Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice (Ephesians 4:31).
Over the years I have been accused of slander. While I have no doubt those who accuse me of such a thing are searching for a way to discredit me because I’ve said a lot of things about them. What I’ve said has been pointed and sharp. I’ve been critical and used a serrated edge in many instances, but slander is a whole different thing. Actually, since I’ve written most of these things, technically, it’s called libel, but that seems to be splitting hairs, at least from my point of view. I have written hard things about them, that is for sure. They don’t like it, that’s also for sure. In one case, they disliked it so much that they wrote the elders asking them to ask me to stop. To the credit of these elders, they investigated and replied that they didn’t believe I had done anything wrong and told us to obey our conscience.
The issue of slander is real in the church. There are people who say things or write things about others that are not true, or the truth is distorted. That might be what my accusers think, I don’t know for sure. We haven’t discussed it. No matter, they don’t appreciate it. The New Testament contains the word slander ten times. It’s a tough word. I don’t mean the word is hard to say, it’s something that can do real damage to people.
In the verse above, Paul tells the Christians in Ephesus that they need to put away these things. They all go together. Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice. I don’t have to define each of these words for you, most of us have a good idea what they mean. But often slander, in most people’s minds, is saying mean things about someone. That is partially true, especially from the other person’s perspective.
The definition of slander is speech injurious to someone’s good name. It is effectually designed to tear down and hurt them, but the clincher is the statements are untrue.
Here is a helpful definition from the Pocket Dictionary of Ethics,
The act of uttering false statements, or disseminating misinformation, for the purpose of defaming or injuring the reputation of another person. Technically, slander occurs when the defamatory statement is articulated in a transient form such as audible speech. When the form is more permanent, such as in writing or a public broadcast, it becomes libel, and thus potentially a criminal offense.[1]
The Catholic Encyclopedia adds that it is known the person is innocent.
Slander is the attributing to another of a fault of which one knows him to be innocent. It contains a twofold malice, that which grows out of damage unjustly done to our neighbor’s good name and that of lying as well. [2]
The warning here, and especially from Scripture, is that it is hurtful and sinful. The warnings are abundant, and Jesus says it comes from the heart (Matt. 15:19, Mark 7:22).
I wrote this in a previous article that I think outlines my point. If I said or wrote that someone was a bank robber and my intent was to harm their reputation, knowing it wasn’t true, that would qualify as slander or libel. However, if I wrote or said they were a bank robber and they had been arrested, tried, and convicted of being a bank robber, that is not slander or libel. In no way do I intend to say something untrue about them to injure them.
With the case in point, as it relates to those I’ve been accused of slandering, it is my opinion, backed up by my experience, and the facts that I have stated these people are what I’ve claimed. For example, I’ve written a lengthy article on why I believe Mike Reid and the elders of Grace Fellowship are disqualified from ministry. This is not just my opinion. It is backed up by the things I stated above. My experience, the facts, and other eyewitnesses. I have no desire to defend myself to them, that is a lost cause, but what I wish to do is make a point made by Andrew Rappaport in one of the podcasts I participated. He said, if those making the accusation of slander cannot provide the evidence of slander, then they are the one slandering. In other words, if Mike Reid claims I’m slandering him, and he does, he needs to show me where I’ve done so. If he can’t, or he won’t, then he is slandering me.
I have abundant evidence of their claim of my slander. I’d like to know where I’ve slandered them. I believe I can provide evidence of every claim I’ve made that is derogatory about them, and that is a long list. It is a list attested to by many witnesses. It’s not an off-the-cuff thing, like he is a bank robber. I take my Christianity seriously, and I don’t want to willingly slander anyone. What I know is the practices and the things that occur at Grace Fellowship are damaging to people. Countless people. And with no end in sight. If Mike wants to believe that is slander he is welcome to think that, but I think I have plenty of evidence to support my case. I look forward to hearing what he has to say, but I expect I won’t.
Kevin Jandt
[1] Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith, Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, The IVP Pocket Reference Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 109.
[2] Joseph Delany, “Slander,” in The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, ed. Charles G. Herbermann et al. (New York: The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1907–1913).
Sometimes, we can say or write things that strike a chord with people. That can be good or bad, but it can also be profitable in causing someone to think. This should always be the goal when approaching sensitive topics. Most often, I see people who have formed their opinions or come to their convictions are rarely convinced to move outside their box and consider other views. I’m this way with certain things, and I’m sure you are. Mental health and the church should not be at odds with one another, but often that is the case. Is there room for modern methods, such as psychology and neuroscience,[1] that still allow for the sufficiency of Scripture in counseling? I sure hope so.
Recently, a man I knew committed suicide, and it set off, in my mind, a discussion and a renewed interest in the topic of mental health. What is the role of mental health in the life of a Christian? The Christian church is always and consistently under attack from the outside but also from the inside. Paul said that from within, savage wolves would arise (Acts 20:29-30). Mental health, similarly, arises from within. The secret thoughts of the mind, and those that come from a broken mind, can be the undoing or that which causes the greatest damage.
I also believe the church is ill-equipped to handle many of these challenges. I don’t mean all are ill-equipped, nor do I mean to say, “I am equipped.” Like many pastors and Seminary students, I’ve taken a semester of counseling. I even thought I would pursue this more, but I have not, at least for now. I’ve seen the lopsidedness of many, especially in the Reformed movement. I also want to acknowledge that I’m grateful for the course I took that sought to balance Christian and secular counseling.
Allow me to illustrate using examples from two well-known Christian counselors.
In his book, The Christian Counselor’s Manual – The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Jay Adams writes,
“Counseling, therefore, must be understood and conducted as a spiritual battle. The counselor must consider himself a solider of Christ engaged in spiritual warfare when counseling. For that battle the ‘full armour of God’ alone is sufficient. Unbelieving counselors not only lack such equipment, but moreover, obviously are totally ignorant of the true nature of this situation. In Fact, since they are soldiers in the army of Satan, they are on the other side and, therefore, hardly can be relied upon to free Christian counselees from Satan’s grips.”[2]
Adams, footnotes this quote and says, “Not that God, in His amazing providence, at times does not use unsaved persons to do just that and thus ‘make the wrath of man to praise Him.’ But, as faithful Christians, our responsibility is to turn to Christian counselors and not to test the Lord (Galatians 6:1). See The Big Umbrella, pp. 146-155.”
The quotation says a lot about Adams’s philosophy of counseling, and while I find the statement problematic on several levels, which I hope becomes clear through this article, he is not completely wrong. Yes, an unbeliever will not understand the spiritual nature of the battle, and their goal is not to have the counselee in right relationship with God, but are they unequipped to understand situations and offer valuable assistance? Are they ignorant to counsel someone who is hurting? Adams seems to hedge his bet with the footnote, and perhaps there is some hesitation within his thought process.
Can we take his words and apply them to other fields of study? What about modern medicine, say, a heart surgeon? Is he unequipped to perform an open-heart surgery because he is not a believer? Why does the Christian look at those who study the brain, in relationship to neuroscience or childhood development or modern psychology, as voodoo science when it comes to helping those in need, even Christian patients? I realize I’m painting with a wide brush by including different fields of study. Still, these have all too often been viewed as illegitimate by many Christians. Not only illegitimate but often ridiculed.
I want to clarify that I’m not discounting the authority or sufficiency of Scripture, but Scripture does not speak to every single issue and offers solutions to all possible scenarios. For example, what about Alzheimer’s and Dementia, or brain injuries that can occur through a car accident or other severe damage? What about childhood trauma or spiritual abuse? These are different categories and can include not only physical damage but also spiritual damage.
Edward Welch wrote in his book Blame It on the Brain? – Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders, and Disobedience“
I have found that a rudimentary understanding of brain functioning can be very useful when it comes to understanding and helping others. For example, a knowledge of brain function can help us answer questions about chemical imbalances and the appropriateness of psychiatric medicines. It can help us understand people whose ability to learn and think are different from our own. And it can also help us distinguish between physical and spiritual problems.”[3]
Welch’s understanding and writing include these important categories, yet he doesn’t excuse sin. In my experience, I’ve encountered a few people who are disciples of Adams, and they were not nearly as gracious as what is required for good counseling. I also do not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Adams has written many books on counseling, and they contain helpful and useful information for applying biblical truth to situations. Still, sadly, I see him held up as the standard bearer and his methods as gospel by some who lack empathy.
Developing discernment and having a heart of compassion combined with education, knowledge, and experience is the best guide to appropriate counseling. Rarely are things one size fits all. Welch shows balance. “Because theology is the lens through which Christians interpret all research, and it is essential that our lenses be clear and accurate.” [4] Welch never dismisses the biblical view of brain research but instead applies it where and when necessary while still acknowledging the value of modern sciences and areas of study, such as “genetics, neurochemistry, and brain injury and disease.”[5]
What I’ve observed seems to be an overreaction to modern psychology, neuroscience, childhood development, and similar fields that many Christians label secular and dismiss any value they may hold. They take it to the extreme, and while I know there are extremes and bad practitioners in these fields, there are also bad actors in the Christian community who do more harm by outright rejecting these sciences. Things are rarely black or white.
I cannot hold your attention with the many categories involved, so let me mention depression as a general overview. Welch, quoting Martha Manning and William Styron, writes, “Depression has been called ‘a room in hell,’ a howling tempest in the brain.” Welch goes on to describe it like this, “When you listen to people describe their depression, you will hear two extremes. People will report that the pain is so intense that they want to die. Others will describe an emotional numbness in which they are already dead. Sometimes you will hear one person describe living with both extremes simultaneously.” [6]
The cause is not easy to determine, but it is real for the person suffering from depression. Welch once again describes this through the words of a friend, “A friend of mine wrote, ‘I am suicidal again. I have no energy or reason to fight. I am numb and tried all the things I know how to try. I know I won’t be able to function like this much longer. There is no one to talk to. I’m suffocating. I can think the best thoughts all day and I still feel like this. No one knows how badly I want to die. My thoughts are obsessive and won’t stop. They keep saying, ‘I want to die.’” [7]
The cost of a misdiagnosis here can be deadly. When well-meaning or not-so-well-meaning pastors or counselors attempt to lump this all under the banner of sin, there are bound to be consequences. Offering the wrong counsel can have deadly effects. Here is the danger of relying strictly on a nouthetic counselor like Adams. We know David had depression, as did Paul, Elijah, and Jeremiah. And the well-known preacher Charles Spurgeon. The brain is a complex machine capable of all kinds of things we know little about.
While counseling should involve the Scriptures and the spiritual, I am hard-pressed to say medications, modern psychology, and brain science are sinful. I often say that if one needs counsel outside the church, seek one that is not hostile to the Bible or Christianity. The surface has been barely scratched on this topic. It is deep, wide, and complicated. I caution those involved in counseling to seek the wisdom from above but never discount the opportunities from those trained to understand the brain at a higher level. This does not call into question God’s word or His authority. It does not discount the value of speaking about spiritual things to spiritual people. The Bible is sufficient, but God has given us His common grace that extends to all of mankind, including scientific developments that greatly value human existence and real human problems.
Most importantly, no matter where you land on this topic, love must be the guiding principle in all we do. As mentioned above, many have formed strong opinions about this topic and the answers. What I don’t think you will find in the Scriptures is a clear command seeking help outside the church is sinful. It seems to me Jay Adams takes it that far, and I think that is a shame. If you believe it is sinful, how would you counsel or speak with someone who doesn’t share your view? Will harsh judgment and condemnation rule your spirit, or can you say with Paul without love, you are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal? (1 Cor. 13:1).
Understanding and dealing with those who experience depression or other similar issues demands love and compassion. As Christians, we should be known for our compassion and empathy. Here are some examples of what not to say, and these are direct quotes from friends who struggle,
“Depression is just a sin. It means you don’t have enough faith.”
“What do you have to be depressed/anxious about? Isn’t your joy in the Lord?”
“Jesus was a man of many sorrows for you. Why would you want to hold onto what he took away?”
“Try harder to have more joy. You worry too much about being happy. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is in God. I mean, what are you saying to God when you complain?”
“You’re suicidal? I thought you were saved?”
Rather than being one of Job’s worthless counselors, start by being slow to speak and quick to listen. Be a friend and show empathy. Be gentle and kind in your answers, especially when you don’t understand or can’t relate. I want to leave you with a beautiful poem by my dear friend Todd Pearson. He has struggled with depression for many years. You will hear and feel his pain. Above all, may the Lord guide us in His wisdom and His love for those who suffer (2 Corinthians 3-11).
Ne’er Again the Light
…The nature of my soul is singular… …There are darkened corners in recesses of my being… …Shades of shadows are the depth of my rest… …Darkness cloaks the guttural visceral reality of living…
…People speak of light but ne’er fathom perilous substance… …Light of love… …Luminescence of such amity…
…Yet, what of sleep… …Slumber finds you in its arms in depths of darkness… …Best reveries happen upon us in deep darkness embraced… …Vast nebulous expanses ill lit mark the safest of our hours…
-Ne’er Again the Light-
…Hollowness of words uttered mark emptied mastery… …Deity is luminosity… … Sanctuary is sunlit existence… …Veracity is brightness as lies lie in the twilight of betrayal…
…Heave your burdens out from the penumbra of self-isolation… …Diurnal course brings sanctified sanctuaried healing of the pnuema… …The best of intellect is bright… …Yet the least of intellect is darkness…
…Embrace light to grasp at hope… …The matter of very being is woven of strands of ascendent illumination… …To dwell there is to persevere in the peace of the masses…
-Ne’er Again the Light-
…Yet truth rests betwixt the shadows… …The one, say even I, that has only ever known dark… …Must remain in its abiding shelter or know only pain… … Conditioned to interweave solemn invulnerability with eclipse…
… Finding solace within the apportioned lot of one’s progenitor… …Seizing upon the succor of the known… … Shrinking instead from the light of inconceivable joy…
-Ne’er Again the Light-
… Had it been the best it would have been preferable… … Better to have never known the consolation of light… … Then to evermore dread its substance…
-Ne’er Again the Light-
…One dwells in the comfort of what is known… … Branching as it were on the tenebrous existence of habitual tranquility… …Amity of that arises from trepidation of experienced felicity…
… Preferable to the aching soul… … To have never known such bliss… … To have never clung to such joy…
… Then to have participated in facade of mocking reality… …To have given attestation to such hope… …That the burdened pnuema could ever behold… …. such joy…
…No ne’er again the light… -No- -Ne’er again the light-
[2] Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor’s Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, (Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1973), 117.
[3] Edward T. Welch, Blame it on the brain?: Distinguishing chemical imbalances, brain disorders, and disobedience. (Phillipsburg, NJ, P & R Publishing, 1998), 12.
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them (Ezekiel 34:1-4).
This article is a follow-up to my open letter to Ryan Peterson’s friends and family. In that letter, I desired to offer comfort and hope that Ryan’s life was properly and lovingly acknowledged. It is my deepest and most sincere desire to highlight the goodness in Ryan. The goodness that flowed to him through his relationship with his Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, I fully believe Ryan was a Christian, and as I said in my first article, that was not contingent upon his confession of sin or lack thereof but only on the work of Christ.
While I desire to be kind and gracious, what I heard from these funeral messages was grievous and unnecessary. It is the tone and tenor of which these grotesque examples of sermons were preached. It was as if they had no life experience with Ryan and didn’t believe him to be a saved man, although they didn’t dare to come right out and say it. What they did was hint around the topic and leave the audience wondering what egregious sin had taken over Ryan to cause him to end his life.
There was an agenda to this funeral service, and the only desire from those leading was to make their points with as much rigor and demand as they place on the lives of their congregants on a day-in and day-out basis. The Christian life was never designed to be under authoritarian rule. If you picked up anything from those sermons, I trust you saw the authoritarian and hostile environment GFC represents.
God has something to say about those who rule harshly, and the passage above was a firm rebuke to those shepherds of Israel who had a self-focused agenda. The passage needs little to no explanation. As for those who had to endure these sermons, I want to point out a few things about what the passage says: “The weak you have not strengthened (verse 4).” When you went to the funeral of Ryan Peterson, were you weak? Did you feel sick, injured, and lost? Was there a great loss to your soul?
Perhaps you thought you would hear good things about Ryan and his life that would strengthen or lift you, but it didn’t. It only felt condemning and harsh, “with force and harshness, you have ruled them.” What type of encouragement was this, and what was it designed to do, or who was it designed to serve?
Well, it certainly didn’t bring grace to the hearer. Despite Mike Reid mentioning he was a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church, grace was never mentioned again. Grace should have been the central focus; instead, it was sin.
The topic of sin is a popular one at GFC. It is THE topic. A great deal of time and energy is devoted to rooting out the sins of the congregation. This can be done through preaching, as you just experienced, personal interaction with the pastors, or via the admonishments of the other congregants.
It is a difficult society to reside in if you have sin, which we all do (1 John 1:8-9). These sermons were a looking glass into a society that has left countless people on the brink of hopelessness as they continue to muddle through another joyless day. You are only as good as your last interaction. They seem to forget that our worth is in Christ, not in behaviors and actions. Listening to Tyler preach, I wondered the point of bringing up Ryan’s sin and why this was so important.
I hate to refresh your memory on what he said, but this is warped and twisted thinking of a man who should seek to expound the glories of a Savior. Tyler said, “In the last four weeks, there have been hidden sins discovered that Ryan had kept from everyone for quite a long time.” “The weight of unconfessed, hidden sin will destroy anyone.” [1] (30:50).
Then he makes a disclaimer. “If anyone hears this and is shocked, and it makes them think differently about Ryan, it shouldn’t because the Bible says no one is good.”
I wish I could say I don’t understand what he is trying to say. The message here is loud and clear, having spent much time with these people. For the disclaimer’s sake, this is only my opinion, as is the rest of this article, but Ryan’s memory deserves better than this.
In modern parlance, Bolkema is deflecting away from the responsibility they, as “shepherds,” bear. It’s not anyone’s fault, but Ryan’s because of his sin. His sin killed him. He was hiding it, and it destroyed him. It leaves me so empty and hollow inside thinking that this is how they cast dispersion onto Ryan and relieve themselves of any role they may have played in Ryan’s frame of mind, of which nobody truly knows except for him and God.
Here is the problem for them. They have no category for any mental illness, mental collapse, breakdown, depression, or a short-term imbalance in the brain. In GFC theology, the only answer is sin. Studying the brain and the science involved in knowing the countless scenarios that can bring a person to such an end is not a simple, black-or-white solution (See Tony Miano’s post below). It is shameful they said that Ryan decided to abandon his family, but this puts the focus on him and draws it away from them.
As one pastor I spoke to said, “You don’t minister to the living by kicking the dead,” and that is an awful burden for all those who loved Ryan to have to bear. In medical terms, this is a case of malpractice and misconduct. It is a gross case of misdiagnosis. You would think that showing grace, mercy, and compassion to those left behind and an invitation to search out the God that sent His Son to die for sinners might offer a more compassionate approach. Still, you have Mike Reid preaching the message he has preached for fifteen years: sin, judgment, and condemnation.
Who preaches a message like this, at a funeral no less, without believing these people need to be clubbed over the head rather than shown that Christ is a loving God that offers forgiveness from sin and rest from a weary world? Can the message of salvation be preached without berating and belittling?
Why can’t they say that we know Ryan was struggling, but we saw evidence of faith in his life, and we have complete confidence that he’s with the Lord?
Why?
Because sin is so important to their theology, Forty-one (41) times, Reid says the word sin or a derivation of the word in his “sermon,” now, to be fair, about six (6) of those discuss Christ as not having been a sinner, but that is still thirty-five (35) times he is discussing sin. He also uses the word wrath fourteen (14) times, condemn or condemned nine (9) times, and judgment four (4) times. And keep in mind this was only a 15-minute sermon.
In contrast, he only mentions grace when he states he’s a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church. He uses the word mercy three (3) times (outside of the song they sing at the end), and forgiveness is only mentioned once. He uses the word love three times in the context of God’s love.
This imbalance could not be more obvious. If I went back through all the years of Reid’s preaching nothing has changed. The imbalance here is unbearable and the primary reason we left and so many others left through the years.
In his excellent work, The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson writes, “In essence [legalism] it is any teaching that diminishes or distorts the generous love of God and the full freeness of his grace. It then distorts God’s graciousness revealed in his law and fails to see law set within its proper context in redemptive history as an expression of a gracious Father. This is the nature of legalism. Indeed we might say these are the natures of legalism.”[2]
In one sentence, Ferguson mentions grace three times. The gospel is good news, but one would be hard-pressed to walk away from those sermons, having received this as good news. For anyone who would listen, it isn’t easy to endure these men’s preaching, demeanor, and tone, which tragically hinders the good news.
Sinclair Ferguson highlights how important tone can be to preaching, “[T]he same reality was noted in the life and ministry of Robert Murray M’Cheyne. It was perhaps most movingly expressed in a letter that lay unopened on his desk on the day he died at the age of twenty-nine. A correspondent writing to thank him for a sermon he had preached commented that it was not merely what he had said but the manner in which he spoke that had made an indelible impression.”[3]
It is hard to miss the “tone” that emanates out of the mouths of Reid and Bolkema. It rarely, if ever, appeals to the conscience in a way that exudes love, care, and compassion, but its focus is the legal demands of the law and a heavy conviction of sin. That is not to say sin has no bearing on the life of one coming to Christ, but for the ministry of GFC, it is an ever-present formula presented to the congregation in a fire-hose manner.
Someday, I pray they will see the truth of what this place has done to people. They crush the spirit, wound the soul, and feed themselves rather than the people. I can only guess the food they enjoy is their quest for power and dominance. How can I make such a claim? It comes down to my experience, observations, and what the Scriptures teach us. Several key passages show us the evidence of false teaching. Listen to the words of these verses,
Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:15—16).
False prophets are called wolves, and what do wolves do to sheep, but kill and eat them, and the fruits of their teaching evidence this. I’ve written consistently about the damage done and specifically highlighted testimonies of those damaged through the years.
Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us back into slavery— (Gal 2:4).
False brothers will destroy Christian liberty and freedoms. External appearances will always judge you, and freedom and liberty will be destroyed.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Pet. 2:1).
The warnings are abundant, and these people will arise from within Christianity, as Paul also said in Acts 20:28. Again, he says these are wolves, and they will not spare the flock. When the flock is scattered, injured, wounded, and left uncared for, that is evidence of false prophets or wolves. Paul likely had Ezekiel 34 in mind as he said these words to the Ephesian elders.
The leadership of Grace Fellowship has a long and illustrious track record of this behavior. For those affected by this place, you are left to pick up the pieces, you will someday want answers, and I write as one willing to try and help answer them. Those calls, emails, or messages have, will, and do come. I have responded to many of them, and I pray someday, there will be answers that can help you cope with the damage that has been done.
It is not a healthy environment. It is not a place where you can take rest and comfort. It is rightly called a high-demand group for good reason. They will demand a lot from you, they will take a lot from you, and the only way NOT to be a victim is to speak out. I pray that anyone who reads this will understand my desire to expose such evil and call it what it is.
I consider myself a ponderer… because I like to ponder things long and hard before I make decisions. Maybe I’m really just a procrastinator. I think it’s possible that is more like it, but the bottom line is I should have written this article a long time ago.
I had an amazing conversation this past week with a long time friend. In the time I’ve known this friend I’ve gone from being a guy that talked about Jesus to being a guy that actually and truly lived for Jesus.
Even before I was truly regenerate I would discuss Jesus with my friend. And he noticed that. His wife also noticed it but when the Lord really saved me I went from talking about Jesus to living a life that gave me purpose in really being more diligent in how those discussions went. As my friend and I had this discussion this past week he said a couple things that really resonated with me.
Things like this… “well I’m not sure I’m all the way there yet, but I’m trying.” In digging a little deeper I realized that this is not a theologically correct statement, but I understood what my friend meant. What really encouraged me about this conversation, that was evident to me, was that his life looked very different than what it used to look. I think he was struggling to say, “hey Kevin, maybe God saved me, but I’m not really certain…” He didn’t have the words to articulate this but it’s possible he meant it.
As I consider his life before and as he described things that were happening in his life I have to ask the question. Did God save him? Is God “saving” him? It’s a question that takes on a pretty significant issue which is just how does that really happen? And there are other questions that need to be answered in this whole process.
How does God save? What does it mean to be saved? For what purpose does God save? I’m sure there are more but let’s start with these.
I bring up the topic today because when I look back at my life from pre-salvation, to initial salvation and then the sanctification and growth process I’ve almost forgotten how much God has accomplished in my life. In my discussion with my friend he said that he desired to learn so much more and in his own way was sharing what little information he knew with others in his life. And it dawned on me… wow, that was me… How could I so easily forget not everyone understand this stuff. And this “stuff” is pretty important.
How does God save?
This very question has a presupposition that most people will miss. What do we need to be saved from?
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
To get to our question we have to start somewhere and that starting place is the “lostness” of mankind. In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, He created man. God created man happy and holy (Question 21 in the children’s catechism). God not only created mankind but he gave us a soul that will never die and told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil lest he die. When Adam disobeyed God he plunged mankind into spiritual death. Mankind was cursed.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked… Ephesians 2:1-2
To have a starting point in salvation one must come to an understanding we are not only lost but we are dead. Dead spiritually with no ability on their own to come to God. Without hope and without opportunity because we are not only unable, but are also unwilling.
The part of “how God saves” is through an understanding of this predicament. God moves in the heart of a dead sinner by presenting the law of God that one might come to understanding of their helpless and hopeless condition. The law is a tutor that brings us to Christ through the message of the gospel (Galatians 3:23, Romans 1:16). The gospel is the good news which sets a sinner free from his captivity and slavery to sin (Romans 6:7).
This message of the gospel must come from an outside source because the sinner will not come to this revelation on his own. It generally comes through either reading the word, or mostly through the proclamation of the message through a messenger. A “preacher” if you will…
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:14
God uses the preaching of the word to save souls. For most all this is a foolish message (1 Corinthians 1:18) but yet this is how God does it. And if you weren’t saved via the gospel message you must examine if you’ve been saved to this gospel?
What does it mean to be saved?
When God created man the Genesis account says that God created man in His own image. That God breathed life into man.
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
The word breath means spirit, inspiration, soul. God gave man a soul. Created in His image Adam would live forever. Upon Adam’s disobedience he plunged all of mankind into death and the curse of God.
To be saved means that God can redeem us from the curse. He not only saves us from the curse, He saves us from the power and the penalty of the sin that we are born into. God did this for a simple reason but a reason that is not popular with most people. If you’ve been saved you must recognize that you were saved by God, saved for God and saved from God.
The God of the universe acquiesced to take on human flesh that He might accomplish what Adam could not. Christ came to be the better Adam. To fulfill the law that we would not be cursed under the law.
For what purpose does God save?
I’m unpopular in present day evangelicalism. I’m unpopular because God’s word is unpopular and I place my trust completely in what it says. I’m not trying to be arrogant in that statement because many will claim the same thing. But yet when it comes to the Sovereignty of God and the claims that He makes in His word we can get to a point pretty quickly that will separate the best of friends.
God saves for His glory
God is a God of love and God loves His people but the Bible says God does not love all people equally and the exclusivity of this statement is offensive. For many this makes God some sort of a monster that is toying around with people. I don’t see it that way but yet I’ve struggled with the concept just like I think most “normal” people would.
The Scriptures are clear but yet often times hard to accept.
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. – Ezekiel 36:22
This verse is God focused. This verse shows us some hard truth. God has tolerated a sinful creation that rebelled against the Creator. And to reveal the glory of the Creator, He in His Sovereign plan, for no reason other than His purposes chose out a group of people to glorify His name on this earth.
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. – John 17:24
Man is not a victim. Man is a willing participant in his sin. The sin that he loves and is unwilling to give up. There is so much more to say but yet the gospel message is simple and the offer is free to those that will come. And today I must ask you a very real question.
Will you come to Him today? On His terms, not yours?
For as an evangelist brother of mine says… “God will not negotiate with sinners…”
Do you recognize that, not only do you sin, but you are a sinner? If you are weary of the battle, then give it over to Him today and you will also find rest for your weary soul.
Do that today; for that is the purpose for which Christ came. I’m hoping He came to save you.
I am not a social commentator, I’m a Christian. I have no desire to be a social commentator, but I’ve found myself commenting on things in the news lately. The world we live in is a dark place, and it’s going to get worse and for those that are Christians we will find ourselves being more and more marginalized as society continues to degenerate.
I can remember Bruce Jenner as a great Olympic athlete, and not only an athlete, but a gold medalist in one of the toughest events in the Olympics, the decathlon. His commitment to achieve this level of “success” must have been hard to imagine.
And now he’s a she… at least in his mind. If you were to run into him somewhere you might think he’s a she also, but appearances can be misleading. As a Christian I’m a seller of truth. I only want to deal in truth, and my calling is to tell others about the truth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1
This is true. This is what God did.
Then God said, “Let Us, make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the seas, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. – Genesis 1:26-27
God created man in His own image, and gave man an eternal soul. Man is valuable to God, as he is an image bearer of the Creator. Of all the creatures on the earth, man has been created with a soul that will live forever. Bruce Jenner was created a man, and an image bearer of God, but what happened that caused a man to think he should be a woman? Isn’t that a legitimate question to ask ourselves?
Well, if you are a Christian, you should know the answer. But do you really know the answer, from the source of truth, and will you be prepared to have a conversation with someone when asked about it? Are you prepared to give an answer for the hope that lies within you?
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. – Genesis 6:5
There is a great battle that rages, and all of mankind seeks some meaning to life. Most seek some form of meaning through happiness. They believe they are called to happiness, and they even “deserve” to be happy. I would imagine, Bruce Jenner thinks becoming a woman will make him happy. Mankind seeks fulfillment through consumption. They desire to consume the joys of the earth whether that be entertainment, vacations, sex, or a bigger home. Man is always seeking the next big thing.
Man seeks to numb his pain, or consume through the use of some form of medication. He drinks himself into a state of no feeling. He brags about how much he enjoys strong drink and his prowess as an addict.
He doesn’t realize his problem is sin. He doesn’t realize there is joy in Christ, and God is in none of his thoughts, so he tries to rationalize his life, and he rejects the very God that created him in His image. He continues to reject the grace of God, and does all sorts of abominable things all the while declaring his own goodness. In the depraved mind of Bruce Jenner, he thinks he is doing the right thing and it’s proof that he doesn’t know the truth.
He doesn’t know that the truth could set him free…
He doesn’t know that when the Son sets him free, he is free indeed…
He doesn’t know that he will face God’s wrath unless he turns from his wicked ways…
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen. – Romans 1:24-25
Bruce Jenner, has been given up by God, and he has dishonored his body, and the Creator that created him. He has believed the lies that his sin will make him happy, and will offer a fulfilling life. He has served the created being, primarily himself. He doesn’t want to hear about it, because he believes he’s done the right thing. His mind and his heart are darkened. He has fully rejected the goodness of God.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting… – Romans 1:28
The King James Version says a “reprobate mind” which is a word used of metal that is cast away. It is unfit for use, unproved. It is a mind that has been so corrupted by sin, that it no longer thinks properly. The conscience has been so seared and hardened that it has lost its grip on reality.
The problem with God’s word, for most, is they won’t or can’t discern the truth from the lie. This is not difficult to understand, but it’s difficult to accept for those that don’t cherish the truth. This is an offense, and stumbling block to understanding Christianity. I expect this article will be an offense to many.
In the classic work “The Pilgrim’s Progress” on his journey to the Celestial City, Christian must face the trials of Vanity Fair. That place where sin and temptation run mostly unrestrained. The word vanity connotes a smug or egotistical complacency joined with emptiness, futility and a touch of frivolity. It’s not ironic that the magazine we most associate with this title has Jenner on its cover. The wisest man to ever live, told us that it is all vanity and not to be pursued (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). He told us how worthless of an endeavor it really is. All will face the temptations of the Vanity Fair, and in Bunyan’s allegory, those that prove to be true Christians will face great trials and persecution over their desire for truth, but will strand firm in the face of adversity.
If you are a Christian or you profess to be a Christian, you must be prepared to stand for the truth. How you react to this and the countless other acts of depravity that will come, determine whether you are truly in the Lord. Make no mistake, this will be the line that divides the pretenders from the true believers. If you believe you are somehow being progressive in your thinking or supportive of this lifestyle you are deceiving yourself, and you risk death. You risk the same death and judgment that awaits Bruce Jenner, lest he turn from his sin and live.
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. – Romans 1:32
Will you stand on truth or crumble under the weight of popular opinion? Will you be hated and persecuted for righteousness sake? Jesus said you must, or you’re not. A great dividing line is forming, and which side of it will you stand? Will you fear those that can kill your body, or fear Him that can kill your body and soul?
Jesus Christ came to this earth and fulfilled the law of God, that you and I have no hope of ever fulfilling. He suffered a brutal death on the cross, suffered the wrath of God that sinners can be declared righteous. That is the good news. We are all without hope unless we turn to Christ for the salvation that He freely offers, that stands true for me, it stands true for you, and it stands true for Bruce Jenner.
Seek the LORD while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. – Isaiah 55:6-7
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