In the News: The President--He's Not Our Savoior

The upcoming primary and general election has brought a key question back to the forefront.  What are we looking for in a president?  That is an important question, but, in this blog, I would like to address another question that often goes overlooked.  What are we not looking for in a president?

Anyone that runs for public office is fallen and has baggage.  Even the best Christian representative is still in need of the grace and mercy of God.  We must take that into account when we elect our officials; if we don't, then we are only setting ourselves up for disappointment and future apathy.  No man will ever be perfect this side of death, and so we must not see any candidate as our potential Savior. 

A politician is not our Messiah.  He must govern with a righteous attitude, but he is not the King of kings and LORD of Lords.  Only Christ is our Savior. He alone washes away sin. He alone laid down His life for His sheep who were enemies of God.  No one else can do that. 

Therefore, when we vote, we must consider what an official must possess, but we must also know who he is not.

In The News: Death of Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il, the ruthless dictator of North Korea, has died.  His young son is now at the helm, and only time will tell as to what kind of leader he will be.  If he is anything like his father, then massacres will continue.  Let us pray for our Christian brethren in North Korea, for they are especially persecuted in their attempts to bring the gospel into a dark world.

In the New: Death of Christopher Hitchens

Prominent evolutionist Christopher Hitchens has died. He was an ardent anti-Christian, yet he was still a man made in the image of God.  Though we do not endorse his message, we do mourn his unrepentant heart, unless there was a recent unknown conversion to Christ.  Today is the day of salvation, and no man knows the number of his days.  Let each man take heed, for our days our numbered as well.

It is always a sad commentary to see great intellect used for the ills of an evolutionary worldview, and Hitchens had a passion for the evolutionary worldview.

Ironically, every false worldview must steal from the Christian worldview in order to argue against it.  How?   The Christian worldview is the only worldview that possesses the preconditions for intelligibility.  What is that?  Preconditions are those conditions that come beforehand and intelligibility is the ability to make something meaningful and understandable.

The Triune God is the bedrock of meaning, knowledge, logic, ethics, etc.  Apart from Him, there is no such thing as these concepts or even the concept of a concept; it would be an illusion at best, which itself is a concept.  In this, we see that the non-Christian assumes the Biblical God and all that He accounts for in order to then argue against Him.  Van Til once wrote that this is like a father who must put his child on his knee in order for the child to slap his father in the face.  This is no different.

Man is totally depraved, and his suppression of the truth in unrighteousness is magnified by his unwillingness to submit to Him who is the foundation of all things, for man would rather die in unbelief, judgement, and inconsistency than surrender to God in Christ. What foolishness!

To Him be the glory! Amen!

In The News: Further European Debt Crisis

Europe continues to be plagued by growing debt.  Peter is robbed to pay Paul, but now Peter has begun to run out of money and borrowing power.  If something is not done soon, the whole system will collapse, and a greater crises will emerge. 

How should a Christian react to this?

The Scripture does not prohibit borrowing, but it is clear in Proverbs that the borrower is a slave to the lender.  However, the greater the debt the greater the slavery is to that debt.  In the case of Europe, and America for that matter, an increasing yoke of debt has crippled several countries.  Riots have broken out again and again, yet the solution is not easily accepted.  That requires sacrifice.

In an era where few want to sacrifice, one can only expect the consequences to escalate.  However, as individual Christians, we can set the example by living thriftily and helping those in true need (hand up versus a hand out).  Furthermore, we can also use our right to vote to elect fiscally responsible politicians. 

This takes backbone, for it means that everyone, including ourselves, will have to take a cut in something to fix the debt crises.  If we don't, then we surely reap the whirlwind that is ever approaching.

In The News: Currency Crises and Gold

The Euro, which was strong at one time has become increasingly weaker.  This is in turn continues to send tremors through Europe and the rest of the world.  As debt mounts in the world with very few nations willing to tighten the belt strap, there is no reason to suspect anything positive out of the Euro and many other fiat currencies in the long term. How should we think about this Biblically? Why have precious metals been on the rise, and why were they important in the Biblical world?

Fiat currencies, which are those currencies not bound to a commodity (especially that of precious metals), tend to inflate quickly over time.  The government can print money at will in order to increase its purchasing and borrowing power, not to mention redistribute wealth.  However, that devalues the currency and can make it worthless. 

Currencies that have survived any amount of time are those bound to a precious metal or other strong commodity standard of some sort, though precious metals are the best long term because of their ability to withstand environmental elements like rust, rot, rats, mold, etc.  For this reason, even those that have remained while going fiat, only go fiat for a short time and then return back to a precious metal standard. 

For this reason, the patriarchs and the great kings of times past and present stored great volumes of precious metals.  They hold their value long term because they have the intrinsic ability to outlive just about everything on earth.  The primary concern is basically thieves, which is a concern with all commodities like food storage for that matter. However, food can spoil but precious metals hang around.

Precious metals may not increase wealth over time, but they do maintain it, which is something of great value when wealth is passed down from one generation to the next.  It doesn't have to keep up with inflation because it rides parallel with it for the most part.  That's not to say that its value doesn't fluctuate, but it does remain over decades, centuries and millennia. 

Therefore, because having an asset like gold and silver is not condemned Biblically and is even considered the norm for maintaining wealth (not necessarily massive amounts but just any wealth), we should not condemn others as foolish for having it nor should we consider ourselves fools for possessing it. That doesn't mean we sell the farm and put everything in it because it does fluctuate. Rather, a diversified mentality is best.  Even Solomon, who had an enormous amount of wealth in precious metals, also had vineyards, swords, shields, land, and, most of all, Divine Wisdom from the LORD. 

Ultimately, any security in the world is illusory, which is why our hope must be in Christ not in the treasures of this life.  We are to be good stewards of any material treasure, yet such is not our everlasting hope. That only comes in Christ.

The Government Can't Save You!

If you are looking to anything or anyone except Christ for salvation, then you are deceiving yourself. Even confessing Christians continue to seek salvation in something or someone else besides Christ. Among the many idols that can draw us away from Christ, entitlement programs are surely at the top of the list, with the government being the origin of such benevolence.

The government is ordained by God do punish evildoers and maintain order in a society, but it cannot save the soul, and it definitely cannot create a utopia of some sort. Government cannot save because it is made up of sinful people that are at best instruments in the hands of the Almighty God.

Christ alone can bring salvation, ultimate justice, peace, joy, love, and prosperity. Such an absolute system will not occur in its fullness until Christ returns and imposes His right hand upon the world with wrath upon the wicked and gracious merciful love upon His sheep.

Therefore, cling to Christ, and do not put your ultimate hope in a politician or a political system.

To Him be the glory!

Scandal at Penn State University: A Christian Response

Allegations of sodomy and other immoral behavior have wreaked havoc upon Penn State University and its leadership.  Head Football Coach Paterno was forced to resign, which took a career of fame and turned it into brutal shame.  What can we learn from this?  When scandals occur within the Church, how are Christians supposed to handle such things?

Church discipline must me be swift and immediate, for, when a black eye smears the Church, a quick response reduces the damage and elevates the justice of a Holy God.  Likewise, if the act is criminal, it must be reported to the police as soon as possible, for the subject has not only violated the Church but also the state in its attempt to maintain order by prosecuting the wicked.

When the Church fails in one or both of the above responsibilities, a great blight continues and the faithful are shamed.  The glory of God is tarnished among men, and the Holy Spirit is grieved.  Nevertheless, God always has His vengeance, and He never fails to vindicate His Holy Name.

Finally, we are to urge repentance that the fallen saint might be restored to fellowship. That may require the loss of a position and even jail time, but God forgives the man who repents and turns to Christ.

Ultimately, all of us are rightly condemned to Eternal Hell, yet Christ laid down His life for His sheep making atonement for their sins.  Let us never forget the grace He has given to miserable men like us who are chief of sinners, and let us never boast in anyone except Christ.

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day has become a time to remember those have served this great country in an effort to preserve liberty. Tragically, that liberty is being trampled upon with greater fervor each day.  The unborn are slaughtered, Christ is maligned, debauchery is on the rise, the family is always under attack, debt is out of control, and a litany of other issues pervade our society.

Therefore, let us honor our veterans by advocating Biblical principles that make America a beacon of hope to many persecuted people groups around the world.  Otherwise, we will end up in the ash heap of history like other fallen kingdoms, republics, and empires.

Character Assassination and the State of American Politics

For thousands of years, politics has been rife with scandal and character assassinations, and this year's presidential election is no different.  Allegations are effective in politics because they sow seeds of doubt, and that is the very point of mudslinging.  It doesn't have to be true, it just needs to knock the other guy off of his horse.

However, as Christians, we must look at a person's track record of character and not simply go with the whim of the media every time there is a piece of hearsay.  Would we want to be smeared on hearsay? Certainly not.  Therefore, we ought not engage in such practices.  We must rise above that and argue on substance and not stoop to unfounded mudslinging. 

Truly, loving your enemy is a hard thing to do, but it is what God requires of us.  Resilience in the face of adversity and boldness in declaring the truth do not require us to become the dreggs of society to fight evil.  After all, Joseph rose to viceroy of Egypt when he was smeared, so let us take heart and rest in the Sovereign God who rules all things.