Category: theology

Posted in theology

Heaven, Hell, & the Holiness of God’s Wrath

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I am working my way through a course called Heaven and Hell led by Dr. Kevin Zuber. The first half of the course focuses on hell and those false philosophies that try to explain hell away. The second half focuses on heaven. I’m almost there.

I’ve learned a lot, but mainly I’ve decided that we do not talk about hell enough.

When you mention ‘Jonathan Edwards,’ people immediately think of his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” a sermon that sparked an awakening in the pagans who heard it, an awakening which spread throughout New England and beyond, thanks to George Whitfield who pushed it on. Edwards is also known for his sermon titled “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton (1737),” a treatment on justification by faith. This sermon was reprinted and read widely across America and in Britain.

But Edwards was more than just the hellfire preacher. He was genuinely concerned for the sluggish, apathetic, sleepy pagans and the nominal Christians who professed but likely didn’t possess the Spirit. One of his goals was to awaken them to both heaven’s bliss and hell’s agonies. He actually preached on heaven more than hell, but his preaching on hell was startling and made deep impressions.

The following is from his 16 part series (16 parts!!) called “Heaven, a World of Love”. It is from part 16, the last part. Edwards contrasted the bliss of heaven he had already preached on in previous parts, with the holiness of God’s wrath in hell.

I know hell isn’t the most comfortable subject, but it is a big part of the Christian life. When we say ‘I’m saved!’ we should ask, FROM WHAT? From the just penalty of eternity in hell, paying for the sins we performed in this life against a holy God. Every person born on this planet is destined for hell by default because of our sin nature. (Babies and the cognitively unable are another subject). Please, please, gird up your loins, take a deep breath, and read on. We must confront the uncomfortable subject of hell. We must!

When you share the Gospel, DON’T leave out hell.

Here’s Jonathan Edwards:

What has been said on this subject may well awaken and alarm the impenitent. — And,

First, by putting them in mind of their misery, in that they have no portion or right in this world of love. You have heard what has been said of heaven, what kind of glory and blessedness is there, and how happy the saints and angels are in that world of perfect love. But consider that none of this belongs to you. When you hear of such things, you hear of that in which you have no interest. No such person as you, a wicked hater of God and Christ, and one that is under the power of a spirit of enmity against all that is good, shall ever enter there. Such as you are, never belong to the faithful Israel of God, and shall never enter their heavenly rest.

It may be said to you, as Peter said to Simon (Acts 8:21), “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God;” and as Nehemiah said to Sanballat and his associates (Neh. 2:20), “You have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.” If such a soul as yours should be admitted into heaven, that world of love, how nauseous would it be to those blest spirits whose souls are as a flame of love! and how would it discompose that loving and blessed society, and put everything in confusion! It would make heaven no longer heaven, if such souls should be admitted there. It would change it from a world of love to a world of hatred, and pride, and envy, and malice, and revenge, as this world is! But this shall never be; and the only alternative is, that such as you shall be shut out with “dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie,” (Rev. 22:15); that is, with all that is vile, and unclean, and unholy. And this subject may well awaken and alarm the impenitent,

Secondly, by showing them that they are in danger of hell, which is a world of hatred. There are three worlds. One is this, which is an intermediate world — a world in which good and evil are so mixed together as to be a sure sign that this world is not to continue forever. Another is heaven, a world of love, without any hatred. And the other is hell, a world of hatred, where there is no love, which is the world to which all of you who are in a Christless state properly belong. This last is the world where God manifests his displeasure and wrath, as in heaven he manifests his love. Everything in hell is hateful. There is not one solitary object there that is not odious and detestable, horrid and hateful. There is no person or thing to be seen there, that is amiable or lovely; nothing that is pure, or holy, or pleasant, but everything abominable and odious. There are no beings there but devils, and damned spirits that are like devils. Hell is, as it were, a vast den of poisonous hissing serpents; the old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and with him all his hateful brood.

In that dark world there are none but those whom God hates with a perfect and everlasting hatred. He exercises no love, and extends no mercy to any one object there, but pours out upon them horrors without mixture. All things in the wide universe that are hateful shall be gathered together in hell, as in a vast receptacle provided on purpose, that the universe which God has made may be cleansed of its filthiness, by casting it all into this great sink of wickedness and woe. It is a world prepared on purpose for the expression of God’s wrath. He has made hell for this; and he has no other use for it but there to testify forever his hatred of sin and sinners, where there is no token of love or mercy. There is nothing there but what shows forth the Divine indignation and wrath. Every object shows forth wrath. It is a world all overflowed with a deluge of wrath, as it were, with a deluge of liquid fire, so as to be called a lake of fire and brimstone, and the second death.

Further Resources

The sermon excerpt above, source is here.

The entire sermon contained in a short booklet you can download free or read online, is here.

A six-part series on the Life of Jonathan Edwards is here at Ligonier. I took this class, it’s good. First message is free, successive lessons are behind a paywall. Or, you can get Nichols’ book Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought in paperback (used) for $1.99 at Amazon.

Institute for Christian Life: Heaven & Hell by Dr. Zuber is here.

Posted in theology

American Family Radio drops Begg’s program over same-sex advice

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

American Family Radio dropped Alistair Begg’s program Truth for Life from their lineup

A few days ago I wrote about an interview that had surfaced between Bob Lepine and Alistair Begg which revealed that despite Begg’s normally solid and biblical stance that homosexuality is a sin, he had given a counselee advice for her to attend her grandson’s wedding to a transgender person, and bring a gift. That blog essay is here.

Begg’s remarks that sparked the outcry were contained in an interview from four months ago in September 2023 about the publication of his new book, The Christian Manifesto. Begg had said,

I asked the grandmother, “Does your grandson understand your belief in Jesus?”
“Yes.”
“Does your grandson understand that your belief in Jesus makes it such that you can’t countenance in any affirming way the choices that he has made in life?”
“Yes.”
I said, “Well then, okay. As long as he knows that, then I suggest that you do go to the ceremony. And I suggest that you buy them a gift.”
“Oh,” she said, “what?” She was caught off guard.
I said, “Well, here’s the thing: your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, ‘These people are what I always thought: judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything.’”

Begg has preached several times about homosexuality and same-sex issues, always aligned with what the Bible says. Therefore, Begg’s answer in this interview was surprising.

There was an outcry, there were pleas to be patient, heated social media discussions, and of course, lots going on in the background.

One of the background items was American Family Radio’s (AFR) concern over Begg’s stance. AFR hosts Begg’s program, Truth for Life (TFL). The company issued a statement that they had contacted TFL for clarification in order to have a frank discussion and determine the depth of Begg’s commitment to his comments.

Apparently it did not go well enough for American Family Radio to feel comfortable continuing to present Begg’s radio material to their listening public any further. They said that representatives speaking for Begg on the phone call maintained Begg’s stance was firmly held and he wasn’t budging. Though AFF and Truth for Life both agreed homosexuality was sin, regarding a trans wedding, Truth for Life “sees the issue as one of individual conscience.“

Whereas American Family Radio believes otherwise, saying,

“So the question is, if a Christian goes to a homosexual wedding, are they approving of it?” he said. “And our answer here is absolutely.” 

Though AFR pressed the issue, reconciliation was not possible. There is no misunderstanding and it is perfectly clear, “that Begg was standing by his comments from the September podcast.”

AFR therefore dropped the program from their lineup.

I give AFR congratulations for making what I am sure was a difficult and heartbreaking decision. The purity of the material presented to their Christian listening public, though, is paramount.

You can read more here from AFN: “Radio ministry drops pastor over same-sex wedding comments“

I think we all feel the same way that AFR does, which remarked at the end of their article:

“This isn’t something that we saw coming,” Wildmon told AFR listeners. “This isn’t like some of the others, evangelical leaders, that have drifted. This is not one that was on the list.”

Though the circle of credible pastors and theologians and teachers seem to be shrinking, if you are in a good and solid church, THANK the Lord. We are in dark days when the culture seems to be rising in strength daily to claim one or another of this one or that one. Pray for your pastors or elders. They need all the strength and prayers they can get to withstand the onslaught of a very strong secular and evil culture.

Posted in theology

“Please show me your glory!”

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Moses pleaded with God for Him to show His glory to Moses. What does this tell us about Moses? What does this tell us about us? But first, the passage in context: Exodus 33:17-23,

The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!” 21Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses had communed with God already on the Mount. He’d heard His voice. He had seen the burning bush, a manifestation of God’s power and sovereignty over creation. He’d been given the privilege of learning God’s own name from God’s own lips. He’d been told he had favor with God.

So why ask to see His glory? Is Moses being pushy? Selfish?

What’s happening here is that God had told Moses that he would continue leading the people to Canaan…BUT that God would not be with them. Moses then makes 3 pleas:

“In verses 12–14 he asked for something for himself as the mediator;
in verses 15–17 he asked for something for Israel as the people of God;
in verses 18–23 he asked for something for himself as a man who wanted to know God.“
Source- Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory.

Moses have been as close to God as any man till then and almost till now. But Moses wanted to know God MORE. The more we get to know God, the more we should want to know Him more. He should be our cornerstone of life.

“What Is the Glory of God?”
“The glory of God is the holiness of God put on display. That is, it is the infinite worth of God made manifest.” ~John Piper at Ligonier.org

Moses knew he could not successfully lead that fractious group of stiff-necked people to the Land. He needed God. Moses had spent decades in Egypt trying to do things his way. It didn’t work. He needed God.

More than that, he wanted God. He desired a close relationship with Him, to be in constant communication. To see God’s glory is to be reminded of his own station (lowly) and God’s station (Holy and perfect). Who wouldn’t WANT someone like that in your life? And God wasn’t just anyone, He is THE Someone.

What this shows us is that the more you are with God, the more you want Him. Our Bible reading and prayer life should motivate us to want to know more and more of Him. Have you ever been so overwhelmed with the majesty and wonder of God that you just cry out, MORE!?

Matthew Henry said of Moses,

“He had enjoyed as intimate a communion with God as ever any man had on this side heaven; and yet he is still desiring a further acquaintance.“

Do we?

Posted in theology

What does satan know about us?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

This was a question asked of me on my The End Time facebook page.

Good question. What DOES satan know about us?

Resource: Answers in Genesis, Who is Satan?

First of all let’s remind ourselves who satan is. Satan is actually a title. It means Adversary. He seems to have been a high angel, maybe the highest. Until sin was found in his heart and he decided he wanted to usurp God from His throne. Satan chose to sin. This is recounted in Isaiah 14:12-14. Then satan convinced a third of the angelic host to side with him, and there was rebellion in heaven. Unholy angels, fallen angels, are now called demons in common vernacular.

Satan (probably originally named Lucifer) and his minions fell from God’s favor and became enemies of God, and by proxy of the Israelites then of the Christians. Anything holy, good, or God-like – satan hates.

When God created the first man and woman, satan came down and messed with them, and convinced them to oppose God by disobeying and doubting His word. And we have been off and running ever since.

God is allowing satan and his evil ones latitude to do their worst, as part of God’s plan for humankind. Eventually, they all will be thrown in the Lake of Fire and punished forever for their rebellion.

Satan is known also as the Devil, Evil One, The Serpent, The Dragon.

There are two ways to interpret the question, what does he know about us humans, what does he know about each saint individually?

Satan cannot read our mind, whether we are saved nor not saved. Only God has the ability to know our thoughts and our heart (1 Kings 8:39; Acts 1:24). Satan cannot know our internal thoughts of each individual.

Resource:
–Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached about Good Angels here.
–LLoyd-Jones’ companion sermon about the unholy angels is lost but the transcript is here: fallen-angels-sermon-transcription-lloyd-jones

Collectively though, satan has been observing humankind for thousands of years. He is wily and subtle. He knows what our desires are in general. He tempted Eve with them, (Genesis 3:1-5) and he even tempted Jesus with them! (Matthew 4). Those desires are listed in 1 John 2:16; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

As he observes us (or more likely, his minions, most of us do not rate personal interference by satan himself), he simply sees what we press toward, what we say, how we act, and melds our temptations to what he or his demons observe in us.

I am not a fan of CS Lewis EXCEPT for his book The Screwtape Letters, which is an accurate and somewhat chilling recounting of a temptation of a Christian man from the perspective of an older demon educating his nephew demon on how to get the man away from Jesus.

Also it must be said, our own sin nature bedevils us more than demons haunting us. Mainly, satan and his demons leave us to our own devices, which if we do not kill that sin crouching at the door (Genesis 4:7), will have us- as the cartoon shows-

I am reading a Puritan Paperback called The Wiles of Satan. It’s by William Spurstowe. A Puritan Paperback is an updated language and a shortened version of the original. It has lots of scripture references and details how satan operates. I recommend it.

The author fleshed out the concepts and the one about speediness… eye opening. Satan does press us to do it, do it now! If we resist, and resist for a long time, then satan capitalizes on the frailty of our flesh and wearying us so that after a while of resisting it suddenly seems easier just to do the sin than spend the energy opposing his temptation. Man, we really ARE helpless sheep ripe for the slaughter!

But God! He made a way for us to oppose our sin nature, the world, and the devil. If we confess with our mouth and believe on Jesus, then he will save us and send the Holy Spirit to indwell us and be the Helper to resist. Most of us aren’t Job, where the devil personally provoked and hurt him. But demons are around, you can sometimes see them in the behavior of a false teacher (like Kenneth Copeland, as Justin Peters has said). The Bible tells us they do tempt us. So let’s not give them anything to tempt us with. The more we pursue holiness, the more the devil and his army will flee from us.

Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

FURTHER READING

Grace to You: Can satan hear our thoughts?

The End Time: Angels part 1

Podcast Haunted Cosmos (if you’re into the weird and strange)

Questions about Angels & Demons (All)

Posted in theology

What do I do here? What is “The End Time” blog about?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It’s 2024, and a new year. A fresh start. I’ve been blessed with many new readers and visitors to the site lately. I think it’s a good time to write a bit about me what I do here, and my goals with this blog and podcast.

I love the logarithmic spiral. To me it shows the creativity and precision of God who made the mollusk who inhabited the shell who knew to make the next chamber’s size to account for its next stage of growth.

I was converted as an adult in 2004. I was 43 years old. God is gracious to transfer me from the kingdom of darkness where there is only sin, to His kingdom of Light where there is joy and holiness. Over 4 decades of sin was washed away in a moment when He justified me (declared me righteous, IN His Son Jesus).

Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

I had a blog I’d started in 2006 called The Quiet Life. It was a relief to be able to write and self-publish. Before blogs came along, even before the internet came along (yes I’m THAT old!) gatekeepers to publishing held on to the doors tightly and hurdles to get published were high. Then came the internet and chat boards, then blogs, and finally streaming and podcasting. Now anyone could say something and send it into the ether to be read by the public.

I had been published a very few times in my adult life. Once in a literary journal, once in an academic education journal. I was overjoyed now that I could write and choose to publish it on my blog whenever I wanted to.

I process information by reading, of course, and then writing. I’ve always kept a notebook with me, often chronicling things, or jotting down observations. My favorite book in elementary school was Harriet the Spy, about a girl who obsessively chronicled things and wrote down observations in her notebook she always had with her. 🙂

I noticed a short after salvation that my personal musings on my blog were turning more religiously focused on Jesus. I decided to create a separate blog. The Quiet Life is about art, music, general life. I created The End Time in 2009 to write about what I was observing in the Bible, to distill complex theology into manageable (for me) bytes so I could understand the Lord’s word. And to use what I detected in me was a Spiritual Gift of Discernment.

Why “The End Time”? We are IN the end time. That’s the time between Jesus’ ascension and His return when He is building His church. The title is to remind us that all this will end one day. We are not citizens of earth but citizens of heaven. He may return any time, or we may be called home any time and called to account for our works while on earth after He saved us. Are we using the time well, for His glory? We must be about the Father’s business.

It is my joy to write and podcast for you; always pointing to Jesus, to exhort for a holier lifestyle in discernment, and passing along credible ministry links. These are my three goals with this blog.

I work full time as a para-professional in a school as the Literacy Interventionist. I help kids learn to read better. I enjoy books, art, classical and Southern Gospel music, and writing!

Posted in theology

Look unto Christ!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Charles Spurgeon was converted by a stumbling layman substituting in the pulpit for a pastor stuck elsewhere in a snowstorm. Spurgeon was making his way to his own church too, but the raging storm forced him to this tiny church instead, the Primitive Methodist Church at Colchester.

The layman, a cobbler or a tailor, didn’t say much, he didn’t even pronounce the words correctly, he just kept referring to the text. Here it is in the King James Version because that is the text the layman read,

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22).

You can read more of Spurgeon’s conversion story here, which is in Spurgeon’s own words and an encouraging read. You don’t have to be a seminary Ph.D. to share verses that the Lord uses to pierce a heart and a conscience.

Spurgeon referred to that moment frequently in his sermons and in his autobiography. Here is Charles Spurgeon excerpt of a sermon where he is speaking of the conscience.

Struggles of Conscience
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon September 23, 1860
Scripture: Job 13:23
From: New Park Street Pulpit Volume 6

Christ, that is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. The plain gospel is just this, “Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth.” “But, Lord, I cannot see anything.” “Look unto me.” 

“But, Lord, I do not feel.” “Look unto me.” 

“But, Lord, I cannot say I feel my need.” “Look unto me, not unto thyself; all this is looking to thyself.”

“But, Lord, I feel sometimes that I could do anything, but a week passes, and then I am hard of heart.” “Look unto me.”

“But Lord, I have often tried.” “Try no more, look unto me.”

“Oh, but Lord thou knowest.” “Yes. I know all things. I know everything, all thine iniquity and thy sins, but look unto me.”

“Oh, but often, Lord, when I have heard a sermon I feel impressed, yet it is like the morning cloud and the early dew; it passes away.” “Look unto me,” not to thy feelings or thy impressions, look unto me.”

“Well,” says one, “but will that really save me, just looking to Christ?”

My dear soul, if that does not save thee I am not saved. The only way in which I have been saved, and the only gospel I can find in the Bible is looking to Christ. “But if I go on in sin,” says one. But you cannot go on in sin; your looking to Christ will cure you that habit of sin. “But if my heart remains hard?” It cannot remain hard; you will find that looking to Christ will keep you from having a hard heart. It is just as we sing in the penitential hymn of gratitude,—

“Dissolved by thy mercy I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.”

Posted in theology

Prata potpourri: Video-palooza- Nature encounters, Beauty, and Creative Challenges

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

There is much ugliness in the world. I, too, am waiting for the day in heaven when the responsibilities Jesus gives us do not weigh so heavy. In the Garden, work was easy. It was after the fall that God cursed the ground and made labor so hard for us humans. (Genesis 3:17-19). The creatures were subject to the Fall too. All creation groans under the weight of sin that permeates everything. (Romans 8:21-22). Every leaf, every blade of grass, every cloud, nebulous as they look. Laced with sin. Our relationship with the animals changed and now they have the fear and dread of man put on them. (Genesis 9:2). Sin drenches everything.

Someday, all that will be reversed. Our relationship with each other, with the creation, and with His creatures will be released from sin and death.

I often think, when seeing a gorgeous sunset, a bounding animal, a delicate flower, if creation fell with Adam, and sin pollutes it all, and it’s still THIS beautiful, what will heaven be like? I love beauty. In these dark times when kindness is in short supply and pain presents a screen in front of our eyes to diminish God’s beauty around us, what will it be like in the future glory?

I saw a few videos of animals interacting with humans, animals doing their graceful thing they do. See this eagle. How majestic, graceful and beautiful. We can see why the eagle is used as a metaphor in Isaiah 40:31,

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

I don’t think leviathan is the whale but here is a verse that extols the Lord’s creation of the sea creatures,

LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. The ships move along there, And Leviathan, which You have formed to have fun in it. (Psalm 104:24-26)

Elephants are amazing! When I was a youth and learned of poachers killing them for their ivory tusks I was so crushed. Elephants are not mentioned in the Bible (though ivory is). This ancient synagogue’s excavation revealed a mosaic of a group of elements, a non-biblical scene. It is in Galilee. Article source

The Huqoq synagogue’s 5th century mosaic, with the upper part showing a war elephant. (photo credit: Jim Haberman). Huqoq is very near to Capernaum, Jesus’ frequent home base.

Watch 3 minutes of time lapse of flowers blooming. Just take a breath, pause, and let your thoughts go to God who made these, sustains these, season after season. Beauty is of God.

Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (Genesis 1:11-13).

And now for something completely different. I often set myself photo challenges. I liked his self-made challenge to capture 1000 human moments in one week. His advice on setting yourself a challenge, any challenge, and just get out there and do it is good advice.

I saw this video because I like notebooks. The algorithm pops these up on my Youtube timeline and I tuned into this one. We oldsters know the distracting capabilities of a phone or a computer. But it was refreshing to hear a youngster say it. He explained it so well how carrying his phone interrupted his creative process. He articulated the issue in a way I found perfect. Take a listen. 9-minutes.

Enjoy the videos, enjoy the day. The Lord God made it all.

Posted in theology

Attending a transgender/gay wedding? Alistair Begg’s reply and the outcry

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Scottish born Alistair Begg has been pastoring and preaching at Parkside Church in Cleveland since 1983. That’s over 40 years at the same church, something to celebrate. His online ministry is called Truth for Life.

He is well-known and looked at credibly by his peers. He has not been involved in any huge scandals. His preaching to my knowledge is straightforward and unapologetic on ALL the Bible’s texts.

This week a video surfaced where this past September 2023 Begg was interviewed by Bob Lepine at Truth for Life, promoting Begg’s new book, The Christian Manifesto. Begg was asked a question of how people might be changed reading Begg’s book. Part of Begg’s answer included a surprising reply.

Begg said he’d a conversation with a grandmother about her grandson inviting the grandma to the grandson’s wedding ceremony. He was marrying a transgender person. Begg acknowledged that people may not like his answer, but he said he’d encouraged the grandma to attend and to buy the homosexual couple a gift. It was OK because the grandma, she assured Begg, had already made known to her grandson that she doesn’t approve of his lifestyle, and that her disapproval was in the name of Jesus and the cause of holy sexual ethics. Begg said her attendance would signal love and compassion, and might take him by surprise, whereas her absence would spark accusations of judgmentalness and criticism.

Discernment thought #1

If we really think about Begg’s reply, it seems that his definition of love is more the world’s than Jesus’. When Jesus confronted the Woman at the Well about her sexual sin, He didn’t say I love you, here’s a housewarming gift for you and the man you’re living with, and by the way I don’t approve of your living situation. That would not make sense would it? It’s conflicting behavior.

Secondly, we never base a response to sin on whether the people would receive it critically. We are told to prepare for mocking and scoffing, hate, and even martyrdom. The lawless hate their deeds being brought to the light, but we must trust the Lord to convict them when we adhere to His standards and live and speak them into a darkening world.

Begg’s reply caused a furor online, with people’s reactions running the gamut from ‘off with his head’ to ‘what’s the big deal’. Most comments were somewhere in between.

Discernment thought #2

When a long-standing, credible pastor or teacher makes an “out there” reply to a question, or suddenly preaches something contrary to the word of God or to what he has preached before, take a breath. Here is Meg Basham’s take, one I agree with:

Megan Basham @megbasham Even the best, most godly preachers and teachers can have a bad take. Even a really bad take. I don’t stop listening to them unless it 1) becomes a pattern that shows a general lack of discernment or 2) clearly endorses heresy. I’m bummed about the Alistair Begg clip circulating. But it’s a bad take against a lifetime of faithful teaching. Hopefully he’ll address it. 39.9K Views

Discernment thought #3

But this is not the first time I scratched my head over something Begg said he believed. There are two other instances that I know of that gave me pause in Alistair Begg’s discernment in the recent past.

Issue with A. Begg #2 (the first issue being attending a trans/gay wedding, already discussed above).

In 2019 he preached that women can speak to the gathered congregation in church on a Sunday, if the elders decide they want her to. If she has something worthwhile to share. Since she is “not speaking as a pastor or in rule and authority”, she can teach at the podium, Begg said, and it does not violate the prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:12. Forbidding women from speaking to the church on a Sunday is “making a law out of a principle,” Begg advised. Listen to him say this here: “Christian Women” slide to 30:00.

No. Paul’s prohibition was clear. Women may not teach or usurp authority over a man, but to be in silence. An elder’s permission does not trump the biblical rule.

Issue with A. Begg #3

Also in 2019, Alistair Begg appeared at a conference with Beth Moore, Tony Evans, and a female reverend called Mary Hulst. His ministry was contacted by a concerned bystander, and amazingly they answered. Begg, through the media contact, said he was also concerned about Moore and Evans, but he’d committed to the conference prior to knowing who else would be there. He also said he wanted to preach the Gospel wherever he went. Lastly, he wasn’t sharing the platform with these folks, just being present at the same conference.

This to me, is a disingenuous answer. Sharing the conference IS sharing the platform. Sharing your good name with false teachers throws mud on your name AND the name of Jesus. It’s also biblically forbidden. Secondly, it’s foolish to agree to speak at a place before you know who else will be there. Just…don’t do that. No one does that. And preaching the gospel wherever you go…well, I’d answered that above. There are some places we don’t share with false teachers. Why else did Paul become so upset at the demon possessed girl? She was saying a TRUE thing, but it came from demonic lips.

What Does 2 John Have to Teach Us about Partnering with False Teachers? 9Marks-
What this means practically for those in ministry is that they should not, in any way, under any circumstance, lock arms with heretical teachers, pastors, authors, professors, or anyone in any capacity who comes to you bringing a different Jesus.

This includes: Conferences, Prayer Breakfasts, Bible Studies, Pastors Coalitions, Parachurch ministries, Pulpit Swaps, Book Recommendations, Article sharing or website promoting, And more.

The Trans/Gay Wedding issue

How would Begg’s peers who are at his level reply to a similar question? Here are past replies to the question “Would you attend a gay wedding if invited?” from other pastors. These comments are not a response to the current issue with Alistair.

John Piper: “No. One, it is not a wedding, because it is not a marriage…” more here.

John MacArthur: “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.” more here

Kevin DeYoung at Ligonier: “A wedding ceremony, in the Christian tradition, is first of all a worship service. So if the union being celebrated in the service cannot be biblically sanctioned as an act of worship, we believe the service lends credence to a lie. We cannot in good conscience participate in a service of false worship.” More here

Voddie Baucham:

Owen Strahan responds to Begg’s stance on attending gay weddings, here

RESOURCE–

Here is David Murray at Heart Head Hand blog (a counseling site) with a hypothetical answer on what he would say if his son came out as gay. I thought it was a good in-between response that showed his son fatherly love but also set Christian boundaries: What letter would you write to a gay son?

CONCLUSION

While we don’t leap on a teacher who has been solid for years with the first little tittle they say that appears to vary from the Bible, we do wait to see if there is a pattern. Alistair Begg has partnered with people who he knows aren’t solid, has overturned the prohibition for women teaching and preaching in church, and has seemed to have gone soft on practical applications in life regarding homosexuality/transgender. It is my opinion he has established a pattern that bears close watching. Perhaps the outcry will cause Pastor Begg to re-examine his stance in this hot-button issue, and perhaps he’d also pray for more discernment on the other two issues. We pray and wait to see.

Posted in theology

Correct-A-Meme #2

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I started a series in 2016 called #MemeHeresies. The name came from a sister named Jess Pickowicz who used it on Twitter (Now called X), she said I could use the name. I wrote three essays about memes that are passed around but actually contain heresies. I’ll link to those below.

Then in 2023 I changed the name to “Correct-A-Meme.” These are memes, that may not be actually heretical but do perpetuate false notions and false concepts twisted from the Bible. I’ll link to that one as well.

False doctrine does not come into a church and then to a congregant’s heart and mind solely by the pulpit. In fact, many pastors guard the pulpit vigilantly. It also comes in through the church library. Through Sunday School curricula. Through women’s studies (and men’s studies). And outside the church it comes in via social media, invitations to parachurch events, conferences…and memes.

Memes are not neutral. They are pithy statements of spiritual concepts passed around to audiences that number in the thousands. They may be correct. They may be correct but misquoted its source. Or, more normally, memes contain false doctrine. Picture milkweed seeds. Dandelions are weeds. Their seeds fly aloft in abundance and land indiscriminately to sprout more pesty weeds.

That said, there is a meme going around social media that I’d like to address. It contains several statements that I see often. They are usually misunderstood.

Here is the meme I am taking the time to correct. I’ll go through it line by line.

Line 1: “This year I want to be more like Jesus”.

This appears to be the thesis statement for the meme.

That is a great resolution. Our sanctification does move us from our innate depravity toward Christ-likeness. The Holy Spirit does that, along with our own individual efforts to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”. We pray, read His word, engage in holy living, and be obedient. These (and other efforts) will make us like Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

The meme then goes on to add specific ways to achieve the thesis:

Line 2: “Hang out with sinners”.

No. First of all, I’m offended by the language. Jesus didn’t ‘hang out’. He came to do specific work, which He began purposefully and completed purposefully. (Luke 2:49; John 19:30). Yes, Jesus engaged with sinners. He did so in order to call them to repentance. I wonder how many people who ‘hang out with sinners’ are telling them to repent for they are under wrath,…or are hanging out simply as a cover to continue their sinful ways…

Secondly, everyone is a sinner. At that time, almost all people were sinners. Only a few were called righteous or favored) (Simeon, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary…). It was the Pharisees who’d separated the demographic into righteous and sinner, calling tax collectors and prostitutes sinners but not themselves. Everyone is a sinner though. (Romans 3:10)

And remember, Jesus was perfectly holy. We are not. Many verses remind us of the dangers of partnering with sinners for any length of time. It is a snare that more likely brings us down rather than them, up. When you drop a glove in the mud, the mud doesn’t get glovey.

Psalm 1:1-2, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 22: 24–25 warns not to stay with sinners… In some cases we are told to move on if they reject, (Matthew 10:14) and in other cases warned to we are warned to avoid them completely, 2 Timothy 3: 2–5.

Line 3: “Upset religious people”.

No. This is called divisiveness. It’s bad to be divisive. Religious people are the brethren, blood-bought and part of our spiritual family. Why would you resolve to purposely upset your family? Titus 3:10 says “Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning“

Proverbs 6:19 says the LORD hates those who sow discord among brothers. If what is meant in Line 3 is to upset pastors, that’s worse. They are worthy of double honor. We are to submit to them, not upset them.

If it means upset the unsaved or the hypocrites who aren’t really saved but act as if they are, the Gospel will upset them naturally. They will be offended by truth, which to them is the aroma of death to death. (2 Corinthians 2:16). Don’t be purposefully divisive. It’s unbiblical.

Line 4: “Tell stories that make people think”

We’re not Jesus telling parables. Jesus’ parables often confused people, even the disciples. They asked him in Matthew 13:10, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Those who heard His parables (“stories”) often went away perplexed. That is because He was TRYING to confuse them. Even the disciples often had to ask what they meant.

If the meme means to tell “stories” that are anecdotes from your own experience, that’s not the word of God. The BEST thing to make people think is to share truth plainly, and then to pray the Holy Spirit applies it to their mind.

Speak the word from the Bible. Share verses and concepts plainly so as to give grace to the hearers. The word of God makes people think enough, as the Holy Spirit applies either conviction or transformation to the hearer.

Line 5: “Choose unpopular friends”

If they mean unpopular because they are unbelieving rampant sinners, then, as I said before, many verses advise against that. (2 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 1 John 2:15).

We are supposed to love everyone. (1 John 4:7). If the meme means to choose unpopular people because they are unpopular, then this is favoritism in reverse. Jesus frowns on partiality. (James 2:1).

This is good advice from the Old Testament:

‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness. (Leviticus 19:15).

Line 6: Be kind, loving, merciful

This is what the Bible tells us to do. Over and over. It’s a good resolution, but it needs a Bible verse attached:

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

Line 7: “Take naps on boats”

If you have access to a boat, then by all means nap away! However, the thesis at the top was to be more like Jesus. Napping on boats…unsure how that gets me to be more Christlike.

I parsed this meme hard because I wanted to highlight the absurdity of it. I also wanted to make the reader remember that when we absorb ANYTHING: movie, book, tv, meme, verses (often out of context on social media), we aren’t engaging in something neutral. I ask you all to THINK about what you are consuming. THINK about what you’re ;passing on. The nature of social media is fast superficial bytes without a lot of deep thought. Resist that.

Is napping on a boat really going to advance your sanctification? Will hanging out with sinners help your holiness? Is it good to purposely upset people?

Memes aren’t neutral. Think before you pass one of them on.

Further Reading

Justin Peters Inigo Montoya Series (That verse doesn’t mean what you think it means).

Correct-A-Meme

MemeHeresies on Facebook and how to refute them

MemeHeresy: Christine Caine’s nudges & whispers from God

MemeHeresy: Don’t be a Pineapple