WE MUST LOVE HOMOSEXUALS

Homosexuality has become a hot topic in Zambia and it seems to generate interest by the day. And as much as the” Church” and Christians would like to deny it, this is a real issue even among Christians and many people in our communities are embracing homosexuality and are slowly becoming vocal in support of it. However homosexuality is still more than a sin and in our culture it is a taboo, an abomination. Those who commit such sin are outcasts who ought to be rid of by the most shaming way possible, as it is believed there is no room for them in our societies. I am however convinced that such an attitude is not biblical from Christians. We must show love to homosexuals.

Now before you pull your trigger, I am not in any way tolerating or supporting the sin of homosexuality. The fact that it is sin it is very clearly stated in the scriptures. The Sodomites were judged for it (Gen 19), 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 9 to 10 says “men who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God” and Romans 1:24-32 says homosexuality is in fact as a result of God’s judgment on people who deny Him and His revealed truth and he gives them up to their passions that they forsake natural relations and end up in homosexuality. Homosexuality is a sin and those who embrace it and believe in God’s solution for their sins will not be found in God’s kingdom. What these people really need is the gospel, preached to them by people who care for the well-being of their souls, people who will plead with them to look to Jesus and live.

Why is it that this particular sin is drawing so much attention? Why are people not talking about theft or adultery? There are two reasons why homosexuality is drawing so much attention. The first is that it is unnatural, it is not the order of creation and hence the reason why it is a taboo in most cultures. The second reason is the publicity it is coming with. A lot of high profile people, countries and organizations are pushing that it should be accepted as a way of life. The amount of pressure and aggression applied by these people has really thrown homosexuality into the lime light. Such that there are two camps formed, those who support homosexuals and those who hate them.

And most Christians fall in the latter group.  That is not the biblical way however. Whereas Christians should not embrace homosexual practice they should not look down in disdain either. They should love enough to point out the sin and also share the grace of God through Jesus Christ. They plead with them earnestly and plead with them gently and tell the poor wanderers, Jesus is merciful, and Jesus will save. That, dear friend is the right attitude from a person who has experienced the grace of God. You realize you were also dead in your sins but God in grace lifted you up from the miry clay and set you on a rock. You do not then turn and look down those still hopelessly stuck in the clay, you lovingly point them to Jesus. Yes even homosexuals!

AFRICA, THE WORLD CUP AND THE GLORY OF GOD

I would be shocked if there was an individual who does not know that it is time for the biggest tournament in the sporting calendar- the world cup!!! The fact that it is in the spiritual home of football makes it all the more a great spectacle. As a soccer fan I am impressed by the football that is been displayed, entertaining, exciting, and attacking with lots of flare. No wonder the goals keeping coming, all I can say is more of the same.

And just like any other world cup our African teams have failed to match up to the standards, organization, and professionalism and indeed efficiency of the other teams. Such that our dream of seeing an African team break into the semi-final was dashed in the first round of knock outs. The stats do not make for pleasant reading. The five African representatives played 15 games in the group stages and only managed to win 3. They lost 9 and conceded 28 goals while scoring 18. Clearly you cannot progress with such stats.

However, it is not the football that bothers me, because quite frankly I never expect African teams to excel at the world cup. It is the level of disorganization and lack of professionalism coupled with petty politics that breaks my heart. Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon all went on strike either before or during the tournament due to lack of payments or disagreement on the amounts. We are not talking about a small by the way tournament, it is the world cup and people know way in advance if they are going to be part of the tournament, so what is the problem? It is clearly not a lack of money because they are paid after going striking. Ghana had to send an entire plane just take hard cash for the boycotting players. Furthermore we heard of players assaulting officials, swearing at coaches, fighting with each other and now some are being investigated for match fixing.

Now I am not in any way saying all these things are unique to Africans for they are definitely global and are due to our sinful nature. But the disorganization and lack of professionalism is a real problem on our continent and not just in football but many areas of life. It seems to be common practice not to do things well. We are normally not ready for meetings, we are often late, and people want to be cranked to carry out their responsibilities. It is almost as though we are allergic to excellence and therefore we try our best to not do things well.

It is not only in the area of organization where we struggle but also in being professional.  A simple definition of a professional is a person having impressive competence in a particular activity. I understand over generalizations can be dangerous but you will agree with me that a lot of people appear misplaced and frustrated. Hence service delivery and production is way below par.

Sadly this attitude seems to be no different with us Christians. In fact in some cases we appear more disorganized and very unprofessional in the way we do things. All you have to do is compare the music of non-Christians with that of some of our Christian gospel musicians and my point will be very clear. Shouldn't spiritual things be done without a level of excellence?  Shouldn't Christians follow the example of their creator who said of everything he did, that it was good? Christians ought to be different. The labor of our hands should be excellent, it should be worthy of praise because whatever we do is to the glory of God (1Cor 10:31) and whatever our hands find to do we should do it heartily as to the Lord (Col 3:23-24)

GOD IN SOVEREIGNTY SAVES THE ELECT PART 2

One of the sovereign works of God is that of election. That is to say that God in eternity past chose some people for salvation. And this is not based on any goodness of the individual but on the grace and mercy of God. Paul Enns gives an excellent definition of election when he says:

What is election? Election may be defined as “that eternal act of God whereby He, in His sovereign good pleasure, and on account of no foreseen merit in them, chooses a certain number of men to be the recipients of special grace and of eternal salvation.” One of the principal passages concerning election is Ephesians 1:4 in the statement “He chose us.” The verb chose is the Greek eklego, which means “to call out” from among the people. The word means that God selected some individuals from out of the masses. Moreover, the word is always used in the middle voice meaning God chose for Himself. This describes the purpose of the choosing—God chose believers to be in fellowship with Him and to reflect His grace through their living a redeemed life.  

The question concerning election is not whether one understands it but whether the Bible teaches it. If indeed the Bible teaches election (or any other doctrine), then one is obligated to believe it. The doctrine of election includes a number of areas: Israel is elect (Deut. 7:6); angels are elect (1 Tim. 5:21); the Levitical priests were elect (Deut. 18:5); Jeremiah the prophet was elect (Jer. 1:5); and believers are elect (Eph. 1:4).

It is imperative before we move on to answer the question why does God elect, why does he chose some? The Bible gives several answers to this important question. The first is that it for His own good pleasure (Ephesians 1:5), Paul explains that the reason God predestines us was… “according to the good pleasure of his will”. The second reason we see from the Bible as to why God elects is so as to display his glory (Isaiah 43:7) 

The other reason as to why God elects is His foreknowledge Romans 8:29 says:  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

What is the point of all this you ask? God does what He pleases, when he pleases, how he pleases and to whom he pleases. He has the right and power to do what he pleases for his own glory! Hence God chose to elect some to salvation. He planned salvation Therefore when the second member of the God- Jesus Christ came on earth to die for sinners and pay the penalty of sin. He came to carry out the work of salvation.

The work of salvation that God the father had planned. That is that those whom he chose (election) should come to salvation.  This is what Christ is talking about in His priestly prayer in John 17. Several times in the chapter he says God has given him a group of people and has done all the work i.e. given them eternal life (v3), taught them the truth (v 6) etc. The logical flow is obvious God the father chose some for salvation and planned the work of salvation. God the son came to die for those whom the father chose and carried out the work of salvation. John Piper summarizes this point quit well in his book Does God desire all men to be saved when he says:

Christ's atonement is not performed in abstraction, but is performed in accordance with the purpose of the Father and is performed in relation to specific people whom God has purposed to be saved.  Like Paul, each Christian is brought to the amazing realization that the Son of God... loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)  It is by saving particular sinners that God saves the world. By sovereign grace, the Lord makes Himself our God and we come to know Him personally, intimately, particularly.

This then leads us to the third person of the Godhead and His role in the plan of salvation. The Holy Spirit through the word of God convicts and regenerates the elect to salvation. He is the one who draws men and seals them and God gives him as a seal or pledge of our salvation. William Evans makes this same point when he says:

The Holy Spirit is the one who seals the work of salvation and completes the work of salvation in the elect. The Holy Spirit seals, attests, and confirms the work of grace in the soul by producing the fruits of righteousness therein. It is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus who gives us freedom from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). He is called the Holy Spirit, not only because He is absolutely holy Himself, but also because he produces that quality of soul-character in the believer. The Spirit is the executive of the God-head for this very purpose. It is the Spirit's work to war against the lusts of the flesh and enable us to bring forth fruit unto holiness (Gal. 5:17-22).

We have established that God is sovereign and in his sovereign wisdom he elects some people to salvation for his own good pleasure and for his own glory. We have further established that salvation is the work of the triune God. The father planned, the son carries out and accomplishes the plan of salvation and the Holy Spirit seals and implements the plan of salvation. David and Paul Gibson writing in the great work “From He came and sought her” explain that:

The doctrine of definite atonement states that, in the death of Jesus Christ, the triune God intended to achieve the redemption of every person given to the Son by the Father in eternity past, and to apply the accomplishments of his sacrifice to each of them by the Spirit. The death of Christ was intended to win the salvation of God’s people alone.

GOD IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY SAVES THE ELECT

I recently had to write a research paper on the extent of the atonement for my class. So i thought i should edit it and share it here in parts. So this is the first part.

PART ONE

When discussing the extent of the atonement where you begin from is of great essence. It is therefore very important that you deal with the atonement in the entire scope of the scriptures and the entire framework of the doctrines it espouses. No single doctrine should be viewed and treated in isolation. When discussing the atonement we cannot afford not to begin from the author of salvation.

It is for this reason that a discussion of Theology Proper is inevitable before you actually get to the atonement. This is so because understanding the nature and character of God will explain the nature of salvation, that He is able to work out and how he does it. For instance it is important to know that he is a loving, gracious, merciful, holy, righteous God etc.

One attribute I want to focus on is that of the sovereignty of God. Salvation is an act of a sovereign God and that has colossal implications on the entire work of salvation including the atonement and its extent. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign. He is in total control of all that happens in the entire universe and ordains everything that comes to pass. The best passage that explains the sovereignty of God is Daniel 4: 34- 35 where we find the words of Nebuchadnezzar who confesses by saying:

“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven  and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

The doctrine of the sovereignty of God is about the kingship of God. Nebuchadnezzar said, “His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:34).  It is about the reign of God, hence sovereignty of God (1 Timothy 6:15).  Just as a king rules his subjects, so also God is in total control of the whole universe forever.  He planned its details (divine decree) and he carries out those plans (divine providence).

You have not truly acknowledged divine sovereignty until you contrast it with human sovereignty.  Nebuchadnezzar said, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing” (Daniel 4:35).  This is what Job had to learn the hard way (Job 38).  This is what the Israelites needed to know for their comfort while in captivity (Isaiah 40:1-31).  God’s rule includes control over even human affairs.  We are as clay in the hands of a potter.  God’s sovereignty leaves us in the dust.  It is totally incomparable to any other authority!

The sovereignty of God, when properly understood, must include the concept of total or absolute power.  Nebuchadnezzar said, “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth”.  It includes the fact that God had no advisor in his planning, needs no helper in carrying out his plans, and makes no external considerations in the final fulfillment of those plans (Romans 11:33-36).  Hence, all things are to God’s glory alone.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect to accept about the sovereignty of God is that it is totally irresistible.  Nebuchadnezzar said, “No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35).  This is a constant theme in Scripture (Job 23:13-17, Isaiah 14:24-27).  This is true religion as was portrayed by old Eli (1 Samuel 3:18) and learnt by Job (Job 42:2).  When people think they have successfully opposed God’s revealed will, all they have done is fulfill his secret will (Acts 4:28).

A.W. Pink rightly summarizes the sovereignty of God in his classical book the Attributes of God when he says:

He is the Most High, Lord of heaven and earth. Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent; God does as He pleases, only as He pleases always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him. So His own Word expressly declares: "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10); "He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand" (Dan. 4:35). Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things "after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).

God as supreme king does what he pleases, how he pleases, where he pleases and when he pleases. He has planned salvation, worked out the means of salvation and determined the methods of salvation and equally determines the recipients of salvation.  

YOU PHARISEE AND LEGALISTIC!!!

We are living in a time of name calling and classification our society has come up with plenty.  And the problem is these classifications are constantly thrown out at people unnecessarily. There is no room for debate these days, if a person is against homosexuality they call it homophobia if they have a particular position on women they are called sexist or fascists, if they believe in corporal punishment they are considered child abusers, disagreeing with a disabled or under privileged is called discrimination, calling people false teachers is called judging and in the same vein holding a standard is called legalism or pharisaic. It happens theologically, politically, socially and religiously. People cannot argue logically these days without being called a name!

Now I am not any way saying we do not have racists, sexists, child abusers etc. My point is simply that people use these as a way of avoiding truth. So just because a person has a position on music for instance does not make them pharisaic. Simply put a legalistic is one who believes and teaches that works will gain you salvation. So legalism is generally connected with salvation. In other words legalism is heresy that leads to hell! The word Pharisee means separate one and it is important to note that they had righteous and noble roots. They up held the word of God. However they slowly drifted from upholding the law that they became a law in themselves.

In Matthew 23 Jesus brings out the major problems with the Pharisees when he gives seven woes to them. And the issues he raises are quite instructive for us. To begin with they failed to recognize Jesus as the messiah hence hindering kingdom seekers (v13). The second problem was that they were full of pretense (v14). Their message and actions did not line up. Furthermore they were zealous but did a lot of damage in other words instead of making Disciples of Christ they reproduced themselves v 15. Their main concern was people conforming to their standards and teaching. The other problem was that they missed the main (central) things and focused on the secondary-misplaced priorities (23-24). They emphasized tradition over text (25-28). They were more concerned with keeping what they historically believed and how they had done things than with what the bible actually said.

Pharisaic behavior is a really danger for any believer. It is therefore very important to guard against its spirit at all cost. We should not try to be more spiritual than God is! There clear matters of doctrine that we should die for and there are matters of in different and we should Paul’s instructions in Romans 14. But whatever you do always remember, Christianity is not about everyone having the same haircut, wearing the same clothes, listening to the same music, playing and watching the same games or buying the same things. So do not demand others to keep and follow your standards!

Layton Talbert in his article published in Front-line magazine in 1999 gives five helpful suggestions to help us from having a Pharisaic attitude and behavior and I would like to end with them.

1. Maintain a tough Biblical evaluation of yourself and your motives in all things.

2. Maintain a charitable Biblical evaluation of others and their motives.

3. Guard against a self-righteous attitude and a hypocritical observance.

4. Guard against a preoccupation with externals over or at the expense of internals.

5. Maintain the distinction between applications/interpretations and the changeless truth upon which they are based, that is, between Tradition and Text.