Sermon Video: Set your hearts on things above - Colossians 3:1-4

Having refuted legalism and asceticism as being illegitimate paths to piety for disciples of Jesus Christ, Paul turns his focus upon the appropriate direction for God's people, that is, their need to set their hearts and minds on "things above".  Instead of spelling individual things out, Paul focuses upon the direction and focus of the passions and thought processes of those who know that they will one day appear, with Christ, when he returns in glory.

What does it mean to have your heart or mind set upon things above? For the Christian, this means living here and now as a citizen of heaven.  Having the perspective of someone who knows the future and lives today in light of it.  It means having a spiritual perspective as well, one that sees beyond the material and one that invests in eternity (though self-sacrifice today).

To watch the video, click on the link below:

One way to redefine Biblical morality: theorize the original text meant the opposite

In an article recently published in the New York Times, The Secret History of Leviticus by Idan Dershowitz, the author claims that the text of Leviticus that is known to history (the earliest manuscripts, the LXX and DSS, as well as the rabbinical commentaries) is not the original text of Leviticus and that this hypothetical original text in two very culturally significant instances, that of Leviticus 18:22 ("Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable") and 20:13 ("If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.  They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.") the original text's intention was in fact the opposite.  In other words, Dershowitz is theorizing that Leviticus was changed (sometime before our earliest extant evidence of the text) from his theoretical text which permitted sex between men to the text that is known which prohibits it.

Two paragraphs from the essay by Dershowitz will uncover his viewpoint:

Like many ancient texts, Leviticus was created gradually over a long period and includes the words of more than one writer. Many scholars believe that the section in which Leviticus 18 appears was added by a comparatively late editor, perhaps one who worked more than a century after the oldest material in the book was composed. An earlier edition of Leviticus, then, may have been silent on the matter of sex between men.

But I think a stronger claim is warranted. As I argue in an article published in the latest issue of the journal Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, there is good evidence that an earlier version of the laws in Leviticus 18 permitted sex between men. In addition to having the prohibition against same-sex relations added to it, the earlier text, I believe, was revised in an attempt to obscure any implication that same-sex relations had once been permissible.

In the first paragraph, Dershowitz makes it clear that he does not hold to any version of the inspiration of Scripture, but rather like many modern critics views it as a collection of the ideas of various men that changed (in this case dramatically) over time.  That this theory is anti-supernatural goes without saying, but his utilization of redaction criticism (theorizing various stages of edits in the text, in this case without any manuscript evidence to support the claims) is built wholly upon what he believes an earlier text might have said.  In his essay (and the journal article it is based upon), Dershowitz does offer up some grammatical "evidence" to support his theory, but this falls far short of being convincing evidence that the text of the Bible used to mean the opposite of that which our earliest extant copies claim.  {For a more detailed refutation of the thesis of Dershowitz read the following article by Dr. Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: Leviticus in the New York Times: What's the real story here? }

In the end, the reason why I comment upon this opinion piece from the NYT is not to start a new round of debate about human sexuality, homosexuality, or any other related topic (so please don't respond by arguing about it), nor is it to bash the NYT for publishing the article (so don't waste your time venting at the messenger), instead my sole purpose is to bring attention to the ongoing  and far too prevalent practice of twisting the Word of God into a pretzel by both scholars and laymen in order to get it to say what the person doing the twisting wants it to say.  Such twisting happens with good intentions and bad intentions, by those trying to defend God and those looking to jettison belief in him.  Motives and intentions do matter, but it is unethical and dangerous when the Scriptures are treated as a means to an end, just another tool to advance a viewpoint.

We can, and should, have discussions (informed by scholarship and research) about the history of the text of Scripture, that is indeed a topic that interests me greatly.  We can, and will, disagree upon how to interpret and apply the text of Scripture once we've reached a consensus about what it said in its original Hebrew and Greek and thus how it ought to be translated into English, those discussions interest me a great deal as well.  But we cannot, in any meaningful way, utilize the Word of God as anything beyond a historical curiosity if those who disagree with the text that has been historically established, decide that they will simply rewrite the text to their liking out of whole cloth.

Let those who do not view the Bible as the Word of God say what they will about it, let them twist it and warp it into anything they like, for to them it has no authority, no power.  It is unrealistic of those who belief in the Scriptures, to expect those who do not, to treat it with the respect that it deserves.  The Church, however, must reject this path of tailoring the text to suit our own opinions, in all its forms, the Church must affirm and reaffirm its commitment to the Bible as the divinely inspired Word of God, as the foundation for both our salvation from our own sins, and our moral guide in this world.  A method used to redefine the text of Scripture today pertaining to one topic, will be used to redefine it another day for a different topic.  If you build your house upon the sand, don't expect it to stay standing when the rains comes.

Sermon Video: The False Hope of Legalistic Asceticism, Colossians 2:16-23

{Due to a technical glitch, this week's original sermon video was not recorded, this video is the audio from Sunday combined with the PowerPoint slides from the sermon; sorry for any inconvenience}...

What is the path to greater piety and devotion to God?  One attempted answer to this question that has been active throughout Church history has been the related methods of legalism and asceticism.  Legalism seeks to impose rules, as if becoming closer to God were a simple matter of following them, while asceticism seeks to deny biological impulses and needs (such as food, drink, sex), as if being biological they are somehow inherently unholy and opposed to the things of the spirit.  Church history has featured hermits and monks attempting to be holy along these paths, as much as their efforts were self-centered, and self-powered, they were doomed to failure.

Paul addresses this issue at the church at Colossae, where a mixture of Mosaic legalism and Greek philosophical asceticism had combined to tempt the believers there away from their trust in the all-sufficiency of Christ, a danger that Paul warns strongly against, reassuring them that the path of legalistic asceticism is doomed to failure because it has lost its connection with Christ, and thus the power of God, the only true source of spiritual growth.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

A Vatican approved journal denounces the Prosperity Gospel, and rightly so.

The portions below in italics are from the article by Antonio Spadaro, SJ - Marcelo Figueroa, published on July 18th, 2018 in the Vatican approved journal: La Civilta Cattolica  To read the full article, click on the following link: The Prosperity Gospel: Dangerous and Different   

To view my previous blog post related to the Prosperity Gospel, or both of the sermons from Malachi that relate to this topic, click on the following link: What I've written/said previously about the Prosperity Gospel.

As the Prosperity Gospel grows in its influence and numbers, it become more and more necessary for those who preach the Gospel as given to us by the Word of God to refute this man-centered perversion that replaces our call to be servants with a promise of material blessings.

The “prosperity gospel” is a well-known theological current emerging from the neo-Pentecostal evangelical movements. At its heart is the belief that God wants his followers to have a prosperous life, that is, to be rich, healthy and happy. This type of Christianity places the well-being of the believer at the center of prayer, and turns God the Creator into someone who makes the thoughts and desires of believers come true.

The lifeblood of everything positive and valid that has come out of Martin Luther's call for Reformation has been the reliance upon the "five solas" {Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone"), Sola fide ("by faith alone"), Sola gratia ("by grace alone"), Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone"), Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")}  The rise of the Prosperity Gospel challenges, if not outright rejects, four of them when it takes scripture out of its original context and historic meaning in order to give it a individualistic/materialistic spin, devalues faith and grace by making people responsible for their own well being, and downplays the glory that belongs to God by moving the focus of the Gospel from God's amazing love and grace to our own wants.

What is absolutely clear is that the economic, media and political power of these groups – which we generically call “evangelicals of the American Dream” – makes them more visible than the other evangelical churches, even those of the classical Pentecostal variety. In addition, their growth is exponential and directly proportional to the economic, physical and spiritual benefits they promise their followers: all these blessings are far removed from the life of conversion usually taught by the traditional evangelical movements.

The Scripture passages that have been warped by advocates of the Prosperity Gospel are too numerous to briefly interact with, but common threads involve viewing the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant as belonging to the Church, downplaying the cost of discipleship and emphasizing the blessings for those who follow Christ, particularly the material ones here and now.

The pillars of the prosperity gospel, as we have mentioned, are essentially two: economic well-being and health. This accentuation is the fruit of a literalist exegesis of some biblical texts that are taken within a reductionist hermeneutic. The Holy Spirit is limited to a power placed at the service of individual well-being. Jesus Christ has abandoned his role as Lord and transformed into being a debtor to each one of his words. The Father is reduced to being “a sort of cosmic bellhop that responds to the needs and desires of his creatures.”

"Name it and claim it", what a warped reality.  Where is it written in the Scriptures that God is intent upon fulfilling our will?  Are we not called to serve the kingdom of God?  Are we not called to sacrifice of ourselves for others?

A refrain that many of these pastors use is “There is a miracle in your mouth.” The miraculous process is the following: visualize in detail what you want, declare it expressly with your mouth, claim it with the faith and authority of God and consider it already received. Effectively, “claiming” the promises of God, which have been extracted from the biblical texts or the prophetic word of the pastor, places the believer in a dominant position with respect to a God who is imprisoned by his own word, as perceived and believed by the faithful.

When you turn prosperity into a test of faith, you automatically devalue morality (who cares what sins you commit, if you're rich God must be blessing you) and mortally wound compassion.  What will the affect upon the Church be of such a movement?  Disaster, pure and simple.  Without a servant's heart, the Church is doomed, without compassion for others, the Church is doomed.  The Gospel cannot survive without them.

There can be no compassion for those who are not prosperous, for clearly they have not followed the rules and thus live in failure and are not loved by God.

Generally, the fact that there are riches and material benefits fall once again on the exclusive responsibility of the believer, and consequently so too their poverty or lack of goods. Material victory places the believer in a position of pride due to the power of their “faith.” On the contrary, poverty hits them with a blow that is unbearable for two reasons: first, the person thinks their faith is unable to move the providential hands of God; second, their miserable situation is a divine imposition, a relentless punishment to be accepted in submission.

The quote in the final paragraph from the article is from Pope Francis.  Whether you like him or not, whether you agree with him or not, whether you consider the Catholic Church to be a partner or a rival regarding the Gospel, those who adhere to the tenants of the Reformation ought to be encouraged to have an ally denouncing "justification by their own efforts" on the part of those who preach and follow the Prosperity Gospel.  The Gospel is not about me, its about God.  The Church doesn't exist to serve me, it exists to guide people to God (by grace through faith) and increase the worship of God by those he created.  When man is at the center, the Gospel fails.

As he wrote in his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, there are Christians who are committed to following the path of “justification by their own efforts, the worship of the human will and their own abilities. The result is a self-centered and elitist complacency, bereft of true love. This finds expression in a variety of apparently unconnected ways of thinking and acting,” among them “an excessive concern with programs of self-help and personal fulfillment” (No. 57).

Sermon Video: God made you alive with Christ - Colossians 2:9-15

In his ongoing effort to express the supremacy and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ, Paul compares what circumcision was unable to accomplish, the removal of the "whole self ruled by the flesh", with what baptism in Christ can accomplish, namely the destruction of that nature enthralled to sin when those who believe in Christ are "buried with him" and "raised with him" by God's power through faith.  In addition, Paul reiterates that before Christ, "you were dead in your sins" but have since been "made alive with Christ."  This dramatic reversal, the hinge of history, is illustrated by Paul with a courtroom metaphor wherein Jesus takes the legal charges of our debt to God because of our sins, from our powerless hands, and nails it to the cross, allowing God to then cancel out our debt as having been paid in full. 

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Know Christ, Know Wisdom - Colossians 2:1-8

When explaining to the church at Colossae his goal for them for which he was willing to contend and even suffer, the Apostle Paul speaks of not only their need to be encouraged and united in love, but also their need to have "the full riches of complete understanding".  But where would this understanding come from?  Mystical experience, meditative contemplation, angelic messengers?  No, Paul was clear that the people of the church could know the "mystery of God" simply by knowing Jesus Christ.  In Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  Want to know God?  Know Jesus.  Want to learn more about God?  Learn more about Jesus.  As the incarnate God/Man, Jesus Christ is the fullness of God, the more we learn about him, the more we learn about God.  That being said, Paul encourages the church to remain firmly rooted in Christ, to not be "taken captive" by other ideas or philosophies, for all those which are no in Christ are "of this world".

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Uncontrolled Capitalism is as Anti-Christian as Communism

What is the philosophical basis of  the economic system of Capitalism?  In simple terms: People do what is in their own self-interest, allowing them to do so is the key to prosperity.  You might recognize the pop culture version of this viewpoint from Oliver Stone's Wall Street where Gordon Gekko states unabashedly, "Greed is good".  Capitalism works more efficiently than a demand economy (whether that be at the direction of a monarch, dictator, or communist planning committee) because it spreads out the decision making, allowing individuals and companies to best decide where to invest their time, effort, and capital.  Capitalism is indeed the best economic system that mankind has thus far developed, there's no question that it creates more wealth and opportunity than its rivals, but that does not mean that Capitalism, left unregulated or uncontrolled, is by nature any more "Christian" than the less-efficient systems that it outproduces.

As an example of how unfettered Capitalism can be hostile to the morals and principles of Christianity, consider the case of Trevor Foltz an American child from Rhode Island whose life saving medication for seizures has risen in cost from $40 a vial in the year 2000, to $39,000 a vial in 2018, an astounding 97,000% increase in less than 20 years.  Please, read the whole article in the link, before finishing this post, it is worth your time.

Anatomy of a 97,000% drug price hike: One family's fight to save their son - by Wayne Drash, CNN

What then should a Christian perspective be regarding the tendency of Capitalism to reward greed on a level such as this?

What then should a Christian perspective be regarding the tendency of Capitalism to let slip through the cracks the most needy and vulnerable among us?


This is not a post about a proposed solution to problems such as those encountered by the Foltz family, not an advocacy for a particular way to regulate the Health Care industry, nor it is support for or criticism of, a particular politician or party.  What this is, instead, is a call for reflection on the part of those committed to following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, as to how they ought to think, feel, and act in response to the inevitable abuses of the capitalist system.  If Christians think, feel, and act like people whose first priority is imitating Jesus Christ, the subsequent questions of how or what can/should be done in our particular political and economic circumstances to remedy the flaws particular to capitalism that have become manifest, have a chance of being answered with wisdom.

What then is the attitude of the Word of God, our definitive guide for morality, regarding the topics of greed and those in need?  You might not believe it from what Christians often focus upon, but the primary topic regarding our interactions with our fellow man in the Bible is money.  The Bible repeatedly, in strong and foreboding terms, rejects greed and compels the people of God to be generous with those in need.  A few examples will suffice to demonstrate the pattern:

Deuteronomy 15:11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Deuteronomy 24:17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

These are 4 examples, all part of larger conversations within Scripture about the issues of money, greed, justice, and generosity.  There are literally hundreds of other references related to a economic issues (both relating to personal behavior and that of a nation as a whole) for the people of God contained in the Scriptures, whether it be Israel or the Church, that speak to the seriousness to God (and thus to us) of how we treat those in need.

If the system, whatever it may be, rewards a select few with riches beyond the scale of ancient kings, and leaves by the wayside without help a multitude beyond count, then that system cannot be just, nor morally upright, as it is.  Such as system would need to be held accountable for its excesses and flaws, it would need to be made to remember those being left behind, even if by design it does not naturally do so.  No economic system is perfect, just as no political system is perfect.  There will be flaws, there will be injustices, and therefore there needs to be advocates who champion the poor, the downtrodden, the orphans, aliens, widows, and outcasts, a role that is tailor made for those who would be disciples of Jesus.

Sermon Video: The Mystery of God: Christ in You, Colossians 1:24-29

How can someone like the Apostle Paul "rejoice" in the suffering he endured?  Not because he enjoyed it, far from it, simply because he understood the purpose to which God utilized his dedication in the face of opposition.  The "mystery" of God, that had been foretold by the prophets, had at last been revealed during Paul's lifetime, namely the advent of the Messiah and his wondrous victory over sin and death through self-sacrifice.  The "glorious riches" of God's will were greater than that, however, for God intended all along that the message of hope that resulted from the work of Jesus be sent forth into the world, to call all nations to repent and create a new people from among them of those who would become disciples of Jesus.

Consider for a moment the import of these words: "the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."  Christ in his followers, is the hope of glory!  The dwelling of Christ within his people (through the Holy Spirit) here on earth is a foretaste of the glory of heaven to come.  How do we know, for sure, that God's promises of life beyond death with him are true?  We experience Christ in us now, molding and shaping us into maturity.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Why are we free? Galatians 5:13-14

The vast majority of the bitter and often prolonged disagreements within American culture involve the answer to a fundamental question: Why are we free?  Not, how did we become free, but what is the purpose of our freedom?  To what end, what goal, what meaning are we to put our freedom to use?  While the American culture and political realm remain starkly divided on issue after issue regarding the answer to this question, Christian Americans ought to have no such hesitation in answering it clearly, emphatically, and with unity.  We know why we were set free, not from the grasp of a tyrant or oppressive political system, but from sin and death itself.  We were freed by the blood of Jesus Christ, which paid a ransom for our redemption, purified us from our ungodliness, and brought us into a lasting relationship with the Spirit and our Heavenly Father.  This is a freedom that is pure and true, one that cannot be taken away, and one that comes with an all-encompassing obligation.  You see, Christian Americans were set free that they might serve.  It may seem like a paradox to say that we are free to serve, and yet, in imitation of our Lord Jesus, that is exactly what we have been called to do.  What or whom do we serve?  One another, in humility and love.  In the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus said, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first, the servant of all shall be the greatest.  We, as Christians, who happen also to be blessed to be Americans, know exactly why we are free, it is up to us to live that way.

To listen to the short sermon on this topic from Galatians 5:13-14 that was given at this year's Franklin's 4th of July celebration's Worship in the Park, click on the link below:

The Purpose of Freedom: Galatians 5:13-14