What Has Christ To Do With Self-Deception ?

Christ is Who He IS.  That's what "I AM THAT I AM" means.

Our identity derives from His.  Acting in His Spirit, a Christian "puts on Christ," becoming one who is Who Christ IS.  Modifying the reality of our identity makes of a Christian one who Christ is not. 

This is a major problem for American Christians, many of whom choose to identify as "conservative Christians."

The problem is, first of all, that "conservative" is a political denominator.  Christians were led to so think themselves by politicians, and the politicians' followers in Christian "leadership:" not by scripture's affirmation.  Modifying their identity in this unscriptural ways, American Christians have foolishly chosen to take their identity from a deeply unChristian political faction, and its unrighteousness...rather than from Christ.

But the greater problem is that "conservative Christianity" modifies Christianity (and Christians) by a lie...contrary Christ's "Spirit of Truth."

"Conservative" Christians use that modifier to pridefully distinguish themselves from those they call "liberal" Christians.  By "liberal Christians," they mean those who don't believe the Bible is fully God-breathed, or Jesus' mother was not technically a "virgin," or Christ is not literally returning at God's appointed end-time, etc.

I leave it to any Christian who reads here: are such unbelievers in any sense "Christians" !?!?  Is it not a lie to denominate them so, in order to distinguish yourself from them ?  Isn't "Christian," unmodified, the express and complete distinction from "unbeliever" ?

What is the reality of "conservative" Christianity, except that it deceives Christians about who they really are ?

Apologia pro Vita Sua

Some readers don't like my blog-posts.  Usually that's because they disagree with my views on politics, and I write frequently about politics.

But as our brother-in-Christ Tim so wisely says, it's not really about politics.

And I figure people's perception it is says a great deal more about the mindset they are coming from, than mine.

I know the mindset I am coming from, as surely as I would know being on fire.  God has given me an intense passion that the Church, the Body of Christ, Christians, act in the Spirit of Christ.

That's not a desire from my natural heart. Nor did I choose it for myself.  No one would.  It is a fierce desire guaranteed, always and inevitably, to break any man's heart.  It breaks God's Heart...that no one, Christians included, will ever from their natural heart act in the Spirit of Christ: and that everyone, Including Christians, tends to act first from their natural heart. 

Yet God's intense desire for each member of the Body of Christ is that we act contrary to our natural heart.   I'm surprised when people can't perceive "where I'm coming from:" but surprised most of all when Christians can't hear in it God's most burning desire for them.

I'm also surprised anyone believes that we can talk honestly about unrighteousness in the American Church without talking about politics.  The deceiver's thoughts and attitudes in the hearts of today's American Christians have virtually all been insinuated there from politics.  And the unrighteousness infecting American Christianity most notably manifests in Christians' political ideas and deeds.

When I write about what scripture says is righteousness or unrighteousness: scriptures about Truth or lies, about being merciful to the poor and refugees, about arrogance and rebellion, about loving good and doing justice: I often use politicians' words or political events as specific, widely-known examples...usually bad examples.

But those who find my comments "too political" tip their hand.  When I write about righteousness and (especially) unrighteousness without using those examples, their reaction shows they know their political "heroes" and attitudes are bad examples. 

That some people find my comments "too political" tells me the Spirit sharpens to their hearts His condemnation of the political unrighteousness they accept...or even endorse.  What I pray is that The Spirit will also sharpen to their hearts His call for repentance, and His passion that Christians act in the Spirit of Christ.


Amen !

More Truth

"The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love...God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."  (John 4:8, 16)

 I'm thinking again about what it means when Jesus says "I AM...The Truth..." (John 14:6)  That's been the core of my Christology for some years: as it SHOULD be for everyone's Christology (along with His Self-identification as "The Way" and "The Life").

I'm thinking even more about what it means that Jesus IS "The Truth," as the contrast between Himself and the "post-truth" world grows wider and more stark.

I am fully convinced (including experientially) that Jesus is God, powerful and able to do whatever He will: able even to BE an abstract noun.  But it seemed one of His "hard sayings" (John 6:60, KJV); such as when He identified Himself as the "Bread" from heaven, which we must eat to "abide" in Him.

"I AM...The Truth" seems a "difficult statement" (in the NASB's translation).  Most difficult of all, to understand how we can functionally identify with Him...the essence of faith.

It helped, as I studied, to see that in Greek there is a verb "to truth," used in Galatians 4:16 (translated, "tell the truth"), and Ephesians 4:15 (translated, "speak the truth").  In both cases, "truth" is an action we are exhorted to do.

 But the greater understanding came in testing Jesus' words.  If Jesus IS "Truth," every scriptural mention of "truth" should still make sense when His name was substituted for "truth."

It was a convincing test: and one that gave further light.  "You will know Jesus, and Jesus will make you free" (John 8:32) particularly stood out.  As it did that God's Spirit is repeatedly called "the Spirit of Jesus" (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13).  The clincher was that He asked the Father to sanctify us in Truth/Jesus, because "Your word is Jesus" (John 17:17).

Jesus gave us a hard saying to understand, when He told us Who He IS.  But He also gave us operational understanding in which to act in identity with Who He IS.

That understanding is obvious, and simple.  Those who love Jesus love truth.  Those who follow Jesus, follow truth.

It's exactly analogous to what the opening scripture (above) tells us: God's identifies Himself as Love...and all who are His, love in identity with Who He IS.

By this we "test [ourselves], to see if [we] are in the faith" (II Corinthians 13:5).  We can know that we "...[have] both the Father and Son" (II John 1:9) when we are "truthing in love" (Ephesians 4:15).

And by that same measure with which we measure ourselves, we can unmistakably know the "many deceivers...and the antichrist" abroad in this world (II John 1:7).  They are those not merely devoid of truth and love: they actively embrace and walk in the spirit of their "father, the devil;" and Jesus said he is a murderer and a liar (John 8:44).

The deceived of today's "post-truth" world (including many "Christians") are unabashed in their desire to be ruled by unrighteousness, by love for violence and lies.  But in this world of darkness, God is making His light even brighter.

To all with Spiritual eyes to see, He is today giving increasing clarity of vision...to know Him more clearly, and more fully, as "The Truth."  To those who receive Him as "The Truth" He IS, He gives the power to become "sons of God"...as He IS (John 1:9).

Two Spirits Manifest

Dylann Roof goes on trial today in South Carolina.

He was the young man who shot and killed nine people at a church' Bible-study.

Roof is white, and his victims were black, gathered at their black church. As hard as it is to believe (especially in Charleston, the mother-city of the Confederacy), his victims welcomed Roof to join them. Shouldn't God's people welcome all who desire to join them ?

They doubtless offered prayer, with Roof among them, that God would illuminate His word to their hearts; and opened and read the Bible together. Shouldn't God's people welcome all who desire to pray with them, all who desire to hear God's word ?

As hard as it is to believe, Roof spent an hour in fellowship with his victims, hearing God's word. Then he began to shoot them and kill them, one by one, hunting down and murdering those who attempted to flee.

It is hard to understand how, and especially WHY, a human being would act as Roof did. He was reportedly much influenced by white-supremacist ideas. If so, he was deceived by ideas which are lies in themselves, and of deeply evil intent.

But I'd riff on Brother Tim's spiritual insight on politics: "Race relations aren't really about race relations."

Human events...ultimately all human events...are about spiritual warfare.

God's Spirit is continually present in this world, and working among us. The spirit of the enemy is also continually working among men, opposing God. We human beings live on the battlefield of that warfare, and we are participants in that warfare...whether we recognize it or not.

It's not always easy to tell which side people are on. Human beings (ourselves included) are always of such mixed motive and purpose that it's impossible for any but God to judge rightly what spirit a person is acting in. We are people ourselves, and not always certain which spirit we are acting in. Hence scripture's command to us, to "Examine yourselves !" and "Test yourselves." (II Corinthians 13:5).

We arrogate to ourselves God's moral wisdom when we call some particular person (as we frequently do) "good" or "evil." And Jesus Himself forbade us to do so, saying that "God alone is good" (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19: my emphasis).

But in so saying, Jesus also gave us a foolproof way to identify God's Spirit...even when He manifests Himself in men's imperfect obedience. Those who do good are unmistakably acting in God's Spirit...for "God alone is good." And scripture's thumbnail theological I.D. for "good" is simply that "God is Love" (I John 4:8).

Jesus also absolutely identified the spirit of the enemy, who is a "murderer," and "the father of lies" (John 8:44).

The acts men do in the pervasive spiritual war of this world may be hard to read. Men themselves certainly are. But the warring spirits are unmistakable in their manifestations.

There could not be a more clear manifestation of that spiritual war than when a man with hate-filled heart enters a church to murder people gathered to study the Bible. They were gathered by and in God's Spirit. He came against them in the spirit of the enemy.

The point is that we too are human beings, like the murderer, and like his victims. The point is that we must examine our own divided hearts: because we can, as certainly as each of them, choose which side of this spiritual war we join.

Which spirit do we, and will we, act in ?

There could not be a more clear manifestation of the spiritual war in our divided nation and world than this: the violent rage of a man whose heart is filled with lies and hatred toward those who love God, love Jesus "The Truth," love His word, and love His children.

Our world...and especially today, our country...faces the same question in this spiritual warfare that every individual one of us faces.

In which spirit does our country...and, our special concern at this time...will our country act ?

The Market for Deception

The comments of Brother Tim in Australia are always insightful. His is one of only two Christian blogs I find worth reading every day. His comments today are particularly insightful. His (highlighted) comment on "post-truth" theological thinking is painfully spot-on. To Tim's words, I can only add "AMEN !!" (See his blog at https://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/)

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There are a lot of warnings in scripture about false teachers, false prophets and false Christs that would all be totally redundant if there wasn’t a need to alert people to the possibility of being turned from the truth to accept something contrary to the truth.

But not only are there warnings about deceivers, there are warnings about people who follow them. In Jeremiah a commentary on false prophets also turns an accusing finger upon those who welcome their messages; “My people love to have it so:" and Paul writes about people who collect teachers to appeal to their itching ears.

Without a “market” for deception, no deceiver would survive.

It seems today there is little difference between attitudes to theological ideas and the consumption of news. Does it really matter if the source is reliable as long as its message supports a desired stance?

Often it takes only a very cursory (honest) look into a teaching or news source to assess its truthfulness, but unless there is a genuine desire FOR the truth, it is easy to dismiss clear evidence if it contradicts what we WANT to believe.

Likewise it’s easy to ignore serious flaws in a teaching or news source if it’s PROMOTING what we want to believe.

It’s sad fact that many (even professing Christians) really have no love of the truth, preferring to mould a more appealing (to them) version of “reality” to live by.

Testing Christians

The last eight years it seems God's particularly tested Christians' hearts on their obedience to His commands about human rulers and authorities.

We know His commands. His command in Romans 13:1-7, that we should "be in subjection to governing authorities," because they are "established by God". That those who "stand against" (Greek, usually translated "rebel" or "resist") the human authorities God gives us, oppose God's Own ordinance (literally, what is "thoroughly set in place" by God)...and will "receive condemnation on themselves."

That human government is "a minister of God to you for good," and "a minister of God" to punish evil-doers: so we need not fear if we "do what is good."

Titus 3:1,2 likewise teaches we should "...be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men."

I Peter 2:13-17 again commands us to "submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake [my emphasis] to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."

I Peter frames our obedience as following Christ: "Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps" (v. 21). We have to think of the moment when Jesus faced His suffering. Pilate put to Him the question of human authority: "Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You ?” (John 19:10) Jesus, our Example, answered in submission that Pilate's authority was from God: “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above..." (v. 11)

The last eight years, many Christians have failed to walk in Jesus' example. Very many American Christians have joined in the world's violent hatred towards our ruler God "established." Joined too in the world's lies against government, by which the world justifies its rebellion against God.

More than we've ever seen before, that hatred and rebellion have been extremely personal, extending even to filthy attacks on the president's family-members. Christians joined in: and many Christians seem to have bought into the lie that who the ruler is, justifies disobedience to God's commands.

It does not. When God gave His commands in scripture, Nero was the ruler. His name is still emblematic of an evil ruler, these 2000 years later. But God commanded that Christians "submit" to, and "honor," and pray even for Nero (I Timothy 2:1,2). We don't submit to human authorities because of who they are: but because of Who God is

It's not about persons. And in the profound observation on American politics by our Australian brother Tim, "It's not really about politics." If we truly "analyze" the times, as Jesus commanded in Luke 12:54-57...or be, He said, "hypocrites"...it's always, and all, spiritual.

It's no surprise that "the world," under the dominion of satan, operates continually in his spirit of hatred, violence, lies and rebellion. The greater news from the spiritual battlefront in the last eight years is that very many Christians have been seduced, through politics, to operate in that spirit. They need to deeply repent, and turn back to God. The good news is that God is still merciful to those who will repent from the heart.

Now God's test is for Christians who stood apart from the rebellious politics of the last eight years, which seduced so many of our brothers.

We must guard ourselves against falling into the same disobedience they did, by the same false justification. It would be easy for us to personally despise and rail against our soon-to-be human ruler. We would not even have to lie, as the disobedient did, to make him appear unrighteous: arrogance and contempt for others (the two always go together), deceitfulness, and lack of moral principle are truly his spirit, on full display daily, to everyone in the world.

We could easily hate and rebel against a human ruler so profoundly unrighteousness and devoid of moral wisdom (as all Godly wisdom is). But our obedience is not about personalities. It's not really about politics. Thinking so was how our brethren were seduced to disobey God.

God's test for us is the same as for those who fell away. Will we obey God's commands, whoever HE has established as our current human ruler, by HIS authority ? Will we "submit" to, and "honor," and pray for him, as God commanded we do ?

We are entering a time when God will deeply test every heart which claims to love Him, by its obedience to Him.

Scripture's warning to us: "...let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12).

Amen !

Here Is Wisdom

"And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?" (Luke 12:54-57)

Here is wisdom: Jesus says to "analyze this present time" by "what is right."

Jesus tells His followers to "analyze" the times Spiritually.

Here's scripture's analysis of the spirit of "the last days:"

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." (II Timothy 3:1-5)

It's a detailed description of "this present time."

It's a detailed description of the man Americans have chosen as their ruler in "this present time."

The man himself doesn't really matter: it's not at all about him (though he would violently disagree). Politicians themselves are transient players. The soon-to-be-ruler's real importance is that he so completely embodies the spirit of this time.

And his ultimate importance, that Christians choose to be led by that spirit.

Vox "Evangelical" Populi

I've talked a great deal lately about this scripture: that's because it's been on my heart daily. When God does that, it's usually because He wants me to pay particular attention to the passage, and deeply meditate on it. And when I do so, He shows me more of His wisdom in it.

"And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?" (Luke 12:54-7)

He clearly tells "the crowds" to not "analyze this present time" by appearances, but by "what is right." He's even more explicit in John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Jesus also says this is God's command: "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me" (John 7:16).

God commands that we judge the same way He Himself judges. And He judges men the same way He judges the times.

Choosing a ruler for His people, God instructed Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him;...for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (I Samuel 16:7).

Our time, America 2016, is another example of "the people" willfully choosing unrighteousness. My earlier post "Vox Populi" gives a starter-list of Biblical instances.

That "the world" chooses unrighteousness is a given. But what does it say that 80% of "evangelicals" choose unrighteousness because they can't recognize it when they see it, and can't hear Jesus' command to judge by "what is right" ?

Could it mean that the majority of American "evangelicals" are blind and deaf to God's word ?

God is faithful: He promises to forgive all who will repent; and He heals the blind and the deaf who will ask Him.

Praise His mercy !!

Praying for America

My prayer-group recently prayed for the next president's transition-team, that they would choose people for their administration-in-waiting who will make wise decisions for America.

I've also prayed for the person Americans have chosen as president. That is what scripture says we should do (and that scripture was written during the reign of evil Nero). Indeed, there's no person who doesn't need prayers for wisdom, and repentance.

What Christians emphatically CANNOT pray, if the president-elect institutes the unrighteous policies he said he would, is that his policies and methods will "make America great again."

We cannot pray that doing bad things have good results . . . contrary God's inviolable law.

It didn't work in the Garden of Eden. We can't pray it will work today.

God Personally guarantees it will not.

The Spirit of the Time

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." (II Timothy 3:1-5)

This seems to me a detailed description of the spirit of this exact time.

If I'm hearing the Spirit accurately, this scripture confirms that we are living in "the last days."

If I'm hearing the Spirit accurately, this is also a detailed description of the spirit by which America has chosen to be ruled.

Interestingly, one sister said in prayer-group a couple weeks ago that God was bringing this passage of scripture to her mind.

Interesting, because she seems to be a hardcore "Christian conservative," and probably a Trump-partisan.

I'm hopeful God gave her that scripture in fulfillment of His promise that He will be setting many Christians free in the coming days.

Praise Him !