Tag: Bible (Page 1 of 3)

Trump Is President Again – Now What?

January 21, 2025 / Chris Hohnholz / 0 Comments

On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump once again took the oath of office making him the 47th President of the United States. He is now only the second President in history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. For many Christians, his return to the White House is a moment of celebration as it marks the end of the Biden regime. Under former President Biden, the nation was subject to an administration that imposed the most debased sexually immoral culture upon the people. Any objection to the normalization and celebration of this depravity by the American public was met by the regime not only with labels of bigotry and hatred but even with the force of a justice system run amok. Biden made transgenderism the seminal issue of his administration, looking to force acceptance of bodily mutilation and hormone replacement upon every institution in the nation, including women’s sports and locker rooms. Even people who simply protested the murder of infants in the womb faced imprisonment because of Biden’s misuse of the legal system. Trump’s return to office is seen as a much-needed reversal of these depraved policies and practices.

President Trump immediately set out to undo much of Biden’s work shortly after taking the oath of office. During his inauguration speech, Trump declared that it would be the official United States policy that there are only two genders, male and female. The first Executive Order he signed reversed some 78 Executive Orders issued by Biden in the prior four years. Even the government-sponsored pro-abortion website, reproductiverights.gov, was taken down following his inauguration. Christians see these efforts as a positive move in returning the nation to conservative and perhaps even biblical values. The question for Christians, however, is how should we live under this new administration. With a President who seemingly is moving our nation away from the acceptance and practice of sexual immorality, what is required of the church at this time? The answer is the same as it has always been, live according to God’s word and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Governments and politics are a common grace of God to the world. Romans 13 tells us the governing authorities of the world have been instituted by God for the protection of each nation’s citizens and the punishment of evildoers. These duties are for the benefit of the people of those cultures but, just as any other institution in existence, fallen sinners populate governments. Therefore, governments will fail and even abuse their people. We cannot count on governments to always administer justice rightly. Nor should we expect that these authorities be able to change the hearts and minds of the people over which they preside. Only God can perfectly administer justice and only He, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, can change sinful hearts. Christians are His representatives in the world to bring the life-changing and soul-saving message of the gospel, and so we must.

Sinners will continue to exist in our nation, and, by extension, they will look to influence the culture so that they may live out their sinful lives with no sense of guilt or condemnation. Voting for a new President and changing the policies of government will not stop this from happening. While President Trump did win both the electoral college and popular votes, it should be noted that Kamala Harris still received a sizable number of those votes as well. This shows that a substantial portion of the nation still desires the proliferation of sexually immoral policies. Furthermore, Trump’s campaign was weakened in this arena as he accepted the support of and platformed openly homosexual conservative activist groups. He also publicly supported allowing for abortion in some cases, opposing full abolition of the heinous practice. This demonstrates that conservative politics and voters are not immune to the effects of sin as well. Being mostly opposed to wicked policies but still supporting sexual depravity, even at a “lesser” level, reveals that sin-ladened hearts exist on all sides of the sociopolitical spectrum. While Christians can and should be engaged in the political process, it must not be at the expense of our duty to proclaim the gospel to all persons everywhere. While we may wish to see our nation embrace laws and policies that are not a direct assault on God’s word, we must love our neighbors, both liberal and conservative, so much that we cannot help but preach the truth of the gospel to them.

Christians must also seek to live out their faith before the world. The gospel that saves us also changes us. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that when we repent and trust in Christ, we are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). This means we have new hearts with new desires, that we want to obey Christ out of sincere love for our Savior. Christians then should pursue lives consistent with our profession of faith. We must desire holiness and righteousness in all areas of our lives, in thought, word, and deed. Firstly, because it honors our Lord and Savior but, secondly because it demonstrates to the world around us that we believe in what we preach. Obedience to God is not optional for Christians and in our efforts to live out the commands of Christ, we show the world that pleasing Him who saved us is more important than anything else, even our sociopolitical pursuits. This kind of devotion to Christ bears great fruit in a sinful world. Those around us hear the gospel which changes hearts, but they also see our testimony of changed lives played out before them. And, even if the world rejects Christ, they can never escape the public witness of Christians who will never bow the knee to sinful ideologies. It will be a testimony against them when they stand before God on judgment day.

Christians can and should praise God that He has brought an end to a wicked political regime that sought to foist wicked and depraved policies on our nation. And we should continue to be involved in the political process in hopes of bringing God’s commandments into the public discourse. Yet, more importantly, we should proclaim Christ and Him crucified to all whom God places in our lives for the salvation of their souls has even greater importance than any election in history.

Note: This article was also published at X.com.

The Danger of Unjust Anger

January 7, 2025 / Chris Hohnholz / 0 Comments

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Mt 5:21–22)

We live at a time when sinful depravity is celebrated as virtue and godliness is treated as vice. Those who seek to uphold all that is right and good according to Scripture are seen as evil, people to be hated and shunned from society. As such, it is all too easy to cultivate a heart of unjust anger and even hatred, toward “those who call evil good and good evil” (Isa. 5:20). This is not to say that Christians cannot feel hurt, frustrated, and dismay over those who seek to persecute the church for preaching the truth about sin and its inevitable consequences. It would be irrational to expect Christians not to have a reasonable emotional response to evil in the world, especially that which is directed at the church. However, our emotions must not lead our thinking. Our biblically informed mind must guide and control our emotional state.

Jesus taught His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount that Christians will face persecution (Mt 5:10-12). It is not a question of if but when we will face the wrath of the world for standing with Christ. We may feel inclined to be angry at those who demand our acquiescence to their sin or their threats of persecution against us. However, Christ teaches His followers an altogether different reaction. When facing the onslaught of a wicked culture, Jesus taught, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 5:12). Rather than be consumed by anger and hatred toward their persecutors, the followers of Christ are to count themselves as blessed to be counted among the prophets who came before them, those who paid the ultimate price for trusting in God. Christ commands us to fix our thinking on Him and His promises that we might be joyful even in the midst of the worst kind of affliction.

As Christians, we know that the world is dead in trespasses and sin. This is the default state of every human being outside of Jesus Christ. While God, in His common grace, restrains much of humanity from expressing just how evil it can be, we know that no one is capable of obeying and honoring God apart from being made a new creation in the Holy Spirit. It should not surprise us that the world will not only embrace sin but will demand we join them in their depraved celebration of it. So blinded are they by the passions of their sin, that they will attack and malign Christians who refuse to take part with them (see 1 Peter 4:4). It is when we lose sight of this biblical truth that we begin to succumb to a sense of shock and dismay as we watch the world enraptured with sinful abandon. This is not to say that sin should not grieve us deeply. It must do so for what else drives us to proclaim the gospel to those enslaved to sin? Yet, when we allow our emotions to override our understanding of God’s truth, grief over sin can change to distress, anxiousness, anger, and even hatred. Instead of being driven to compassion to proclaim the truth to sinners, we can be led to treat them as an enemy to be vanquished.

When we allow our emotions to lead our thinking, unjust anger and hatred for sinners can lead us to justify the mistreatment of the very persons who should be our mission field. Rather than preaching the truth in love – warning people of the wrath of God for sin and calling them to repentance and faith in Christ – we may find ourselves mocking, deriding, and cursing sinners. Instead of leading them to the path of salvation, we verbally assault those who stand opposed to God, attempting to drive them from public view. It is not compassion and love that drive us but animosity and anger. Furthermore, we will begin to justify our behavior, claiming that we are acting as the prophets and Jesus did when they stood against the world. Our emotional drift leads us to believe that our personal sense of offense that sinners actually sin can be categorized as righteous indignation rather than self-righteous anger. Once we allow ourselves to believe such behavior is acceptable, we turn a blind eye to Christ’s warning against unjust anger.

Christ’s sermon reveals that God’s law was not only about action but also the thoughts and intents of the heart. Adultery was not just the act of fornication with someone you are not married to but also the lustful thoughts of the heart and mind. Murder, one of the most heinous sins one can commit, was not just the act of taking a life but also the evil emotional state of hatred against that human being. God’s law demands complete perfection in thought, word, and deed. There is no means by which we can justify sins of the mind and heart. Even if never acted upon, the sins of our hearts, which no one may ever see, are enough to condemn us eternally. Therefore, when Christ preaches against unjust anger and verbal mockery, it should be a stark warning to all Christians everywhere. If we are called to live holy lives, that is not limited to how we act, but how we think and speak as well. When the Apostle John warns us that hatred of a brother places one in darkness (1 John 2:11) and even marks that person as a murderer in the eyes of God (3:15). And before we think we have found a loophole, it is no shield to say that sinners are not our brothers. Before we were redeemed in Christ, we were His enemies. Yet, while we were yet these wicked and vile rebels, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

Christians must be wary of their hearts which so easily lead us to believe we can justify anger and hatred because sinners are evil. Indeed, they are, just as once we were. But Christ in his mercy sent compassionate, grace-filled believers to seek us out and proclaim the truth of the gospel to us. Yes, Christians must have a hatred for sin. We must so hate it that we seek to continuously repent of that which caused our Savior to die in our place. We must so inform our minds with God’s word that we recognize sins of unjust anger and hatred in our hearts and turn from them. We need to control the passions of our emotions by leaning heavily into the promises of Christ, knowing that any wickedness we face for His sake will be our blessing in eternity. Then, we must so despise sin in the world that we desperately call sinners around us to turn from it and turn to Christ who is the only hope of salvation.

NOTE: This article was also published on X.com.

The Prejudice of Jonah

December 30, 2024 / Chris Hohnholz / 0 Comments

There is a recent bout of antisemitism within professing Reformed circles and there are some things that should be considered. The argument seems to be that Jewish people are somehow more malevolent and destructive within society and even suggests that Scripture supports this. Furthermore, it is argued that, because Talmudic Judaism holds that Jesus is currently being punished by being boiled in a vat of excrement, they are more wicked than other false religions that consider Christ to be a prophet. Therefore, since Judaism is more malevolent, it is acceptable to hold a certain amount of disdain for Jewish persons and to target them specifically as a kind of enemy of society.

First, it must be considered that Judaism is worse because how it views Christ’s current state is hardly “more wicked” than other false religious views. Yes, their rejection of Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah, as God in flesh sent to redeem men from their sins, is highly sinful. However, their view of His punishment because they think He is a false Messiah is consistent with their false religious beliefs. They are holding to what they believe should happen to one who blasphemes God. It is a wicked view because it rejects Scripture’s prophecies and revelations regarding the Christ but it is still consistent.

By comparison, other religious systems, such as Islam, try to reduce Christ to a mortal prophet to which they give “honor.” While some argue that this is better than Judaism’s view, it is actually equivalently evil, if not worse. It is not honorable to deny Christ’s deity and work of salvation in any fashion. It is a complete rejection of all that God revealed in His word regarding the coming and the work of His Son. His sinlessness, His righteousness, and His obedience to all that God commanded are denied by reducing Him to being merely human. There is also the rejection of the hypostatic union of Christ, being fully God and fully man, without which, there can be no hope of salvation. But, lastly, and perhaps even more wickedly, it is not honorable to turn Christ into the mouthpiece of false deities. It is demonic to take the name of Christ and claim He is nothing but a sock puppet for whatever godless idol one has concocted. To suggest that this means other religions have a “better” view of Christ is simply delusional.

With that aside, it must be considered what has been said about Jews being somehow more wicked than other ethnic people groups. One argument suggests that Scripture supports this by pointing to the Jews’ repeated efforts to oppose Christ when He walked this earth and their continuous persecution the Jews perpetrated on Christians following the birth of the church. This argument suggests that the Jews’ efforts to thwart Christ reveal they, as a people, were unique in their sinful attitudes toward Christ and the church. Therefore, it is not wrong to believe that Jews today carry that same uniquely wicked mindset today. However, this is woefully myopic from a Scriptural standpoint.

First off, Scripture clearly reveals that Israel (aka, the Jews) is the ethnic people group through which God chose to reveal Himself to the world. All that God did with the Jews was to establish the types and shadows that would be fully revealed in Jesus Christ. All His promises and prophecies are given to us through this people. Therefore, Scripture spends a great deal of time with Israel, dealing with both her sins and her obedience, showing us God’s character, requirements, and His ultimate plan to deal with sin. When we see the Jews in rebellion, it is not so that we consider them to be a far more wicked people. Rather, they are an example of sin in the world at large. And, given that they received God’s direct revelation and still rebelled, what hope has the rest of the world which was as deeply stained by sin? Israel’s sinfulness was not something for others to look down upon but a picture of how all people are desperately wicked apart from Christ.

Consider all the Gentile nations and their treatment of God’s people. The Egyptians enslaved the Jews and killed their firstborn male children. The Philistines regularly attacked and took captive Israel (yes, by God’s allowance in response to Israel’s rebellion but they were equally punished for their wicked treatment of the Jews during these campaigns). Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Rome all took captive Israel and treated them wickedly. Are any of these people (or any of their descendants) who assaulted the people of God, and brought in false idols that were imposed on the Jews, more wicked or malevolent? Or is that only to be reserved for a particular people group? It reveals one’s personal bias to suggest that Scripture reserves a special designation of sin for only the Jewish people.

It is necessary to suggest one final consideration for people to think about regarding this debate. There was a particular people group in Scripture that God intended to bring judgment on for their malevolent treatment of His people: the Ninevites. The people of Nineveh hated the people of God and took every opportunity to oppose and persecute them. So wicked were these people that God took specific note to send His judgment upon them. Yet, God would not bring this judgment without warning. He called upon the prophet Jonah to give them a message, that in forty days Nineveh would be overthrown. God, in His mercy to a particularly wicked people, would give them notice of their impending doom. He did not need to do so, for His judgment was justified. Still, God desired to give them a warning.

However, Jonah did not want to go. Why? Because Jonah knew God’s heart. He knew that, should the Ninevites receive a warning and chose to repent, God would stay His wrath. Jonah believed that Nineveh was so malevolent and destructive that they should not receive God’s mercy. Jonah’s hatred was so overwhelming for this ethnic group, that he fled in the opposite direction to avoid the possibility they could be spared. God would not be thwarted, however, and he dragged Jonah back kicking and screaming, in the belly of a great fish, to have His message preached. Jonah’s bias would not justify his disobedience, God made sure of this. And, much to Jonah’s utter dismay, the Ninevites repented and were spared for a time. Jonah judged that his anger toward these people was more justified than God’s willingness to show mercy to a repentant people. God revealed that Jonah’s prejudice did not hold a candle to His perfect plans and purposes.

Those Christians today who believe there is something justifiable about holding antisemitic views simply do not have a leg to stand on. Yes, Jews today are outside the covenant of God because they have rejected Jesus as Christ. This is no different from any other ethnic or religious group that is apart from Jesus. They hold wicked views of Jesus for which they will be held accountable. There are many Jews, just as there are many other non-Jewish people, involved in sinful acts and industries around the world. And, just like the non-Jewish people, they will be held accountable for their sins. Not because they are more inherently sinful as a people, but because they are sinful by nature just as is every other human being who walks the earth. If Christians show bias toward Jews as an ethnic people and treat them as uniquely sinful as compared to all others, we commit the same sin as Jonah. No sinner will escape the judgment of God, yet, He has not called us to be a generation of Jonahs deciding who is or is not worthy of God’s warning of impending wrath. He has called Christians to be His kingdom of priests who preach that judgment is certain apart from repentance and faith in Christ alone.

Therefore, I urge my brethren in the faith, to abandon this foolishness. Stop being hard-hearted Jonahs who take pleasure in seeing others as more wicked than yourself. Rather, admit your self-righteous arrogance, repent of it, and submit to God’s calling to proclaim the gospel to all, regardless of their ethnic background.

NOTE: This article was also published on X.comX.com.

Be a Man Like Jesus

December 20, 2024 / Chris Hohnholz / 0 Comments

There has been much debate in our current age about the issue of masculinity. The traditional cultural image is one of a man who bravely shoulders the burden of providing and caring for his family, working hard with his hands, being a warrior who defends the home front, and who does all these things with nary a quiver in his emotional state. In other words, the quintessential man’s man. However, there have been many voices influenced by godless secularism that have decried this image and called it toxic and destructive. Those who do so claim this form of masculinity is responsible for untold damage to women, children, and persons of varying gender ideologies. They have sought to unseat the man’s man ideal and insert a definition of masculinity that far more resembles femininity than anything else. Men and their identities have become the battleground for our cultural future.

The question for the Christian is not how culture defines manhood but what Scripture says. To that end, the best example we should consider is the God-Man Himself, Jesus Christ. We must look to the examples Christ gave us in His life on this earth so that we might emulate Him above all else. In this examination, we need to look at His work in totality, not focusing merely on one character trait over others. This has happened far too often in Christian circles where the intent is to co-opt Christ to forward a particular agenda. Progressives may seek to apply Jesus’s compassion and kindness to claim Jesus would be a feminist, for example. Those hyper-focused on patriarchal ideals may seek to find rugged manliness in Jesus to promote the traditional man’s man image. Yet, in looking at the whole picture of Scripture, we find something far more biblically balanced.

There is little question that Jesus grew up in a world where working hard with His hands would have been the norm. His earthly father, Joseph, was a carpenter (Matt. 13:55). Jesus would have learned the trade and worked with him over the years. Likely, Jesus was even working in this trade before entering His itinerant ministry at thirty years old. Carpentry was not easy work; it would have been rugged work done with His hands. Jesus labored hard as a man, living out the very commandment Adam was given in the garden when God told him to work and keep it (Gen 2:15). Man was made to work, and in doing so, he gives glory to God. Those years of hard work and their impact on Jesus’ earthly body are demonstrated in John 2:14-17 when He made a cord of whips and chased the money changers out of the temple. This was no trifling task, as he would have needed the skill to make the whip and the strength to overturn tables and drive the thieves out of the temple area. Not only did this act reveal His physical strength but His spiritual and mental commitment to His Father. Jesus demonstrated truly righteous indignation, justifiable anger, at those who would make a mockery of the very place where men were to draw close to God.

Jesus further showed godly use of anger when faced with the religious leaders who sought to accuse Him when He was healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-5). These leaders cared very little for the flocks they were to be leading, caring only to be exalted for their traditions, which they added to the law. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost, demonstrating His power over sickness and death by His repeated miraculous healings. He looked at these hard-hearted leaders with righteous anger as he healed the very man they would have denied just to preserve their positions and traditions. Jesus had repeated conflicts with the scribes and Pharisees throughout His walk on this earth, in each case showing courage and boldness unseen in His day. Though the Pharisees repeatedly tried to entangle Him in words and threatened those who would follow Him, Christ would not be deterred; He would not back down. So much so that in Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces several woes on them, judgments they would face for their hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Jesus showed no fear before them, demonstrating uncommon courage for all to see.

With such examples, is it not clear that Christian men should be strong, hard-working, courageous heroes who are angry at those who would defy God? Yes, these are ideal traits that all men should strive for, but they are not the only ones. Jesus also showed characteristics that are all too easily overlooked in this debate. Firstly, Jesus showed kindness that many would see as weakness. In Matthew 8:2, we see such a display. A leper, one who was an outcast in society, who could not be near others, much less touched, lest he communicate his disease to others, comes before Jesus. While this man asks for healing, Jesus takes the matter one step further. While He could have healed the man merely by a word, Jesus touched the man. This man, who had not been touched by another human being for an untold amount of time, received the touch of Christ. Such beautiful kindness was not required, yet our Savior extended it out of love.

In another act of gracious healing, Jesus, on His way to heal Jairus’s daughter, is pressed on every side by a crowd (Luke 8:40-48). Being bumped and jostled by every person in His path, Jesus stops and asks who touched Him. It is not for lack of knowledge, for He knew, but to draw out the one who so desired healing. A woman who had “an issue of blood” for twelve years steps out from the crowd. She was terrified for, in faith, she had touched the hem of Christ’s garment, knowing He could heal her when all others had failed. Yet, like the leper, she could have faced dire consequences, for under the law, anyone who touched her was made unclean. Christ does not pronounce judgment on her but, with compassion and love, tells her, “Your faith has made you well; go in peace” (v. 48) This kind of love and grace is not called for in the man’s man ideology, yet Jesus stops an entire crowd and halts His journey to save a little girl just to ease the physical and emotional burden of a woman who had endured so much.

This kind of lovingkindness was repeatedly displayed by Christ during His ministry. Yet, we see two other acts when He suffered on the cross that help us cement our understanding of His fully orbed masculinity. After enduring an illegal trial, the mockery of the crowds, and the scourging of Pilate, Jesus is hammered to the cross, left to die for crimes He had not committed. While hanging there and suffering, He is ridiculed and mocked by those around Him, including two thieves. At some point during this excruciating experience, one thief comes to realize who Jesus truly is and repents (Luke 23:39-43). He rebukes his fellow thief, acknowledging their crimes have earned them a just punishment, yet Christ has done nothing to deserve His. He then asks Jesus to remember him when He enters into His kingdom. Jesus, who had endured the vile mockery from the man only a short time before, who could have called down righteous judgment for this man’s sins, says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). Where most would argue that men should stand firm and hold others wickedness into account, Jesus shows mercy on the most undeserving. And, as one of His last acts, before He yielded up His spirit, Jesus showed compassion on the earthly mother who birthed and cared for Him all His life. After hours of suffering at the hands of evil men, Jesus looks to His mother and the Apostle John, calling for the Apostle to care for her as his own mother (John 19:26-27). Jesus showed in His death that He would care for those most dear to Him and that His mother would never be without someone to watch over her. So, we, as men in Christ, should likewise love those under our care, regardless of whatever it may cost us.

Genuine Christian manliness is not merely about toughness, boldness, and speaking without fear; it is also about gentleness, kindness, and mercy. In Christ, the perfect picture of the godly Man, we have the perfect example of genuine masculinity. No trait outshines the other, all are in perfect balance and used accordingly. Christian men should certainly stand against secular godlessness, which seeks to emasculate men, rendering them into genderless drones. However, this cannot be done by neglecting the fully orbed masculinity given to us by Christ in the Scriptures. We dare not fail to balance our boldness with our patience. We must temper our righteous indignation with our love for the lost. And while we seek to war against all that is ungodly, we must never fail to show kindness to those around us so that they may see Christ in us.

This article has also been published on X.com.

We Do Not Need Celebrity Christians

April 13, 2024 / Chris Hohnholz / 1 Comment

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)

Submission and Love – Biblical Marriage Defined

May 17, 2023 / Chris Hohnholz / 0 Comments

Perhaps one of the most hotly debated, and even hated, passages of Scripture is Ephesians 5: 22-33, which reads:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

In the passage, the apostle Paul is giving instructions regarding marriage to the Ephesian church. Wives are called to submit to the authority of their husbands, while the husbands are given instructions on loving and leading their wives. Paul is quite clear in his writing here, explaining the roles each person has in the marriage. While Scripture is equally clear that no one person, or types of persons, has higher value in the eyes of God, all persons have specific functions they are given within the body of Christ. From positions within the church structure, to the types of gifts each person has, down to the duties of persons within the family unit, all Christians are commanded by God to live and act within the categorical roles He has given us.

To that end, God has given unique instructions to husbands and wives. This biblical structure calls the husband into the position and responsibility of leading the home and the wife supporting and submitting to her husband. This has often been termed as a patriarchal structure, though some have given it the more muted term of “complementarianism.” Men and women, work together in their God-given roles, complementing each other by acting in cooperation instead of at odds with one another.

Yet, this structure is often attacked by those within egalitarian circles. They argue it reduces the wife to the role of a servant while the husband enjoys an unfettered dictatorial role. Furthermore, there are claims that this structure, while clearly defined in Scripture, cannot possibly be biblical because it paves the way for physical and emotional abuse. To that end, it is worth taking time to look at these passages to explain just what Paul is commanding of us and why. We will start by looking at submission.

Submission:

Paul first commands wives to submit to their own husbands. This is a clear command, not a lot there to muddy the waters. The wife has a supportive role in the home. God created her to be the husband’s helper, or “help-meet” (see Gen. 2: 15-25). This is not a position of servanthood or slavery. She is the one uniquely created person made to complete all that the husband is not. She is his lover, comforter, and friend. She is the mother to his children, the fellow parent and authority in the lives of their progeny. She works in partnership with him even if her role and duties differ. She is in every way his equal, yet she submits to his authority because God has ordained this unique role for her.

But, let us understand that Paul does not simply issue the mere command out of his own will. Paul adds an additional thrust to it by adding, “as unto the Lord.” This is what defines the role of the wife and her submission to her husband. It is an act of devotion and obedience to God Himself. Just as she is called to ultimately submit to her Lord and Savior, to seek to obey all that He has commanded and to grow in Christ-likeness in all other areas of her Christian walk, the role of the wife is no different.

In submitting to her husband, a wife gives a willing demonstration of her love and desire to please Christ by doing all that He has called her to do. She entrusts herself completely to the hands of God, knowing that His plans and purposes are perfect in all ways. She loves the Lord more than anything this world has to offer and knows that God’s commands are ultimately for her good and His glory. Submission, therefore, is not about being reduced to a slave (as the world would view it), rather, it is an act of seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Furthermore, Paul explains that the wife is demonstrating something even more beautiful. She is modeling the role of the church to the world at large. The church, the bride of Christ, is called to submit to all our magnificent Bridegroom commands. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Christ has purchased us and made us His own. He has transformed us and indwelt us with His Holy Spirit. We now seek to live in obedience to all that Christ has commanded us as He is the head of the body, the church.

Likewise, the wife, in her role, submits to her husband in a microcosmic picture of her marriage. She is to portray to the world what the church is supposed to be doing by playing the role of the church while the husband models Christ. When done rightly, the world sees in our marriages Christ’s relationship with His church.

What about the claims of slavery and abuse? Do not women suffer in these roles where patriarchy reigns supreme? Sadly, yes, this does happen. Far too often have sinful men abused the position that God has called them to serve in. No matter how articulately Scripture commands us to obey God, men, and women, all will seek to find ways to thwart God’s will and satisfy their own debased desires. This does not mean the command of God is evil but, rather, evil men seek to contort and malign the Word of God to achieve their own ends.

We dare not reject the clear teachings of Scripture because some have used it to sin. Instead, we proclaim the Word of God more boldly and rebuke those who refuse to rightly obey it. This includes addressing sin through church discipline as outlined in Matthew 18: 15-17. Wives are not merely to endure sinful abuse silently. Such sin should be addressed to and by the church.

Knowing all this, wives are therefore called to obey God’s commands regarding their role in the home. Refusal on the part of a wife to submit to her husband is indicative of a heart that seeks to serve itself over God. It demonstrates an unwillingness to believe that God’s ways are better than our own and says that He cannot be trusted. God’s purposes are perfect, it is we who are imperfect and sinful. Rather than reject His design for marriage, wives ought to celebrate the beautiful role He has given them.

But, we are not done here. Husbands, it is our turn.

Love:

Husbands are called to love their wives. No, we are not talking about the Hallmark movie, endorphin rushing, emotionalism that is so often called love. We are talking about an action. We are talking about doing something to and for the wife that is more than simply feeling emotional affection. What we are talking about is the husband being called to a role wherein he denies himself and sacrificially loves his wife.

And this is not merely being given the ability to make all the decisions for the family. It is not just holding down the job and providing the basic needs for the home. It is far more than that. Paul commands the husband to love, not in the way the world defines love. Instead, he commands the husband to love as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Understand this, Christ’s love for His bride was demonstrated in that He willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty for her sins. He suffered and died for the church so that she might be made pure. Christ’s love is a self-sacrificing love.

While husbands do hold a unique role of authority in marriage, it is not a role defined by tyrannical, dictatorial rule. Instead, it is servant-hearted leadership. In Luke 22: 25-27, Jesus says to his disciples, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” Jesus taught that biblical authority is not demonstrated in the power to demand of others but in a willingness to be the chief servant.

The husband loves his wife by willingly putting himself aside to lead, guide, comfort, provide for, and serve her. He looks to her own needs first, that he might cherish and nourish her. She is his first and utmost priority over all others. No longer is there any person in his life that can claim dominion over his time and energies, including himself. In his role of authority in the home, the husband takes the ultimate responsibility to teach, build up, and pray for his wife’s spiritual and emotional growth. He sees his position, not as a means to command her to fulfill his every desire, but to serve her in such a way that she flourishes in her role as his wife.

The husband leads not only in word but also in deed. He is the primary example of submitting to God and His Word. He is to be a student of the Scriptures, applying them in his own life and growing in maturity and wisdom. He is the first to admit sin and demonstrate willing repentance. He also listens to his wife because God made her uniquely to be there for him. She is not without knowledge or understanding. He is growing her and making her a fit vessel for His use. As she grows in her role, she is there to help her husband. While he has the responsibility for the home (and all the accountability that comes with it), the husband is not alone.

And, like the wife, the husband’s role is also a picture to the world. He represents the Bridegroom Himself. The one who emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant that He might be humbled and obedient to the point of death (Ephesians 2: 5-11). As the one who is called to love his bride, the husband demonstrates a willing sacrifice of self that he might make much of his wife. He does so that the world might see on display, through his marriage, what Christ did for us. No, being in authority is not a free pass to act as a tyrant king. It is a command to die to yourself so that you might love and serve another.

Finally, a husband who loves biblically does not abuse his wife or his authority. Such a thought ought to be the furthest thing from his mind. One who abuses the bride he has been given has rebelled against God’s authority. He has loved himself more than God and believes the desires of his flesh need to be satisfied above all else. He has willingly corrupted the picture of Christ as the Bridegroom to the world. Such a refusal to honor the biblically defined role of the husband brings with it serious consequences.

A Final Thought:

Before we leave, let there be one final consideration for husbands and wives. We have sought to demonstrate that God’s defining roles in marriage are part of His beautiful plan for our lives. Both husbands and wives are called to serve in their marriage for the betterment of the other. Done so biblically, marriages grow and flourish in God’s hands. Furthermore, they demonstrate to the world the gospel of Christ in action. A people purchased by God through the death of His Son united eternally to their bridegroom who sacrificially loves them.

While men and women may strive to obey God’s commands in their roles, we are all imperfect people. We will fail and we will all sin. Therefore, we must remember that these are not contingent commands from God. We are not permitted to cease fulfilling our biblical obligations when, not if, our spouse fails to uphold the duties to which they have been called. Husbands will rule the home wrongly, or worse, fail to lead at all. Wives will not only fail to submit but may seek to supplant the husband as the authority in the home. In fact, the curse of the fall in Genesis 3: 16-19 guarantees this. These failings are not an escape clause from obeying what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Rather, we should view the failings of our spouses as a reason to be all the more obedient to God’s commands in our marriages.

Husbands, when confronted with the very real truth that your wife will sin against you, think on the Savior who leads you when you disobey Him. He does not turn from you, He does not cease to lead you, and He does not give up on you. Rather, He comes alongside you, corrects you, rebukes you, and chastises you. He does this in a spirit of love for the express purpose of reconciliation with you. He does not beat down on you, Christ lovingly leads and corrects you. Do so likewise for your wife. Remember that the apostle Peter calls you to live with your wives “in an understanding way” and that you are to honor her “as the weaker vessel” (1 Peter 3:7). Failure to do so will even hinder your very prayers.

Wives, your husbands will be arrogant, will speak harshly, will fail to lead as they should, and will sin against you. Yet, you too serve a Savior who looked down on you at your very worst and said, “She is mine.” He purchased you and made you His own when you had no right to receive anything good from Him. Like you, Jesus is the answer to your husband’s sins. And just as He changed you and brought you to repentance, He can do the same for your husband. It is not by rebelling against God’s role for you that this will be accomplished. Remember the words of apostle Peter to you in 1 Peter 3: 1-2 where he taught you that “they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.” No, this does not mean you cannot speak to your husband about his sin against you. You are not called to be a silent doormat enduring harsh and vile treatment. But, in your willing submission to your husband (which does not include being led to sin, you are not to submit to that which is sin), you submit wholly to Christ and trust in His plans and purposes.

Brethren, our marriages are a precious gift from the Lord. They are uniquely designed to complement each other and to fulfill our longings for companionship and emotional affection, but, more importantly, they are part of God’s beautiful purposes in this world. We are put in marital roles which are designed to conform us to the image of Christ and which announce the gospel of grace to the entire world. Therefore, let us cherish these unions by loving God first and foremost above all and then doing all that He commands us to do inside our homes, including obeying the roles He has given us.

(This article was also published at X.com)

Such Were Some of You

January 26, 2023 / Chris Hohnholz / 2 Comments

What is a Christian? A Christian is a person who was once a rebel sinner, at war with God through wicked works. But by God’s merciful redeeming grace, he or she has been freed from their sins and adopted into His family through the propitiatory work of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21-26). Because Jesus died in the place of sinners on the cross (taking the wrath of the Father they deserve) and was buried in a tomb, only to raise Himself from the grave of the third day, those who trust in His work receive His righteousness in the great exchange (2 Cor. 5:21). Now, through this free and marvelous gift, sinners become saints and have the promise of everlasting life. And on top of this, they are made new creations with new hearts and new desires (2. Cor. 5:17). This is a Christian.

Yet, how does one come to be a Christian? What must we do to be saved? Romans 10:9 tells us, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This belief and confession come from faith in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross. There are no works that we can do because we are slaves to sin and the wages of our sin is death (Rom. 6:20-23). There is no work we can offer to God that will merit any kindness from Him for all our sins are an abomination before Him. God cannot look on sin without pouring out His judgment upon it (Hab. 1:13). Therefore, the free gift of salvation must be given by God by grace through faith that no man can boast of having saved himself (Eph. 2:8-9). In fact, faith itself is a gift from God. Therefore, we are called in Scripture to repent, turn from our sins, and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:14-15).

Repentance from sins, while a gift from God Himself (2 Tim. 2:25), is a command of God to all those who would find forgiveness in Christ. It is a change of mind which leads to a change of action. It means we agree with God that our sins have put us at odds with Him, that we are deserving of His judgment, but that we will no longer live in the sins from which He has redeemed us (Rom. 6:2). It is the mark of a believer that he or she will live a life of ongoing repentance, persevering against temptation, trials, and tribulation until they day they are ushered into glory (Matt 24:13). The saint is one who once walked in the ways of this world but has turned to become more like their Savior (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And true salvation is marked by the saint who continually lives a life of repentance and seeks to do the good works of God, which He prepared for us beforehand as a testimony to His redeeming work and the glory of His name (Eph 2:10)

With all this in mind, we must face a crisis that continues to rear its head in the professing church. Thanks to weak and shallow preaching in the professing church, through those who promote easy believism and seeker-friendly methodologies, there are professing Christians today who do not believe one must live a life of repentance in Christ to be a Christian. Even worse, they preach an ideology that one can be identified by their sin of sexual immorality and still be a follower of Christ. Today, within the professing church, there is a continual call for churches to accept the idea that there can be “Gay Christians,” “Queer Christians,” or “LGBTQIA Christians.” That persons who live ongoing lifestyles of unrepentant sin before God can somehow still be followers of Christ and should be treated as such. Such an ideology is foreign to Scripture and should never be permitted within the church.

Putting aside for the moment the ludicrous attempts to redefine what Scripture clearly teaches on sexual immorality, let us address the idea that such a thing as a “Gay Christian” can exist within the church. Paul clearly teaches that to continue in the practice of any sin is to be a slave to sin (see again Romans 6). One cannot be a slave to Christ, having been freed from the power of sin and death, yet remain in unrepentant sin (1 John 1:6). In fact, the church is called to examine the fruit of professing Christians to see if we are genuinely in the faith (Matt. 7:15-20; 1 John 4:1-6). Therefore, a genuine Christian cannot be defined as someone who not only lives in sin but identifies, and qualifies, themselves by an adjective attached to their Christianity. To clarify, one cannot be a “Liar Christian,” an “Adulterous Christian,” a “Thief Christian,” or a “Murdering Christian.” To identify one’s self by an unrepentant sin and attach that descriptor to Christ is to blaspheme the very Savior that person claims to follow.

Such as it is with being a “Gay Christian.” God’s word repeatedly condemns sexual immorality throughout the Bible including acts of homosexuality. Only by twisting and redefining what Scripture says can anyone hope to alter this unchangeable truth. Therefore, just as any other unrepentant sin would reveal that a person is not redeemed (because it reveals their heart remains unchanged and enslaved to sin), for any person to describe themselves as openly homosexual is to admit to God they reject His commandments on sexual purity. Any willful rejection of God’s commandments demonstrates one does not follow Christ at all (Luke 6:46-49).

The greatest lie a professing pastor or church can tell a person living in disobedience to God is that it is fine to remain in their sin, that they still are accepted and loved by God. While we do not need to be morally perfect to come to Christ, as none of us can ever do so, to follow Christ means that He has changed us and continually works by the power of the Holy Spirit to produce repentance and good works. Any pastor or church that tells professing Christians they can live in rebellion to God by practicing sexual immorality heaps lie upon lie to those under their charge. What they are doing is leading such persons to further sear their own consciences against God. His law is written upon our hearts (Rom. 2:15) and it accuses us of our sin, bringing conviction upon us. It is meant to lead us to repentance and faith in Christ. Yet, professing pastors, desperate for the applause of the world, seek to deaden the voice of that God-given conscience by telling openly homosexual people they can worship Christ just as they are. Such a lie comes from the deepest pits of hell.

Pastors, Christians, and churches do not demonstrate love when they refuse to call out sin and preach repentance to those professing to follow Christ. Paul condemned such wickedness in the Corinthian church when they allowed a man engaged in an openly incestuous relationship to remain in their midst (1 Cor. 5). Paul commanded the church to apply discipline in this man’s life, to cast him out of the church that he may come to repentance. Today, in many churches, this act would be considered cruel and unloving. Yet, to Paul, this act of church discipline was an immense act of love in hope that the man would genuinely repent and turn to Christ. To refuse to call our friends, loved ones, acquaintances, or even strangers to turn from sin because they may be upset with us is no act of love. It is an act of pure selfishness because we care more about how we are seen among the unregenerate than how we are seen by God. Even worse, it is an absolute denial of the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about repentance and faith to those who desperately need Christ. Those who refuse to preach repentance serve not God, rather they serve the father of lies himself, Satan.

True love in the church is that which preaches the entirety of the gospel. That we are, by nature, rebel sinners who deserve the full and righteous wrath of God. Yet, in His gracious mercy, He sent His only Son to save sinners. That through the propitiation of Christ on the cross, our sins may be forgiven and our hearts may be made new. And, in being made a new creation, we now have new desires that we might serve our Lord by obeying His commandments. Yet, while we live in this life, we will struggle against the desires of the flesh. The temptation to sin will always be present with us but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome and choose not to sin. Will it always be easy? No. We will stumble and fall? Yes, and quite often. This too is part of our journey on the path of sanctification. This is the power of the gospel. This is what must be preached. Without apology or adulteration.

Woe to those professing pastors, Christians, and churches who preach not the true gospel. You reveal yourselves not to fear God but man. And, if you continue on this path, you will prove that you never belonged to Christ, to begin with. Repent of the fear of man. Do not accept the lies of this world. Rather, trust in the power of the Holy Spirit alone and His redeeming work in the life of believers. To do anything less is to blaspheme the Lord you claim to follow. And you may one day find yourself standing before Him as he says, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23)

All Things to All People?

January 16, 2023 / Chris Hohnholz / 1 Comment

“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” – 1 Cor. 9:22b

This passage has often been cited by those who argue that pragmatism in the church is an acceptable practice. That using any means necessary to grow the church is permissible if the ends (more bodies in the pews) are achieved. However, is that really what Paul was saying in the passage? Hardly.

In the preceding verses, Paul refers to the fact that, as an apostle, he had a right to call upon the churches to provide for his financial needs while he engaged in the work of ministry. He even demonstrates biblically that it was well within his authority and rights to do so. Yet, rather than compel the churches to give to his monetary needs, Paul chooses to work with his own hands and earn his keep.

Rather than burden the churches and the people to whom he ministered, Paul humbles himself and engages in manual labor to provide for himself and his ministry. Paul takes himself out of the way that the word of God may be central to his work of preaching, evangelism, and discipleship. Paul never wanted to be seen to be engaged in the work of ministry merely for financial gain. Therefore, when Paul became all things to all people, what he was doing was ensuring that he never became the obstacle to God’s work of salvation and discipleship.

Contrast this with the mega-church growth ideology. Those engaged in church growth use this passage to justify the use of all manner of entertainment to attract the “unchurched” to their services. Be it concerts, self-help messages, laser light shows, giveaways of material goods/money, or high-energy, celebrity-styled preachers, the church growth crowd justifies such pragmatic efforts by saying they are merely becoming “all things to all people.”

After all, this is what all people want. They don’t want to be lectured, told they need to repent, called to forsake sin, warned against Hell, etc. They want to be made to feel comfortable, cared about, and entertained. So, they argue, they must become “all things” by changing the church to meet these needs.

This is the exact opposite of Paul and the message he gave to the Corinthians. What Paul argued was the removal of himself as an obstacle that the unadulterated Word of God may penetrate rock-hard sinful hearts so that God may save sinners.

Church growth, instead, removes the Word that man is made the chief object of worship. Instead of humbling and removing themselves, church-growth pastors remove the Word and make much of themselves so that the unregenerate may be entertained. And the more fans arrive in the building, the more they tout themselves and their message.

We must reject the misuse of Paul’s message to the Corinthians as justification for pragmatism in the church. We must humble ourselves, make much of God and His Word, and trust in Him for the ends to be achieved.

Deconstruction is Not Reformation

July 7, 2022 / Chris Hohnholz / 2 Comments

On July 4, 2022, Adam Page, a pastor at Amelia Baptist Church made a post on Twitter that read: “I wish I could find my church deacons from the 90s & tell them Daniel Haseltine (Jars of Clay) Derek Webb (Caedmon’s Call) & Kevin Max (DC Talk) no longer hold to sola scriptura and/or have deconstructed, but John Cooper from “devil band” Skillet is persevering strong in doctrine.” This is a great observation from Page as we see numerous Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) artists either loudly leave the faith or advocate for heretical and apostate ideologies. Page’s tweet did not tag any of the artists themselves. He was not seeking to score any points against them. It was simply an observation made to his followers and friends on social media.

I wish I could find my church deacons from the 90s & tell them Daniel Haseltine (Jars of Clay) Derek Webb (Caedmon’s Call) & Kevin Max (DC Talk) no longer hold to sola scriptura and/or have deconstructed, but John Cooper from “devil band” Skillet is persevering strong in doctrine

— pagemasta (@AdamPage85) July 4, 2022

Enter then, Derek Webb. It is unclear just how Mr. Webb found Adam Page’s post but find it he did. Webb did not enter into a conversation with Page. He did not ask any questions or seek to make any clarifications. However, what Webb did was share Page’s original post with a comment of his own (known as “quote tweeting”). Webb wrote, “‘deconstructing’ is part of reforming’. i’d like think your church deacons would be comforted knowing that we’re following the reformation’s cry of ‘semper reformanda’ (always reforming), calling out teaching & practices that the church should repent of and leave behind.”

“deconstructing” is part of “reforming”. i’d like to think your church deacons would be comforted knowing that we’re following the reformation’s cry of ‘semper reformanda’ (always reforming), calling out teachings & practices that the church should repent of and leave behind. https://t.co/vhRZImsvuR

— Derek Webb (@derekwebb) July 4, 2022

What Derek Webb did in that single quote tweet was to claim that those engaging in deconstruction are just being modern-day Reformers. That is a bold claim. But is it true? Should deconstructionists be seen as acting in concert with the Reformers, seeking to draw themselves closer to Christ while discarding man-made traditions that have been added to His word? An examination of deconstruction as compared to the essence of the Reformation, sola Scriptura, will demonstrate that such an association is not only undeserved but it is a false claim that exposes how apostate is the deconstructionist ideology.

Deconstruction

First, it is recommended readers of this article listen to the 3-hour long podcast episode #117 of “Just Thinking” entitled “Evangelical Deconstructionism.” Yes, it really is 3-hours long and it is worth listening to every minute of the program. Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker take the time to establish what our source of authority truly is (Scripture), where deconstructionism originated from (Marxist philosopher Jacques Derrida), and how the ideology is being employed to tear down the orthodox Christian faith. Listeners will get a seminary-level education on an ideology that is incongruent with Christianity.

Deconstructionism is the practice of taking something apart (language, a text, a system, a practice); looking for what is believed to be inconsistencies or problems; using what is found to proclaim the system is broken, oppressive or destructive; and then rebuilding the matter into the examiner’s own image. Deconstructionists always engage in this practice in a negative sense. This means they enter into the process assuming the system produces brokenness, oppression, inequality, and more. They do not enter with an intent to determine objective truth. Deconstructionism presumes there cannot be any real objective truth. Deconstructionists also distrust all systems and apply a “hermeneutic of suspicion” when engaging in the process of deconstruction (see again “Just Thinking” episode 117).

Therefore, deconstruction is not concerned with determining whether a system or practice is true as it stands. Since objective truth does not exist in the mind of the deconstructionist, the quest is not about determining if the system is valid or in need of reformation. Deconstruction is concerned only with the process of questioning, it does not concern itself with testing or supporting an argument. Therefore, it focuses on simply questioning the system, breaking it down to find where the cracks exist, then reforming it to achieve the deconstructionist’s predetermined goals. In the end, deconstructionism is ultimately about tearing apart a system so that something else can be built in its place.

Once the deconstructionist has introduced sufficient levels of doubt into the process to tear apart the system, reconstruction can begin. However, reconstruction is not about finding objective truth by which the system should be established. Instead, it seeks to add the voices of intersectionally oppressed groups to be included in the new system. The goal is to ensure the new system meets with the approval and inclusion of groups who previously claimed hurt, oppression, inequality, or some other grievance. Reconstruction is about creating a pluralistic system by which all previously grieved or oppressed classes have their demands met at the expense of the class said to be at fault. Deconstruction and reconstruction are humanistic and godless tools by which men can force the desires of their hearts to be met at the expense of truth.

Evangelical Deconstruction

In the aforementioned “Just Thinking” episode, Darrell Harrison outlines “The Five Points of Progress of Evangelical Deconstructionism.” According to Harrison, the points are:

Embrace and posit the idea that the church is a socially constructed system, not a divinely ordained idea that originated in the mind of God;
Assume the socially constructed system is designed to be exclusive of certain intersectional identities, traditions, and behaviors (i.e. LGBTQ);
Identify subjective points and cracks in the socially constructed system that have failed, in the estimation of the deconstructionist, and need to be fixed or reconstructed;
Apply a “hermeneutic of suspicion” to that socially constructed system so that anyone who is even remotely associated or connected to that system is, by default, deemed untrustworthy;
Reconstruct that socially constructed system into the image and likeness of the culture with a culturally acceptable theology, soteriology, anthropology, hamartiology, and eschatology.

Remember that that point of deconstruction is not about determining truth. It assumes the system – in this case, Christianity – is one of oppression and inequality. Therefore, evangelical deconstructionists begin with the idea that Christianity, as it exists now, is not something ordained by God in His word. They presuppose the nature of the Christian faith is untrustworthy and damaging in its current state. And, since Christianity is only a social construct, not a divine mandate, then it must be deconstructed to do away with the inequalities that exist.

Evangelical deconstructionists are not starting with God and His revealed word. They are starting with a philosophical ideology that presumes systems are all about power and control. This is not an examination of who God is and what He desires for His people. This is determining what they believe Christianity is supposed to be and how it falls short of meeting cultural expectations.

If, as Derek Webb claims, evangelical deconstructionists are simply the modern-day equivalent of the Reformers, then one would expect they would seek to apply the same standard of examination the Reformers used. However, when we look at what the Reformers taught, we realize these two groups are worlds apart. Deconstruction is the polar opposite of the Reformation for one basic reason: the principle of sola Scriptura.

Sola Scriptura

According to Michael Kruger in his article, “Understanding Sola Scriptura,” on Ligonier.org, the “conviction of sola Scriptura— the Scriptures alone are the Word of God and, therefore, the only infallible rule for life and doctrine—provided the fuel needed to ignite the Reformation.”

The Reformers stood against the Catholic Church which acknowledged that Scripture “was the ultimate standard for all of life and doctrine…” but they also believed God communicated outside the written text. The Church “claimed a trifold authority structure, which included Scripture, tradition, and the Magisterium. The key component in this trifold authority was the Magisterium itself, which is the authoritative teaching office of the Roman Catholic Church, manifested primarily in the pope.” The Reformers recognized that there was no other equal or higher authority than the word of God. And they held their ground resolutely on this matter.

The Reformers taught sola Scriptura demanded that man be held to the ultimate authority of God’s word. No man could introduce ideologies, beliefs, commands, or principles of the Christian faith that did not first pass muster under the authority of the Scriptures. This did not mean the creeds or confessions, books, historical examinations of doctrinal development, or other realms of study could not guide or instruct the Christian church. Those very things could be of great help and guidance to the church at large. They could even provide guard rails to prevent Christians from wandering into personal interpretations that were inconsistent with the faith. Yet, none of these tools could be equal to or exceed the authority of Scripture. All such matters must be subservient to the Word of God.

Where sola fide (faith alone) was the material cause (the source) of the Reformation, sola Scriptura was the formal cause (the essence) of it. How could men know that they were saved by faith alone in Christ alone? By the very word of God as revealed in the Scriptures. It was by this that the Reformers sought to combat the man-made traditions of the Catholic Church. They fought and reclaimed the orthodox Christian faith from the ideas and traditions of men who sought to dominate the church. The Reformation was about rejecting outside ideologies and calling Christians to cling more tightly to the revealed word.

For the Reformers, the Reformation was not simply about discarding theologies and practices they did not like. Rather, they examined the claims of the papacy against the Scriptures themselves. Reformers, such as Martin Luther, were not initially seeking to break from the Church but to conform the Catholic Church to the Scriptures. The birth of the Protestant church was a call to turn from worldly traditions, to die to self, and be conformed to Christ as He revealed Himself in His word.

Did the Reformers call out for repentance from false doctrine? Absolutely. But what were those calls based upon? The examination of the Scriptures which demanded the Christian understand the context of the writers and readers. To learn what was meant at the time the words were written, what the original audience was expected to understand, and how they were supposed to apply the teachings in their lives. The Reformers knew that the key to refuting the false teaching of the papacy lie not in simply believing that Rome was wrong and it hurt people. It lay specifically in knowing what God meant in His revealed word, interpreting it rightly, teaching it to the people, and calling them to obey it.

Genuine reformation starts with the Word, not with assuming the Christian faith is just bad because people do not like how it is practiced.

Deconstruction is Not Reformation

Deconstructionists like Derek Webb want to picture themselves as modern-day Reformers who are rescuing the church from itself. In truth, they have much more in common with the Catholic Church of Luther’s day.

Deconstructionists do not examine first the Word of God to determine how they should live and practice the faith. Instead, they begin with a presupposition that the church today simply is wrong because the culture at large feels excluded and oppressed by its practices. Rather than examine those presuppositions against Scripture, they seek to force their ideology upon the church and require it to conform to their man-made traditions. They have elevated their philosophies to be equal with and above Scripture itself. The Christian faith is expected to change to meet their expectations instead of their being required to conform to the commands of Christ.

Christian, the deconstructionist is not a reformer. He is, at best, a confused and deluded person but, at worst, he is an apostate and false teacher. Do not be manipulated by the emotional appeals to see such persons as merely practicing the battle cry of the Reformers. They could not be further from “Semper Reformanda” if they tried. Deconstructionism is antithetical to the Christian faith and it is a direct challenge to the authority of Scripture. Reject such appeals and seek first the kingdom of God as He has revealed it to you in His precious, inspired, infallible, inerrant, and all-sufficient Word.

Is Roe the End?

June 24, 2022 / Chris Hohnholz / 1 Comment

A Historic Moment

Today, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In this monumental decision, the Court ruled there is no constitutional protection for abortion and returned the matter to the States. In other words, each State must now decide whether to make abortion illegal, legal, or restricted in some capacity. This means it is not a full ban on the horrific practice despite what commentators, media personalities, or politicians have claimed. Nor is it a removal of a Constitutional protection enshrined in our founding document. There has never been any such protection in the Constitution. What Roe v. Wade did is interpret that laws banning abortion were unconstitutional. That decision thus prohibited states from making laws outlawing the act. In today’s decision, the Supreme Court reversed that finding and determined no such protection existed. You cannot remove something that was never there.

What Now?

What happens next? All 50 States in the Union must now determine what laws they will pass with regard to the act of abortion. Some states have already passed legislation that would be triggered once the decision was handed down. Other states already have laws protecting the practice of abortion and will continue to stand by them. Ultimately, each state’s laws will be based on the votes of its citizens and the representatives they place in State political offices. This is not the end of abortion, but it most certainly limits the ability of people intent on murdering their babies. The fight to end abortion is far from over, but a major victory has been won.

What does this mean for the church? As Christians, we recognize that Scripture declares murder to be a sin. God knew us before we came into being. He declared when would be born and would die. He determined the path our lives would take. And He knit us together in our mothers’ wombs. We are made in His image and likeness. God has declared the willful murder of such image-bearers to be a sin, one which has not only temporal but eternal consequences. Therefore, the church must continue to proclaim to the world at large that the murder of babies is a sin. That those who promote, affirm, endorse, and engage in this willful rebellion will face His just and righteous wrath. We must call on the world to repent of such heinous sin and turn to Christ whereby the only hope of forgiveness can be found. We must not equivocate on this matter. We must firmly, authoritatively, and with great love, proclaim this truth to the world.

What Cannot Be

But we must not fall prey to the language of the world on this matter. We must not seek to soften the blow that abortion is a sin by telling people that abortion is only thinkable because we have failed to provide for the needs of women. That abortion only happens because social justice has not yet been achieved. This is patently untrue. Murder occurs because people are sinners. We commit sin because our hearts are enslaved to sin. That sin will be shown in a myriad of ways, including the murder of babies in the womb. We can justify our sins all day long with hundreds of reasons but it is still sin. We cannot remove the guilt of sin because life is unfair or difficult.

We must also not fall prey to the redefinitions of terms. It has become passé to rephrase pro-life to mean “pro-whole life.” In other words, that protecting infants from murder is not actually being pro-life. To be pro-life, you must be willing to have the secular government at large provide and care for life from womb to tomb. We are told we must authorize the government to so organize society through financial incentives, social programs, and health care to ensure that every life born has every single thing it needs. In this redefinition, you cannot possibly be pro-life without this provision. To reject it means you are “pro-birth” and could not care less what happens after.

Those actually aware of the history of the church know that Christians have created numerous resources for hundreds of years to care for children and families in need. Through local church donations and care in the community – and through the creation of charities, pregnancy centers, hospitals, adoption agencies, and more – the church has always stepped up to the plate to provide for those children in dire need. It is a lie from the pit of Hell to say that Christians do not care what happens after a child is born. And by adopting the language of “pro-whole life” we deny the truth that countless Christians in history have actually done the work of caring for those in need.

Do Not Forget Our Primary Mission

Finally, we must not assume this particular victory means our work is done in the culture. Even if all abortion was banned today (may we see that day soon) evil hearts that desire to murder their children are still enslaved to sin. The very hearts that want to fight to restore abortion to legal status are still speaking vile words that spew forth from evil hearts. Their standing before God has not changed even if the law were changed completely. Sinners bent on evil still need the gospel of Jesus Christ.

While we rejoice and worship God for His mercy on this matter, we must almost recommit ourselves to the command to make disciples of every nation. We must confront hearts with the truth of Scripture that they are enslaved to sin and will stand before God on Judgment Day. That the only hope of forgiveness, even for those who have already murdered children in the womb, is Jesus Christ. We must confront them with their sins, warn them of the danger to come, and plead with them to turn to Christ alone.

Christians, Roe is not the end. While the fight has been long and arduous, it is not yet over. And it would not be over even if we could put an end to this abdominal act. The first and primary mission of the church is the proclamation of the gospel and the winning of souls to Christ. We can fight and win culture wars but still lose souls to Hell. Let us fight the one without neglecting the other. No, Roe is not the end. It is a time of humble rejoicing to be sure. But, it is also a reminder of the great God we serve and the mission He has given us. Let us go forth and serve our King this day and every day till He brings us home.

Tag: Bible (Page 1 of 3)

Trump Is President Again – Now What?

The Danger of Unjust Anger

The Prejudice of Jonah

Be a Man Like Jesus

We Do Not Need Celebrity Christians

Submission and Love – Biblical Marriage Defined

Such Were Some of You

All Things to All People?

Deconstruction is Not Reformation

Is Roe the End?

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