“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
If it feels like the apostle Paul keeps coming back to the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols in this letter to the first-century church in Corinth, it’s probably because that’s exactly what he’s doing. That likely was a big issue for the early Corinthian believers, and Paul returns to it as an example for multiple points he makes in this letter.
In this section, Paul gives us 3 key points: 1) Believers have the right to do all things, but all things may not be beneficial, 2) practicing Christian freedom in this way may not be helpful for fellow believers, and 3) as believers, we are not to focus only on our own good but on our fellow believers.
The quotes we see in verse 23 are almost identical to those in 1 Corinthians 6:12. In that context, Paul was using those quotations to make it point that they were taking the idea of freedom in Christ too far, and he builds on that idea in this section of his again.
In verse 24, he begins making his point with the idea that we as believers should not seek our own good, but that we should seek others’ good. He returns to this thought at the end of his argument here, so we can clearly see the point he’s setting up in this section.
Bringing up this idea of Christians eating meat that may have been sacrificed to pagan idols, Paul explains that if it’s being sold in the public market, there is clearly no religious significance to it (verse 25). Paul backs up that idea by quoting Psalm 24:1 in verse 26, that everything in the earth belongs to the Lord. This verse from Psalm 24 was often used as a mealtime blessing by the Jews, so it is very appropriate for Paul to tie that to eating meat while making his point that everything is God’s, so it doesn’t matter whether that particular meat had been previously used in pagan idol worship or not.
But then Paul brings up another situation in verse 27 – being invited to dinner at an unbeliever’s house. Since the church was still very new at this time, it is likely that the Corinthian believers still had a lot of overlapping social circles with unbelievers. Out of politeness, the believer should go ahead and eat the meat; however, if someone brings up the issue that it was from an idol sacrifice, then they shouldn’t eat it (verse 28). If they don’t know whether it came from a pagan sacrifice or not, it’s fine; but that changes if it’s confirmed that the meat was involved in a pagan sacrifice.
Why is that? Paul is concerned for the other person’s conscience (verse 29). He doesn’t want to cause the other person to feel guilty by offering meat sacrificed to idols. It doesn’t affect his own conscience, because only he is responsible for his conscience just as every person is responsible for themselves. If Paul thanks God for the meat, he should not be criticized for eating it, but that is his choice (verse 30).
In verse 31, Paul begins to share a bigger-picture perspective: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” After discussing the details of the meat-eating situation, Paul shows the application to all of life. However you choose to exercise your freedom as a Christian, it is our goal as believers that God is glorified in that situation. This principle doesn’t only apply to eating meat sacrificed to idols but all of our lives as believers in Jesus Christ.
While glorifying God is our primary goal, Paul shares our secondary goal in verses 32-33: that we do not cause anyone else to stumble, and that we seek the good of others so that they might be saved. Paul tries to please everyone, but he needs to keep the proper perspective of why he lives his life that way – so that more people may come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ! Paul can exercise his freedom however he wants, and so can we, but we need to make sure that our goal is to glorify God and seek the good of others.
There is much discussion among scholars as to whether 1 Corinthians 11:1 belongs in this section or with the next section, and some Bible translations break up the section differently. But since I am generally following the NIV translation, I’ll put it in this section. Paul encourages the believers to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ. While commanding them to imitate Christ is a great goal, that is harder to do than imitating a person who is still walking the earth with them. While Paul was not perfect in his imitating of Christ, he was a great example for them to follow.
While the specific circumstance of eating meat sacrificed to idols doesn’t really fit with our modern culture, think about how this idea does apply in your life. What might you be doing in your life that is okay for your conscience but may be causing a fellow believer to stumble, or even causing an unbeliever to be discouraged from the faith?
Remember Paul’s key points in this passage. Just because you can do something does not mean you should. Everything we do should focus on glorifying God and building up our fellow people. Focus on doing good for others, including the ultimate good of sharing salvation in Jesus Christ with them.
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Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
In this section of his letter to the first-century church in Corinth, Paul has been talking about his rights as an apostle and how he has freedoms and rights that he doesn’t necessarily use. Here, he continues to address his freedom but also discusses how to relate to other people. He began this section previously in verse 1 by saying, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?” He then talked about his apostleship, and now he gets back to that idea of freedom.
Paul is free, but he chooses to become a slave to everyone (verse 19). He has the freedom in Christ and in his lifestyle to make that choice. It is clear from the text that Paul has chosen this for himself, and he is not forced into this decision. Why would he choose to be enslaved rather than completely free? “To win as many as possible.” The word used there for “to win” can have meanings of gaining, making money, winning over, or even sparing someone. In this specific context, the idea is to figuratively acquire a person for God’s Kingdom – to help others know Jesus Christ. As Paul said right before this in verse 18, “What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.” Paul chooses to be enslaved to everyone so that he may preach the gospel and help them discover the salvation and freedom that only come from Jesus Christ.
Then, Paul discusses three different groups of people that he has tried to make himself like in order to win them. First, in verse 20, he talks about the Jews. Paul was actually a Jew (see Philippians 3:4-6), so it was not that big of a stretch for him to become “like a Jew.” But, when Paul was living as a religious Jew, he persecuted Christians, so he has distanced himself from that life. However, what he means here is that on matters that are not essential for salvation, he would conform to the practices of Jewish law. Some examples of this can be found in Acts 16:3, Acts 18:18, and Acts 21:20-26.
Paul then mentions “those under the law,” but that is simply another way of saying “the Jews.” The Jews were God’s people who had received the Ten Commandments and all of the laws God gave them in the Old Testament. By saying that he is “not under the law,” Paul is simply saying that he is no longer bound to follow all of the ritualistic laws that no longer apply because of Jesus’ fulfillment of them.
The second group Paul addresses are the Gentiles - “those not having the law” (verse 21). Even though Paul was culturally a Jew, he entered into the non-Jewish culture in order to share the gospel with the Gentiles (see Galatians 2:11-21). Paul specifies that he is still under God’s law and more specifically under Christ’s law. He is still bound by what God commands him to do, even though he is no longer under the Jewish rituals from the Old Testament. Jesus Christ still has a “law” of sorts that Paul follows because he follows Jesus. Again, Paul’s goal is to win them to God’s Kingdom.
The third group Paul mentions is “the weak” (verse 22a). Here, he is referring those with a weak conscience, who he discussed at greater length in 1 Corinthians 8:9-12 (see this blog post for more on that). Even though there are certain things that Paul can do that will not weaken his faith or his Christian lifestyle, he knows that others may not be as mature in the faith as he is, and he does not want his actions to make anyone fall away from following Jesus.
Even though Paul has already addressed all people, even simply by stating the two groups of Jews and Gentiles, he emphasizes that point by saying, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (verse 22b). While Paul has freedom, he often chooses not to exercise it for the sake of others.
Verse 23 summarizes this entire thought: “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” Everything that Paul does, especially not acting on the freedoms that he has, is for the sake of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Everything in Paul’s life is all about the gospel message!
Why does Paul have such a strong sense of purpose? He states that it is so he “may share in its blessings.” That may sound a bit selfish to us from that English translation, like Paul is only sharing the gospel so he can personally receive benefits. But first of all, we must look at Paul’s life as a whole; he was constantly put in prison, persecuted, beaten, shipwrecked, etc. for the sake of the gospel! Those don’t exactly sound like great personal benefits to the lifestyle of preaching the gospel.
But the Greek word used there has the idea of “communion” or “fellowship.” It’s not just about Paul; it’s about all people who may share in the faith! Paul is clearly not making himself a slave to everyone and giving up his freedoms for his own benefit but for the benefit of all who become believers and enter into the fellowship of faith.
While God does not always call us to live the lifestyle that Paul did, what are you doing in your life to reach those who do not yet know Jesus? How are you reaching them with the gospel so that they may share in our Christian community?
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Philippians 4:4-9
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Many people have inquired about why I am not posting on Facebook recently.
Approximately three weeks ago, I was contacted by Facebook. Because of the reach of my personal profile, I was told that they were contacting me and others like me with a similar number of followers on Facebook to help “stop the spread of misinformation” and to protect my Facebook profile from “malicious hackers” and “bad actors” by monitoring my account. In essence, I was informed that I needed to agree to allow Facebook to censor information I post if I want to continue to use Facebook.
It is beyond obvious to me now that these phrases are nothing more than code used by Facebook for controlling their users' thoughts and influence as well as stopping information that they don't like. I have been on Facebook since 2007 and have always tried to post true and factual posts and comments. Early on, I had a lot to learn. If I ever posted things that were false or incorrect, at least to my recollection, I corrected those posts with truth and at times apologized when necessary. I think this is just one reason why this comes as such a kick to the mid-section for me.
Over the past 15 years, much ministry and growth of the Kingdom of God has happened. I have been blessed to meet many people over the years and have had the incredible opportunity to learn from many of those people, and I have grown a lot. I praise God for that, and I have many of you to thank as well. This is not just including my Christian brothers and sisters, but also those of you that are non-believers. I do hope and continue to pray that someday you will come into a right relationship with Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe, and I hope that is your decision someday soon. Those of you striving to follow Jesus Christ, I greatly encourage you to continue to “work out” your salvation every second of your time here on earth. I am very thankful for all of those, over the years, who have been a part of helping me and our ministry, Worldview Warriors, to equip and expand the Kingdom of God in this way. You are appreciated.
I will continue to do ministry with Worldview Warriors through the radio, internet, conferences, and other events. I will also continue to publish books through the ministry. Worldview Warriors and those connected to the ministry, as far as I know, will keep doing ministry as they have in the past as well.
As for social media, I have started a path of trying to figure out all my options and what the future might look like for me and the ministry. As of right now, Worldview Warriors, Worldview Warriors Publishing, Do Not Keep Silent, Worldview Warriors Fastcast, New Morning Praise, The Way Forward is Back, and the Senedot Stripes will continue to have pages on Facebook. You can also find information about Worldview Warriors at www.worldviewwarriors.org and information about the main radio station I am on in Northwest Ohio, 90.1 FM, at newvision.fm. You can listen to New Morning Praise every Monday-Friday from 6am-8:30am. You can also listen on Sunday nights from 7-9pm to Do Not Keep Silent, www.donotkeepsilent.com. Both of these shows are on 90.1 FM.
Some of you might be wondering why I used Philippians 4:4-9 to start out this post. The truth of the matter is that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are to rejoice in all things. That doesn't mean we cannot be sad, frustrated, or upset, but we must check our attitude and rejoice in all things.
Again, it has been quite a ride on Facebook for me personally, and please note that Worldview Warriors will continue to do ministry and not much should change with the ministry. My family and I, on the other hand, have much to consider and pray about as we move forward. Ministry will still be happening, and I do want to thank everyone who has been a prayer and/or financial supporter over the years. We hope you will continue to support the work God has called us to in order to advance the Kingdom of God here on earth.
If you'd like to donate to the ministry, you can do so online at www.worldviewwarriors.org or via snail mail at:
Worldview Warriors
PO Box 681
Findlay, Ohio 45839
As I finish this post, if you are willing and able, I would ask that you please consider sharing this post on whatever social media you are using to help get the word out about what is happening, not just to me on a personal level but to others as well. I would greatly appreciate the help in getting the word out.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” -Galatians 5:1
I’m taking a quick break from writing through the book of Hebrews to write this post specifically requested by Jason DeZurik. If you’ve spent any time around Jason’s Facebook feed or read his recent blog post, you know he has one primary focus recently: liberty.
Back in 2014, I wrote this post that discussed the difference between liberty and freedom. As I summarized in that post, “Liberty is being able to do what you want to do, while freedom is the power to have that liberty.” We receive both liberty and freedom through Jesus Christ, and that’s what we’ll take a look at when digging into Galatians 5:1 in today’s post.
When looking at any passage of Scripture, it is always important to look at its context. What comes before it? What comes after it? By whom and to whom is its book of the Bible written?
The book of Galatians was a letter written by the apostle Paul to a group of churches in Galatia, as we see in Galatians 1:1-2. However, there are two main theories regarding this: the North Galatian and South Galatian. The North Galatian theory says that the audience for this letter was the northern churches in that area, and Paul would have written it between 53-57 A.D. The South Galatian theory says, not surprisingly, that the audience was churches in the southern part of that area that Paul would have founded on his first missionary journey. This would date the letter at likely 48-49 A.D. or possibly as late as 51-53 A.D.
The theological setting of this book is the conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians, specifically regarding the idea of “Judaizing” – making any Gentile believers adopt Jewish practices (especially circumcision) before they could be fully welcomed into the Church. This was significant in this historical context because many of the believers were converted from pagan religions and were not Jewish by ethnicity. The Jewish mindset of legalism and following the law would have been strong in the Jewish believers, and that is part of what Paul is writing this letter to go against.
After some introductory remarks, Paul shares his history and how he became an apostle of Jesus Christ, including his relationship to other apostles. Next, he explains and defends the gospel message. That goes to the end of chapter 4, which is where we see our verse of Galatians 5:1 comes in. The rest of the letter after this verse calls for believers to live Godly lives, warning them to not fall from grace but to live in the Spirit.
So, at this point in the letter, Paul has shown that he is worthy to be teaching them on these matters, as he is an apostle of Jesus. He has also explained the gospel message itself, including how we are saved by grace through faith and not through any works that we do. Before he gets into the next section on how to live the Christian life, Paul gives this verse that is both a summary of what came before it and an introduction to what comes after it. This verse is really the key that holds this letter together!
The verse itself is divided into two parts. First, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” This is why Jesus Christ did the work of saving us – to set us free! Then second, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” This is what we are to do about Christ’s work for us.
The Greek word used here for “freedom” could be translated as either freedom or liberty. One Greek lexicon writes that this usage especially refers to freedom that is contrary to the law of Moses, which was looked at as slavery. Another lexicon says about this word, “In a number of languages the concept of freedom is expressed as a negation of control or domination, for example, where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is no longer domination or a person does not feel under constraint.” Yet another definition says that “It describes the state of a person who is no longer enslaved by an oppressive force.”
This is why Jesus Christ came to earth – to liberate us from the slavery and oppression of having to follow the Old Testament laws! God knows that no mere human could follow every law perfectly all of the time, so we were all in need of a savior. Only Jesus, as fully human and fully God, perfectly fulfilled the law so that His death would be a worthy sacrifice for us. Jesus Christ has set us free from the burden of our sins and the oppression that comes with being enslaved to sin. (For more on that, check out this blog post and this blog post.)
After having stated this fact, Paul then commands us what to do about it: stand firm! This is a command in Greek, not just a statement. Do not take up that yoke of slavery again! Paul is telling them that they should no longer be bound by the rules of the Old Testament law as their primary focus. Jesus didn’t give His life so we could continue to be slaves to our works and never measure up to God’s perfect standard; Jesus gave His life so we could have freedom in Him!
Today, we still have the daily choice to choose between being a slave to sin or a slave to Jesus Christ just as Paul wrote about in Romans 6. Being a slave to sin means we’re burdened by the impossible standards of keeping every one of God’s laws perfectly all of the time. Being a slave to Jesus Christ is to live in freedom!
We are no longer obligated to keep the entire law because Jesus did that for us. We desire to keep the law because that’s what brings God glory and honor in our lives, but that is not the means of our salvation. God has accomplished our salvation through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, and because of that, we desire to worship and honor Him through being obedient to Him rather than obeying the world and its sinful ways.
Are you living your life as one who is enslaved or as one who has chosen the liberty and freedom that only Jesus Christ can bring? Make the decision for freedom today!
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“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” - George Washington
In the United States of America, we the people have been given a very unique responsibility and place in our government. I believe that the terms set forth in Romans 13 must be defined in order for its citizens to understand what this text is saying for our time and our culture.
Without reading into the text and making it say what one wants it to say, let’s just take a look at two terms from Romans 13 that I believe need to be defined. Those terms are “governing authorities” and “subjects.”
Who are the “governing authorities” in the United States of America? Well, it’s really not difficult to figure out when one takes a look at our founding documents.
The U.S. Constitution’s preamble makes it quite clear:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
That’s right – “We the people.” We The People are the governing authorities.
The next term we need to define is “subjects.” Who are the subjects in our form of government?
When I was a youth, I was taught that being elected to serve the people of this nation was the ultimate act of service for our country. In our form of government, those elected to governmental office are the subjects to the people.
The subjects, the servants = those who work for “We the People.”
Let’s keep this in mind. We the People are ultimately the earthly “governing authorities” in the United States. We the People elect our representatives and even the office of president and our state governors to serve us.
According to Romans 13, God is the one who establishes earthy governing authorities. In our form of government, God has established We the People as the earthly governing authorities in this nation, which is an incredible responsibility. He also establishes those who are subjects.
If the elected officials (including those who are appointed into positions and those who work for them) are the subjects, and they decide to rebel against the governing authorities (We the People), then we see in Romans 13 that they are rebelling against what God Himself has instituted. They will bring judgment onto themselves.
So, I’d like to ask you a question. If Almighty God is sovereign and He is the one who institutes and ordains kings, princes, and in our case We the People as the governing earthly authority, with inalienable rights, do you trust Him that He knew what He was doing when He instituted our nation’s government in the late 1700s with what we find in the U.S. Constitution? That word “inalienable” has a powerful definition.
The definition for the word inalienable is: unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor. So, inalienable rights are rights that are unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor. We the People have been given a great responsibility from Almighty God. Do you realize what God Almighty allowed at the founding of our nation? He ordained that even if someone wanted to take away our God-given rights OR if we would decide to try to shirk our responsibility as human beings and citizens of this nation and try to give our God given rights away, we could not. Why? Because He allowed and ordained inalienable rights!
Inalienable rights, by definition, are unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor. We the People are not being selfish in the least by claiming these rights; we are being responsible by living them out in our very lives. God ordained them.
So, to not live them out or to try to shirk our duty by not taking responsibility in living them out is actually being selfish and goes against what God Himself instituted back at the founding of our nation.
The following is a quote from Clarence Manion:
“Government does not create liberty; on the contrary, government is the one persisting danger of human liberty… This role of government as the enemy of liberty was well understood by the Founding Fathers of the Republic. They wished government to have sufficient power to ‘restrain men from injuring one another.’ But beyond that, they tied it down securely with constitutional limitations, separation of powers, bills of rights, and other legal barriers and barbed wire entanglements.”
This is just one reason why I am so adamant about the importance of The Way Forward Is Back. The way forward in our nation is not giving the state more and more power. The way forward is to get back to living out what this nation was founded upon and allowing We the People to live in our God-given liberty, with limited government. We need to promote individual responsibility so individuals we can choose to decide he or she wants to do with the life so graciously given to them and their family.
“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual… Continue steadfast, and with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, no man ought to take from us.” - Resolution from the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, 1774
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“Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.”
-John Adams, Defense of the Constitutions, 1787
Training up children in God’s way is very important; set them free! But teaching someone how to live in liberty while living out Godly ways can be very difficult.
I have been married for over 24 years now, and we have been blessed to have 6 wonderful children. I have also been coaching sports for over 15 years at various levels. Little did I realize how much coaching is really like parenting. For as many different styles of parenting there are out there, there are just as many styles of coaching.
My wife and I have taught our children not only the ways of God and how to live them out in the real world. We have lived out a permission giving household that allowed our children the most liberty possible when making decisions about things. Years ago, when we started our family, after some training and many conversations together with both of us listening to the other and sharing our thoughts, we decided to only have two rules in our home. We would expect first time obedience from our children, and if they did not comply, we would administer discipline lovingly but swiftly. In doing this, we allowed (and still to this day allow) our children the freedom to do what they want to do as long as they do not break the two rules we have in our family.
Rule #1: Do not lie; always tell the truth, even when it’s difficult.
Rule #2: Obey God and your mother and father. This also includes other people that your mother and father have put in authority over you.
In administering these rules, my wife and I have taken the responsibility of parenting on ourselves. We have taken our God-given responsibility seriously. We were and are now accepting of our responsibility for teaching our children the difference between right and wrong. We have taken that burden upon ourselves and no longer would blame our children for not “turning out right.” That burden is now squarely on us to teach, disciple, and love our children so they do not need to carry that responsibility of growing up as a burden; that is now our burden as their parents.
Our children can live in complete liberty and freedom and be children without worrying. We were able to make God the standard bearer and not us. In doing so, this helps our children look to God and not us as the one they answer to. Ultimately, God is the one who has set the standard; it is up to the parents to raise the bar to God’s standard and teach it. We strive for perfection, knowing it will not be achieved, but in doing so we expect an excellent Godly result.
If our children chose, within their own free will, to break the rules set before them, my wife and I already had decided long before the offense occurred what the consequence was going to be. My wife and I together came to an agreement, after much discussion and prayer, of what we both believed a proper consequence would be for our children choosing to break the rules of our home. We did that together; I did not lord over her, and she did not lord over me. We did this together and came to an agreement together. Time, patience, and self-control are so needed for a successful marriage, and I encourage all marriages to be founded upon Christ if you truly desire success.
We let our children know what was expected in our home and what the consequence of not following these two simple rules would be. In doing so, we trained and continue to train our children in God’s ways, allowing our children the freedom to do right or wrong, tell the truth or lie, obey or disobey. They get to choose, and when an offense occurs, it is up to my wife and me to follow through with the appointed consequence as soon as possible. If we didn’t do this, we would be sending our children a mixed message about what was right and wrong. Swift discipline is by far the best thing to administer. It helps a child learn what the offense truly was and helps them to learn not to do that again. So, fathers, get out of that easy chair and take your God-given responsibility seriously.
Coaching a team very similar to this. When a coach sends a mixed message to their team about what needs to be done on the field or court and someone chooses to go against what the coach wants (knowingly or unknowingly), if the coach does not discipline as soon as possible, not only is the player who committed the offense confused but also the rest of the team. Before you know it, chaos ensues. Generally, coaches like to blame their players for this chaos (or parents blame their children). This chaos exists because the person in charge (often the coach but parents are responsible for their own children) is not following through in swift discipline in order to teach what is expected. Pure selfishness and constraint are being taught instead of liberty and freedom.
I encourage us all to teach our children how to live a full and joy-filled life in all that they do. Live your own life by teaching real liberty in love.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
- Colossians 3:17-21
Fathers, make certain to teach your children the importance of living in liberty. Do not exasperate your children, and let’s start taking our God given responsibility seriously. Mothers, love, love, love your children and love, support, and respect your husband. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, and when you mess up, be a man! Confess your sin, ask for forgiveness, and lead in love, grace, and peace. Teach your children to mature in the Lord.
If you're interested in learning more about what Jason is suggesting here, check out his book How Being Consistent Changed Everything!
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“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8:28
Near the end of 2017, I had a massive life-threatening stroke and was given life-saving brain surgery. The dead part of my brain was removed in an emergency surgery, and after about 8 days in the Neuro ICU, I was moved to a step-down unit for 2 days, and then I went home. Even though the doctors would not use the term miracle to explain my incredible recovery, they would use terms like “remarkable,” “incredible,” or “better than average.” One nurse, seemingly from fear of being ridiculed, leaned over my bed before my final test and whispered in my ear, “You know you're a miracle, right?”
If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I did around 5 or so sessions of physical therapy and 2 sessions of occupational therapy, with one of those sessions being a test to see about how much occupational therapy I would need to do to help my recovery. The person giving me the test said, “Well Jason, I'm going to send out these test results to be confirmed, but I can tell you before sending them out that I can't help you out with your recovery any more than you already are.” It was quite an incredible time for me, my wife, and my whole family. Family and friends were astonished as well. To this day, we are still thankful and amazed at my miraculous recovery. Plus, many people helped our family in so many ways. I know we are all thankful for that. Before I move on, please note that I am still healing and recovering to this day, and I still deal with things from this whole ordeal. In our current society, one of those things that is I cannot wear a mask over my mouth and nose.
I choose not to go into all of the gory details of why I cannot wear a mask. Suffice it to say that back in the spring of 2020, God allowed me to see what was coming around the corner in society. At the beginning of all of this craziness, my wife and I needed to get somethings at a local store, so like “good citizens” we both masked up and we went on our way to get what we needed. In less than 5 minutes it was obvious that the lack of oxygen I was receiving was affecting my body and my brain. I told my wife at the time that I wasn't sure I could do that again. So, I went to my primary doctor, an MD who was in practice for over 20 years, and I told him what took place. One of the main types of patients he dealt with were patients like me who have had strokes. It was one of the main reasons I chose him to be my primary doctor.
He told me, “Oh, that doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, it makes sense that this happened to you.” This was very early on in this “pandemic.” So, I chose very early on that I would not mask up; not because I was mean or selfish but because I needed to live the life God had given to me in liberty and freedom. It became quite apparent to me by about June or July 2020 at how “crazy” masking up was going to become. So, in September of 2020, I was able to secure a medical mask exemption from my primary doctor, even though some of the nurses in the office thought I was being over the top in trying to get this piece of paper.
This is the part of the story I really want to convey to the public and just one of many reasons why I was done with this whole situation back in September of 2020. What happened made me realize how non concerning this whole thing really was. Please bear with me. After going into the office and asking to get this medical mask exemption, one of the nurses, well-meaning as she could be (I do not fault this person at all and truly love her as a person made in the image of God), looked at me as serious as could be and made the suggestion, “Oh Jason, you can wear a mask. Can't you just ‘cheat a little’ by just twisting the elastic that goes around your ears to make a little pocket here on the side of your face so you can get a little more oxygen in through here?” As she pointed to the sides where an obvious gap was made on both sides of her face to allow the mask to be basically rendered useless because the “seal” that was to be made by the mask against this virus was truly broken. Now, this is a medical professional and not some “wanna be” or novice saying to do this.
That was the day I truly realized what was happening in our nation and world. Now, before anyone attacks me, I am not, in the least, saying this virus isn't real or that people are not dying. They are, but like it or not, death, disease, and dying have been here since Adam sinned against Almighty God. It is a part of this world. If your immune system is compromised, by all means, take the necessary precautions to live the life God has given to you. But don't expect to force those who are healthy or are not affected by this virus to stop living their lives or change what they are doing because you don't like it or might be scared. God Almighty does not call us to that. He calls us to live in this world without fear and worry.
As I started out this post, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. My family and I had no idea how much that verse was true until we experienced how God could take an absolutely horrible situation of a massive life-threatening stroke and use it for good to help set people free in their mindset. My wife and I have already spoken many times before 2020 in public about what took place in 2017; praise God that many people have been encouraged in their faith in Jesus Christ and in their situations by the account. It amazes me how even 4 years later, God is still using this for His good and for His glory to help set people free in Christ. God works all things together for the good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose!
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by Eric Hansen
Anxiety can take many forms for us. For example, I suffer from anxiety due to not surrendering all of myself to Christ. Other common themes are financial or social burdens, loneliness, desperation, and other underlying mental health issues. Through these experiences, many people will often quote 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. Paul never states the thorn exactly, and people often come up with their own version of what this is. But if we look at who Paul is writing to (the church of Corinth) and what was going on at the time (Christians living in the name only), we can get a better picture as to what the thorn may be.
In both preserved letters to the church there, Paul is critical of how they act. While they do have members and are serving to proclaim the name of Jesus, they also are still living both in and of the world. John tells us in 1 John 2:15-17 that we are to live in but not of the world. This means that we are to exist as we do to serve God and proclaim the Gospel, not to celebrate or honor prostitution, Paganism, socioeconomic separation, etc. Paul's letters to Corinth and the church there consisted of hard love. He viewed each of the churches he directly and indirectly ministered to as his babies through the power of God, essentially trying to keep their focus on God and not pleasing the world.
Due to all of this, we can better understand what possible thorn(s) Paul is crying out to God to remove. Even to this day, we still see these things happening. We have abstracted the concept of Christian obedience and love to suit the current world's demands, and those who are crying out and demanding a Biblical foundation are in agony asking God to fix this. These include professing Christian churches “marrying” homosexuals, worshiping “Caesar” over God, or treating life as valueless unless it is outside of the womb. The true, God-fearing church, and not just the building but the people making up those places, is struggling to overcome the evils that their brothers and sisters are falling into.
Christians are called to love, and love justly. We are to do everything we can to help bring the Holy Spirit to people and lead them away from the flesh and into a reborn nature. But when brothers are against brothers, sisters against sisters, how can we maintain that sense of unity? Not only do we then not express our love and joy of what God has blessed us with, but our spirits weaken and become dull due to the empathy we either don't give or receive.
The divisional state of our nation, let alone our world, is blasphemy. Our own thorns can hinder our progress if we don't keep them in check. We will struggle, and just as Paul did, to glorify God, and for people to see us, true-believing and confessing Christians, and to understand that it is not from our own will or ability but through the Holy Spirit. Our anxiety, restless nights, and torn-apart dreams, sacrificed in the name of Jesus Christ, are of no value to us but to the eternal value of Him. For this to be the result, however, we need to be united in Christ even if we are not united in our minds necessarily.
There are solutions to this problem that we can both easily and adequately perform that improve the greater good. To address the proverbial elephant in the room, one of the biggest and best things you can do is surrender your life to Christ Jesus. However, this is also more of a life-long journey for most than anything else, so we need to find ways to help steer us toward this mentality and consider it our goal.
So, how do we lower our spiritual anxiety?
Do things as milestones, not goals. When we consider an action or “end result” as a goal, we undermine the continuous effort we have to put in to keep that action going (like Newton’s first law of motion). If we stop acting with love toward others, we will find ourselves quickly loving not even ourselves. So, the best thing you can do is love who you can continuously not just by words but by actions.
Recharge yourself every now and then. Burn out is very high in my day job’s field, as it is in ministry. We are often taken advantage of without any amount of respect returned for our deeds. So we continue acting out of love, but the love never returns. The second law of thermodynamics basically states that we can only give so much energy out before we are depleted of it. The way we recharge our ability to love is receiving it as well. For example, a church elder visits a shut in and feels God’s love replenishing the elder’s love given to the shut in. Another way this would happen is by spending time with God, relaxing, and embracing the moment.
One final way we can all start to keep our love high and our anxiety (relatively) low is by acknowledging our weaknesses and finding ways to balance them out. We weren’t designed or built to take on the world; only one was and that’s God. He designed us to be in unity, taking our various attributes to be harmonious in our variety. For example, I am not the most skilled at being social, but my wife is. I love teaching, evangelizing, and being an apologetic, whereas she is more timid toward it. We utilize each other’s strengths to not hide our weaknesses, but to glorify God with them through unity.
In the end, we need to start embracing the fact we need help, that we can find it in God and His children. The stigma that as a Christian we are perfect should be disproven by our constant appeal to God for His guidance and grace. We should lower the expectations that if someone is filled with anxiety, depression, trust issues, etc. that they can’t be; instead that they are just as important to His kingdom as everyone else.
If you like this blog post and would like to dig deeper into what Eric is addressing here, we here at Worldview Warriors encourage you to read this resource: Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
The world is on “fire.” We are living through a “global pandemic,” violence, and vandalism in the streets, and a questioning of the Christian faith that many of us have never seen in our lifetime. Recently, I came across this quote from someone on social media: “I just know Jesus would have loved all people as they come, and that’s what I wanna do too.”
Now, this quote standing alone is a very good thing. It sounds incredible and amazing until you dig into what this person actually means by saying this. Friends, this person isn’t really interested in finding the truth in God’s Word but in the ideas and philosophies of humans. This is something we here at Worldview Warriors have run across a lot in the past and have been warning about for years. It seems to just be coming to light for many, now that social media has become more popular and prevalent in everyday life.
The following is just one reason I know this person isn’t interested in finding the truth in God’s Word, even though they would claim they are interested in God’s Word. They also shared this: “I think there’s a big fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of sin. One that’s man made and misconstrued.” This was brought up after someone asked this person if they believed that a certain activity that the Bible claims to be sin is still a sin today.
You see, friends, we are dealing with a very serious issue today. In fact, the human race has dealt with this issue for a very long time. The issue is that we think we know what is good and right and true without God. Many today are actually claiming the moral high ground without standing on God. They say they are standing on things that are godly, when they are in fact doing anything but that. They claim love. Many today think that giving license to a sinful lifestyle is acting in love when it is anything but love. They are confused in what living out truth in love really looks like. What do I mean?
Well, Jesus, with the woman at the well is a perfect example of what I am referring to (read about it in John 4). You’ll notice that Jesus didn’t tell this person that living with a man who wasn’t her husband was okay, good, or right. In fact, He didn’t tell her that having 5 husbands was okay either. He wanted to help restore her as a person, help her face her sinful lifestyle, and take responsibility for her actions. He didn’t say to keep living in your life of sin. In fact, she left her water pot (her old way of living) behind to tell others about this Jesus. She wanted to strive to live for Christ.
Friends, just by looking at Jesus’ example here and in other places in Scripture, we can easily deduce that affirming someone’s sinful lifestyle and encouraging them to stay in this lifestyle is anything but living in freedom in Christ. It’s affirming the burdensome chains that a person has around their neck and wrists. God sent Jesus Christ to make us free, not just in the next world but in this one as well. The Kingdom of God is not a place. It is a mindset, it is a spiritual awakening, it is a lifestyle. Friends, leave your water pot behind.
Here’s some more on this idea with Jason’s daughter, Anika DeZurik: “Leaving your water pot behind.” Check it out and be free!
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
Last week, I wrote about the Spiral of Defeat, which my pastor has taught. I examined seven steps of how an external trigger will activate through our bodily senses to create a thought. Thoughts lead to temptations, temptations to sin, sin to habits, habits to strongholds, and strongholds to demons. This cycle can go through multiple iterations and the ultimate result is death. But this cycle can be broken, and we can begin a new cycle: a Spiral of Victory.
My pastor broke it down into seven steps that match the seven steps of the Spiral of Defeat. These steps are: internal trigger, revelation, escape, victory, habit, deliverance, and freedom. While the Spiral of Defeat acts upon the lusts and desires of the flesh, the Spiral of Victory acts upon the yearnings and teachings of the Holy Spirit. While the Spiral of Defeat is initiated from outside of us, the Spiral of Victory initiates from within. Here are the sermon and notes for reference. Let’s dig in.
The first step is not an external trigger appealing to our senses, but an internal trigger noted by our spirit. One of the functions of the spirit in a human being is intuition. It’s the ability to know something you normally would not know. Women are well attuned to this part of them. Our conscious is another function of the spirit. While an external trigger can initiate the process towards sin, our conscious is an internal trigger that warns us against it. If we listen to the external trigger, we reap a thought that can lead to sin. If we listen to the internal trigger, we will receive a revelation.
When David was being chased by Saul, he started down the Spiral of Defeat, but he beat it and climbed the Spiral of Victory. The Spiral of Defeat started when he found Saul in the cave where he was hiding. That was the external trigger. It came with a thought: “I could kill him now.” That became a temptation, and while he did not kill Saul, he cut off a piece of Saul’s garment. Immediately, David was cut to the heart. This was an internal trigger which led to a revelation.
Now, when I say “revelation” here, I am not talking about a private message from God on the same level as Scripture. What I am talking about is typically a Scripture verse that has already been put in our spirit will come out to address the external trigger. That’s how Jesus beat Satan in the wilderness. He received an internal trigger alerting Him that His hunger was from His body and it needed to be subjected to the control of the Holy Spirit. And when He noted that, a verse came to mind, one He has memorized since He was a boy. When He stood upon that Scripture, He gained an escape. David also had a revelation. Saul was God’s anointed. It was not his job to solve his problems. Let God take care of it.
Temptation is the desire to take something God has given us and use it in the wrong way or the wrong time. Yet with every temptation, there is always an escape. God never promised we can beat it by force or will power; He promised we can escape from under it. Temptation actually has no power over us. But temptations are tempting simply because we want and like what it offers, that’s why it’s a temptation. But if we can escape from under it, it can do no more than try again later, and what we get is not a sin but victory. David escaped not just Saul but also the temptation to take care of business his own way in his own timing. As a result, he did not merely escape, he got a victory.
Victories are one-time events. Many nations will lose a battle but win the war. It takes multiple battles and multiple victories to win a war. The temptations will keep coming back because as God told Cain, sin is at the door and its desire is to have us, to devour us. It keeps knocking and if we beat it back 19 times and lose it on the 20th time, that singular victory is like it won all 20. But the reverse is also true. If sin has beaten you 999 times, and you beat it on the 1000th time, that one victory counts as if you won all 1000 times. David got a victory over Saul, by choosing not to take Saul’s life and showing he truly had no intent of taking the throne from him. Both winning and losing have something else in common: they are habit-forming.
Ask any sports team about this. When you start losing, you get that losing mindset going and it becomes a habit. But when you start winning, winning starts becoming a habit, too. Yes, there will be setbacks, but one of the reasons the New England Patriots and the San Antonio Spurs have had such great runs for the last 20 years is because they’ve established a culture of winning. It became a habit. When we escape from temptation and continue escaping, it becomes a habit. The temptations slow down and they stop becoming temptations. John Bevere battled pornography as a church leader. His testimony on how he was delivered and got out is incredible, but one thing I noted was that over time after his initial deliverance, the temptation to look got weaker and weaker. For David, when he came across Saul a second time, he wasn’t even tempted to take Saul’s life, though his general, Abishai, was tempted. David beat the temptation, got a victory, and that victory became a habit. Then as the habit of beating the temptation grows, we can truly experienced deliverance.
Deliverance is when a particular desire or lust no longer has any control over you and you no longer have any desire to have it. Josh McDowell’s father experienced this. He was the town drunk, and as the drunk, he ruined Josh’ life. He was too drunk to even recognize that his farm hand was molesting and raping his son for a span of seven years. Yet he came to Christ and the temptation came again. He found one of his bottles and took a swig. The moment the alcohol touched his mouth, he spewed it out like it was poison. He never touched the drink again. He was delivered. For any person to have been in the gutter, to have gone through the Spiral of Defeat, and to reach the point of Deliverance, it is truly life changing. That’s what happened with John Bevere. God had to break him free of the stronghold of pornography and then he started on the Spiral of Victory. Now he has been delivered. David never would have to fear Saul again because of a war with the Philistines. After that second encounter, David never saw Saul again, because Saul was slain in battle. There is one more step to the Spiral of Victory: freedom.
Deliverance is the total recuse from sin and its reach. Freedom is the ability to go back into the darkness, not be affected by its pull, and recuse others. Steve Lillis is a famous pool player whose lust for fame and fortune led him into a Spiral of Defeat. He was a pool shark for a while, gambling on pool games, losing on purpose to raise the stakes, and then would walk home with a wad of cash. But his life was threatened, and there are pool halls he knows if he walks in there again, his life is not promised. Yet today, he is totally delivered and walks in freedom. Nine years ago, he did a trick shot show with me here in El Paso in the middle of the coldest storm we had on record in a pool bar addressing the very culture he was delivered from (read more of that story here). He had freedom. David finally achieved freedom when he became king. He took the Spiral of Victory and achieved it. Paul frequently wrote about the freedom that a Christian is supposed to have. That’s what Romans 8 is all about: freedom. A conqueror gets victory, but we are more than conquerors. Sin has no power over us. Death has no sting. The plague may hit and even strike our body, but we will not fear because Christ has won it all for us. THAT is the Spiral of Victory!
Which spiral are you walking in? Are you in a Spiral of Defeat where sin continually beats you down into submission? Most of us walk in this spiral. We may be saved, we may be born again, but we are in the Spiral of Defeat and cannot get out. We may need God to supernaturally break the cycle for us. But then we may have to walk each step of the Spiral of Defeat backwards before we can start walking in the Spiral of Victory. If you are doing that, treat each step up as a victory. As you climb out of defeat, you may be climbing the Spiral of Victory at the same time.
Walk the Spiral of Victory, but take note that you can never do it in your own strength. You will fail. You can only do it walking alongside the One who succeeded: Jesus Christ. Let Him fight your battles. Let Him answer the door when temptation knocks. Let Him respond to those external triggers. When that happens, you will experience true freedom, and the life of the Christian is meant to walk in that freedom.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
by Steve Risner
Ministry Note: While some reading this will think this post is political in nature, please be aware that it is not meant to be political at all. The intent of this post is to help encourage and equip the reader on the founding principles of our nation, faith in Jesus Christ, and why this matters so much.
These are tough times for us all. As restrictions are being lifted by our executive officials, we are still under stress and pressures that, for most of us, are unwarranted. Within the United States, there are a variety of reactions from states like South Dakota all the way to states like Michigan. Freedom is a wonderful thing, and the liberties we have in the U.S. are paralleled by no other nation on the earth. We are unique and have been since our inception. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about that extensively. I encourage you to read his findings or to take courses on the founding of the U.S. and its constitution. You can find free courses for that at Hillsdale College. They’re very good and go into a great deal of depth in terms of the Federalist Papers and other writings by the Founders as well as personal correspondence and speeches so we can understand the true intent and meaning behind the official U.S. documents that founded us as a nation.
So what rights, in my humble opinion, are currently being threatened or violated? I’ll look at them in numerical order to begin with.
The First Amendment doesn’t give us the right to free speech/press, practice our faith, or assemble but explains what are rights are. They’re not from a piece of paper but expressed by this document. The rights outlined in the Bill of Rights are expressed in our society but not granted by government. They’re granted by God Almighty so the government cannot take them away. So we, according to the First Amendment, have the right to free speech/press. This is being squashed not so much by the government (at least not yet or directly) but by social media platforms, YouTube, Google, and the like. They are silencing those who, according to YouTube, do not agree with the “authoritative truth.” If that term doesn’t scare you, I’m not sure you’re awake. That is concerning for a variety of reasons, but let’s move on. We are being told that we cannot practice our faith as we see fit; this is clearly a direct violation of our rights. To be sure, many (most, really) religious organizations have complied with little to no complaining, but telling people they cannot meet for church, mass, or at the mosque is a direct violation of this basic human right. The right to assemble is, again, another clearly stricken right. First it was groups under 50. Then it was groups under 10. Then it was just “stay at home” so you can’t meet with anyone (unless you need liquor or even an abortion). The right to assemble is a basic God given right that we all have in this nation, and the government cannot take from us lawfully. Yet, here we are. We have the right to gather and, dare I say, at whatever proximity we choose.
Then we have the Fourth and Fifth Amendments which tell us we, as human beings, are protected from unlawful search and seizure and deserve due process of the law. Have you heard of anyone being stopped by police and being asked why they’re outside or on the road? Have you seen or heard of anyone being arrested for going to work, playing catch in the park, surfing, or kayaking? I know I have. This is a violation of our right to due process and unreasonable search and seizure.
The Ninth Amendment makes it clear that not all of our rights are outlined in the governing documents of the U.S. Just because it’s not in the Constitution doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a right. We have the right to work. We have the right to go outside. We have the right to travel. These are all basic human rights that, until recently, no one would even question are actually rights.
Next to the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment is probably the biggest violation here in my opinion. This amendment states: “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” We have, according to this amendment, the right to life, liberty, and property. No person shall be told they cannot work if they are a U.S. citizen. We are a free people and we have equal protection under the law. How does that work if some are considered “essential” and others are not? “You can go to work, but you over here need to stay home.” This is not right. Every person is essential, and every person’s job is essential in some way or another. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be a job. Telling someone that they cannot go to work or that they have to stay in their home is a clear violation of this God given right.
Have you heard of some states actually stationing officers outside the home of someone who is suspected to have COVID-19? I have. Have you heard of states using ankle monitors to track people who have been ordered to stay at home to make sure they do? I have. Have you seen on television that people are being fined or jailed even because they went to work? I have. Have you heard of governors who say things like, “If you behave, we can lift these orders” or other such things? I have. Have you heard radio commercials where a governor is heard saying, “If you are not an essential worker, you cannot leave your home”? I have. Being on the road in some states is a violation of “a law” put in place by elected or non-elected officials if you’ve not been deemed “essential” by the governing authorities. This is an obviously wrong way to function; if this isn’t a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, I don’t know what is.
Is it selfish to believe we have these God-given rights and that we should be free to exercise them? Of course not. Some have suggested that their right to life superseded the rights I’ve outlined above. This is not true at all and I’ll explain why. This person’s right to life, while it is the foundational right of all the others, is not infringed upon in any way by allowing someone else (or everyone else, really) to exercise their rights. If you are one who feels your life would be threatened by leaving your home, going to work, or strolling through the park, please stay home. You are well within your rights to do so. But demanding we all stay home so you can stay alive isn’t American, it isn’t freedom, and it isn’t right.
To top this off, what evidence is there that everyone staying home will actually keep this person alive? There is none. How can we know this, anyway? There’s no way to determine that this person’s life was jeopardized by someone else’s decision to live their life. Sure, if someone with COVID-19 sneezed on them or licked their car door handle, that could potentially be something. But otherwise, there is no way to know for certain that anything someone did put them at risk—especially if that means someone just went outside their house, saw a movie, or ate at a restaurant. This person’s right to life, by the way many of our authorities are presenting it, would mean no one should be allowed to drive since they could be killed in an accident. It means no one should be able to own a gun, since they could be harmed or killed either accidentally or intentionally. It would mean that restaurants should all close because someone might choke on a piece of food. There’s no way to defend their position unless there is a way to conclusively say that if everyone (except this person) leaves their home this person would lose their life. Obviously, this is not realistic.
The desire for people to be free to exercise their God-given rights is not selfish. Most people are happy to help out and protect those who are at risk. But it makes no sense at all to keep everyone at home while the at risk are the only ones at risk. They can stay home while the rest of the world gets along just fine. In my opinion, the American way is to say that each person should be able to decide what they want to do and experience the consequences for those choices. Freedom is being able to make choices. If you are at risk, take all the measures you need to in order to stay safe. If others are not at risk, they should be free to do as they like while respecting your right to stay home, shelter in place, etc.
Some may suggest that in an emergency, the government has the ability to suspend our God-given rights. This is not true, and if you feel this way, please understand that this line of thinking is a doorway to tyranny. If our rights can be suspended because the government deems it necessary, we never had those rights in the first place. But since the rights are God-given, they cannot be taken from someone else. The U.S. government cannot take our rights due to an emergency. To be clearer, the government cannot create powers for itself it did not previously have but can only expound on powers it already has. And if the president or, in most cases currently, a governor is taking actions that go against the will of the legislature, those actions are likely prohibited. This is why we have three separate but equal branches of government. Many legislatures are trying to take action against the executive branch because of overreach.
As a believer, my response has been one of submission, but this doesn’t mean we must keep our opinions to ourselves. Paul tells us in Romans 13 to submit to the authorities. Here in the States, under God, the people are the final authority, but we have officials that we’ve elected to govern. I believe, to keep peace and to set forth an example, it is right to do as our governor has asked. However, may there be a point at which I can say it is just to civilly disobey? How do we respond when his or her orders are too harsh or do not seem to have an end in sight? Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us to live as free people but in doing so, we are not to hide our evil deeds. I can’t see how living your life is an evil deed and I don’t understand why someone would feel they have the right to insist you live your life a certain way for their sake. This is especially true if your living life doesn’t interfere with or endanger their life and life choices. The amazing thing is this nation was founded by predominantly Christian men using Christian principles to govern a predominantly Christian people. That’s what these founding documents are based on. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the heart and soul of this Republic. He is truly the answer to all of our problems, and I mean that 100%.
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Editor’s note: Due to the popularity of this post, we’re re-posting this one today for your enjoyment.
As I continue in my “little gods” series, I’d like you to consider the following. With all of the political banter and debate going on as well as our nation seemingly being torn more and more apart, I would like you to ask yourself the following question: Who do you put your faith, hope, and trust in? In the book of 1 Samuel, we see Samuel not only seeking the Lord’s council in giving the people of Israel a king or not but also warning the people with God’s warning about what will happen if they do have a king rule over them. You can read of the whole story in 1 Samuel 8. What led to this though? Well, we read in verse 3 of chapter 8 that Samuel’s sons, which he was about to make judges over the people, did not walk in the ways of God. They were not only dishonest men but “took bribes and perverted justice.” I’m guessing this made the people quite nervous and unsure of the future. So, instead of choosing liberty and God’s sovereignty, the people of Israel chose a different path of security and what they thought was safety, along with the shortcomings of a human being as their leader. In a day and time in our nation where the cult of personality is “king,” believers in Jesus Christ need to really seek and search out who we are putting our faith, hope, and trust in. Who do you trust? Do you trust people who will absolutely let you down? Or do you trust in Almighty God and His ways that have not only stood the test of time but have stood before there was time? Just like in Samuel’s day, I believe we are at a crossroads, not only in the United States of America but it is a crossroads that will affect much of the world we live in. Do I believe We The People in the USA need to lead? Absolutely, but we need to lead in the right way and be led by the right leader. We have a choice. We can choose the little god of safety and security, which will inevitably lead to bondage and slavery, or we can choose the God-given freedom and liberty that He so longs for, for each person that He has made. The choice is up to you, but it will affect others. Liberty, which will inevitably lead us down a path of risk and adventure. Is it perfect? No, but you will be free. or Safety and security, which inevitably will lead us down a path of bondage and slavery. This looks so inviting at first, but the price to liberty is quite high. Before you move on to something else, I’d like to challenge you with this thought: If you are only thinking about the political situation in the USA after reading this post, then you have partially missed the point. Partially. I encourage you to think about your own life, your life as an individual. Where have you as an individual given up liberty for the sake of feeling safe and secure? Perhaps, for you, this has been a great decision. Perhaps though you are thinking of something else that you could have made a different decision on and chose liberty over safety, and now you are realizing liberty would have been a better choice. Is this something you could work on to change? Is it possible that in this area of your life you could finally attain some liberty? Well, I encourage you to think about that and pray about it. Take time to read Galatians 1 for more to ponder on this.This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
A hard lesson of the tough narrow path that Jesus Christ speaks of in Matthew 7:13-14 is the lesson of allowing those in leadership positions the honor and freedom to do as they want. Romans 13:1-4 is very clear about who puts who in authority regarding government and that those under that authority are to honor the leadership of said person. How should we handle that when dealing with a leader at work or even when volunteering for something?
If you are interested, I have written on this Romans 13 passage regarding our government here in the USA and how it may apply. Check out this post or this post.
What is clear is that we are to honor God in all we do. If it is true that God is the one who places people into authority positions, then we are to honor that leadership and even their style of leadership. Now, don’t read what I am not writing. I am not saying that at a job you should just do everything exactly how your boss may want you to do something, or to simply fall in line with some volunteer position. No; you have a choice, as does the leader and/or boss. You are not a slave at your job or at some volunteer position. You have a choice, as does the leader. If you don’t like how something is being run or you feel as if your gifts and talents aren’t being fully utilized someplace, you can honor the current leadership by keeping your mouth shut and moving on to some other place. In fact, God may be allowing this to happen in your life because he wants to not only teach you something but perhaps the leader and those under the current leadership as well.
Don’t take offense or undermine the person in leadership. Perhaps bite your lip, keep your mouth shut, and allow them to learn and grow without you being there, while you grow, learn, and mature throughout the process of life too. It can be very difficult, but the tough narrow path is not the easy wide path that Jesus Christ said most people take. The wide path leads to destruction and immaturity.
Keep in mind that you are only responsible for you. You are not responsible for someone learning what you are wanting or hoping they will learn. Only they are responsible for that. So, allow them to make their choices and even mess up! Lovingly be there for them if they need to discuss something. Keep in mind they may not want to learn as quickly as you want them to learn. Remember, this is their journey, not yours.
By leaving a place and honoring the leadership there, you are now allowing them to lead as they please and honoring God’s choice and plan in the process.
Can it be hard for you? It most certainly will be, but that will probably be for your own good in the long run too. If you desire vindication or justice, know that it may not happen in this world. Just stay on the narrow path and grow.
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I am an individual. I believe in human rights being guaranteed at the individual level. My rights are not derived by my belonging to a group. I believe the State has to maintain what I call the libertarian minimum. That is, it must only guarantee the security of life, liberty, and property to its citizens and go no farther! The State is to guarantee that I do no harm to someone else or use force or violence against another person.
The State’s position is a purely defensive one. It is the amalgamation of every free person’s right to voluntarily unite for the common defense against the aggression of others. It is all the nerds on the playground standing together against a bully saying, “If you fight one of us, you fight all of us.” We have the right to use violence only in self-defense, and we have the right to empower the State to use that defensive power on our behalf in a civil way. But that is as far as the violence can go.
The State may not be used to wield power against others. Our nerds can persuade stronger students into standing with them in solidarity against the bully, but they may not hire the bully to wreak havoc on others. The State is to guarantee that we have rigorous freedom and leave us mostly to ourselves. (Read more about that here.)
There are basically three kinds of freedom: libertine, libertarian, and virtuous (or the pursuit of the good).
Libertine freedom denotes casting off moral restraint and doing whatever gives you pleasure.
Libertarian freedom implies the ability to make choices that can be harmful or destructive, as long as that harm or destruction does not spill over onto another person—that is those actions do not impede another’s life, liberty, or property.
Virtuous freedom is freedom from restraint (chemical, moral, etc.) to pursue the good life. It is the ancient idea of Eudemonia. You can read more about that here.
The State is unable to allow libertine freedom, because that would be unjust. The State cannot allow persons to harm one another. Libertine freedom allows a person to live without moral constraints including theft, murder, fraud, debauchery, etc. It is antinomianism run amuck.
On the other hand, the State is powerless to provide you with virtuous freedom. That is, it cannot compel you pursue the good life, because virtue must be voluntary for it to be virtuous. The State can only prevent others from using violence against you, thus providing everyone with the equal opportunity for the good life. But you must pursue it for yourself at your own expense and to the risk of your own person.
That leaves only libertarian freedom; that is why I call it the libertarian minimum. The State has a responsibility to guarantee this minimum, and any attempts to do otherwise become tyranny and injustice. No one can be allowed to take your life, liberty, or property without repercussions from the law. The libertarian minimum is the only just course for the State regardless of how much persons might wish it could produce a utopia. It can’t.
Asking the State to do otherwise would mean that the State must become a bully and shakedown others on your behalf. The State would have to choose those for whom it would provide benefits and those whom it would subjugate in order for those benefits to be provided. Any service that is mandated as your right must be taken from someone else, who is forced to comply with the State’s demand. The result is that the State treats everyone unfairly—some with benefits and others with burdens. Even though this is the exact opposite of actual justice, it is the current state of affairs in the United States.
If you are to have something you did not earn, someone has to earn it and have it taken away—if that isn’t injustice, what is? Of course, someone could voluntarily give something away from the goodness of her heart, and that would be virtuous. But can you see how forcing her to do this removes the virtue? It is no longer a gift; it is theft by a bully.
The concept of justice is nearly as old as human beings. Christianity places the source of justice in God Himself. He is maximally good and perfect. He is holy and just and He cannot leave sin unpunished (Nahum 1:3). While God does punish nations, and innocent members of the community have to suffer along with those who actually caused the problems, justice is primarily about individual response to God’s way of life. The ultimate day of justice, Judgment Day, is executed toward the individual. See Ezekiel 18, especially verse 20: “The soul that sins, it shall die.”
If this is how God carries out justice, it behooves us to follow suit. We do not condone punishing families for the crimes of one of its members; rather, holding individuals accountable for their own actions is considered just. As obvious as this sounds, the idea is quickly eroding on college campuses and elsewhere where your membership to certain groups is all the signal of character one needs to condemn or praise a person. It is on your group identity that you are judged, not individual character. (Look for my future post concerning intersectionality.)
I believe in the autonomy of the individual. I am not you, you are not me. There is in impassable barrier between my “self” and your “self.” We are distinct from one another. You cannot read my mind, though you may guess what I am thinking. I am innocent of your crimes and vice versa. But there are limits to individualism, which I will discuss in my next post.
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