Bernie Vs. The Believer

Is it unloving to believe and then proclaim that those who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be condemned by God? Does holding that belief make a person incapable of demonstrating love and fairness to the individuals he or she believes currently stand condemned?

These are the issues that Russell Vought was faced with during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill recently. President Trump nominated Vought to be deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, but it has not been a smooth transition thus far.  

Vought is an alumnus of Wheaton College, which in 2015 suspended a tenured professor who declared that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. In response to the professor, Vought wrote a blog stating, “Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.”

Various groups latched on to Vought’s statement about condemnation and questioned whether his beliefs allow him to be capable of serving all Americans fairly. At Vought’s confirmation hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders repeatedly questioned Vought about his faith, and strongly insinuated that Vought’s beliefs make him Islamophobic.

So, Is Sanders right? Is it hateful to believe and proclaim that those who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be condemned by God?

Let’s begin to answer that question by taking a simple look at perhaps the most popular passage of Scripture in the New Testament. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. – John 3:16-19 ESV

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle John clearly wrote that those who do not believe in Jesus stand condemned. In fact, verse 18 was specifically cited by Vought in his blog post. To be sure, there are Christians who don’t agree with Vought’s choice of words. But if they are ashamed of his statement that all are condemned apart from faith in Christ, they are actually displaying that they are ashamed of some of the most foundational words of Christianity.

The Apostle John later testified that the words of his gospel are true and have been recorded so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in His name. Therefore, it is more than reasonable to conclude that one of the most loving things we can do is testify to others about their dire need to receive Christ.

What about Sen. Sanders’ second assertion? Is it impossible to demonstrate love and fairness to those one believes currently stand condemned in the eyes of God?

To be fair to Sanders, historically speaking, the merging of the cross with the State has neither been beneficial for the lost nor the Church. The first recorded act of homicide committed by a Christian against a nonchristian did not occur until after 380CE, when Roman Emperor Theodosius virtually made it illegal to not be a Christian. A few decades later, Augustine began to develop a theory of Just War, by which a Christian could feel justified in slaughtering pagans.

But that is not how it was in the beginning.

Early Christian writer, Irenaeus, was the Bishop of Lyons throughout in the mid-late 2^nd century. He was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostle John. What we find in the writings of Irenaeus is a man who unashamedly testified to the simple words of Christ, and also a man who, like Christ, would lay down his life for the salvation of his enemies. 

First, let’s take a look at Irenaeus’ interpretation of John 3:18.

And for this purpose did the Father reveal the Son, that through His instrumentality He might be manifested to all, and might receive those righteous ones who believe in Him into incorruption and everlasting enjoyment; … but He shall righteously shut out into the darkness which they have chosen for themselves, those who do not believe, and who do consequently avoid His light. … For it was fitting that the truth should receive testimony from all, and should become [a means of] judgment for the salvation indeed of those who believe, but for the condemnation of those who believe not. …  Wherefore did the Lord say to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father but by Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” – Irenaeus 180CE, ANF Volume 1, p. 781, 783-784 [CD-ROM]

There was no dancing around challenging doctrines with Irenaeus and the early Christians. If the Jesus said it, they believed it. Therefore, when the Scriptures spoke of the Holy Spirit empowering followers of Jesus to love our enemies and walking as Jesus they believed that too.

From the Lord’s advent, the new covenant which brings back peace, and the law which gives life, has gone forth over the whole earth, as the prophets said: “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; and He shall rebuke many people; and they shall break down their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and they shall no longer learn to fight.” … The word of God, preached by the apostles (who went forth from Jerusalem) throughout all the earth, caused such a change in the state of things, that these [nations] did form the swords and war-lances into ploughshares, and changed them into pruning-hooks for reaping the corn, [that is], into instruments used for peaceful purposes, and that they are now unaccustomed to fighting, but when smitten, offer also the other cheek. – Irenaeus 180CE, ANF Volume 1, p. 859-860 [CD-ROM]

Christians being put on trial and persecuted for their uncompromising, nonviolent faith is as ancient as the days following Pentecost in the book of Acts. So we should not consider it strange when similar events unfold before our eyes in the 21^st century.

Unfortunately, it is rare these days to see Christians who will literally turn the other cheek. Who will literally bless their persecutors. Who will literally refuse to repay evil with evil. Who will seek to do good to all people. And at the same time, who will boldly proclaim the truth that all who reject Jesus Christ will face eternal destruction.

So, we need to pray for Russell Vought to remain faithful, courageous and hopeful during this trial. And finally, pray Senator Bernie Sanders as well. Pray that that the eyes of his heart will be opened, he will turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that he may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Jesus. 

A Consistent Mission

When my wife and I were taking our mandated CPS parenting classes to adopt our two kids, we heard over and over how important consistency would be for our children. All children who have been placed into the Foster system have had their lives upended, and many of them experience one major change after another. Over these last three years, we’ve been doing our best to be as consistent as possible with our kiddos, and it’s clear that the instructors knew what they were talking about. 

Consistency isn’t just important at home; it’s a vital component for success in most aspects of life, and especially for the Church.

In many of my evangelistic conversations with nonchristians, one of the main reasons they give for rejecting Jesus is that His followers don’t display consistency in adhering to His commands. “Buddhists follow Buddha. Muslims follow Muhammad,” they say, “so why don’t Christians follow Jesus?”

I usually jump on this question, seeing it as an opportunity to tell them how the earliest Christians did follow the simple words of Christ with great consistency. And the Holy Spirit often uses that mini-history lesson to begin opening the minds and hearts of the folks I’m conversing with.

However, I can’t deny the obvious inconsistencies we see these days. For instance, shortly after the recent London terrorist attacks, Congressman Clay Higgins took to Facebook to galvanize Christians all around the world. Exclaiming that all Christians are at war with Islam, Higgins called us to give no quarter to anyone suspected of being a radical Islamist. He then urged us to hunt them down and kill them all.

When I see purported Christians talking like this, one particular question immediately comes to my mind. Who did Jesus suffer and die to save?

To answer that question, let’s think about how Jesus is the true atonement slate or mercy seat in the holy of holies.

The writer of Hebrews states that in the holy of holies there was “a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat” (9:4-5). The Greek word translated as “mercy seat” is hilasterion, a derivative of hilaskomai.

There are two Scriptures that shed light on how the mercy seat is fulfilled in Jesus. As you read these, remember the atonement slate (hilasterion) is the place where God intersects humanity to bring them back in relationship with Him.

The first Scripture is Romans 3:23-25, where Paul writes, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” The word “propitiation” in Greek is hilasterion. So, Paul is saying when Jesus was crucified, God displayed Him as a public atonement slate for all to see.

Why would God do this with His true Mercy Seat, when previously only the high priest was able to see the mercy seat in the holy of holies once each year? The second Scripture answers that question.

In 1 John 2:1-2, the apostle writes, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Once again, the word translated “propitiation” in the Greek is hilasmos, a derivative of hilaskomai. It makes sense God would put His true Atonement Slate on public display outside the city gate, because Jesus came to be the atoning sacrifice for the whole world, not just a select few.

There are many more passages I could cite, but the point is clear: Jesus suffered and died for everyone because He wants everyone to be saved. However, Congressman Higgins seems to believe that in order to save and defend all that is good and righteous, we must kill people that Jesus died for.

I would like to ask Congressman Higgins what he’s calling Christians to defend: America, or the kingdom of God? For, as the early Christians displayed, the goodness and righteousness of God’s kingdom is not defended through worldly methods.

Religion is to be defended – not by putting to death – but by dying. Not by cruelty, but by patient endurance. Not by guilt, but by good faith. For the former belongs to evil, but the latter to the good. … For if you wish to defend religion by bloodshed, tortures, and guilt, it will no longer be defended. Rather, it will be polluted and profaned. … The worship of God, since it belongs to heavenly warfare, requires the greatest devotedness and fidelity. – Lactantius 304-313CE, ANF Volume 7, p. 239 [CD-ROM] 

The early Christians were consistent in their devotion to Christ. They were also consistent in the way the doctrine of redemption affected their approach toward the lost. And because of their love-filled consistency, nearly 1/10^th of the Roman Empire had become disciples of Jesus by the end of the third century.

Now more than ever, with there being so much hostility toward Christianity in our world, we Christians need to be consistent in our mission of discipleship. It’s not enough to only love, serve and forgive the people that we like, that like us or look like us. It’s not enough to only be on mission with Christ when we feel safe.

The mission Jesus invites us to calls for consistency. And if we will trust Him enough to do things His way with consistency, we will see Him turn enemies of the cross into passionate followers of the Way. Our God can do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine!

Don’t Judge Me!

Some of my more recent blogs have addressed the growing trend of Christian leaders declaring that homosexuality is not sinful. So far, I have been accused of hate and fearmongering, and was once called a muckraker. Honestly, I had to look that one up.

I find it ironic that the folks who placed those labels on me believed I was “judging” others. Oftentimes, when we tell someone to stop judging us or others, we do so because we believe the action of calling out sin is itself a sin. However, if we’d take a minute to think through the logic of that definition of judging, every time we call someone out for being judgmental, we will actually be engaging in the sin of hypocrisy. Perhaps we've misunderstood Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul rebukes the church at Corinth for not enforcing church discipline on a man who has been unrepentantly sleeping with his stepmother. He commands the Corinthians to expel the man from the assembly and not associate or even eat with anyone who calls themselves a Christian but is unrepentantly sexually immoral. Finally, he tells the church at Corinth that we are not to judge unbelievers, but we are to judge Christians.

So, does 1 Corinthians 5 reveal the Apostle Paul as a judgmental muckraker, who is clearly outside the will of God? If you read 1 Corinthians 5, you realize that Paul has the full backing of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in this matter.

However, is a straightforward reading of these passages about Church discipline really how we should interpret Scripture? Take a moment to read four excerpts from a document written by one of the most well respected Church leaders of the third century.  

We must not rashly judge one another.

In the Gospel according to Luke: “Judge not, that you may not be judged: condemn not, that you may not be condemned.” Of this same subject to the Romans: … “Wherefore you art without excuse, O every man that judges: for in that in which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you do the same things which you judge. But do you hope, who judge those who do evil, and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God?” – Cyprian 250, ANF Volume 5, p. 957 [CD-ROM]

We must depart from him who lives irregularly and contrary to discipline.

Paul to the Thessalonians: “But we have commanded you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that you depart from all brethren who walk disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received from us.” – Cyprian 250, ANF Volume 5, p. 980 [CD-ROM]

The sinner must be publicly reproved.

In the first Epistle of Paul to Timothy: “Rebuke them (unrepentant Elders) that sin in the presence of all, that others also may be afraid.” – Cyprian 250, ANF Volume 5, p. 983 [CD-ROM]

We must not speak with heretics.

To Titus: “A man that is a heretic, after one rebuke avoid; knowing that one of such sort is perverted … and is self condemned.” Of this same thing in the Epistle of John: “They went out from among us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would doubtless have remained with us.” Also in the second to Timothy: “Their talk will spread like gangrene.” – Cyprian 250, ANF Volume 5, p. 983 [CD-ROM]

The early Christians knew how to navigate the tension of the full counsel of Scripture. They neither added to, nor took away from the text. And because of that simple approach, they kept themselves from being judgmental.

So, how can we confront sin in a God-honoring way? This story illustrates how we should begin thinking like holy defense attorneys.

About 17 years ago when I was 20, I got an M. I. P. (Minor in Possession) at a bar in College Station, TX. My brother and I had just finished playing a 3 hour set with our band, and the bar owner gave us a free pitcher of beer, which we gladly accepted. 

What couldn’t have been 15 minutes later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the police, and though I wasn’t drunk, I was busted. A few weeks later my mom and I showed up at court. Yes, mom came with me, and thankfully, she hired an attorney for me. 

My defense attorney spent about 20 minutes counseling me before we went into court that morning. He knew the judge, and gave me really good advice about how to handle the situation. He instructed me that we should not try to fight the case, but that we should plead no contest. He also said that if the judge asked to speak with me, I should be respectful and remorseful. That was not a problem because I was scared out of my mind. 

There is a Koine Greek word, parakletos, that basically carries the idea of a truthful and helpful defense attorney. Though the word is often translated as “encourage”, parakletos is best understood by thinking about the various helpful ways that a good defense attorney interacts with a guilty client.

My MIP defense attorney beseeched me to never engage in underage drinking again. He noticed I was freaking out, so he comforted me with a pat on the back and told me it was going to be okay. He exhorted me to apply his strategies when I went into the courtroom. He admonished me to banish all pride from my attitude from this point further. And finally, he encouraged me by saying that he would help me get through this situation and back on track again.

Like caring defense attorneys, if we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in sin, we will practice parakletos while holding fast to the simple words of Christ and the rest of the New Testament. It will not be easy. Sometimes people will feel like we are being overly judgmental. But uncomfortable conversations that promote health in the body of Christ serve to make us even more effective in advancing the kingdom of God in the world.