As Christians, we often say that God is gracious—and He is.

When Moses asked to see God’s glory in Exodus 33:18, God told him no, saying no one can see His face and live (v. 20). But He also said:

“And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’”
— v. 19

Then God promised Moses that when His glory passed by, He would let Moses see His back (v. 23). He fulfilled this shortly after in Exodus 34, when He appeared to Moses and declared:

“…The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
— v. 6

Here, God Himself tells us that He is gracious and compassionate. So when we say God is gracious, we are not making it up.

But what does it mean, in practice, to say that God is gracious, merciful, or kind? A story in John 5:1–15 illustrates this.

Undeserving Grace at the Pool of Bethesda

The story of the invalid (disabled) man at the pool of Bethesda is a picture of undeserving grace. Jesus, in Jerusalem at this time, went up to a popular pool called Bethesda, a Hebrew name that means House of Mercy. Disabled people gathered there, not to beg, but to await a miracle.

According to the NKJV and KJV:

“For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.”
— v. 4

You won’t find verse 4 in the ESV, NIV, or other Critical Text translations. However, there is no reason to doubt this detail, precisely because of what follows and because verse 7 tells us that something happens when people get into the pool after the water is stirred—by angels.

At this pool was a man who had an infirm condition for 38 years. He had never heard of Jesus before and didn’t know Him at all. Jesus, knowing he had been in this condition for a long time, came to him and asked:

“…Do you want to be made well?”
— v. 6

If this seems like an unusual question, it is—because you would expect a man in that condition to want to be healed. But it shows how God operates: He usually doesn’t do anything for anyone unless they ask Him—this is what praying is. Jesus needed to make sure this man wanted to be healed.

The man didn’t give a direct answer, but from his reply in verse 7, it was clear he did. And Jesus proceeded to heal him.

Three Insights About Grace

1. Grace is God doing for you something you didn’t even ask Him.
Jesus approached the man, asked if he wanted to be healed, and healed him anyway, even though the man didn’t give a direct answer. Although normally God wants us to ask in prayer, He does so much for us that we didn’t even ask. He delivers us from dangers and enemies we aren’t even aware of.

2. Grace is receiving favor and help from someone you don’t even know.
This man didn’t know Jesus at all. We see this when the Jews, a euphemism for the religious authorities, told him it was unlawful to carry his bed on the Sabbath (v. 10). He replied:

“He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”
— v. 11

When pressed about who this man was (v. 12), he didn’t know (v. 13). Only later, after Jesus met him again (v. 14), did he realize who Jesus was.

I experienced a similar kind of grace while flying through the UK. I almost got stranded at Heathrow after missing my flight. I tried to get my original airline to rebook me, but they said they couldn’t because the flight was operated by a third-party airline. The third-party airline had already told me to go through the original airline, so I was stuck.

As I was trying to figure out what to do—facing the possibility of paying to get back to the US—an airline employee I had encountered before came to me and connected me directly to someone from the third-party airline. She had already explained my situation, without me knowing or asking, and it was as if she was waiting for me. I was rebooked and got back to the US the same day.

This was uncanny grace. Till today, I am still amazed at the extraordinary effort this airline employee made—and I didn’t have to pay anything extra. God orders our steps and orchestrates opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise. This is what it means that God is a Just-in-Time God.

3. Grace is God giving you what you don’t deserve.
When Jesus met the disabled man again, He said:

“…See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
— v. 14

It appears his condition was connected to sin. We don’t know what his sin was, but Jesus warned him to stop, or something worse could follow. Grace is not a license to continue in sin. Sickness is not always caused by sin, but sometimes it is. This statement is one of the few times the Bible links sickness and sinful living.

The takeaway: God’s grace is always available to forgive and restore.

The Picture of Grace

This is what grace looks like. If you’ve experienced it in any of these ways, please share in the comments to encourage someone who needs it.

Share

Leave a comment

The eleventh hour isn’t the end—it’s where God’s favor, timing, and help arrive exactly when you need them.

You might be familiar with the idiom “the eleventh hour.” Maybe you’ve used it yourself, heard someone say it, or come across it in something you’ve read. But did you know it originates from the Bible—and that it reveals something about divine providence and the character of God?

Before answering that, let’s first clarify what it means. The eleventh hour is a crisis point where everything is on the line—the last possible moment before disaster or failure. It’s the point just before it’s too late. The hour of desperation, where if help doesn’t come, the consequences could be dire.

The Parable Behind the Phrase

Now that we understand the phrase, let’s turn to the story it comes from: the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, told by Jesus in Matthew 20:1–16. Instead of starting at the beginning, I’ll begin with how Jesus ends the parable—and then work backward.

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
— verses 13–16 NIV

When Jesus says this, He is responding to the complaint of the workers who were hired first. They had been hired at the first hour—6 a.m.—and when they saw that the landowner paid the last workers (who had only worked one hour) a full denarius, they expected to receive more. When they didn’t, they complained.

To them, it was unfair that the landowner paid the eleventh-hour workers the same wage, even though they had labored all day.

From this parable, Jesus teaches us three lessons.

1. Success Comes from God’s Favor

First, success in life doesn’t come from hard work alone—but more importantly, from God’s favor and generosity. The Bible says:

“In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.”
— Psalms 127:2

Notice that it says it is vain to rise early. This isn’t condemning discipline—it’s not saying that rising early is wrong or that procrastination is acceptable. What Scripture is confronting is the mindset that success depends only on your effort.

That’s why it says God “...grants sleep to those he loves.” He blesses those He loves in such a way that they are not driven by restless striving. His favor brings a kind of rest—something those who “...rise early and stay up late...” in anxious toil never seem to find.

Our God is generous. We need His favor to truly succeed in life. Similarly, in the vineyard parable, the landowner—a figure of God—reminds us of His generosity:

“...Or are you envious because I am generous?”
— v. 15

Although those who are rich and successful don’t always attribute their success to God, many will admit—at least implicitly—that success often depends on a convergence of opportunity and what they call luck.

Jesus said “...the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Divine favor is shown in that the eleventh-hour workers labored for only one hour, yet received the same pay as those who had worked all day. It is God giving you more than you deserve, or blessing you with much for little effort.

2. God Doesn’t Operate on Our Timelines

Second, God doesn’t operate on our timelines. That means He may not show up when we want or expect Him to—but He will.

The last group of workers waited all day—from the first hour (6 a.m.), to the third (9 a.m.), the sixth (12 p.m.), the ninth (3 p.m.), and all the way to the eleventh hour.

They didn’t quit or give up. They remained hopeful.

Most of us, if we’re honest, would have walked away by the ninth hour—3 p.m. at the latest. But they didn’t. And that’s what makes their persistence so remarkable.

It is even more remarkable that the landowner would go out at 5 p.m., with just one hour left in the day, still looking for workers. When he found them, he asked:

“...Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?”
— v.6

He was the one who went out to find them. I believe God is showing us that no matter how long you’ve been waiting, He will come to you and meet you at your point of need.

Keep waiting, God will answer you.

3. God Shows Up at the Eleventh Hour

Third, in case you think this parable is really about the workers hired first—it’s not. It’s about the workers hired last. And it assures us that God will intervene if we ever reach our eleventh hour.

For that last group of workers, the eleventh hour meant the difference between going home empty-handed or putting food on the table for their families. It was the difference between paying for gas or not, covering utilities or falling behind, affording healthcare or going without, keeping their home or losing it.

You might ask, why doesn’t God intervene sooner—before it gets to that point?

God often works in ways we cannot see or understand, but He is never random—there is always a purpose.

How God Sends Help

The landowner found the eleventh-hour workers because they persevered. Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 17 offers a template for how God may send help. Sometimes it’s supernatural—like when He fed Elijah through ravens.

“The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening...”
— verse 6

Other times, God uses a human agent—like the widow of Zarephath.

“Arise, go to Zarephath... I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
— v. 8–9

I recently saw a video from, I believe, a Christian digital creator who said God led him to a store to bless someone. He felt prompted to give cash to a woman shopping with her baby. She was overwhelmed, explaining that she had been sitting in the parking lot, unsure how she would pay for her groceries, but felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to go inside.

Out of hundreds of shoppers, he approached her.

How incredible is that?

After hearing her story, he gave her all the cash he had.

Just as the landowner met the needs of the eleventh-hour workers, God often works through people to provide help. But help may not always come to you like that. Sometimes, you have to go to it. If God is leading you to ask for help, don’t hesitate.

Hold On—Help Is Coming

If you’ve been waiting on God, keep waiting. Keep praying. Don’t give up—He will show up at the right time.

And if you’re in your eleventh hour, when everything feels uncertain and hope is fading, hold on. God will send help your way.

Share

Leave a comment

You’ve prayed. You’ve waited. But the trouble isn’t over. So the question quietly forms in your mind: Is my praying enough?

Life can sometimes throw up all kinds of unexpected surprises. One day it seems that all is well, and the next your world collapses. Job, the poster boy for suffering, clearly experienced this kind of dramatic collapse. In a single day he endured four tragedies:

1. His oxen and donkeys were carried off, and the servants tending them were killed.

2. Fire fell from heaven—possibly lightning—and consumed his sheep and the servants with them.

3. A raiding band of Chaldeans swept in, took his camels, and killed the servants who cared for them.

4. Finally, and most devastating of all, he was told that his seven sons and three daughters had died after a great wind struck the house where they were gathered.

These were cascading tragedies. For perspective, very few people have experienced suffering of this magnitude in a single day. He did not only lose his livelihood; he lost what mattered most: his children.

There is so much to learn from the story of Job, but that is not my focus here.

All of us face troubles—different in shape, scale, and severity. And in the middle of them we often wonder if God still loves us, because we cannot reconcile our understanding of His love with the reality of our pain. It’s the age-old tension between God’s love and human suffering.

For any true believer, one of the first instincts is to pray—to call out to God. But what do you do when you have prayed and there is no answer?

You may begin to experience a kind of cognitive dissonance: your faith feels shaken, and there seems to be a chasm between God’s promises and your reality. You might wonder if you have prayed enough, or if there is something else you should be doing. Uncertainty sets in, and your footing feels unsteady. This is the point where faith is tested—the crucible of life.

If you find yourself in such a place—or know someone who is—take heart. Scripture provides guidance, as seen in an experience Apostle Paul recounts in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Let's break it down.

The Lessons of Paul’s Trial

Paul begins by telling us that these events happened in the province of Asia. “Asia” in that context does not refer to the continent we know today, but to a Roman province located in what is now modern-day Turkey.

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia...”
— v8a

He then describes the severity of the situation. It was so grave that Paul believed they might not survive it. If you are facing something like that now, know that you are not alone.

“…We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death…”
— v8–9

Next, Paul tells us the outcome: God’s deliverance. God delivers His people from trouble, and we can wait on Him with confidence.

“…He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again.”
— v9

We do not always understand why God allows painful experiences in our lives. But the heart of every trial is that we might learn to trust Him more—that our faith might be deepened.

“…But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
— v9b

The Central Message

Now we come to the central message of this post, which answers the question posed earlier: What should you do when you are in trouble—or when you’ve already prayed, yet the trouble remains? Listen to what Paul says.

“…On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”
— v10–11

Are you wondering what you need to do for God to deliver you from trouble? Pray.

Do you need to pray more than you are praying now? Not necessarily. You may pray more if you wish, but God does not require endless repetition before He acts. As Jesus Christ said:

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
— Gospel of Matthew 6:7

Is praying the only thing you need to do? Yes—but even when you may not feel like it, it is good to meditate on God’s past faithfulness and goodness, and to thank and worship Him for it. You may also fast if you feel led.

This is the message God wants you to hear: prayer is what He asks of you. Do not let anyone convince you that you must perform other rituals. God does not require a complicated spiritual formula. Prayer is enough.

If you are going through a difficult season and the Holy Spirit convicts you that it is connected to sin in your life, then repent in prayer. Otherwise, remember what Moses told the Israelites:

“…Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.”
— Exodus 14:13

A Faithful God

God is faithful in every situation—from Job’s unimaginable losses to Paul’s life-threatening struggles. Our hope for deliverance rests entirely on God, not human effort. Keep praying and ask others to pray along with you. God controls the outcome, and this is the foundation of our confidence.

Share

Leave a comment

A leper’s strange request to Jesus reveals the two things we must know and believe about God’s faithfulness.

Have you ever trusted God to do something only to wonder if He really would? I recently had to confront that question. In this post, I’ll try to answer it by looking at a Gospel story: Jesus’s encounter with a leper.

In Mark 1:40–45, an unnamed leper comes to Jesus, falls on his knees before Him, and begs Him. Then he makes this curious statement:

“If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
— v.40

That is a remarkable thing to say. Normally, you would expect him simply to ask Jesus to heal him. But that’s not what he says. His desire to be healed is implied, yet his words reveal something more—two deeper truths that together form the core of God’s faithfulness.

Believe God Can

First, we must believe that God can do whatever we ask of Him. You don’t ask someone to do something for you unless you already believe they can do it. In life, we sometimes ask people for things until we realize they can’t actually help—and a wise person learns not to ask them again.

Believing that God can do what we ask is the first part of understanding His faithfulness. Scripture is full of testimony to God’s sovereignty and omnipotence. God said to Jeremiah:

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
— Jeremiah 32:27

If you go back to the beginning of the chapter, there is an interesting backstory behind this statement. Earlier, God told Jeremiah that his cousin Hanamel would come and ask him to buy his field at Anathoth. Just as God had revealed, Hanamel came, and Jeremiah bought the field as the Lord instructed.

Yet Jeremiah didn’t understand why. Judah was on the brink of being taken by the Babylonian army. So in verses 17–25, Jeremiah prayed and laid out his concerns before God, pointing out that Jerusalem was already surrounded and about to fall. Why, then, would God ask him to buy a field there?

Verse 27 is God’s response. The Lord reminds Jeremiah that nothing is too hard for Him and then assures him that although the city is about to fall, a time of restoration is coming.

In other words, God was not only showing that He could restore His people—He was promising that He would.

In the Gospels, we also see Jesus affirming God’s omnipotence:

“…With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
— Matthew 19:26

Jesus said this because the disciples wondered how anyone could be saved (v.25), after He had said:

“…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
— v.24

Have you ever faced a situation that feels impossible? Jesus says with God, it is possible. His point was clear: what is impossible for man is not impossible for God. All things are possible for Him.

Believe God Will

Now that I’ve established the first part of what it means to say God is faithful, let me unpack the second part: God’s willingness to keep His promises.

A promise means nothing if the person who made it has no intention of keeping it. When the leper indirectly asked Jesus to heal him, he wasn’t sure that Jesus would. That uncertainty is why he said:

“If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
— Mark 1:40

This is the part we struggle with. Most of us believe that God can—but sometimes we wonder if He will.

Believing that God can and believing that He will are both fundamental to understanding God’s faithfulness. Jesus did not leave us wondering whether God would keep His promises. He responded plainly to the leper:

“I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
— Mark 1:41

This is also what the writer of Hebrews was expressing when he wrote:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
— Hebrews 11:6

To believe that God exists is to believe that He is God Almighty—the One who can do all things. To believe that He rewards is to believe that He will keep His promises.

Two Key Lessons from the Leper

The lessons from Jesus’ response to the leper are twofold: the first concerns us; the second reveals something about God.

First, you can’t say you believe that God can fulfill His promises while doubting that He will. To believe that God is faithful is to believe both—that He can and that He will. Believing that God is faithful means trusting not only that He has the power to keep His promises, but also that He intends to keep them.

Second, we usually don’t doubt that God can, but we sometimes wonder whether He will—especially when fulfillment is delayed or not immediately forthcoming. The will part is where we struggle. What Jesus shows us by His response, however, is that the will is inherent in the can. This is the assurance He is giving us when He said to the leper:

“I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
— Mark 1:41

This is the most profound and inspiring lesson—because God can, it also means that He will. God not only has the power to keep His promises—He will keep them. There may be delays at times, but He will. This is what the Bible tells us:

“God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”
— Hebrews 6:17–18 NLT

The leper believed that Jesus could heal him, but he wasn’t sure that He would. Yet Jesus responded to him with compassion.

This is also how God deals with us. Even when we struggle with the will part, God understands—and He is compassionate.

Share

Leave a comment

Jesus never picked sides in the culture wars. Here’s how His example of grace, truth, and pragmatism guides Christians today.

Culture wars are disputes over values, norms, and the moral direction of a society. Jesus faced these conflicts firsthand and left us examples for navigating them. I began with compassion as the first part of a three-pronged model for navigating culture wars. Compassion, Jesus taught, is a practical expression of faith—one that God values more than rituals.

In Part 5, I wrote:

“When people speak or behave in ways that are insensitive to human suffering and pain, it’s often because they are merely religious—because their faith is superficial and mechanical. Anyone who truly knows God understands that mercy, kindness, and compassion matter more than rituals.”

Jesus requires us to be compassionate in all situations, even when moral issues are at stake.

This is the final installment in the series. But before we dive into it, let’s quickly recap the journey so far:

• Part 1: I made the case that God Is Not a Republican.

• Part 2: I argued, in the same vein, that God Is Not a Democrat.

• Part 3: I examined the dangers The Rise of Political Pastors poses to the church.

• Part 4: I challenged you to engage in self-examination in Are You American First and Christian Second?

• Part 5: I unpacked Jesus and Culture Wars: Lessons for Today.

In this post, I’ll explore the remaining two principles—impartiality and pragmatism—and how Jesus modeled them for us.

2. Jesus Was Impartial

When Jesus was asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar—a political landmine—He replied:

“…give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
— Matthew 22:21

Jesus exercised wise restraint in culture-war disputes that carried no moral weight. The issue wasn’t a moral violation like adultery, so instead of condemning or endorsing the tax, He wisely sidestepped the trap altogether.

In John 4, Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman. When she raised the debate over the proper place of worship, Jesus first told her:

“You [Samaritans] worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is of the Jews.” — v.22

He was clear: the Samaritans were worshiping falsely. But He didn’t stop there. He added:

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” — v.23–24

In a human sense, Jesus was a Jew, not a Samaritan—yet He did not side with the Jews. Instead, He proclaimed the truth, because both sides were wrong. Neither Jerusalem for the Jews nor Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans was the true place of worship.

That is what impartiality looks like.

Even the religious establishment recognized this about Him, despite their hostility toward some of His teachings:

“Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.”
— Luke 20:21

There’s some flattery here, but they weren’t wrong. They recognized His impartiality. This must be our posture in the culture war if we’re going to be effective disciples and faithful proclaimers of the gospel.

We see this principle even in geopolitics through the concept of neutrality—when a nation chooses not to align with any bloc. While true neutrality is often fragile or performative, the appearance of it still makes a nation less likely to be drawn into conflict and more likely to function as a trusted intermediary. I use this analogy only as a metaphor because Jesus’ impartiality is anchored in righteousness and divine truth.

This is where the church and Christians should stand. Unfortunately, many do not. Impartiality doesn’t mean refusing to speak the truth; it means speaking the truth regardless of who is affected. Our mission is to proclaim Christ, His truth, and the kingdom of God—not to become entangled in culture wars.

3. Jesus Took a Pragmatic Approach

Pragmatism is the corrective to unbending idealism. In John 4, Jesus crossed a deep cultural divide by asking a Samaritan woman for water. She was also a serial divorcee—five husbands (v.18).

One of the major cultural tensions of the time was that Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Even His disciples were surprised to see Him talking with her (v.27). Jesus was thirsty. While that wasn’t the only reason He engaged her, she was a source of water—and more importantly, a candidate for God’s kingdom. This is something we often lose sight of in the heat of ideological fervor.

Notice that Jesus talked with her, not at her. There was no talking down, no moral grandstanding, no judgment. He didn’t reject her because of her moral failures, and He didn’t even introduce the subject himself—it emerged naturally in the conversation.

Jesus freely associated with people the religious leadership, and much of Jewish society, considered morally unworthy, yet they were precisely the kinds of people who were candidates for God’s kingdom. Think of Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke 19, or Matthew, another tax collector who went on to write one of the Gospels.

Jesus crossed cultural and moral divides to reach people. Today, we see what happens when ideological rigidity replaces human connection: I recently saw a woman publicly disown her own father—who raised her and poured love into her life—simply because he held political beliefs she disagreed with.

The Pharisees frequently accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, another culture war flashpoint. Instead of rejoicing over what He was doing—healing the sick, restoring broken bodies, bringing joy and wholeness—their sole concern was Sabbath observance.

In Mark 3:1–6, a man with a shriveled hand became the target of their ideological fixation. They missed the miracle and the joy of a restored life. To them, it was merely an opportunity to accuse Jesus.

Yet Jesus did not condemn them outright. He challenged their conscience by asking what they would do if their own sheep fell into a well on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11). He forced them to confront their own inconsistency.

When you encounter someone advocating policies or pushing ideas that seem, on the surface, cold, insensitive, or inhumane, you are often dealing with someone trapped in rigid, legalistic thinking. Their approach reflects the coldness of a puritanical ideology.

As I keep saying, we humans are prone to binary thinking—reducing everything to all good or all bad. God does not think that way.

Following Jesus Means Following His Example

Jesus acted these ways to leave us examples to follow. If you consider yourself a true disciple of Jesus, then you are expected to do as Jesus did. As He said:

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master…”
— Matthew 10:24–25

If you think you can act differently from how Jesus acted and still call yourself His disciple, then you are not one. You may deceive yourself by claiming that you are, but you are not. Period. Party loyalty or adherence to political dogma must never take precedence over following Him.

Jesus did not take sides in the culture wars. He often went against the grain, charting a different path—such as when He refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery.

Scripture clearly condemns certain sins—adultery, murder, fornication, and others—and we must condemn them too. Yet there are social issues where God’s will is not spelled out explicitly. In these areas, we are guided instead by principles: to act with grace, apply common sense, and exercise humanity.

As true Christians, the world is not always going to like us for our moral convictions. But if we consistently practice compassion, impartiality, and pragmatism, they might just respect us.

Share

Subscribe now

How should Christians navigate today’s culture wars? Jesus shows us the way—through compassion, impartiality, and practical wisdom.

Culture Wars Are Nothing New

Culture wars have been around for a long time. Generations of people have fought them. As the Bible says:

“Sometimes people say, ‘Here is something new!’ But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.”
— Ecclesiastes 1:10 (NLT)

Culture wars aren’t new—they’ve existed as long as societies have debated values and norms. Jesus faced the culture wars of His time—from theological disputes to social and political controversies—and left us a model for navigating them.

A Word on This Post

This post, Part 5, was originally meant to be the final entry in the series. But once I finished writing it, it felt too long, so I decided to break it into two parts.

In Part 4: Are You American First and Christian Second?, I described how conversations around culture wars can become toxic, and how there’s a general lack of common sense in the way those conversations are often carried out. The question I want to begin to answer in this post is: how did Jesus handle the culture wars of His time?

Jesus is our ultimate example, and if you’re serious about navigating the culture war of our moment, you need to pay attention. As with so many things, Jesus left us an example to follow. It’s like what He said to the Twelve after He washed their feet:

“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
— John 13:14

When Jesus came to be baptized and John the Baptist thought it was beneath Him for John to do so, Jesus said:

“Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
— Matthew 3:15

Jesus often modeled behaviors and practices that we are meant to follow. He didn’t need to do many of the things He did, but He did them to show us how we should live.

So how did our Lord Jesus navigate the culture wars of His time? I believe there are three principles He demonstrated for us: compassion, impartiality, and pragmatism—what we might simply call common sense. Let’s explore them.

1. Jesus Practiced Compassion

One of the major disagreements the religious establishment had with Jesus was what they saw as His violation of the Sabbath. They could not abide this. They were especially offended whenever He healed or performed miracles on the Sabbath.

One example is when they were angry because His disciples picked and ate grain on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1–8). Jesus reminded them of how David ate the holy bread, and then, quoting Hosea 6:6, He told them to go learn what this means:

“I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”

First, their interpretation of the Sabbath laws was wrong—the law forbade commercial work, not doing good. Second, Jesus was telling them that they were fixated on legalism and orthodoxy rather than real human needs. This dynamic shows up in many culture war debates today.

Some Republicans accuse liberals of weaponizing the word “compassion” in immigration enforcement and other policies, arguing that it’s merely an excuse or virtue signaling. Sometimes that may be true. But compassion is godliness, and Jesus calls us to be compassionate.

The second part of Hosea 6:6 says:

“And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

When people speak or behave in ways that are insensitive to human suffering and pain, it’s often because they are merely religious—because their faith is superficial and mechanical. Anyone who truly knows God understands that mercy, kindness, and compassion matter more than rituals.

Another example is when Jesus saved the woman caught in adultery from being stoned by saying:

“He who among you is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
— John 8:5

By saying this, Jesus challenged the conscience of the mob, reminding them that they too were sinners. He did not side with her would-be killers, but He also did not condone her lifestyle. He told her to:

“Go and stop sinning.” — v.11

Jesus frequently called Himself the “Son of Man” not just to highlight His messianic role but, I believe, to remind us to treat others with true humanity and humility, living the Golden Rule.

Jesus requires us to be compassionate in all situations, even when moral issues are at stake. He treated people with grace, compassion, and humanity—and He calls us to do the same.

In the final part, I’ll take a closer look at the remaining two principles—impartiality and pragmatism—that I believe Jesus modeled for us. Stay tuned, you don’t want to miss it.

Series: Intersection of Faith And Politics

1. God is Not a Republican

2. God is Not a Democrat

3. The Rise of Political Pastors

4. Are You American First and Christian Second?

5. Jesus And Culture Wars: Lessons for Today

Share

Subscribe now

From immigration to gun control, America’s culture war is ripping society and the Church apart. Are we putting our country before Christ? It’s time for Christians to understand what’s at stake.

The Church and Culture War

Some of the conversations that engender so much conflict, animosity, and hostility today are those of the culture war variety. I will now thread this water a bit.

Culture wars are the fault lines that divide societies. They are conflicts over values, beliefs, and moral visions that play out in public life, the media, and politics. If you live in America, you’re already familiar with at least one of these fault lines.

In America, few topics are as divisive as the culture war. It is an arena where pressures, disagreements, misunderstandings, and hostilities rise quickly. Online discussions and social media often turn toxic. Instead of exchanging ideas, people attack one another personally. The argument is lost, and the individual becomes the target.

Why This Post Matters

I originally intended for this to be the final post in this series, but as I began writing, it became clear that it needed to be divided in two. In this post, I will examine some of the current flashpoints in America’s culture war and explain why we all—especially Christians—must dial down the rhetoric.

In the final installment—Part 5—I will unpack how Jesus navigated the culture war of His time. You don’t want to miss it.

When Ideology Becomes Inhumane

The passions and emotions surrounding the culture wars can become so intense and irrational that people sometimes lose their humanity. It is astonishing and heartbreaking how people can become so ideological—religiously, politically, culturally, and otherwise—that they grow insensitive and heartless.

Take, for example, the murder of Charlie Kirk. It is fine to disagree with his politics and beliefs, but for anyone to celebrate his death is unconscionable. I have seen videos of so-called “progressives” rejoicing over it. This is deeply sickening and disturbing.

How about the current debate over immigration and border control, and the tragedies that have followed? The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti are tragic by any standard. It is never a good thing when people lose their lives under those circumstances. Their deaths should be investigated, and there should be accountability if there were violations of the rules of engagement.

At the same time, these deaths were completely avoidable and, based on the videos and information I have seen, I believe the victims helped create the volatile situations that led to their deaths. It is never wise to obstruct law enforcement in the performance of their duties or to confront armed agents. As individuals, we need to learn de-escalation, because bad things tend to happen when we do not. The Bible says:

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions…”

— Proverbs 22:3 NLT

I believe it is soulless and godless to rejoice when tragedy befalls someone you disagree with. Sadly, those who claim to be Christians sometimes get caught up in this as well.

“As salt, we are meant to bring sanity and wisdom into conversations and help settle disputes.”

Jesus said:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

— Matthew 5:13

When the Church Becomes Part of the Problem

The world should be able to look to us for answers, but instead it does not. I recently saw on social media that Kirk Franklin was calling for activism from church leaders against ICE. First, I believe that by making that call, he’s already compromised, because he is urging opposition to lawful law enforcement activities, which violates biblical principles.

Second, this is the kind of culture war entanglement the church should not be engaging in because it is partisan. It is for reasons like this that the church has lost credibility in the public eye that we are seen as part of the problem and are no longer useful to God—like salt that is thrown out.

The Absence of Common Sense

Common sense is something that is often lacking in conversations around America’s culture war. Take, for example, these causes: immigration on the Democratic side and gun control on the Republican side.

Much of the rhetoric on the left emphasizes compassion and hospitality, often advocating broad pathways to legal status and resisting deportation. Compassion is necessary, but so is order. A nation without enforced borders is not practicing mercy; it is neglecting responsibility. Even in difficult cases, especially involving those who have committed violent crimes, prudence demands vetting, accountability, and lawful process.

You have seen some of the protests around ICE and the current government’s commitment to enforce border control and deport illegal aliens. I believe some of the approaches are heavy-handed and possibly inhuman, but at the same time, borders exist for a reason. Sovereignty is not cruelty—it is structure. Even the Bible tells us:

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”

— Acts 17:26

Notice that Paul says God set the boundaries of nations. Someone might say it is all stolen land and was never given by God. That may very well be true, but which nation on earth currently has sovereignty only over its original territory? Boundaries recognized by international law need to be controlled. It is common sense.

On the other side, many Republicans treat nearly any meaningful gun regulation as an assault on the Second Amendment. But acknowledging a constitutional right does not mean that right is beyond reasonable limits. Preventing criminals and the dangerously unstable from accessing firearms is not tyranny—it is prudence.

Republicans would argue that guns do not kill people; bad people do. But guns do not wield themselves—people do. When violence continues to devastate families and communities, safeguards that prevent criminals and the dangerously unstable from accessing firearms are not betrayals of freedom; they are the due diligence that is necessary to protect us all.

I am troubled by how violent American society has become and the danger that confronts us all. Sadly, many who passionately defend gun rights only recognize the danger when they or their loved ones become victims of gun violence.

The argument that we need guns to protect ourselves does not always hold. We have seen cases of heavily armed individuals becoming victims of gun violence or, in some cases, even using it on their loved ones. Practical wisdom calls for restricting access to guns, and if you oppose it and claim you are a Christian, I say to you, you do not know the Bible. When Peter drew his sword and cut the ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus told him:

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”

— Matthew 26:52

Referencing this verse is not to suggest that owning guns is inherently wrong; after all, Jesus himself told them earlier to buy swords (Luke 22:36). But when Peter drew his weapon, Jesus told him to put it away—not because force is never justified, but because violence is a dangerous way to resolve conflict, and even when exercised legitimately, it can carry serious consequences.

In closing, take a moment to examine your own heart: which culture do you primarily subscribe to, and do you believe American culture supersedes the teachings of Christ? Your answer would resolve the question posed in the title—whether you are Christian first or American first. It is an invitation to honestly reckon with whether you are prepared to follow the example of Jesus that I will explore in the next post.

In my next post, I will unpack the lessons that Jesus’s example holds for us.

Share

Subscribe now

As I said in Part 1: God is Not a Republican of the series—Intersection of Faith and Politics—most pastors—particularly among white evangelical Protestant churches—identify as Republican and often advocate for Republican causes and policies. Unfortunately, in doing so, these church leaders frequently conflate Christianity with conservatism, making it seem as though the Republican Party is the party of God. It is not. In Part 2: God is Not a Democrat, I argued that neither is the Democratic Party.

I believe pastors pushing political talking points or campaigning for any party—especially from the pulpit—is a profound error that has compromised the church’s integrity and eroded her influence.

Many years ago, I was listening to a fairly well-known pastor preach on the radio. In the course of his message, he began campaigning for a particular Republican presidential candidate. He was convinced this candidate was ordained by God to win—but he didn’t. I share this story not to claim that the Democratic candidate who won was morally qualified or endorsed by God. My point is simply to illustrate the danger of the binary thinking pastors and Christians often fall into.

God permits whom He wills, even those we might consider morally unqualified, and He does so for His own purposes. As one of the watchers in the book of Daniel declared while announcing judgment against Nebuchadnezzar:

“…so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.”
— Daniel 4:17 NIV

God, in His sovereignty, may elevate even morally flawed or ungodly rulers, as we see throughout Scripture (e.g., Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Pharaoh).

So, how did the American church become so political? I suspect that the activism of some church leaders has roots in the so-called Seven Mountain Mandate (7MM). The 7MM originated in 1975 and is based on a supposed divine revelation received by leaders such as Loren Cunningham of Youth With A Mission and Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ. Drawing on dominion theology, it calls the church to dominate or influence seven spheres of life: Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment, and Business (or the Economy).

I do not believe the 7MM is biblical, because Jesus said:

“…My kingdom is not of this world.”
— John 18:36

“…the kingdom of God is within you”
— Luke 17:21

Jesus has not called anyone to establish His kingdom in any sphere of life, nor does He need us to do so. He has called us to win souls, because His kingdom is within—within the hearts and minds of people. Where would you say the church has actually dominated since 7MM? Nowhere.

And consider the results. How many candidates endorsed by pastors and swept into office have gone on to do God’s will? Often, they have not. Their hearts were never changed, and the church became little more than a prop for political ambition. As Jesus said:

“…But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
— Matthew 11:19 NLT

We might have seen real results had we focused exclusively on changing lives from within. Instead, the political activism of church leaders has deepened societal polarization, alienated those who do not share our political beliefs, and made the message of the gospel unattractive to many.

“Church political leverage may influence policies, but it does not produce righteous lives.”

A Tale of Two Persons

We can learn a great deal about how to handle the political issues of our time—and how to operate in today’s political climate—by examining how Jesus functioned within the political environment of His day. It is both instructive and enlightening. I’ll do this by drawing lessons from Jesus’ approach in contrast to John the Baptist’s.

Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest of the prophets—greater than Moses or Elijah (Matthew 11:11). But notice this: when John directly condemned Herod for marrying his brother Philip’s wife (Matthew 14:3–5), he stepped into political waters that exposed him to needless danger and eventually cost him his life. Jesus said we should be

“wise as serpents and innocent as doves”
— Matthew 10:13

John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ, not to entangle himself in Herod’s palace politics. While what John did was noble and courageous, it was an unnecessary distraction that negatively affected his core mission.

Contrast what John did with Jesus Christ. Jesus did not make political statements or pronounce political judgments—whether in private or in public—because His focus was on establishing God’s kingdom. He said nothing against Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. The only word He spoke about King Herod was calling him a “fox” when He was warned of Herod’s intent to kill Him (Luke 13:31–33).

There was much for which Jesus could have condemned Herod, yet when He stood trial before him, He did not utter a word (Luke 23:8–9). It certainly was not out of fear. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas came with the detachment to arrest Him and Peter drew his sword, Jesus rebuked him and said:

“…do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”
— Matthew 26:53

He similarly told Pilate that, if He wished:

“…My servants [angels] would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews…”
— John 18:36

The Church is Not a Political Platform

The church is not a political platform. Instead, as Scripture makes clear, it is:

“the pillar and foundation of the truth”
— 1 Timothy 3:15 NIV

Too often, outsiders perceive the church as taking sides in the culture wars. This harms our credibility, limits our reach, and dilutes the message of Christ.

“Church leaders should speak boldly against government excesses, injustice, and moral decay—regardless of which party holds power.”

The primary responsibility of church leaders is to proclaim the whole counsel of God. They are called to guide believers to live—and to vote for individual candidates—according to biblical principles rather than party agendas. Leaders must also ensure the church is not drawn into political conflicts.

“The church must not be selective in condemning wrongdoing. She must never appear partisan.”

This is often difficult in practice, but as Paul reminds us:

“For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.”
— 2 Corinthians 8:21 NIV

We should respect others’ political views—as long as they are not morally compromised—even when we disagree, and always keep our eyes fixed on Christ.

I vote solely according to my Christian values, case by case. The candidate I support depends on how closely their ideas and policies align with Scripture. I do not vote blindly for any party—and you shouldn’t either. Vote your conscience, guided by Bible-based convictions.

In the next part of these series, I will explore some examples of how Jesus navigated the culture wars of His time.

Share

Subscribe now

In my last post, God Is Not a Republican, I mentioned that the majority of church clergy and churchgoers identify as Republicans. I believe this is largely because the Republican Party promotes and supports traditional family values, which align closely with biblical truths. Even so, I argued that some of its policies are not in sync with the Bible.

In the book of Revelation, chapters 2–3, we see our glorified Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, deliver messages to the seven churches of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and finally, Laodicea.

Jesus’s message is essentially a scorecard—an assessment or evaluation of each church’s performance. He highlights their strengths while also pointing out areas that need correction. In the workplace, this is what a good manager does in a performance review: it’s meant to be constructive.

The church of Pergamos (Revelation 2:12–17), which we would likely consider the most corrupt, still had commendable qualities. Satan’s throne was there, and they held to the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, which encouraged idolatry and sexual immorality. Yet even there, some remained faithful, including martyrs like Antipas (v.13). Jesus did not outright reject them; instead, He called them to repentance.

A Warning Against Moral Superiority

As true Christians, we must not carry an attitude of moral superiority. Luke tells us that Jesus gave the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector for this reason:

“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.”
— Luke 18:9

The Pharisee boasted of his righteousness—imagine the nerve. The tax collector, on the other hand, stood at a distance, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, and asked only for mercy. Jesus said it was the tax collector who went home justified because he humbled himself before God.

Please understand that this is not to say that doing right doesn’t matter to God—it does. Nor is it to say that you couldn’t be morally better than someone else in certain respects. Of course, God does not want you to be an adulterer, unjust, or an extortioner, as the Pharisee claimed he was not. It was his lack of humility about it that Jesus condemned.

The Danger of Binary Thinking

If you are a Republican who believes the Democratic Party is entirely bad, I begin this way to make a simple point: God does not think in the binary terms that we so often do, reducing everything to all good or all bad. I am speaking here of moral evaluation, not moral relativism.

In this post, I also want to examine Democratic policies through the lens of Scripture.

God’s Heart About Immigrants

As I noted in God Is Not a Republican, most churchgoers identify as Republicans. But a minority of clergy and congregants—mainly in mainline, traditional churches—identify as Democrats and vote accordingly.

Like any good scorecard, I believe there are Democratic policies that align with the Bible.

The Democratic Party is the most welcoming of aliens, foreigners, and immigrants. Conservatives might question the motivation and see it as a political strategy to redraw the map. That may be partially true—but if you are hostile to immigrants, you are missing a key biblical principle.

The Bible says,

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.”
— Psalm 24:1

Apostle Paul, speaking to the Athenians in Acts 17, also said,

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”
— v.26 NIV

Nations have boundaries determined by God, and border control should be enforced. Yet as Christians, we must remember that nations rise and fall, and all peoples are God’s. Disdain for others ultimately denigrates God’s work.

Caring for the Poor and Needy

The Democratic Party is also the most supportive of social programs that assist the poor and less fortunate. Anyone who opposes these programs does not understand the heart of God.

Jesus said,

“...the poor you have with you always.”
— John 12:8

No program—global, national, or local, no matter how much is spent—can ever eradicate poverty. Yet as a society and as individuals, we have an obligation to care for the poor. Any nation that neglects its poor risks losing God’s blessings (Deuteronomy 15:9).

The Old Testament is full of laws commanding the Israelites—and, by extension, the church as God’s true Israel (Galatians 6:16)—to care for the poor. God said,

“For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’”
— Deuteronomy 15:11

God cares deeply for the poor, widows, orphans, and aliens. Churches once ran orphanages and other programs in recognition of this, but today much of that work is now handled by governments and secular organizations..

Where Democrats Gets it Wrong

At the same time, the Democratic Party advocates for and supports liberal causes. These include same-sex marriage, transgenderism, gender fluidity, and dysphoria. Supporters call these being progressive, but God’s laws do not change with the times; they are eternal, and He condemns these practices.

“I am the Lord, I do not change…”
— Malachi 3:6

There are only two sexes and genders—male and female.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
— Genesis 1:27

Marriage is only between a man and a woman.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
— Genesis 2:24

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah stands as God’s everlasting reminder of His disapproval of all sexual perversions — Genesis 19:24-25

Final Thoughts

In summary, just as God is not a Republican, He is also not a Democrat. If you’ve ever thought otherwise, think again.

Coming Next

In my next post, I will wade further into the murky waters of church and politics by exploring the dangers of political pastoring and drawing lessons from Jesus’ approach in contrast to John the Baptist. Stay tuned.

Share

Subscribe now

This post begins my new series, Intersection of Faith and Politics. I drafted parts of it months ago but hesitated to publish because I am deeply opposed to mixing faith and politics. Still, I now feel compelled to share it. This will be a 4-5 part series. Please subscribe on Substack or follow me on Facebook so you don’t miss any part of it.

It is estimated that, among U.S. clergy, Republicans or conservatives outnumber Democrats or progressives by a ratio of 2:1, and that the ratio is even higher among churchgoers, likewise favoring Republicans or conservatives.

For non-U.S. residents who may be unfamiliar, the Republican Party is one half of the United States’ essentially two-party political system, the other being the Democratic Party. Republicans are generally associated with conservative views and traditional values, while Democrats are broadly considered liberal and supportive of so-called progressive values.

Disclaimer:

Let me say at this point that I identify as neither Democrat nor Republican; I vote independent. I do not intend to promote any party, but simply to share how I believe Christian believers should approach politics.

About God and Politics

As a people, we tend to think of God in human terms—often in binary ones. We take sides in conflicts or causes and want to know whose side God is on. In doing so, we fail to grasp that God is transcendent and that His ways are beyond our comprehension. As He says in Isaiah:

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
— Isaiah 55:9

God does not take sides in our conflicts, and He made this unmistakably clear in a dramatic encounter Joshua experienced. As Joshua approached Jericho—the Israelites’ first conquest in the land of Canaan—he encountered a supernatural figure: a man armed and ready for battle. This figure was the pre-incarnate Christ. Naturally, Joshua asked:

“...Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
— Joshua 5:13

The answer was unexpected:

“…No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
— Joshua 5:14

Even as the Commander of heaven’s armies, He was saying that He was neither for the Israelites nor for the Canaanites. He was not automatically on Israel’s side, as Joshua and the people assumed. Why? Because God does not take our sides; it is we who must take His.

This is a profound revelation. God does not align with any group or party, only with those who do His will. He underscored this truth immediately afterward when, in their next campaign against Ai, He allowed Israel to be defeated because of Achan’s sin—Joshua 7:4.

Republican Politics and Christian Values

Those who identify as Republicans and vote accordingly often have good reasons for doing so. Republican policies promote and support traditional, Bible-based values such as the institution of marriage.

Marriage is sacred because it was instituted by God and is the bedrock of the family. This institution is under attack because the devil knows it is foundational to society. As Jesus said:

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
— John 10:10

The devil is the thief and the destroyer, and his aim is the destruction of human societies.

The growth of abortion clinics and the promotion of abortion remedies represent an attack on another sacred object: the sanctity of human life. Christians are right to oppose this. Support for pro-life causes is righteous and honorable. God told Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
— Jeremiah 1:9

Notice that God says He knew Jeremiah before he was conceived and called him before he was born. Life does not begin at birth but at conception, and all human life must be protected.

The Challenge of War and Political Justification

Historically, support for America’s foreign military interventions has been bipartisan. Accordingly, Republican politics have also supported aggressive foreign wars. These wars are often justified in various ways—sometimes framed as humanitarian interventions, such as the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), and other times as efforts to spread democracy. But who says democratic governments are the only political systems that are good for humanity?

Before democracy, societies lived under other systems—monarchies, theocracies, and others—and many people flourished under them. Ancient Israel, for example, was ruled first by a theocracy during the time of the judges, and later by monarchs such as David, Solomon, and Josiah. Whether the people prospered depended less on the system itself and more on the character and quality of the rulers. What this shows is that it is often not the system that matters most, but the caliber of those who govern.

America’s moral justification for regime-change wars in the name of installing democratic governance collapses when one considers that many of its closest allies in the Middle East are monarchies, not democracies. This inconsistency reveals the danger of assuming that God is aligned with a political ideology rather than with justice and righteousness.

God’s Standard vs. Human Politics

When the aftermath of these military aggressions is examined—the loss of human life, the destruction of infrastructure, and the chaos left behind—it becomes unconscionable for any Christian to regard such actions as acceptable. It is contradictory to rightly oppose abortion while being indifferent to the destruction of human lives through unjust wars. God does not take sides in our political causes; He weighs actions by their fruits.

International law recognizes aggression as a crime, and God does as well. God warned the Israelites not to attack the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites in Deuteronomy 2:2–23; such an attack would have been an act of aggression. You may also recall God’s command that King Saul destroy the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15:2–3—but do you know why? It is because the Amalekites had committed aggression against Israel in the wilderness, as recorded in Exodus 17:8–16. Even divine judgment was not arbitrary; it was rooted in justice.

One of the great sins for which God condemned ancient Babylon was its wanton destruction of nations. As Habakkuk wrote:

“...he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
and takes captive all the peoples.”
— Habakkuk 2:5

Because of Babylon’s insatiable drive to plunder nations and destroy human life, Habakkuk issued this warning:

“Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities
and everyone in them.”
— Habakkuk 2:8

This warning stands for all nations that engage in aggression—especially when it leads to the collapse of societies and the wholesale destruction of peoples. God opposes aggression wherever it is found.

A Word to Republican Supporters

If you are a Christian Republican and supports Republican politics, I am not judging you or questioning your choice—I simply hope this offers some perspective on what is truly at stake.

In my next entry, I will continue along this trajectory by explaining why God is also not a Democrat.

Share

Subscribe now

God Is Not Looking For Perfect People

God is not looking for perfect people, but for obedient people. Let that marinate.

Sometimes we say someone is “perfect,” but we usually mean they’re exceptional. The truth is, there is no perfect person. There never has been and never will be. What God gives us instead is grace.

One thing that goes hand in hand with obedience is accountability. Accountability is defined as:

“the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.”
— Dictionary.com

You cannot be answerable or liable for something you’re not responsible for. We are accountable in many ways: for the gifts and talents God has given us, for our relationships as fathers or mothers, as sons or daughters, as employees in the workplace, and as citizens in our neighborhoods and societies.

In all of these areas, we are accountable for our words and deeds—and for the consequences that may arise from them.

In the workplace, smart managers don’t usually terminate a direct report for making mistakes. In fact, good leaders know how to create a blameless culture that encourages a fail-fast, learn-faster environment. But they will terminate a direct report who consistently demonstrates a lack of accountability.

God deals with us in a similar way. He doesn’t need you to be perfect, but He does want you to be accountable. Apostle Paul says:

“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
— Romans 14:12 NIV

This speaks to final, end-time judgment. However, I’m focusing on accountability in the here and now—what it looks like in our everyday lives. In this post, I’ll be discussing what a lack of accountability looks like.

Three Key Elements of a Lack of Accountability

There are three key elements that reveal a lack of accountability: disobedience, avoiding responsibility by blaming others, and rationalization—making excuses for wrongdoing. We see all three play out clearly in the life of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:10–29.

The first pillar of accountability is obedience—doing what God has commanded or called you to do. Earlier in chapter 15, Saul had been commanded by God, through the prophet Samuel, to wage war against the Amalekites and completely destroy them and their animals:

“Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”
— v3

Saul failed to obey. He spared Agag, their king, and also kept the best of the livestock. This displeased God, who revealed it to Samuel. Samuel, in turn, grieved over Saul’s actions (v10–11). The matter was so serious that Samuel later described it as rebellion—comparing it to witchcraft:

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…”
— v23

By calling it rebellion, Samuel was making it clear that Saul’s actions were not a mistake but an intentional act of defiance against God. Whenever you willfully do something the Bible condemns, you are also walking in rebellion.

Blaming Others

Next, after Samuel confronted Saul about disobeying God by sparing the animals, what did Saul do? He blamed his army.

“They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
— v15

Saul framed it as though the decision belonged to the people, but he was clearly responsible. Verse 9 makes that unmistakable:

“But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them.”
— v9

If you’re wondering how this act of disobedience rises to the level of rebellion, it’s right there in the text. Notice the phrase “were unwilling.” This wasn’t forgetfulness or misunderstanding. It was a deliberate choice to reject God’s command.

Making Excuses

Finally, in verse 24, after Saul’s attempt to blame his army fell apart, he admitted that he had sinned. Even then, his confession was half-hearted, because he added this:

“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.’”

Whenever we apologize to God for wrongdoing, it must be total and unconditional. You can’t hedge. You can’t make excuses. God understands our mistakes and will forgive us when we ask—but He cannot use us if we refuse to be accountable for them.

Because of all this, God rejected Saul as king. Samuel told him:

“…you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
— v26

The Consequences of Rejection

Notice one more thing about King Saul. Even after God rejected him, he continued to sit on the throne. God was already done with him—the Spirit of God had left him, and he was tormented by an evil spirit. From there, his life spiraled downward. Instead of ruling, he spent his time chasing David all over the land, trying to kill him.

You might wonder why this matters. Here’s why.

Do you know a pastor or church leader you once admired, but now you’re scratching your head, wondering what happened—because they now say or do things that clearly aren’t biblical? It’s because God has already rejected them. They no longer carry God’s anointing.

One sign that God has rejected a pastor, church leader, or anyone at all is that they begin doing strange things—just like Saul did. Instead of governing, he obsessed over David. He consulted a witch. His behavior became erratic. In the same way, people like this may start acting strange, dressing strange, organizing strange programs, participating in questionable activities, or asking for strange donations.

When a Christian singer or musician starts performing strange events or singing strange songs, beware. It’s possible that God has rejected them.

Like King Saul, they no longer have revelation (1 Samuel 28:6). Remember how, in his desperation to hear from God, Saul went to consult the witch of Endor (v8)—something that would have been unthinkable before, especially since he himself had banished them from the land (v3). In the same way, these pastors and church leaders no longer speak by the Spirit of God, but are now inspired by demons.

Take Action

God doesn’t reject anyone because of their mistakes, but He will if they consistently fail to be accountable for them. Take action:

• If you recognize that you are worshiping under the leadership of such a pastor, you would do well to find another church. Don’t make the mistake of remaining under them. This was the mistake of Jonathan: he remained aligned with his father, Saul, and perished on Mount Gilboa along with him (1 Samuel 31:2).

• Also, remember that Saul first disobeyed, and even though Samuel said the kingdom had been taken from him (1 Samuel 13:14), God overruled him. However, a lack of accountability is not something God will overlook forever. He ultimately rejected Saul. If God has given you a responsibility, make sure He doesn’t reject you because you fail to be accountable.

Share

Subscribe now

What is in a Name?

Exodus 3:14–15 is where God famously introduced Himself as I AM, but He had actually hinted at this earlier to Abraham in Genesis 15:1.

“Then Moses said to God, Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Moses, living in a pagan Egyptian culture with its own pantheon—where people were accustomed to gods and goddesses bearing names—asked God what name he should give to the Israelites.

God told Moses “I AM,” but it was not in the sense of a name like those of the pagan gods and goddesses, whether Egyptian, Greek, or Roman. I AM in Hebrew is connected to YHWH, the divine name later rendered as LORD in English translations. The form “Jehovah” arose much later in medieval Latin.

The God of The Bible is Greater

For you to understand the true and deep significance of God’s name, you must first understand a word you may or may not be familiar with: pantheon.

Classical literature gave us the word pantheon. Merriam Webster defines pantheon as “the gods of a people,” the most famous examples being the Greek and Roman pantheons. The Greek pantheon consists of hundreds of gods and goddesses, with Zeus regarded as the most famous and most powerful. The Roman pantheon includes many of the foremost Greek gods, though often under different names, with Jupiter occupying the highest position.

One defining characteristic of these pantheons—using the Greek pantheon as an example—is that the gods rule over different domains and possess different capabilities. Zeus rules over the sky, Poseidon over the seas, and Hades over the underworld. Other prominent Greek gods include Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts; Apollo, the god of the sun, music, and prophecy; and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

Because of these differing roles and capabilities, worshippers would pray to specific gods or goddesses depending on their needs. Sailors prayed to Poseidon for safety on the high seas, soldiers and warriors prayed to Athena for victory in war, and women prayed to Aphrodite for beauty or to find love.

I am not in any way affirming these beliefs; I am simply stating them for explanatory purposes.

One Error of Catholicism

As an aside, the error of Catholicism in instructing believers to pray to so-called “saints” for different needs has its roots in this same pagan practice. Sainthood is not something that is granted through catholic canonization. The Bible repeatedly teaches that all true Christian believers are saints. Paul wrote:

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…”
— 1 Corinthians 1:2

If Catholic authorities wish to dispute this, their argument is not with me, but with the Bible.

None of these Greek gods or goddesses—including Zeus, the most powerful among them—possessed all these attributes or could meet every need of their worshippers.

With this brief history lesson complete, let me return to unpacking the meaning of God’s name.

The I AM WHO I AM

Notice that God began by saying “I AM WHO I AM” in verse 14. He was not really giving Moses a name per se. Rather, He was making the point that He is not limited by names because He is not like the pagan gods and goddesses, who are limited in their capabilities. He is limitless.

This is what Paul was writing about when he said:

“Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:28

God calling Himself “I AM WHO I AM” is a statement of distinction. He was declaring that He is not like the pagan gods and goddesses worshiped by the Egyptians and other peoples then, nor like the gods people worship today.

In the following paragraphs, I will highlight three key areas of human need where God has revealed Himself in the lives of His people.

God as Shield

One of the first aspects of His nature that God revealed in relation to human need was to Abraham (then Abram) when He said:

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
— Genesis 15:1

At that time, Abraham was living among foreign people. He was allied in particular with the Amorite brothers Mamre (later Hebron), Aner, and Eshcol (as in the valley of Eshcol), whose lands Abraham’s descendants would later inherit. As a foreigner living among surrounding peoples, there were real dangers and threats.

A shield is used for defense and protection. God was telling Abraham, I AM your protector—your safety and your security. We see this protection demonstrated when Abraham went to war against Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him to rescue Lot (Genesis 14:15).

Abraham could not have defeated this alliance had God not been with him.

And if you are now facing dangers or threats—or whenever you face them in your workplace, your neighborhood, or wherever you may be—God is also saying to you, I am your shield.

God as Provider

Second, God revealed Himself to Abraham as a Provider when He asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. After Abraham demonstrated obedience, God stopped him, making clear that it was a test, and provided a ram to be offered in Isaac’s place.

“And Abraham called the name of the place, The LORD Will Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’”
— Genesis 22:14

From the Hebrew expression used here comes the title Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider.

One important truth revealed in this story is that God would never require human sacrifice, unlike the demonic pagan gods such as Moloch (Molech). It is tragic that Jephthah, one of the judges of Israel, did not understand this and sacrificed his daughter (Judges 11:30–31, 38–39).

As one of His many attributes, God is our Provider, and we can pray to Him whenever we are in need.

God as Healer

Third, God revealed Himself as our Healer when He said:

“…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
— Exodus 15:26

God demonstrated this again in a lesser-known story in Numbers 21:4–9 when the Israelites disobeyed Him and were bitten by snakes, resulting in many deaths. When they repented, God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Anyone who looked at it was healed. Interestingly, many believe that this serpent on a pole is the inspiration for the modern medical insignia.

If you are sick now—or know someone who is—God can heal you or them if you pray and believe. While it is true that God does not always heal for reasons known only to Him, this is the exception rather than the rule. God is, by nature, a Healer.

God’s Titles Reflect His Actions

The dramatic way God revealed Himself in the stories we have reviewed is noteworthy because the titles we attribute to Him today are derived from what He has done, not from what anyone merely claimed or believed He could do. Do you grasp the difference?

For example, we call Him Jehovah Adonai, the Sovereign One, because He rules over all. We call Him Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, because He gives victory in war. We call Him Jehovah Rapha (or Ropheka) because He heals.

By contrast, people may claim or believe that their false gods and goddesses can act, even when they cannot. This is illustrated by the false prophets of Baal in their showdown with Elijah on Mount Carmel, when they called on Baal to send fire, but nothing happened—because he could not (1 Kings 18:29).

The God of Elijah—our God—sent fire because He can do all things.

If you are an Islamist, Hinduist, Buddhist, Scientologist, or a follower of any other false religion, ask yourself: what has your god ever done for you, or done for you lately?

The Limitless Nature of God

God saying, “I AM WHO I AM,” is His way of saying, in effect, you cannot put Me in a box. God was declaring that He cannot be confined or limited. He is sovereign over all and present in all—fully transcendent, preeminent, and supreme over everything.

By calling Himself I AM, God was saying, “I can be whatever you need and meet all your needs,” unlike the limited pagan gods and goddesses.

Share

Subscribe now

When Hate Is Taught as Scripture

Recently, I watched a Facebook video interview of a Baptist pastor who said he hates homosexuals and claimed that the Bible says to hate them. He went on to say that while he loves even his enemies, he hates gays with a passion, describing them as violent predators who should be destroyed. To support his claim, he quoted Psalm 5, where, speaking of God, it says:

“…You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood…”
— verse 5–6

I am not defending a homosexual lifestyle, because the Bible expressly condemns it as sinful. However, it seems clear that he is either unfamiliar with, or willfully ignores, this passage:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16

God hates sin—including the sin of homosexuality—but He does not hate people, and He has not commanded us to hate anyone. And even if God did hate, He is God; there is no Scripture that instructs us to do the same.

In fact, the apostle John says:

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
— 1 John 4:20

In the video, the interviewer pointed this Scripture out. The pastor responded by saying it applies only to brothers in the faith. By that logic, since the verse says “brother,” he would also be free to hate women. I’m being sarcastic. In this context, brother clearly refers to all humanity.

There were other statements he made that were based on an incomplete or incorrect understanding of Scripture. He frequently cited the Old Testament as the foundation for his beliefs. This is a pastor who clearly does not understand that Jesus now requires us to go beyond some of the things commanded under the old covenant (the Old Testament).

It seems that he may be wearing a mask and does not truly understand what it means to be a Christian.

Revisiting the Standard: Love Your Neighbor, Not Hate Your Enemy

This brings us to the final post in this series—Standards of Christian Living. Here, I conclude by unpacking Matthew 5:43–48.

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
— verse 43

Notice two things. First, the statement “You shall love your neighbor” comes from Leviticus 19:18. Second, “hate your enemy” was never commanded by God. That phrase came from what, in Jesus’s time, was known as the traditions of the elders (Matthew 15:2).

These traditions were additions to the Mosaic Law, developed by the Pharisees and scribes. They were based on interpretations of the law that were often incorrect. Jesus rejected such traditions—like the one that taught a man should donate to the synagogue, as Corban, what he should have given to his parents (Mark 7:9–13).

Jesus Raises the Standard

Then Jesus raised the standard again—just as we have seen Him do throughout this series—by saying:

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
— verse 44

Please note that most other popular translations, such as ESV, NIV, and NLT, do not include the bless and do good phrases, but Luke’s account does (Luke 6:27–28).

Jesus calls us to a higher life. He gives four clear instructions:

• Love our enemies

• Bless those who curse us

• Do good to those who hate us

• Pray for those who persecute or spite us

Then He adds:

“…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…”
— verse 45

This is how we demonstrate that we are sons and daughters of God. It is not the labels we give ourselves or our claim to be Christians, but what we actually do. These are the divine metrics.

You are not a genuine Christian if you hate anyone, curse them, wish bad things to happen to them, do bad things to them, or refuse to pray for them. If you do any of these but believe you’re a Christian, you are lying to yourself.

God Doesn’t Discriminate

Next, Jesus introduced a concept that would have been considered radical in His time—and one that many societies still struggle to grasp today. He said:

“For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
— verse 45

Jesus is saying that God does not discriminate. He provides sun and rain equally to the good and the evil, the just and the unjust. Discrimination, by definition, is treating people unfairly based on characteristics such as ethnicity, nationality, skin color, and similar distinctions.

To make His point clear to His audience, Jesus highlighted some common ways people discriminate:

“For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?”
— verses 46–47

We discriminate against those who are not like us, who do not look like us, or who do not belong to our group. We also discriminate against people we deem unworthy of our love or respect—just as much of society in Jesus’s day viewed tax collectors. Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 also shows that Jews discriminated against Samaritans, viewing them as religiously impure and morally inferior. Jesus is making it clear that this is not God’s character. And if we are truly God’s people, He calls us to reflect that character by refusing to live this way.

There’s a Reward For Doing

Some of these are very tough calls. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or deceiving themselves. Knowing this, Jesus offers us an incentive by hinting that there is a reward for doing these things:

“…what reward have you?…”
— verse 46

Jesus is saying that God rewards us when we live this way. He then concludes by saying:

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
— verse 48

We often think of perfection as being without fault or completely sinless. No. Jesus shows us that perfection, in this context, means doing what God has commanded us to do.

We can never match God’s perfection, but when we obey what He says, Jesus declares that we are perfect like Him.

Attitude Towards Enemies Reveals You

I often notice in crime stories that when relatives or friends of victims are asked whether the victim had any enemies, they respond, “everyone loved them.” But that isn’t true. In fact, Jesus said “a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” — Matthew 10:36. Jesus, the perfect and sinless Son of God, had enemies.

So the fact that you will have enemies is a given—there will always be someone who doesn’t like you. How you respond to that reality, however, is another matter. If you have ever wondered whether you are a true Christian, examine your attitude toward—and your treatment of—your enemies. That will reveal whether you are or not. Jesus said of His enemies, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” — Luke 23:34.

This post concludes the series, and I hope you’ve been inspired to move forward and become a better person. To access the previous teachings of this series, please click below:

1. Part I: Truth Has a Name: The Mountain Revelations

2. Part II: Verbal Murder: Are Your Words Killing?

3. Part III: God Deals With the World As Is

4. Part IV: What is Your Promise Worth?

5. Part V: Violence is a Weapon of the Weak

Share

Violence is the Language of Dialogue

We live in a society that is both prone and accustomed to violence, especially gun violence—oftentimes, it has become the language of dialogue. Just the other day, a lawn care contractor I disagreed with over his charges escalated the situation after I disputed his calculations and called out something he said. Out of the blue, he threatened to fight me physically—a form of violence. To me, it was so juvenile, and I responded that I don’t do that.

Violence has become not only an instrument of the powerful but also of the weak. For those who cannot prevail in a fistfight—not that I advocate it, though it is at least less likely to result in loss of life—guns have become an equalizer, a leveler.

Individuals inflict politically motivated violence on others when they cannot prevail with their arguments in the marketplace of ideas or because of selfish ambitions. Nations, too, commit violence against other nations in pursuit of nefarious geopolitical interests.

Many mistakenly equate the ability to inflict violence with strength, but it is actually the opposite: a sign of weakness—moral and intellectual weakness, and, in the case of a nation-state, a failure of diplomacy. The Bible reminds us:

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
— Proverbs 16:32

Others have expressed similar truths:

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
— Isaac Asimov

“Nonviolence is not a weapon of the weak. It is a weapon of the strongest and bravest.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

I quote these individuals solely because their views align with the Bible, not as an endorsement of them.

Violence, in essence, is a sign of weakness. People often resort to it because they lack self-control—anger is frequently both its seed and its fuel.

Jesus’s Conflict Resolution Model

I am not naive enough to think there is never a place for violence. At times, violence is necessary to restrain evil and enforce justice—even the violence of war can be necessary. Jesus took a whip to drive out the money changers and sellers from the temple—John 2:14–16. We also see Him as the commander of the armies of Heaven—Revelation 19:11–16

These are divine acts, not permissions for human aggression but they show that violence is not inherently evil, though its use must always be a last resort.

However, in a world where violence has become the norm, not the exception, Jesus offers us, in Matthew 5:38–42, a model to follow. Jesus began by quoting the law:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ …”
— Matthew 5:38

This was the law, but Jesus is about to raise the standard, as we have seen Him do throughout this series. First, the context for this teaching is that it was under Roman rule, which was oppressive, and where Roman soldiers often acted arbitrarily. One example is when they compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus’s cross—Matthew 27:32. They had the force of arms on their side.

This is not unlike our current society, where we see people committing violence against those who disagree with them politically or religiously, government and law enforcement officials abusing their powers, and instances of racial violence. America is now deeply polarized, and history shows that in many cases, such division precedes violent upheaval.

Jesus is prescribing a different approach. He is calling us to move beyond an “eye for eye” and a “tooth for tooth” mentality—our human instinct to retaliate for wrong done to us—because it only perpetuates a cycle of violence, like the mythical ouroboros, the snake that devours its own tail.

Self-Restraint is the First Step

In verses 39–41, Jesus provides a framework for how to avoid being targets of violence. He teaches three key principles—self-restraint, de-escalation, and discernment of the true source of violence. First is self-restraint:

“But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
— Matthew 5:39

When someone slaps you, your natural instinct is to slap back. However, Jesus says not to respond in kind. Martial arts involve fighting skills, but a core discipline is self-control—the principle that you don’t react impulsively to aggression or even insults.

We see Jesus practice this whenever He is insulted or when He was struck several times during His trial. In that instance, He said:

“If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”
— John 18:23

Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus never asks us to do anything He Himself would not do. We are called to practice His example of self-restraint.

De-escalation Disarms the Enemy

Second is de-escalation. Many years ago, a nephew of mine, while in college, told me about an incident he witnessed involving a Christian brother who got into a fistfight with another person. He watched as a verbal disagreement unfolded and quickly escalated.

Later, when he spoke with this Christian brother, he expressed surprise at how fast things got out of hand. The brother responded by saying, “I went with him two miles.” He was referencing verse 41—and apparently meant it. However, he clearly misunderstood what Jesus was saying.

“If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
— Matthew 5:40-41

What is Jesus teaching us? He is teaching us to de-escalate dangerous situations. If you’re in a vulnerable position, the last thing you want to do in the face of violence and aggression is to escalate it. Even as a believer, I used to be the kind of person who wouldn’t back down when threatened, confident that God would defend me—but I was wrong. I had to learn this principle of de-escalation.

This is not excusing men who commit violence or blaming women in those situations. I’m concerned when I see women escalate disagreements with men into physical confrontations. Emotionally strong and wise men do not harm women, but women—being physically weaker—who refuse to back down are far more likely to get hurt. This is practical safety advice meant especially for women, and it applies to men as well.

De-escalation might seem like cowardice, but it’s not—it’s how you disarm your enemy in the face of aggression. Self-restraint is controlling yourself, de-escalation is influencing your human opponent because you refuse to fuel their rage, and spiritual warfare is overcoming the supernatural and demonic forces that operate in the shadows.

The True Source of Hostility

This brings us to the third—and most important—principle, one that may not be immediately apparent from the passage, yet it reveals the source of most violence. In the first part of verse 39, Jesus says:

“But I tell you not to resist an evil person…”
— Matthew 5:39

Here, He uncovers a truth that was not widely known or understood then—and still isn’t fully understood now. By qualifying the person as evil, Jesus points us to the true source of enmity, hostility, violence, and aggression. The Bible calls Satan the evil one. Jesus taught us to pray:

“…deliver us from the evil one.”
— Luke 11:4

Have you ever seen utterly senseless violence? If you watch crime TV, you have. We see this repeatedly, like with the recent murder of Charlie Kirk. You need to understand that these things are orchestrated by demons and can only be addressed spiritually—through spiritual warfare.

Many of God’s people do not know or understand this and instead resort solely to human efforts—legislation, activism, protests, debates, and so on. I’m not saying there is never a place for these actions, but you will not win if that is all you do.

The Apostle James says:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
— James 4:7

The devil has his weapons of war, but we have ours—and far more powerful: the Word of God, faith, prayer, and holiness. If you want to learn more about how to walk in everyday victory, buy and read my book—The Enemy You Fear Fears You.

Remedy for Violence

Jesus adds one final principle that directly addresses the roots of violence. Much of violence arises from grievances—racial injustice, poverty, economic deprivation, or oppression. Jesus provides an antidote:

“Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”
— verse 42

He is prescribing generosity. If we, as individuals, especially the well-to-do, learn to be our brother’s keeper, and if governments respond to the legitimate needs of their citizens—especially marginalized communities—we can collectively dampen the sparks that ignite violence.

The Value of Principles

Having said all this, you need to understand that principles only help when you know how to apply them wisely. As the Bible says about handling truth carefully:

“…rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15

For example, “do not resist an evil person” does not mean you should do nothing to protect yourself. If you can defend yourself in the face of aggression and violence, it would be foolish not to.

Another way to apply these principles is to protect yourself by avoiding or removing yourself from dangerous situations. Do not remain in a risky place assuming that God will automatically protect you. Jesus did this many times—not out of fear, but to set an example for us to follow.

In my next post, I will unpack Matthew 5:43–48, the last “You have heard…” / “But I say to you…” combo. God bless, and stay tuned.

To access the previous teachings of this series, please click below:

1. Part I: Truth Has a Name: The Mountain Revelations

2. Part II: Verbal Murder: Are Your Words Killing?

3. Part III: God Deals With the World As Is

4. Part IV: What is Your Promise Worth?

Share

Subscribe now

Watch Who You Listen To

If you ever think that Jesus was merely a prophet or messenger like Moses, Elijah, or others, the Sermon on the Mount shows that He is more. There, we see Jesus not simply reminding us of Old Testament laws, but adding to them. Only He, as the Son of God, could do this—a messenger or prophet could not.

God made this distinction clear at the Mount of Transfiguration when Peter placed Moses and Elijah on equal footing with Jesus. God responded:

“...This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
— Matthew 17:5

God was making it clear that Jesus stands in a category by Himself—that we are to listen to Him above Moses, Elijah, or anyone else. The writer of Hebrews further illuminates this distinction:

“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house.”
— Hebrews 1:5–6 NIV

Notice the distinction. First, Moses is a servant; Jesus is the Son. Second, Moses is a servant in God’s house; Jesus is the Son over God’s house. Jesus is over the house—He is the master of the house.

I begin with this introduction to reinforce the point that we must listen to what Jesus said above all else, and as a segue into the topic of this post.

In Matthew 5:33–37, Jesus addressed the topic of oath-taking, or swearing. He began by saying:

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all…”
— verse 33–34

He then went on to say not to swear by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is God’s footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King — verse 34. Swearing is taking an oath in which you commit yourself to do something.

So when Jesus said, “do not swear at all…,” was He making a sweeping, blanket statement against taking oaths?

People take oaths for different reasons, and they are required in some situations. Politicians—presidents, governors, judges—take oaths before they can assume office. If you go before a judge, you’re required to swear that you’ll tell the truth. If you weren’t born a citizen, you’re required to take an oath of citizenship to become a naturalized citizen. Even when you get married, you take an oath of fidelity to your spouse. There are other situations where oath-taking is required.

Since we are required to take oaths in these situations, are we violating this command when we do? Before we can understand what Jesus was saying, it’s important that we first understand what He wasn’t saying.

What Swearing Really Means

First, swearing in this context is not referring to “swear words”—profanities, obscenities, or curse words that are considered offensive or vulgar. Scripture addresses that separately. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:29:

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” — NLT

“Watch your talk! No bad words should be coming from your mouth. Say what is good. Your words should help others grow as Christians.” — NLV

“Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.” — GNT

You may know some of the swear words, and if you are a Christian, you shouldn’t be using them. I see some Christians use them, and it’s unfortunate—they are no-nos.

Second, not all swearing or oath-taking is sinful. Jesus Himself responded in the affirmative when the high priest put Him under oath during His trial:

“...I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
— Matthew 26:63

Later, and although not in a positive light, the apostle Peter swore and called curses on himself when he denied Jesus and said:

“...I do not know the Man!”

In the book of Hebrews, we even see God Himself swear for different reasons, such as when He swore that Jesus Christ is High Priest forever:

“...The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”
— Hebrews 7:21 NIV

The Danger of Careless Promises

Now that we see there are legitimate reasons to swear or take an oath—and that swearing here is not about using cuss words—let me unpack what I believe Jesus was saying.

I believe He was calling out situations where people carelessly make promises without giving much thought, or any thought at all, to whether they’ll be able to perform them.

Sometimes people make promises they already know they do not intend to keep. I believe it’s wrong for anyone to do this. Any true Christian would never do this.

Other times, people make promises they genuinely want to keep, but life intrudes and they cannot keep them, no matter how hard they try.

When you bind yourself with an oath, you not only obligate yourself to the person you made the promise to—you also make yourself accountable to God. This is what Ecclesiastes was warning about:

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.’ Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?”
— Ecclesiastes 5:4–6 NIV

Promises Beyond Your Control

Jesus hinted at another reason not to swear or take an oath when He said:

“Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.”
— Matthew 5:36

He was pointing out that many things in life are not within our control. Just as you cannot make one hair white or black, there are circumstances that may prevent you from fulfilling a promise, even if you sincerely want to. For that reason, even when promises don’t involve oath-taking, they should never be made carelessly.

This brings us to the final thing Jesus said we should do:

“...let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
— verse 37

Jesus wants us not only to avoid making promises carelessly or falsely, but to fulfill them when we do make them—when we say yes. Scripture says that the one who may dwell on God’s holy hill is the one:

“...who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;”
— Psalms 15:4 NIV

A promise means nothing if you don’t keep it—and it means just as little if you become known as someone who breaks their word. If you identify as a Christian, you dishonor God when you do.

In my next post, I will unpack Matthew 5:38–42, the next “You have heard…” / “But I say to you…” combo. God bless, and stay tuned.

To access the previous teachings of this series, please click below:

1. Part I: Truth Has a Name: The Mountain Revelations

2. Part II: Verbal Murder: Are Your Words Killing?

3. Part III: God Deals With the World As Is

Share

Subscribe now

God Deals With the World as It Is

One of the things I’ve learnt from years of reading and studying the Old Testament laws—and seeing how they regulate every aspect of Jewish life—is this: God deals with the world not as it should be but as it is. Let that sink in.

For example, Leviticus forbids sexual perversions, including bestiality. It also contains laws about slavery—but this does not mean God endorses it. Sadly, some European colonizers and later Americans misused these laws to justify the evil enslavement of Africans and others.

God gave these laws to govern His people. These were people you wouldn’t expect to commit such acts, yet God gave the laws knowing someone eventually would. God deals with the world not as it should be, but as it is.

Even as Christians, we don’t always live as God wants. This is why Jesus taught us to pray:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10 KJV

The world is a broken place, and God engages with it fully aware of human weakness. This doesn’t mean His standards are flexible—no, His Word is absolute truth.

Absolute Truths and the Grey Areas

Some things are black-and-white: God forbids homosexuality, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, stealing, slander, and covetousness. Clear. Nonnegotiable.

Other areas are grey—not because God’s morality is grey, but because Scripture applies principles rather than specifics. The grey areas of Scripture are often where misunderstandings arise and where we must navigate the tension between God’s will and the practical realities of daily life.

For example, Christian believers are told not to marry non-believers—but Scripture does not specify whom to marry. Women are told to dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9-10)—but exact styles are not prescribed. These are guiding principles. Those serious about God and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading will know whether they are in conformity.

Moses reminds us:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” – Deuteronomy 29:29

He said this after delivering extensive laws that regulated nearly every aspect of Israel’s life—yet even those laws did not, and could not possibly, address everything—the grey areas where we are given principles rather than specifics. In the grey—where Scripture is silent or not definitive—we must respect individual convictions, so long as they do not violate absolute truth. For this same reason, we must be careful not to condemn others for decisions made in these grey areas. Claiming certainty about what God approves or disapproves in such matters is presumptuous. Paul adds a helpful reminder:

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part.” — 1 Corinthians 13:9

I began with this foundation to prepare the ground for the verses I’ll be exploring in this post. Let’s dive in!

Adultery, Lust, and Jesus’ Standard

Jesus’s second “You have heard…” / “But I say to you…” statements begin in Matthew 5:27–32. Verse 27 is essentially a reminder of the seventh commandment in Exodus 20:14. But just as He did in the first statement from my Part II Verbal Murder: Are Your Words Killing?, Jesus raised the standard when He said:

“…whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – verse 28

In other words, the sin is not limited to the physical act of adultery; lusting after someone you are not married to is itself sin.

Then, in verse 29, Jesus offered insight into where lust begins—with the eyes. Lust is not simply noticing someone is attractive; it is imagining or fantasizing about sexual acts with that person. After identifying the source, He gives a remedy:

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you…”
“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you…”

Was Jesus telling anyone to literally gouge out their eye or cut off their hand? No. This is hyperbole, meant to emphasize the seriousness of the sin. The danger is clear:

“…it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” – verses 29 & 30

Jesus is declaring that adultery is sin—and lust is as well. As I often say, you must treat anything Jesus says with the utmost seriousness. You put yourself at risk if you don’t.

Modesty and Feminism

Women rightly object to being ogled. Yet many now wear clothing once considered undergarments, or extremely revealing outfits. Suggesting this can contribute to temptation is not unreasonable. In fact, public modesty is expected of Christian women—1 Timothy 2:9–10—and that expectation is not unreasonable.

But many feminists reject it, framing modesty as patriarchal control and, in some cases, doing so because they’ve rejected God’s order and authority.

I’ve highlighted women’s today’s clothing choices, but not to blame them for men lusting after them. Men have been lusting after women long before our time, and they are accountable for the desires of their own hearts. Lust is not one-directional; women also lust after men, and they too are accountable.

However, I believe Christians have a responsibility to avoid provoking temptation, just as Jesus warned that we should not be sources of stumbling—Matthew 18:6–7. If you’re a Christian woman, you honor God when you choose not to dress provocatively.

Divorce and Adultery

Now we come to verse 31, where Jesus addresses divorce. At first glance, it may seem like a separate topic, but it isn’t—because He mentions it in the context of adultery. Jesus is saying that divorce can cause adultery: when a man or woman divorces their spouse for a reason other than sexual immorality and then enters sexual relations with another partner, they commit adultery.

Jesus repeated this teaching in Matthew 19:9, and His disciples were so shocked that they said:

“…If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

To this, Jesus replied that celibacy is not for everyone — verse 12.

Although divorce is not the main subject of this post, I’ll say a few things because, sadly, it is now common among God’s people. First, notice that Jesus never said—nor does any Scripture say—that divorce itself is sin. It is not. Second, does this mean that believers who divorced for reasons other than sexual immorality and later remarried are living in sin? I don’t know. But I do know that the Apostle Paul, while noting that he was not speaking directly for the Lord, identified another permissible ground for divorce. He taught that a Christian married to an unbeliever may divorce — 1 Corinthians 7:12–16. This applies to situations where both spouses married as unbelievers and one later became a born-again believer.

As I said at the beginning, the world is broken. I do not advocate for divorce—in fact, I believe it is a sad reflection of the human condition—but I also believe no practical person who understands the heart of God would deny that divorce can be a reasonable solution in situations involving physical abuse, threats to life, or irreconcilable differences where the couple can no longer function as a unit.

When Jesus was asked why Moses allowed the Israelites to issue a certificate of divorce for reasons other than sexual immorality, He answered:

“…because of the hardness of your hearts…”

So it may very well be that God, even now, because He understands human frailty, chooses to overlook certain divorces in His mercy. I say this in the same spirit as Paul, who wrote, “...I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.” — 1 Corinthians 7:25. And remember: God deals with the world not as it should be, but as it is. Still, every married couple should strive to remain together. God Himself says:

“For I hate divorce!” because it fractures His intended covenant — Malachi 2:16

In my next post, I will unpack Matthew 5:33–37, the next “You have heard…” / “But I say to you…” combo. God bless, and stay tuned.

To access the previous teachings of this series, please click below:

1. Part I: Truth Has a Name: The Mountain Revelations

2. Part II: Verbal Murder: Are Your Words Killing?

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

In Truth Has a Name: The Mountain Revelations (part I of this series), I laid the foundation by asserting that Jesus is the messenger, judge, and arbiter of truth. He is Himself the Truth. What does this mean? It means we must do, above all else, whatever Jesus says we must do.

If Jesus condemns something, consider it condemned—regardless of what anyone else says.

If Jesus approves something, it is approved—no matter who disagrees.

With that mindset, let us dive into the first of the “You have heard…” / “But I say to you…” statements of Jesus.

🎉Announcement 🎉

Let me pause for a quick announcement. I am happy to announce that I have officially launched Strong Faith Publications on Facebook! All previous posts are available on the site as well. Please click to follow and share with others.

You can also follow the blog on X (formerly Twitter). Thank you for your support!

Beyond Murder

In Matthew 5:21, Jesus says:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’”

Jesus was simply repeating the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13. “Do not murder” has always been the standard. In a world that is becoming more violent, we need the reminder that the prohibition against murder did not originate with human society—it is a divine law. It’s why even if someone escapes human justice, they won’t escape God’s.

But Jesus raised the standard:

“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” – verse 22

The first part about being angry is easy to understand: it doesn’t mean that anger itself is sin, because Scripture consistently shows that it is not. Paul wrote:

“Be angry, and do not sin…” – Ephesians 4:26

Jesus Himself was angry at times, such as at the hardness of the Pharisees (Mark 3:5). God the Father also displays anger. Scripture describes Him as:

“Slow to anger and great in mercy.” – Psalm 145:8
“He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever.” – Psalm 103:9 NLT

So anger is not inherently sinful. It becomes sin when it leads to wrongdoing, and that is the danger Jesus warns about.

Words Matter: Raca, Fool, and Slander

The second part of verse 22—about saying “Raca!” or “You fool!”—is less clear. However, the severity of the consequences is the key to understanding it. The council (Sanhedrin) was the highest earthly religious-judicial authority, and hell represents the ultimate divine judgment. These punishments indicate that what Jesus is addressing goes far beyond simply calling someone a fool or an idiot (which is essentially what “Raca” means) or describing a person’s actions as foolish or idiotic.

I believe Jesus is warning against slander and false accusation, the sin forbidden in the ninth commandment:

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16

Slander—falsely accusing someone or spreading lies—was common in Jesus’ day and was sometimes used as a weapon by the powerful. Jezebel used it to kill Naboth (1 Kings 21:9–13). False witnesses were used to kill Stephen (Acts 6:11–14). And false testimony was used to crucify Jesus Himself (Matthew 26:59–61).

False accusation is serious before God and before society. That’s why many legal systems will punish slander and defamation.

Slander or False Accusation is Sin

True Christians would avoid these practices entirely, but many still fall into gossip, backbiting, and rumor-spreading. Women are more prone to doing these than men. This is why Paul, writing to Timothy about the qualifications of deacons’ wives, said:

“In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others…” – 1 Timothy 3:11

And writing to Titus about older women, he said:

“Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.” – Titus 2:3

Once we understand verse 22, verses 23–26 fall into place. They are not random—together, they form a single message. To drive home the point that slander or false accusations are serious offenses before God, Jesus says:

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” – verses 23–24

If you have participated in slander or false accusations, your prayers may be hindered until you make things right. God expects repentance and reconciliation. Sometimes, wrongdoings are the reasons why our prayers are hindered; this is one of them.

Jesus then warns about earthly consequences:

“Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.” – verses 25–26

The “adversary” is the person falsely accused. If they threaten legal action, settle quickly—whether through a private apology or a public one. Do not presume God will spare you from consequences if you refuse to repent.

Sometimes, people commit offenses that have legal repercussions. If they ask God’s forgiveness, He will forgive them, but they think God’s grace and forgiveness will cancel out the consequences—it won’t. This is why, if you’re a Christian believer, make sure you don’t do anything that exposes you to legal penalties.

The standard is not merely “do not murder.” When we spread lies or unverified negative reports, we commit verbal murder, harming a person’s character, reputation, and even their livelihood. If Christians were above doing these sins, Jesus and the apostles would not have warned us so often.

Watch Your Speech

I believe the overall message of verses 21–26 is that we must watch our speech.

• Do not use cuss words like the F, N or S words or anything similar.

• Do not lie about anyone.

• Do not repeat any negative report about another person, especially if it is not verified.

God doesn’t want us doing these things. God doesn’t want these things among His people.

There is so much foul language in society today—in movies, music, sports arenas, schoolyards, workplaces, and on social media. Accusations fly constantly online, and while our culture has normalized much of this, God doesn’t. Sadly, Christians often use the same language. But Jesus said we are called to be the light and the salt of the world.

Ask yourself: is your speech different from that of a non-Christian, or does it resemble it? Would anyone be able to tell from what you say that you’re a believer? I once had a coworker mention that he’d noticed I never use cuss words. I’m not saying this to boast, and the comment honestly surprised me, but it reminded me that people notice things about you even when you don’t realize it. Would non-believers around you be able to say that about you?

If you’re struggling to keep your speech pure and God-honoring, watch what you let into your mind (heart), listen to, and read. Jesus says:

“…How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34

In my next post, I will unpack Matthew 5:27–32, the next “You have heard…” / “But I say to you…” combo. God bless, and stay tuned.

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

The Truth in a Confused World

We live in a world where some say that truth is relative and that absolutes don’t exist. Others insist that truth can be found, but only within the boundaries of their own religion—Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology, Mormonism, and others. The founders of these religions may have expressed kernels of insight, but none of them possessed truth in its fullness. Truth has a name, His name is Jesus Christ. In Jesus only is found ultimate truth.

Jesus said to Thomas, one of the apostles:

“...I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
– John 14:6

I am bold to say that Jesus is the truth—there is no other truth. He alone is the way to the Father and to heaven; no one else can take you there. He is the only one who can give you life—eternal life. Apostle Paul says:

“For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth.”
– 2 Corinthians 13:8 NLT

It doesn’t matter what people believe—this is the truth, any other message or “revelation” is a lie. The Bible is the only book that constitutes comprehensive truth, and we must not be shy or ashamed to proclaim it. Let me illustrate this with the story of an encounter Jesus had in John chapter 4.

Quest for Truth: The Samaritan Woman

Jesus began a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. He longed to reveal Himself to her, but she was unfortunately more interested in the religious and cultural controversies of her day—something that, in many ways, mirrors the culture-war dynamics we get caught up in today.

Christian believers today spend so much time fighting today’s culture wars rather than preaching and speaking the truth. We end up contributing to division instead of healing, diverting attention from the gospel and pushing non-believers away rather than drawing them in.

To be clear, I am not talking about compromising essential and explicit truths or staying silent about the moral degradation of society. But I am concerned that a segment of the church has become fixated on culture wars—though I’ll leave that for another post.

One of those cultural issues the woman raised, in verse 20, was about the right place to worship—on a certain mountain—Mount Gerizim, according to the Samaritans, or in Jerusalem, according to the Jews. Although the Samaritans were descendants of Jacob, they followed a version of the Mosaic law that differed from the Jewish tradition. Jesus did not get lost in the weeds of debate but said plainly:

“You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”
– John 4:22

Notice that Jesus said the Samaritans didn’t even know whom they worshiped. As Christian believers, we must be unapologetic about preaching the truth and unafraid to tell non-Christian believers that they have believed a lie.

There is no truth outside of Jesus—not from Muhammed (Islam), Buddha (Buddhism), Confucius (Confucianism/ethical philosophy), Joseph Smith (Mormonism), or Ron Hubbard (Scientology). Hebrews says:

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”
– Hebrews 1:1-2 NIV

Jesus is that Son of God. There is no other messenger of God, no greater prophet. Jesus is the fullness of divine revelation.

The Mountain Revelation - Jesus is the Last Voice

On the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8), where Jesus briefly assumed His glorified body and Moses and Elijah appeared beside Him, Peter misunderstood what he was seeing. He placed Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah, saying:

“...Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
– verse 4

A tabernacle is a place of worship—a temple. The New Life Version makes this clearer:

“Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You will let us, we will build three altars here. One will be for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
– verse 4 NLV

Altars, like tabernacles, represent places of worship. Peter thought Moses and Elijah were Jesus’ equals. But God responded immediately:

“...This is My much-loved Son, I am very happy with Him. Listen to Him!”
– verse 5 NLV

God was declaring that Jesus is His final voice to humanity—not Moses or Elijah, and certainly not Muhammed, Buddha or any other person. God said to listen to Jesus. This means His words stand above all prophets and even the apostles—not because they contradicted Him, but because He is the ultimate authority.

Jesus Himself said:

“...Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
– John 17:3 NIV

A New Series: “You Have Heard… But I Say to You”

This is the first part of a new series, and everything I’ve said lays the foundation for what comes next.

Jesus is the truth and the final authority on truth and divine revelation. One of the clearest demonstrations of this authority is found in His message on the mount—what we commonly call the Sermon on the Mount.

In this new series, I will focus on Jesus’ five “You have heard” statements beginning in Matthew 5:21. In each one, Jesus follows with:

“But I say to you.”

This is Jesus declaring that He alone holds ultimate truth. Everything He says supersedes anything anyone else has said—including Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and all others. Anyone who speaks contrary to what Jesus has spoken is a liar.

Each time He says, “But I say to you,” He is raising the standard of Christian living, correcting inaccurate interpretations of Scripture, clarifying what God truly intended, or even changing the law itself. He can do this because—as we have seen—He is God’s Son, the Truth, and the final authority on Scripture.

I’ll be dissecting those five “You have heard” statements in the next parts. Stay tuned.

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

In The World Needs More Good Christians, which is Part III of this series, I focused on the virtue of goodness and why it’s essential for Christian living. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, God desires that you live a good life in how you relate to other believers and to the world.

However, you must understand that while goodness is good, righteousness is greater. It’s similar to how Proverbs weighs the value of wisdom:

“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.”
– Proverbs 4:7 NLT.

Proverbs is teaching that whatever your life’s pursuit may be, acquiring wisdom must always come first.

Paul made a similar value judgment when he wrote:

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…”
– Hebrews 12:14.

Living peaceably with all people—which is goodness—is important. But holiness must be your primary pursuit, because without it, you will not see God. Practicing goodness never outweighs living righteously.

In this post, I want to show you that righteousness is the essential requirement. Whatever good you may do, make sure, above all, that you live a righteous life. In Part II – Good vs. Righteous: What Really Matters? – I made a bold statement:

“You’re not likely to make it to heaven if you’re only a good person, but you will if you are only a righteous person.”

Now I want to return to it and unpack it in this final post of this series—Thoughts on Goodness vs Righteousness.

Salvation Alone Is Not Enough

Many Christians believe that simply being “saved” is all that’s required to make heaven. But this is mistaken. It’s untrue, and it’s a serious error. I heard a Baptist pastor the other day on social media say that if he were to die in sin, he’d make heaven. He won’t.

In fact, the doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS), which I referenced in a previous post, largely originated in the Baptist tradition. But it is not true at all—or, depending on how it’s interpreted, only partially true.

Take, for example, those who claim they are saved yet continue to live homosexual lifestyles. This isn’t hypothetical; I once knew someone like that. I’d be charitable enough to say that maybe they are saved, but they still won’t make heaven.

Jesus calls us to repent and forsake sinful living, not to hold on to it. And the Bible is clear that homosexuality is sin. Don’t fall for the lie that it is not.

God made His eternal displeasure against homosexuality crystal when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. That judgment stands as a permanent warning to humanity—just as the rainbow is a permanent reminder of God’s promise to Noah in Genesis 9:12–15 that He would never again destroy the world with a flood.

I’ve seen so-called Christians and even pastors twist Scripture to erase this truth. They claim Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed only because they were inhospitable. Yes, those actions were part of their wickedness, but the Bible makes the primary reason unmistakably clear. Jude, when comparing God’s judgment on rebellious Israel with His judgment on Sodom, says:

“...Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
– Jude 5–7

There are others who call themselves Christians yet think nothing of fornication. They engage in pre-marital sex and convince themselves it is acceptable. It is not.

And there are married Christians who commit adultery while somehow believing they will still make heaven. They won’t. Scripture condemns these sins repeatedly and clearly.

Sexual immorality includes fornication (sex between two unmarried people), adultery, and homosexuality. If you insist on believing some so-called pastor or minister who tells you otherwise, then go ahead. But you will discover on the other side of eternity—when it’s too late—that they lied to you.

Righteousness is the Entry Requirement

Righteousness—not goodness—is the entry requirement into heaven. You can be good and still miss heaven, but you cannot be righteous and not make heaven.

Salvation is your invitation to heaven, but the invitation alone does not get you there. You must live a righteous life to enter heaven. Heaven is the home of righteous people. Hebrews describes the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, as the dwelling place of:

“the spirits of righteous men made perfect.”
– Hebrews 12:23 NIV.

The teaching that Christians can accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and then live however they want—and still make heaven—is often well-intentioned, but it is false. OSAS, for example, originated with Calvin, though it’s said he also emphasized perseverance. Later, it was popularized by Baptists and adopted by other groups, including some Pentecostals and Evangelicals.

The apostles never taught anything like this. Instead, they repeatedly warned believers about the danger of falling away and falling into condemnation.

Jude wrote:

“...I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
– Jude 3.

And why did Jude feel compelled to write this? He explains:

“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
– Jude 4.

Apostle Paul also reminded the Roman church:

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
– Romans 14:17.

And he wrote these instructions to Timothy, who once pastored the church at Ephesus:

“...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
– 1 Timothy 6:11.

“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
– 2 Timothy 2:22.

But maybe you doubt me—or even the apostles—not that they ever contradicted Jesus. So what did Jesus Himself, the ultimate authority on truth, say?

“Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but those who do the will of my Father in heaven.”
– Matthew 7:35.

And as if to underline that only the righteous will be in heaven, look at what Jesus says in Revelation, the final book of the Bible:

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
– Revelation 21:8.

If you reject the testimony and authority of Jesus, then there is nothing more to say; you are already lost.

Goodness alone will not get you to heaven, but righteousness alone will. Your righteousness will qualify you for heaven; just your goodness alone will not.

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

The Nature of Goodness

The nature of goodness is that it commends you to people in ways righteousness may not. Most people won’t be drawn to your righteousness, but they are likely to be drawn to your goodness. Paul, writing to the Romans, says:

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.”
— Romans 5:7 NIV

“Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.”
— Romans 5:7 NLT

Paul said this in the context of Jesus dying for us—even though we are ungodly and undeserving. But it’s also a truth about life: people are generally drawn to good people.

But the point I want to make from this verse is this: notice that it says people are more likely to die for a good person than for a righteous person. Why? Because your goodness is what directly impacts people. It’s the way we reflect God’s grace and God’s goodness to others.

When We Miss the Balance

If you are a Christian and people avoid you or don’t like you, it could be because you’re not a good person. You may be righteous, but you’re not good—to your coworkers, neighbors, or classmates. Sometimes Christian believers aren’t nice to others and don’t even know how to be, but when others respond in kind, they say they’re being persecuted for their faith or that they’re being hated.

If this is you, do you think they’ll want to listen to your gospel or believe in your God?

When we’re not good to people, we do a disservice to the cause of Christ. People may reject Him because of us. As Paul said:

“...God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
— Romans 2:24

Most people won’t be drawn to you because of your righteousness—but they’re more likely to be because of your goodness. It’s a fact: in the world, most people love a good person.

Christian goodness is about being people-friendly, having people skills that draw others in rather than repel them. It’s doing simple things like not always walking around with a frown—being approachable. Or greeting people, just as Jesus said:

“And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?”
– Matthew 5:47

It’s offering your neighbor or coworker help when you see they need it. It’s sharing your material goods with those who are in need.

However, this doesn’t mean you should do these things willy-nilly or allow people to take advantage of you, nor does it mean you must keep doing them for those who do not appreciate it.

Many who loved Jesus did so because of His goodness, not simply because He was a righteous man. He taught them righteousness, but He also healed them, had compassion on them, cared for them, mingled with them, and fed them.

Goodness is God’s Standard

You may be wondering, or even asking yourself, what the big deal is with this goodness business. Let me explain. In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus told the parable of the sheep and the goats. The sheep were those who…

• Fed the hungry;

• Gave water to the thirsty;

• Provided housing or shelter to strangers;

• Clothed the naked;

• Cared for the sick;

• Visited those in prison.

Jesus said they did these things for Him, and when they asked when they ever did them, He replied:

“...when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
— Matthew 25:40 NLT

The goats didn’t do any of these. But notice two more things:

First, the goats—just like the sheep—had the same opportunities, but they didn’t take them the way the sheep did. And here is the question for you: What do you do when you’re presented with any of these opportunities? Whether it comes from family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, schoolmates, or even strangers—do you ignore them, pretend you don’t see them, or maybe even feel annoyed by them?

Second, when we do these things, we do them for Jesus—and He notices and rewards them.

Two Sides of One Calling

In the simplest terms, think of righteousness as the spiritual part of you, and goodness as your human part. The Bible speaks of Lot being tormented in his righteous soul — 2 Peter 2:8 — something the Sodomites didn’t see or care about. But we also see his goodness in how he welcomed and showed hospitality to the two men (angels) who came to him in Sodom.

Goodness is how you show your humanity—your care and affection for others. It is vital evidence of your faith, the proof of a transformed life. Goodness makes the message of the gospel attractive to non-believers—and makes you socially approachable.

I see some people on social media who say they are Christians—especially those who engage in debates—but the way they speak to their opponents is far from Christlike. Jesus didn’t address His opponents that way, and you are never going to win anyone over by denigrating them morally or intellectually. We must be respectful, even when we disagree with others.

God wants us to be righteous Christians, but He also wants us to live good lives. Rarely will you see anyone’s epitaph say they were a righteous person. What’s usually celebrated is their goodness. And you also won’t see mourners or sympathizers speaking about the deceased’s righteousness at their funeral. No—they talk about the good the person did in their life.

It’s better if we are both. The world may not remember your righteousness, but it will remember your goodness.

And this isn’t about making a name for yourself or earning accolades. It’s about letting your goodness point the way to Christ—about being like Him in all His fullness.

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share