The gospel and sex. Both are rarely mentioned together. Many might not believe that they go together, however, they do. In so many ways.
What does the Bible say about sex?
Sex is very good, and the Bible teaches so. God wouldn’t have created it with its particular design and parameters if such was not the case. I think what makes sex a taboo topic for the Christian community is the idea of sexual platonism; discussing sexual pleasure is considered inappropriate because any hedonist perspective towards sex is seen as immoral. This might make a book like Songs of Solomon an uncomfortable read for some.
Let’s not be mistaken, sexual activity in extra-marital circumstances is a sin and has its negative consequences. Believers can and have fallen short of their duty to uphold purity in their lives, including myself. However, what transpires is that in our wrongdoing, ill-formed views on sex arise, where we make sex out to be the villain and not ourselves. Many Christians can be misled down the path of believing that their misdeed has resulted in form of bondage called a “soul tie”; where their soul has been spiritually fused to the soul of whom they have slept with. This is far from the truth. This is where the gospel meets sex in a compelling way.
Don’t get me wrong, while actual soul tying does not exist for believers who have engaged in sexually immoral behaviour it can FEEL as though one’s soul is tied to that of another person because of the devastating and painful consequences that linger long after the relationship has ruptured. Emotions stick around like unwanted company. Pain and regret wander in the corridors of our minds. Desires, both sexual and emotional loiter in a carefree manner. Ghostly memories of what once was and is no longer haunt us while we try to get on with our lives. This can create a depth-filled sense of entanglement that one might feel and struggle to break free from.
God’s design for sex.
The parameters of sexual activity are what high-stoned walls are to its citadel; for protection. Sex is a pleasure thoroughly enjoyed in a marriage covenant, because of what it represents. As Timothy Keller puts it, it gives us the opportunity to ‘witness how God works in the gospel.’ God through Christ calls us to exclusivity; to enter a faithful covenant with Him; the same way in which a man calls a woman to enter into a faithful commitment with him. As our exclusive loyalty to God allows us to be beneficiaries of various spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3), so is sex one of the many blessings that a husband and wife experience as a result of their fidelity to one another. Sex is a safe, secure expression of selflessness through love and a declaration of one’s devotion. When we engage in extra-marital sex, we experience the opposite of this and thus, the positive attributes of sex are hidden.
So what hope is there for the Christian who find themselves burned from the fire of their lust and is experiencing a sense of painful entanglement from their sin?
Christ sets us free.
Firstly we should not be so quick to assume that this indicates a soul tie. The message of the gospel hums a completely different tune; through Christ’s death on the cross, He has paid the debt of our sin and in His resurrection has set us free from the slavery of death, sin and its effects. Therefore in our freedom, we should not be so quick to let ourselves be burdened by a bondage of sin that no longer exists for us.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
Instead, we shouldn’t hesitate to make use of our privilege by boldly and humbly approaching the throne of God and earnestly confessing our sins to the One who is Faithful and Just to both forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of the sore plague that our entanglement in sin has caused us (1 John 1:9).
The stakes were high in Jerusalem as Jesus was making his way unto the cross. In Luke Chapter 23, we get a look at the trial of Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate, his meeting with King Herod Antipas, his crucifixion, death, and burial. The story is well recorded and well covered in history because it details Jesus’ atoning death for our sins on the cross. However, in that chapter, there is a little incongruence that I want us to look at through narrative analysis. It is shocking, and when we consider it deeply, it may help us understand a thing or two about this generation’s #CancelCulture.
The Jews had no authority to administer the death penalty, so they went to Pilate, who was the Roman governor over the region of Judea. They brought Jesus to Pilate hoping for a favourable result. Secular history shows us that Pilate was a cruel, ruthless man, completely insensitive to the moral feelings of others. Surely, they thought, Pilate will put this Jesus to death. Surely he would put an end to all this preaching and disruption to their religious order.
And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
Luke 23:2
It is important to note here that, they knew Pilate would be unconcerned with what they had “convicted” Jesus of — blasphemy. So, they blatantly lied and brought up other charges to make a death sentence more likely. However, though Pilate was a cruel, ruthless man; he wasn’t stupid. He could see through the motives of the Jewish leaders, and had no problem in sizing up Jesus and the whole situation, and returning a verdict:
“I find no fault in this Man.”
With this verdict from Pilate, Jesus was then sent to King Herod, after all, he was under King Herod’s jurisdiction. After much conversing and taunting King Herod too could find no fault in Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate for a second trial.
So far, the story adds up. We have Jesus, who on two separate accounts had been vindicated, judged as free and right. His own enemies found that he was innocent of any crime but still the people were not satisfied. This is when the situation became a little jarring and odd. Even though Jesus was innocent by the customs, the Jewish leaders were persistent so Pilate believed he had a way for Jesus to escape death. He planned to release Him according to the custom of releasing a prisoner every Passover season. Pilate figured, “If this man claimed to be king, and was even the slightest bit hostile to Rome, then the crowd will love him. These Jewish leaders don’t want Jesus to go free, but the crowd will sympathise with Him.”
Enter Barabbas. We don’t even know much about him, except that Barabbas is a murderer, the leader of an insurrection, and a rebel (Luke 23:19). So at this moment, Pilate thinks ‘I hold the destinies of these two men in my hands. I know the Jews have a tradition that on a holy day – I will release one of the prisoners on death row.’ It will either be Jesus or Barabbas.
Pilate stands on this audacious stage and now presents Jesus, the Son of God – vs Barabbas the thug and rebel. He essentially asks the people ‘Alright, who do you want?’.
If you consider it, it’s almost blasphemy – there is simply no comparison. Barabbas is a thief, a man deserving of being imprisoned and a man who should be on death row, and Jesus, well — He’s Jesus. He’s already been declared innocent twice by two separate courts, what business does He have going up against Barabbas like this. It’s a false equivalence.
The crowd makes its choice.
And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will, therefore, chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Luke 23: 19-25
Faced with an unbelievably clear choice between night and day, the people with venom in their eyes and pitchforks in their hands shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”. A modern translation might be, “Cancel Him, cancel Him! We don’t care about the facts or the detail or anything else, we want blood.” The crowd, whom Pilate was convinced would release Jesus, instead condemned Him. It is a strange, almost insane scene: a cruel, ruthless Roman governor trying to win the life of a miracle-working Jewish teacher against the strenuous efforts of both the Jewish leaders and the bloodthirsty crowd. We may imagine that many in this crowd had, just a few days before, been crying “Hosanna” to Jesus. But there are always plenty of people who will do whatever the crowd does. Some scholarly commentaries say ‘a riot was beginning to build up [that]…It must have been obvious to Pilate that the situation was becoming increasingly ugly’ (Morris, 1988).
Barabbas a rebel against right, and a bad man, a thug and a crook, a man who deserves the chains, who deserves the crucifixion — freed. What did Jesus do? Heal, restore, deliver, set free, open blind eyes, and open deaf ears, heal the lame, and the lepers. Who do the people want?—’We want Barabbas, give us Barabbas’ they said.
Every time I study this story, I’m moved deeply. I have a mixture of emotions, anger, annoyance, and frustration. However, it’s the sheer sense of injustice that almost overwhelms me. How could a man like that go free? How could Barabbas not be cancelled? Why was he not crucified? What hurts more is that there’s no record of him turning to Jesus and saying “I owe You everything now, for You have set me free.” No. You don’t see any of that in Barabbas. He just walks away free. God saw that and Jesus stood there silently.
Who is Barabbas?
At this point, you too may be feeling frustrated and angry at the story. Angry at why a guilty man got to go free whilst Jesus was crucified and cancelled. That may change if you stop to consider who Barabbas really is. Barrabas is Us, he is you and I. Dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1), we offered nothing to our salvation than the sin that made it necessary.
We are liars, cheaters, sinners, guilty by every account and deserving of death and separation from the Father. We were found guilty, we were on death row, we were set for eternal damnation, we were the thugs, the murders, the unrepentant and the ungrateful. And whilst we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It almost seems unjust that he would let us walk free, that we would be free. Jesus said give them Barabbas, take me instead. It is a wonderful picture of the Gospel. It is a powerful picture of Jesus’ atoning work and the benefits we reap.
God treats Jesus like Barabbas (guilty) so he could treat us like Jesus (sons). Our sin is His and His obedience is ours. It wasn’t the people that set Barabbas free, it was a heavenly and loving Father who loves Barabbas. “For while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God sent His Son for Barabbas, even the one He knew would walk away from Jesus and His free gift, and never come back… He loves him. This image is overwhelming. When we consider that we are like Barabbas, that we got off, the good news is that we are freed by no work or power in and of ourselves but because of a loving and forgiving Father. It means no one in the kingdom should walk with a swagger and no one in the kingdom should walk with a limp. We have been forgiven.
Pass It On
That same forgiveness we received, we must pass it on. In light of recent tweets and many conversations online about forgiveness and change, it is important we meditate on this portion of scripture:
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15
Is Jesus saying in Matthew 6:14-15 that if we struggle to forgive others then we cannot be saved? If we must forgive others in order to be saved, then wouldn’t our salvation be somewhat dependent on our own works? We know that cannot be true based on Ephesians 2:8-9. So what does this passage mean? Jesus isn’t telling us what we must do in order to receive salvation, but rather what we will do if we have truly received salvation. Do you see the difference? If the forgiveness we claim to have received from Jesus is so ineffective in our lives that we cannot forgive another person, then we have not truly embraced and treasured what God offers us in Christ. Saving faith is not merely intellectual; it is life changing. Barabbas was materially made free.
Not only is a forgiving spirit evidence that we have truly accepted God’s forgiveness in Christ, it is also for our good. When God is glorified through our lives, it is always for our good – even if it costs us something here on earth. Gospel-driven forgiveness is not easy. In fact, it is downright hard at times. Some of you reading this have experienced unimaginable suffering at the hands of another. Please know that Christ’s call to forgive in no way minimizes your pain. He is not dismissing the wrong that has been done to you, but rather setting you free from it. Romans 12:19 says, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.’” Remember that first and foremost, all sin is against God. He sees and knows the wrong done to us. Refusing to forgive only does more damage, so we must choose to trust God and forgive
The key to forgiveness is fixing our eyes on Jesus. In Christ we see both unimaginable suffering, and unexplainable grace. In Him we see the depth of our own sin, and the limitless bounds of God’s forgiveness to us. Having trouble forgiving? Look to the cross of Christ and remember you like Barabbas got off free.
What should I do next? Who should I be around? Is it too late to change career? Why shouldn’t I feel worthless right now? These are questions that plague a lot of young people, but you would be surprised to find that knowing one piece of information could answer them all forever.
What is Purpose?
We believe that Christians have been called to specific tasks. We all share the mission of spreading the good news about Jesus Christ. Everybody deserves to be offered the choice of eternal life with Him. However, God also placed us all here for individual reasons. God saw a future need in the world, and He sent you to fill it. As a tall kid, growing up I was probably asked if I play basketball at least once a month because, for a sport where the goal is 10 feet in the air, height makes you uniquely equipped to carry out this task. The same goes for us, God has specifically designed us to complete an objective on Earth before we go to join Him. This task that you were created for is what we refer to as your purpose.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
– Ephesians 2:10
Why Is Purpose Important?
1. Focus and Direction:
Simply put, if you know your purpose then you can see where you’re supposed to be headed and can make decisions accordingly. Decisions like choosing where to live or work can be more informed and strategised. Your purpose can also serve as internal motivation. What else makes you get out of bed in the morning beyond your singular God-given purpose for existence?
2. Peace of Mind:
The flip side of this focus is the peace of mind that comes from knowing where you are headed and what is not for you. That job opportunity might look like what you want but it will make it more difficult for you to fulfill your purpose. Saying no is hard but it is easier if you know the reason why you said no and what was at stake. Often times the things that you’re looking for in that pay rise and increased status, are waiting for you at the end of a fulfilled purpose. Furthermore, knowing where you are going makes it easier to weather storms. It might be raining where you are right now but if you can see the sunshine where you are headed, then rain becomes more bearable.
“Set your mind on things above not earthly things” – Colossians 3:2
3. Value and Self-confidence:
God looked at the world, saw it was lacking something, and sent you. He has been molding you your entire life. Your importance cannot be diminished. Someone somewhere needs or is going to need you. It could be huge, and you could have been sent to change nations or it could be small and specific like being a godly example and influence next door to the person that will go on to change nations. Either way, both parts are necessary for nations to change. Whatever you have been called by God to do, it is necessary and important. Furthermore, if you know you have been sent to a place by the Entity that oversees everything, how can someone tell you don’t belong there? The notion will be laughable.
“in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:6
4. Relationships:
Who you’re around is key. In Proverbs we’re told about the safety you find in an abundance of good counsel. However, in order to put the right people around you, you need to know where you’re going. When you know, you can choose people according to whether they will be able to help you get there or be a hindrance. This is useful for new Christians debating what to do about old friendships with people who don’t know Christ or friendships that are constantly leading them away from living a life that is honourable to God. It’s not worth it if it holds you back from your purpose.
“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”- 1 Corinthians 15:33
It also follows that finding a partner based on purpose is an excellent foundation because when times get tough, knowing you need that person to be who you’re supposed to be, means at some point you have to get back on good terms, you cannot leave them, because you need them, so you strive to make it work. In the same way, finding a partner before you know your purpose is asking for trouble because how can you team up for a life long race and one of you doesn’t know where they’re going yet? What if they find out in 5 years and it requires a completely different direction than their partner’s purpose?
“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” – Amos 3:3
5. Peace in Death and Loss:
As Christians, we must always consider ourselves as pieces in God’s plan. We won’t always understand the full plan. But what we do know, is like Jesus, our goal is to glorify God and His will whilst we are here on Earth, fulfilling our God-given roles and then going to be with the Father. As Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples were sad for themselves, but nobody was sad for Jesus, He had completed His mission, He went to the Father’s house to prepare our rooms. Now we don’t ascend into the heavens in such majestic form, but our earthly bodies return to dust, and our spirits go to the Father’s house. Jesus was 33 when this happened, in our time this would be considered a young death, unfortunate, a tragedy even. But it is not a tragedy, the only tragedy is a life lived with no fulfillment of purpose. There is no time limit on purpose, it could take 20 years or 80 but when fulfilled its home time, and when we see this, we should not mourn. I promise you, nobody in Heaven wishes they could come back.
“And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:26
As you can see knowing your purpose as a Christian, is like unlocking all the boosts on a video game. Things that were hard become easier, things that were bad become good. Stay tuned for part 2 next week where we discuss ways to help identify your own purpose.
The short answer is that “glorification” is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the saints (i.e., everyone who is saved) in the eternal state (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). At Christ’s coming, the glory of God (Romans 5:2)—His honor, praise, majesty, and holiness—will be realized in us; instead of being mortals burdened with sin nature, we will be changed into holy immortals with direct and unhindered access to God’s presence, and we will enjoy holy communion with Him throughout eternity. In considering glorification, we should focus on Christ, for He is every Christian’s “blessed hope”; also, we may consider final glorification as the culmination of sanctification.
Final glorification must await the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14). Until He returns, we are burdened with sin, and our spiritual vision is distorted because of the curse. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Every day, we should be diligent by the Spirit to put to death what is “fleshly” (sinful) in us (Romans 8:13).
Sanctification is one of those religious sounding words that people in the church use, but may not understand what it means. In its most basic sense, to sanctify something is to set it apart for God’s special use and purpose. Therefore, God’s people are sometimes said to be sanctified because they are set apart for God’s special purposes in the world: “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy; for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes, and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you” (Lev 20:7–8). As this verse helps us see, the word sanctification is closely related to holiness. The word sanctification can be used in a similar sense in the New Testament, and in one sense, believers are already sanctified because of what Jesus has done for them. Hebrews 10:10 tells us that as followers of Christ “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
But most of the time when Christians use the word sanctification, they are referring to the progressive work of God to make a believer more like Jesus Christ. As such Paul can write, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thes 4:3). He commands Christians to “present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification” (Rom 6:19). Because believers have been set free from their slavery to sin, “the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Rom 6:22).
3 Minute Theology 4.4: What is Sanctification?
The Greek word translated “sanctification” (hagiasmos [aJgiasmov”]) means “holiness.” To sanctify, therefore, means “to make holy.” In one sense only God is holy ( Isa 6:3 ). God is separate, distinct, other. No human being or thing shares the holiness of God’s essential nature. There is one God. Yet Scripture speaks about holy things. Moreover, God calls human beings to be holy — as holy as he is holy ( Lev 11:44 ; Matt 5:48 ; 1 Peter 1:15-16 ). Another word for a holy person is “saint” (hagios [a&gio”]), meaning a sanctified one. The opposite of sanctified is “profane” ( Lev 10:10 ).
From time to time human beings are commanded to sanctify themselves. For example, God commanded the nation of Israel, “consecrate to me every firstborn male” ( Exod 13:2 ). God said through Peter, “in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord” ( 1 Peter 3:15 ). One sanctifies Christ by responding to unbelievers meaningfully, out of a good conscience and faithful life. God calls his own to set themselves apart for that which he has set them apart. Sanctify, therefore, becomes a synonym for “trust and obey” ( Isa 29:23 ). Another name for this action is “consecration.” To fail to sanctify God has serious consequences ( Num 20:12 ).
Human beings ultimately cannot sanctify themselves. The Triune God sanctifies. The Father sanctifies ( 1 Cor 1:30 ) by the Spirit ( 2 Thess 2:13 ; 1 Peter 1:2 ) and in the name of Christ ( 1 Cor 6:11 ). Yet Christian faith is not merely passive. Paul calls for active trust and obedience when he says, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” ( 2 Cor 7:1 ). No one may presume on God’s grace in sanctification. Peter reminds believers to be diligent in making their calling and election sure ( 2 Peter 1:10 ).
A person or thing can be sanctified in two ways according to God’s creative purpose or according to God’s redemptive design. All sanctified in the first sense are used by God in the second sense. Not all God uses in the second sense are sanctified in the first sense.
In our Statement of faith we assert this about Justification,
The Justification of Sinners We believe that Christ, by his obedience and death, fully discharged the debt of all those who are justified. By his sacrifice, he bore in our stead the punishment due us for our sins, making a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice on our behalf. By his perfect obedience he satisfied the just demands of God on our behalf, since by faith alone that perfect obedience is credited to all who trust in Christ alone for their acceptance with God.
This short course would will cover the meaning and definitions of Justification. It will also suggest resources you should consider in furthering your understanding.
What is Justification Simply Put?
Simply put, to justify is to declare righteous, to make one right with God. Justification is God’s declaring those who receive Christ to be righteous, based on Christ’s righteousness being imputed to the accounts of those who receive Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Though justification as a principle is found throughout Scripture, the main passage describing justification in relation to believers is Romans 3:21-26: “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
3 Minute Theology 3.8: What is Justification by Faith?
The doctrine of justification by faith has had a checkered history. It was virtually ignored until the Reformation. That all changed with Martin Luther, who elevated justification to the head of all doctrines. Ever since, Lutheran theologians have followed their founder’s lead, proclaiming in the oft-quoted phrase that justification by faith is the doctrine “on which the church stands or falls.”
How does it happen?
We are justified, declared righteous, at the moment of our salvation. Justification does not make us righteous, but rather pronounces us righteous. Our righteousness comes from placing our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice covers our sin, allowing God to see us as perfect and unblemished. Because as believers we are in Christ, God sees Christ’s own righteousness when He looks at us. This meets God’s demands for perfection; thus, He declares us righteous—He justifies us.
Romans 5:18-19 sums it up well: “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” It is because of justification that the peace of God can rule in our lives. It is because of justification that believers can have assurance of salvation. It is the fact of justification that enables God to begin the process of sanctification—the process by which God makes us in reality what we already are positionally. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
I remember as a young Christian in youth church being introduced to Watchman Nee by an encouraging uncle. He spotted my youth like zeal and thought to give me some tough food to chew on. The truth is, I’m still chewing today. I was introduced to Nee’s book ‘The Release of the Spirit’, which was first published in China in 1955. Nee taught in that book that the path to spiritual fruitfulness— and to a true, intimate knowledge of the Lord—is the brokenness of the outward man. He explained that God uses tests and trials in our lives to break our selfish nature so that Christ’s nature can flow through us. He spoke of the freakish nature of the Christian faith and the need to stand out. I remember as a young person reading this book and watching as these themes cascaded one on top of the other. With each point, my fear compounded as it dawned on me that zeal was not only to be outward expression and energy but the denial of a lot of the shows, songs, and ‘banter’ that I had come to love. It dawned on me that I not only needed to be bold and loud but that I needed to become an Alien!
Identity Crisis
Let us be honest, even as a Christian, there can often be (an albeit fading) desire to fit in, to be socially relevant and accepted by the world. I still get excited every time I make a successful pop culture reference. Although we have left the club, many of us still feel the desire to keep our membership card — just in case. We may still be drawn to attend the same parties but miss the ones that are really bad, we may even speak the same but avoid really bad speech, we watch the same things but avoid really bad shows. The ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) can be crippling for Christians who watch everyone ‘playing and having fun’ and feel like they have no option but to join in. They enter the fun under the ruse of ‘banter and letting hair down’ and in so doing make their witness ineffective. This appears to be the experience of some nominal Christians around the world.
I have spoken earlier about Moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD). It’s a term that was first introduced in the book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (2005). The book is the result of the research project the “National Study of Youth and Religion”. The author’s study found that many young people believe in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions. A central statute in this book is that most young people think the point of religion is to help you behave better and make you into a better person. This is false. Alarming as it may be, this is what some Christians may have been hoodwinked into or knowingly started believing. This is the view that Christians are to be less bad than the world. To attend wild parties but not sin, to drink but not get drunk, to dance intimately but not have sex. To get involved in every discussion and debate but not be vulgar. To enjoy the same things leaving space for repentance straight after.
Many Christians believe Christianity is about being less bad than the world. Sure, this is a part of the Gospel, but not the thrust of the Gospel. The thrust of the Gospel is about making you right with God. It’s about satisfying eternal and weighty wrath and being born again. It’s about a change of nature and essence and not solely managed behavioural change. That comes after. Why is this important? Well because when we consider that we have been reborn (John 3:1-21) and set apart (1 John 4:4-5), we begin to understand that standing out and being different is the very call of the gospel. It’s not a choice or an optional module, its the very point of being saved. Saved from what? Yourself
Saved for or saved from?
One of the main reasons we struggle saying no to the desire to fit in and to be culturally relevant is because our Christian lives can sometimes feel like a never-ending list of don’ts. Don’t watch this, don’t read this, don’t listen to this. That way of living can feel repressive and stifling. Here, it’s important to consider the message of the Gospel. Through Gospel lenses, we see that the Christian life is not a constrained life by any measure, only a carnal mindset will produce that thought.
John Piper put it well when he said:
“My father used to say, be so busy doing… you don’t have time to “don’t“. When people accused us fundamentalists of being people with a bunch of don’ts, I have never felt that way. My life is not a constrained life. It is a free life.” “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13)”
Life in Christ is not mainly about the avoidance of evil, but mainly the passionate and intense pursuit of good. “Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
We haven’t just been saved from ourselves, but we have been saved for greater works, greater joy, greater peace – in Him. Jesus died — yes to purify his people and to make them positionally right forever. However, it is an absolute travesty to the triune God, to the cross, to treat it as though Jesus died only to forgive us for sinful acts and not to purify us for the power not to go back to our vomit. We have been saved from ourselves, from the applause of men, from needing validation from culture and saved for union and increasingly joyful communion with God.
What do I do when I feel left out?
Embrace it. Don’t run away from it. Embrace it. It’s a sign that you were ‘made for another world’. Let it remind you fo this truth. That you are a sojourner, an alien, a misfit here on this earth. It’s a sign that you have been enlisted into a different army and that you have a different commander. Christians ought not to run away from this feeling but to see what it points to and to rejoice in that. The truth is the world does not need ‘less bad’, irrelevant copies of itself. The world needs more aliens. More folks that are willing to stand out and be different. Who are willing to be called prudish, bizarre and old fashioned and uncool. Who are willing to embrace the ‘shame’ of the world and let it do its work. After all, look at the effect shame had on the life of Jesus. Shame stripped away every earthly support that Jesus had: his friends gave way in shaming abandonment; his reputation gave way in shaming slander; his decency gave way in shaming nakedness; his comfort gave way in shaming torture. It reminded him that he was different, set apart and holy.
Crucially, mature Christians must embrace a similar type of shame (Hebrews 12:2,3) and instead rejoice in God’s approval of their behaviour. Feeling left out is not only a sign but it also has a purifying effect in the life of a believer. It weans you off the world and prepares you for a new one. It makes you even more effective because to maintain your prophetic witness you need to maintain a prophetic distance. The truth of the matter is that we (Christians) cannot hope to change the world if we are motivated by the same things they are motivated by. What’s the difference? How can you aim to influence people who don’t see you as different? If they only see you as ‘better’ than they are, then they will wrongly assume that they just need to work harder to get to your ‘level’ when in reality they need to be saved and born again. Here are some helpful passages on standing out.
Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.
1. Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, your minds must be clear and ready for action. Place your confidence completely in what God’s kindness will bring you when Jesus Christ appears again. Because you are children who obey God, don’t live the kind of lives you once lived. Once you lived to satisfy your desires because you didn’t know any better. But because the God who called you is holy, you must be holy in every aspect of your life.
1 Peter 1:13-15
You people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving what the world has is the same as hating God. So anyone who wants to be friends with this evil world becomes God’s enemy.
James 4:4
I believe we must reclaim the forgotten message of consecration. It is not enough to know Christian doctrines or to paint a nice Christian veneer on the surface of our lives. God wants our hearts. We must embrace the cross daily. It is not enough to simply avoid the sins that our Christian culture says are the “worst”; we must also allow God’s knife to slay the pride, the self-will, the self-confidence and the self-glorification that our backslidden Christian culture encourages. We must consider that if we continue to indulge in the culture we are commissioned to change, we will be continually sanded until, subtly (and sadly) unbeknownst to us, our love grows cold and we are rendered blunt and ineffective in the hands of our Master.
We’ve all been there. Bending over backwards in our attempts to push our friend who has expressed an interest in Christianity to give their life to Christ. We sniff out opportunities to sprinkle the Gospel invitation into conversation wherever possible. We bring them to church whenever we can. Weeks become months and months may even become years. At times it feels as though there’s nothing more we can do. However, no matter how helpless we may feel, there is great hope in this simple truth: God is sovereign in salvation.
Our role cannot be understated. God has entrusted us as His mouthpieces who will declare the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-19). We proclaim the message of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, loving our friends and patiently journeying with them. Their salvation ultimately comes down to God being the great initiator in our conversion and in our new birth. It is He who draws the person to the belief in accordance with His sovereign will. We proclaim, God saves.
Introducing The Doctrine of Predestination
Predestination is one of the most controversial doctrines in Christianity; central to it are election and reprobation. Click here https://linktr.ee/oggm and listen to episode 6 of The Pulse entitled ‘Does God Predestine people to go to hell?’ For the purposes of this article, the focus will be placed on election.
Election is an act of God, before creation, in which He chose those who will be saved. This act is entirely based on His will and good pleasure rather than any merit of their own, as shown in Ephesians 1:3-6, 1:11-12. This means that God has decided before the foundations of the world those He will save unto Himself and those He will pass over.
In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul speaks of how God chose Jacob and not Esau (Malachi 1:2-3) so that His purpose of election may be made evident and continue.
though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:11-13
Some among the nation of Israel were saved and others were not; the elect and non-elect. (Romans 11:7-8). In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were preaching to the Gentiles in Pisidia, Antioch. Luke writes that upon hearing the Gospel, ‘as many as were ordained to eternal life believed’ (Acts 13:48).
Do We Even Have A Choice?
Does predestination enable your friend to free choice? Most definitely. All people are invited to respond to follow Jesus, making willing choices as to whether they accept or reject the Gospel (Matthew 11:28, John 7:37-38 and Revelation 22:17). God sovereignly works through our voluntary choices, He guarantees that our choices come about as He has ordained. Therefore, this does not contradict John 3:16.
But Doesn’t God Desire for All to be Saved?
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 33:11
1 Timothy 2:4 also teaches this. However, we have to interpret these scriptures not in isolation but in light of what the entirety of scripture says on the matter. When considering these passages alongside all of the above, we can conclude that these two assertions are true of God. He desires for all to be saved, but has also chosen from the foundations of the world those He would save from his wrath. God is not schizophrenic, He is most concerned with displaying His glory as greatly as possible and this is His entitlement as the creator of the universe.
Election is one of the ways He chooses to do so. We may not fully understand it, but that’s what happens when our fallible minds attempt to fully comprehend an infallible God.
According to John Piper, there are two wills at work in God because:
“This allows the manifestation of the full range of God’s glory in wrath and mercy (Rom. 9:22–23) and the humbling of man so that he enjoys giving all credit to God for his salvation (1 Cor. 1:29).”
How Does This Inform Our Evangelism?
Predestination does not make evangelism pointless, contrastingly, it emphasises the importance of witnessing. Your friend cannot be saved unless they hear the Gospel, stressing the importance of the role that God has given us as bearers of the good news.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 12:14-17
Paul practiced what he preached. Election assured him that his evangelistic labours would not be in vain. He knew that wherever God sent him, there were many who would be saved. Paul saw this as a source of encouragement to evangelism.
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
2 Timothy 2:10
Therefore, when the Lord told Paul ‘I have many people in this city [Corinth]’ (Acts 18:9-10), this did not lead Paul to inaction. He responded by remaining in Corinth for a year and six months, tirelessly preaching the Gospel for their sake. With exception to Ephesus, this was the longest time he had remained in any city on his missionary travels recorded in Acts. We should follow his example and enable predestination to steer us toward greater efforts.
What a great encouragement we have in knowing that we are guaranteed some success in witnessing. The friend you’re journeying with may be among the elect. There is a good chance that they will eventually come to saving faith. Let this increase your efforts, devotion, and commitment to sharing Christ with them.
Soul ties. A term we hear tossed to and fro’ among conversations. Maybe a Youth pastor uses it to warn young Christians of the perils of pre-marital sex. Perhaps a mentor uses the term, trying their best to offer reasoning for a mentee’s distress and inflamed emotions after falling into sexual sin. Whatever the case is, soul ties are a belief held by many Christians. But what exactly are they and more importantly can we consider it a biblical truth?
Soul ties are commonly believed to describe the way in which two souls are ‘knit together’ spiritually. Many argue that this affinity can be forged through sexual relationships; an ‘eternal bond’ usually formed between a husband and wife. In cases of extra-marital sex, this ‘tie’ is believed to have destructive consequences on the individual’s emotional and spiritual health.
Most Christians will agree that the term isn’t directly mentioned in the Bible, however, there are scriptures that lead them to believe that soul ties exist. This begs the question; why do we believe in something that is so loosely based on scripture?
If you ask a Christian who believes in soul ties, whether it is biblical, they will be quick to guide you to 1 Samuel 18:1 (NKJV); “…the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David.” However, is the ‘knitting’ that is described here, a spiritual welding of two souls? Or rather, an illustration of the visceral congeniality between two friends, a friendship more commonly known in our time as a ‘budding bromance’? What about soul ties during sex, can soul tying occur as a result of physical intimacy? Some might argue that a man and a woman’s souls are knitted together when they become ‘one flesh’ (Gen 2:24) and this bond is further deepened during sex; that is to say that Christians who practice sex outside of marriage put themselves at risk of ‘binding’ their souls to the individual they have slept with. While it is commendable that a Christian’s aim here, is to educate others (as they should) on the sanctity of sex in marriage, unfortunately, they misapply the covenant binding nature of marriage to the actual act of sex itself, which as result, can be misleading and cause much confusion.
I believe that one reason why many of us believe in soul ties despite the fact that is supported by little to no biblical evidence, is because of English translations of Hebrew manuscripts, and their best attempts to convey its exact meaning in a way that can be understood by those who read what has now formed to become the Bible. The issue is that, Hebrew is a language that is heavily pictorially based, often using imagery to drive home a particular point. Therefore, when trying to capture the affinity created between those who share an esteemed level of intimacy or affection, some of this meaning is lost in various translations. Given that there is a lot obscurity surrounding the understanding of the soul and how it functions, even the best of us can take up meaning to be literal, when it is in fact figurative.
Let us not be mistaken, though as believers we might feel entangled in our emotional and sexual desires as a result of a past relationship or sexual sin, we must understand that the gospel offers a completely different reality. A reality where our souls are not tied to man but instead united with Christ who has assured us of our freedom by means of His atonement on the Cross. During times, where we do feel burdened, we should pray for the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened to the hope that we have been called to (Eph 1:18) so that we can both recognise and rejoice in the fact that our souls have been set free from, not only the bondage in this present world but also from eternal corruption in the life to come.
Patience isn’t just about waiting. It’s about waiting without complaint. Patience is all about enduring discomfort without complaint. In this podcast, we look at how to grow in patience.
