theology

Is Temptation a Sin?

Posted on December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Yesterday at my personal blog I’d posted an essay explaining Why I Will Never Watch ABC’s ‘The Good Doctor’ Again.

In the November 26th episode called “Empathy” a character who had constant thoughts and sexual desires for children was featured. He hated his own desires and sought to rid himself of them, via medicines, mutilations, and therapies. He prided himself on never having acted on his desires, because he knew they were depraved. The build-up in the show, apparently, was to develop empathy for the ‘in thoughts only’ pedophile because of the extreme lengths he went to in order for him to make sure his desires remained unfulfilled.

This is called the “virtuous pedophile.” The title is an actual title, based on a growing internet support group of people who acknowledge their depraved desires but do not act on them. Their restraint is supposed to be virtuous.

Someone commented in reply to my essay that “To be tempted to something is not a sin. I have no desire to normalize or justify pedophilia if that is what the show is doing, but if it deals with an individual tempted but resisting that temptation I’m not sure that would be wrong.”

Let’s explore that a bit here on this blog. I appreciated the nuance and grace in the comment. I thought about it for a while. In the end, I’d replied that temptation itself is not a sin, else Jesus, when he was tempted in the desert, would be sinning just for having experienced a temptation. So, I agree temptation is not a sin. What is a sin is how we respond to it. Responding to temptation is not solely the act, but also the entertainment of those thoughts. In His temptation, Jesus resisted sin by refusing even to entertain the thought and refuted satan by immediately referring to His Father’s word. More here.

That said, the show I’d reviewed was not about temptation. It was about the normalizing pedophilia by calling those who have the desires but who don’t act on them, virtuous. It was about the manipulative forcing of an empathetic reaction to someone who has admitted many desires for children in the sexual sense. The show made a great deal about how much the man was consumed by lust for children. It, apparently did not make much if his efforts to rid himself of the thoughts, only restraining himself from the action.

John MacArthur puts the issue to a concise point when he says (of homosexuality)

No matter how much you desire to be compassionate to the homosexual, your first sympathies belong to the Lord and to the exaltation of His righteousness.

So how should we respond to various desires we have in the flesh? And remember, not all desires are equal. Heterosexual desire is normal, but when it turns to lust for another woman it’s a sin. Yet, homosexual desire is always depraved, because it is expressly forbidden in scripture. As noted in the GotQuestions essay above and as I’d said in my essay,

Lust, for example, is sin even though it may never be acted upon (Matthew 5:28). Covetousness, pride, greed, and envy are all sins of the heart; even though they may not be apparent to anyone else, they are still sin (Romans 1:29; Mark 7:21-22). When we give in to the temptation to entertain such thoughts, they take root in our hearts and defile us (Matthew 15:18–19). emphasis mine

Romans 1:26 calls homosexual desire a “degrading passion.” Ergo pedophilia too. JMac again-

It is a lust that destroys the physical body, ruins relationships, and brings perpetual suffering to the soul—and its ultimate end is death (Romans 7:5).

The Good Doctor did get one thing right. In the end, the character committed suicide. Degrading passions lead to death. The Gospel is the only way to overcome degrading passions, including pedophilia. Striving to live a righteous life, denying our biblically forbidden passions and lusts, this is what is pleasing to God.

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Further resources

Is Same-Sex Attraction a Sin? Answers in Genesis

The gospel offers more than sin management; it offers present transformation of our desires and eternal joy (Philippians 2:13). God welcomes strugglers who regard His glory over their own lust, and He arms them to fight joyfully against enslaving temptation inherited from Adam.

potpourri, theology

Prata Potpourri: Christmas, depicting Jesus in art, music, old Movietone reels

Posted on December 17, 2018December 17, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Time for another edition of Prata Potpourri, the ever popular phrase made famous by the game show Jeopardy! host, wherein I put forth various and sundry links on a variety of topics. I like using the words potpourri and sundry in the same essay.

I’m a public school teacher’s aide and so I live by the school calendar. Hard to believe we are at the mid point, with second quarter report cards to be issued this week. Our school district gives us a two-week break around Christmas, with our return a day or two after New Year’s.

By this time of year we really look forward to an extended time off. No one knows the tired you get with managing hundreds of kids a week before Christmas, never mind keeping track of the Elf on the Shelf, admiring their blinking reindeer antlers and Santa hats, scraping half eaten sticky candy canes off the desks, (or out of their pockets) and trying to teach about adjectives and three digit subtraction amidst it all. There’s no tired like teacher tired, and there’s no teacher tired like a few days out from Christmas Break!

For my break, I’ve got some books lined up to read, upcoming naps to take, Netflix binges on Fellowship of the Ring and Blue Bloods, and friends to spend the holiday with. It’s all good. For your consideration here are a few sites with content you might find interesting. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~Christmas~~~~~~~

Here is Allen Nelson IV with A Christmas Gift for You, a reflection on the promise of Christmas.

Josh Buice on some thoughts regarding the prophecy of Jesus in his essay, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. We sang the hymn Come Thou Long Expected Jesus in church yesterday. It’s a beautiful song.

Elizabeth Barnes goes on a ‘Holiday House Tour- a Giant Fancy Christmas‘ and if you know Elizabeth Barnes, this will be funny

~~~~~~~Social Media~~~~~~~

Social media can be aggravating but it is also here to stay and a mechanism to get the Gospel and its truths out widely. Ligon Duncan outlines his social media strategy and it’s a helpful list.

Another list offering ways on How to be a smarter Christian with social media

From 2010, a useful look back at when social media came to the fore to aid us in Understanding social media

~~~~~~~Art~~~~~~~

I love art, and one particular piece I enjoy at this time of year is the piece by Gari Melchers, The Nativity. I wrote about it several times in past years, and for me, it is a powerful piece.

Michelle Lesley asks, Is it irreverent or disobedient to depict Jesus in nativity scenes?

For a longer exploration of art, Christianity, and reverence, here are a few links-

Modern Art and the Death of a Culture, by H. R. Rookmaaker and a review of this book by the gang at Discerning Reader

Artist and video animator Christ Powers has goals with his visual media,

Animations and pictures are the primary way we do this. The visual media are an uniquely effective tool the Lord has given us for communication, especially in the 21st century’s image-laden culture. My goal is to use these visual media as a way to pierce the heart and to haunt the mind with scripturally-informed imagery of Christ.

Powers adds this disclaimer to his videos and website fullofeyes.com. He’s thought long and hard about it and decided in the end to continue making the images and add the disclaimer.

Art and the Bible is a classic on the topic by Francis Schaeffer & MichaelCard.

And another good one on the topic, both these books are short, btw-
Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts, by Philip Graham Ryken

~~~~~~~Music~~~~~~~

Dallas Holm, songwriter, on the genesis of his song Lord, I’m Waiting. It’s thoughtful.

Daniel Smith writes about Timeless Truth in an Ancient Hymn, “Hail, Gladdening Light.” It’s unclear how old this hymn exactly is, since our earliest references to it in the 4th century refer to its antiquity, but we do know that it was relatively widespread throughout the early church in its first few centuries.

Speaking of Nobody Knows, here is a book with that title, about a forgotten musician, Harry T. Burleigh. Singer and Arranger of Negro Spirituals, Burleigh made an enormous impact to American song, yet few people know of him now. Hopefully this book will bring his name back to light.
Nobody Knows: The Forgotten Story of One of the Most Influential Figures in American Music, by Craig von Buseck

~~~~~~~Women~~~~~~~

Jess Pickowitz writes of Princess Charming, from her series Portraits of Superstition, and says, “As I share these verses, I want you to think on how much stock you are genuinely putting into various types of “lucky charms” or idols in your life. Maybe none. Maybe just a little. Think on what it is in which you are putting your faith and trust.”

Ayanna Thomas bangs the drum reminding us that while devotionals and Bible studies can be worthwhile, You don’t need another Bible study. Study the Bible on your own this year, see how it goes!

Sharon Lareau both reviews Tim Keller’s book Prayer and teaches how to be discerning when choosing a book, which is always helpful. Here is her introduction and here is the stand-alone page with the Keller book review

~~~~~~~Fun~~~~~~~

Our favorite nannies, in fiction and in film, from the always lush UK website The Country Life

Inspired by art, physics, math, light, and technology, the incredible art installations of HYBYCOZO have been an absolute sensation since they first went viral after the 2016 Burning Man Festival. By laser cutting intricate patterns into large polyhedrons, artists Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu have created a striking visual identity through their collaboration. Over the past several years, their work has appeared across the globe—in civic installations in Singapore and Dubai to exhibitions at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery.

Check out the interview with the artists!

Archive of Motion Pictures has this clip (among many thousands of others) of Chelyuskin crewmen rescus in dramatic scenes. Filmed in 1934. Description

Various scenes from the Soviet expedition rescued in the arctic, including a seaplane landing, shots of the crew, the SS Chelyuskin, sleds and dogs in the snow, sea ice, a man with a movie camera, and of the Russian script. Edited Fox Movietone News story, “First Pictures of Soviet Expedition Rescued in Arctic.” Includes voiceover describing the scenes.

Enjoy your week!

theology, word of the week

Word of the Week: Fruit of the Spirit, Gentleness

Posted on December 16, 2018December 16, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Warren Wiersbe notes the triple triad within the verse. The first three characteristics of the fruit are love, joy, and peace. Those reflect the Godward aspect of Christian life.

The next three are patience, kindness, goodness; characteristics reflecting the manward aspect of Christian life.

Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are aspects reflecting the selfward part of the Christian life. Below, Wiersbe’s longer explanation:

When a person lives in the sphere of love, then he experiences joy—that inward peace and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances. (A case in point is Paul’s experience recorded in Phil. 4:10–20.) This “holy optimism” keeps him going in spite of difficulties. Love and joy together produce peace, “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). These first three qualities express the Godward aspect of the Christian life.

The next three express the manward aspect of the Christian life: long-suffering (courageous endurance without quitting), gentleness (kindness), and goodness (love in action). The Christian who is long-suffering will not avenge himself or wish difficulties on those who oppose him. He will be kind and gentle, even with the most offensive, and will sow goodness where others sow evil. Human nature can never do this on its own; only the Holy Spirit can.

The final three qualities are selfward: faith (faithfulness, dependability); meekness (the right use of power and authority, power under control); and temperance (self-control). Meekness is not weakness. Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29), and Moses was “very meek” (Num. 12:3); yet no one could accuse either of them of being weak. The meek Christian does not throw his weight around or assert himself. Just as wisdom is the right use of knowledge, so meekness is the right use of authority and power. The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe

The word gentleness as it is used in the verse means ‘derived from the root pra-, emphasizing the divine origin of meekness (“gentle strength”) which expresses power with reserve and gentleness.’

Gentleness, ladies, does not mean doormat, but restrained power combined with kindness, peace, and the other characteristics of the fruit. That’s why the fruit of the Spirit is one fruit displaying many aspects, not many fruits.

Wiersbe again with the reason the Spirit grows the fruit in us:

We must remember that this fruit is produced to be eaten, not to be admired and put on display. People around us are starving for love, joy, peace, and all the other graces of the Spirit. When they find them in our lives, they know that we have something they lack. We do not bear fruit for our own consumption; we bear fruit that others might be fed and helped, and that Christ might be glorified. The flesh may manufacture “results” that bring praise to us, but the flesh cannot bear fruit that brings glory to God. It takes patience, an atmosphere of the Spirit, walking in the light, the seed of the Word of God, and a sincere desire to honor Christ.

gentleness

prophecy, theology

The toughest mission field

Posted on December 15, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Charles Spurgeon’s morning devotional for December 15 was about the decision that Ruth and Orpah made with Naomi. Spurgeon wrote,

BOTH of them had an affection for Naomi, and therefore set out with her upon her return to the land of Judah. But the hour of test came; Naomi most unselfishly set before each of them the trials which awaited them, and bade them if they cared for ease and comfort to return to their Moabitish friends.

At first both of them declared that they would cast in their lot with the Lord’s people; but upon still further consideration Orpah with much grief and a respectful kiss left her mother in law, and her people, and her God, and went back to her idolatrous friends, while Ruth with all her heart gave herself up to the God of her mother in law. It is one thing to love the ways of the Lord when all is fair, and quite another to cleave to them under all discouragements and difficulties.

The kiss of outward profession is very cheap and easy, but the practical cleaving to the Lord, which must show itself in holy decision for truth and holiness, is not so small a matter.

There are many who profess Christ, but do not possess Him, as Sproul used to say, There are other folks whose thin veneer of Christianity is only for cultural purposes; others whose conscience doesn’t allow them to unhitch completely from attachment to a nebulous being called Jesus they don’t understand but cling to anyway. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

These people are deceiving themselves. Their eternity will be inconceivably painful. We can’t comprehend it. Just as the demons see the light and comprehend it not (John 3:19) we see the darkness of eternity and comprehend it not. And who can understand the length of time of eternity? Only God.

Therefore, because of hell’s inconceivable, punishing pain, or because of the difficulty in understanding the time frame of “forever”, we tend to push thoughts of hell’s existence and the reality of the dreadful future of those who will experience it out of our minds. But that’s just when it should be more present, more palpable, more real to us.

The lightly professing Christian does possess something … they have a future where they will face Jesus, and unable to stand, they will cry out for mercy. None will be given.

He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (John 12:48)

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.‘ (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB)

Spurgeon concluded with this uncomfortable phrasing about Orpah’s decision:

in glorious ease and idolatrous pleasure her life melts into the gloom of death

If you have friends/family who aren’t saved, or who use the Christian name for a cultural cover, or who are simply deceived as to what salvation is all about, I understand. It’s one of the toughest mission fields. It’s zeal without knowledge, fervor to get favor, deceptive deception. But persevere, no matter the consequences. The possibility that Light will come into their heart is always worth the risk.

Clipboard

prophecy, theology

The Power of Abuse and the Necessity of True Hope

Posted on December 14, 2018December 14, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

When you’re a kid in an abusive home, the number one feeling is uncertainty. The abused child is uncertain that this is the way things are supposed to be. One is unsure. Is this love, when daddy hits me? Is this what love is when mommy neglects me? They tell you they love you, but then act in ways that don’t seem loving. How do other families do it? The child doesn’t know, the other family is behind closed doors. When the child visits the other families, they seem nice. But then again, so does the kid’s family when other people visit the abusive home.

As the child grows, he or she becomes a little more sure that this dynamic isn’t the way that it’s supposed to be. Therefore what grows alongside the uncertainty is hope. As maturity forms, hope forms. The tween/teen/young adult thinks, I’m not sure this is the way things are supposed to be, but I hope tomorrow will be better. One hopes that tomorrow they’ll love me. They’ll stop hitting me. They’ll quit neglecting me. They won’t molest me anymore. Mommy won’t bully or belittle me. When they promise something, like a trip to the park or an ice cream, they really mean it this time; it will happen. The child hopes against hope that it will happen.

EPrata photo

The hope becomes a lifesaving ring but also an albatross. Each time the hope is dashed, one clings to it but it becomes more drenched with tears. And again, and again. The hope is battered and then one sad day, inevitably dashed. No trip to the park after all. Dad got mad and threw the ice cream cones to the ground. Mom wasn’t home to greet the kids after school again. The belt comes out, again. Tears drench the life ring, which becomes soggy and begins to sink.

The child cries, ‘Why are things like this?’ Why don’t parent have natural affection for their children? One thing the abused child knows is that parents are supposed to love their kids. This can’t be love. Is it? The abused wants to know what love IS…

The Bible says that in the end time, parents won’t have natural affection for their children.

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (2 Timothy 3:3 KJV).

The end time is the time between Jesus’ first coming and second coming. The end time is happening now. We’re in it.

This phrase “without natural affection” is the translation of one Greek word, astergeo. … The word stergeo (“natural affection”) is one of four Greek words for “love,” but it is never used at all in the New Testament. It refers to the natural love that members of the same family have for each other. It is such a common characteristic of all peoples that there was apparently no occasion to refer to it at all — except when it is not present, when people lose their instinctive love for their own parents and children, and thus are “without natural affection.” One thinks of the widespread abortionism of these last days, as well as the modern breakdown of the family in general. (Source: Institute for Creation Research)

The Christian mind does not want to, or can’t comprehend, the absence of natural affection from a parent to a child. It seems impossible that a parent does not love their child, batters them physically or emotionally, sometimes, just for fun. But it exists. The Bible says it does, our experience as social workers, police, teachers, shows that it does, the news reports illustrate that it does. But to the child, they simply don’t know why people who are supposed to love them actually do not.

John MacArthur has said that God uses three mechanisms to restrain sin in the unsaved: the individual conscience, the government’s laws, and the family. The family is basic to nurturing the God-instilled sense of right and wrong. Without that natural affection, there’s an absence of nurturing and cultivation of the conscience within the family. Society suffers a dreadful result.

I think we are seeing that result in these days. The days and years ahead will be worse, I’m afraid. Any cycle, once reaching its tipping point, proceeds at an increased pace.The child with no footing will search for the love that is lacking in their nuclear home, making it easier for satan to lure the child/youth/adult into schemes and situations that are detrimental to him or her. He will try to find a substitute family that operates on a twisted cycle of love. Gangs become more attractive. Polyamorous relationships or even a cult will seem normal. The perversity of a kinky bondage Master/slave pairing will seem OK. Homosexual partners raising children. And so on.The horror of the end of the end times is pretty horrible. We see in movies and books, not to mention Revelation, the natural disasters and such that will go on, relentlessly. But the worse horror is a world full of twisted, perverse, emotionally stunted people with no conscience or sense of right and wrong.That’s the real horror.The beauty, the grace, the relief, is that God’s grace doesn’t stop. His Gospel in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection now still has and always will have power to save the soul, revive the conscience, and enlarge the heart. Keep sharing. We know the times will get worse and worse. (2 Timothy 3:13). Fewer people will respond, but many will. God has ordained the times, and though we mourn the tragic life of those child en raised in homes without natural affection, the love of Jesus will pierce some of them and allow love to flow back in.Then they will eternally know the natural affection of the family of God, never to be offered conditionally, abused, or withdrawn ever again What a day that will be.

EPrata photo

prayer, theology

Do you have prayer ADHD?

Posted on December 13, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I saw a meme on Facebook that made me laugh. I can’t find it again, but it went something like, ‘I have prayer ADHD, I start, drift into thinking other things, then come back saying ‘Where was I, Lord?’

I think we have all had the same experience. Our fleshly minds want to think of anything except compass point north, Jesus Christ. It zones out on us, drifts off, creates a grocery list, listens to the birds outside, or the traffic, anything but laser focus on the throne of grace.

Why is it so hard? Praying is an act of war, spiritual war. We are opposed at every turn by the evil one and his minions, and when we clasp our hands together, we are effectively sounding a trumpet to those demons that we are entering another battle with them.

In his book The Hidden Life of Prayer by David MacIntyre, we read that,

The main reason for this unceasing insistence is the arduousness of prayer. In its nature it is a laborious undertaking, and in our endeavor to maintain the spirit of prayer we are called to wrestle against principalities and powers of darkness.

Dr. Andrew Bonar used to say that, as the King of Syria commanded his captains to fight neither with small nor great, but only with the King of Israel, so the prince of the power of the air seems to bend all the force of his attack against the spirit of prayer.

If he should prove victorious there, he has won the day. Sometimes we are conscious of a satanic impulse directed immediately against the life of prayer in our souls; sometimes we are led into “dry” and wilderness-experiences, and the face of God grows dark above us; sometimes, when we strive most earnestly to bring every thought and imagination under obedience to Christ, we seem to be given over to disorder and unrest; sometimes the inbred slothfulness of our nature lends itself to the evil one as an instrument by which he may turn our minds back from the exercise of prayer.

Because of all these things, therefore, we must be diligent and resolved, watching as a sentry who remembers that the lives of men are lying at the hazard of his wakefulness, resourcefulness, and courage. “And what I say unto you,” said the Lord to His disciples, “I say unto all, Watch!”

How do you pray? I used to kneel but my knees and back can’t take that any more. So now I sit in my chair and pray aloud. Praying out loud helps me focus and not drift off. However there is no one particularly commanded position for praying. I don’t imagine Paul had too many options for prayer positions when he was chained up in jail.

Hannah famously prayed a whisper prayer in the temple. The priest watching her thought she was drunk. But no, she was just agonizing in spirit and pressing that agony upward to the LORD. (1 Samuel 1:9-17).

Jonah prayed to the LORD in the belly of the great fish, he also cried out (Jonah 2:2). I think his cries were probably pretty loud, too!

David no doubt prayed silently but no doubt he prayed aloud too. David had an active prayer life with the LORD. His prayers were appeals, praises, repentance, appreciation for provision, imprecations…his type of prayers are a good model for us, because he conversed with the Savior through prayer as if the LORD was standing right beside David. In effect Jesus was, and David knew that.

No matter how you pray, the point is, pray. It’s a mechanism that is commanded, after all, but it is also a grace that we have been given as a gift. Practice focusing on what you are saying to the Lord and not drifting off, because He is standing right there with you (and me) after all.

In the end, when Hannah finished pouring out her prayer to the LORD, “her face was no longer downcast.” (1 Samuel 1:18). What a blessing to be able to commune with Jesus.

“Our first act in prayer ought to be the yielding of our souls to the power of the blood of Christ”. ~The Hidden Life of Prayer, by David MacIntyre.

rejoice in hope prayer
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Another good reason to develop discernment

Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We’ve been commissioned by Jesus to share His Gospel with everybody and make disciples with those who convert. (Matthew 28:16-20).

And we do. But… There are some people, especially those close to us, who refuse to hear it, but we keep trying, for the sake of their eternal souls.

On the other hand we are told,

Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew 7:6).

How do we know when to stop sharing the Gospel with someone who refuses? How many times do we share it? After all, we are supposed to forgive seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:20-22). Do we share it that many times with the reluctant hearer? How do we know when to leave the peson who refuses aside? This is hard to do when it’s your dad or yrou uncle or your brother.

Here is where developing our discernment helps us. Matthew Henry has some advice.

As a rule to all in giving reproof. Our zeal against sin must be guided by discretion, and we must not go about to give instructions, counsels, and rebukes, much less comforts, to hardened scorners, to whom it will certainly do no good, but who will be exasperated and enraged at us. Throw a pearl to a swine, and he will resent it, as if you threw a stone at him; reproofs will be called reproaches, as they were (Lu. 11:45; Jer. 6:10), therefore give not to dogs and swine (unclean creatures) holy things.

Note, [1.] Good counsel and reproof are a holy thing, and a pearl: they are ordinances of God, they are precious; as an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is the wise reprover (Prov. 25:12), and a wise reproof is like an excellent oil (Ps. 141:5); it is a tree of life (Prov. 3:18). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible

Warren Wiersbe also has some good advice.

As God’s people, we are privileged to handle the “holy things” of the Lord. He has entrusted to us the precious truths of the Word of God (2 Cor. 4:7), and we must regard them carefully. No dedicated priest would throw meat from the altar to a filthy dog, and only a fool would give pearls to a pig. While it is true that we must carry the Gospel “to every creature” (Mark 16:15), it is also true that we must not cheapen the Gospel by a ministry that lacks discernment. Even Jesus refused to talk to Herod (Luke 23:9), and Paul refused to argue with people who resisted the Word (Acts 13:44–49).

The reason for judgment, then, is not that we might condemn others, but that we might be able to minister to them. Notice that Jesus always dealt with individuals according to their needs and their spiritual condition. He did not have a memorized speech that He used with everybody. He discussed the new birth with Nicodemus, but He spoke of living water to the Samaritan woman. When the religious leaders tried to trap Him, He refused to answer their question (Matt. 21:23–27). It is a wise Christian who first assesses the condition of a person’s heart before sharing the precious pearls. Wiersbe, W. W. The Bible exposition commentary

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It’s imperative that we constantly train ourselves in discernment skills. Discernment is not only for the detecting of false teaching, but it is also an aid for helping us in witnessing, (among many other reasons!)

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebews 5:14).

theology

Thirty Days of Jesus Redux: Day 15, The Gift of Eternal Life

Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Further Reading

John Gill’s Exposition of 1 John 5:11

GotQuestions: What is Eternal Life?

Compelling Truth: What is eternal life?

Grace to You blog: Is eternal life always eternal?

~~~~~~~

Thirty Days of Jesus Series-

Introduction/Background
Day 1: The Virgin shall conceive
Day 2: A shoot from Jesse
Day 3: God sent His Son in the fullness of time

Day 4: Marry her, she will bear a Son
Day 5: The Babe has arrived!
Day 6: The Glory of Jesus
Day 7: Magi seek the Child
Day 8: The Magi offer gifts & worship
Day 9: The Child Grew Day 10: The boy Jesus at the Temple
Day 11: He was Obedient!
Day 12: The Son!
Day 13: God is pleased with His Son
Day 14: Propitiation

theology

Jesus was not born in a stable; more on ‘The Nativity’, art by Gari Melchers

Posted on December 10, 2018December 10, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I love biblical art, and I’m entranced with a few particular pieces. One I come back to a lot happens at Christmas time, and I love to look at it. I’ve written about it before, here, in December 2015, and here, in December 2017. It is called The Nativity, by Gari Melchers.

When preaching about this moment in history, Pastor S. Lewis Johnson emphasized the virgin conception rather than the virgin birth. He preached that the birth was typical, human, bloody, and messy. It was the conception that was immaculate. The art by American painter Gari Melchers depicts a scene more reflective of a birth than most nativity scenes usually do.

Here, we see a deeply concentrating Joseph gazing at his newborn son, perhaps pondering the spiritual implications of this new life that promised to bring new life to one and all. Note his furrowed brow. Mary, exhausted, drooping, leans against her husband sleepily, a recently used washbowl and cloth by her side. Is the glow from the Babe’s head, or the lantern that has been set by Him? The scene depicts exhaustion, wonder, light, and hope.

Julius Garibaldi Melchers (1860-1932) was an American artist. He was one of the leading American proponents of naturalism. He won a 1932 Gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, according to Wikipedia.

As for the setting itself, it is unusual in that it does not show the usual display of a barn or stable, with animals around. Certainly the Wise Men from the East were not present. Historically we know that appeared up to two years later, when Mary and Joseph were living in a house and the babe was a toddler. This is another reason I’ve always liked this painting, above all others. It is more closely historical and accurate than many people know in setting the scene in a house.

It was highly likely, almost certain, that Mary gave birth in a house. Perhaps the house was crowded with other relatives who’d arrived for the census prior to their arrival, so the only spot left was the downstairs entry where the animals were usually kept. Here is information about the likelihood that Jesus was not born in a barn or stable, but in a home, and probably a relative’s domicile. The essay also discusses what is meant by “inn”, and more.

Once More, Jesus was Not Born in a Stable

The mention of a ‘manger’ in Luke’s nativity story, suggesting animals, led mediaeval illustrators to depict the ox and the ass recognising the baby Jesus, so the natural setting was a stable—after all, isn’t that where animals are kept? (Answer: not necessarily!)

The third issue relates to our understanding of (you guessed it) the historical and social context of the story. In the first place, it would be unthinkable that Joseph, returning to his place of ancestral origins, would not have been received by family members, even if they were not close relatives.

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

theology

“If” then, and “If” now

Posted on December 9, 2018December 9, 2018 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Amy Carmichael was a missionary to India, arriving in 1895 to Dohnavur, just 30 miles from India’s southern tip. Once in South India she began evangelizing women and learning the difficult Tamil language. She developed a special burden for the many children who were dedicated by their parents to temple life, which included prostitution, and committed herself to rescuing them. She would travel long distances on hot, dusty roads just to save one child. Over her years there she saved over 1000 children from a dissipated, amoral, and spiritually barren life.

She retired from active missionary life in 1931 due to ill health, but remained in country, writing, helping incoming female missionaries, and encouraging those around her until her death in 1951. Amy wrote nearly 40 books, and penned hymns and songs, too. She died in 1951, having expended her life in sacrificial love for her Savior and through her work with missions in a difficult, dusty, hot country. She served there for 55 years, without furlough. Above, Amy with children, source Wikimedia.

While serving in India, Amy received a letter from a young lady who was considering life as a missionary. She asked Amy, “What is missionary life like?” Amy wrote back saying simply, “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.”

Dohnavur, India. Photo source

One of her writings was a short book about Calvary love in common life. Based on 1st Corinthians 13, it’s simply titled, If. It’s a little book with a huge understanding of what Calvary love means in our everyday lives. The book is a beloved classic, and quite powerful. The book is based on a series of If – Then statements. Here are a few excerpts:

Amy Carmichael’s If – Then statements encapsulating her life’s aim–

If I love to be loved more than to love, to be served more than to serve, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I belittle those whom I am called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points; if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting, “Who made thee to differ? And what hast thou that thou has not received?” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can easily discuss the shortcomings of any; if I can speak in a casual way of a child’s misdoings, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I rebuke without a pang, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I find myself taking lapses for granted, “Oh, that’s what they always do,” “Oh, of course she talks like that, he acts like that,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can write an unkind letter, speak an unkind word, think an unkind thought without grief and shame, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cut to 80 years later. There is a different sort of woman now, the women who create ministries apart from any church. Whose aim is to raise up women to lead (not to serve? Not to die?). Who delight in promoting their ministry with softened photos of feminine tables on manicured lawns, laid with china and fresh cut flowers.

This is a different sort of woman from Amy Carmichael, whose life among the dusty-hot roads of Tamil Nadu meant hardship and sacrifice. These are more modern evangelical-ish women, laughing joyfully as they skip through shallow Bible studies and look forward to being the next generation of leaders. These women have an If-Then statement too. Here it is.

If God is real…then what?

I wonder what Amy would have thought about their IF-Then statement. Perhaps she had women like these in mind when she wrote:

We [Protestants] have had some who have gone back to the early ideal, and lived it out. But they have had to press through the solid weight of modern Christianity, a sort of piled up decorousness, comfortableness, utter negation of the Cross as lived, shocked surprise at the bare thought of that.

It’s good to look back and see where we were and look at now and see where we are. The incremental creep away from biblical living and Calvary loving is hard to detect unless one deliberately shocks the system with cold, hard facts like this comparison between Amy Carmichael’s If-Then statements of Calvary love, and the foundational premise of a ministry based on doubting that God is even real.

Paul wrote, Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1). We all have a choice in who to imitate.

amy — A South India street, circa 1900, from book **Things as They Are**, by Amy Wilson-Carmichael