It is without question that we live in a depraved and perverse culture. Sexual immorality, infant murder in the womb, and gender confusion are just some of the sins that are celebrated as virtues throughout the nation. The Christian church must respond rightly to this growing acceptance and celebration of rebellion against God. The question, however, is how we do so. At a time when the nation is deeply divided along sociopolitical lines, publicly displaying anger and animosity toward one’s ideological opponents has become the norm. In some respects, this is understandable. As a culture, we are being told that anyone who disagrees with our position hates and despises us. To attempt to argue an opposing view means a person wishes to dominate and oppress you. Therefore, the only “reasonable” response is to shout down the opposition and prevent them from having any kind of public voice. In reality, this is nothing more than an attempt to maintain a stranglehold on the culture through verbal violence.

Unfortunately, this ideology has invaded the church as well. Being swept up in the socio-politically driven culture wars, Christians see how secularists have targeted the church as a great “evil” that must eradicated for their agendas to move forward. This is not debatable, as the sociopolitical left has deemed Christian thought and practice as “hate speech” that must be removed from the public square. In response, the desire to respond in kind has been a temptation some have been unable to resist. Many Christians find themselves engaged in a tit-for-tat dialogue where they not only call out the depravity of their opposition but mock and deride them, sometimes quite maliciously. While the concept of fighting fire with fire seems to make pragmatic sense, one must question if it is biblical. In fact, many other Christians have called out this practice, calling on their brethren to tame their tongues and to remember our calling to proclaim the gospel. This has resulted in a debate between professing believers as to how far is too far when responding to a God-hating culture.

Those who engage in coarse protestations often point to the fact that Scripture describes times when even Christ Himself used hard language in dealing with unbelievers. Most famously, they will address the time when He used a whip of cords to drive out the money changers (John 2:14-17) or when He called the Pharisees “white-washed tombs” (Matt. 23:27-28). While Christ indeed could demonstrate hard speech and actions when dealing with His detractors, it is necessary to examine the context in which those events occurred. If we are going to argue we can emulate Christ in like manner, we must ensure that we are applying this behavior rightly instead of using the passages as proof texts to justify what may be sinful behavior.

In John 2, Christ had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The city would have been packed with faithful Jews coming to make sacrifices at the temples as commanded in the law. It was a time for the Jews to draw close to God and worship Him for his gracious kindness in covering their sins. However, rather than the temple being a place where they could come and worship freely, it had become a place of thievery. Through a complex web of web animal inspectors and money changers, the Jews were being extorted to pay more for temple-approved lambs to be brought for their sacrifices. When Christ laid eyes on this vile practice, which placed an undue burden on God’s people, His response was to drive out these thieves at the end of a whip. Understand that this was not a response to sinners in general. In reality, sinners surrounded the temple. It was the whole reason they were there. Christ’s actions were directed at a specific people who were making merchandise of His free offer of salvation. They were barring the way of salvation by misleading the people into believing it had to be purchased at a high monetary cost. Christ’s righteous indignation was directed at those who were leading His people astray.

Similarly, in Matthew 23, Christ is proclaiming his famous woes to the scribes and Pharisees. At the beginning of the chapter, Christ is preaching to the people and describing the hypocrisy of these religious leaders. He speaks of how they lay heavy burdens on the people to prove their worth before God, yet they “are not willing to move them with their finger” (v. 4). These are the men who want all the accolades and to be seen as the model of godliness. They expect the masses to do all they command but refuse to hold themselves to the same standard. It is here, in verses 27 and 28, where Christ describes them as “white-washed tombs” that are “full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” The scribes and Pharisees were supposed to be the ones who brought God’s word to the people and the people before God.  They were to be so familiar with God’s word that they would rightly lead the people in worship before a gracious God, the One who would cover their sins. Instead, they selfishly made a spectacle of themselves, desiring the worship and applause that rightly belonged to God. They made themselves appear upright and clean before the people, but God saw the wicked hypocrisy of their hearts. It is for this reason that Christ showed no patience with them and declared His woes upon them. His sharp speech was directed at the very leaders who made a mockery of God’s commandments.

Now, let us contrast this with Christ’s interaction with a deeply sinful woman from Samaria. In John 4, Jesus and His disciples are en route to Galilee when they stop in Samaria. The disciples leave Christ at a well to obtain food. It is here where Christ meets a woman who has lived a life of ongoing sexual immorality. Christ does not mock her, He does not distance Himself from her, and He does not call on others to shame her. Rather, Christ engages in a conversation in which He reveals not only His knowledge of her sin but also her desperate need for the spiritual water of forgiveness that can only be found in Himself, the long-awaited Messiah. This woman’s sin was clearly known by the people of Samaria, hence her coming alone to the well in the middle of the day. Her deeds were not secret. By all biblical standards, she was a harlot. Christ had every right as God in flesh to not only condemn her but to openly shame her. Instead, He engages her with love and compassion, bringing her the message of the gospel. The very kind of person Christians find themselves surrounded by today was the mission field Christ Himself sought out intentionally to which to minister.

If Christians desire to engage this wicked culture and seek to emulate Christ in their speech, then we are required to understand just how and why He used the manner of speech He did. Hard speech was indeed used on occasion by our Lord; however, it was most often reserved for those who were expected to rightly lead the people in humble worship yet used their position for their own gain. Christ openly shamed those leaders who were leading the people astray and could not care one whit how much damage they wrought. Yet, when seeing the sinners in the streets, Christ showed compassion on them as sheep in need of a shepherd. He did not water down the message, nor did He waffle on the matter of sin. He warned sternly that fiery judgment awaited all who lived in rebellion, but He called them all to the only means of salvation, Himself. He later commanded His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation with this very compassionate message.

Christians must find that balance of knowing when and how to speak to the world around us. We cannot use the fact that Christ spoke harshly at times to justify our abuse of those who need the gospel message. We cannot allow our sense of self-righteous indignation to be a shield that allows us to misuse God’s Word so we may gain our pound of flesh at those whose depravity offends us. Yes, there may be times when hard speech is necessary to expose those who would lead sinners into the fires of Hell. Still, we must remember that our mission is to go into the world and make disciples. We can be firm and passionate, exposing sin in the lives of our hearers, just as Christ exposed the Samarian woman had five husbands and was living with a man not her husband. But, we must also love as Christ loved to show those sins can be forgiven through His righteous sacrifice. Our love for Christ and His act of propitiation should drive us to care for those in need of the gospel. It should mold our thoughts and our speech toward them. Even when we must be firm and unwavering, like our Savior, it must always be to point them to the One who can bring them peace. Let this be our guide rather than seeking to cherry-pick the portions of Scripture to justify our anger at those whose sins were once our own.

 

This article was also published at X.com.

The Christian finds himself in a unique place, a citizen of Heaven, yet living in this world. In this place of dual residency, he must live out his days on this side of the veil with eternity in view. The Christian must conform his thoughts, words, and deeds to Christ above all; yet, living in this world includes the temptation to act as the world does. This is why the apostle Paul, in writing to the church in Colossae urges his brethren to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (3:1). He calls the Colossians (and all Christians everywhere) to fix their eyes on Christ and to be conformed to Him alone in all things. It is in this command that the Christian finds the antidote against being led by the world in how we should live.

In 1:15-20, Paul writes one of the most powerful passages explaining the deity of Christ, in which he states, “For in him all the fullness of God was please to dwell…” (1:19). This passage is the lynchpin of the letter, the very reason why the Christian is called to be conformed to Christ and not the world. It is Christ who created all things (1:16), He is the One who existed before the foundations of creation were laid (1:17), He is the head of the church itself (1:18), and He is the One through whom sinners are reconciled to Himself (1:20). There is no Christianity, no church, and no forgiveness for sin if not for Christ. The Christian owes his very existence and his salvation to the perfect God-Man. As such, the Christian must recognize and humbly submit to Christ as the sole authority in his life. His whole life is one of seeking to conform himself to the Savior who purchased him by His shed blood. It is a loving and willing submission, a desire to serve Christ because He is so precious to the Christian. Paul is calling the church to see Christ for who He is, the God to whom we owe everything.

It is with this in mind, that Paul writes to the church, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…” (2:6). Paul is calling the church to live in such a way as to be fully conformed to Christ. This means that Christians must live out their time in this world by corresponding their thoughts, words, and deeds with how Christ is revealed to us in His word. It also means rejecting the ideologies and behaviors of this world. This is why Paul writes “Put to death what is earthly in you…” (3:5) and further states “…whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (3:17). It is a complete rejection of the deeds of the flesh and the temptations of the world. We are to recognize that all the world has to offer leads us further into sin, taking us away from God and His loving plan for us. We are to, instead, seek Christ and live in accord with all He has commanded us so that we might be an example of His grace and mercy to the world. Not only are we to flee from sinful temptations, but we are to reject worldly ideologies that seem to be useful but accomplish nothing in drawing us closer to Christ.

Paul warns the church against “philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world…” (2:8). This warning is crucial because such philosophies have “…an appearance of wisdom…” but “…are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (2:23). In other words, there is a risk of falling prey to worthless ideologies that appear to have some value in a Christian’s life but instead is detrimental to his spiritual growth. It is necessary for the Christian to be so steeped in the word of God that he can discern the difference between that which is Christlike and that which is of the world. This is because the clear teachings of Scripture “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). The Scriptures open our eyes to what is godly and expose what is worldly. They inform the heart and mind, transforming hearts, so that, as Paul wrote to the Colossians, Christians would be “filled with the knowledge of his will…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord…” (1:9). It is through the knowledge of the word of God, illuminated by the power of the Holy Spirit, that the Christian can recognize that the ideologies of the world are worthless and empty.

There is a real danger for the Christian to be caught up in the thinking and attitudes of the world. It is far too tempting to see the outward appearance of positive change and progress (as the world defines it) and think that there is merit in what the world is doing. The problem is that we cannot allow the outward appearances of the world to become the dividing line by which we determine if ideologies and behaviors are beneficial to the Christian walk. Whether the source of these ideas and actions is religious, secular, political, or some combination thereof, the Christian must be desirous of examining them under the harsh light of Scripture. If they do not line up with God’s word, if they run afoul of the precepts and commands of Christ, then they are to be rejected. It matters not if they appear to gain some outward accomplishments, they are divorced from Christ.

The church must seek to hold fast to Christ, “from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows from a growth that is from God” (2:19). Genuine growth is that which conforms the life of a Christian to Christ regardless of what is happening in the world around him. Such growth finds its joy and peace in being more like the Savior over and above achieving something “great” as defined by the world. The life of the Christian, the determination of “success” in the church, is not found in what the world finds valuable. It is determined solely on the commitment to fix one’s eyes on Christ, to “seek the things that are above” in each and every circumstance, and to trust that God’s plans and purposes are of eternal and infinite value. Only here will the Christian find the strength to live in a world that is at war with Christ while yet looking forward to our eternal rest waiting for us in the age to come.

This article is also published on X.comX.com.

In the last two months, former President Trump, the current Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 election, has had two attempts on his life. The first occurred on July 13, 2024, at a rally in Pennsylvania, where a young man fired shots at Trump from the roof of a building, wounding him in the ear while also taking the life of a spectator. Secret Service agents took the shooter’s life in response. The second attempt was at a golf course on September 15, 2024, where a man was found hiding in bushes along a fence line with a rifle pointed through the fence. The Secret Service agents, who were sweeping the area ahead of Trump, fired upon the would-be gunman when they spotted his rifle barrel. The man fled the area and was later apprehended.

These attempts are historic during an election period. The last effort of this nature occurred on March 30, 1981, when John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to shoot then-President Ronald Reagan. To have two separate attempts on the life of a former President currently running for office is unheard of in modern American history. Much can be said about the circumstances surrounding these attempts. The political rhetoric on all sides during one of the most contentious election periods in current times certainly brings into question how much influence the media, politicians, activists, and commentators have in inspiring such attacks. Questions are rightly raised as to the motivations of the shooters themselves.  Of further importance is the failure at the organizational level of the Secret Service to provide proper security for a politician who has ongoing and active threats to his life. Yet, a matter that should be discussed is that, but for God’s restraining grace, every single person is capable of the evil these men have perpetrated.

That is an uncomfortable and offensive statement to make to the average person. Most of us would be aghast at the thought of being compared to wicked and violent men who callously attempt to take the life of another. We believe there is no possible way we could be that evil. It is easy for us to think this way when we seek to compare ourselves to the most open and flagrant evil acts. Yet, when we compare ourselves to the pure goodness of God, when we examine ourselves in the light of His holy law, the sinfulness of our hearts becomes more apparent. After all, it was Christ Himself who said that to look with lust was to commit adultery of the heart (Matt. 5:28), and to harbor unjust hatred or to use harsh language of someone was equivalent to murder of the heart (Matt. 5:21-22). Wickedness cannot be determined by merely comparing what we do outwardly with other people. It is unveiled when we examine even the thoughts and intents of our hearts against a holy God.

The apostle Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Ephesians that we all are cut from the same cloth. Every single human being that has walked this earth has fallen into the same condition, none of us have escaped. In writing to the church in Ephesus, he tells the Christians, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…” (2:1-2). Paul reveals that every person has the same problem: we are dead in our sins. We are born sinners into this world; it is our default state. As such, we think, speak, and act with the taint of sin in everything we do. There is nothing free from the stain of sin about us. We are, at heart, as wicked and vile as the rest of humanity. We may delude ourselves because our sins committed in the open are “not as bad” as someone else’s, but such a comparison only reveals that we are willfully ignorant as to how rebellious our hearts are.

Yet, we cannot deny that the sins committed by some are far more flagrant and viler than others. To what can we attribute such a vast difference? One answer can be found in the opening chapter of the book of Romans. In speaking of those who have rejected God and pursued their desires and idols, Paul writes, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Rom. 1:24-25). This reveals something about the gracious nature of God, even with those who rebel against Him; He, by his gracious kindness, restrains the wickedness of mankind. Therefore, while some sinners are allowed to pursue their evil to the most devious ends, many men, women, and children are kept by God’s hands from pursuing their sin to the uttermost. There does come a time, as people express their hatred of God in greater ways, that He will remove His hand of restraint and give people over to their depravity. Woe to those cultures and nations that fall under such judgment from a holy God. Their eventual end and His great wrath will not be stayed. Therefore, it can only be concluded that the only difference between the man who occasionally lies on his timecard about how much time he worked and the man who is a serial murderer is the gracious hand of God who keeps the former from becoming the latter openly.

This is exactly the point Paul makes to the Ephesians when he writes, “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (2:3). We live, think, and speak just like the rest of the sinful world. We are no better than the worst criminal or terrorist we have seen on the evening news. In the eyes of God, we are the same at heart. With that in mind, if there is no difference between any of us, what possible hope can we have? Paul gives us the answer, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…” (2:4-5). The only solution, the only way we can be saved from the wickedness of our hearts, is to turn to Jesus Christ, who redeems the sinner and makes him a new creation. It is when we repent and trust in Christ alone that the sinner is no longer a rebel against God. We are changed, we are freed from our sinful nature and clothed in the righteous robes of Christ. We are given new hearts and a new nature, one formed by the hands of God that desires to love and obey our Savior rather than to be at war with Him. This is what brings us hope, that which brings freedom and joy to a heart once enslaved to sin.

Therefore, when we turn on the evening news and see another great tragedy, when we see the depravity of man on display, we ought to be forced to examine our hearts and see the true nature of ourselves on display. For the sinner, it should cause him to tremble, to see himself as God sees Him, a wicked rebel deserving of His just wrath. For the Christian, it should bring great joy, not because we are better than those who commit great acts of evil, but because we are simply better off. We were once as vile as those persons once were, but God, in his grace and mercy, purchased us and made us new. Now, we can live as people free from the stain of sin. This becomes the driving force behind us to live as God has called us to, for as Paul wrote, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (2:10). Let this also be our motivation to call guilty sinners to repentance, to call them out of darkness into the light of Jesus Christ that they too may be freed from bondage and given the new heart that God once did for us. Let us remember that we are no better than the rest of the wicked world. And let us be moved with compassion to be His servants to be used in saving the lost.

This article is also published on X.com.

Welcome to a special VOR episode. We want to let you all know why we have been absent, what is happening in our lives, and what this all means for the future of the podcast. Thank you all for your support, we could not have made it this far without you.

Welcome to a special VOR episode. We want to let you all know why we have been absent, what is happening in our lives, and what this all means for the future of the podcast. Thank you all for your support, we could not have made it this far without you.