a person we cannot even see. Our ancestors brought their best produce, even their best heads of cattle as sacrifices to the Lord. According to evolution, these things should have been weeded out to guarantee our survival. Contrary to what Darwinists say, religion isn’t going away any time soon.

 

That is because religion does contribute to our survival. Prayer is a wonderful gift, and faith, hope, and love make the world a better place. Atheists say they can be “good without God,” but God is the one who defines what is good. This is the biggest reason why religion is a problem for evolution: deep down we all know there is a God.

 

In Romans 2:14-15 Paul wrote, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Even the Gentiles, according to the apostle, have God’s law written on their hearts. The law was written on tablets for Jews, but in reality, all people know God’s law. We know stealing, lying, and hurting others is wrong, and we know this without having to read the Ten Commandments. In the same way, even without reading a Bible, we know there is a Higher Power, an Intelligent Designer. Evolutionists say religion is an illusion, but the only illusion is evolution.

 

Augustine’s Pears

 

Have you ever stolen anything? If so, it was probably for a reason. A beggar steals food because he is hungry. A child steals candy because he wants to put that chocolate in his mouth. An addict steals anything of value to fund his habits. Others steal out of jealousy and a desire to have what others have. 

 

In his classic autobiography titled Confessions, Saint Augustine of Hippo recounted the time he stole some pears from another man’s tree. He was only sixteen years old, and many might dismiss his actions as a harmless teenage prank, but for Augustine, his theft revealed a deeper heart issue. Listen to how he would later describe this pivotal event in his life: “We carried off a huge load of pears, and after barely tasting some, fed the rest to hogs. We had no intention of eating the pears, but to simply steal them. This act pleased us because it was forbidden…I had no desire to enjoy what I had stolen, but to enjoy the theft and the sin itself.” 

 

Far from sweeping this petty crime under the rug, Augustine lamented, “Behold with what companions I walked the streets of Babylon!...I loved my own undoing…I had become to myself a wasteland.”  

 

Typically people steal to feed themselves or a habit. Augustine’s thievery accomplished no moral purpose. This was not a situational ethics case of arguing that the ends justified the means (Better to steal than starve to death). For Augustine, the act of stealing pears was symptomatic of a larger problem—that his heart was totally depraved and far from God. It mattered not whether he stole pears or pearls; the dollar amount was of no concern to God. 

 

His brutal honesty in assessing his fallen condition is what ultimately led to his salvation. As long as we insist that our sin is no big deal and try to downplay its seriousness (Relax, it’s just a few pears!), we will never come face to face with our own separation from a holy God and need of a Savior. Many who live in sin choose to view God as an officer of the law, someone who just waits for us to mess up so He can make the big bust. Augustine viewed God differently. He wrote of his Lord, “…as I recall in the bitterness of self-examination my wicked ways, that you may grow ever sweeter to me, You who are sweetness without deception! You are sweetness, happy and assured! You gathered me up out of those fragments in which I was torn to pieces while I turned away from you…”

 

The Bible is clear that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23),” and that “the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).” We will not make it to heaven by sinning less than other people, by sinning for noble causes, or by sinning in only minor infractions. It all comes down to your heart. The natural person—the one who has not yet been saved by grace—sins for sin’s sake. Sin is what sinners do. Is your heart a wasteland, or have you been saved? 

Lion of Judah

 

Our family recently took a trip to the Greenville zoo. That is a trip that is fun for the kids, but in truth, I always enjoy seeing the animals and reading the facts posted about them. My favorite part is the African area, where giraffes tower over the buildings and lions walk harmlessly just feet away. This was the closest I have ever been to a lion. There was only about an inch between us and his powerful jaws (that inch was glass in the viewing area). 

 

The lion is an intimidating animal. I could not help but think about the biblical references to the lion; for example, Isaiah 31 compares God to a roaring lion, and at the zoo I read that a lion’s roar can be heard from an astounding five miles away. The most prominent lion passages, however, are the ones that bookend the Bible. 

 

In Genesis 49 the dying Jacob is blessing his children, and when he gets to his son Judah, he said, “Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him (v.9)?” This was part of a messianic prophecy that looked forward to the day when Jesus would return to earth to judge the nations. 

 

In Revelation 5:5 we see the prophecy come full circle: “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’” The genealogies of Jesus provided by both Matthew and Luke show that Jesus was a descendant of Judah (from the line of Judah) as well as David (the root of David).

 

The lion is called the king of the jungle, and for good reason. It is a fierce yet majestic creature. This is a fitting picture of Jesus, the King of Kings. He is fierce, yet majestic. His roar is terrifying, but only to His prey. Romans 11:22 contrasts “the goodness and severity of God.” He is severe to the wicked, yet good to His children. To the unbeliever God is that severe lion—fierce, terrifying, and dangerous. But to those of us who have trusted in Him, to those of us who have been saved, we can be an inch away and have no reason to fear.  

 

A Spider and a Butterfly

Several years ago scientists learned how to merge together two insects very early in their development. One of the experiments involved the combination of a young fly spider and a young butterfly. These opposite creatures formed a freak of science. This poor insect was simultaneously drawn to the light and to the darkness. It wanted to fly and crawl at the same time. Worst of all, it had an appetite for both flowers and other insects. This Jekyll and Hyde-like insect was an experiment gone wrong. By being both spider and butterfly, it was really neither.

And yet the spider/butterfly may have something in common with us. There is a dichotomy that exists within many of us; we find ourselves pulled in two different directions. Maybe you hate alcohol because you know of its harmful effects, but yet you keep running back to it. Maybe you want to lose weight, but you also love ice cream (I mean the real kind, not that low fat nonsense). 

The dichotomy can also be spiritual. Maybe you know you should pray or read the Bible more, but every time you start to, you think of something else you could be doing with that time. Maybe you know you need to share the gospel with someone, but you choose to talk about sports, politics, the weather—anything but the Lord. Maybe you know you need to drop a bad habit, or pick up a good one, but you find yourself falling short. Perhaps you can relate to Paul, who wrote, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…Wretched man that I am (Romans 7:15, 19, 24)!”

Paul explained the reason for this. We are like the spider-butterfly hybrid in that we are Christians and humans, in this world, but not of it. The key is to keep our minds on the things of God, not the things of this world. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6).” If we dwell on worldly things, our actions will soon follow our thoughts. We could think about it like this: we are both spider and butterfly; whichever one we feed the most will win. We can feed the spider the carcasses of other insects, or we can feed the butterfly the flowers of the field. We need to pick just one. We can feed the flesh the things of this world, or we can starve the flesh while we feed the spirit the things of God.   

Which one will you choose to feed? 

Give Me the Bad News

We always want the bad news first, right? Whenever someone says, “I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news; which do you want first?” we take the bad news first. It isn’t that we like bad news so much that we can’t wait to hear it, we just prefer to get the bad news out of the way and get to the good news. Hearing the bad news is hard, but knowing that some good news is coming right behind it can help to soften the blow of the bad news. 

It reminds me of the man who got a call from his landlord. “I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is your rental house burned down and all your possessions are gone. The good news is you are finally out of the lease.” 

Bad news is a part of life, so it is nice when a little good news helps to offset some of the bad. There is a verse in the Bible that begins with really bad news, but quickly shifts gears and gives us the good news. Romans 6:23 begins by saying, “For the wages of sin is death…” That is very bad news since we are all sinners; just three chapters earlier it says “all have sinned,” and “there is none righteous, no, not one.” So we are all sinners, and the earned payment of our sin is death—both physical and spiritual. 

But there is good news! The verse continues, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” That is an amazing turnaround in just a few words. We are all sinners by birth; we are all facing a death of our own deserving; but now we learn that we can avoid death and receive eternal life. While death is the earned payment for our sin, eternal life is an unearned free gift because of the amazing grace of God. 

This verse doesn’t mean that Christians will drink from the fountain of youth and find immortality. The Bible teaches that we pass from death to life when we trust in Christ (John 5:24). When my heart stops beating here and my time on earth is over, I’ll continue living in heaven. In that sense I will never truly die. Conversely, Revelation 20:14 and 21:8 teach that the unsaved will experience a second death when they are condemned to the lake of fire. We can avoid this death because of the gift of God. 

God said, “I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is your sin will lead to your death. The good news is I love you so much that I sent my only Son to die your death in your place. And if you trust in what Jesus did, you won’t face that death you deserve, but instead will have eternal life with me.” 

Is God Safe?

One of my favorite literary dialogues comes from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. During dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Lucy, Susan, and Peter are inquiring about Aslan, the lion who is rumored to be coming to destroy the White Witch and end the eternal winter. Mr. Beaver shares an old proverb about the coming of Aslan:

Wrong will be right when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar sorrows will be no more,

For when he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again. 

This prompts Susan to ask, “Is he—quite safe?” Mrs. Beaver answers: “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just plain silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?”

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you.”

In this allegory Aslan is a picture of Jesus; just as we have been awaiting the return of the Lord to defeat the evil one, the people of Narnia were anticipating the coming of the lion they had never seen. Believing that “Aslan is on the move,” the people were preparing for his appearing. I’ve always appreciated Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s honest depiction of Aslan; yes, his coming is a good thing, but no, he isn’t safe. He is a lion, after all. But he’s good.

We would do well to learn to balance the attributes of God the way Lewis’ beavers did. It seems the church has made an effort to market God in the most palatable way, boasting of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness, while ignoring God’s wrath, holiness, and justice. Like Paul, we need to present “the goodness and severity of God (Romans 11:22).” Those who are His children have no reason to fear, but God is severe to those who are rejecting Him. Sinners need to know that it is still a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God (Hebrews 10:31).

To the unsaved, there is nothing safe about God, but we can rest assured that He is good. He is the King, I tell you. And if He is Lord of your life there is nothing to fear. If He is not your Lord, I am begging you to repent before it is too late. 

The Horizon

Charles Spurgeon once told the about “the man who preached so well and lived so badly that when he was in the pulpit everybody said he ought never to come out again, and when he was out of it they all declared he never ought to enter it again.” The pastor is rightly expected to practice what he preaches, but the admonition to holy living is not limited to the man in the pulpit; all Christians should understand they are called to live a life that is set apart. 

That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers to “come out from among them and be separate…and do not touch the unclean thing (2 Corinthians 6:17).” The Greek work translated as separate is haphorizo, from where we get our English word horizon. While we may typically think of the horizon as referring to something off in the distance (as in “something good is coming over the horizon”), that is not what the word means. According to the dictionary, horizon is “the line or circle that forms the apparent boundary between earth and sky.” The horizon, then, is what separates two things. 

Followers of Jesus have been called to be the horizon—completely separate from the world. I believe the church never has more to offer the lost world than when the church looks least like the world. Pastors in particular and Christians in general seem to be embracing this tendency to look like the world instead being the horizon. But separation isn’t limited to just the negative; it is not only about what we are separated from, but also what we are separated to. In Romans 1:1 Paul introduced himself as an apostle “separated unto the gospel of God,” and it is the same word haphorizo again. We need to be the horizon, separated from this evil world, and set apart in a positive way to live our lives for the Father. Let’s be that something good people can see over the horizon.

Change of Address

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

The Apostle Paul asked and answered his own question in Romans 6:1-2. The question came in response to his teaching on grace in the previous chapters; he anticipated his audience’s conclusion would be that sin is actually a good thing, because the more we sin, the more God gets to display His amazing grace. To paraphrase, Paul predicted they would say, “If we sin more, God gets to forgive more.” That is how “grace may abound.”

But he answered his own question with an emphatic no. After all, he was saying, if we have died to sin, how can we continue living in it? The Greek word that is translated live more literally refers to a permanent address. Some of you maintain more than one residence, but you have only one legal permanent address. Your vacation house or time share are not recognized as a legal residence; that designation is reserved for the place where you spend 51% of your nights.

Paul’s careful use of the word live implies that we will still sin from time to time. He understood that he was writing to human beings who would not attain perfection under the sun. The point is not that those who have died to sin (Christians) will never sin, but that they cannot live in it. Our permanent address cannot be in sin. Maybe some of you have run back to the sin you once died to. I recommend that you move. Go to the post office, fill out a change of address form, and get out of town.

Have you died to sin? You cannot live there any longer.

Luther’s Five Solas

After Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the Castle Church door he became a marked man in all but his hometown of Wittenberg. The dangers he faced afforded him the time to devote himself to the study of Scripture and the writing of his books and commentaries. As the Reformer continued to grow in his understanding he ultimately developed his “five solas (sola means only or alone in Latin).”

Sola Scriptura. Luther concluded that everything a person needs to know in order to be saved is be found in Scripture alone. As Paul noted in Romans 1:16, the gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.” As the English Reformers would later declare in their Thirty-Nine Articles, if something is not written in Scripture, it “is not to be required…or necessary for salvation.”

Sola Gratis. Martin Luther realized that salvation is by grace alone, as clearly stated in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you are saved…” Were it not for the grace of God no human could ever have the opportunity to be saved. No saved person can boast of their salvation unless they are boasting in God’s grace.

Sola Fide. Ephesians 2:8 continues, “you are saved through faith…” Luther learned that grace is God’s part, but we must respond in faith alone. Buying indulgences, confession before a priest, making pilgrimages, and observing the mass cannot save a person; it is only by grace through faith.

Solus Christus. Neither grace nor faith would be possible were it not for the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no other, for there is no other name [than Jesus] under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Soli Deo Gloria. Everything must be done for the glory of God alone (1 Corinthians 10:31). Even our salvation brings God glory, but the warped actions of the priesthood glorified man in place of God. Luther fought to put the focus on God alone.

If Martin Luther could speak to you today, he would want you to make sure your salvation is founded on Scripture alone, because of grace alone, with you responding in faith alone, based on the work of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

    

False Statements in the Bible

Does the Bible contain false statements? Of course it does! It might surprise some of you to hear me say that, but please let me point out four undeniably false quotations found in Scripture.

Ananias and Sapphira each made a false statement in Acts 5; after selling property and making a donation to the church, they withheld a portion and lied about the price. Peter asked, “Did you sell the land for this price?” The wife replied, “Yes, for that price.” That lie was a false statement, and they paid dearly for it.

Job’s “friend” Eliphaz the Temanite also made a false statement in Job 4-5 when he concluded that Job’s suffering was a punishment for some secret sin he would not confess. The truth was that God allowed Job to be tested, and he passed the test.

A third false statement can be found in Isaiah 14:14: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.” That lie was spoken by Lucifer, who thought he could challenge El Elyon, the Most High God. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Finally, the Bible contains this false statement: “There is no God (Psalm 14:1).” While Descartes may agree with such a claim, we need to remember that the above quote is attributed to “the foolish man.”

I hear from critics who like to remind me that the Bible contains false statements; sure it does. It accurately contains false statements made by fools, liars, fair-weather friends, and the devil himself. But the Bible is never inaccurate in what it says. If the Bible says it, you can take it to the bank. There may be critics and scoffers out there trying to make you doubt, but we have faith. When your faith in the Bible may waver, just read it a little more; after all, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).”