Holy Lives Matter (Part 1)
Caveat Emptor is Latin for “let the buyer beware.” The phrase is a reminder for consumers to be discerning when making a purchase. For instance, it would be unconscionable to enter into an agreement to purchase a house without first carefully examining the property. In like manner, it would be a rare person who would even consider purchasing a used car without first having inspected it.
A Call for Discernment
Simply defined, discernment is “the ability to judge well.” For the Christian, the definition sharpens a bit to particularly mean “the ability to judge between truth and error.” Charles Spurgeon even went a step further in his definition when he said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”
While the Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows the gift of discernment on those whom He wishes (I Corinthians 12:10-11), all believers are called to practice discernment. Consider the following:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 ESV).
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 ESV).
“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14 ESV).
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10 ESV).
To say that Christians need to be more discerning is about as obvious as saying a mime needs more words. It has been heartbreaking to watch the downward spiral of the modern evangelical church, where the practice of biblical discernment is now often dismissed as judgmentalism. “Judge not that you be not judged” warn the naysayers.
But a closer look at Jesus’ words reveals that He is not condemning discernment or even rightfully assessing the sin of others, but He is referring to the practice of hypocritical judgmentalism. In other words, Jesus is condemning those who judge others while they are doing the same thing.
In the context of judging, Jesus decried in His great Sermon on the Mount, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-6 ESV)
So rather than being hypocritical in our judgment, we are instead called to practice discernment and scrutinize everything that we see and hear through the lens of the Word of God. In more common vernacular, we might say that we are to “be careful as to what we buy as true.” Just because the world seems to be advocating that something is true, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is true.
The Apostle Paul warned the church at Ephesus to remain diligent by “Let[ting] no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:6-10 ESV)
As Holy Spirit indwelt followers of Christ, we are now “children of light” and are not to be deceived with “empty words” but to practice discernment in all things. Paul’s practical warning to the church is not to avoid interaction with unbelievers, but to resist joining with them in their sin. God’s Word provides general principles for life and living, but the follower of Christ is responsible for using wisdom by applying those principles to particular situations and circumstances. The book of Proverbs is especially helpful in this regard as it provides the very wisdom that believers need to discern, apply and practice holy living.
The Movements and Mantras of our Day
To say that our world has dramatically changed within the past nine months or so would be an understatement. Few would argue that we are living in unprecedented times. Among the pressing issues of our day are the worldwide effects of the COVID-19 virus, the turmoil surrounding our nation’s upcoming presidential election, and accusations of racial inequity, social injustice and police brutality. In all of these matters, we need to practice discernment.
So buckle up, because in the months ahead we will take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and the Christian’s responsibility to authority—all in light of God’s Word and with His persistent demand for holiness in mind (I Peter 1:15). Because “Holy Lives Matter.”
Holy Lives Matter (Part 2)
In Kevin DeYoung’s cleverly titled book The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, he said, “Not only is holiness the goal of your redemption, it is necessary for your redemption. Now before you sound the legalist alarm, tie me up by my own moral bootstraps, and feed my carcass to the Galatians, we should see what Scripture has to say…It’s the consistent and frequent teaching of the Bible that those whose lives are marked by habitual ungodliness will not go to heaven. To find acquittal from God on the last day there must be evidence flowing out of us that grace has flowed into us.”
Indeed, the clear teaching of scripture is that every Christian is saved from something to something. The Apostle Peter exclaimed in I Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” As the undeserved recipients of God’s amazing grace, we have been called out of the domain of spiritual darkness and into the magnificent and glorious light of Christ. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In light of this new spiritual transformation, Peter says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY” (I Peter 1:14-16).
The command to be “holy” (Gr. hagios) is a call to “be different and unlike the rest; to be sacred and pure; to be set apart.” In short, because God is holy, we as His children are to be holy.
Our Problem
Often missed in Peter’s exhortation is the command for God’s children to refuse to “be conformed to (lit. “patterned after”) their former lusts.”
Let’s think about this. Prior to becoming a Christian, we thought like the world, we acted like the world and we sought the world’s approval. But, as Holy Spirit indwelt believers in Jesus Christ, the lens through which we now see the world has dramatically changed. Because of our new life in Christ, and our desire to honor Him and His Word, the world no longer has any use for us. As the Apostle John said, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (John 15:19). So, not only do we now view God and His Word differently, but we view the world differently.
Our Perception
Because of this, we recognize that the priorities and philosophies of this world emanate from unregenerate hearts. This naturally produces an anti-God, anti-Christian worldview that seeks to rationalize the answers to life’s biggest questions using human reasoning (I Corinthians 2:14).
Our Practice
This is why the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
It is true that we must live IN this world, but we don’t have to live LIKE this world. Instead of being conformed to this world, our minds are to be continually renewed by saturating ourselves in God’s Word and surrendering to the control of the Holy Spirit.
This is where biblical discernment reenters the picture. As we try to make sense of the many hot-button issues of our day, we must anchor our thoughts in scripture.
Our Position
With that in mind, let’s begin to use our Bibles to provide a good, solid foundation in our effort to examine the ongoing cries of systemic racism in our country.
–First, each man is responsible for his own sin and only Jesus can pay for the sins of others. (Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:5-7; Ephesians 1:7)
–Second, racism is an egregious sin, but is rooted in a false premise. There is but one race (the human race). A person’s worth is not found in the color of their skin but in the reality that all people are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Acts 17:26; Romans 10:12: James 2:9)
–Third, love is not defined as being tolerant of sin. Love has distinct characteristics.
Among them is that love is patient, kind and keeps no records of wrongs committed (I Corinthians 13:4-7). Indeed, love covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8)
–Fourth, man is never to attempt to repay evil with evil but is to repay evil with good. He is never to seek his own revenge…for vengeance belongs to the Lord. Instead, God prescribes kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. (Matthew 5:38-44; Romans 12:1721; Ephesians 4:32)
–Fifth, Jesus is the ultimate judge and one day every person will bow a knee to Him and confess Him as Lord. (Romans 14:11)
In our next article, we will begin to apply these biblical principles to the Black Lives Matter movement, Critical Race Theory and a host of related topics.
Holy Lives Matter (Part 3)
Imagine that there was a prominent organization that called themselves, “God Died.”
What would we think of it? Well, as Christians, it is the death of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ that is at the very heart of our faith. It is 100% true that the sinless Son of God died a cruel but intentional death on the cross of Calvary to propitiate the Father’s wrath against sin and fulfill His perfect, sovereign plan of redemption. We believe without equivocation that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, died for sinners. Indeed, this truth is at the core of the gospel message that we are called to proclaim.
But what if our understanding of “God Died” was not at all the full intent of the leaders of the “God Died” organization? What if they used that phrase to promote something that was antithetical to our biblical understanding of those words? What if they highjacked those words to promote an agenda that we as Christians could not endorse? Would we champion their cause? Would we wear a t-shirt with those words on it? Would we ignore the conflicting nature of the message of those words? Would we engage in the confusion that those words incite? No. At least I would hope not. What would we, as God’s people, need to do? Like anything else, we would need to clarify what we mean when we hear the words “God Died.”
Black Lives Matter
While not a perfect parallel, this is essentially what has happened with the high jacking of the words “Black Lives Matter (BLM).” We, as the redeemed of God, fully believe that every person is created in the image of God and is equally valued by God (Genesis 1:27). Every Christian should abhor any attempt by anyone to attempt to value or devalue someone based on their skin color. And in that context, with that biblical understanding, black lives absolutely matter (John 7:24; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 10:17; I Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28; James 2:8-9; et al.). To believe anything less would be sinful.
But the “Black Lives Matter” organization was not founded on any sort of biblical ideal or principal, but on a godless ideology rooted in Marxism. With just a few clicks of our computer mouse, we come face to face with a mountain of concerning information about the intentions of this organization and confronted with several very telling quotes attributable to their leaders.
BLM was founded in 2013 by three black women (two of whom self-identify as “queer”) on the heels of the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager.
In a readily available 2015 video interview on The Real News Network (therealnews.com), Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of BLM, minced no words when she said that she and her fellow organizer(s) are “trained Marxists,” referring to the anti-God, socialistic views of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher. When asked by the interviewer to share the ideological framework of the organization, Cullors said, “The first thing, I think, is that we actually do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia in particular are trained organizers,” referring to BLM co-founder Alicia Garza. “We are trained Marxists. We are super-versed on, sort of, ideological theories. And I think that’s what we really tried to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many black folk.”
But could it be that the BLM organizers’ intent was not to actually build a movement that “could be (positively) utilized by many, many black folk”, but instead, to pull a bait and switch hoping to manipulate “many, many (well-meaning) black folk” to unwittingly champion their radical socialistic cause? It is hard to know for sure, but what we do know is the leaders of the BLM movement espouse the radical views of Karl Marx. And that is extremely problematic.
Why? Because Marx was the co-author of the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” written in 1848, at a time of revolutionary turmoil in Europe. His views were readily embraced by the Soviet Bloc throughout the much of the 20th century. For Marx, the ultimate goal was “the conquest of political power by workers, the abolition of private property, and the eventual establishment of a classless and stateless communist society.” Modern day Marxists like the leaders of the BLM movement embrace more of a hybrid “Cultural Marxism” with the over-arching goal of subverting western culture.
Among the many other troubling positions of the BLM organization is the attempted suppression and diminishment of the nuclear family and the promotion of LGBTQ ideals. These too are in direct opposition to the clear teaching of Scripture, for it is Creator God’s design for one man and one woman to unite in the covenant of marriage (Ephesians
5:31).
The Scriptures give several reasons as to why God designed marriage the way that He did. Among them are:
–Marriage was designed for companionship (Genesis 2:18).
–Marriage was designed for the purpose of procreating (Genesis 1:28).
–Marriage was designed for physical pleasure and a protection from sexual immorality (I Corinthians 6:18; Hebrews 13:4).
–Marriage was designed as an earthly picture of the church (Ephesians 5:32).
In summary, because of the belief system and purpose of the BLM organization, we as Christians only sow confusion when we use and promote the words “Black Lives Matter.” So, in our pursuit of holiness, it is incumbent on us to clarify rather than confuse, to correct rather than capitulate, and to condemn rather than coalesce. We actually need to love our neighbors enough (Mark 12:31; Romans 13:8-10) to enter the discourse and take the time to explain what the Bible teaches about all of these important issues of life.
Holy Live Matter (Part 4)
With a twinkle in his eye, my wise and discerning grandfather once pulled me aside and offered me some sage advice. He said, “Duke, (my name is Dave, but for some reason he called me “Duke”) as you walk through life, don’t believe everything that you hear and only half of what you see.”
As I grew older and became more mature in my faith, I began to grasp the reality of his words. As Bible-believing Christians, we are proponents of truth (Psalm 19:9; John 17:17). Meaning, that everything we hear and see requires biblical scrutiny.
For those of us who now have a little tread worn off our tires, skepticism has become our new default position. As we are increasingly bombarded with new and/or repackaged information and theories (Ecclesiastes 1:9), we too need to be diligent to exercise wisdom and discernment in all things (I John 4:1; Ephesians 5:6-10).
The Apostle Paul warned the church at Colossi to “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ” (Colossians 2:8).
In other words, the problem with human philosophies and human theories, is that they are human.
Critical Race Theory (CRT)
Like every other human theory, CRT requires our careful consideration and examination. Especially, because as God’s people we are to abhor the sin of racism and personal favoritism (James 2:1).
In short, CRT is an assumption driven theory that makes race (skin color) the prism through which every aspect of life is viewed. CRT adherents presuppose that there is a systemic racism that is deeply embedded in the fabric of our American society. In essence, the lighter your skin color, the more racist you are. In the world of CRT, there are two groups, the oppressors and the oppressed.
For example, if a lighter skinned law enforcement officer shoots and kills a darker skinned citizen in the line of duty, CRT proponents immediately jump to the conclusion that it must have been racially motivated and is therefore unjust. This broad-brush presupposition ignores personal responsibility and is highly divisive.
While giving the appearance of a righteous and noble ideology, CRT is a poisonous worldview that is antithetical to Scripture and should be rejected by the Christian.
Why? Because one of the foundational principles of Scripture is that each person is individually responsible before God for his or her own sin, not the sins of others.
Consider the following Old Testament passages:
“The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.” (Ezekiel 18:20)
“Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone.” (Deuteronomy 24:16)
“But he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, in obedience to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.” (2 Kings 14:6)
Intersectionality
CRT and intersectionality are two peas in a pod. In keeping with their collective presupposition that there are only two groups, the oppressors and the oppressed, intersectionality attempts to create a ladder of victimhood.
In their view, because white, heterosexual males have been the most privileged subset in society, they are now to be relegated to the bottom step of the ladder. Instead of every person being treated equally according to their own character, ability and qualification, special accommodations are to be made for those who they determine have been the most marginalized. So, as you can imagine, their ladder is very long, but perhaps their top step of privilege (for now) might be reserved for a poor, handicapped, black homosexual transgendered woman. You see how it goes.
Of course, conspicuously missing from their playbook are the bedrock doctrines of the sovereignty and justice of God. Seemingly forgotten are the comforting truths found in Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20 that remind us that “God causes all things to work together for good”, and even what “some intend for evil, God intends for good.” The Apostle Paul specifically warned against taking our own revenge, but instead we are to leave room for the wrath of God, for “’vengeance is Mine, I will repay’, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
So, where’s the balance? Can we as God’s people hate racism and reject CRT and intersectionality? Absolutely. And we should. Consider the word of our Lord to Moses:
“You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not show partiality to the poor nor give preference to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people; and you are not to jeopardize the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD. ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may certainly rebuke your neighbor, but you are not to incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:1518)
The Bible is sufficient for everything that we need to know about how to live our lives for God (2 Peter 1:3). Let’s anchor there.