General ramblings about nothing in particular
Right now I’m reading Jeremiah who I feel a sense of commonality with.
For some strange reason “cultured” people feel it is inappropriate to tell someone they are wrong. We have gone from the sublime to the asinine. If little Johnny gets up in class and says “1+1=91”, we must “appreciate little Johnny’s diverse views, the fresh thinking and approach he brings to mathematics and not tell him he is wrong”. What a bunch of twits (my political tact often tends towards 0). So if no one is “wrong”, how can we call sinners to repentance? There is always some high-sounding empty term to dress up all manner of sin and evil. No wonder this world is so messed up.
Take the part in Jeremiah where the Lord talks about idol worship, “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.” (Jeremiah 10:3-8)
“But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities” = not politically correct by todays standards. I love the Old Testament!
Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in the 21st century is bound to have you branded as “a hater of mankind”. Christians are expected to sit back and watch people slip gently into hell. Do not call sinners to repentance, can’t “offend” modern folk now. The Pharisees are the first to quote you “do as you would be done by” and “judge not lest you be judged”. They conveniently forget that the Lord also said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Even the enemies of the cross respect Jesus as a “great moral teacher”. So if there were other ways to God, why would He give The Great Commission? Why would He not say, “Go into the nations and whatever they believe, tell them God bless and carry on.” The fact is, He didn’t. The fact is Jesus is the only way to God. If you advocate religious pluralism you are forced to admit that you are also saying Jesus basically didn’t know what He was talking about and His work on the cross was all for naught. Blasphemy I say! So what about Islam, Hinduism, Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and all the other “isms”? They are all wrong. Does this mean we “hate” the adherents of these belief systems? No. Although this is exactly the picture of Christians that some extremely simple-minded people try to paint. Why? Simple,
The world hates disciples. Read what the Lord said:
“If the world hates you, you should realize that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you do not belong to the world and I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. They will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. The person who hates me also hates my Father. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have any sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.” (John 15:18-24)
For some strange reason “cultured” people feel it is inappropriate to tell someone they are wrong. We have gone from the sublime to the asinine. If little Johnny gets up in class and says “1+1=91”, we must “appreciate little Johnny’s diverse views, the fresh thinking and approach he brings to mathematics and not tell him he is wrong”. What a bunch of twits (my political tact often tends towards 0). So if no one is “wrong”, how can we call sinners to repentance? There is always some high-sounding empty term to dress up all manner of sin and evil. No wonder this world is so messed up.
Take the part in Jeremiah where the Lord talks about idol worship, “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.” (Jeremiah 10:3-8)
“But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities” = not politically correct by todays standards. I love the Old Testament!
Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in the 21st century is bound to have you branded as “a hater of mankind”. Christians are expected to sit back and watch people slip gently into hell. Do not call sinners to repentance, can’t “offend” modern folk now. The Pharisees are the first to quote you “do as you would be done by” and “judge not lest you be judged”. They conveniently forget that the Lord also said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Even the enemies of the cross respect Jesus as a “great moral teacher”. So if there were other ways to God, why would He give The Great Commission? Why would He not say, “Go into the nations and whatever they believe, tell them God bless and carry on.” The fact is, He didn’t. The fact is Jesus is the only way to God. If you advocate religious pluralism you are forced to admit that you are also saying Jesus basically didn’t know what He was talking about and His work on the cross was all for naught. Blasphemy I say! So what about Islam, Hinduism, Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and all the other “isms”? They are all wrong. Does this mean we “hate” the adherents of these belief systems? No. Although this is exactly the picture of Christians that some extremely simple-minded people try to paint. Why? Simple,
The world hates disciples. Read what the Lord said:
“If the world hates you, you should realize that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you do not belong to the world and I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. They will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. The person who hates me also hates my Father. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have any sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.” (John 15:18-24)
