Identifying The Underlying Causes Of Emotional Pain Is Important

"Rather than seeking to deaden, ignore, or elevate the importance of our emotions, we should allow them to speak to us about our hearts. Because God gave us the ability to experience emotions, we want to be very cautious about ignoring what they may be telling us. We want to carefully consider whether dampening the awareness of our feelings through the use of medication (or alcohol) is the best road for us to take to better health. Medicines or alcohol may make us feel better for a time, even if our "heart problem" is not addressed. For example, we know that morphine dulls the pain of a broken arm. It does not heal or reset the bone, and it does not fix the root cause of the pain. The same is true about medicines and emotional pain. In order to resolve such pain, we need to deal not with the symptoms, but the root cause of the pain."

Elyse Fitzpatrick and Laura Hendrickson, M.D., "Will Medicine Stop the Pain?," p. 32

The Facts About American Slavery

"Politically correct media and school textbooks give the impression that slavery has primarily been a sin committed by white people who enslaved blacks. The fact that only about 25 percent of the Americans in the South had slaves before the Civil War is commonly not mentioned, nor is the fact that (according to the United States census of 1830), for example, 407 black Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, alone owned black slaves."

Alvin J. Schmidt, Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, p. 273

Is It Possible For Christians To Be Possessed By Demons?

        We know from Scripture that it is impossible for genuine Christians to be possessed by demons because they are owned by God Himself (1 Corinthians 7:23). He is sovereign over creation. There is nothing which can snatch us from Him. Demons thus have no control or dominion over us. 

        God has redeemed us with the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). That is what it cost Him to make us beneficiaries of His kingdom. Demons therefore have no claim to us. We cannot be taken possession of by them.

        The God who indwells Himself in us is greater than the things of this world (1 John 4:4). He has conquered them. Demons are just as much a part of creation as we are. They do not have the power to control us. God has not authorized demons to take possession of believers.

        The Holy Spirit has no fellowship with demons (2 Corinthians 6:14-16), and therefore cannot be present in the body of a person who is possessed by them. There is no such thing as a Christian who has not been consecrated by the Holy Spirit to serve God.

          The only types of people that we see as being possessed by demons in Scripture are the unsaved. The New Testament epistles record no examples of or instructions as to how to even cast evil spirits out of Christians. It is reasonable to infer from this data that Christians cannot be demon possessed.

Does God Hate Sinners?

        "The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity." (Psalm 5:5)

        God's Law is perfect. It is a reflection of His character and nature. He cannot allow sin and rebellion into His kingdom. God absolutely despises iniquity. He judges sinners. He punishes sinners. Sin stems forth from the human heart. His wrath is a reality. God cannot simply ignore or overlook our sin. This biblical truth should give rise to a state of concern in people. However, there is good news which counterbalances the bad news of humanity being condemned by God for sin.

        God is loving and gracious. He is patient. At the same time, our Creator is holy and just. He is provoked to wrath by our unrighteousness. God's love and hatred are perfect. He hates without sinful intent. To be hated of God means to be under His wrath and judgment. Those whom He loves are those who have found favor in His sight. It was out of His unfathomable love for us that He sent His only begotten Son into this world to make atonement for our sins:

        "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:8-10)

        There exists a debt of sin against God who is holy that requires payment (Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:56). No man in his fallen condition could possibly fulfill the necessary demands to make restitution. Thus, Jesus Christ took on human flesh so that the debt of sin could be paid off. He is without sin. An infinite debt requires an infinite payment.

        "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:8-10)

        Christ is the tangible manifestation of God's love for us. He came to bring spiritual life to us. Therefore, those who desire to have fellowship with God must be reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. We must have our sins forgiven. We must have our sins removed. God took the initiative to save us, even though we had no merit on our part.

        How can a God of love hate at the same time? God is love, but love is not God Himself. That is not all there is to God. There are many aspects of His character. God is a complex being. His provisional love for sinners is not incompatible with His righteous judgment. He has every attribute perfectly. If we are Christians, then God is not only our King but also our Father. If we water down who He is, then we will end up serving a false god.

         God does indeed have love for us, but it is more than warm feelings. He has provided a means for us to escape divine condemnation. The richness of His mercy is unsearchable. He desires reconciliation, especially with those who believe on Christ for salvation. Nevertheless, we should not take these truths lightly. We should abhor sin, just as He does. We should reject it, regardless of the cost. In fact, the command for us to love our enemies is rooted in God's provisional love for sinners.

         We are justified by God's grace through our faith in Christ's atonement for sin. We cannot merit our salvation. God desires that all men come to salvation (Acts 17:26-31). He wants all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He has no desire in punishing the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:10-11). It is not God who sends people to hell. People end up there because that is the eternal destiny that they chose for themselves. There is a day coming in which every man will give account of himself to God.

How Miracles Illustrate The Foolishness Of Atheism

        Atheists quickly rule out the possibility of miracles because a consistent naturalistic worldview does not allow them to embrace the validity of supernatural realities. In other words, these people automatically deem false anything that is not observable to the five human senses. This is done by atheists in their attempts to eliminate God from the equation of life. Following is a handful of basic points to keep in mind within the context of atheism and the miraculous.

        There are indeed rare, extraordinary phenomena, whether they be recovery from near impossible medical emergencies or survival without injury from natural disasters. There has even been drastic character transformation in formally malicious people who converted to Christianity. Consider the example of the Apostle Paul who was a murderer prior to his conversion. It would be more reasonable to attribute such incidents to divine providence than to mere chance.

        We should not make the hasty generalization of dismissing authentic miracles along with counterfeits. Authentic experiences serve as evidences for God being very much at work throughout creation. The real issue is that we lack faith in Him. That is a tendency of our fallen nature. The issue that carries the greatest weight is whether miracles are even possible.

        Empirical evidence is not the only form of available evidence. There is also eyewitness testimony. One need not assume without proof that the New Testament writings are historically fraudulent, especially when it has so much manuscript evidence favoring its veracity. Something is termed miraculous only when no other explanation exists that is scientific.

        Scientific experiments tell us how nature regularly operates under certain conditions, not that miracles are an impossibility. Thus, there are both natural and supernatural explanations. It is because of our scientific knowledge that we can discern whether an occurrence is a miracle. Miracles do not contradict natural laws, but rather transcend them. God has the power to temporarily suspend scientific laws for His own purposes because He created them.

        Furthermore, it is a highly unscientific to assume that God does not exist because such a colossal argument requires that one obtain infinite knowledge about everything. This cannot be done by beings who are finite by design. He is beyond the limited scope of nature. A test-tube will never be capable of coherently explaining the fullness of reality.

        If the God of the Bible does exist (which we maintain that He does), then the case is closed. He can indeed work miracles. Whether one believes in the possibility of miracles is ultimately a matter of underlying philosophical presuppositions about this world. Even if there were no supreme deity governing the universe, atheism would still have no reason to exist or proclaim itself to be true. The concept of moral truths would be no different than our personal appetites.

Human Love Can Become Corrupt

"We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then they will destroy us, and also destroy themselves. For natural loves that are allowed to become gods do not remain loves. They are still called so, but can become in fact complicated forms of hatred."

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 8

True Love Entails Self-Sacrifice

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 121

Is The Office Of The Pope A Fulfillment Of Moses' Seat (Matthew 23:1-2)?

• Discussion:

           -"After Jesus established His Church and gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Peter’s chair became the new seat of authority under the New Covenant. This is why, when the Pope officially speaks on a matter of faith and morals with the intention of proclaiming a universal doctrine for the Church (which is rare), we say He is speaking “ex cathedra” (from the “chair”). Jesus’ use of the “chair of Moses” certainly shows a continuum of authority as the New Covenant replaced the Old." (https://www.scripturecatholic.com/qa-seat-moses/)

          Moses' seat was a symbolic expression of teaching the Pentateuch. Furthermore, it pertained more to civil law than issuing religious dogma. Moses was judge; the priesthood constituted a theocracy. These Jewish leaders did not continually make up new laws, but rather upheld the laws that God had originally given to His people through Moses. They could teach only to the extent of what the Law said.

           Roman Catholics assume without proof that there exists a logical connection between Moses' seat and their chain of Papal successors. The New Testament never associates some chair of Peter with the seat of Moses, nor does it speak of his apostolic successors. There is no historical evidence for a tradition of successors from Moses' seat. Neither is there any evidence existing that the Jewish people attributed infallibility to their leaders. In fact, we know from the gospels that the scribes and Pharisees promulgated doctrinal error. They were even called by Jesus "blind guides" and accused of "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:1-9; 23:16).

           Whatever teaching from the writings of Moses and the Prophets that the scribes and Pharisees had faithfully taught, Christ instructed the people to obey. Their teachings in that regard were authoritative. However, He told them to not emulate the moral and doctrinal errors of the religious leaders (Matthew 23:3). These men made themselves appear extremely pious in their daily religious practices before others, but God knew that their hearts were far from Him. He knew that the scribes and Pharisees were only seeking flattery from the public. Their reward was received while still on earth. If anything at all, we should take this passage of Scripture as a warning against pride.

           Parallels exist between the scribes and Pharisees back in the days of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry and the modern Church of Rome. However, none of them are positive. Catholics appeal to a traceable lineage to lend credence to the veracity of their arguments, yet Jesus and John the Baptist rejected the scribes and Pharisees who made similar arguments (Matthew 3:7-9; John 8:36-45). The Church of Rome claims to possess divine oral tradition, yet Christ strongly rebuked the religious leaders of His day who made identical claims (Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:7-13). Roman Catholic officials unashamedly wield religious titles of honor, yet Christ expressed emphatic disapproval of people who reserved such for themselves (Matthew 23:8-12). Just as the critics of Jesus asked by what authority He performed miracles (Luke 20:2), Roman Catholic apologists ask the same question in regard to us making interpretations of Scripture.

Does Daniel 7:13-14 Affirm That Jesus Is God?

          “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14, emphasis added)

          This messianic prophecy articulated through Daniel emphatically describes God ("Ancient of Days") as sitting in judgment over the conquered nations of rebellion. They are represented in context as various beasts, along with the establishment of the eternal throne of Jesus Christ His Son. He is clearly portrayed in this text as being sovereign over creation. He is thus a figure worthy of our worship. This vision reveals to us that both God the Father and God the Son rule over all creation.

          This is the only occurrence in the Old Testament of the term "son of man" referring solely to the promised Jewish Messiah. Daniel wrote of Jesus Christ from the viewpoint of heaven, whereas the gospel writers described Him from an earthly vantage point. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven through the clouds. Now, He sits at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12). Christ has been given dominion over His eternal kingdom. 

          Moreover, the text of Daniel 7:13-14 can be paralleled with Revelation chapters four and five. In that context, we see that the Lamb of God alone is found to be worthy of opening the scroll declaring the inheritance of the nations. This takes place when the evil kingdoms of this world get eliminated forever. He has been given authority, glory, and power. Christ reigns with majestic glory for all eternity onward. He shares the throne of God. Christ is truly God incarnate.

          Jerome wrote the following in his commentary on Daniel 7:13:

          “And behold, there came One with the clouds of heaven like unto the Son of man.” He who was described in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as a rock cut without hands, which also grew to be a large mountain, and which smashed the earthenware, the iron, the bronze, the silver, and the gold is now introduced as the very person of the Son of man, so as to indicate in the case of the Son of God how He took upon Himself human flesh; according to the statement which we read in the Acts of the Apostles: ‘Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up towards heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him going into heaven' (Acts 1:11)”.

          Wayne A. Grudem provides further insight on the text of Daniel 7:13-14 being a messianic prophecy: 

          "Someone who had heavenly origin and who was given eternal rule over the whole world. The high priests did not miss the point of this passage when Jesus said, ‘Hereafter you will see the Son of man seated on the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven‘ (Matt. 26:46). The reference to Daniel 7:13-14 was unmistakable, and the high priest and his council knew that Jesus was claiming to be the eternal world ruler of heavenly origin spoken of in Daniel’s vision. Immediately they said, ‘He has uttered blasphemy…. He deserves death’ (Matt. 26:65-66).” (Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith, p. 238)

AMA Statement on Abortion

"There we shall discover an enemy in the camp; there we shall witness as hideous a view of moral deformity as the evil spirit could present…. Men who seek not to save, but to destroy; men known not only to the profession, but to the public, as abortionists….

“Thou shalt not kill.” This commandment is given to all, and applies to all without exception…. Notwithstanding all this, we see in our midst a class of men, regardless of all principle, regardless of all honor; who daily destroy that fair fabric of God’s creation; who daily pull down what he has built up; who act in antagonism to that profession of which they claim to be members….

It matters not at what state of development his victim may have arrived—it matters not how small or how apparently insignificant it may be—it is a murder; a foul, unprovoked murder; and its blood, like the blood of Abel, will cry from earth to Heaven for vengeance….

Every practicing physician in the land (as well as every good man) has a certain amount of interest at stake in this matter…. The members of the profession should form themselves into a special police to watch, and to detect, and bring to justice these characters. They should shrink with horror from all intercourse with them, professionally or otherwise. These men should be marked as Cain was marked; they should be made the outcasts of society."

American Medical Association 1871 statement on abortion, as cited by Randy Alcorn in "Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments," p. 217