New Page 0

[An excerpt Christianity Is Under Attack by Ken Ham] "Many Christians have been deceived into believing they have no right to impose their views on society. We are told, for instance, that anti-abortionists have no business impressing their particular bias on society. Have you ever heard anyone say this about the pro-abortion groups? The result is one bias being imposed on society by the pro-abortionists—legalized abortion on demand! No matter what you do, you cannot avoid the fact that a view is being imposed on someone by someone. There is no such thing as neutrality, although many Christians become ensnared in the trap of believing there is.

It is like the many theological and Bible colleges that say, “We do not take a dogmatic stand on Genesis. We tolerate all views.” But what happens when someone comes along and says, “Will you allow the view that says you must take Genesis literally?” “Oh, no!” they say, “We cannot allow that view because we tolerate all views!” In reality, they have taken a dogmatic stand to teach a dogmatic view to their students—a view that you do not have to take Genesis literally if you do not want to do so.

At one lecture I gave, a person said in an angry tone, “This is not fair. You are insisting that we take Genesis literally, that God actually took six days, that evolution is not true, and that there really was a worldwide flood. You are being intolerant of other people’s views. You must show tolerance for people such as I who believe God used evolution and that Genesis is only symbolic.”

I then asked, “Well, what do you want me to do?”

The person replied, “You must allow other views and be tolerant of opinions different to yours.”

“Well,” I said, “My view is that the literal interpretation of Genesis is the right view. All other views concerning Genesis are wrong. Will you tolerate my view?”

...God’s absolutes dictate that there are rules by which we must abide. Christianity cannot co-exist in a world community with relative morality as its basis. One or the other will yield. There are two world views with two totally different belief systems clashing in our society. The real war being waged is a great spiritual war. Sadly, today many Christians fail to win the war because they fail to recognize the nature of the battle." http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/the-lie/chapter1.asp Christianity is Under Attack by Ken Ham.

"Like the Pharisees You argue over the law but completely unwilling to admit your hypocrisy in front of it."

That was a quote. Do you equate a literal reading of Genesis with legalism? We can believe the Bible from the first verse and understand that we live in an age of grace.

Response to comment [from a Christian]: "Living at a time where receiving grace becomes possible is one thing. Being open to it is another."

Yes, we must lay hold of it. The gospel is a declaration of God's grace (Ac 20:24,32).

Response to comment [from a Christian]: "But the question is how. It would be wise for all those trying to tell others what to do if they first seriously sat down and pondered the truth and value of this biblical passage [Lk 18: 9-10]."

This is a parable that is familiar to all of us. Oh, with what trenchant and biting satire He gave them this! But He didn’t do it to hurt them; He did it to help them. He said that two men went up to the temple to pray—a Pharisee and a publican. You could not get any two as far apart as those two men were. The Pharisee was at the top of the religious ladder. The publican was at the bottom. His parable wasn’t about publicans and sinners—publicans were right down there with the sinners. The Pharisee was at the top, supposedly the most acceptable one to God. He went into the temple to pray, he had access to the temple, he brought the appointed sacrifice. As he stood and prayed, his priest was yonder in the Holy Place putting incense on the altar. This old Pharisee had it made.

Isn’t that an awful way to begin a prayer! And that is the way many of us do. You say, “I don’t do that.” Yes, you do. I hear prayers like that. Oh, we don’t say it exactly that way. We are fundamental—we have learned to say it better than that. We have our own way of putting it, “Lord, I thank You I can give You my time and my service.” How I hear that! What a compliment that is for the Lord! Friend, we don’t get anywhere in prayer when we pray like that. God doesn’t need our service.

The Pharisee said, “I thank thee, that I am not as other men”; then he began to enumerate what he wasn’t. “I’m not an extortioner”—evidently there was somebody around who was an extortioner. “I am not unjust. I am not an adulterer.” Then he spied that publican way outside, and said, “And, believe me, Lord, I’m not like that publican. I’m not like that sinner out there.”

Our Lord said he “prayed thus with himself.” In other words, he was doing a Hamlet soliloquy. Hamlet, you know, goes off and stands talking to himself—and Hamlet is “off,” by the way; he is a mental case. Hamlet says, “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” And this old Pharisee is out there talking to himself—he thinks he is talking to God, but his prayer never got out of the rafters. All he did was have a pep talk; he patted himself on the back and went out proud as a peacock. God never heard that prayer.

The old publican—oh, he was a rascal. He was a sinner; he was as low as they come. He had sold his nation down the river when he had become a tax collector. When he became a tax gatherer, he denied his nation. When he denied his nation, as a Jew, he denied his religion. He turned his back on God. He took a one-way street, never to come back to God. Why did he do it? It was lucrative. He said, “There’s money down this way.” He became rich as a publican. But it did not satisfy his heart. Read the story of Levi; read the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19—a publican’s heart was empty. This poor publican in his misery and desperation, knowing that he had no access to the mercy seat in the temple, cried out to God.

“God be merciful to me a sinner” does not adequately express it. Let me give it to you in the language that he used. He would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but he smote on his breast, and said, “O God, I’m a poor publican. I have no access to that mercy seat yonder in the Holy of Holies. Oh, if you could only make a mercy seat for me! I want to come.”

Our Lord said that man was heard. Do you know why he was heard? Because Jesus Christ right there and then was on the way to the cross to make a mercy seat for him. John writes: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Propitiation means “mercy seat.” Christ is the mercy seat for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The publican’s prayer has been answered. Actually, today you don’t have to ask God to be merciful. He is merciful. Many people say, “We have to beg Him to be merciful.” My friend, what do you want Him to do? He gave His Son to die for you. He says to the worst sinner you know, “You can come. There is a mercy seat for you.” I have to admit to you that I had to come to that mercy seat. And if you are God’s child, you have come to that mercy seat where He died yonder on the cross for your sins and my sins. The penalty has been paid. The holy God is able to hold His arms outstretched. You don’t have to beg Him; you don’t have to promise Him anything because He knows your weakness; you do not have to join something; you do not even have to be somebody. You can be like a poor publican. You can come and trust Him, and He will save you. God is merciful."

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted [Luke 18:14].

McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. 4:328-329

We cannot "do" a thing to be saved but seek God with all our heart, mind and soul (Mt 22:37). "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Mt 6:33)."

See:

Works vs. Faith http://vananne.com/culttoasters/Works%20vs%20Faith.htm

What to "do" http://vananne.com/culttoasters/What%20to%20Do.htm

Response to comment [from a Christian]: "So from your perspective, how does one react to to this attack upon Christianity..."

We keep sharing the good news of the gospel even when we are hated for it (Mt 13:21). People hate Christians because they hate Christ (Joh 15:20,24).

"Do you think a Christian should feel better than the attackers as does the Pharisee..."

The Pharisees believed they were better than others (Lu 16:15; 18:9). The Christian knows he/she is no better than anyone else. He is a sinner saved by God's grace.

"...or do you believe it is better just to concern oneself with their own sinful nature?"

As someone said: The Christian is not sinless. He sins less (Ro 6:18). We still have the remains of sin (Ro 7:17,23; Ga 5:17) so we strive against it (Heb 12:4) until we are freed from it completely (Ro 6:6). Sin is repugnant to God. It should be repugnant to us too (Gen. 6:6, 7; Num. 22:32; Deut. 25:16; Deut. 32:19; 2 Sam. 11:27; 1 Kin. 14:22; Psa. 5:4–6; Psa. 10:3; Psa. 11:5; Psa. 78:59; Psa. 95:10; Psa. 106:40; Prov. 3:32 Prov. 11:20. Prov. 6:16–19; Prov. 15:8, 9, 26; Prov. 21:27; Isa. 43:24; Jer. 25:7; Jer. 44:4, 21, 22; Hab. 1:13; Zech. 8:17; Luke 16:15; Rev. 2:6, 15).

Swanson, James ; Nave, Orville: New Nave's. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1994

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin [Rom. 6:6].

"'Knowing this'—these are things we know.

When Paul says your “old man” is crucified with Him, he doesn’t mean your father; he means your old nature is crucified with Him. “That the body of sin might be destroyed”—the word destroyed is katargeo, meaning “to make of none effect, to be paralyzed or canceled or nullified”—“that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Paul is not saying that the old nature is eradicated. He is saying that since the old man was crucified, the body of sin has been put out of business, so that from now on we should not be in bondage to sin."

McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. 4:683-684

"Sin: Evildoing that is not only against humanity, society, others, or oneself, but against God. The concept of God, therefore, gives to the idea of sin its many-sided meaning. Other gods, conceived of as capricious and characterless, exercised unlimited power in unbridled behavior; they engendered no such sense of sin as did Israel’s one God, holy, righteous, and utterly good. This religious conception of wrongdoing with the terminology it created persists into the NT.

Terminology Israel’s God sets the ideal, the standard for human behavior. The most frequent biblical words for sin speak of violating that standard in some fashion. The Hebrew word hata’ and Greek hamartia meant originally “to miss the mark, fail in duty” (Rom 3:23). As Lawgiver, God sets limits to man’s freedom; another frequent term (Hebrew, ’abar; Greek, parabasis) describes sin as “transgression,” “overstepping set limits.” Similar terms are pesha’ (Hebrew), meaning “rebellion,” “transgression”; ’asham (Hebrew) denotes “trespassing God’s kingly prerogative,” “incurring guilt”; paraptoma (Greek) denotes “a false step out of the appointed way,” “trespass on forbidden ground.” “Iniquity” often translates ’aon (Hebrew, meaning “perverseness,” “wrongness”), for which the nearest NT equivalent is anomia (Greek, “lawlessness”) or paranomia (Greek, “lawbreaking”).

In the Old Testament Genesis traces sin to deliberate misuse of God-given freedom in disobedience of a single limiting prohibition. Ezekiel insists eloquently upon individual responsibility against traditional theories of corporate guilt (Ez 18). Following Jeremiah, he urges the need for a cleansed, renewed inner life if outward behavior is to be reformed; the divine law must become a motivating force within a person if sin is to be overcome (Jer 31:29–34; Ez 36:24–29).

Psalm 51 offers a keen analysis of the inner meaning of sin. By affirming “in sin did my mother conceive me,” the psalmist confessed that his life had been sinful from the first. His whole personality needed “purging”; he was defiled. Ritual sacrifices offer no solution. Only a broken, contrite heart can prepare a sinner for God’s cleansing. The only hope, the sole ground of appeal, lies in God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. In spite of its rigorous view of sin, the OT also contains gracious assurance of forgiveness (Ps 103:8–14 Is 1:18; 55:6–7).

In Jesus’ Teachings Jesus’ teachings on the subject of sin took up the gracious offer of divine forgiveness and renewal, not only proclaiming with authority, “Your sins are forgiven,” but showing many acts of compassion and social recognition that he came to be the friend of sinners, calling them to repentance, restoring their hope and dignity (Mt 9:1–13; 11:19; Lk 15; 19:1–10).

Jesus said little about the origin of sin, except to trace it to the human heart and will (Mt 6:22–23; 7:17–19; 18:7; Mk 7:20–23), but he significantly redefined sin’s scope. Where the law could assess only people’s actions, Jesus showed that anger, contempt, lust, hardness of heart, and deceitfulness are also sinful. He also spoke of sins of neglect, good left undone, the barren tree, the unused talent, the priest ignoring the injured, and the love never shown (Mt 25:41–46). He especially condemns sins against love—unbrotherliness, implacable hostility, selfishness, insensitivity (Lk 12:16–21; 16:19–31). And he condemned self- righteousness and spiritual blindness (Mt 23:16–26; Mk 3:22–30). Jesus spoke of sin as sickness (Mk 2:17) and sometimes as folly (Lk 12:20). Nevertheless, Jesus declared that fallen humans can be cured with God’s help (7:36–50).

In John’s Writings John’s Gospel assumes sinful humanity’s need, the sacrifice of Christ the Lamb to bear away the sin of the world, and the offer of light and life in Christ. The new note is an emphasis on sin that refuses to accept the salvation provided in Christ, by the love of God for the world—the refusal to believe. It is for loving darkness, rejecting light, and refusing to accept Christ the Savior that humans are judged already (Jn 3:16–21).

Against Gnosticism’s claim that for advanced Christians sin does not matter, 1 John affirms 15 reasons why sin cannot be tolerated in the Christian life and emphasizes again that sin is both ignorance of the truth and lack of love (1 Jn 3:3–10). Yet God forgives those who confess their sins, while Christ atones for their sins and intercedes for them (1:7–2:2).

In Paul’s Writings Paul argued strongly, from observation and from Scripture, that all have sinned (Rom 1–3). To him, sin is a force, a power, a “law” ruling within people (Rom 5:21; 7:23; 8:2; 1 Cor 15:56), producing all kinds of evil behavior—the hardening of the conscience (Rom 7:21–24), alienation from God, and subjection to death (Rom 5:10; 6:23; Eph 2:1–5, 12; Col 1:21). Humans are helpless to reform themselves (Rom 7:24). Paul’s explanation of this desperate, universal condition is variously interpreted. Some readers think that Romans 5:12–21 says that Adam’s sin is the source of all sin; others, that it is the “similitude” (kjv) of all sin. In any event, Paul essentially said that “every man is his own Adam,” which means that each person is fully responsible for his or her sinful condition, even if the sinful nature was inherited from Adam.

The solution to sin, for Paul, lies in the believer’s death with Christ—death to sin, self, the world. Concurrently, the new life of the invasive, effusive Spirit transforms one’s life from within, making each person a new creation by sanctifying the personality into the likeness of Christ (Rom 3:21–26; 5:6–9; 6; 8:1–4, 28–29; 2 Cor 5:14–21)."

Elwell, Walter A. ; Comfort, Philip Wesley: Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2001 (Tyndale Reference Library), S. 1203