Tilling and Planting

Tag: Heaven

  • Saved – or not?

    Saved – or not?

    Intro

    I’m hitting on a long debated question with no end in sight. That question being “Can a person lose their salvation?” It’s also known as the “Once saved always saved” question. And I’m going to be up front with you. I don’t think anyone can actually know for sure the answer to this question. In the end, I believe only God knows the whole truth. But that’s okay. So long as we trust in Him and seek Him, we can become sure of our own personal salvation. And God doesn’t call us to ensure the salvation of others, He calls us to bring the gospel to others and let Him work the salvation in them. We are not the judges of another’s salvation, God is.

    With all that, the structure for this post will be to put forth the question in greater detail and then present both sides of the debate. I will be as objective as possible and will wait until the end to present my personal opinion. But I will again be up front and say that I could be wrong. I am not so prideful that I believe I have all the right answers – though that has been a struggle of mine, see my post about that very topic. Now that I’ve got all the fun disclaimers out of the way, let’s get started.

    The Question

    First I’m going to elaborate on the question “Can a person lose their salvation?”. It often starts out something like this. A person has an encounter with God and answers a call to salvation. They pray and are now thought to be saved. However, in time they abandon their faith and walk a road diametrically opposed to God and His Word. By the fruit they are producing people who never knew their story would not assume they are a Christian at all. And as far as the Christians who do know them, they wonder if this person will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. This is a tricky situation to navigate – especially when talking to any loved ones of such a person.

    Now the question becomes, was this person truly saved at that moment they prayed? And if so, are they still saved and going to Heaven despite their lifestyle and wanting nothing to do with God? Or did they lose their salvation and are now on their way to Hell for eternity?

    Now that I’ve set the stage, I’m going to present the arguments of both sides with their strengths and their weaknesses. The opposing doctrines are called Eternal Security (once saved always saved) and Conditional Security (can lose salvation). When referring to people who hold to these viewpoints, I’m going to use the terms Eternalists and Conditionalists – just for simplicity’s sake. Okay, here we go.

    Eternal Security

    To expand a bit on the doctrine of Eternal Security, it claims that once a person receives salvation through faith in Jesus, they are eternally secure and destined for Heaven. I’m going to go over the key points and related Scripture passages in an objective manner. Everything I write here that’s not Scripture will be paraphrases and summaries of the arguments I found in my research.

    All Scripture is from the NIV.

    Biblical Foundation

    My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

    John 10:27-29

    To the Eternalist, once a person has been saved, they cannot lose that salvation because no one can overcome the Father to remove them from His hand.

    For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Romans 8:38-39

    Bolstering the argument made for previous verse, Paul emphasizes that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

    And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

    Ephesians 1:13-14

    A couple arguments I found about this passage. Only an authorized person can break a seal. So if God places Holy Spirit as a seal, then God alone is the one who can break it, not us. In addition, a deposit in this passage is like the earnest money when buying a house. It’s a guarantee that I will purchase the house at full price. For the believer the guarantee is for the rewards they will receive.

    Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

    Philippians 1:6

    God is the one who initiates and finishes our salvation. This gives believers confidence that He will do what He said He will do.

    To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy

    Jude 24

    It is up to Jesus, not us, to present us before God. Believers are eternally secure because of His ability to keep us, not in our ability to maintain our own salvation.

    Arguments and Explanations

    In this section, I’ll lay out some arguments and explanations from Eternalists as to what they believe.

    “”

    This position points to the promises found in Scripture and testifies that those who are genuinely in Christ have a secure standing before God. This view rests on passages declaring the irrevocable nature of God’s gift of salvation, the sealing work of the Holy Spirit, and the believer’s eternal position in Christ.

    …

    Salvation stands on God’s sovereign initiative, rooted in grace. By grace, believers are forgiven and granted life in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). This gift is not earned; it is received through faith. Because God is the origin of that work, the outcome ultimately rests in His hands rather than on shifting human merit or performance.

    However, humans must respond in faith. True faith produces transformation over time, yet the anchor of one’s security remains in the finished work of Christ on the cross (Romans 5:1-2). Through ongoing trust that aligns with obedience, believers experience assurance-not because they never stumble, but because Christ’s atoning sacrifice is sufficient to cover sin’s penalty.

    “”

    “Does the Bible support eternal security?” BibleHub.com
    https://biblehub.com/q/does_the_bible_support_eternal_security.htm Accessed March 22, 2026

    “”

    Ephesians 4:30 tells us that believers are “sealed for the day of redemption.” If believers did not have eternal security, the sealing could not truly be unto the day of redemption, but only to the day of sinning, apostasy, or disbelief. John 3:15-16 tells us that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will “have eternal life.” If a person were to be promised eternal life, but then have it taken away, it was never “eternal” to begin with. If eternal security is not true, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be in error.

    “”

    “Eternal security – is it biblical?” GotQuestions.org
    https://www.gotquestions.org/eternal-security.html Accessed March 22, 2026

    “”

    Salvation depends upon God to bring it to pass, not us. Nothing, not even our sin, can frustrate the eternal and sovereign purpose of God who determined to save us by grace through faith in His Son. Since God’s holiness has been satisfied by the death of Christ, He can be just and the justifier of those who receive His Son by faith.

    …

    Sin does not change our relationship to God as His children though it does affect our fellowship, the intimacy of our walk with God, our ability to serve Him, and the rewards we will receive in the future kingdom.

    …

    Regeneration refers to the impartation of spiritual and eternal life which makes us new creatures in Christ. This can never change. First, it is based on the work of the Son, not our works. And second, as physical birth makes one a child of his parents forever, so spiritual birth does the same.

    …

    This argument is simply this. The New Testament plainly states we are saved by grace through faith in the person and work of Christ, and that salvation is not of human works or works of righteousness which we have done. If, however, having put our trust in the person and work of Christ, we can lose our salvation by what we do or do not do, then in the final analysis, we are saved by works.

    “”

    “Assurance of Eternal Security” Bible.org
    https://bible.org/seriespage/14-assurance-eternal-security Accessed March 22, 2026

    Conditional Security

    To expand a bit on the doctrine of Conditional Security, it claims that a person who receives salvation through faith in Jesus, can lose it through unbelief and rebellion against God. I’m going to go over the key points and related Scripture passages in an objective manner. Everything I write here that’s not Scripture will be paraphrases and summaries of the arguments I found in my research.

    All Scripture is from the NIV.

    Biblical Foundation

    There are several passages warning against falling away from the faith.

    See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

    Hebrews 3:12-13

     My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

    James 5:19-20

    Extra argument I found about the James 5 passage, bringing a person back into the fold saves them from death. This is not a physical death, but a death of the spirit/soul implying that a soul made alive by salvation can experience death.

    There are other passages that indicate that salvation remains only by continuing to persevere in faith and obedience (take note of the conditional “if” statements in these passages).

    Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

    Colossians 1:21-23

    But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

    Hebrews 3:6

    We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

    Hebrews 3:14

    Other passages contain exhortations to examine oneself to ensure your own salvation.

    Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

    2 Corinthians 13:5

    Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble

    2 Peter 1:10

    Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

    1 Timothy 4:16

    The Conditionalist points out that such warnings, conditional statements, and exhortations make no sense if it were not possible to fall away and lose salvation.

    Arguments and Explanations

    In this section, I’ll lay out some arguments and explanations from Conditionalists as to what they believe.

    “”

    Perhaps more mis-understood and mis-represented than Calvinism is the theological belief and the Biblical teaching that a Believer is Secure in Christ based on a condition.  What is the condition?  Is it get saved, sin, then lose your salvation everyday?  Certainly not!  This truly would be a miserable condition wouldn’t it?  Some claim that the focus turns from Christ to yourself in examining every last detail of your performance thus making you fall into the trap of some sort of works salvation.  Does this sound like the ‘good news’ to you?  Not me!  I should go ahead and tell you that I too am a Conditional Security Believer and I affirm that I am saved by grace through faith alone.  I have become a recipient of God’s grace through my faith in the work of Christ alone and I remain in God’s grace through this same faith alone.  It is Christ plus nothing.

    …

    Arminians believe that “It is abundantly evident from the Scriptures that the believer is secure.” Furthermore, believers have assurance in knowing there is no external power or circumstance that can separate them from the love of God they enjoy in union with Christ. Nevertheless, Arminians see numerous warnings in Scripture directed to genuine believers about the possibility of falling away in unbelief and thereby becoming severed from their saving union with God through Christ. Arminians hold that if a believer becomes an unbeliever (commits apostasy), they necessarily cease to partake of the promises of salvation and eternal life made to believers who continue in faith and remain united to Christ. Therefore, Arminians recognize the importance of warning believers about the danger of apostasy and exhorting them to persevere in faith as a means of building them up in their faith and encouraging them to mature spiritually, which is a sure and biblical way to avoid apostasy.

    …

    Marshall concludes: “The New Testament contains too many warnings about the danger of sin and apostasy for us to be complacent about these possibilities…. These dangers are real and not ‘hypothetical.’” Methodist scholar Ben Witherington would add: “The New Testament suggests that one is not eternally secure until one is securely in eternity. Short of that, there is the possibility of apostasy or rebellion against God by one who has believed in Christ. Apostasy, however, is not to be confused with the notion of accidentally or unconsciously “falling away.” Apostasy is a conscious, wilful rebellion against God . . . . Unless one commits such an act of apostasy or rebellion, one need not worry about one’s salvation, for God has a firm grip on the believer.”

    “”

    “Conditional Security of the Believer” Drews2CentsForYou
    https://drews2centsforyou.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/conditional-security-of-the-believer/ Accessed March 22, 2026

    “”

    Additionally, believers can “fall away from the faith:”

    But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Tim 4:1)

    One cannot fall away from something without first having it, just as one cannot leave a place to which they have never been. Only Christians can fall away from faith. This departure from faith (that Hebrews 6 and other passages warn us against) must be man’s choice since God has promised not to change His mind. God will never stop believing. Only we can do so.

    …

    Faith is like a bucket placed under a faucet that freely pours out the living water of grace. The bucket does not conjure up the water; it simply receives. Still, if the bucket departs from its position that benefits from the water’s flow, it will no longer receive. Those who depart from the faith forfeit the salvation that is only received by faith.

    …

    The conclusion of this is that if one in good standing rebels, stubbornly persisting in a disobedient lifestyle, they are no longer part of the faith and no longer Christians. They have “fallen away from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). They have departed from Christianity. Please note that this involves much more than occasional falling. Falling away is a much more grievous thing than occasional falling. It is a stubborn, hardened, rebellion against God.

    “”

    “Is Eternal Security Conditional or Unconditional?” Apologetics Index
    https://www.apologeticsindex.org/3046-conditional-security Accessed March 22, 2026

    Criticisms

    Now in this section I bring up a couple popular criticisms of both positions and responses to those criticisms.

    Eternal Security

    1. Some people feel that Eternal Security gives people a license to sin.
      • Response from aforementioned reference to BibleHub article.
      • “Scripture counters that those who truly love Christ demonstrate obedience (John 14:15). Moreover, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8). A believer who deliberately and unrepentantly pursues sin calls into question whether they experienced genuine conversion (1 John 2:19).”
    2. Why else would there be warnings against apostasy if it were not possible to lose salvation?
      • Response from GotQuestions.org https://www.gotquestions.org/apostasy-salvation.html
      • “The passages warning against apostasy serve two primary purposes. First, they exhort everyone to be sure of their salvation. One’s eternal destiny is not a trifling matter…The second purpose for the Bible’s warnings against apostasy is to equip the church to identify apostates. They can be known by their rejection of Christ, acceptance of heresy, and carnal nature (2 Peter 2:1–3).”

    Conditional Security

    1. Risk of works-based salvation
      • In my research, Conditionalists time and again acknowledge that we cannot perform works to achieve salvation and the only reason we can lose salvation is by abandoning faith – they surmise that one needs faith to receive salvation, so by abandoning faith it logically follows that you can lose that salvation.
    2. Undermines assurance
      • I referenced this one earlier.
      • “Arminians believe that “It is abundantly evident from the Scriptures that the believer is secure.” Furthermore, believers have assurance in knowing there is no external power or circumstance that can separate them from the love of God they enjoy in union with Christ.” Drews2Cents

    Additional Information

    There is so much out there I can’t squeeze into this. I’m going to summarize some more stuff I found.

    1. Both believe God orchestrated salvation and that the believer receives it by faith through grace alone.
    2. Conditionalists define those who commit apostasy as those who received in faith and then turned their backs on God and rejected their faith – thus losing their salvation.
    3. Eternalists define those who commit apostasy as those who merely pretended to be believers. They talked the talk, but never received salvation by faith. So when they fall away from the faith, they are merely showing their true colors.
    4. Both acknowledge backsliding as different than apostasy in that it’s occasional sinning and not permanent rejection.
    5. Conditionalists do not believe that occasional backsliding causes one to lose salvation, only rebellion and rejecting their faith (this answers another common criticism of Conditional Security – Which sin will end salvation?).
    6. The people who cry “Lord, Lord, did we not…” are people who never had relationship or faith as indicated by Jesus’ response “I never knew you.” So this cannot be used to support Conditional Security.
    7. Conditionalists say that people receive salvation by faith and through faith they continue to walk with God. So when a person rejects that faith and rejects that relationship with God, how can they still be saved?
    8. Eternalists believe God holds our salvation and perseverance of faith no matter our choices. Conditionalists believe that God holds our salvation no matter our choices, unless our choice is to stop letting God into our lives and reject Him and His salvation.
    9. Both sides claim to have eternal assurance of salvation. For the Conditionalist, willful rejection negates that assurance.
    10. Eternalists focus on God’s ability to hold us. Conditionalists focus on that and our ability to choose/reject God.

    My Opinion

    I promised at the beginning I would give my opinion – with the caveat that I could be wrong. In the end, I lean a bit more towards Conditional Security.

    On the one hand, the idea of Eternal Security sounds really nice. Not having to fear losing salvation or your place in Heaven – no matter what. And the arguments that those who fall away never received salvation through faith to begin with makes sense (see 1 John 1:19 for a passage that supports this position).

    However, the arguments that this can lead to people being morally lax is valid. By the same token, though, the arguments that Conditional Security can lead to a works-based salvation is also valid.

    And Conditional Security answers the question of why so many passages exist regarding the perseverance of faith and warnings against falling away.

    And God shows us time and again that He will not override our free will. He gave us choice and He gave us the ability to choose to have faith. So if we choose to have faith (“without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6) and receive salvation, He comes right into that relationship. But what should happen if we choose to abandon that faith? Will God say, “Sorry you’re stuck with me for eternity”? That doesn’t mesh with my understanding of Scripture.

    My Conclusion

    In conclusion, I lean toward Conditional Security. But regardless of which is true, I know I received my salvation by faith through the grace of God by the work of Jesus on the cross and did nothing to earn it. I am personally secure in Christ and choose to follow Him every day, seeking to draw closer in my relationship with Him. And no external power has the ability to separate me from God.

    I also acknowledge that the church houses people who have a profession of faith and yet no heart change. And many of these people probably believe they are saved when they are not.

    Final Statements

    Both sides agree with the statements I just made in my conclusion. In fact, these two viewpoints agree on more than they disagree. The ultimate question surrounds apostasy and whether that exclusively belongs to people who profess faith without true heart change, or if truly saved people can reject their faith and lose their salvation. And in either case, only God knows their hearts. It’s not my place to say if a person lost their salvation or were never saved to begin with. In either case, God calls me to bring that person back into the fold if possible.

    The other major difference surrounds responsibility. Both sides acknowledge that God holds us securely in His hand when we come to salvation. For the Eternalist, that’s it. Now God holds us for all of eternity and nothing changes that – because if we commit apostasy than that shows we never received salvation in the first place. However, the Conditionalist claims we have a responsibility to continue to have faith and allow God to hold us. By rejecting His hold, we reject the eternal security He offers us. To be sure, if this happens God will pursue us relentlessly – perhaps more than He did before we received salvation. And praise God He pursues us – even those of us still in the faith. He never stops that pursuit.

    Wrapping Up

    Hoo boy. This has been quite the ride. Admittedly I hadn’t known a whole lot beyond the surface-level arguments of either side until I started working on this blog. And I highly encourage you to read the articles I posted. Be forewarned, some are a bit dense. And please remember, do not try and judge another person’s salvation. Only God can do that. Pray for other’s whose salvation you may be uncertain of. If given the opportunity, lovingly correct and point people to Jesus. Even those who commit apostasy can be brought back into the faith – James 5:19-20 makes that clear.

    As I said at the beginning, ultimately only God knows the whole truth about this topic. I don’t think it’s black and white enough to come down hard on one side or the other. And the most godly position any of us can take on anything that isn’t clearly laid out in Scripture is being humble enough to admit we might be wrong on whichever side we agree with. Though if you genuinely don’t know which to believe, that’s okay too. Admit that. Honesty is the best policy. Until next time, God Bless.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Real and Fake

    Real and Fake

    Intro

    Wrapping up the Sermon on the Mount, we enter into a list of real and fake Christians and how to identify them. I think these passages are all pretty familiar to us (as has been most of this sermon), but I hope to not only refresh your memories, but also bring new perspective on each of them.

    Spotting the Fakes

    Real quick before delving into each of the individual sections, I want to tie this to my post about judging rightly. In that post, I explain that Jesus wants us to judge, but to do so with humility, love, and kindness. Not with condemnation or a holier-than-thou attitude. And these sections very quickly destroy the claim that Christians can’t judge people period. After all, how in the world can we spot the fakes if we don’t discern (judge) their actions? And how can we then warn others about them if we haven’t determined (judged) that they are fakes? Food for thought as well as additional arguments for judging rightly. This allows us to not only steer people back onto the narrow path, but also help to spot the real from the fake Christians.

    Real and Fake Prophets

    “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

    Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV)

    This first warning Jesus issues about “real and fake” deals with false prophets. I think a lot of times when we read this, we think about people outside the church either intentionally trying to deceive people to get money or self-proclaimed prophets like Joseph Smith (founder of Mormonism) who added onto the Bible with his Book of Mormon. And while that certainly could fit, the passage also says they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. We as Jesus’ followers are called sheep. Therefore, this passage also refers to people within the church who claim to be Christians and yet are not living for God. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be the leaders. Could be anyone.

    Jesus says we know them by their fruit. In other words, we can identify them by their actions, their lifestyles. Are they producing fruit consistent with the Fruit of Holy Spirit? Do their lifestyles match the lifestyle that Jesus tells us to live? If they aren’t producing fruit watch out! They may be hanging around church to deceive, disrupt, or distract the body. And we must be able to discern that and reject anything they say that does not line up with the Word of God. We should do the loving thing and try and correct them (gently) but if they reject us, then it would be better to interact little with them. If they aren’t seeking God and they find their message is being ignored, they’ll move on.

    If you find that the false prophet is in leadership, approach someone else who’s in leadership there. Because it could be that person has also deceived the others on the leadership team. But you may also find that the entire leadership team falls into this camp of false prophets. At that point just leave.

    Real and Fake Disciples

    “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

    Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

    The next warning Jesus issues about “real and fake” are disciples. Unlike the previous one where there’s much more intent of deception and a focus on people gathering a following, this one is more broad and more introspective. Jesus is warning us about self-deception. His desire is for all His disciples (that’s us) to be genuine and seek His will and do His will for the glory of God the Father. However, many so-called Christians deceive themselves into doing lots “for God” but not for His glory. They’re doing it either for the praise of man, or their doing it because they’ve deceived themselves into believing in a works-based salvation rather than trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.

    This one is scary because so many people will go their whole lives believing that they are going to Heaven because the did such-and-such for the Lord. But they’re going to get there and get a rude awakening. And Jesus lists out some pretty impressive things including prophesying and miracles. Honestly it’s hard for me to imagine anyone being able to perform miracles in Jesus name and not be saved. But Jesus seems to say it’s possible. But how?

    There’s really two possibilities here and both could fit the overall context of the Bible. And some people might fall into one category or the other on the day of judgment. But one thing they have in common, they never came to true faith in Jesus and thus will not spend eternity in Heaven with God.

    The Options

    The first possibility on how unsaved can perform miracles is the deception of Satan. The magicians of Egypt were able to mimic a few of the plagues as well as the staff-to-serpent sign. Now it is possible that these magicians used sleight of hand and similar things. But it’s also possible there was some demonic activity going on. The New Testament also warns about false signs and wonders designed to deceive people. Again, some of these are going to be fake and not miracles at all, but some could be demonic. Then there’s the example of the psychic girl that Paul rebuked. These types of “miracles” are likely the most common for the demonic – after all they can communicate with each other and spread information around to make psychics appear genuine. And as my pastor says, they can also “predict” the future by causing the future they just predicted.

    The second possibility is that God will empower unbelievers for His glory. The best Biblical example of this is Judas Iscariot. He followed Jesus for His entire ministry and performed miraculous signs and wonders like the other eleven. However, his heart did not belong to the Lord. And he ultimately betrayed Jesus and then hung himself in shame. God saw fit to use Judas alongside the other disciples for His glory despite the condition of Judas’s heart. And God might continue to do that today and in the future. Why? I don’t know. But Paul said that there were people preaching the name of Jesus out of envy and rivalry (Philippians 1:15-18) and he rejoiced! Why? Because the gospel was still being preached. So if these miracles are genuine, then praise the Lord and give Him glory.

    What do We do?

    So what do we do if we suspect that someone performing these miracles are not true disciples? Two things: determine if their message lines up with Scripture, and determine if their fruit lines up with Scripture. If either of these is “no”, talk to them in love and gentleness and try to steer them onto the narrow path. If they refuse to listen, then they are probably in the “false prophet” camp and we should avoid them and warn others about them.

    But as I opened this section with, we must beware that we are not deceiving ourselves into falling into this camp of false disciples. And we may have the right message to boot! But don’t live in fear about whether you’re actually saved or not; if you’re questioning it, there’s actually a good chance you are saved. If you need assurance, pray. Pray hard and read your Bible. Talk to someone who’s more mature in the faith. Search your own life for fruit. If you find you are living in sin and have no desire to change, that’s a red flag. If you find that over time since your point of salvation you have been making progress in overcoming sin and are producing more fruit of the Spirit, then those are indicators that you are truly saved.

    Real and Fake Builders

    “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

    Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)

    This is a story I first learned through song format. Which is kind of funny when you think about it. “What would make a good children’s song?” “How about the story of a couple of guys building houses and the one guy’s house comes crashing down.” “Perfect!” I titled this section “Real and Fake Builders” because only a fake builder would build on a foundation of sand. So be sure to check that guy’s credentials before you hire him!

    All joking aside, this store contains powerful truths and warnings. Again, this one is more introspective. Jesus warns His followers against merely hearing His words and then doing nothing with them. He compares such people with a foolish person who builds his house on a sandy foundation. Sand is very unstable and pretty much guarantees that something is going to go wrong. And this isn’t a warning about ignorance. The foolish person is not stupid or ignorant. The foolish person already heard the truth. But the foolish person chose deliberate action to not do what they know to be the correct way of doing something.

    In contrast, the wise person hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice. As a result, he can weather anything that life throws at him because he has Jesus’ teaching and Jesus Himself to fall back on. Jesus and all of His teaching forms a foundation that is rock solid.

    Sidenote

    An interesting tidbit about this parable is that it echoes many Proverbs that contrasts wise and foolish people. So His listeners hearing the initial part of “a wise man” probably expected to hear the contrasting actions of the foolish man. This was a common style of teaching for the Jews and was very familiar to His listeners. This wasn’t the first time Jesus used a familiar style of teaching, nor would it be His last. Though in many of Jesus’ familiar styles of teaching, He often subverted expectations in some way. Does Jesus do that here? I say yes. After all Jesus opens this parable with “everyone who hears these words of mine”. That’s bold. Jesus is putting His words on par with Scripture and on par with the very words of God. That definitely ruffled some feathers amongst the religious leaders. Which actually leads to my final point.

    True Authority

    When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

    Matthew 7:28-29 (NIV)

    In the end, we see that the crowds were amazed. Because Jesus taught with authority, unlike the religious leaders of the day. Honestly, given how much the religious leaders puffed themselves up, it’s almost weird to hear such a statement. They lorded themselves over the common people, so how could Matthew write that the teachers of the law didn’t teach as if they had authority?

    Well, what I found out when I asked this question is that the religious leaders actually would have always appealed to the highest authority. In rabbinic tradition, it often meant referring to the which “line” of rabbis a particular teacher came from. In more genuine cases, the teachers might have appealed to the authority of Scripture and the author – either the human author or God Himself. But when Jesus taught, the authority He appealed to was Himself. No other teacher, no rabbit, etc. For Jesus was and is, the ultimate authority.

    And at the end of the day, we can identify real and fake people by whether they accept the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ (1 John 4:1-3).

    Wrapping Up

    We all need to be able to discern those who are real followers of Christ and those who are fake. The ones that are fake are dangerous since they often sound good, but underneath are not living for Him. These people can deceive many others into believing false doctrines. So we must be alert to not fall into that and to help guide people out of it.

    That’s the end of my series on the Sermon on the Mount. In many ways it feels like it went too fast. I didn’t go into real depth on most of the topics, so if there is one that you you want me to go into greater depth, please leave a comment on this post or on the post where I touched on that topic! I don’t want this blog to only be what comes to my mind, but also what you, my readers, want to understand better. So please leave a comment or reach out to me through the contact form.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Seek and Find

    Seek and Find

    Intro

    In these next couple of sections, Jesus invites us to ask His Father for good gifts. He lets us know that if we seek after His Father and if we walk His path, we will find Him and eternal life. These are the core elements to get out of these verses. But there is a lot more to be pulled from this text. As well as some confusion and misconceptions to clear up. So let’s get started.

    Don’t Stop Asking

    “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

    “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

    Matthew 7:7-12 (NIV)

    Ask and you shall receive is a phrase that I think we have all heard over the years. The problem is when we start asking for the wrong things and then we get upset when God (or our parents) don’t deliver. “But you said to ask and we shall receive,” we whine. Yes, Jesus did say that. And yes, parents have said that. But to understand what “ask and it will be given to you” means, we need to read the rest of the passage. And it goes on to say “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” and then affirms that everyone who does these things will be satisfied.

    Not Just Anything

    And then the next paragraphs starts. Jesus asks His listeners if they would give bad things to their children when they ask for good things. And Jesus asked rhetorically. Obviously none of them would. And that – Jesus says – is the type of Father that God is. He gives good gifts to His children when they ask for them. The key here is “good” gifts. And the definition of good here is God’s definition. In His infinite wisdom and knowledge, knowing past, present, and future, He knows what we need and what will benefit us the most. I covered in an earlier post Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus clearly states that God knows what we need, and He will provide them to us. In that passage, Jesus says to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added.

    Elsewhere, Jesus states that if we ask in His name, He will do it (John 14:14). Now to ask of anything in Jesus’ name is to invoke His authority, but it is also to pray in His will. I mentioned that God knows what we need and will give us the good things we ask for. If what we ask for will lead to destruction or is just plain wrong, He will refuse to give it to us – just like a loving parent will refuse to give their kids ice cream for every single meal.

    God Honors Our Prayers

    What’s awesome about this passage, is that when we understand what God will honor, and if we truly seek His will in all things, we will find Him and we will find what we are looking for – because a prayer that honors God and His will is one that God will honor. And while I’m not going to go into depth here, God wired us to have certain desires and if those desires are honoring to God, He will grant them as well – perhaps not as quickly as we want, but they will come. Case in point, I got married several years later than what I had desired and prayed for. But God needed to prepare both me and my wife. It wasn’t that it was a bad thing to get married, but my timing of that marriage wasn’t right.

    God needed to get my heart to a place of being okay being single and needed to work out a couple of other issues in my life to prepare me for my wife. And He needed to do similar things for her. So if what you ask for is good, and you’re confident it is within God’s will, keep asking! Keep knocking on the door of Heaven! But above all, seek God and a greater relationship with Him and you will find Him. And He will – in His perfect timing – bring about what you are seeking.

    The Golden Rule

    The last verse in this section contains what we commonly call “The Golden Rule”. There are a couple of variations you may have heard depending upon which translation of the Bible it came from. The two most common I hear are “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” and “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. In either case, the meaning remains the same.

    If you want others to be kind and gentle with you, then you should be kind and gentle towards others. If you want others to show you grace and mercy, then you should show grace and mercy. And if you want others to forgive you, then you should forgive others. The list goes on and on. And there’s no reason for me to continue. Insert your own thing that you want others (broadly) to demonstrate towards you and become that kind of a person.

    Pick the Right Gate

    “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

    Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

    Jesus wraps up what we call chapter 7 with a bit of a cautionary warning. He informs us that the way to life is through a narrow gate and down a narrow path. It’s not easy. Much easier is the path that leads to destruction – wide gate, broad road, piece of cake. But here’s an interesting interpretation I found of this passage that is different than what I think most people assume. I for sure assumed that Jesus is referring to the path to Heaven. But in light of the rest of the Sermon on the mount, Jesus is more likely referring to heart posture vs outward piety.

    We can refrain from murdering someone and thus obey the law, but we could still harbor hatred toward that person – which Jesus said earlier equaled murder. That hatred leads us down the broad path that leads to destruction. And the same goes for all of the other things Jesus refers to in this sermon. Effectively, these two verses sum up everything Jesus said already by saying that all the outward actions with no heart change is the wide gate and broad path leading to destruction. And having the proper heart attitude leads to life.

    Jesus doesn’t want us to just seek after pious actions, He wants us to seek heart change – which leads to those actions. And if we seek that heart change with the help of Holy Spirit, we will find it.

    Wrapping Up

    I hope you now have greater confidence to ask God for things that you know are good and align with His will and desires. If you aren’t sure, ask Him! Seek council from the Word, from Holy Spirit, and from men and women in the faith who are maybe a little wiser. If you earnestly seek to understand what God seeks to give you, you will find it. He doesn’t want to hide His desires for your life from you, but if you don’t seek Him, how will you ever know what those are?

    And heed Jesus’ warning about taking the easy road. The one that leads to destruction. Even those of us who are on the road to Heaven can take detours that destroy various areas of our lives. Relationships, reputation, etc. So beware and seek guidance from Holy Spirit.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Higher Standard

    Higher Standard

    Intro

    After giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus throws out a couple of nice sounding things and then He lays down the law. Pretty literally. Jesus cites several Mosaic laws saying “You have heard that it was said”. But then He amps it up to another level. Jesus’ whole point was to call His followers to a higher standard of living than that of the other Jews who were just fulfilling the bare minimum requirements of the law. Jesus didn’t want followers who did the bare minimum of the textual Law; He wanted followers who fulfilled the Spirit of the Law and went above and beyond. And He still calls us to that today. There’s a lot here in the rest of Matthew Chapter 5, so let’s get started.

    Salt & Light

    “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

    “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

    Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)

    These first few verses after the Beatitudes are among the most famous that Jesus spoke. Many sermons have been preached on these passages. Consequently, I don’t feel a need to spend a lot of time explaining them. I will briefly touch on what Jesus means here by salt and light and point out the higher standard we are called to from these passages.

    As salt, Christians are called to be preservatives in this world. As salt served as a food preservative in first century Middle East, so we serve to preserve society from ungodly people and the corrupting nature of sin. Secondly, salt served (and still does) as a flavor enhancer. In the same way, we “enhance the flavor” of this world by influencing it in a positive and godly way. One other note here: just as too much salt can damage the flavor of food, shoving the gospel down a person’s throat does more harm than good. Sprinkle your salt with love and gentleness, don’t try and throw a block of salt at them.

    Lastly, Jesus calls His followers “lights”. I think this one is a little more clear than the salt. We should stand out from the rest of the world by what we say and do. And as long as our deeds are done to glorify our Father in Heaven, we will stand out. As light stands out and shines through the darkness, we stand out and shine the light of Christ in this dark world of sin.

    Fulfilling the Law

    “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

    Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV)

    The next words Jesus spoke serve as an interesting segue into the next several topics that He covers in the rest of chapter 5. Here He introduces the Law into the Sermon on the Mount and ends this paragraph with another call to His followers to be more (not just do more) than the religious leaders.

    Jesus wanted to make it clear that the Law was not going to be replaced by His teachings. Therefore, the commands written in the Law still apply. Now this does not mean that we as Christians need to observe every cleansing ritual or every single one of the different commands in Leviticus. However, the Spirit behind the commands still apply and there are plenty of “equivalent” commands that bear that same Spirit. And by that I mean that much of the law applies to cultural things (“don’t cook a young goat in its mother’s milk”) that simply don’t apply to our society. Many of them are commands to not perform the same rituals that the nations around them performed to worship their gods. We can apply that today right here in America.

    Exercises

    As an exercise, think about some of the ways that people show honor or “worship” their idols (whether celebrities, money, etc.) that God doesn’t call us to do when worshipping Him, and consciously choose not to do those same things when honoring and worshipping God. For example, we live in a sex-obsessed society. People buy and sell sex like a commodity. In the realm of prostitution, it can serve as a worship of money. People use sex like a status symbol (worship of fame or self). Or even worship of others in a way. Or even just worship of sex itself! God never asks for us to use sex as a form of worship to Him.

    In a different vein, think about all the ways that people worship their idols that are much like how God expects us to worship Him. These methods are not so much “don’t do” as they are simply misdirected. Time and attention are two major ones. How much time do people spend following their favorite movie stars or singers? How many people get tattoos of their favorite celebrities? I’m not saying that tattoos are sinful, just pointing out how they are used to effectively worship an idol. Then there’s the big one: money. So much of what we do in America revolves around making and spending money. We spend so much time trying to make money and then we spend it on stuff. Stuff we don’t need and can get without. God calls us to honor Him with our time and money. Talk about a higher standard to live up to.

    Fulfillment

    Real quick, what did Jesus mean by saying He came to fulfill the Law? Elsewhere Jesus claims that the Law points to Him. So when Jesus fulfills the Law, He fulfills what was written about Him. All the sacrifices point to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. Jesus obeyed all the Laws and didn’t break any. All the other Laws and rituals become the lifestyle that Holy Spirit molds us into. And by putting Holy Spirit in us, we gain the power to fulfill the rules and regulations of the Law as well.

    Murder

    “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

    “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

    “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

    Matthew 5:21-26 (NIV)

    Now we enter into the “You have heard that it was said…But I tell you” passages. They perfectly follow Jesus’ statements about not abolishing the Law and calling His followers to have a righteousness that surpasses the religious leaders. The religious leaders already set a pretty high standard for the people to follow. So for Jesus to set an even higher standard for His followers likely shocked them. And Jesus’ whole point in the following passages is to address the heart issues behind the actions. The sin nature behind the Laws.

    Starting out, Jesus touches on murder. I’m sure everyone in Jesus’ hearing was innocent of committing murder. However, Jesus amps it up by telling them that anyone who is angry or hateful toward another without repentance is guilty of murder. God is a God of reconciliation and of peaceful living between people. So to have division and strife is to not be walking in the ways of God. And truly, even though the person may still be alive, by not reconciling nor being repentant of your anger or hate, you have murdered that relationship.

    What happens if the other person is dead and you can’t reconcile? That’s the beauty of forgiveness. You don’t ever need to speak to the other person to forgive them. Yes, the relationship may not be able to be restored in this life (and maybe not the next either), but you can forgive them and let all that negativity in your life go. The healing you experience from that will allow you to live your life to the fullest.

    Adultery

    “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

    Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)

    I feel like this next one makes it go from difficult (but doable) to nearly impossible without God. Which is kind of the point. Jesus wants us all to know that we can’t fulfill the fullness of the Law without Him. And we can’t live any kind of Christian lifestyle without Him. We need to be fully dependent upon Holy Spirit living in us to live how He calls us to live.

    It’s a bit harder to claim that everyone within Jesus’ hearing had not committed adultery. Mostly because Jesus spoke these words to crowds of people and adultery is one of those sins that can remain secret and hidden a lot longer than murder. However, assuming they were all free of this sin of adultery, I can guarantee that the crowd was not free of lust – the higher standard Jesus called them to. As a man, I can say that it isn’t easy. Especially in our sex-obsessed society. It’s all too easy to see an attractive individual and begin imagining things.

    Important disclaimer! The initial thought of temptation is NOT sinful. That’s the enemy trying to trap you into sin. It’s taking that initial thought and dwelling on it, expanding it, developing it into a full fledged “mental sex”. Or maybe just trying to imagine what that person might look like without clothes on. Lustful thoughts are often just the beginning. Give too much time to them and pretty soon you could find yourself performing other sins like masturbation, watching porn, or seeking out one night stands. Or actually cheating on your spouse. I hope you can see a progression here so you can recognize it if it ever starts to happen to you. This one is more subtle than murder, yet just as devastating.

    Divorce

    “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

    Matthew 5:31-32 (NIV)

    This next one flows pretty well from the previous one. And is a big point of debate and controversy yet today. Old Testament Law allowed divorce if the husband found anything “indecent about her” (Deuteronomy 24:1). Jewish leaders would long debate what is meant by “indecency”. Original wording strongly suggests that the original intent was indecent sexual behavior – though not adultery since that carried the death sentence. And Jesus reaffirms this original intent. Which kind of begs the question “Where’s that higher standard that Jesus calls us to?”

    Despite what the Law said and the original intention, a school of thought arose among the Jewish leaders that allowed for husbands to divorce their wives for almost any reason, not just sexual indecency. So Jesus called out that particular school of thought with His statement here. And in today’s culture, we can certainly relate to that. People divorce for some of the strangest reasons. Most involve money. Jesus doesn’t want us to divorce for petty reasons or for reasons that can be worked through easily enough – maybe with a little outside help. And Jesus’ call to unilaterally forgive means that people could work through even infidelity without a divorce – though Jesus and Paul both make exceptions for infidelity.

    Many Christians today allow for divorce too easily because “that’s the way society is”, which is not a good mindset. After all, Jesus calls us to a standard higher than what the world lives.

    Oaths

    “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

    Matthew 5:33-37 (NIV)

    Oaths. Vows. Swearing by. Whatever you call it, it’s a risk. Breaking your word breaks trust, damages relationships, ruins reputations, etc. That’s why Jesus warns against doing it flippantly – i.e., “I swear on my mother’s life” or other similar things from everyday conversation. How do I know He’s addressing flippant oaths? Because He references swearing to heaven, earth, Jerusalem, and your own head. In that culture, the leaders considered only public oaths sworn by God’s name to be binding. In everyday, private conversation if you make an oath by heaven, earth, or anything else that is not God’s name, then it’s not binding. This created a loophole by which people could lie or change their minds about something.

    Jesus wants any oath or vow made to be 100% binding 100% of the time. That’s a pretty high standard. And not easy to do. How often do any of us in everyday conversation say “I swear this is true” or “I promise I’ll do that”. Using such words tells people that you will follow through. After all, you wouldn’t break your word, would you? For me personally, if there’s something I’m not certain on, I straight up tell people “I’m not sure I’ll be able to, we’ll see”. Or something similar. I do my best to not make promises or guarantees when I know there’s a chance that I’ll have to back down. I chose to adopt this standard so other’s don’t see me as a man who routinely breaks his word.

    Eye for Eye

    “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

    Matthew 5:38-42 (NIV)

    The Law of Retaliation as it has been called. You do something to me, I have the right to do something of equal scope back to you. Unfortunately, that’s not what the Law taught. The Law was all about publicly administrating justice. Not private “get even” fights. Religious leaders allowed people to get their “eye for an eye” without going through the proper public channels. And that’s what Jesus wanted to address. This misapplication of the Law. The reason for the Laws about retaliation and justice were to protect the accused from a punishment too high for the crime, and also prevents private justice that could spiral out of control with back and forth feuding.

    So, what’s the higher standard here? For one, don’t seek private justice and retaliation. For severe things, leave that to the proper channels. Secondly, if someone strikes you on the right cheek, that’s a back-handed slap (assuming he’s right handed). The culture of the day interpreted back-handed slaps as an insult. So this passage is less about bodily injury and more about how you should respond to an insult. Jesus’ response: don’t respond in like manner and be prepared to receive injury if that should occur. Allow the insults. Jesus demonstrated this by not responding to any insults or accusations heaped upon Him prior to His death.

    The Heart Attitudes

    Looking to the other parts of this passage real quick, verse 40 with the shirt and coat deals with a heart of giving. Be prepared to give, give, and give – and not begrudgingly. In verse 41, when we’re drafted (like the Romans could do with the Jews to carry their stuff for one mile) into things – military, jury duty, etc. – we should strive to do our very best in that situation. And once again in verse 42, Jesus calls us to be generous.

    In conclusion to these three verses, Jesus’ standard is to be generous with our time, talents, and possessions (money most often). And to do it all with a positive attitude – not begrudgingly.

    Love Your Enemies

    “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

    Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

    Hang with me a little longer, we’re in the home stretch! The last standard to address is all about loving your enemies. Interestingly about this one is that while the Old Testament certainly says “love your neighbor”, nowhere does it say “hate your enemy”. However, given that the Jews had many enemies upon whom God pronounced judgment on, it’s not much of a stretch to believe that hating the enemies of God honored Him. And this is a part of what Jesus calls out here. He’s telling us that if we hate those who hate us, we’re no better than the very people we hate! Rather we should strive to love all people the way God loves all people. Not an easy one, that’s for sure. That’s why Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. The more we pray for them, the more our hearts becomes like God’s heart.

    Wrapping Up

    In all of these, Jesus wanted to address the sinful attitude and heart posture behind the sins. You don’t just wake up and murder someone without motivation – probably starts with anger/hate. Likewise, you probably don’t just randomly choose to cheat on your spouse. You see them first and become attracted and you don’t do anything to temper your lustful thoughts until it spills out and is too late. Dealing with the heart was a major part of Jesus’ teaching ministry.

    To be sure, this higher standard that Jesus calls us to is not an easy life to live. In fact, it’s impossible to live this life without the Spirit of God indwelling us. And that’s a huge part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus wanted to make sure His listeners and followers understood that they needed Him if they were to fulfill this calling. He wanted them to understand that they couldn’t do it on their own – despite what the religious leaders said.

    That’s all for now, see you next time as we start Matthew chapter 6!

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • What Age?

    What Age?

    Intro

    If you’ve been around the Christian community long enough, you’ve likely heard the term Age of Accountability. And even if you never heard it put that way, I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea. The basic idea stems from the question, “When are you old enough to be accountable for your sins and thus need Jesus as your savior to go to Heaven?” But where does the innocence that starts at birth end, 5, 10, 12? Let’s take a look.

    The Question

    Most people would agree that infants would have no business going to Hell because they don’t have the ability to grasp simple concepts let alone complicated ones such as theology. This naturally leads us to wonder what happens to infants and other very young children who die. And when they cross that line to needing a savior. As always, we shall turn to the Bible for guidance, but be forewarned, the Bible doesn’t discuss this topic directly. So, we won’t have clear-cut answers.

    Too Young

    I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “Too young to die.” Whether in a movie or real life, it’s pretty common. And for us as Christians, it creates the question that we need to be ready to answer: What happens to infants and toddlers and other young children when they die? Many a sobbing mother and father have asked some form of this question. And God called us to mourn alongside those who mourn (Romans 12:15).

    God gave us the Bible to lead and guide us along life’s journeys. And to answer our questions about life. So, we should first turn there when we have questions to see what it says. In this case about where these young children go, there isn’t a lot in the Bible that is explicit. But don’t despair! There is hope. There is evidence in the Bible that young children go to Heaven when they die.

    David’s Son

    When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and got her pregnant, God told David that the child would die. And he did. Look at what David said after that.

    But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me. 1 Samuel 12:23 (NIV)

    Notice the phrase “I will go to him”. Here David acknowledges that he will see his son again someday. David was a man who frequently looked forward to the Kingdom of God and eternity with Him. And here David is confident that he will see his son in that eternity. And we have reason to trust David’s faith since he frequently spoke prophetically through the Holy Spirit.

    God’ Character

    Another solid reason for believing in children going to Heaven when they die, is the character of God and His compassion. All throughout Scripture we see God and Jesus loving on children. In various places, God refers to young children as “innocents” (see Jeremiah 19:4-5 for an example). God’s tender mercies and compassion lead to these children being safe in His arms since they cannot understand or comprehend sin.

    Jesus also displayed immense love for children. The most famous example comes from the story of the disciples’ rebuking children and their parents for getting too close to Jesus. And Jesus rebuked His disciples and blessed the children instead.

    Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:14-15 (NIV)

    Furthermore, also in Matthew (18:14), Jesus makes this statement “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these littles ones should perish.” Clearly Jesus and His Father have great love and compassion for the children. And the loving hand of God is the safest place one can be.

    Condition For Salvation

    Yet another reason we can know from Scripture what happens to young children: the condition for salvation. What does Romans say we must do to be saved? We must believe in our heart God raised Jesus and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). Thinking about an infant, they haven’t even learned their own name yet, so how could they confess Jesus as Lord? No, children that are too young to even comprehend simple things are too young to be held accountable for their actions.

    When talking to the Pharisees in John 9 Jesus put forth a truth that can be easily applied here and sums up this position very well.

    Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” John 9:41 (NIV)

    In other words, if you don’t have the capacity to understand or recognize sin, you are not guilty (or held accountable) of it. This applies very well to infants and other young children who haven’t quite grasped right from wrong or the ideas of Heaven and Hell.

    What About the Unborn?

    How about those who haven’t been born yet? Not to worry! The unborn children fall into the same reasons already listed above. How do I know that? Jeremiah says that God formed him in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5) and Psalm 139 declares that we were “knit together” in our mother’s womb and are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and God saw our “unformed body” (vs 13 and on). From these passages and more we can confidently declare that God sees the unborn as human children – even in a physically incomplete stage of life. Therefore, they fall under all the same protections and rules laid out before. This is a great comfort for anyone who has had a miscarriage or an abortion that they regret.

    What About the Mentally Disabled?

    Many people who ask the question about where young children go when they die also ask similar questions about those who have severe mental disabilities, such as Autism and Aspergers and other similar disorders. Personally, I believe that they are covered by all the same things I’ve already talked about. When you think about it, these people have the same mental capacity as very young children and often display those same behaviors. Their ability to grasp complex concepts are severely limited. Consequently, God would grant them the same grace, mercy, and compassion He grants to the children. As someone who has interacted for many years with a couple of different people on the severe end of the spectrum, this brings comfort to my heart.

    The Accountable Age

    So, ultimately, there is no definitive age. It can vary from child to child when they reach the point of understanding and choose to reject God and knowingly choose to do wrong despite knowing and understanding what’s right. While that can sound difficult to hear since some of those kids can still be young, is it any different when that child is all grown up? Every person is a child to someone. No matter the age, a parent has a hard time losing their child.

    Wrapping Up

    Hopefully I answered some of your questions by reading this. Let us remember that one of our chief duties on earth is to spread the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

    Outro

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