On Faith

Pliny the Elder, a first century writer who was not a Christian, wrote in his book, Natural History, “So, here indeed is a phenomenon unique among the sciences; anyone claiming to be a doctor is immediately trusted, although in no other profession is an untruth more dangerous.”  Pliny makes a good point, not just an ironic one. 

Everyone lives by faith.  People entrust their health, their finances, their love and, at one time or another just about everything else to others.  The question is never whether people have faith but, “Faith in what or whom?”

A long time ago, I put my faith in Jesus–not just that He existed.  That’s a no-brainer.  No real historian doubts that Jesus existed.  What I mean is I put my faith in Jesus, the Person, that He was who He said He was, therefore I can trust what He said (i.e., that He died for my sins), and is the Savior of those who trust in Him.  He has never betrayed my trust.

As Pliny says, people immediately trust doctors, not based on any evidence, but blind faith.  Jesus never asked for people to trust in Him based on anything so superficial as a title.  Jesus didn’t criticize Thomas for asking for evidence and instead said to him, “Put your finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27).  To religious leaders who doubted Jesus’ deity, Jesus said, “But that you may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…,” then He healed a paralyzed man right before their eyes. (Luke 5:24-25).  Pretty good evidence.  Jesus also offered people the evidence of experience, inviting them to drink of the water He would give them.  (John 4:13-14).

So, next time somebody accuses you of having blind faith, ask them if they’ve ever been to the doctor.  GS

Kingdom People: Resident Aliens

Resident aliens are common to earthly kingdoms.  A resident alien is a person who resides in a nation where he is not a citizen.  There are many reasons one may choose to live in a foreign country, but the most common are political and economic.  More specifically, people choose to live in foreign countries that offer a level of peace or prosperity not found in their own country.

Resident aliens do not enjoy all the privileges, nor do they have all the responsibilities, of citizenship.  They do not have the privilege of ruling with the king nor the obligation of defending the kingdom and giving their life for it, but they  may enjoy many of the blessings found in a the foreign country.

The kingdom of God, like earthly kingdoms, contains both citizens and aliens.  Jesus described the kingdom of God as a net cast into the sea that gathers fish of every kind, but it is only when the net is drawn onto the beach that the bad fish are thrown out. (Matt. 13:47-48).  The kingdom of God gathers within its earthly territory both citizens and aliens.  Jesus said He would gather the lawless and all stumbling blocks out of His kingdom. (Matt 13:41-43).

As I’ve suggested in other posts, these parables make no sense if one believes the kingdom of God is heaven or the Church because only believers are part of the Church and go to heaven.  However, if one understands the kingdom of God exists in space and time and has a geographic presence on the earth, one can see how it is possible for non-Christians to be “in the kingdom of God” (on earth) without being part of the Church or gaining entrance into heaven.

Resident aliens enjoy only limited privileges, rather than the full privileges of citizenship, by living under the earthly authority of the kingdom of God and its laws, but those benefits do not extend beyond death.  Aliens do not inherit the kingdom of God when they die.  (1 Cor 6:8-11).  That privilege is limited to citizens of the kingdom of God. Though aliens may be in the kingdom on earth, at death they are rooted up and thrown out. (Mathew 13:30, 49).

Resident aliens are often religious people who try to live according to the laws of the kingdom of God, but have never become a Christian, or they are sometimes people who don’t even pretend to be moral, but because they live under the authority of a citizen of the kingdom of God they fall within the territory of the kingdom.  A family member who is part of a household led by a Christian is a resident alien of the kingdom of God and can enjoy the earthly benefits that flow from the kingdom of God through the Christian who exercises the delegated authority of King Jesus in the household.

The kingdom of God is always seeking new citizens.  Overpopulation is not a concern in the kingdom of God.  As Jesus told His disciples, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” (John 14:2).  Resident aliens are the most likely candidates for citizenship, and one of the goals of the kingdom of God is to convert resident aliens into citizens.  Therefore, immigration is welcomed in the kingdom of God and resident aliens are an integral part of the kingdom of God.  GS

Confessions Of A Former Legalist

I used to be pretty legalistic, a sort of modern-day Pharisee; I probably still am in some ways and don’t realize it, but I’m doing better now.

The Apostle Paul warned the Colossians about being legalistic.  He asked them why, if they were Christians, did they submit themselves to such religious laws as “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (Col. 2:21).  Paul told the Colossians such rules have “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion” but are of “no value against fleshly indulgence.  (Col. 2:23).  In other words, they look to others like a form of religion but they are spiritually useless.

When I was in law school, it dawned on me that some of the religious rules Christians keep really have nothing to do with true holiness.  They were matters of conscience, nothing more. (They do give religious people a way to monitor the supposed religiosity of others). As Paul said, they are “self-made” and don’t make one more like Jesus, which is the ultimate goal.

My wake-up call came when another law student, who was not a Christian, told me he figured I was a Christian because I didn’t drink.  Ugh!  The weird thing was my abstinence from alcohol was one of the things that made me feel confident I was a Christian.  It was a self-made rule I picked up somewhere, nothing more.

I decided from that day on I wanted to be recognized as a Christian because I was Christ-like, not because I kept arbitrary religious rules that had nothing to do with true holiness.  After all, is that the message Christians want to send to the unchurched, that being a Jesus-follower means keeping a bunch of self-made rules?  If the kingdom of God does not consist in eating and drinking (Rom. 14:17), neither does it consist in not eating and drinking.

That’s my confession.  Hope it helps you on your journey. GS

The First Christian Empire

It began on Monday May 11, 330, when it was officially founded by Constantine the Great, and it ended on Tuesday May 29, 1453, when Sultan Mehmed II breached its walls and conquered its capital.  Its one thousand one hundred twenty three years are a study in Christian government and empire.  I am referring to the Byzantine Empire.

Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in 312 A.D. marks the victory of Christianity over Roman paganism.  Constantine then faced a question unique in history up to that point, “What does it mean to be a Christian ruler and a Christian empire?” The eighty-seven Byzantine rulers who would occupy the Byzantine throne after him over the next millennium would grapple with the same question.  If we were to judge them solely by the longevity of the empire they stewarded, we would have to conclude they did well.  But there is more to commend the Byzantines than mere longevity.

John Julius Norwich writes, “The Byzantines were…a deeply religious society in which illiteracy–at least among the middle and upper classes–was virtually unknown, and in which one Emperor after another was renowned for his scholarship; a society which alone preserved much of the heritage of the Greek and Latin antiquity, during these dark centuries in the West when the lights of learning were almost extinguished; a society, finally, which produced the astonishing phenomenon of Byzantine art.”

Notwithstanding the glories of the Byzantine Empire, ultimately the kingdom of God is not defined or delimited by earthly empire, and, therefore, Constantinople’s sacking in 1453, while a historical tragedy did not impede the advance of the kingdom of God.  In fact, as I have suggested in another post, Kingdom History: 1453-1455, the fall of Constantinople may have been necessary in God’s larger plan for the advance of the kingdom of God.  GS

Are You Beer or Wine?

My parents and most of my extended family live in the same small town, halfway across the country from where my wife and I live.  And when I visit my parents for a day or two, I usually spend all my time with them.  As a result, I haven’t seen many of my aunts and uncles and cousins for years.

Yesterday, though, we had  a Fourth of July celebration with food, fireworks and family fellowship.  Seeing a person you know well in five year increments is a lot like time-lapse photography. It gives you perspective familiarity plus proximity obscure.  Change is highlighted instead of hidden. All this got me thinking about aging.

I’ve noticed as people age, one of two things happen. If they are not a Christian, they tend to become more self-centered and set in their ways and care less about the needs of others.  If they are a Christian, submitted to the lordship of Jesus and subject to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, with age they become less self-centered, more adaptable and concerned about the needs of others.

I realize this is a broad generalization, subject to exceptions and gradations, but the distinction is real.  It’s like the first group becomes more abrasive with age and the second palatable.

It’s the same with beer and wine.  As beer ages it becomes offensive to the palate.  This realization is what gave birth to the idea of “born-on dating” for beer.  A lot of people like beer, but I don’t know anyone who likes it when it is old.  Wine is the opposite:  as it ages it gets smoother and more palatable.  Even very expensive wine, if you drink it too soon will have a harshness to it, but age will transform it into something even a wine novice can enjoy.

Jesus is the Great Vintner.  He turned water into incredible wine.  (John 2:1-11).  So here’s the question: are you beer or wine? GS