The Case for Love: "Love is the Answer"

"Love is the Answer"—or so it's said. Does whatever Question, posed first, have relevance? Or is there truth in the hippie mantra? And is the Christian who says likewise being either naïve or overly simplistic?

Perhaps "whatever Question" is less important than how one defines love.

"Love" is a commonplace word in our world. "Love" is seen as humanity's true nature. "Love" conveys warm feelings toward those who do good to us, and those for whom we have natural affection (such as our children). We use "love" in connection with anything or anyone important to us—or simply pleasing to us—from food to someone we find attractive. "Love" is also a synonym for sex, even the most casual or torrid sex, for our world makes little distinction between sex as a marriage bond and sex as a call of nature.

But there is another love, decidedly uncommon, set apart from all natural instinct: God’s holy love.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NCV)

This love is anything but our true nature. Our nature dictates self-gratification and self-preservation. From the moment of birth until the last struggle against death, our nature is not love but avoidance of injury, pain and discomfort to body and soul. The "love" defined by this world is willing to love only if it furthers the goal of self-preservation and self-gratification. Suicide—the willingness to destroy one's own life—is the result of pain avoidance overcoming even the instinct for self-preservation.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
~ John 3:16 (NKJV)

The nature of holy God is to love regardless of Self-preservation or Self-gratification. God's Son Jesus did not commit suicide but rather laid down (John 15:13) His life. Rather than avoid suffering, Jesus embraced horrific pain and death in order to overcome both the self-destruction inherent to sin and humanity's instinct for sin.

"To be holy is to look like God. His beauty—His ultimate beauty—is the beauty of love and goodness."
~ from my last post, "Why Holiness is Beautiful"

Did the last post seem to argue for love and holiness being synonymous? Did it cross the line of biblical integrity?

Yes, love and holiness are distinct. Even so, I maintain that holiness cannot exist apart from the holy and wholly unnatural love of God. God is holy because He is wholly set apart from what humanity is by nature. To be a Christian is to be set apart to God as holy and to love with His wholly unnatural love. To the question of what holiness is, "Love is the answer" if it is the love of God.

"In the last analysis, it is our conception of death which decides our answers to all the questions that life puts to us."
~ Dag Hammarskjold

Whatever the question, the answer is never "love" as the world defines it.

To every question, and especially to the ultimate questions posed by death, God is the Answer, and "God is love" (1 John 4:8).

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – use @gmail.com *after* buildingHisbody
Copyright 2013, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Fortress of Grace

When the offices and stores and restaurants have finally quieted on Christmas Eve …

Amid the gifts and feast-laden tables …

Will we manage to lay aside all the trappings of Christmas and perhaps encounter Christ?

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
~ John 1:14 (NKJV)

Matthew tells of Joseph and Magi, Luke tells of Mary and angels, and we receive images of another time and place. John shares the most fundamental Nativity truth in a single sentence—God laying aside one form of glory for another so He might become Man—and we receive Grace and Truth.

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
~ John 18:37-38 (NKJV)

Truth—cause of the Christ Child’s birth—is a rare commodity these days.

Statisticians and politicians shape facts. Educators and businessmen barter in information. Sages and philosophers ply abstracts.

God alone supplies Truth solid enough to build one's life upon. Truth is found in His Word. His Word is named Jesus, both the Babe in a manger and the King on a cross.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
~ Psalm 84:11

Grace is simply having favor with God, the Father Who provides and protects His precious children. Grace holds us up and encompasses us and covers us, a sun and shield, blessing and buttress. This fortress of Grace, built upon Truth, is our storehouse of blessing and security in an uncertain world.

“I am not worthy of the least of all the grace and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant.”
~ Genesis 32:10

When other gifts are unwrapped this week, in celebration of God’s ultimate Gift, remember that a fortress of Grace may also be yours, wrapped up in Jesus.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
~ Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

Thank You, Father, for matchless, amazing grace. Thank You for sending us Truth, wrapped up in a Baby, unveiled by our King.

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – use @gmail.com *after* buildingHisbody
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Spiritual Armor: Truth

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."
~ John 17:17 (NKJV)

The first component of spiritual armor is to gird the loins with truth. The proof of truth is found in the ability of words to impart life (see 1 Kings 17:21-24 and Psalms 119:159-160), even as the loins are both the seat of desire and the place from which physical life springs.

To gird the loins is to hold everything together, to cover what is most sensitive, to encompass the desires with reality, to be ready to run or fight. To give truth a place where it may take hold is to invite life.

"You are of your father the devil … He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."
~ John 8:44 (NKJV)

To speak falsehood, to contrive deceit, and to give a hearing to lies is to open the door to the enemy and invite death. There is no such thing as "the kind of lie you don't go to Hell for." To entertain lies is to entertain Hell itself.

"Truth is not a system, not a constitution, nor even a creed; the Truth is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself … Our tendency is to make truth a logical statement, to make it a principle in stead of a Person."
~ Oswald Chambers

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

No Darkness But Ignorance

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."
~ John 12:46 (NKJV)

How many forms does darkness take?

Michigan February—when even one extra day stretches the shortest of months into interminable gray and cold—is the least of darkness. True darkness is despair, sin, isolation from God.

I say there is no darkness but ignorance.
~ William Shakespeare

Knowledge is power. However frigid and colorless the landscape, it may be borne in the knowledge that the sun is merely veiled, and an explosion of spring color lies beneath the barren snow.

To know God is to understand His power—and have hope amid the bleakest circumstances. In knowledge of God we recognize sin, so we may repent and ask forgiveness. To discover God's love is to discover the door to fellowship which pierces the deepest loneliness.

Beyond a doubt truth bears the same relation to falsehood as light to darkness.
~ Leonardo da Vinci

Whatever other form darkness might take in your life at any moment, seek to know God and bask in the light of His truth.

Lord, Your love and light and life shatter a million forms of darkness. You are all goodness. Please draw us to seek You, and reveal Yourself to us.

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Step One in Any Struggle

As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
~ John 8:30-32 (NKJV)

To believe in Jesus, stay in His Word, and follow Him as His disciple is to know the truth.

Truth is freedom—from sin, from death in its every form, and from every other lie that would hold us captive to fear, pride, and lust.

Whatever today's struggle, seeing it in full truth, through the eyes of God, is the first step to overcoming it.

Father in Heaven, we are not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth You have shown Your servants. Please, this day, set us free from whatever lie holds us captive by showing us afresh the truth to defeat it, and enable us to glorify You in the process.

Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Paradox: The Mark of Truth

The defining mark of postmodernism is also its greatest weakness. The assertion of "no absolutes" is not only an absolute which affirms their existence, but also a feeble attempt to rationalize the paradoxical nature of truth.

Truth is accurate and absolute only when its paradoxes are reconciled. To ignore the contrasts of truth which appear contradictory is to have incomplete and therefore inaccurate truth.

Even the absolutes of math contain paradox:
42 = 16, but √16 ≠ 4.
The correct answer is √16 = ±4.
+4 and -4 are opposite—yet the answer to √16 is inaccurate and incomplete without including both.

Jesus:
"... for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world." (John 12:47)
"As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous ..." (John 5:30)

Jesus is the ultimate paradox. He is ...
Judgment and Mercy
Joy and Sorrow
Freedom and Ownership
Law and Liberty
Fellowship (Communion) and Holiness (Separation)
Life and Death
Mighty Lion and Gentle Lamb
First and Last
God and Man

The list would go on and on. But for any given contrast, Jesus is not two natures balanced against each other on opposite sides of a fulcrum, as √16 = +4 OR -4. Jesus is wholly and simultaneously both sides of His paradoxes, centered in love.

Both truth and Jesus are best seen when brought full circle.

More next time on the full circle paradoxes of Christmas and Crucifixion, current days and culmination day.

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."
~ John 12:46-48 (NKJV)

Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Light, Part III: Truth & Blindness

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."
~ John 12:46 (NKJV)

My mother has been blind since birth, with the ability to only see light, distinguish colors, and visually detect movement. She has sometimes expressed the desire to see an object or activity, particularly when a sighted person describes something to her. But my mother hasn't considered blindness a particular burden in life—it is all she's ever known. She's always said that she feels worse for people who once had sight and then lost it.

Several years ago, my mother collided with a sharp object she didn't detect and lost her remaining vision. She now lives in an unfamiliar and colorless world of perpetual darkness. She laments often that losing the sight she once had is far more difficult than it was to never see at all.

She remains grateful that she is only physically blind. She loves the Bible's truth, and has good spiritual vision.

"There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land...
Therefore you shall stumble in the day ...
My people perish for lack of knowledge."
~ Hosea 4:1,5-6

To live without truth and mercy is the result of not knowing God—of being spiritually blind. Spiritual blindness doesn't start out as complete, for the Bible says there's no such thing as a atheist (Romans 1:18-20). Truth and God's existence are known through (among other things) conscience, creation, and the place in every human soul that only God can satisfy.

When we don't know God, we grope about as spiritually blind. We feel around in the darkness for something to fill the God-shaped void in our lives. We expect to be soothed and satisfied by things like:

Food, Caffeine, Tobacco
Alcohol, Drugs (whether illegal or prescription)
Career, Achievement, Status
Sports, Hobbies, Recreation
Entertainment, Amusement, Media
Sex, Relationships
Money, Power
Justice, Revenge

Some of these things are plain evil. Many are only bad if used in excess or the wrong context. Every one of them is bad on the occasions when they displace God.

Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
~ Ephesians 5:6-14 (NKJV)

I don't know a single person (including yours truly) who never falls back on one of God's provisions in a moment when they instead need only Him. Any one of us can have those moments, come to ourselves, and turn back to God—in prayer, in reading His Word, in seeking out His Light in others. (Woe to us if we do not!)

But the person who is spiritually blind, to whom Light is unfamiliar, knows nothing else. They continue to grope in the Darkness. They may even become so accustomed to Darkness, and embrace it so fully, that they deny the existence of Light—and lose the little Light they have.

"For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."
~ Matthew 25:29 (NKJV)

We are children of Light. When we encounter a child of Darkness, we may be inclined to condemn their spiritual blindness and abandon them. (Woe to us if we do so!)

We also have the opportunity to shine upon them with truth and draw them into the Light. They may choose to come with us, and be healed of their blindness. Or they may cling to Darkness, their blindness growing.

Their decision cannot be excuse for Light in us to dim. To be a Christian is to be a little Christ, anointed with His Light, and bring it to every person around us.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
~ Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV)

Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: Why Do Christians Lie?

Why Do Christians Lie?
~ Anonymous

Rather than the lies for specific situations, this question implies general and ongoing deceit, most likely one of the following complaints:

1. Why do Christians contradict one another?
2. Why do Christians pretend to have all the answers?
3. Why are Christians hypocrites?
4. Why do Christians assert what obviously can't be true?

These questions are more easily answered if restated with less bias.

1. Why do Christians hold different perspectives?

We're each speaking the truth we understand, like the blindfolded group describing an elephant as a snake, a tree, a wall, etc. How important for us to work for unity and share information to obtain a whole picture!

2. Why do Christians sometimes share the wrong answers?

We hold all the truth we need in the Bible and in the Holy Spirit. But we're still learning to understand and apply it, and will continue to do so throughout our lifetime because it is so immense. We tend to fill in the gaps in our understanding with what we think is the truth but later learn to be off the mark. It is important to first ascertain the accuracy of foundational truths, remain teachable about all we have yet to learn, and remember that everyone else is also still learning.

That especially applies to teachers, (as well as people bold enough to attempt Q&A on Christianity and the Bible). James 3:1-2 (NKJV) says this: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things."

3. Why don't Christians live up to what they preach?

Christians can become so excited about how salvation has changed us that we make it sound as if we've been made complete. We can start sharing a message implying perfect people rather than invoking the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ. Although our redemption from sin's death penalty is complete, learning to live like Jesus is a lifelong process. If we uphold Jesus Who lives inside of us as the Author of eternal Life, we'll be safely speaking truth. If we uphold our incomplete selves as "Life," the world may only see a crumbling bit of dying flesh and call it "Lie."

4. Why do Christians believe the impossible?

Perhaps the harshest physical reality of this world is that the dead don't come back to life. The definition of a Christian is a Christ-follower anointed with His Holy Spirit, who used to be spiritually dead but has been spiritually resurrected. Once death has been overcome, nothing else God asks of the Christian is "impossible."

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What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below. Anonymous questions are welcome.

© 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: inside.isb.ac.th

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This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments click here.

Magnified

Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
~ David, (Psalms 34:3 NKJV)

By age 16 I'd smelled enough untruth in church to leave it. My quest for Truth and life purpose took a meandering route through a variety of places both ungodly and goodly. I sensed Truth was connected to God, and He was connected to church, so my path finally led back there.

Though Truth eluded me in the Roman Catholic church I attended, the Lord kept wooing me until I found myself in a church which magnified the Bible and the Bible's God. The beauty of the Lord and His Truth loomed large, and we've been in love ever since.

Among the many reasons I attend church is that when we come together as God's people, the Lord and His Truth are magnified. If lies make us prisoners and Truth makes us free, then exalted, magnified Truth makes known the breadth of our freedom.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
~ Jesus, (John 8:32 NKJV)




MUCH OF YOU JESUS
Steven Curtis Chapman

How could I stand here
And watch the sun rise
Follow the mountains
Where they touch the sky
Ponder the vastness
And the depths of the sea
And think for a moment
The point of it all was to make much of me
Cause I'm just a whisper
And You are the thunder

I want to make much of You, Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You

And how can I kneel here
And think of the cross
The thorns and the whip and the nails and the spear
The infinite cost
To purchase my pardon
And bear all my shame
To think I have anything worth boasting in
Except for Your name
Cause I am a sinner
And You are the Savior

I want to make much of You, Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You

This is Your love, oh God
Not to make much of me
But to send Your own Son
So that we could make much of You
For all eternity

I want to make much of You Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You

I want to make much of You
Much of You Jesus

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Lyrics of "Much of You" by Steven Curtis Chapman, © 2004 Sparrow Records
#Truth

Question of the Week: Seven Day Creation?

“Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.”
~ A.W. Tozer

Does a person have to believe that the world was created in seven days in order to go to heaven?
~ Russell, Port Orange, FL

Nope. But it sure is the shortest and safest route.

If a person believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ contained in the pages of the Bible, it will bolster faith considerably to also believe the entire Bible as God’s Word. The moment a person begins to pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe, no point of faith—including salvation—can be certain.

Evolution masquerades as science. It is an absurd and rapidly crumbling theory of atheism, in conflict with both science and the Bible. A culture brainwashed to accept evolution as fact will have difficulty believing the opening pages of the Bible which describe the actual creation.

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31 (NKJV)

If the Bible can be discounted on page one, why believe anything else it says? It isn’t difficult to believe that the earth was created in seven days, because science thoroughly supports that fact.* The Bible goes on to assert quite outlandish ideas which completely defy science:
• the woman Mary conceived a child by divine word without a man;
• Jesus was raised to life after being dead for three days and nights;
• Christians will one day be instantaneously transported into the sky without any vehicle.

Today’s question could also be viewed this way:

How much of the Bible must a person believe and understand to secure eternal life? How does a person determine which details of Scripture are critical to faith, and which ones supplement faith?

Neither theologians nor committed Christians will all agree on all those answers this side of Heaven’s gates. The points of Scripture I personally consider critical are contained in my Statement of Faith.

If I could choose a single biblical point to show Scripture's irreconcilable conflict with evolution, it is the emphatic assertion (recorded in both Old and New Testaments) that death did not exist anywhere in creation until after humans sinned. Evolution demands that life evolved from billions of years of death before man and sin existed.

* For those interested in creation facts from the Bible and science, showing their agreement with one another and their conflict with evolution, you may find a handful of them here.

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image source: condor.depaul.edu

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This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see comments, click here.

Lie of Hell #5: Loving People is Enough

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

: : : : :

"God wants us to love Him more,
not to love others less."
~ C.S.Lewis

Lie of Hell #5: Loving People is Enough

We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
~ 1 John 4:19-21 (NKJV)

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31 (NKJV)

The devil wants you to believe that if you love others then you're loving God and don't need to love Him first. This message of humanism elevates people above God.

Some people argue that the above passage from John says we must love others first before we love God. (Three posts in April elaborated on learning love and agape love in more depth, and can be found here.)

While our love for God is made more complete in our love for others, and we first learn love by being loved and loving others, we cannot truly love others—love unconditionally with agape love—until we first experience the love of God and love Him.

It may seem that God is too big or distant to be loved and people are easier to love. It may seem that divinity does not need our love as much as humanity does. It may seem much more scary to love Almighty God than to love a simple person.

But if we are honest, people are difficult to love. Humans can be very unpleasant. They either reject or are indifferent or fail to adequately return our love. When we place love of God first, He lives in us more fully and empowers us to love unpleasant humans, even the ones who hurt us. And in passing on His love, we really do love God as described by John.

Such love is Real Love.

Lord God, You are love. Thank You for the forgiveness which enables us to know Your love. Please help us to forgive others and love them as You have loved us.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Lie of Hell #4: God Doesn’t Like You

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

: : : : :

"Sometimes I think, when it gets too quiet up there,
You say to Yourself, "What kind of mischief
can I play on My friend Tevye?"
~ Tevye to God, from the movie Fiddler on the Roof

Lie of Hell #4: God’s Doesn’t Like You

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives."
~ Hebrews 12:5-6 (NKJV)
[Full context: Hebrews 12:5-11]

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
~ Romans 8:32 (NKJV)

Christian, the devil wants you to believe that your problems are because even though your sins are forgiven for eternity, you're still condemned for them while you're on earth; that God is angry, unfair, mean, and picks favorites for His blessings and curses; that He plain doesn't like you.

My five kids have thought the same of me. My youngest's latest response to most every situation that doesn't go his way is, "You're being mean!" Any of my darlings can unfavorably compare their circumstances with one of the other's.

Our sense of entitlement will continually trip us up.

Yesterday's post established that yes, Christians will have problems, which God uses to show His might and grace, and to bring praise to Himself. But it's not about Him alone. The Lord is continually at work to bring us into closer relationship with Himself so that He can bless us more abundantly. He is a good Father willing to use whatever means necessary.

It's said the Lord accepts you as you are and loves you too much to leave you that way. Fair enough. So how easily do we change? We tend to follow the path of least resistance unless we face unpleasant consequences which compel us to do otherwise.

There is a coming day of judgment for those who are condemned because they have not reconciled themselves to God through Jesus Christ. In the meantime, our God adopts those with faith in His Son as His children. Then He disciplines with difficulty and uses it for our benefit.

And it really does hurt Him more than it hurts us.

Father, I don't understand everything You allow in my life which causes pain. I know I'm responsible for some or most of it myself. I really am sorry for the grief my sin causes You. Please help me to always trust Your love for me and cooperate with You. Please do the same for everyone reading this post. Please open our eyes to how loving You really are, and how much You long to bless us, even when tough love hurts.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Lie of Hell #3: Faith Eliminates Problems

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

: : : : :

"When it is dark enough, men see the stars."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lie of Hell #3: Faith Eliminates Problems

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
~ John 16:33 (NKJV)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed ... that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NKJV)

The devil wants you to believe that once you make Jesus Lord of your life, your problems are over.

The devil even manages to put that message in the mouth of many misled Christians. Then when difficulties or sickness or hardship occur, a Christian will be told that they just need to pray harder or have more faith or claim one of God’s promises.

The truth preached by Jesus is that Christians will have tribulation.

If being a Christian meant the end of our problems, what kind of opportunity does God have to manifest His power? If He makes life easy for us, how valuable is our love and praise?

Praise comes easily when all is well on the outside. But we praise because all is well in our souls, even if body, mind and heart are in agony. Our praise is more valuable when it defies hardship. Like the moon, we reflect Sonshine with the most radiance in darkness. God is glorified in our lives when we face adversity of the worst sort and He proves His grace greater yet.

For now, Christians experience the kingdom of Heaven spiritually. Jesus reigns in our hearts, not on a throne made by human hands. The time to experience the full and physical presence of Christ's Kingdom is coming.

Lord, Your grace is sufficient for our weakness, for our greatest hurt, for our darkest despair. Make us willing to pay the cost of making You manifest on the earth with all we are, have, do.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Lie of Hell #2: No More Worry About Sin

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

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"Sin and the child of God are incompatible.
They may occasionally meet;
they cannot live together in harmony."
~ John R.W. Scott

Lie of Hell #2: No More Worry About Sin

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment ... Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
~ Hebrews 10:26-29 (NKJV)

The devil desperately wants all humanity (saved and unsaved alike) to believe that grasping the faith of salvation means sin is no longer an issue to worry about.

Salvation is received by faith—but not all faith is saving faith. If faith is held in the mind as intellectual assent or in the mouth as verbal assent or in the hands as outward display of works, it is "first faith" rather than saving faith. Such "faith" produces the illusion of eternal security, evidenced by continued practice of sin. (See Luke 8:13; Matthew 24:12; Galatians 5:19-21; Hebrews 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-22.)

Jesus speaks to His church with strong language, warning that failure to repent of sin will result in being vomited out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:16) He said He does not know and therefore rejects those who call Him "Lord" without obeying Him. (Matthew 7:21-23)

Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure ... for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
~ 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NKJV)

Faith held outside the heart is not secure. It must take root in the heart to cover with Christ's blood the sin lying there which condemns us.

Once heart-faith takes root, it will begin to produce spiritual fruit and works of righteousness. We are neither saved nor made "more" righteous by works. We are saved by the faith which is evidenced with the Holy Spirit's works and fruit. (James 2:14-26; Galatians 5:22-23; John 14:12; Matthew 7:17-20; Luke 6:45)

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
~ Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV)

It was necessary for Jesus to die as He did only because sin is thoroughly intolerable to God. If we wear Jesus Christ on only the outside, we remain condemned sinners. If we are in Christ, we will walk in His Spirit—in freedom from condemnation.

If we are in Christ, we will seek to make not converts holding fleeting first faith but disciples holding saving faith.

Father in Heaven, thank You for the gift of Your Beloved Son. May our hearts hold unceasing gratitude for the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please help us cooperate with Your Spirit's work and yield to Your Spirit's fruit.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Lie of Hell #1: You’re Not Worthy of God’s Love

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

: : : : :

"His love for me is utterly realistic,
based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me,
so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me."
~ J.I. Packer

Lie of Hell #1: You’re Not Worthy of God’s Love

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
~ James 2:10 (NKJV)

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
~ Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)

Does the devil tell you your sin is so bad that you'll never be worthy of God's grace or love?

The truth is that we are not deserving of God's grace or love. We deserve something as a entitlement—perhaps because we earned it—when we are wronged by not receiving it.

The Lord's love and grace are not our right, but His gift to us. And like any true gift, they are freely given regardless of our lack of merit.

We are all undeserving sinners. The penalty for being a sinner is eternal death—end of discussion. The payment for all sin of all the world for all time has been paid by Jesus' blood. His sacrifice is greater than whatever could be called the greatest sin. The only unforgivable sin is to blaspheme, or deny, the testimony of Holy Spirit which speaks to us of salvation's power.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
~ Romans 8:31 (NKJV)

To be worthy is completely different than being deserving. God has made us in His image, desires fellowship with us, and delights in our love. He offers forgiveness from the sin which separates us from Him because He declares us worthy of forgiveness. No matter how horrific our sin is in our own eyes, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover it.

Father in Heaven, thank You for declaring us worthy of the cost of Your precious Son's blood. Please help us not to argue with You and say we are less. Please open our eyes to the truth of Your declaration that we are worthy of Your love, that we may resist the lies of satan.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

My Lord and My God

Yesterday a comment was posted to Thursday's Father, Son, Spirit, inviting the viewing of a two-hour video to "aid the quest for truth" on the identity of Jesus. I verified that the video is by Unitarians and sought to prove Jesus human alone and not God. The comment was deleted. I offer not apology but the following apologetic.

My Lord and My God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
~ John 1:1,14 (NKJV)

In 1985, after 23 years of hearing and reading the Bible—of believing Jesus to be the divine Son of God—I met Jesus the Word of God. The experience of hearing the Word speak with authority was love at first sight. In the 25 years since that day, the Bible has been my first and last authority for faith. It has yet to let me down. It has sustained me through every dark hour. It has lifted me up to pinnacles of love for God and neighbor of which I am otherwise incapable.

And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
~ John 20:28-29 (NKJV)

Having the Bible turn my world upside down made me willing to question everything I'd been taught and measure it against Scripture. When it was proposed to me in 1990 that Jesus being the Son of God did not make Him divine, I readily examined it with an open mind, in search of truth. The texts throughout both Old and New Testament which declare Him God are numerous. The voice of the Holy Spirit has confirmed them repeatedly. The testimony of countless Christians matches what I know by personal experience beyond a shadow of a doubt: Jesus could not do for those He touches the miracles He performs if He were less than God.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
~ Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV)

No entity but Almighty God may be worshiped. To Him alone do we bow the knee in prayer, in faith, in worship. To Him alone do we lift up voice and hands to praise, to exalt, to magnify as Lord. Angels refuse such worship and praise. True disciples of Jesus refuse such worship and praise. Yet Jesus accepted such worship and praise not only because He is worthy of it, but because it brings glory to the Father. Those who wish to exalt God do so by exalting Jesus.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist... He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him.
~ 2 John 1:7-10 (NKJV)

For as long as I host this blog, it will not welcome or give space to those who masquerade as "Pastor" and declare on behalf of satan that Jesus is anything less than God made flesh in order to deny Him homage.

If I use two of the precious hours Jesus my Creator lends me in quest of truth, I will praise Him for the beauty of His creation. I will search out Jesus the divine Word of God in the Bible. I will bow the knee in prayer to Him Who is Savior of my soul, Lord of my life, King of my future.

Father Almighty, for as long as I draw breath, I will exalt Your Son Jesus Christ as my Lord and my God.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#knowingGod
Art image by Riek Jonker

Question of the Week: What are Emerging Churches?

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything."

~ Alexander Hamilton."

What is the emergent church movement? And how does it differ, or not, from biblical principles?
from T. Anne

A distinction should be made between the particular group called the Emergent Church (associated with Brian McLaren), and churches simply labeled “emerging.” The one characteristic common to both groups is thorough dissatisfaction with traditional church practices.

Last week’s Q&A addressed how the Christian church evolved into so many denominations. Generally, each time a new denomination evolves, it breaks away from an existing church due to conflicts over specific doctrines, practices, or authority. The new church is largely similar to the church from which it divides itself.

Emerging churches criticize the Christian church as a whole strongly enough to take a more drastic stance, reshaping themselves from scratch, purposefully attempting to be as dissimilar as possible from traditional churches.

Too many established churches certainly have put unreasonable emphasis on tradition, human theology, politics (of both church and government), control, and their individual purpose from God. They’ve made church increasingly about religion at the expense of love for God and neighbor. As a whole, western churches are long overdue for make-over and revival.

But several dangerous tendencies exist in the start-over-from-scratch-philosophy. Hyper-criticism breaks down cooperation and unity in the worldwide Church, between both congregations and individuals. Efforts to be dissimilar from traditional churches may undermine key truths central to faith. In the effort to be non-religious, unbiblical attitudes and beliefs become common. Sensitivity to the needs of individuals creates a religion of social activism. The desire to be non-offensive censors out mention of sin, Christ’s blood, and the judgment of God to come. More emphasis is put on humanist philosophy than on God.

This is not an exhaustive list of problems. It’s not possible to examine and evaluate all the practices and beliefs of emerging churches in this short space. It should be noted that some emerging churches seem to establish a solid base of faith and practice.

Churches which designate themselves as “emerging” deserve a close and cautious study. The best way to know what might be wrong with them is to know what should be right about any church. I offer my own definition of the core beliefs for faith in Jesus Christ, titled “Foundations,” and invite you to click on the link for more information.

A last note about the emergent church movement associated with Brian McLaren. Its key principles are in direct conflict with the Bible, such as: salvation is taught to be a gift of Jesus which does not require informed faith; Jesus is rejected as the exclusive way to God; the second coming of Christ and future judgment are rejected; personal experience is emphasized above biblical truth.

Because my field of expertise is the Bible and I’ve not studied emerging churches at length, comments of clarification (preferably with citations) are welcome.

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image source: apprising.org

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This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments, click here.

Foundations, Part II

This is a revision of a post from a year ago. I pray you will consider carefully your own apologetic. ~ Love, Anne

(My Bible—click to enlarge)

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
~ 1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)

Foundations, Part II

Christians face dangerous attacks to truth, some of which will be addressed on Friday. The best way to recognize a lie is to be certain of the truth. I present here what I consider to be non-negotiable truths foundational to Christian faith.

The Apostle's Creed affirms:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; on the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, one holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

The Five Solas of the Reformation were five non-negotiable principles of believers who obtained access to the Scriptures and came to be known as Protestants when they separated themselves from the Roman Catholic Church (not the same as *catholic, or one universal church). Those principles are:

Sola Scriptura — Authority of Scripture Alone:
The Scriptures are the infallible Word of God, revealing His Person, precepts, and promises to mankind. They are the first and the final authority for matters of faith—and all truth.

Soli Deo Gloria! — For God's Glory Alone:
God is sovereign over every aspect of a believer's life. The Westminster Shorter Catechism declares, "What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." The believer lives under the Lordship of Christ, for God’s glory and mankind's delight.

Solo Christo! — By Christ Alone:
Christ is fully God and fully man, and is the sole Mediator between God and man. Salvation is by Christ's work alone, through His shed blood, finished at Calvary.

Sola Gratia — Salvation by Grace Alone:
Salvation is by grace through faith. Our righteous standing before God is imputed by grace as God's gift to us, who are without self-merit.

Sola Fide — Justification by Faith Alone:
Our justification is by faith alone, apart from human works, though our faith is not without works. Faith is our cooperative role in God's work.

I affirm these beliefs as definitive of Christianity. I also believe:

• Each person is made in the image of God, able to discern between moral right and wrong, and is separated from God by both the sin of Adam as well as by the individual’s own sin.

• Those reconciled to God through Christ's blood are born into eternal life, and as members of Christ's Church comprise His physical Body on earth of which He is Head. Believers celebrate this relationship in the Lord’s Table. Jesus also instructs believers to bear witness of their faith in Him through public baptism. Both ordinances are of great importance, but neither is necessary for salvation.

• God's divine Holy Spirit lives within Christians and empowers God’s work in and through them. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is evidence of His saving presence in a believer's life, and is distinct from the gifts of the Holy Spirit, each of which is given to individuals differently—and therefore not requisite testimony to salvation. The primary component of the Spirit’s fruit is love, which is necessary to the Christian life, and is expressed first toward God and then toward fellow man.

There is infinitely more to faith. This is my collection of the truths which should define and unite Christians.

Would you add or subtract anything?

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, 2010 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Foundations, Part I

Those of you who've long followed this blog may this week recognize two reruns from a year ago. They're being published while I prepare for and attend a writers conference. I hope I've picked worthy ones to repeat.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ... That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it ..."
~ United States Declaration of Independence

When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
~ Proverbs 10:25 (NKJV)

Foundations, Part I

With the above words the United States of America became a sovereign nation, a few years before the Constitution and Bill of Rights established her government.

The hallowed documents preserved as history's relics could not comprise our country's foundation except for the blood which engraved into antiquity the words recorded upon those fragile bits of parchment. Without bloodshed such words might have become lofty philosophy whose time came and went.

The Bill of Rights' first lines declare: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Our founders clearly understood that they could not assert for themselves any rights with which their Creator had not already blessed them, and they established our foremost right as the free exercise of faith.

Our faith is likewise founded on a collection of the Lord's words, recorded on fragile bits of parchment and secured with blood. The power of words secured in blood lies at the core of the inextricable connection between American Judeo-Christian faith and U.S. sovereignty—and the alarming decline in the health of both.

President George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” Revolutionary patriot Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” John Adams said, “If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations.”

Another American revolution is already well underway. Like the covert terrorists of 9/11, its proponents are utterly convinced of a greater good masterminded behind the scenes. Once all elements are in place we may be caught off-guard by their attack, regardless of well-known rumors of its imminence.

While the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are no equals to the Bible, some parallels are unmistakable. Security of both faith and U.S. sovereignty lies in reliance upon words sealed in blood which establishes their foundations, no matter how far others go to render revered writings as irrelevant for a new millennium.

By too lightly esteeming such words, we demolish the foundations upon which we stand or fall.

For look! The wicked bend their bow ...
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do? ...
The LORD's throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
~ Psalms 11:2-4 (NKJV)

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009,2010 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#powerofwords
Image source: preparednesspro.wordpress.com

Hell on Earth

"The tradgedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives."
~ Albert Einstein

Hell on Earth

Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue...
My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
~ Psalms 120:2,6 (NKJV)

The LORD hates ... a lying tongue ...
~ Proverbs 6:16-17 (NKJV)

And in their mouth was found no deceit ...
~ Revelation 14:5 (NKJV)

Yesterday's conclusion of Psalm 119 extolled Truth. Psalm 120's author prays for freedom from lies. Truth sets us free to live as children of the Kingdom of Heaven. Deceit makes us vulnerable to the power of hell on Earth.

Oft heard are statements such as, "Truth is relative and this works for me ... it's a half-truth / just a white lie ... it's not the kind of lie that sends you to hell."

The habitual convenience of compromised truth is a foundation of sand waiting to collapse.

A "half truth" is still a lie. A white lie cracks open the door to the prince of darkness, who himself masquerades as an angel of light. Truth is the first line of defense against him.

The devil is father of lies and lies are his language. He hates peace and has an agenda to steal, kill and destroy. Lies need not send us to hell, for they maintain the strongholds of hell on Earth.

The tradgedy of lies is their touch of death upon God's child while he lives.

Father of life and Spirit of Truth, cleanse us from all the devil's deceit and death. Give us hunger and thirst for righteousness.

#powerofwords
Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
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