A Christian Perspective

I am so tired of Christian music these days because there is
no theology in it. There is nothing of sustenance in most songs. They basically
make God out to be our girlfriend/boyfriend. “Oh God how you love me, I just
want you to love me, I love you so much, love love love love love” bla bla bla.
Is that the best they can do these days?

There are actually very few “Christian” songs/artists I can
listen to without wanting to grab a garbage bag and hurl all over. They make
God out to be this love struck blubbering dodo. Johnny Cash has more theology
in his song “God’s Gunna Cut You Down” then most of the so called “Christian”
artists have in entire albums. If I can’t tell it is a song about God or my significant other, there is something wrong.

This song, however, I do like. It is called “I Repent” (go
figure I would like it) by Derek Webb. Here are the lyrics:

i repent, i repent of my pursuit of America’s dream
i repent,
i repent of living like i deserve anything
of my house, my fence, my kids, and my wife
in our suburb where we’re safe and white
i am wrong and of these things i repent

i repent,
i repent of parading my liberty
i repent,
i repent of paying for what i get for free
for the way i believe that i am living right
by trading sins for others that are easier to hide
i am wrong and of these things i repent

i repent judging by a law that even i can’t keep
wearin righteousness like a disguise to see through
the planks in my own eyes

i repent,
i repent of trading truth for false unity
i repent,
i repent of confusing peace and idolatry
of caring more of what they think than what i know of what they need
and domesticating You until You look just like me
i am wrong and of these things i repent

Now before you start yelling at me about how if I don’t
like, don’t listen to it, I don’t. So now you don’t have to state that. I’ll I am saying is I think we have more to
offer.

So if you are looking for some music with some sound theology, check out
Mainstay, Go Fish, Newsboys have some good songs, “Rescue the Perishing” by
Billy and Cindy Foote and “Nothing But the Blood” by many artists.

Anyone else know of any?

This is sort of a follow up on my last post when speaking about the word "creation". Some argue that the six days of creation are "anthropomorphic days" meaning it was not 6 literal days. Problem is Genesis 1 describes God’s actions in time, time as we know it, and does so in the plainest language imaginable.

The passage clearly presents God as working over the
course of a week of seven days, days that have regular evenings and
mornings. Now, either this is just a poem, a literary figure or else it is
a description of what God actually did. Nothing hints that these days were anything other than
days of ordinary length, and the attention called to evenings and
mornings proves that they were of ordinary length (according to the Hebrew language).

You will hear people try to say things like "Well this is just a poetic account of what happened" meaning that’s just how God described it to us but it could have been through another process. Although Genesis 1 may contain poetic elements, it is not Hebrew poetry. Hebrew poetry had certain characteristics, and they are not found in the first chapter of Genesis. The Old Testament does contain poetry about creation (cf. Job 38:4-15;
Psalm 104; Isaiah 40:21-31), and its literary form is quite distinct
from that in Genesis one. Again, we see no reason what-so-ever to believe it isn’t a literal 6 day creation.

The only reason I believe people don’t want to believe in a literal 6 day creation is to try and accommodate for the dogmas of science and scientific theories. Now I fully can understand why people would think God is so big, we couldn’t possibly understand all that was involved with creation, and I am sure He didn’t give us every detail, but what He did give us was an accurate account of the order and how long it took.

Now if you don’t believe the account, that is one thing and fine, don’t believe it, but to say it isn’t accurate or there could have been gaps or the word used for day really isn’t a literal day, that just shows a lack of study.

I was questioned about Matthew 19:4 and
how that relates to Jesus and His belief in the creation story. Well,
ok, I wasn’t questioned directly but rather my integrity was
questioned on a blog. What I want to do now is show how this passage
tells us Jesus believed in Creation.

Matthew 19:4 is quoted from Genesis
1:27 and 5:2 speaking of creation. It is very important we don’t just
proof text the verse so you have to look at the context in the Old
Testament as well. These passages defined man’s unique relation to
the CREATION. Man was God’s representative in ruling over the
creation (speaking of a literal 6 day creation) which defined mans
relationship above the rest of all God created.

Furthermore, 1:27 specifically speaks
of God CREATING man in His own image, male and female exercising
dominion over creation by divine design. Reading verse 27 in context,
then God goes on to tell them to be fruitful and multiply. If there
were no creation, they would not need to do that now would they?

Skip over to Genesis 5:2 and we see
Jesus was specifically talking about when “He CREATED them male and
female and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were
CREATED.” I added the emphasis on the word created. This declared
Gods own dominion over all he CREATED.

Jesus clearly believed in a literal 6
day creation so please, when questioning my integrity, be sure to get
your facts straight. I am not always correct and I will be the first
to admit that but come to me about it first (if you are a Christian,
if not, then please fire away in any format you want).

This is also why it is important to dig
into the Bible or simply ask before making outlandish blog posts. No
comments will be allowed on this post as it can only lead to fighting
amongst believers and that is never a good testament to the world. If
you have a comment you can email it to bob@saulssight.com.

Startling new evidence shows Jesus had
a family and was buried in a family tomb with Mary (mother of Jesus),
Mary (the wife of Jesus) and Judah (son of Jesus). This completely
changes everything. O-wait, no it doesn’t.

How I laughed and laughed when I saw
the Today Show air a part called “Jesus Debate Rekindled”. In
fact, it was such a high impact piece, they dedicated 10 entire
minutes to it. A TV producer and some journalist who doesn’t have a name in
anything, no theological background, no archaeological background,
nothing, are trying to tell the world they found the tomb of Jesus. And I quote "Again, we’re not theologians and we’re not even archeologists."

Not only His remains but His entire family. Earth shacking proof and
evidence that completely throws out over 6000 years worth of
historical and traditional evidence. The only catch is you have to
buy their book to understand it and watch their little movie on
National Pornographic, err Geographic I mean. And all their proof is
based off a heretical book they found from Philip. And I quote "They match the noncanonical text: The text that didn’t make it into the Christian bible." Um, yeah, for a reason.

This story was so pathetic in fact that
I don’t even have to bring up the fact that this very tomb was found
over 20 years ago and dismissed back then. Good stuff, good stuff. I
just wish they would come up with something new and challenging. The
sad part is I know there are thousands of people who are going to
believe this garbage and be deceived just like when The Da Vinci Code came out. So sad.

When was the last time you took a look into a mirror? Today?
Yesterday? How about this, when was the last time you took a look into the
mirror of Gods Law? Let’s do that right now and see how you stand before a Holy
and Just God on Judgment Day.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Have you always
put God first in your life? Esteemed Him above all else? The bible “there is
none that seek after God, no not one” so we have all broken that one.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image.” Have you
created a God to suit your own needs? Have ever said “My God wouldn’t send
people to hell”? Your right, your God wouldn’t because He doesn’t exist. I use
to do this before I was a Christian.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”
Have you ever used Gods name inappropriately or in place of a filth word? This
is a very serious crime in Gods eyes. Jews won’t even speak His name out of
fear of this very commandment.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Have you always
set aside one day in seven to worship God for all that He has done for you?

“Honor your father and your mother.” Have you always done
what your parents told you to do the first time they said it? This commandment
comes with a promise, “that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD
your God is giving you.”

“You shall not murder.” Ok, so you may not have done this
but Jesus said if you so much as get angry unjustly you are in danger of hell
fire. Who of us hasn’t been angry with someone?

“You shall not commit adultery” Guys, this one is a killer.
Jesus said if you so much as look with lust you have committed adultery of the
heart and have broken this one.

“You shall not steal.” Value is irrelevant. If you have so
much as taken a penny candy from a store you are a thief and no thief will inherit
the Kingdom of God.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Have you ever told a lie? Jesus said ALL liars will have their part in the lake
of fire. Tell one lie and it is an infinite offense against a Holy and Perfect
God.

“You shall not covet.” Living in the US we are
bombarded with advertising every day. Who of us here hasn’t wanted something
that didn’t belong to us?

God is Holy and Just who requires perfection inside and out.
That was the reason for Christ. We can’t do it, we can’t keep the 10
commandments no matter how hard we try but Jesus did. He took the Justice, the punishment
we deserve in our place as the only perfect sacrifice. He was the propitiation
for our sins and what we must do is repent (meaning say we are sorry and turn
from your sins, hate them) and put our faith in Christ alone to save us from
the wrath of God.

If you have just read that, you now have no excuse when you
are standing before God. Those who have heard yet still not believe have
greater condemnation then those who have not. If you are already a Christian it
is good to look at these from time to time. It is good to examine yourself to
make sure you are in the faith.

Salvation isn’t a one time thing; you can’t just say a
prayer and be saved (contrary to popular so-called Christian teachings these
days). It is a life long process of God changing you inside and out. Those who
endure, who keep the faith will be saved. I will fight the good fight, I will
finish the race because I want to hear on that day, “Well done, good and
faithful servant.”

Radiation from the sun hits the atmosphere which then
converts nitrogen into a radioactive form of carbon called carbon 14. Plants absorb
this C-14 when they absorb carbon and then humans and animals absorb it by
eating the plants. Some say we can then measure the amount of C-14 in an object
to tell its age by listening for it to decay under a Geiger counter.

Over time C-14 slowly decays back into stable, normal
nitrogen. Testing shows that about half of the C-14 will decay every 5730
years. This is called its half-life. In another 5730 years, half of what was
left will decay leaving a fourth of the original. 5730 years later, half of
that will decay leaving an eighth of the original and so on and so forth. One
gram of carbon from living plant material causes a Geiger counter to click 16
times per minute as the C-14 decays. A sample that causes 8 clicks per minute
would be 5,730 years old (the sample has gone through one half life), and so
on. In theory it will never totally disappear but after about 5 half lives it
is no longer measurable. Thus the reason carbon dating is only a viable option
for objects less then 40,000 years old.

This sounds good on paper but there are also some
assumptions that have to be made (and we all know what happens when we assume
something). Since sunlight causes the formation of C-14 and normal radioactive
decay takes it out, there is a point called the equilibrium where the decay
matches that of the formation. A freshly created earth would require about
30,000 years to reach it’s equilibrium of the amount of C-14 being created and
the amount that decays. An equilibrium is essential to measure the decay or
else every object would have a different amount of C-14 in it. The only problem
is that tests indicate the earth has not yet reached its equilibrium. There is
more C-14 today then there was 40 years ago when this method of dating was
developed.

Similarly, scientists do not know that the C-14 decay rate
has been constant. They do know that the amount of C-14 in the atmosphere has
not been constant. Present testing shows the amount of C-14 in the atmosphere
has been increasing since it was first measured in the 1950′s. This may be tied
in to the declining strength of the magnetic field. Also Alpha and Beta rays
can make the decay happen thousands of times faster then normal.

Hmmm, that means that plants 40 years ago had less C-14 in
them before decay then plants do today right? That means that other radiation
can greatly increase the amount of seemingly decay right? That means that
totally throws off dates being obtained by C-14 dating right? That means we can’t
trust C-14 dating right? (In case you don’t understand sarcasm, the answer is "that is correct" to all the questions above.)

So my Christian friend, if anyone tries to tell you
that science knows how old something is because of carbon dating, you really
don’t need to listen. For one, carbon dating is only good for a max of 40,000 years. And for two, it is a guess at best, and not a very good one at that.
Why base something upon flawed theories and guesses when we have a perfectly
good Bible that tells us exactly what happened.

So my wife and I are in the process of selling our house and
purchasing another one. I thought it would be beneficial to other Christians to
know what questions we are asking and praying about before deciding upon
anything in particular.

1. Can we
   afford it? This is the first obvious question we have to ask ourselves. If
   we can’t afford it then no point even looking at it.
2. What
   sort of testimony would it say to the world about God? If it is a really
   nice house, would owning it cause people to think we love God more or
   money more? Some may say this doesn’t matter, but as Christians, we try
   everything to not soil His name.
3. Can we
   still maintain our monthly giving, if not give more? I feel this is very
   important. If God graciously has given us the means to purchase a nice
   home, we better be putting our giving top priority for equality among the
   brethren. The more expensive the house we get, the more I feel we need to
   give.
4. Does
   it fit our needs? Are there enough rooms, to many rooms, room for growth
   and so forth.
5. What
   are the schools like near by? Even if our kids are going to go to a
   private school, we still have to pay taxes for the public ones so are they
   any good?
6. Do we
   like the house? We don’t put this one as high on the list as you might think
   it would be because we know any house is a gift from God and seriously,
   who turns away a gift?
7. How
   much extra money would we have to put into it to fix it up? If any, I
   would not suggest paying full price for the house.
8. What
   do our kids think of the house? Even if they are young (mine are 2 and 4),
   ask them. They are part of the family too and it does affect them as well.
   Quick story, we asked our daughter what house she liked best and she said
   the one with the princess toys. She thought when we sold our house all her
   toys would be sold with it so she was looking for a house with girl toys
   so she would have something to play with. So make sure you ask them and
   calm any fears they may have. I was very humbled by her complete trust in
   us when she thought she had to give up all her toys yet was willing to do
   it anyway. There is a lesson there for another time perhaps.
9. How
   can we use it for the Glory of God? It is His anyway; we are just stewards
   of it so we better be able to use it for Him. If that means holding Bible
   Studies, cooking meals for poor, sheltering a friend/family member,
   whatever it may be, do something.

One thing is to get a good Christian agent to help you. They
know more about buying and selling then we do because it is there job. Not to
mention I fully believe in supporting the brethren in any way we can.

Also, don’t rush things. Have fun looking at houses and try
to relax. It can be stressful when you see numbers and 50 different houses,
writing up proposals with contingents and are in a bidding war with someone
else for the house of your dreams but it doesn’t need to be.

Remember, God is in control and we live by a different set
of rules then the world does. Bigger is not better, and more expensive is not
best. We do not live for this world but the next so a silly little house we may
have here will be nothing compared to what God has in store later.

When I saw this I laughed and laughed. It is the exact reasoning evolutionists use to try to discredit the Bible yet it completely shows that Richard Dawkins doesn’t exist.

If you can’t get it to play, you can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QERyh9YYEis

I recently read an interesting
article about an open air preacher who would ask a trivia question to the crowd
and if they answered the question wrong, he gave them a prize. Not just any old
prize but a nice gift. I thought to myself as I read that, “what an interesting
way to draw a crowd” but he was actually demonstrating the Gospel.

In society the person
who comes out on top is the winner. Practically in any sport, the person who
scores the most points wins. In business, the person with the biggest office
wins. If you fight hard enough and long enough and overcome your opponent, you
are the winner.

Christianity, on the other
hand, is the opposite. In order to be a Christian you have to lose. Before we were
Christians we were constantly at war with God. We fought and fought and fought
with God and His Law. But instead of trying to justify ourselves because of
pride, we gave up. We humbled our self before a Holy and Just God and said to
Him “Your right, I am wrong! The battle is over and you win! The wisdom of this
world is foolishness to you and your way is the only way.”

In the comments of one of my
recent posts I was proven to be “ignorant of science and what it implies” and
that I have failed to become “an intelligent and thoughtful adult”. Ok, so be
it. Because “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Anyone can
understand a theory but only those who are saved can understand the Gospel.

If you are a Christian, you
admit to being a loser. Only in Gods plan, the losers are the ones who get the
greatest gift of all. Eternal life!

Looking for a good church? Join the club. Church-shopping can be a long and painful process. To shorten your search, call the pastor of the church before you visit and ask the following questions. This might save you a lot of Sundays.

1. What is man’s biggest problem, sin or self esteem? Seeker sensitive and felt-needs churches focus on man’s hurts and problems. The Bible says that man’s biggest problem is sin.
2. What must a man do to inherit eternal life? Repent and trust is the Biblical answer. If the word “repent” is never used, say, “Thank you.”
3. How do you deliver the salvation message? Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says. Does he encourage people to simply say a prayer? Does he tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts? The salvation message should include: God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, God’s response (hell), God’s kindness (Jesus on a cross), man’s response (repentance and faith).
4. How hard is it to become a Christian? The “formula” is simple, doing it is not. It is not easy to believe.
5. How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and judgment? Balance is key. This should not be the only emphasis, but it should be a regular emphasis.
6. How seeker sensitive is your church? It is o.k. for a church to be “seeker aware” but seeker sensitive means that they lean toward seekers and not the saved.
7. Who do you do church for, seekers or members? “Both” is not acceptable. Church should be done for members and the unsaved are welcome to attend.
8. Do you dumb down your sermons? If he says yes, he is probably not trying to wean his members from milk to meat. Answers like, “We try to make our sermons accessible to everyone” are sermons that are not meaty.
9. What is your mixture of topical vs. expository preaching? Topical preaching is fine, but if a pastor never or rarely preaches expositionally (verse by verse), then you are going to be learning from the pastor and not God’s Word.
10. Do your sermons emphasize theology or are they just relevant? Everyone should say their sermons are relevant, what you are looking for is if they teach theology.
11. Describe your youth programs. If fun and games is the major (and usually first) emphasis, you have a youth program that is trying to compete with MTV.
12. Describe your evangelism programs. Don’t just accept, “We have an evangelism committee.” Dig. Are they serious about saving souls?
13. What church growth model do you follow? Hopefully they don’t have one. Churches should be reaching out to the lost, but churches that are plugged into new church growth models tend to follow man’s modern ideas rather than the Bible.
14. How much do you give to missions and the hungry? Again, this reveals the heart of the church. While most churches give to missions, many never consider the poor.
15. Do you believe the Bible contains no errors or contradictions? No equivocation allowed here.
16. Do you believe in a literal 6 day creation? Jesus did (Matt.19:4).
17. Do you believe in a literal hell and eternal punishment? Jesus did (Matt.25).
18. When you distribute the Lord’s Supper, do you emphasize the need to examine yourself? Paul did (I Cor.11:27-32)
19. Can a person who is living in a persistent lifestyle of sin inherit eternal life? Sinners can certainly be forgiven, but practicing sinners cannot inherit eternal life (I John3:8,9).
20. Does your church exercise church discipline? Paul said we should (I Cor.5).
21. Do Sunday school teachers, nursery, and youth volunteers fill out an application to answer questions about their core beliefs and salvation, or are all volunteers accepted because of a lack of volunteers?
22. What are the essentials of the faith? Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Salvation through faith alone, the inerrancy of Scripture.
23. Do you have a cross in your sanctuary? Many remove it because they fear it will turn off seekers. They should glory in the cross.