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What is "objective good"? The term is meant to describe that which is, in and of itself, good. It is intended to stand in opposition to subjective good. This would be that which is good to me (or you, if you prefer). You can see this, right? I remember the story of two villages along the Amazon (which originally was a river in South America, not a book-selling website). A heavy rain came through, and the question was, "Is that good?" The village upriver was delighted. They needed the rain for their crops. The village downstream was devastated. The rain caused a…  ( Click for more )

We all know the evils that people do. There are murderers and rapists. There are those who injure children and those who torture puppies. There are those who rob banks and deal in drugs. We all know of these bad things. It's awful. It seems that we have, on the other hand, a range of "acceptable sins", things that, well, if you're going to get technical, are sins, but, look, everyone does them and, really, they're not that bad, are they? The first one that comes to mind for me is unforgiveness. I mean, if someone does you wrong -- serious wrong -- who would blame you…  ( Click for more )

James writes "to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion", to the Jews who are throughout the world. He has a lot to say about a lot of topics, but in chapter 4 he brings up the problem of infighting. Why do we have conflict? "The reason," he says, "is that you desire and do not have." So we fight to get what we want. Bad. Then, as if in disgust over the whole thing, he writes this: "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" (James 4:4). This is an odd concept on the face of it. Since "adultery"…  ( Click for more )

We all know the Great Commission, right? Go and preach the Gospel. Well, no, not quite. Although that might be the answer you will hear ... or even think. No, Jesus said something a little different. "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

What's my point? Didn't that just say we were supposed to…  ( Click for more )

I remember once hearing a speaker talking about that stunning passage in Paul's first epistle to Timothy where he says that women aren't supposed to usurp authority from men (1 Timothy 2:9-15). "They tell me," he said, "that if we take this passage at face value, it says we should consider women as second-class Christians." He followed that with, "Let me say one thing here before I get to the passage. If that's what it says, then we must." Now, he concluded immediately after with, "Of course, that's not what it says ..." but I found the…  ( Click for more )

This is a striking passage in Ezekiel. It's addressed to "the shepherds of Israel", but I don't think it's very much of a stretch to read it with the New Testament "shepherd" concept in mind (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Peter 5:1-4). "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those…  ( Click for more )

God told Moses, "All the earth is mine." (Exodus 19:5) God says, "Every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are Mine." (Psalm 50:10-12) Paul says, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36) God starts to sound like a kid who hasn't learned to share ... except that it is all His. A fundamental difference. Authority seems to…  ( Click for more )

Perhaps the single most common complaint against God, both among believers and skeptics, is the complaint, "If there is a God, how can He allow all this suffering?" Oh, maybe it doesn't start with "if" but assumes God. And maybe "suffering" is modified. Maybe it's "evil" or something similar, but you get the idea. Indeed, I would be a little surprised if you hadn't asked something similar. We all come up against it. Jeremiah complained, "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?" (Jeremiah 12:1)…  ( Click for more )

In Philippians we read, "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." (Philippians 2:2) "Of the same mind." What does that mean? It is a common biblical theme. Jesus said, "... I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." (John 17:23) In Ephesians we see the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3) and the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13). So, what is this? Some would argue that…  ( Click for more )

What do you look for in a spouse? Is he right for me? Is she good looking? Is he successful? Is she funny? Will he support me? Will she support me? Men and women may have some differences in what they're looking for, and individuals may vary even more widely, but there is, I think, at the bottom a common core. "Will this person help me toward self-fulfillment?" What do you want in a marriage? It probably looks fairly similar. Does he love me like he should? Does she give me what I need? Again, this stuff may vary, so perhaps the best place to look for an answer is in…  ( Click for more )

I'm sure you've heard it; might have even said it. "I love you to death!" An endearing phrase, I'm pretty sure. But can you take it literally? God did. Think about it. Paul said, "We preach Christ crucified." (1 Corinthians 1:23) What a story! He even recognizes the problem. "To Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness." And that's the Christ we preach--crucified. But it's huge. I suspect we suffer from a little nearsightedness and often don't see just how vast God is and, in consequence, how vast our sin is. We stand guilty of Cosmic…  ( Click for more )

Perhaps one of the most hotly contested Scriptures today is in Paul's second letter to Timothy. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

It is a claim to divine inspiration ("No, it's not," the skeptic--Christian or not--will tell you) of Scripture ("No, it's not," said skeptic will repeat), placing the Bible in the category of "God's Word" ("No, it doesn't," our…  ( Click for more )

I have always encouraged Christians (because, let's face it, it wouldn't be remotely reasonable to expect if of unbelievers) to allow the truth of God's Word to shape their understanding of reality rather than the reverse--allowing their sense of what's real to shape biblical truth. Now, sure, the left-leaning types (Ecclesiastes 10:2) will complain "That stuff is just your opinion!", but I'm not talking to them. I'm talking to you Bible-believing Christians. Even you--we--tend to apply our experience and (misguided) thinking onto Scripture rather than vice versa. Brothers,…  ( Click for more )

I need to preface this by saying that I didn't plan this. I'm reading Ephesians. It just came up. I'm sorry. It's an evil word. "Submit." No one in American culture wants to hear it. We submit to no one. You know, "Don't tread on me." So ingrained is this independent spirit that when the Bible calls up the word, Christians choke on it. 21... submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its…  ( Click for more )

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever seen the movie, Liar Liar? Jim Carrey plays a lawyer without apparent scruples who finds himself the victim of his son's birthday wish that he couldn't lie for 24 hours. What follows is funny and, behind it, thought provoking. Have you ever considered what your life would be like if you could not lie? I don't mean what many might mean. There are those (no small number, I think) that believe that "not lying" means "always saying everything". If you withhold information that no one requested, that's a lie. If you don't tell your spouse about a childhood…  ( Click for more )

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)

Have you ever wondered what it means when it says that Jesus "was the Word"? In what sense is He "the Word"? Some will tell you that the Bible isn't the "Word of God"; Jesus is. Others say that it's just that He spoke what God said to speak. Most won't argue that He couldn't be both "the Word of God" and "God" because, well, it specifies that He was both, but more than a few try to conflate "Jesus"…  ( Click for more )

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I have to write something about love, don't I?

Last year Psychology Today published an article entitled 7 Reasons Most People Are Afraid of Love. (Interesting ... is it true that "most people are afraid to love", or are they intending to say "For those who are afraid to love, here are the 7 common reasons"?) Of course, everyone knows that "love hurts". I mean, didn't Nazareth tell us so? (The band, not the place.) How many songs have been written about how tough it is to love and lose? And we have to be constantly…  ( Click for more )

Remember when Jesus visited Mary and Martha that one time (Luke 10:38-42)? It's a well-known story. Martha set about preparing for Him, and Mary sat down at His feet. Martha complained. "Tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

"One thing is necessary." What a statement! In a world where we have so many "necessary things", Jesus…  ( Click for more )

I remember the story of the father who desperately urged his sons to avoid at all costs sexual sin, especially the pervasive problem of pornography. One day one of his sons said, "Dad, can I talk to you?" They went for a walk and his son said, "Dad, the other day I saw on the computer as I came into the room what looked like skin. You turned it off very quickly, but I'm pretty sure of what I saw. So why do you tell me to avoid it?" His father, very sad, said, "Do you think I urge you to avoid it because I don't know how desperate a problem it is?" …  ( Click for more )

Sexual sin is a big one, isn't it? I mean, the Bible makes much ado of it. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (Hebrews 13:4) Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18) But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:2) For this is the will of God, your sanctification:…  ( Click for more )

The debate between Bible-believing Christians and homosexuals hinges on the claim that "We're born this way." The notion is "God made us this way, so it's good. Who are you to question it?" And the typical response of the Bible-believing Christian, "No, you're not born that way; it's a choice." So, who's right? This gets a little difficult because, as it turns out, both are right and both are wrong. Modern psychology tells us that they're not actually born that way, but they're certainly born with the propensity. Science has failed in its attempts…  ( Click for more )

We all know that our world has decided to modify, over the past 50 years or so, the definition of marriage. This gradual redefinition has left it essentially undefined. Oh, yes, we might agree that it's some socially recognized legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations, but it's all very vague. It is no longer, for instance, an actualunion as it had been considered for so long because dissolving a union is no small issue but we're quite happy with "no fault divorce". And "monogamy" was all well and good for awhile, but we've headed…  ( Click for more )

The year is ending. A new one is coming. It's often a time for reflection, for evaluation, for resolutions. When Jeremiah reflected, it wasn't a happy consideration. Jeremiah was a prophet to Judah, warning them that the same thing that happened to their northern sister, Israel, would happen to them if they didn't repent. It was a sad task because Jeremiah, like Isaiah, knew that it was a task that would not provide positive results. He knew that they wouldn't repent and he knew that they would be exiled. And they were. It's a difficult situation sometimes. We wonder, "Why…  ( Click for more )