Wisdom's Children in a Time of Confusion

Today's reading: 

• But wisdom is proved right by all her children. - Luke 7:35 NIV

Thoughts:

Is there room for diversity in the family of God? Jesus says there is. 

Not just diversity of race. Not just diversity of the sexes. Not just diversity of culture. Jesus says there is room for diversity of personality and lifestyles, behaviors and choices.

Jesus compared insults directed towards John the Baptist with insults directed towards himself. Because John rejected earthly comforts to such an extreme, he was accused of being demon-possessed. Because Jesus sometimes embraced earthly comforts (and probably even more because he sometimes enjoyed them with misfits), he was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard -- basically, a party animal and hedonist.

Both Jesus and the Baptist focused intensely on pointing people to God. And while those who didn’t really know God rejected and insulted them both, Jesus said that they were both children of Wisdom. Despite their differences.

Fast forward through history... to Trump.

Ever since Trump entered the Republican primaries, Christians have been divided about our response to his candidacy. I was a Never Trump-er. Obviously, many others disagreed with me, including people I cherish and respect. Donald Trump is now our President. And believers supported him strongly in the general election, despite his many and obvious character flaws.

From my perspective as a Never Trump-er, his presidency has gone both far better than I expected (some of his policies/results) AND just as badly as expected (his lies and methods and vitriol). I am still concerned -- daily -- about how President Trump’s flawed character will impact the earthly country I call my home.

But I am more concerned about Jesus’ bride, the church, the children of Wisdom. We seem to have forgotten that Wisdom is proved right by all of us, despite our diverse choices and perspectives. At least, within limits. The limits are what we’re debating.

In December 2019, Mark Galli of Christianity Today wrote an article entitled Trump Should Be Removed from Office. This sparked quite the backlash from Evangelicals who either supported President Trump or at least had doubts that his actions deserved impeachment. Galli took the position that Trump should be removed “by the Senate or by popular vote next election”. President Trump was not removed by the Senate. We have yet to see how the election turns out, but he’s doing well in the primaries.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw several articles circulating among my social media circles. First came an article by Andrew T. Walker, an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS. Full disclosure: this is where I graduated with my M.Div. while joining the membership of a local Southern Baptist church, though Walker was not on the faculty while I was there). Walker’s article explored the various reasons why 81% of fellow religious conservatives voted for Trump in 2016. He had been in the Never Trump camp. But after the election Walker had come to understand (and pleaded with readers to understand) that it was overly simplistic to explain the strong evangelical support for President Trump by painting the religious conservatives who voted for him as racists, nativists, and nationalists. He expressed clearly that he could not defend any of the President’s immoral and sinful behaviors. In fact, he said that Christians who were doing so on cable news represented “the worst of religious conservatism”. He appealed to religious conservatives to maintain their integrity by holding President Trump accountable for lies and abuses, even if they voted for him again in 2020. I found myself appreciating Walker’s willingness to defend his evangelical family, even though he clearly has a hard time stomaching President Trump. I believe his article set a great example of what it looks like for Christians to recognize that wisdom is proved right by all her children. Though he had not voted for Trump, he could see reasons why other believers did. In fact, it sounded as though he might become a “Reluctant Trump” voter this time around.

In response to Walker’s article, Skye Jethani wrote an article challenging the notion that evangelicals--especially white evangelicals--voted for Trump reluctantly and had no other choice (again, full disclosure: Jethani is ordained by the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the denomination that supported my parents as missionaries in West Africa while I was growing up). I appreciated Jethani’s call to remember that believers are not trapped into voting for any earthly political party, even when major moral issues like the humanity of the unborn are part of one party’s platform but not another’s. I was encouraged by statistics he shared via David French that mark the decline of abortions to levels lower than at any time since Roe v. Wade. Jethani summarized and supported John Fea’s thesis that “white evangelicals did not pick Trump in spite of his character but because of it” (italics original to Jethani, I haven't had a chance to read Fea yet). He chided white evangelicals for this reasoning and, if he is correct, they deserve to be rebuked. He cited statistics from the Southern Baptist Convention’s research team at Lifeway that he believes support his position. Jethani pointed out that evangelicals could be making other choices even now, such as joining his former colleague Galli’s call to support Trump’s impeachment. And Jethani made a compelling argument that believers should not support candidates (in this case, Trump) who provide short-term wins at the cost of “systemic, institutional, and constitutional damage… which will have ramifications for decades”.

After reviewing the Lifeway statistics that Jethani cited, I believe that they actually support Walker’s position better than Jethani’s (if you care to know why, feel free to ask me). In other words, I'm not convinced that most white evangelicals picked Trump because of his character, which is Jethani's conviction.

But for now, that’s not the point. The point is that both Jethani and Walker are children of God displaying the wisdom of God, even though they seem to be at odds with each other. Both of them clearly call Christians to follow Jesus over any political party. Both of them clearly rebuke Christians who defend Trump’s corrupt speech and behavior (especially if those same Christians would have rebuked a Democrat for the behaviors they defend in Trump). They differ as to how catastrophic Trump’s presidency has been and will be, but want the same things out of Christians:

• Put Jesus first.
• Don't ignore inconvenient truths, and definitely don't whitewash them.
• Walk with integrity.
• Hold fellow believers accountable.
• If you're going to hold politicians accountable to high moral standards, then do so even when they're on your political team.

Walker was willing to give white evangelicals more benefit of the doubt than Jethani. But this same wisdom was flowing from both brothers. Both were issuing a warning in line with God’s word to Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isa. 5:20).

So if wisdom is proved right by all God’s children, does that mean anything goes for believers?

No.

Another article I read shared news of a more alarming public dispute. According to Bonnie Christian, a small (but powerful and vocal) group of Southern Baptist leaders is trying to have Russell Moore removed from being president of their Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). For what? For criticizing President Trump. I do not know Russell Moore personally, but when I attended SBTS it became clear that he is the kind of man who is in the habit of being as faithful to Jesus and to the Bible as he knows how to be.

Let's go back to the concept we started with: Wisdom is proved right by all her children.

That’s harder to see here. If Bonnie Christian’s article is correct, a small group of Southern Baptist pastors and leaders is attacking Russell Moore for being faithful. If she’s correct, they’re calling Trump’s visibly and audibly horrible character (Luke 6:45) good, and they’re calling Moore’s visibly and audibly good character evil. For what? For daring to comment on their chosen politician’s flaws, even as he prays for the good of our President and our country. For doing exactly what they should be doing.

When we cross the line and start confusing good and evil, calling good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good’, we have stepped outside the bounds of wisdom. We may still be God’s children, thanks to the outlandish grace we receive through Jesus. And we may still display God’s wisdom in other areas of our lives. But in whatever areas we call good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good’, we display folly. Not wisdom.

So to the extent that these spiritual leaders continue to promote Jesus as the one true God and hope in people’s lives, they are acting in wisdom. To the extent that they gloss over our President’s public disrespect for humans made in God’s image, they are not acting in wisdom. To the extent that they challenge Jesus’ people to seek God’s guidance in their voting and to trust Jesus with the results, they are acting in wisdom. To the extent that they oppose and persecute brothers and sisters whose faithfulness to truth threatens their own access to political power, they are not acting in wisdom. To the extent that they humbly confess their sins and seek God’s grace, they are acting in wisdom.

I hope and pray that Bonnie Christian is mistaken. But if she is right, we need to pray for these men the same thing we pray for ourselves. May we all call evil ‘evil’. May we call good ‘good’. May we know the difference because we have been redeemed by Jesus and have received his Spirit. May we be charitable towards one another as followers of Jesus, trusting that wisdom can be proved right both through brothers and sisters who voted for Trump and through brothers and sisters who voted against him. May we trust that Jesus can redeem both Republicans and Democrats. May we trust that God will do good through people who aren’t good, and may we trust that Jesus will do good through fellow believers even if we disagree with them.

God Fights for Faith

Today’s Reading:

• Genesis 18:1-21:7

Faith-Stretching Verse(s):

• Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right? – Genesis 18:25, NLT

Thoughts:
Since almost the beginning of time, one of our most grievous challenges against the existence of God has been the idea that perhaps the God who claims to be good isn’t actually on par with His claims.

We experience so much pain. We experience so much agony. Whole nations, and even continental regions, endure the most distressing times. Tragedy seems to strike good people as often as bad people.

And a good God’s supposed to be in charge of all this?

If only every person’s story were recorded from God’s perspective, the way Abraham’s is.

We already know that Abraham’s a man of faith. He trusts God. But that doesn’t mean that Abraham shies away from the tough questions. In fact, it is precisely because Abraham trusts God that He begs God to go easy on Sodom and Gomorrah, if only to spare fifty…no, forty-five…no, how about forty…or thirty…maybe twenty…or even a mere ten righteous people. Abraham believes God is good, and so He asks God, “the Judge of all the earth,” not to treat good people like bad people.

And do you know what? God makes it clear right from the beginning that He is as good as He claims to be. In this particular story, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah because not even ten righteous people live within their walls. And what’s more, the few righteous people who do live there are rescued….Not that they turn out to be perfect, themselves (which I take as a note of hope for those of us who are seeking after God, even if imperfectly).

Of course, there are plenty of stories not only outside of the Bible, but inside of it, that give us pause and make us wonder all over again, “Do all people really get what they deserve? Or is God perhaps not perfectly fair?” But between stories like this, where the line between good and evil seems black and white and God is always clearly good, and God’s explanations elsewhere that perfect justice will not be completed in this complex world where we can’t always see either good or evil clearly, I’m willing to believe in Him. I think He’s trustworthy. I mean, He’s God. He has nothing to prove. If He were evil, why would He care what I thought of Him? I can’t vote Him out of office. So why claim to be good if He’s not? He has no need for falsified PR.

God cares that we think He’s good. He takes the time to tell us stories about how much He hates evil and loves good, stories intended to answer our most doubt-filled questions. The fact that He’s fighting like that for our trust—when He’s God and doesn’t have to—makes me trust Him even more.

For an overview of this year’s blog, please see http://threequartertank.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-do-believers-believe.html.

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Live and Die for God’s Glory

The message, preached on October 10th, 2010, covered 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. An honest desire for our friends and neighbors to be saved will lead us to share—to share our goods, our neighbors’ limits, and the glory of our God. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.

Living Here, Aiming There

ALL – Psalm 78:26-58
ALL – Proverbs 24:27
OT – Jeremiah 8:8-9:26
NT – Colossians 3:1-17

Interesting passage for the day: Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. – Colossians 3:1-2, The Living Bible

Thought: If heaven is supposed to fill our thoughts, are we supposed to despise life down here? Are we supposed to ignore the people we love, the places we cherish, the joys we experience? Are we supposed to pretend that nothing in the world is ugly, broken or painful? Is this world pointless?

No. It’s not. We live here. For now, we live here.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not arguing with Paul (or with the Holy Spirit, for that matter). I’m saying that I don’t think that “setting your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven” and not “spend[ing] your time worrying about things down here” means ignoring the world we live in.

I think it means experiencing this life more fully. Not “worrying about things down here” means allowing yourself to see this world’s brokenness more clearly than you ever have before. Life down here can be totally futile! No matter how often I make my bed, it gets messy again. No matter how hard I exercise, I sooner or later lose my strength. No matter how much I teach my children, they end up making their own mistakes. No matter how hard I work, my work’s never done. And sometimes life is just plain painful. Unfair. Bitterly disappointing. Other people are jerks. I am a jerk. We’re supposed to experience all this more fully because we know Jesus. We’re supposed to stop pretending that we don’t see how overwhelming life is, how much of a struggle relationships are, how awful it is even to exist in a place of sickness and selfishness. And when we stop living in denial, it is then that we need to stop worrying—not because the world gives us less to worry about (we’re seeing reasons to worry more clearly now, remember?). No, we stop worrying because we are calling out to Jesus, and we know that He’s going to take care of us.

Which brings us back to the good side of this life. I love sports, the outdoors, friends, smart phones, and good stories. And food. I love food. Am I supposed to pretend that I don’t? Absolutely not! Instead, because I now know that every good gift is from above (acc. to James), I am supposed to enjoy them MORE. I am supposed to overflow with wonder at how good some things in this life are. And as I’m awed by the speeds, tastes, sights, sounds, displays of intellect, joys and satisfactions of life on earth, I should be grateful to the God who gave them to me. And at the same time, the wonders of His good gifts down here should remind me that the God who can make this world seem like a great place to live must have something tremendous in store for me above, where there is no sorrow or pain. And so I “set [my] sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven”—not just for myself, but for others, too. I set my sights on the wonders of heaven, even as I’m surrounded by the joys and pleasures God has given me down here, and urge myself not to be so stupid and selfish as to insist on enjoying life down here so much that I neglect to give my family and my friends and my neighbors the opportunity to know the joys I’m looking forward to with Jesus in heaven. I enjoy life down here more fully, but I crave it less. I’m looking forward to something better—way better, and I want others to get something better, too.

Question: How do you keep your mind on heaven when life down here feels like hell? Even harder, how do you set your gaze toward heaven when life down here feels like heaven already?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Dirty

ALL – Psalm 69:15-36
ALL – Proverbs 24:6-7
OT – Isaiah 51:1-53:12
NT – Ephesians 5:1-33

Interesting passage for the day: Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful. – Ephesians 5:4, The Living Bible

Thought: I take a pretty strong stand against Christians using swear words. And some people close to me have challenged me on it, asking me whether swear words are inherently any worse than what I consider to be less offensive words—words that I use in pretty much the same way.

And you know what? In some ways, my friends are right. They’re right that when I use “cleaner language” to express my own unclean thoughts, I’m still sinning. I may be less offensive to other people, but my heart still has major problems.

So is that a justification for swearing?

I don’t think so.

I think that both my friends and I are called to clean up our act, and zealously. Here’s a theological truth that anyone can understand: God is GOOD. Seriously good. And we’re His children. Would He share our language—whether the less-filtered language my friends don’t mind or the cleaned up versions I use? Would God appreciate our dirty stories or foul jokes?

God is good. And we are His. We aren’t missing out on anything by giving up our dirty stories and foul language. We should be thankful that such a wonderful God is willing to associate with us, rather than upset that being associated with Him means saying no to our filthy hearts.

Question: How comfortable are you with your personal degree of impurity? What have you learned about putting off unclean thoughts and words and putting on purity? What’s your role? How does the Gospel fit into this discussion?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Promise-Motivated Life

ALL – Psalm 47:1-9
ALL – Proverbs 22:16
OT – Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12
NT – 2 Cor. 6:14-7:7

Interesting passage for the day: And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For you are God’s temple, the home of the living God, and God has said of you, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16, The Living Bible

Thought: We all know that we’re supposed to do good. But what makes us want to do good? We recognize that God’s commands are right. But what makes us want to obey them?

How about God’s promises?

Take the one above, where God says that He shall live in us and walk among us, that He shall be our God, that we will be His people. He’s fulfilling that promise already! He’s already sent His Holy Spirit to live in us. He’s already become our God; we’ve already become His people. What a great God is ours! And we have more to look forward to. When Jesus comes again, this promise gets fulfilled in even more wonderful ways!

Doesn’t that make you yearn to please God? Looking forward to being with Him as fully as possible takes the concept of obeying Him and turns it from a “have to” into a “get to,” from a drudgery into a desire. I want God to be my God. He’s promised to be my God. So I want to please Him. God is so good.

Question: Which of God’s promises are especially inspiring and motivating for you? Please share them with us.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

I’d Rather Be Childish

ALL – Psalm 37:29-40
ALL – Proverbs 21:27
OT – Job 4:1-7:21
NT – 1 Corinthians 14:18-40

Interesting passage for the day: Dear brothers, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent babies when it comes to planning evil, but be men of intelligence in understanding matters of this kind. – 1 Corinthians 14:20, The Living Bible

Thought: Has anyone ever called you childish? It’s a stinging rebuke to receive, no matter who gives it. No adult likes to be called childish. Child-like? Maybe. Childish? Never.

Too often the world lures us into its clutches by calling us childish. The world views believers’ convictions against immorality in various art forms as childish. It insists that being anti-abortion or opposing homosexual marriages is childish, immature, and under-enlightened. The world tempts us to consider whether perhaps its view of ethics and morality is better than ours—not because its view offers any true wisdom or justice, but because the world makes us feel inferior by calling us childish.

God spoke through Paul. And God says that it is fine with Him if we are children as far as evil goes. But God wants His people to be grown-ups in understanding not only what is good and right, but what is best and most fitting for the purpose of guiding people to love Jesus Christ more fully.

Question: Would you consider yourself to be a child or an adult in knowing God’s expectations? How about in the eyes of your peers at work—in the lab, in the classroom, in court, in the factory? What will you do to seek the nourishment that God provides so that you can grow to be more like the child of God that He’s made you?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Guard Your Reputation – Ha!

ALL – Psalm 57:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 11:5-6
OT – Numbers 15:17-16:40
NT – Mark 15:1-47

We have two ways to protect our reputations. One is by being men and women of integrity; we can guard our reputations by consistently doing and speaking what’s right. The other way is to argue with people who accuse you of doing wrong; we can try to prove to people through arguments that we are people who do what is right.

Jesus did the first. I can’t think of a time when He did the second—when he guarded His reputation by arguing that He was righteous, by refusing to be called an evil man or associated with them. If anybody could have and should have defended His own reputation, it was Jesus. And yet the way that Jesus died was a way that dragged His reputation through the mud; Jesus was righteous, but the perception that day was that Jesus was a criminal.

Two robbers were also crucified that morning, their crosses on either side of his. And so the Scripture was fulfilled that said, “He was counted among evil men.” – Mark 15:27-28, The Living Bible

Jesus was counted among evil men. Not because He was evil, but because His opponents wanted to paint a picture of Him as a wicked criminal. Arguing would have done little to no good. It’s not as though His miracles were a secret, and Jesus’ teachings were public knowledge, too. The only way for Jesus to prove His claims would have been for heaven to open up, angels to descend, and Jesus to display His glory in full. And it wasn’t yet time for that.

It’s not yet time for our glory as God’s children to be displayed in full. We can display the glory of the righteousness that God has given us and re-created us to live. But even that glory is something we display imperfectly, waiting for Jesus Christ to return and make us wholly new. In the meantime, we simply cannot guard our reputations—at least, not by arguing with people and trying to convince them that we’re God’s children. Our best argument for now is the same as Jesus’ was: the argument of a righteous life of integrity. If people don’t listen to that argument, then we shouldn’t be surprised when they find a way to do as they did with our Lord, counting us among evil men. Our reputations will be dragged through the mud, whether we like it or not.

How can we help one another stay the course and keep doing the good God calls us to, even when we’re being falsely accused of terrible, wicked things?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Use Your Life and Wealth for Good

ALL – Psalm 51:1-19
ALL – Proverbs 10:31-32
OT – Numbers 10:1-11:23
NT – Mark 14:1-21

It’s late, so I’m not going to say quite as much as usual. But here’s the gist of what I’m thinking. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “The good is enemy of the best.” I think that’s true if we get into a casual attitude of patting ourselves on the back and saying we did “good enough.” But read the following…

Some of those at the table were indignant among themselves about this “waste,” as they called it.

“Why, she could have sold that perfume for a fortune and given the money to the poor!” they snarled.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why berate her for doing a good thing?” – Mark 14:4-6, The Living Bible

This lady had done a good thing. The people around her were angry that she hadn’t done what they considered to be a better thing—perhaps even the best thing. But Jesus appreciated the good gesture of what she had done. She hadn’t been half-hearted. She wasn’t patting herself on the back for a job well done. She didn’t necessarily think she’d done “good enough.” But she’d done the good she knew how to do.

Let’s stop judging one another for not always achieving “the best.” Let’s rejoice in the good we see God doing through our Christian brothers and sisters. Let’s remove the burden from one another’s shoulders of feeling pressured to perform, and instead restore the joy of doing good wholeheartedly and lovingly in Jesus’ name and for His sake, side by side.

Who’s done something simple, but good, that made an impact on you? What did they do?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Tasting Words, Testing Hearts

ALL – Psalm 16:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 3:27-32
OT – Genesis 37:1-38:30
NT – Matthew 12:22-45

Jesus had just cast demons out of a man, demons that had been preventing the man from talking or seeing. Now the man was completely healed.

Most of the crowd was, rightly, amazed. They said things like, “Maybe Jesus is the Messiah” (Matthew 12:23, The Living Bible). But some people in the crowd hated Jesus’ ministry and, assuming that He couldn’t possibly be associated with God, said that Jesus was associated with Satan, instead. They said demons were listening to Jesus because Jesus represented their demon-king.

Some responded with good words. Some responded with bad words. Not that words ought to be measured merely by how kind they seem to be. As we’ll see in a moment, Jesus’ response to those speaking bad words doesn’t seem to be filled with good words.

You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For a man’s heart determines his speech. A good man’s speech reveals the rich treasures within him. An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it. – Matthew 12:34-35, The Living Bible

Jesus starts off by calling them a brood of snakes! But then he criticizes them for revealing their evil hearts by their speech! What about His own speech, you might ask? What’s the difference? Isn’t Jesus returning insult for insult?

No. He’s not. Jesus’ words are designed to reveal the truth to the hearts of wicked men, while their words were designed merely to oppose Jesus by obscuring the truth. Their words opposed what was truly good; Jesus’ words revealed what was actually bad. So their words were evil. Jesus’ words were good.

When Jesus was calling men to speak what is good and right, He was calling them to speak the truth in love. His speech, even in response to the evil speech of his opponents, was the truth spoken in love, revealing precisely the kind of good heart Jesus had described. He wants us all to lovingly reveal the truth by our speech, and sometimes the truth won’t sound friendly.

But the goal is not to sound unfriendly. The goal is to lovingly tell the truth, rather than lying. If you must oppose people, do so from a pure heart. If you have to lie in order to make your point, then you’re trying to make a point that shouldn’t be made. Your character is at stake! And discerning people will know your heart when they hear your words.

Who has a clear example of this – either a clear example of a good person’s heart being revealed by amazingly good words, or of a bad person’s heart being revealed by evil words?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.