Laws of Nature?

The recent religious liberty legislation in Indiana has produced an outcry of discrimination against sexual orientation.  Yet since the sexual revolution of the sixties we have seen a downward slide in traditional values in our country.  What was once abnormal is now described as normal and moral values have changed as man’s capabilities and technology have changed.  

But why is the sexual orientation argument being described as discrimination and not as a moral issue?  If it is unjust to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, isn’t that a moral judgment of something right and wrong?  From what value system is sexual orientation determined to be true or false, or true today but not true a few decades ago?  The debate about this discrimination is really about a new morality.

Those who promote religious liberty also see sexual orientation as a moral issue, and that it is our religious right to be moral.  Religious liberty is a hallmark of our country based upon truths that are, "self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” as we know from the Declaration of Independence.  The right to the freedom of religion is an unalienable right, yet the civil rights of sexual orientation have developed just recently in our culture.

Religious freedom lies at the core of what America stands for as all other liberties come from this unalienable right.  This liberty is based upon “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” that also is in our Declaration, which means that our laws should not be founded upon the preferences or tyrannies of men.  All true liberty is based upon truths that are from the laws of nature and nature's God.  In our contemporary culture there are many laws however that have departed from these laws and have established a precedent of preference instead of rights endowed by our Creator.

We’ve come a long way since the eighteenth century and there is an equivocation being made today from our technical progress to a moral progressiveness.  But the self evident truth and the laws of nature do not change by the opinions or progress of people.  Our religious freedom is directly tied to unchanging truths and when these principles are rejected then all our freedoms will be lost.  There is no real progress without the foundational laws of nature and nature's God which do not change.

Remarkably there is even a growing demand for the acceptance of sexual orientation despite self evident truth and the laws of nature.  Have we lost all common sense as a culture?  For even the human anatomy reveals that male and female are created by design for each other.  And if heterosexuality is not moral then what is morality?  The sexual orientation argument fails in its fundamental reasoning as it has no foundation in natural law.  Even more, the sexually progressive cannot defend their practices from any lasting truth principles as they seek to normalize a new morality.

Departing from the primary truths that our nation was founded upon severs us from all our American justice and even the very foundation of civilized society.  We must distinguish the difference then between being equal in essence and in practice, and between morality and discrimination.  We need to clarify the essence of all our liberty by upholding the laws of nature and nature's God and the unalienable rights endowed by our Creator.  Otherwise we will have no self evident truth or natural law for which a defense can be made from the preferences and tyranny of men.

As we remember Easter Sunday this week let's remember that Christians also have truth from the Scriptures that we trust and depend upon.  This is the truth of the grace of Christ that can change our hearts and forgive our sin as we put our trust in him.  It's also a truth that does not change with the shifting winds of the doctrines in culture.  Let's proclaim this grace in Christ so as to respect the humanity of all people and the need we all have for grace.

Spiritual Leadership

Possibly one of the most pragmatic and necessary elements for any organization, business or family is good leadership.  And when it comes to a Christian church or institution it is Spiritual leadership.  Good Christian leadership is an expression of wisdom for those in faith and a witness to the secular world.  Every organization needs effective leadership to thrive and when Christians exhibit sound mind leadership based upon truth principles they display the wisdom of Christ.

Truth and wisdom are not always in vogue however, but they never are out of use.  Through my experience I've seen different leadership examples in families, schools, the military, businesses, and in the church.  It each of these I've seen people lead by personality, persuasion or power, and sometimes principles.  But in all organizations there is confusion, disillusionment, inefficiency and distrust when leadership is either ineffective or incompetent.  Yet we find clarity, vision, and order when there is clear leadership in place.  We all need guidance to live by and for the Christian there's no better place to find it than in God's Word.  In God's Book there is light, truth and wisdom that also gives us Spiritual leadership.

The book of Proverbs is wisdom literature filled with truth principles that were true over three thousand years ago and still true today.  For instance, Proverbs 29:18 describes, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law."  A good leader will have a vision for his plans, and a Christian leader will have a vision from God's Word.  The vision binds people to a cause and a purpose greater than themselves.  In the KJV it reads, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."  The vision is directly related to the life of any institution, and when the vision is lost, the life is gone.  Families, militaries, businesses and churches all die when they depart from their vision in truth principles.

In Deuteronomy 28:1, Moses teaches us, "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on the earth."  The voice of the LORD is from Scripture, He is teaching us all the time with lessons given to those who have preceded us.  We must be careful to obey the commandments of the LORD even as we know we live before Him in grace, for these are his eternal principles that are given to us to have life.

Moses clarifies to us the importance of these teachings in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..."  Moses ties his leadership for the people to the commandments of God and then the commandments to life itself.  The commandments are from God and "He is your life and the length of your days."  Without the truth of God and his commandments we lack vision, wisdom and even life itself.  He is our life and He communicates to us this truth in Scripture.

There are also numerous places in the New Testament that offer truth and wisdom in living out the Christian life.  In Colossians 3:1 Paul exhorts us to look to God and not to the world.  "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."  And in Col 3:16, Paul exhorts us, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  The vibrant Christian life is clearly Scripture centered as we are told to "seek those things which are above ... and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."  It is from Scripture that we find truth and wisdom, and it is sufficient to know the will of God for leadership and in all of life.

We must be aware however of the world we live in to discern its affect on our thinking.  One test of truth is to ask if our decisions are consistent with Scripture.  Also are we seeking change just for the sake of being progressive with our culture?  In another way, we should ask if a decision is what our parents or forefathers would do.  Is something in violation with common sense truth principles?  If certain practices are useful for businesses are they also true for the church?  Is there sufficient reason from the texts of Scripture to lead in a certain direction?

The subtle changes of our culture in this fast paced world are normalizing new moralities in an equivocation with the changes of technology.  But, God doesn't change.  And if truth principles do change, how could we know what is true?  If truth itself is always changing, how would we know what is right and wrong, and who would get to decide what is moral?  We must not just ask what is pragmatic but what is true and consistent with God's Word.  Our modern culture is degenerating from a lack of vision for God and his truth.  It is confused, chaotic, immoral and dysfunctional.  But the Christian church should be full of life from the truth and wisdom of the Lord.

We all need a vision to live by and Spiritual leadership needs the vision of Christ and his truth principles through His Word.  Christians must be focused on Scripture in our thinking and in all our leadership decisions.  We are called in Deuteronomy 30 to "Love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice ... for He is your life."  His commandments bring life not death.  And from Colossians 3 we are called to "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom."  For Christ is the source of truth and wisdom and He is alive forevermore.  We must be filled therefore with His Word to have truth and wisdom and to exercise Spiritual leadership.

A Good Conference

Have you been to a good conference lately?  How about a great seminar?  Or have you been able to read a classic book recently?  Perhaps you've been able to just make it to church and hear a solid sermon from Scripture?  Have you heard from God lately?

Recently my wife and I and another couple had the great opportunity to attend the Ligonier Ministries conference, "After Darkness, Light" and be a part of almost three days of good teaching, music and fellowship.  It was a rich time of renewal and restoration in the soul.  And it was just what I needed for the speakers communicated many realities about our culture and the unending need to know God in all his mighty attributes.  Dr. R.C. Sproul presented the need for the divine Light of Scripture to permeate our hearts and minds, as this conference highlighted a main theme from the Reformation.

The twenty-first century American culture is deteriorating and even imploding spiritually at an alarming rate.  And worse of all it changes the way we think.  We begin to see new norms and take the degradation from God's truth as ordinary.  But God doesn't change and his Word doesn't change, nor is it obsolete to the ever changing winds of the doctrines of men.  This is because God's character doesn't change for he is eternal, inerrant and trustworthy, to name just a few.

If I could highlight just one talk out of the three days that may be most beneficial I would highlight "It's Just a Book" from Robert Godfrey.  In this message he describes how the world considers the Bible to be just another book, in fact, it is quite outdated and of historical reference only.  But, to the contrary, the Bible is a supernatural book, it has a divine life because it has a divine Author and it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible has a life of its own that can never be squelched and it brings us to life for those who accept its truth and trust it.  There are many reasons why people lose their zest in the Christian life from all the brokenness and darkness of the world.  But the "Light" of the world is Christ, who is the light of life, and we can only see this from Scripture.  We need to drink long from his living waters in his Word.  As Jesus himself said, John 8:12, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

It has always been from Scripture that reformations have taken place whether individually, locally, regionally or globally.  And more than one speaker referenced the divine revelation that Peter received in his confession of Christ.  In Mt. 16:17 Jesus said, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven."  This is the "divine and supernatural light" that the church has been founded upon from the beginning.  It is the Light of Christ of which we have recorded in "the good Book".

The Scriptures are truly the Word of God, they are God speaking to us.  We not only need the good Book we need good teaching from dedicated Christians in Bible studies, fellowship groups, church worship services, and occasionally a great conference.  We need to break away at times to be renewed by the Light of the world.

The great sixteenth century reformation slogan was, "Post Tenebras Lux"; After Darkness, Light.  And this comes from the Light of the supernatural book, the Bible.  It can strengthen our weary souls, it can encourage our faint hearts, it can illumine our dark minds, and it will inspire us to live for Christ.  Amen.

Free Grace?

Many people would say that grace is the most important doctrine of the Christian faith, in fact, it even defines the very essence of the faith.  Grace is the gift of salvation from God in Christ that we cannot earn ourselves.  But is grace a free gift or does it cost something?  I believe grace is free in that mankind cannot earn it, but it is not free in at least three other aspects.

Grace is not free in respect to what it cost Jesus to accomplish.  As the second Person of the Godhead, Christ had to become a man and come to Earth in humility.  He then lived a perfect and holy life in obedience to his Father and died on the cross to pay the price for the sins of mankind.  This sin offering was extremely costly and it provided the righteousness for the justification of sinners before God.  This grace is free to all who call upon Jesus, yet it cost him his very life.

The grace of Christ is also not free in that we must accept his righteousness and not our own for salvation.  This can only happen when we exchange our life for Christ's life.  We see this in Mt.16:24, "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.""  This does not mean that we must be physically crucified on a cross, but spiritually we must die to any pursuit of self-righteousness before God.  We must accept the righteousness that Christ alone provides, which is our justification before God.

By accepting the grace of Christ we also receive a transformed heart and walk in faith and in newness of life.  And as we walk in faith with a changed heart, we must in addition turn from sin and seek to live for Christ as Lord.  We are not free therefore to live as we please but in grace we desire to live for Christ and his truth.  This is the process of growing in faith and sanctification and this produces good works as we become more Christ-like.  There is a distinction then between the meritorious works of Christ for justification and the good works of Christians in grace and growing in sanctification.

The free grace doctrine however teaches that there are no works required for Christian faith, and we are set at liberty in grace.  But the Bible teaches that we were created for good works as we live out God's grace.  We see in Eph 2:8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  God's grace always produces faith, and faith always produces good works.  And Christians will never walk in faith perfectly as we are still sinners in a broken world, but if there are no good works there can be no true faith.

The idea of free grace is a false wind of doctrine that blows against the true Christian faith.  For we must give all we have in exchange for Christ, (Mt. 13:45-46), for our justification.  And in faith we must seek to deny our sinful natures to grow in sanctification and good works to become Christ-like.  This is sometimes called the cost of discipleship, but these are works of faith that come from the grace of Christ.

The grace of God is a precious gift we cannot earn.  And grace is not a freedom to live however we please.

What About Hell?

The Veritas Fellowship is all about discovering and proclaiming the true truth of Christ in an age of postmodernity, irrationality and individualism.  It's a fellowship to seek for truth and light in a world of brokenness and darkness.  I love to emphasize the truth and light, the redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace with God.  This is almost heaven in the here and now.  To know God, even to a small extent, is the best experience I've ever discovered.

But against the joy of heaven that can be discovered in a relationship with Christ is the pain and suffering that can be known in the world.  Possibly one of the greatest apologetics for the truth of Christ in Scripture is the brokenness of sin and death in the here and now.  As I love to look at the heavens, the universe in its vast splendor of order, beauty, design and wonder, I also can see the pain and heartache and destruction in the world.

Many will say, 'look at the evidence of all this suffering, how can anyone believe in God?'  Often that discourages me as well, I can easily be overcome by the worry and fear that the world portrays.  But, what does the evil of the world really describe?  Does it describe the world as God created it?  Or does it describe the world as God said it would become if man turned away from him?  The brokenness and sin describes the world without Christ and not with him.

It is essential to see life therefore through the eyes of Christ in Scripture for he teaches us there really is sin in this world, and there is both a heaven and a hell in the world to come.  It has also been said that the most difficult teachings of hell in the New Testament were reserved for Jesus himself as no one else had such authority.  It is clear that Jesus believed in hell and he warns everyone against its peril.

In the sermon on the mount we see many spiritual truths that describe the nature of sin.  Jesus teaches us that sin is a matter of the heart and not just an issue of our external behavior.  In Mt. 5:22 we read, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool' will be liable to the hell of fire."  And also in Luke 12:5, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.  Yes, I tell you, fear him!"  These are grave warnings that must not be dismissed as the teachings of an ancient Rabbi.  Jesus has been raised from the grave and these are just some teachings of the truth of hell and its horrors.

Regarding the final judgment of all men Jesus teaches us in Mt. 13:41-42, "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  This teaching clarifies the judgment of all mankind and the agony of hell.  Humanity needs salvation from lawlessness and no amount of good works will ever redeem us from our sin.

The good news is in this same section in the following verse.  For Jesus clarifies in Mt. 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  The other option to hell is heaven where those who trust in Christ alone will find eternal life and will 'shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father'.  This is what we were created for, and Jesus came to live a perfect life so that he would give this gift to all who call upon his name.

Hell is a reality that can be seen with glimpses in the sin and brokenness of this world.  It can only be truly understood as we know from Scripture, and it is horrific in every aspect.  Let us all who believe in heaven and hell run to Christ and live in his truth so that we too will "shine forth as the sun in the kingdom" of God.

Total Depravity

Faith and humility can be rare characteristics in our world of highly successful and competent overachievers.  Who are the stars of our culture but those who are the fastest in sports, the smartest in education, the most persuasive in politics, the richest in business, the most beautiful in Hollywood and most charismatic in religion?  To promote humility in particular can be a tough sell to say the least.  To proclaim that modern man has sin is even more daunting.

Not too many Christians however would argue against the truth that man has sin and is in need of salvation in Christ.  That is the essence of our faith.  But it's not certain how many would believe that mankind is sinful, that we really are full of sin, in every aspect of our beings.  In our thoughts, intents, desires, purposes, goals, works, and in our hearts, we have sin in all parts of life.  This is what is meant by being full of sin, or being sinful.  It is being depraved, and in Reformed Theology it is described as being totally depraved.  And if it's tough to sell sin, it is even more difficult to sell total depravity.

The essence of the doctrine of total depravity is that we not only have sinful actions in our lives but we have a sinful nature.  This means that we are sinful in our essence, it is who we are in reality, we are not "good" people in God's eyes.  Jesus taught the rich young ruler in Mt 19:17, "Why do you call me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God."  By this Jesus meant that in a Spiritual aspect no one is good in comparison to God who is holy.  In our earthly estimations we may seem to have some goodness in our human nature, but in the heavenly evaluation Jesus is telling us we are not good but sinful in our essence.

This truth may not inspire many people to praise but to the contrary it often agitates or angers people to rebellion.  For me it was a watershed revelation in my faith to realize I wasn't just sick and need of help, I was Spiritually dead with no hope of my own.  I believe all people are totally depraved as we all die, we all fall short of the glory of God, we even sin involuntarily as it is in our nature, it is not just something we learn.  This truth inspired me to love God more because of his grace in Christ, and because I then realized my salvation was not dependent upon me.

The good news of salvation in Christ is that there is no goodness in man and we can only find salvation therefore from Christ.  Unfortunately many Christians teach that mankind is not really that bad, we are a little bit good.  We are not really sinful, we only have some sin, or we are hiding, and we are sick, or that we need help in our efforts to be good.  But to truly embrace the salvation of Christ we must be honest with the truth of total depravity.

John the Baptist was the forerunner to Jesus and said it well in Luke 3:7, "Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, 'Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'"  Brood of vipers?  What kind of evangelistic outreach is this?  Is this the language of self-help empowerment?  Is it a positive spin on a glass half full?  Later Jesus described John in Luke 7:28, "For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  Certainly John spoke the truth of God that we all are "a brood of vipers."  We all are sinful and even evil in our hearts.  But when we realize this truth it humbles us to our core, it causes us to fall prostrate on our face before the Lord.

Total depravity is good news for without this truth we would be deceived that we don't need salvation, or that we are at least a little good, and that we could depend on that goodness to create our own theology or our own salvation.  This doctrine is one of the most important truths for the faith, preservation and the health of the church.  We are not good in any aspect of our beings and we must call upon Christ alone for salvation.  And if we call upon the risen Jesus he will give us new Spiritual life that is truly good indeed.

Labor Pains

If you've ever seen a woman in labor you will come away with a deep appreciation of the pain that is associated with giving birth.  In a not so similar way there can be difficult pains that are associated with developing labor contracts in commerce.

In the world of business there's a clear delineation between management and labor or owners and contractors.  By acknowledging the significance of both parties there can be a solid working relationship as each group does its part.  But unfortunately there can also be times when the relationships become strained and dysfunctional, due in part from problems on either side, or both.  And the bottom line of everything in negotiating a contract is the cost of doing business, or simply put, money.

As a Christian I have discovered many passages in the Bible that speak directly to the topic of money and Spiritual treasures.  In the New Testament Jesus taught that we should pay our taxes and our tithes, Matthew 22:2, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.  Also, Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money."  In Mark 13:45 Jesus also teaches the Spiritual value of the kingdom of God, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

The Spiritual treasure of salvation into the kingdom of heaven is worth more than all earthly riches and possessions.  There are many more verses in the Bible regarding money and treasures, and the Bible itself is of great value, as we see in Matthew 4:4.  "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"  And, 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  The Word of God is the light to the world for salvation and truth.

The Apostle Paul also teaches great truths in particular in Ephesians 5-6.  Here we see the Christian relationships between the Lord and the church, husband and wife, parents and children, and employers and employees.  In Ephesians 6:5-9 Paul says, "Bondservants (employees), obey your earthly masters (employers) with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ."  Here he gives us instruction in a context of faith, that a Christian society has certain structures and forms, so that there will be functionality as everyone serves the Lord.  Employees are to serve their employers with subservience and excellence as "serving the Lord."

It is also important to note that employers are under direction from God to treat their employees with fairness and justice, just as they are under their Master in heaven.  In Ephesians 6:9, "Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him."  In the same way we see in James 5:4, "Behold the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts."  Here is the principle of paying adequate wages, which corresponds equally to the principle of an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.  We see for Christians that both management and labor are called to serve the Lord faithfully in whatever functional role they have.

One of the most significant teachings in Scripture on money however is the potential it has to corrupt our hearts.  Money can be the source of many tangible pleasures in this world.  It has the power to purchase power itself, and it has the insidious nature to be worshiped.  In Luke 12:15, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  In this section on trust and money Jesus concludes in 12:34, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  We can quickly trust in money if we are not careful, but we must acknowledge as Christians the uncertainty of riches, and that riches cannot be trusted.  God is sovereign over all and calls us to honor him in all aspects of our lives, and this includes how we use the money and talents he has given to us.  Our true happiness and certainty can only come from God.

So why all this review of the biblical teaching on money and labor and management?  Because I'm experiencing the pains as a flight crew member in the negotiating process of another labor contract.  Call me an idealist, maybe.  But I disagree with the union philosophy of a "level playing field" with my employer.  Also, I oppose taking job actions against my employer due to not receiving pay raises as demanded.  Even more I do not support the liberal politics that are often associated with unions.

I do believe however my employer should provide the best work environment possible (for all employees, but in particular for pilots) with work rules and compensation that promote all aspects of safety, legality and professionalism.  Complications exist in that flight crew members are restricted by their seniority lists and the federal laws that govern labor contracts.  But a labor contract is good business just as good fences make for good neighbors.  The employer has the obligation therefore to provide a fair and equitable contract with its employees, and to uphold that contract in all situations.

It is incumbent upon management in this way to lead in righteousness with labor, and especially in acknowledging the unique aspects of aviation.  The issues of fatigue from flight and extensive scheduling are particularly difficult over a long duration of many years.  The recourse however when there are conflicts is first to appeal to management with a reasoned argument for contractual integrity.  But then, if issues are not resolved, to appeal to government authorities that regulate all safety practices.  And, if necessary and as a last resort, to leave and find employment elsewhere knowing that God holds the final court of appeal.

As a Christian and a crew member, I am caught between a rock and a hard place as I support a labor contract for good business, but I disagree with unionism.  And there can be no contract, no "collectively bargained agreement," without a labor union.  These are the horns of the dilemma.  But without the Bible I would only be left with the secularistic world view of egalitarianism that prevails in our culture.  This perspective in unions brings animosity and insubordination and do not glorify Christ.

With the truth of God's Word we find a new standard and purpose to live by in glorifying God.  This is the Christian's calling, to seek the truth of Christ in all things so as to glorify God.  We are called to be the best employees we can be and that means to be subservient in all aspects of a contract to our employer.  But we can support a contract as good business, without greed, covetousness or contempt, as a 'necessary evil because of evil.'  A legally binding agreement for labor is necessary in a broken world, but the philosophies and practices of unionism are not.  We must bring the light of the gospel of Christ into every aspect of life, even for negotiating and supporting a legal labor contract.