Scripture Twisters - John 14:6

Believe it or not, I've actually purchased the book written by he whose name I can not speak, and I have every intention of reading it, but a friend of mine pointed me towards this passage of the book:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. --John 14:6

What does he whose name I can not speak think?

"Jesus at one point claimed to be ‘the way, the truth, and the life.’ Jesus was not making claims about one religion being better than all other religions. That completely misses the point, the depth, and the truth. Rather, he was telling those who were following him that his way is the way to the depth of reality. This kind of life Jesus was living, perfectly and completely in connection and cooperation with God, is the best possible way for a person to live. It is how things are."

This is my problem with He whose name I can not speak. *Deconstruction* He has taken a relatively simple concept and deconstructed it to the point where I'm not even sure what he is trying to say. I will not argue that the way Jesus lived is the best way to live, but is that the direct application of this verse? Let's examine:

1.) We must interpret the verse in context with the surrounding verses.
In John 14:1-5, we find Jesus telling his disciples about his Fathers house. This is Heaven. Then we find Thomas asking, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus proceeds to tell them the way. He is the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to the father except through Him. Does he seem to you like he is speaking of his lifestyle? He says "I," not "my lifestyle." So I would be lead to believe that we get to Heaven through Jesus, not his lifestyle.

2.) We must interpret the unclear with the clear.
A clear teaching of the Bible is that the only way to Heaven is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It is also clear that we can not get to Heaven through our works. So when we see Jesus proclaiming "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." What assumptions can we make about that statement? We can assume that he is not talking about his lifestyle, because we know that our lifestyle can not save us. We can assume that he is talking about faith in him, because that is a clear biblical teaching.

People tell me that he whose name I can not speak's purpose is to make people question their beliefs, with the intent of having them come out stronger in their faith. I wonder, however, how helpful it is for him to cause someone to question a well known and widely accepted teaching that stands up, even to the toughest of testing. I wonder if he intends to teach/give the idea that the way to Heaven is through living like Jesus did. (A task that is impossible from the start.) Perhaps I will go easier on him after I actually read the book, but for now, I remain sceptical at best.

Special Thanks

A special thanks goes out to J Razz and J Razz Creations for the new custom header that now greets you at the top of the page.

God Hates, God Loves

It seems I have brought some heat upon my self by making the following statement while commenting on a previous post:

"[Westboro Baptist Church] very well could be correct in their assumption that [Heath Ledger] is in Hell. I'm almost certain that they are correct that God hates homosexuals. (GASP!) But I would dispute the hate that they themselves seem to foster in their hearts. I believe that they are wrong because their hearts are not in the right place and their motives are impure.

I suppose an explaination is owed.

First of all, I made a fairly common mistake. I shouldn’t have pointed towards a specific group, (homosexuals.) What I mean to say is that God hates sinners.

Second of all, I am in no way, shape or form suggesting that we as Christians should hate sinners. We have no right. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. If you read back in my blog, or listen to any of my sermons, you will find that I actually hold myself in very low regard. I have a very low view of myself and I don’t believe that I deserve a single one of the blessings that God has placed before me. I certainly do not believe that I am somehow "better" than the person that does not know Christ. I believe that I am a sinner as well. I’m simply “luckier” than the person who does not know Christ.

Before l get into this, let me first point out that it was the Hindu, Gandhi that came up with the phrase, “hate the sin, not the sinner.” You could paraphrase to make a few passages in the Bible say it, but I don’t know were it is in God’s holy word. That is not to say that we shouldn’t love our enemy. It is made abundantly clear that we should through passages such as Mathew 5:43-44 and Luke 10:27. But I don’t think that we should limit God to mere human emotions. If I say that God hates sinners, I am not saying its ok for me to hate sinners.

The first verse that comes to mind in regards to God’s feelings about sinners for a few of you seems to be John 3:16. That absolutely talks about God loving the world, (including sinners.) The first one that came to mind for me was Psalm 5:5. “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes. You hate all evildoers.” It would seem that God hates Evildoers.

The next argument that comes up will probably be that God loves us, but hates what we do. I would argue that we are what we do. The bible teaches us that bad fruit comes from bad trees. I produced bad fruit just this morning. I also produced bad fruit yesterday. I have a heart that is deceitful, a nature that rebels against God and a life that is full of evil deeds. I am an evildoer, and God hates evildoers.

According to our human minds two things that are opposites can not co-exist. Yet I maintain that both Predestination and Free will co-exist. I maintain that a loving God will send countless souls to eternal torment at the last day. These are all ideas that according to our feeble human logic, don’t seem to jive together. I also maintain that God hates Evildoers, but loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I can’t fit the two together, but can God?

I consider myself blessed. I have gone to God, laid my palette out before Him and fallen dreadfully short of His glory. I have presented Him with a life full of Rotten, terrible, evil deeds. I have handed a life over that is worthy of His hate and suitable to receive His wrath in the fullest. But by his Grace, to His Glory; and yes, through his love, I have been granted repentance and faith. I have been saved, not through my works, as if I could offer God anything worthy of something other than Hate; but through Christ, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross and applied his righteousness to my account. I’m no better than those who Westboro Baptist Church rail against, just luckier.

Discuss.

Making Baptists Everywhere Look Bad

Something deep inside of me wishes that these guys weren't called Baptist:

"A radical Baptist church in Kansas known for picketing the funerals of soldiers who perished in Iraq said it intends to protest Heath Ledger's memorial service with signs claiming the actor died and is in Hell because he played a gay character in Brokeback Mountain."

“Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there,” the Westboro Baptist announcement says.

“God hates fags,” [said Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.] “The wrath of God has been revealed before the eyes of this nation with the death of Heath Ledger. … This nation worships the dead almost as much as they worship their filthy sex acts. America is doomed.”

Read the full article here.

Ok, I will be the first to admit, while it is certainly not our place to judge ones salvation, you can get a pretty good idea from their fruits. These people, however, don't claim to have "an idea." They are claiming absolute knowledge of the state of Heath Ledgers, along with thousands of U.S. troops souls.

I firmly believe that we can always take some comfort in the fact that only God knows the state of any ones soul. That is to say that even if someone has never lived their lives in a way that would lead you and I to believe they are soundly saved; We don't know. Perhaps they experienced Spirit led repentance and faith in their dying days, or even dying moments. Perhaps they had repented and put their faith in Jesus at some point, but were rather quite about it, (this scenario seems impossible to me, but who knows?)

The point is that only God knows. It is not, in any way shape or form, Westboro Baptist Church's place to proclaim the state of Heath Ledger's soul. Judging is a difficult topic, and a difficult act. Lets always be careful to make sure that we are not judging things that we have no business judging. Some things should simply be left to God.

Requirements for a Pastor

With all the talk lately about the requirements for a Pastor, I thought people might be interested in why I believe that I can fill such a role. I decided to share the letter that I submitted when I requested my pastoral license through the American Baptist Churches of Michigan. This is also a good chance for you all to learn more about me on a personal level:


To the Deacons at Valley Farms Baptist Church,

Within the last few months, God has laid it heavily on my heart to further seek his will in my life. I believe that his will is for me to become a pastor and one day oversee my own congregation. I am writing this letter to formally request your sponsorship for a Pastoral License through the American Baptist Churches of Michigan.

In First Timothy, chapter three it reads; "the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap." These are the requirements laid out in God's word for a pastor within His Church. I believe I meet these requirements.

God has been preparing me for this responsibility for a very long time. He provided me with the means to find Christ at the age of thirteen, thus allowing me to grow as a Christian for 12 years. He introduced me to my wife, Tabatha while I was still in high school, allowing me to build a meaningful and long lasting marriage while I was still young. He has taught me to keep a calm, cool, and collected temperament, allowing me to maintain good relationships with friends and acquaintances. He has provided me with the spiritual gift of teaching, allowing me to prepare and deliver sermons and bible lessons. He has also provided me with a wonderful mentor who, through watching both his triumphs and his struggles, I have learned a great deal from.

I have begun seminary school through Andersonville Theological Institute and am on course for an associate’s degree in Biblical studies. Once completed, I plan to re-enroll and begin working towards a bachelors Degree in Biblical Theology. Through this experience, combined with my continued counsel with Pastor Dave, or whoever God places before me, I will continue to mold and shape the type of pastor I will be.
Obtaining my pastoral license will do more for me than simply give me a title. It will allow me to speak at other churches and possibly fill in on an interim basis. It will also allow me to perform other pastoral duties, such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc. All of these responsibilities will be opportunities for further growth spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

The Apostle Paul also wrote in First Timothy; "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." I have tried to make this my focus in life and have no intentions of faltering in this effort. If given this opportunity, I will strive for continued growth in my walk with Christ. I will keep my life focused on setting an example through all of the attributes listed by Paul. I realize that becoming a pastor is more than just receiving a title. It is accepting a responsibility and accepting the constant challenges that come along with that title. It requires a willingness to open yourself up to others as an approachable source for comfort and advice. It is a promise to God to always seek his will in your life, in others lives and in his church. These are responsibilities that I am willing and prepared to accept.

Therefore, given the reasons I have listed in this letter; I, Timothy Rees, ask the Deacons of Valley Farms Baptist Church for their support and their blessing, in becoming a licensed pastor within the American Baptist Churches of Michigan. Thank you for your time and your consideration. God bless.

In Christ,
Timothy Rees