5pointers

You might have been expecting a posting on the noble Biblicist doctrine of Unconditional Election. Instead, I would like to take a look at another doctrine called unconditional love.
What brings me to mention this is that in my experience, the use of the word love has largely been misconstrued. What I see and hear, when mention is made of unconditional love, is more of something else, namely, unconditional acceptance. Unconditional love says that your love for a person is not motivated by their performance. Unconditional acceptance says that whatever you do, you must be embraced, greeted warmly, spoken well of, and anything short of that is not loving. Unconditional acceptance says that if someone reproves your behavior, exhorts you, or admonishes you, and that their doing so sits uncomfortably with you or is disagreeable to you, that they are not loving you and that they are judging you. In short, they are not obeying the words, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
Now I oppose the doctrine of unconditional acceptance, but embrace that (or what I know of it) of unconditional love. Now, looking at Jesus, the one who loves, let me draw my examples. First, Jesus was not afraid to use abrasive language against the religious leaders and lawyers of his day. “You hypocrites…” He said also to send the message to the king, “You go and tell that fox…” John the Baptist warned some of those coming out to see him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come.” Yet God tells us that no man born of a woman was greater than John the Baptist- certainly one like this would have love. Jesus certainly loved people, but one time when he was asked about blood being mingled with sacrifices, he bluntly stated, “Do you think those on whom the tower of Siloam fell were any worse offenders… No, but unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”
Why do I bring these verses and these points up. Part of love is NOT accepting everything that someone does. A friend who was rather cynical one night remarked to me seriously that he, “could just step out in front of a car, and if they hit [him], then [he] would go to heaven sooner.” I was told by one that he could be seeking “special” friends and a gay lifestyle, and could still worship God with a true (or was it pure?) heart and get to heaven. When, after numerous times, patience, examples from Scripture, he would not listen to Scripture, I told him I could not accept the lifestyle he was pursuing. He lamented that his other friends accepted it, and why couldn’t I. Later he accused me of not being a real friend. A girl once told me someone she knew could just kill themself and get to heaven faster. The words that come out of a person’s mouth reveal what is in their heart, and where the ship of their soul is sailing. The fruit of a person’s mouth is a pouring out of their soul- if it is good, it will be wholesome and pure; if it is bad, it will be corruption, rot, and filth.
So we get to love. Part of it is being honest- certain actions, desires, and followings are not an example of a heart that is seeking God. Certain behaviors, though present in the sinful flesh, are not to be tolerated in a regenerated person. A pastor or confessing follower of Jesus is not to be engaging in sex out of marriage, giving themselves to drunkness, stealing, or other forms of behavior. Christians should be cautious of those who confess to be Christians and are unrepentant in engaging in this lifestyle. To simply accept their actions and associate with them is weak, appeasing, and ultimately unloving. Warn them, show them, explain to them, love them, but if they will not listen, I would recommend not to associate with them.

I would like to come back to this and put in more Scripture references, flush out my thoughts more thoroughly, and accept my own reproof where words have been too harsh or inaccurate. If I knew now what was wrong I would changs it, but I end with the words of a hero of mine, “To confess that you were wrong yesterday is only to admit that you are wiser today.” -Charles Spurgeon

Learning to love,
Resolving to love,
Larry

Recently the topic of the sinfulness of humanity has arisen in conversation with friends. Strangely this delights me. What kind of sick misanthrope am I, talking about a topic like this, with glee even?

Well, I haven’t always embraced this T in TULIP. But when I began reading the Bible in college the fundamental change in my heart began, and I was really convinced that I am a sinner.

Romans 1:10-12:
“as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (ESV)

It is a blessed thing when the Holy Spirit moves on the Word, and convicts our hearts of sin, death, and destruction. I think it is at such an hour that the Spirit may enable us to love Christ, bringing us from spiritual death to spiritual life.

I write this as probably the simpliest introduction to Total Depravity, our utter sinfulness before God as self-loving, God hating, debtors. This coincidentally is how I was introduced to the TULIP, and so naturally I think it a fine way of being introduced to reformed thought.

I hope this post can act as a talking point for biblical theology. Perhaps Larry would be willing to post on the L of TULIP during the process. 🙂

Two brief suggestions I joyously make on this topic are from John Piper and R.M. McCheyne.

-Mark

Lyrics get me too.
Inevitably, the songs I really find run through my head, I end up being able, at a later date, to trace back to Scripture; usually this is ends up being a verse, or a paraphrase of a set of verses.
Sometimes songs run through my head that I find to be exactly counter to Scripture. One popular contemporary piece has the words, “My sacrifice is not what You can give, but what I alone can give to you… A thankful heart I give, a prayerful prayer I pray, a wild dance I dance before You.” It has a very catchy beat, but stands in contrast to Romans 11:35-36 “Who has given a gift to [God] that he might be repaid? For FROM him and THROUGH him and TO him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Amen Paul. Or again we see the theme echoed in Job 35:7, “If you are righteous, what do you give to [God]? Or what does he receive from your hand?” and Job 41:11 “Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.” Amen Job. We cannot give God something he has already given us. If we give God a thankful heart, it is because he has allowed us to be thankful. God has loosed feet to dance, lips to sing, and hands to be raised and celebrate. Imagine the mother after giving birth to a son exclaiming, “this joy is not what You can give, God, but only what I can give back to You,” all the while not considering that God gave her the child and the spontaneous emotion of delight in it.
I also love the tune Amazing Love, yet find myself silent during the chorus, “in all I do, I honor you.” I know no Christian of whom that is true.
This bugs me because it is wrong. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like to have an elevated feeling when I worship, but not at the cost of contradicting scripture. If there is no root of truth in the praises we sing and in the emotions we feel, the branch of woship we seek will dry up, wither, and die.
There are thousands and more great songs, and God is calling for himself worshippers in spirit and truth. These worshippers will come and go along with skewed worship tunes, with little harm, but further rejoicing in God. This short discourse just reminds that there are tares sewn in among the wheat of worship songs, and wolves disguised as sheep within the flock. The words look right and feel right, but if believed, they dangerously contradict the Scripture and can prop the door of deceit open for the entry of further untruths. Let us seek out those doors and bar them shut with the Light of Truth by reading, praying, memorizing, and studying the Bible and by trembling before God.

Amen to your words Mark.

It seems anymore in the scientific community, if you do not bow the knee at the altar of Darwin, you are called a myriad of names, the nicer of which is “not a real scientist.” In fact, a biology professor started talking about fact one class, and distinguished it from faith in that faith is, “Believing in something that there is absolutely no evidence for.” So when a community, with entrenched indoctrinators like that is asked to give a ruling, there is not a good chance to get an objective view.
And furthermore, I cannot think of any advantages given from this ruling. If the community deceives itself it is not being watched and held accountable to a higher standard, it is free to experiment with life, human life more and more, and to abuse all matters of gifts, such as sex. Just think about it, if you are watched on a surveilance camera, you are not likely to steal, but if all cameras are taken away, and the police are decomissioned, what holds you back?
The ideas for evolution are not new as many claim, but they date to 300 years before the birth of Christ and were postulated by Epicurus. Epicurus taught, “when we are, death is not; and when death is, we are not.” According to this philosophy, the universe is just a random gathering of atoms, that in themselves have a will. “We are going forward?” I ask. “Are we really not going backwards?” Now don’t get me wrong, but to dredge up ideas from 3oo years before Christ (about 2300 years ago) gives us a more primitive system than the way put in place by Jesus (about 2000 years ago).
To paraphrase John Owen’s first book, “Of Arminianism: Being a Discovery of the Old Pelagian Idol Free Will with the New Goddess Contingency…” I would like to suggest my own, “Of Darwinism: Being a Resurrection of the Ancient Epicurean Carnality, Disguised and Advancing Itself Under the Veil of Postmodernism, Believing in the Exercise of All Freedoms and Opinions, excepting that those freedoms do not disagree or threaten their position, as they further the agenda of demons, devils, and the dragon.”

Disappointed with this ruling and the scientific community, but not suprised,
Larry