This week, we look back at Chris and Rich’s discussion on biblical marriage roles in the context of Ephesians 5: 22-33. Husbands and wives are called to certain roles which are defined by their own submission to Christ.
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It started with an interesting online post from a friend. He shared a video clip (from a movie portraying real events) of a woman killing in a courtroom the accused rapist and murderer of her daughter and rightly observed the “tension” we as Christians should feel toward such a matter. A sense of “solidarity” with the woman who lost her daughter to such an evil act yet not condoning the wanton act of vengeance. Surely, every Christian would feel that tension but still denounce the willful murder of another human being. Yet, some respondents became outright angry at the suggestion we should feel any tension toward her act of vigilantism. Many Christians in the thread applauded the woman’s act and voiced that they would do likewise.
Wow. Such a tension here. As we watch, we have a feeling of solidarity and support as she takes the life of her daughter’s rapist and killer. But, of course, as Christians, we must condemn such an act of vengeance.
Such a paradox. pic.twitter.com/CSPJ4niDDu
— Anahn E. Moo® 🌳🪓 (@anahnemoo) May 6, 2024
The problem lies in how we as Christians perceive the application of biblical justice in this world. There is no argument that Scripture prohibits the acts of rape and murder. And it is God Himself who lays the punishment of the death penalty in Genesis 9:6:
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
God has not only condemned such sins but He has given us the command to enact righteous judgment on those who commit them. It is His application of justice in this world to hold accountable, and even take the life of, those who commit the most atrocious acts of evil. If this is the case, why then is it a problem for a grieving mother to take the law into her own hands and kill her daughter’s murderer? Because, despite the death penalty being a biblical precept, God has given us constraints on its application.
The Lord gave specific constraints to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 35:9-29 concerning the “avenger of blood.” In this passage, the Lord commanded the establishment of “cities of refuge” to which a man could flee if he was responsible for the death of another. While in this city, a trial would be held to determine if the accused had committed murder or if the act had been unintentional. If the accused was found guilty of murder, the avenger of blood would take his life. If the death had been accidental, the man was required to live within the boundaries of the city until the high priest died. Were he to leave the city before that time, the avenger of blood was free to take the man’s life. However, upon the death of the high priest, the man could return to his own lands and his life could not be taken.
We see in this passage that God constrained if or when the death penalty could be applied and required that the accused be fairly tried to determine if he was guilty of a crime worthy of death. His justice demands that people be given the right to prove their innocence and that punishments be consummate with the crime. We cannot act outside of God’s boundaries. Had the avenger of blood killed the accused after a finding that he had not committed murder (and the man was still in the city), then he would have been guilty of murder himself. As Christians, we are not free to apply the concept of God’s justice in such a manner that we remain guiltless for violating the very laws and constraints he lays upon us.
While the Old Testament law regarding the avenger of blood gives us principles upon the application of justice, Christians must also look to the New Testament to see the principles we must operate under in the New Covenant. One place that gives us direct application is Romans 13:3-5 which states:
“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.”
Christians have been commanded to submit to the governing authorities wherever they live, insomuch as the authorities do not operate outside of the God-given role. Those authorities cannot command Christians to sin nor can they dictate to the church how it must function, a role that belongs to God alone. He has given those authorities the responsibility to protect His people and to punish those who do wickedly.
Therefore, when it comes to the matter of criminal behavior, Christians are not free to act on their own accord to apply justice. God established the governing authorities and commanded them to hold accountable those who commit evil for they are His servant who carries out His wrath. Knowing that we must give an accused the right to be fairly tried and that the authorities are given the power to wield the sword, Christians cannot decide to arbitrarily execute justice by their own hand. We are constrained by His very Word to submit to the lawful process of trial and punishment. We dare not take upon ourselves an authority He has not given us.
While there are some caveats on this matter, suffice it to say what has been said thus far does not apply to acts of self-defense or the immediate defense of others. Scripture does not teach, nor does it require, that Christians cannot or should not use force in the defense of self or others. While we cannot act in retaliation after the fact, any Christian facing an immediate threat to one’s self or loved ones is well within Scripture to use force to defend, even if that force may take the life of one’s assailant. This is not the same as an act of vengeance or vigilantism, thus it cannot be considered an exception to what has been said here.
One last matter must be addressed which is that injustice or corruption in this world may allow persons guilty of great evil to go free. We live in a fallen world and our systems of justice are far from perfect. Regardless of how diligently we try to adhere to biblical principles, there is always the likelihood that those who hurt us may never face justice in this life. This is where we must trust in the sovereign will of God and know that no one will ever escape His ultimate justice. Those who have committed evil will face God’s righteous wrath for eternity.
We cannot, therefore, take earthly justice into our own hands as though God has failed us in this life. We cannot seek vengeance for that is His realm alone. We must trust in the Lord alone and find our peace in knowing He will mete out righteous punishment to the evil in His timing alone. Let us hold the Paul’s admonishment to the Romans:
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” (Romans 12:17–19)
Trust all these matters to God and His Word, alone.
Note: This article has also been published at X.comX.com.
This week, Chris addresses the recent decision by the United Methodist Church to overturn the prohibition on ordained actively homosexual persons and why this matters to the church at large.
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This week, Chris addresses the recent decision by the United Methodist Church to overturn the prohibition on ordained actively homosexual persons and why this matters to the church at large.
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This week, Chris discusses Scripture’s constraints on the manner and content of our speech according to James 3 and 1 Peter 3.
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This week, Chris discusses Scripture’s constraints on the manner and content of our speech according to James 3 and 1 Peter 3.
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For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. – James 3:2 (ESV)
We live at a time when the freedom to speak is under intense assault. While it is a fundamentally protected right in the First Amendment of the Constitution, many forcefully argue that speech is a weapon that can used to cause harm to the lives of others. Instead of training people to engage in discourse and debate without taking personal offense, there are those seeking to limit and criminalize how people can express ideas and ideologies. While those who seek to wield this power would aim it at more conservative streams of thought, it will one day be used against anyone deemed a threat to society, regardless of their sociopolitical view. It is without hyperbole that we can say today that speech has never been under greater attack in our nation.
For Christians, our ability to speak freely is of utmost importance. The gospel is a spoken message. We communicate via word the message that Jesus Christ, the Son of God who took on flesh, came to live a sinless life, that He might represent Man before God and take the righteous wrath of His Father in the place of sinners. This is not a message that comes from observing the world at large or being absorbed through some sort of mental osmosis. We must communicate in word, by speech or print, that the gospel is the only hope of salvation. The Christian cares most dearly about any effort to curtail or criminalize speech. Yet, Christians do have an authority to which we must adhere regarding the nature of our speech, Scripture.
In the third chapter of his epistle, James gives Christians a blistering assessment of our speech. He writes, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). The wickedness of the tongue is a direct product of the sinfulness of man’s heart. Christ Himself points to this in Matthew 12:34 when He said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” There is a direct tie from the manner and words we speak to the condition of our hearts and James brings a stern warning to his readers about failing to tame the tongue.
As Christians in an ever-hostile culture, the temptation to respond to those who hate Jesus and speak with vitriol on their lips in like manner is great. There is little that is considered sacred in the unregenerate world. Where once matters of faith may have been given some level of respect, today religion, specifically Christianity, is particularly marked out to be reviled. The world hates the idea of a God existing outside themselves that commands their obedience and punishes sin. It desires not only to pursue its depraved passions to the uttermost but also to eradicate any possibility of hearing about God who will one day bring them into account. To that end, all manner of vile speech, wicked acts, and evil pressure are brought to bear against Christians to silence them. They claim Christians are the real cause of suffering because we proclaim Christ and His Word. And because their consciences are pricked by even the slightest utterings from our lips, they will go on full assault to shut us up.
Yet, the Christian is called to forego the methods of the world. We are indeed commanded to speak the truth of God’s Word without qualification or apology. We do not waiver or equivocate in the slightest lest the message of Christ be tainted and lost on those to whom we speak. We are to trust fully in the power of God to change hearts through His Word and we are not to lose heart when we speak it to others. Yet, we are not of the world and we are not to partake of the world’s ways of dealing with detractors. Scripture repeatedly warns us against thinking, speaking, and acting like the world. We are called to be separate and apart from the world at large while living in it as a kingdom of priests, proclaiming the glorious riches of Christ.
Then, what is the antidote to the wicked tongue? And how can we speak to a Christ-hating world? James gives us the answer when he writes, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). The wise Christian conforms his speech and actions to the Word of God. Our initial desire may be to submit to the emotional state that wells up within us from enduring unjust treatment by the world. We want to draw from our own power and let loose the invectives that would make the world regret its behavior. Instead, we are called to act and speak in “the meekness of wisdom.” Meekness is power under control. We are equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit and the Word to speak to the world. But, we are to temper that power by being conformed to the wisdom of Scripture. When we respond, we are to use our words to point people to Jesus, alerting them to the sins for which they will be judged and the only hope of escape which is in Christ alone.
But, do not the actions of the Christ-rejecting world represent a threat to the church? And should not the church respond most vociferously? To answer this, we must consider 1 Peter 3:9, which says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” In our responses to the world, we are not to draw from the same well of wicked speech as the world. Yes, we are to call sin for what it is and we are to warn the world of the judgment it will bring on them. But, we are not to enter into the place of reviling along with them. To do so reveals only the wickedness of our hearts.
Does this not mean that the world may get away with evil oppression and persecution of the church? It is indeed quite possible and even likely. Yet, even as we face unjust oppression, we have been commanded to respond with speech that is conformed to Christ. Peter further writes:
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:14–17).
In other words, it is better for us to endure persecution and suffering for Christ’s sake than to bring dishonor to His name by sinning in our speech. God, in His sovereignty, has appointed us to suffer for the name of Christ that through this, the gospel goes forth and His name is glorified. Should we take it upon ourselves to “fight back” by speaking as the world speaks, we draw the glory away from God and put the light upon ourselves. Such things should never be. Therefore, while we stand firmly for the truth, while we call out sin and preach repentance, we never lower ourselves in thought and speech where we sin against God.
Christians must be concerned about a culture that seeks to restrict our speech while elevating the speech of Christ-hating pagans. We ought to speak out against it and encourage those around us to protect all forms of speech lest we all end up silenced by the powers that be. Yet, in our fight to do so, we must not allow the war against Christian speech to become a shield for speaking with sinful or vile intent. Instead, we must always surrender our will to the Word of God which directs and commands our lips.
If we do not do so, then we run the risk of revealing our hearts are not truly with Christ, as James writes, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and saltwater? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water” (James 3:11–12). Yet, the heart that is fully committed to Christ reveals itself in this way, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:17–18). And such we all should be.
This article was also published on X.comX.com.
With the backdrop of Mark Driscoll and James River Church in view, Chris takes this episode to challenge Christians to understand that what and how we preach about Christ matters.
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With the backdrop of Mark Driscoll and James River Church in view, Chris takes this episode to challenge Christians to understand that what and how we preach about Christ matters.
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Forgiveness and redemption, the testimony of a sinner who has renounced their sinful ways and turned to Christ, is always an amazing story. Human beings are, by nature, rebels against the sovereign King of all creation. By our wicked works, we seek to unseat God from His throne and put ourselves in His place. No matter what sins beset us, the central issue is the worship of self. We seek to please and fulfill ourselves constantly and above all else. Yet, when the gospel of Christ is proclaimed and the Holy Spirit humbles the human heart, bringing it to a place of repentance and faith, the rebel is redeemed and becomes an adopted son or daughter of the King. We are no longer at war, we are reconciled and made right with a Savior who loves us for all eternity. No other story can begin to compare.
Every genuine Christian loves to hear the stories of how Jesus Christ saved a sinner. We walked that road ourselves once before. We remember how we went from hating God to loving Him above all. We once lived only for ourselves only to be transformed and now live our lives in devotion to Him. So, when another Christian comes forward with that testimony, we cannot wait to hear how Christ gripped that new believer, ripping him or her out of the world of sinful depravity, and made that person His own.
The stories of transforming grace run the gamut of human experience. Some people lived relatively quiet, unassuming lives, thinking they were pretty good with God. They may have even grown up in the church and thought they made them Christian enough. But, God exposed them to the truth, showing them that there are none good and all need Christ. In repentance and faith, they became a story of God’s saving grace.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have murderers, thieves, drug addicts, idol worshippers, and the sexually degenerate. They can testify of lives lived in utter rebellion, seeking after the most vile passions to satisfy the lusts of their flesh. They know how great their hatred for God truly was, how much their love for self destroyed lives around them. Yet, God in His glorious grace showed them their true nature, how wicked and vile they were in His eyes, and how just His eternal judgment on them would be. God humbled them and wrought massive change in their lives through His work of justification and redemption.
We love these testimonies, from the most mundane to the most dramatic, they all speak of the kindness and love of God. However, there is something we must be honest about. The stories of the greatest turnarounds, the ones where the most vile human being suddenly becomes the most humble and loving person by God’s hands get our attention a little bit more. It should not be so but, if we are being truthful, we love the pauper to prince story. Our ears perk up just a bit more when the story is about the satan worshipper turned Christian instead of the local nice guy office worker coming to faith because he read a gospel tract. There is something a bit more exciting about the former than the latter.
This is where the story of the celebrity turning Christian comes into play. Celebrities (whether they be actors, athletes, musicians, politicians, or influencers) are rarely known for their upstanding morals and stable lifestyles. The reason that so many magazines, news programs, and television shows exist specifically to detail the lives of celebrities is because we want to see them living lives so very different from our own. We want to know about the scandals, the breakups, the drug addictions, and the degeneracy. Celebrity gossip is just another form of entertainment for our wicked hearts.
Therefore, when a celebrity suddenly professes in a public forum that they have renounced their wicked lives and turned to Christ, we Christians get really excited. Just like the testimony of the drug addicted serial adulterer perks those ears up, the celebrity coming to faith is that story that becomes very important to us. That publicly degenerate person that everyone salivated over being “one of us” just satisfies the longing for another exciting testimony all the more.
Perhaps more concerning, however, is that we see the high-profile convert as something more than just an exciting testimony to be heard. Not only does the story feel good to hear, we get to do something with it. We get to put that celebrity on display for the entire world to see. The average Joe who gets saved when a friend shares the gospel with him is not a story the world at large cares about. They do not know who Joe is and could not care less about him. But, the celebrity, well, everyone knows who that is. And now, that same everyone gets to see the degenerate celebrity become a Christian, can hear their testimony, and we can promote that person to everyone we know as God really doing something amazing.
Celebrity Christians become trophies, not of God’s grace, but of our religious camp to be put on display. We get to claim this very important person, who once belonged to the world at large, as one of our own. And, in doing so, we gain a kind of validation, that the Christian faith is important. So much so, that the most well-known and recognized can become our public faces, our mouthpieces to the world.
This public face, this desire to have them speak and be seen for us, becomes so all-important that we forget new Christians are people who need, above all else, godly discipleship and teaching to grow in the faith. And that is damaging to the sinner-turned-believer. Sinners saved by grace are certainly indwelt by the Holy Spirit, provided they are genuinely saved. But, they are neither mature nor well instructed. Getting saved does not equal becoming all-knowing. New believers need to be taught the Word, taught how to pray, and taught to discern not only true from false, but true from almost true. New believers can testify to the gospel and its transforming work in their lives but they are ill-equipped to become the public voice of the Christian faith.
Furthermore, new believers need leaders and mature believers to guide them as temptation and sin continue to be a part of their lives. While Christians are freed from the power of sin, we need the knowledge of the Word and the discipleship of the elders to train us in resisting sin. We need our brethren who have been gifted and equipped to edify us and be ears to hear our cries when temptation threatens to overwhelm us. The new believer thrust into the spotlight is being denied this all-important time of growth and maturity. They are being thrown into the deep end of the pool when they barely even know how to dog paddle. It is a selfish people who care more about the celebrity being a public face instead of caring about the growth of their souls.
Of course, there is another aspect we far too often overlook when it comes to the celebrity as well: false conversion. Jesus’ parable of the soils tells us that not all who claim to follow Christ are truly His. It takes time for the grain to grow and develop fruit. The time can also reveal those who have no depth of soil or those who will be choked out by the weeds. The Christian life is one in which trial and tribulation are our birthright. Such difficulty reveals those false converts who fall away in the heat of the world. Or those who have never truly repented and turned back to their sinful lives when the cares of the world matter far more to them than the Savior they profess.
When we immediately cling to the celebrity Christian rather than desiring them to come under the teaching of sound, biblical churches, we can be guilty of helping promote false brethren to the world. People who will give the heathen reason to blaspheme the Lord because they think God just cannot seem to keep His people under His wing. No, we do not need to demand the celebrity provide incontrovertible proof of their salvation before we give praise to God and welcome them into the church. But, we ought not to promote them and platform them as our public voices when the seed has not yet grown and shown the slightest fruit. We should praise Christ for His grace, pray for the newly professed believer, and encourage them to seek genuine discipleship under elders called and equipped by God to lead them.
Brethren, it is well past time that we Christians stop looking for and celebrating “celebrity conversions.” Why is the celebrity Christian always such a celebrated topic for us? Because we desire to find validation of the Christian faith through the conversion of high-profile people. We want somebody important or someone well known for their debauchery to get saved because we can point to their story as being a really big deal. We do not publicly announce the salvation of Jim the accountant down the street, who typically is a nice guy, has a good family and pays his taxes. Nobody knows who Jim is and his story is kind of boring. He is a trophy of God’s grace and all Heaven celebrates his redemption but we do not find it a compelling enough account to blast all over social media.
But, when a singer, actor, politician, or even a vile seductress professes faith, we jump up and down, share the story, and commence debating with one another about the validity of the conversion. It’s the story du jour and we will not stop talking about it for weeks. We put these people in the public eye over and over again. We want them on the news, on podcasts, and live streams because the public viewing of this celebrity Christian just has to be seen by everyone because they are, well, famous.
Change needs to happen. Change must happen. We once again need to care enough about the glorious gospel to praise God’s name when the most “mundane” of conversion occurs. We must stop expecting the celebrity world to get saved so our professed faith can be validated in the eyes of others. Certainly, pray for those in high-profile people to get saved but desire to see them step out of the limelight so that they may come under genuine discipleship and grow in the faith. Because, in the end, salvation is not about the public attention that may come from it. Rather, salvation is about seeing the dead in sins be brought to eternal life in Christ so that we may all worship our Savior for eternity. Leave aside the spotlight for another time. We will see if there is genuine fruit in the person’s life in due course. Give glory to God for His gospel and pray for those who profess faith, that they would come under genuine discipleship and grow, or, if need be, to be exposed as pretenders to the faith.
Make much of the transforming power of the gospel. Make much of Christ. And stop worrying about the celebrity Christian. Leave to God who He will desire to make His mouthpiece. He is far better equipped to make that calling than we ever will be.
(This article was also published at X.com)
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