Pointing the finger

"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 7:5

I was thinking last week about what I would write about for my next post. As it says at the top of this blog, I want to use this as a medium to helping my fellow Christians present the Gospel more effectively by analyzing ourselves. Unfortunately, I forgot that "ourselves" includes me. I kept trying to think of some problem that I, as the perfect and enlightened Christian man that I am, could help my less spiritual brothers and sisters with.

Jesus talked about this, not only in the fore-mentioned passage, but also in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:10-14). The Pharisee told God how he was not like that tax collector and how he had kept himself holy. However, Jesus referred to such men as "whitewashed tombs" (Matt. 23:37), which were beautiful on the outside but inside were full of death. The tax collector, instead of talking about how spiritually mature he was, could not even look up to heaven. He could only cry out desperately, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" According to He who will judge all of mankind on the last day, this man was justified rather than the Pharisee.

I have come to realize in the past few months that the attitude of the tax collector is what spiritual maturity should look like. It's not parading about our "holiness" so others will see how great we are. Such men "have their reward in full." (Matt. 6:2) Spiritual maturity is recognizing that Christ saved me, that Christ needed to save me, because I'm not perfect or enlightened. I am in a constant state of sanctification. There are still sins that I struggle with. I still get arrogant, both academically and spiritually. These are sins. God said that I must work on myself first before I can start lecturing the rest of the Body.

It is my intention that I will never post on this blog about a problem that I have not struggled with myself. I want this blog to be for God's glory, not my own. Please pray that God will keep me humble.

For Christ,
Daniel

This is not our home

"... To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia..."
1 Peter 1:1

There is a problem with Christianity in America. It is a belief that many Christians seem to hold, although perhaps not consciously. The belief is that America belongs to us. We seem to think that the unbelievers who share this country with us are strangers, immigrants, and that if they want to keep living in this great country of ours they had better get with the program. After all, George Washington was Christian, wasn't he?

I have to admit, this is an attitude that I myself held for years. It is very appealing. We are brought up as Americans to see our country as this great pinnacle of civilization and enlightened ideals. We get excited at the Fourth of July. We take off our hats at baseball games when they sing the national anthem. We Christians like to take that wave of patriotism a step further. We love to point out how many of the founding fathers were Christians and how America was built on Christian principles. Now this can be a good thing. I think it is important that people realize the theological foundations of the great ideals that we cherish.

So, what's the problem? First, it should be pointed out that not all of the founding fathers were Christians. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, was a deist. But that's a minor point. The main problem that arises out of this is that Christianity is portrayed as merely a byproduct of patriotism. "If you don't go to church you're not being a good American." This is essentially the message that I believe we're sending.

Give me a break. This country does not belong to us. America is not a Christian nation. I'll say it again: America is not a Christian nation. How much more effective would American Christians be in spreading the Gospel if we only realized this? The Bible says that we "reside as aliens". We are the strangers. It is the non-Christians whose home this is. Many non-Christians want to take "In God We Trust" off our money. So do I. You may think that I'm being sacrilegious. Let me ask you, does putting that phrase on our money really help the Kingdom of God? I highly doubt it. We don't need God on our money, we need God in our hearts. We need God in our actions. How much differently would Christ be perceived in this nation if the only Christianity that was seen was the work of the Holy Spirit being evidenced in speech and deed? Let us renounce as believers once and for all any claim we have to America. We already have a land that belongs to us. But it is not found on this earth.