The Filter

1 Peter 4:12-19

Have you noticed that all the movies and television shows portray Christians as mean and hateful idiots and racists? It seems to be ramping up in our modern society. Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and even Satanists are treated so respectfully by society in our country. But Christians are treated as some sort of dangerous fanatics. And a lot of us act surprised by this.

Jesus said that this would happen (John 15:18-25). Both Peter and John told us too (1 John 3:13-18 and 1 Peter 4:12-19). It should not be a surprise at all.

The bible is filled with a history of followers of Christ Jesus being hated and persecuted. The Prophets of God were almost never welcome when they were sent to give God's message. In 1 Kings 18, Jezebel was rounding up prophets and killing them. All throughout history, Christians have been killed or made to suffer. In many countries, it is illegal to be a Christian.

In Isaiah 53, the suffering of Christ was foretold. When followers of Christ Jesus share in His suffering, we should be encouraged (Matthew 5:10 and Revelation 2:10).

Suffering is the great filter that God uses to purify our faith and bring us into a deeper understanding of who He is.

God is AWESOME!

Total Depravity

Psalm 14:1-3

One of the tenants of Calvinism is the total depravity of man. Left on our own, people will not seek God (Psalm 14:1-3 and Romans 3:10-11). And, just to get it out there, yes, I am a Calvinist. I believe the bible teaches what John Calvin, Martin Luther and other great theologians taught, which is God initiates contact, not us. Jesus Himself said it (John 6:44 and Matthew 11:25-27).

Some people are tripped up by the term "total depravity". When we think of depravity, we think of pornography, human trafficking, serial killers, etc. All sorts of horrible images come to mind. But that is thinking using our own understanding. God is a holy God (Revelation 4:8-11). His standard is holiness, period. The only thing in us that could possibly live up to His standard is complete obedience, even in our innermost thoughts. None of us is capable of that, so we all fall short (Romans 3:23).

Let's examine God's holiness and how seriously He takes it.

In the book of Leviticus God tells Moses all the standards, procedures and specifications for Aaron and his sons to follow in all the duties of the priesthood. They were not to deviate in any way from any of this. In Leviticus 10:1-3, Aaron's sons deviated from the standard, and they paid the price. God told Moses that He was to be regarded as holy to anyone who comes near Him.

In Exodus 25:12-15, God gave very specific instructions for transporting the ark, and in Numbers 4:15, God designated the sons of Kohath as the ones to carry the ark. And that the ark, among other holy objects, was not to be touched "lest they die".

In 2 Samuel 6:1-7, Israel went to bring the ark back to Jerusalem. They put the ark on a cart pulled by oxen. The oxen stumbled, the ark was jostled and Uzzah reached up, almost reflexively to steady the ark. He touched it and the bible says God struck him. Uzzah died. It doesn't seem fair.  Even David became angry about it (2 Samuel 6:8). But God stated very clearly that the ark was not to be touched and what would happen to anyone who touched it. God will not compromise His holiness.

Let's take a look at ourselves in comparison. We are sinful. Our righteousness compared to His is woefully lacking (Isaiah 64:6-7). Anyone who encounters a holy God shrinks back in shame and fear (Isaiah 6:3-5 and Luke 5:8). We know that, in the presence of His holiness and absolute righteousness, we, in juxtaposition, are totally depraved.

Thanks and praise to our great God for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We have been made alive in Him (Ephesians 2:1-6).

God is AWESOME!

Old vs New

Genesis 12:1-3

Our preacher at church was telling us how a lot of people believe the Old Testament and the New Testament are not related, and how the Old Testament should be disregarded by Christians since we are in the New Covenant. This is false teaching of the most insidious kind. The Old and New Testaments are inextricably linked.

From the moment Abraham believed God, he was blessed (Genesis 15:1-6). He became the founder of our faith. Because Abraham believed God, we received our salvation in Christ Jesus (Matthew 1).

To bring His promise to Abraham to all of it's fullness, He extended His grace in Christ to the gentiles (Acts 10).

Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. He was faithful to keep His promise to His friend (James 2:23) and has now given everything to His Son, our savior and our great King Jesus the Christ who has the authority to reveal His grace to whom He wishes (Matthew 11:27-30).

God is AWESOME!