Bringing Back the Blush

Several posts ago, I referenced 1 Corinthians 5:20 in talking about the mind. But sandwiched in the middle of this verse, between two phrases about thinking, is a four-word command:

“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”

(ESV, emphasis added)

Be infants in evil. Wow. Let’s think on that for a few moments.

Do you remember a time when you were too young to know that certain words were foul language or that certain gestures were obscene?

Maybe you can recall the first time you heard a particular four-letter word and acted like you knew what it meant just to fit in (even though you didn’t know exactly, but you could tell that it wasn’t very good.) Perhaps in such a situation you felt inferior to your peers because of your seeming naiveté. And perhaps you resolved to find out more about those kinds of things so that next time you would be “in the know.”

But is that the attitude we as Christians should have? Is that the kind of knowledge we are to be proud of?

To figure out what it means to be an infant in evil, let’s first think about what it means to be an infant in life. For one, infants are limited in their action. They can’t walk; they can’t feed themselves; they can’t climb the stairs or drive a car or wash the dishes. But infants are also limited in their knowledge. They can’t form a sentence; they can’t solve math problems; they can’t understand the concepts of history or science.  

Similarly, to be an infant in evil involves not doing evil things, but I would venture to argue that it also involves not knowing evil things. In other words, the admonition to “be infants in evil” lets us know that ignorance of certain worldly terminology or immoral actions is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. On the contrary, it should be celebrated!

Incidentally, this ignorance need not manifest itself in a “holier-than-thou” attitude. Undoubtedly, many who are “of the world” will interpret a Christian’s desire to be ignorant of certain worldly ideas as an elitist posture. But, though difficult, I believe it is possible to seek to be an infant in evil while being winsome to the world. We do not wish to be infants in evil because we think we are better than others but because we have been commanded by our Creator and Savior, and it is He who deserves our allegiance, not the one from whom we have been delivered.

Of course, once you know something, you can’t un-know it. So what about those of us who are not ignorant of evil things anymore? First, we can make sure that we don’t make our fellow believers feel belittled because of their own innocence. Second, we can refrain from trumpeting our worldly intelligence. Third, we can be on guard so that our knowledge does not translate into action. We must be watchful, because it is easy to become desensitized and for that desensitization to lead to committing evil ourselves.

We must ask the Lord to help us stand firm so that we do not become like the people spoken of in Jeremiah 6:15: “‘Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,’ says the LORD” (ESV, emphasis added).

As followers of Jesus Christ, let us not be embarrassed when we are naïve about the intimate details of worldly ways. Let us be more concerned over biblical illiteracy than we are over cultural illiteracy. And let us do what we can, as we seek to be obedient to our Lord, to bring back the blush in the church.

Memory and the Golden Rule

Probably one of the most well-known passages of Scripture is that known as the Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12—“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (ESV).

Perhaps you’ve heard parents reverse this admonition, asking their children, “Would you want someone to treat you that way?” [Usually the implied answer is no.] “Then don’t you go treating them that way.”

Overall, the Golden Rule has been accepted by Christians and non-Christians alike as a good life principle contributing to a better society, but is it more than just a moralistic saying? To answer this question, a few other questions must be asked. . .

Why is treating others the way we would want to be treated so important? Perhaps it’s because if we did so, presumably we would be treating others well.

And why is it so important that we treat others well? Well for one, you might be thinking, it’s the right thing to do. You wouldn’t be wrong. But why is it the right thing to do? It’s right because everyone is equally valuable as a human being created by God Himself and in His own image. To mistreat the creation is to insult the Creator.

That’s all well and good, but when it comes to living out the Golden Rule, how are we to do it?

With our selfish tendencies and self-centered thought-processes, it is not natural for us to put others first. But it is natural to put ourselves first, and Jesus tells us that we are to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves. We have no problem looking out for our own best interests, but how do we take that conscious step of projecting those “best interests” onto someone else?

Sometimes (indeed, most of the time) this requires a power outside our own, a strength from someone else—namely, God Himself. But I believe that oftentimes God’s ways of empowering us to fulfill His commands are through tools He has already provided us. In this case, one of those tools is memory.

I have an uncannily strong memory. Scenes from my past vividly replay themselves in my mind whether I want them to or not, particularly those that were accompanied by potent emotions. I think I have inherited this capacity for memories from my grandfather, yet while part of this memory may be genetically acquired, part has been consciously cultivated, especially when it comes to the Golden Rule.

From an early age, whenever I would be treated unpleasantly, I would make a mental note to remember how I felt in that moment so that, when I found myself in the other person’s position, I would not inflict such unpleasantness on others. Over the years, this has caused me to change the way I think and often the way I act because I have cultivated an ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes.

As an example of this practice, consider the typical senior-freshman relationship in high school or college. Freshmen are often looked down upon by seniors, belittled for their ignorance, or generally ignored. I think it’s safe to say that most freshmen don’t appreciate such treatment, but when they get to be seniors themselves they often treat freshmen just as they were treated, thinking that they’ve earned the right to dish it out just like they had it dished out to them.

But what if, instead, seniors took a moment to remember? What if they remembered the biting remarks, the snobbish looks, the dismissive attitudes? What if they remembered the way it felt to be belittled and resolved to make sure no one felt that way at their hands?

Then maybe, instead of just succumbing to the pattern they complained about as freshmen, they would do their part to change it.

The above example is just that—one example among many I could have chosen. Insert your own relationships into the equation, and the principle still applies.

If you are (or have been) a daughter-in-law, remember the things that frustrate(d) or hurt you in your relationship with your mother-in-law and resolve not to let those things exist in your relationship with your own children-in-law one day (or today). If you’re a student, remember what it is like so that when you become a teacher you will be more empathetic toward your students.

Indeed, empathy is one of the keys to living out the Golden Rule, and like so much else it is an ability that can be learned (more on that another time). And memory is perhaps one of the most helpful tools in cultivating an empathetic spirit. For when we store up memories, combined with a conscious determination and the indwelling presence of God, they provide the fodder needed for us to fulfill the law of Christ (see Gal. 6:2) and to live out the Golden Rule. 

To read the Arabic translation of this post, click here.

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Socialism and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I never thought I would see the day when a blatant socialist was receiving so much traction among the American electorate, but, alas, that day has come. And in listening to Bernie Sanders’s speeches and hearing the rapturous cheers of his audience, I can’t help but be reminded of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . . .

The scene opens with a cheerily cloaked man prancing through the square leading a horse-drawn cart as light-hearted music is heard. As the camera reveals his face, the music turns more ominous, suggesting to the audience that trouble might be on the way. However, the unsuspecting Jeremy and Jemima, playing inside nearby, hear only the calls of “Ice cream! Chocolate! All free today!”

Despite Jemima’s warnings, Jeremy is drawn to the window and gazes wide-eyed at the lollipops appearing just outside. The man continues to lure the children with promises of “cherry pie, cream puffs, ice cream, treacle tart…” once again reminding them that the items are “aaallll freeee  today!”

“Treacle tart!” Jeremy exclaims. “And all free!”

Only one more call from the man as he turns to leave and Jeremy is sold. He turns to run out the door, but Jemima reminds him that Truly instructed them to stay inside. His response? “We’ll get Truly some as well! Come on!”

With that, the siblings run to catch the man and his colorful cart. Elderly neighbors see Jeremy and Jemima run by and yell warnings but to no avail. Hearing the children run up behind him, the man with a sinister gleam in his eye turns to greet the children, pasting on a disarming smile and encouraging them with, “Come along, my little dears, my little mice.”

The children reach the cart, and their delighted screams reach a fevered pitch as the man asks what they would like, once again listing all the “free” items he had to give. All it takes now is for him to tell the children that the free goodies are inside the cart, and Jeremy and Jemima rush up the ladder. No sooner do their feet cross the threshold than they receive a rough push that sends them stumbling into the vehicle.

Immediately, the door slams shut and the colorful trappings of the cart fall away to reveal the children trapped in an ugly metal cage. The children’s screams have turned from delighted to horrified as the man carries them away with a maniacal laugh. The Child Catcher has struck again.

With this unsettling scene the parallels to socialism are staggering. Simply replace “cherry pie, cream puffs, and ice cream” with health care, housing, and a college education, and you begin to see the dangerous nature of socialists’ claims.  After all, who doesn’t like the sound of “free”? Especially, “All free!”

But just like the empty promises of the Child Catcher, socialist promises of free health care and free college are naïve at best, deceitful at worst. Yes, there really were lollipops, but there was no ice cream, no cream puffs, and certainly no treacle tart. We might get free health care, but what good will it do when there is nowhere to go to get that health care? Free college sounds great, but with degrees already as insignificant as they are now, of what value will they be when everyone has them?

Socialists are able to sell the public on the idea of all this free stuff because they imply that if these things were free, then our lives would be better. But a thoughtful consideration of the logical progression of such a state leads to the exact opposite conclusion—not to mention the fact that a reality where all is free is categorically impossible.

The phrase, “Nothing is free” is not just a description of the current state of affairs; it is an explanation of the persistent reality that everything costs something and someone has to pay that cost. Our own salvation is a perfect example of this. Eternal life is not free. No, we do not have to pay the price for our depravity ourselves, but the price was monumentally high, and it was paid by God Himself through the death of His Son Jesus.

Similarly, free health care, free college, free fill-in-the-blank is impossible. Everything costs, if not in money, then in time, in resources—i.e. in capital. But maybe you’re okay with that, as long as you’re not the one that has to pay. You might be thinking, Even if it costs someone, it can still be free for me . . . right?

Aside from that mentality’s being characterized by greed (which ironically is the vice that Bernie Sanders seems to be repudiating), it’s also naïve because, in the context of a socialist society, the services that are promised to be free are paid for by increased taxation—for everyone—and by government control of resources—everyone’s resources. So it might seem that you aren’t paying the cost, but you are—in money and, more importantly, in freedom.

The term “socialism” sounds positive enough, but its definition reveals the disturbing truth behind the disarming title: “Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy” (The American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition).

By giving in to a socialist government, you are giving over control of your life and your resources to a small group of people in the government who get to decide what is best for you and for everyone else. Don’t be deceived for a minute. It’s not just the Wall Street billionaires who are the target of socialist policies—everyone is affected.

Oh, but, everyone will benefit, supporters of Sanders might be thinking. That’s what Jeremy thought, too. He rationalized chasing after a suspicious man and ignoring the instruction of someone who knew more about the world than he did by convincing himself (and his sister) that they could get some free goodies for Truly too! But in truth no one got free goodies—only imprisonment.

Jeremy and Jemima didn’t heed the warnings of the townspeople either—people who knew who the Child Catcher was, had seen what he had done to other children in the past, and could see through his disarming façade. And in the end their dreams of free treats turned into the nightmare of being captured by the Child Catcher and enslaved to his will.

May we learn the lesson from those who have gone before us in other nations around the world. May we recognize that just as the “People’s Republic of China” is neither the people’s nor a republic, so can other democratic-sounding terms be plastered on an ideology that is the furthest thing from what they portray. And most importantly, may we not be deceived into giving up our freedom and our resources for the empty promise of “All free today!”

Love and Truth, Part 2: The Practical Side of Things

In an earlier post, I explored Romans 12:9-10 and the concepts of speaking truth from a posture of love.

I don’t know about you, but I’m an incredibly practical person. I can intellectually understand ideas, even ascribe to them, but I always want to know Okay, how is this going to happen? What does it look like when it’s fleshed out in everyday life?

This case is no exception, so it’s my hope in this post to share with you some of my ruminations on the practical side of things.

First of all, it is important to note that Paul writes, “Abhor what is evil” not who. We are to detest teachings and actions that are contrary to the gospel but not the people who hold to them. This is where it gets tricky. How do we convey utter detestation of the tenets to which someone holds without conveying abhorrence of the person? How do we communicate the love we have for someone while telling them that they have missed the mark?

Hold up, you may be thinking. What right do I have to tell anyone that they’ve “missed the mark”? Who am I to call out anybody on how they’re acting or what they say they believe?

Well, if you’re a follower of Christ and the other person is too, then you don’t just have a right to call them out, you have a responsibility. God has placed us as believers in a community of other believers for a variety of reasons, one of which is so that we can hold each other accountable. To do this requires opening our mouths and lovingly speaking the truth.

Which brings us back to the question, “How?” 

I don’t claim to have all the answers—or even most of them—but I do think one thing that is certainly beneficial is to do your “calling out” in person—or at least over the phone. Tone and body language can convey so much more than written words, from which any number of postures can be inferred.  

In addition, listen more than you talk. Ask questions. Yes, you are holding them accountable to what they say they profess to believe, but people straying from God are hurting people. So let them know that you care by listening to what they have to say and by providing a safe space for them to share their struggles openly.

Another thing we should remember is to avoid entering such conversations while depending on our own strength, our own intelligence, or our own ideas. In short—pray. A lot!

After all, if we are calling out a fellow believer on his or her behavior because it is contrary to Scripture, it’s because it is contrary to what God says, not because it goes against some code we invented ourselves. Therefore, we shouldn’t let our own opinions or egos get in the way. If, however, our calling them out is not because their behavior is contrary to Scripture, then I’d submit that we need to give second thoughts to calling them out at all. And, again, if we are saturating the issue in prayer, I believe God will reveal to us when we are out of line ourselves.

Sometimes, though, it will be necessary for us to voice concern to a fellow believer over the way he or she is living. For many of us, this does not come easily. We would rather shy away from situations that make us uncomfortable than risk offending someone or being hurt ourselves. But we followers of Christ are family; families are to have each other’s best interests at heart; and in the family of God our best interests are being right with Him.

So when we see a fellow believer living in open rebellion, we should be compelled to put aside our selfish considerations of comfort and speak to them in love. Because sometimes being silent is the most unloving course of all.

Why “Getting Things Done” Isn’t Most Important

It seems that a major theme of the GOP primary race this year is "outsider" vs. "Establishment," with the former being portrayed in a positive light and the latter in a negative one. I get that people are frustrated and/or angry with Congress for "not doing anything" and that many think we should throw out the whole lot and start over. But let's think about this for a second. . .

Yes, there are corrupt Congressmen and Senators, and I'm not trying to defend them. But there are legislators who are men and women of integrity. So just because they're not "getting things done," doesn't mean we should forsake our governmental structure or sell out to an “outsider” who promises to act, act, act.

I recognize that in many cases there is more that our elected officials in Congress could be doing, but I also recognize that legislating is a slow process—because it was intentionally designed that way.

Our form of government (a democratic republic) was created precisely to prevent decisions from being made quickly. Our Founders wisely knew that there needed to be processes in place to ensure that major decisions with profound ramifications for the nation would not be made lightly. That’s part of the reason we have two houses of Congress and three branches of government. They knew checks and balances were necessary to prevent tyranny, and dialogue and debate to avoid blind adherence to unexamined ideas.

So while it can be frustrating when it seems that the people we elected are not doing what we elected them to do, we should examine the causes behind their seeming inaction instead of passing a blanket judgment on all of Congress.

Furthermore, as citizens we need to guard against succumbing to our urge for instant gratification (in any realm of life, but particularly in government) because opening the door for hasty, unilateral decisions at the hands of a powerful executive may give us what we want now, but it doesn’t ensure that what we want will last or that we will get what is best rather than simply what we want. Nor does it ensure that the power used for good today will not be used for evil tomorrow. 

Another reality we must be mindful of is that just because someone has never held elected office before does not mean he or she is not a politician. That is to say, “outsider” is not synonymous with “morally upright” or “immune to corruption.” Many people seem to be supporting an “outsider” candidate with no view to that person’s behavior, attitude, or character, as if being an “outsider” is the golden standard. Additionally, they think an “outsider” can go into Washington and “get stuff done,” but they forget that there are limits to what one person—even the President—can do.

Promises may sound good, but we must recognize the reality of the situation. The next President is still going to have to operate within the form of government we have, which means working with Congress. And that means that a working knowledge of the way Congress has to operate would be helpful.

When looking at it from this perspective, it seems to me that an “Establishment” candidate should not be disregarded simply for being an elected official, but instead should be evaluated based on his behavior, attitude, and character. In fact, such an individual actually might be in a better position to work effectively within our systems of government to achieve a given agenda.

Above all, however, we must beware of letting our fears and frustrations cause us to put faith in a presidential candidate, each of whom is a fallen being like ourselves. There is only one Person who can assuage our fears and turn our frustrated dismay into joyous hope—the God-man Jesus Christ. I pray that if you know Him you will take your concerns for our nation to Him and ask Him for wisdom in carrying out your civic duty at the polls. And if you do not know Him and the hope and joy He brings, I pray that you will not rest until you have met Him for yourself.

For more on how our fear can cause us to blindly place our faith in the wrong places, take a look at this article by Gina Dalfonzo. 

Love and Truth

As followers of Christ, we are to be a people who show love and who proclaim the truth. Many of us are pretty good at doing each of these separately, but when it comes to exhibiting both in tandem we fall woefully short. We either become so focused on contending for doctrine that we forget to be considerate of others or we become so concerned with being loving (which we often wrongly translate to mean “accepting” or “not offending”) that we remain silent when God’s standards have been trampled upon. To do either is to fall off the tightrope strung between two extremes of error. 

Yet the difficulty of maintaining this balanced posture does not excuse us from doing so.

I, for one, have failed miserably in this area in the past and am still wrestling with what it practically looks like to love authentically and to speak the truth concurrently. Perhaps this is why, while reading Romans 12, I was particularly drawn to verses 9 and 10:

 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:9-10 (ESV)

The instruction to “abhor what is evil” and to “hold fast to what is good” is bookended by exhortations to love. This brings to mind 1 Corinthians 13:1-2, which explains that speaking eloquently or accurately means nothing if it is not done out of a heart of love. Clearly, love is crucial.

The verses in Romans, however, do not speak of just any kind of love. The Greek word for love in the phrase “Let love be genuine” is agape, the kind of love exhibited by God toward us. We know that God’s love for us is not contingent upon our merit but upon His character. And being indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we now have the ability to show this unrelenting, unconditional love to others as we have been commanded by Christ to do (Jn. 13:34-35).

Yet the second statement referencing love uses the word philadelphia, which refers to kindness, or as the verse itself expounds, “brotherly affection.” I think it is telling that Paul uses both types of love here. In doing so, he’s basically saying, “Love others in the way God has loved you—oh, and be nice while you’re at it!”

But it is also telling that in the middle of his instructions about love, he pointedly states, “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” “Abhor” is the Greek word apostugeo, which, according to Strong’s Concordance, can be defined, “to detest utterly.” That’s some pretty strong language. Similarly, “hold fast” is the word kollas, translated in Strong’s as “cleave” and meaning “to glue” or “to stick.” So we are to utterly detest evil and to be stuck like glue to what is good.    

In all of this, Paul is writing to believers in Rome—to the Church—so his appeal is directed to church life. His “one anothers” refer to fellow believers, and his directions to abhor evil and cling to good are to be carried out not only in individual believers’ lives but within the church community. 

In case you hadn’t noticed, Christians are not immune to deception. We can and do still succumb to evil in a host of different ways. Thus, it is critical that we help one another along in this journey with Jesus, that we hold one another accountable to the teaching of God’s Word, and that we do not abandon each other when failure ensues and things get messy.

Romans 12:9-10 gives us an important blueprint, I believe, for how we are to relate to one another in the church. From these verses we learn that we must begin with genuine agape. We must truly love others with a selfless love that seeks the good of the other person. With this foundation in place, we must speak biblical truth, calling evil and good what they are and “contend[ing] for the true gospel” (Platt and Merida 2014, 21). And in doing this, our manner must be characterized by brotherly affection. In other words, we must always, always, always be kind.

Citation: Platt, David and Tony Merida. Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Galatians. Nashville: Holman Reference, 2014.

The Importance of the Mind in the Life of a Christian

Several months ago, I listened to Jen Wilkin’s teaching at the Revive ’15 women’s conference and was compelled by her explanation of why we must engage our minds in our walk with Christ and not just our hearts. In making her case, she referred to Mark 12:30, which speaks of loving God with our minds, and to Romans 12:2, which identifies the mind as the place where transformation begins.

I won’t recount all of what she said now (you can watch her message here), but a few statements that stuck out to me were these:

“The path to the renewal of our feelings is through our thinking. Right thinking should inform right feeling. We can’t simply feel to feel differently; we must think to feel differently.”

“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.”

Since hearing Jen speak, I have been alert to other instances in Scripture that refer to the mind. One such passage is in 1 Corinthians 14. The context is spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy and tongues, but it is telling that in speaking to this topic Paul emphasizes the importance of the mind:

“Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” (vv.13-15, ESV)

He then explains that “if you give thanks with your spirit” (and presumably not with your mind), then others cannot be “built up” (vv. 16-17, ESV). Thus, not only is engaging our intellect crucial to our own spiritual growth, but it is important for the edification of our fellow believers.

Paul continues, once again drawing attention to the mind: “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” (v. 20, ESV)

Clearly, our minds are important. Yet how often do we neglect them in our daily life? How often do we let laziness take over, preferring to be entertained or spoon-fed rather than seeking to engage with Scripture personally and to wrestle with tough questions ourselves?

Feelings in and of themselves will inevitably waver. This is why it is critical that we base our feelings in a strong foundation of truth, or what Jen Wilkin calls “right thinking.” One of the ways we can build this foundation is to thoughtfully interact with the Bible, both by reading it and by studying it.

So instead of being content to be children in our thinking or to live out our relationship with Christ solely in the realm of the heart, let’s remember that God has given us a mind and that He’s given it to us for a reason. Let’s ask questions, cultivate our curiosity, exercise our minds, and watch how a growing knowledge of God through His Word will transform our lives.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind […].” 

~ Romans 12:2a, ESV

To read the Arabic translation of this post, click here.

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