Time-bound particulars or Timeless principles? David's sin with Bathsheba

When considering the interpretation and application of a passage of Scripture, it is necessary to evaluate it regarding whether it is an example of time-bound particulars or timeless principles.  An example debated within the Bible itself as recorded in the book of Acts is whether or not new Gentile Christians ought to obey the commands in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) regarding circumcision.  In the end, first Paul, and then the Jerusalem council agree that while the command of circumcision is normative for the descendants of Abraham (Jews) for all time, the time-bound particulars of it do not apply in the same way to Gentile converts operating under the New Covenant.  While the principle of being a sacred people, called by God to be holy, still applies to the Church (and its new initiation rite, baptism), the expression of that principle given to God for Israel did not apply to the Church.
Consider the case of David's lustful adultery with Bathsheba which is recorded in 2 Samuel 11.  On the one hand, the time-bound particulars of the situation might seem vastly different than any modern situational equivalent: David was a Jew (Law of Moses), living in ancient Israel, where he was a king, and his society still tolerated (wrongly) polygamy.  Where is the connection to your average Christian married man of Gentile background (Law of Grace), living in modern America, where he is an average citizen of no real power/wealth?  And yet, one need not find superficial connections between David's circumstances and those of a modern married Christian man because the timeless principles upon which David's actions are judged are not bound by his circumstances.  When David saw Bathsheba, lusted after her, sought her ought, had sex with her, and then conspired to have her husband killed so that he could keep her for himself, he violated the 6th and 7th commandments, "You shall not murder", "You shall not commit adultery", as well as the 10th, "You shall not covet your neighbor's...wife" {Exodus 20: 13,14,17 the numbering of the commandments varies by tradition}  If a modern married Christian man were to meet a woman, lust after her, have sex with her, and then conspire to have his own wife and her husband killed so they could be together, he too would be violating these same commandments.  While David was King of Israel, his actions were the same as thousands of other men (and women) who have befouled the sacred marital bed by allowing lust to lead to adultery.  While the circumstances surrounding a modern day affair (far too polite a word for actions that both anger God and tear families apart) bear little resemblance to David's palace intrigue, one need not struggle to apply the moral lesson given by the prophet Nathan to David when he rebuked him, "Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?" (1 Samuel 12:9)  Times may have changed, but lust is still lust, marital infidelity is still marital infidelity, and conspiracy to rid oneself of a rival is still murder. 
In the end, there are certain passages of Scripture, commands and rituals, which either no longer apply in the New Covenant to the Church, or no longer apply in a modern world with free democratic citizens; at least not in the same way that they applied to our ancestors in the faith.  On these occasions we must seek out the timeless principles upon which these passages rest and then consider how to apply those principles to our situation; a more difficult task.  However, this may not be necessary as often as we think, for human nature has not changed in the past few thousand years, God's nature, in particular his justice, holiness, and righteousness, have never changed.  The people of the Bible were people just like us, facing the same temptations and trials (even if in different packaging), and needing, just as we do, the grace of God to overcome them.

Sermon Video: One body, many parts - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Having expressed the variety of gifts given by the Spirit to the Church (local and universal), Paul next emphasizes the unity within that church, as one body made up of many parts.  The analogy emphasizes both the need for each part to be connected to the body, and the need for the body to have all its parts both connected and functioning properly in order to be healthy.  Thus the church needs to be unified, a status that is much easier when each part (person) within it feels both welcome and appreciated.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

NO politician will ever be, "like the Second Coming" to claim such is blasphemous

Let me be clear at the outset, this warning pertains to ANY politician or their supporters who have the audacity to make a comparison to Jesus Christ, in particular those who claim themselves to be Christians.  In 1966, John Lennon of The Beatles said, "We're more popular than Jesus" the reaction was predictably massive, but what if someone claimed far more than being more popular than Jesus, that a politician was loved, "like he is the Second Coming of God"?  Conspiracy theorist and radio host Wayne Allyn Root recently said just that, and the politician he was referring to responded with, "Thank you...Wow!"

I’m an evangelist and a Trump voter. But Trump as the ‘second coming of God’ is blasphemous. - Jay Lowder, the Washington Post {A link to an opinion piece from 8/22 that also addresses political issues; take it for what you will, my own voting record and political preferences are not discussed here, nor will they be; this is a religious issue, where politics are trampling upon holy ground, and as such it needs to be addressed.}

While it has not been uncommon for political and religious leaders to be labeled The Anti-Christ by their critics (For example: Martin Luther's denouncement of Pope Leo X, or speculation about Napoleon when he was seemingly unstoppable conquering Europe), it is less common for any significant political or religious leaders (discounting small cult leaders like David Koresh with relatively tiny followings) to compare themselves, or be compared by others, to The Chosen One, The Messiah, or The Second Coming.  Why?  Two simple reasons: (1) fear of provoking God's wrath when any flawed human being places himself/herself, or is placed, upon equal footing with the holy and righteous sinless Son of God, (2) and humility.
In the Gospels, some of those who opposed Jesus did so precisely because he made claims such as, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) or "before Abraham was I AM" (John 8:58, the I AM emphasis is mine to reflect how his audience heard the statement, as a claim of equality with the LORD).  How did Jesus overcome this hesitancy?  Through signs, wonders, profound teaching, a spotless life, and most importantly, the vindication of being raised from the dead.
Is there a Biblical example of someone claiming divine status who was unworthy of it?  Actually there are two prominent examples, and it didn't go well for either one.  Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, perhaps the mightiest ruler on earth, but he became full of himself as evidenced by his command that his subjects bow in worship of a golden statue of himself.  Later, the prophet Daniel warned him of his hubris, after which,
Daniel 4:28-33
28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
31 Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
The second example is in the book of Acts where Herod Agrippa I (grandson of Herod the Great) receives praise from sycophants hoping to earn his favor but in his vanity willingly accepts it,
Acts 12:21-23 New International Version (NIV)
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
While it is not our business to expect or pronounce any tragedy as divine judgment (for God alone knows his own mind), it is still a form of idolatry (and therefore beyond the pale) for any Christian to elevate ANY leader beyond the status of a mere servant in the House of the Lord, and it is a gross sin for any self-proclaimed Christian, having come to Christ as a hopeless sinner in need of God's grace and mercy (or at least by claiming to be a Christian, letting people believe you have done so), to allow himself/herself to be held up as any sort of Chosen One, as if God had any need of a 2nd Messiah.
When Christ returns, as he promised to do when he ascended into Heaven, it will not be open to debate, the signs will not be ambiguous, as Jesus himself warned his disciples,
Matthew 24:23-27 New International Version (NIV)
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
On a related topic: How is it that we, as Christians, can be so misguided as to believe that the answer to our nation's problems lie chiefly in the political realm?  Is humanity beset by poor choices or by sinful rebellion against God?  Does our system need to be tweaked to create a moral society, or do we need a complete transformation that only the Spirit can provide by saving the Lost?  Did Christ leave behind a Church to do his will through acts of service, or a kingdom (empire, nation) to accomplish his will through coercion and might?  Do we have a government problem, or a sin problem?  I'm all for better governance, more equitable and just laws, and ethical factors mattering in the decision making process; and I have no doubt we are a long way from what an ideal government would look like, but that panacea is not where our hope lies, it is a mirage that will remain always beyond the horizon.  We, all of us, have a spiritual need that requires a spiritual solution.  We have been given that one solution, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died in our place and offers us salvation by faith.  We have already been given our hope, because he was, and is, the Chosen One, the Messiah, and he will be the Second Coming of God; he and no other, period.  To put anyone else, even by comparison, into that category, is an act of blasphemy.

Sermon Video: Many gifts, one Spirit - 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

As he introduces ten gifts given by the Holy Spirit to benefit the Church, Paul emphasizes that while they may look different, they are all given at the discretion of the Spirit for the same purpose: the common good.  Given this, the Church requires the contributions of numerous people who have received those blessings from God, working together and sharing responsibility, for the sake of the Gospel mission.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video - The Holy Spirit: "Jesus is Lord", 1 Corinthians 12:1-3

By way of introducing the topic that is contained in chapter 12, the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the Church, the Apostle Paul chooses to make clear to the Christians at the Church of Corinth that the Spirit of God only works in/through those who affirm that, "Jesus is Lord."  For the 1st Century Church, this meant that there was no path to God in the Greco-Roman paganism from whence they came, for they worshiped only "mute idols".  For the Church in the world today, this translates to a commitment to the exclusivity of the Gospel, the conviction that to "have life", as John makes explicit in 1 John 5:12, one must first "have the Son".  In practical terms this means that those individuals/churches/denominations/cults which reject that Jesus is the God/Man, the Son of God and Son of Man, have with that rejection also walked away from the Truth of Gospel.  Two primary examples of this failure would be the theology of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, both of whom proclaim a lesser version of Jesus as a created being who is like God, but certainly not "Lord" in the same sense that Paul here proclaims.  At the same time, the emphasis on the Spirit's presence wherever Jesus is proclaimed as Lord reminds us of our need to offer love and fellowship to Christians with whom we disagree upon things less crucial than this, for assuming there is evidence of the Spirit in their midst (i.e. lives transformed showing righteous deeds), God is as much there as he is here among people like us.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

White Supremacy is not a "hoax" (sorry Tucker Carlson)

How many acts of domestic terrorism, how many mass murders, does it take for a problem to be "real"?

"Its actually not a real problem in America...This is a hoax...They're making this up..."  These were the words of political pundit for Fox News, Tucker Carlson, on his show on August 6th, two days after the mass shooting in El Paso that killed 22 people who were targeted because of their race by a young man who subscribed to White Nationalist ideology.  {Fox News host Tucker Carlson says white supremacy is ‘not a real problem in America’}  To give Tucker Carlson the benefit of the doubt (whether his past actions/words deserve it or not), it seems that he was trying to make the case that there are more important/significant problems in America today than white supremacy.  And while terrorism of any kind has never been high on the list of causes of untimely death in America, I don't recall anyone arguing after 9/11 that Islamic jihadist terrorism was not a big deal for America (even with the Muslim population in America below 1%).  It was easy to get on board with fighting against Islamic jihadists, after all, they lived elsewhere and didn't look like us, to combat them was a military issue that didn't require us to look in the mirror and ask hard questions.  {At least not early on, war tends to result in hard moral questions whether we want it to or not}  The reason for Tucker Carlson's assertion that white supremacy is a "hoax" was also clearly expressed, he believes that treating it like an actual problem in America would be bad politically for those he supports.  His decision to downplay the threat of white supremacy was not a moral decision, but a political one.  Also, to say that a problem isn't the "most important" one as a way of dismissing it, is both illogical and an act of moral cowardice.  To those affected by this most recent example of white supremacy which resulted in violence, it does little good to point out that heart disease kills more Americans each year.  Evil is still evil, even if there are greater threats and fears in this world.  {This is the inherent flaw in the argument made by Neil DeGrasse Tyson for which he was roundly criticized: Critics say Neil deGrasse Tyson should ‘stick to astrophysics’ after his tweets about mass shootings  Also, accident are not morally equivalent to purposeful acts.}   And while I could point to other instances of sin that are more prevalent in the American Church (pride, materialism, and sexual immorality certainly outnumber racism by sheer volume), and within American society in general, how does that in any way diminish the fact that racism/white supremacy is by all statistical measure a problem that is currently growing not shrinking?
I will choose to not address the political ramifications of our society treating white supremacy like a real problem (in other words, whether or not Tucker Carlson is correct in his fear of its impact upon the side he wants to win), for my primary concern is NOT politics, but morality.  From that perspective, white racism and its natural final manifestation, white supremacy, has always been a deadly threat to the American Church.  As a nation that has always had a self-avowed Christian majority, and still does, things which are detrimental to the Church are also likely to be detrimental to the United States.  From how the first settlers interacted with the American Indian population, to the arrival of the first African slaves, the American colonies and later United States of America, have always struggled with the pervasive sin of treating people unlike ourselves as an "other" to be disregarded, mistreated, and even exterminated.  That these faults are not unique to any particular race or nation does not make them any less corrosive and dangerous to the people who make up this nation. 
While better healthcare for those suffering with mental illnesses would benefit the nation greatly, that is not the root of racism/white supremacy.  For the vast majority of those suffering from mental illness have never been violent.  Southern slave owners were not mentally ill, they were racists choosing to commit evil acts.  When the Klan was able to organize parades at the beginning of the 20th century attended by a hundred thousand people, it was not an outbreak of mental illness, but immorality.  Nearly all of those who hate others based upon how they look or where they are from do not suffer from a mental illness, they have chosen to embrace evil.  Some of those who lash out in violence might also suffer from a mental illness, but the true danger of this ideology is far more mundane, and far more difficult to treat than an illness.  Hate is rarely a mental illness, it is a darkness in the human heart that requires a spiritual cure.
Hate is real.  Racism is real.  Anti-Semitism is real.  White Supremacy is real.  When pushed to a dark corner, or exiled from the mainstream, they regroup and return again.  Chants of "Never again" cannot stop them, for they thrive in the fallen human heart.  If we are to minimize them, protect the innocent, and even rescue some of those in their thrall, we must first acknowledge how very real they are. 


I have written about the danger of racism in connection with Christianity on a number of occasions:
White Supremacy and White Nationalism are an Abomination to the Church

The Church: The most diverse organization in the history of the world

If you have a problem with Christians who don't look like you

There are no racists at the Cross

Why we can never allow "them" to be singled out

After another mass shooting, what can be said?

Update: This post was originally written in August of 2019 after mass shootings occurred on consecutive days: The El Paso, Texas Walmart shooting that killed 23 people and wounded 22 more, and the Dayton, Ohio shooting that killed 9 and wounded 17 more.  It has been updated, today (10/26/23) while the mass murder in Lewiston, Maine is still at large, having killed 18 last night and wounded at least 30 more.  However, this same lament could have been reposted after Monterey Park, CA (1/21/23, 12 killed), Uvalde, TX (5/24/22, 22 killed), Buffalo, NY (5/14/22, 10 killed), San Jose, CA (5/26/21, 10 killed), or Boulder, CO (5/22/21, 10 killed), that is if we're only listing the massacres where ten or more were murdered here in America since August of 2019.

On many issues, I am a realistic optimist, that is, I believe that things can get better with hard work, support systems, collaboration, prayer, and the grace of God.  However, I don't have any illusions about human nature changing, nor hopes that we can put an end to violence whether we're talking about an individual harming one person or a war ravaging a whole country, and honestly, I don't have any real hope that anything will change for the better on this issue of mass violence in my lifetime.  

Perhaps God will be pour out his grace upon us and help us with the mess that we've created, short of that I can't see how any progress other than that which is local and limited can be made (that level of matters enough to be worthy striving for, we all should at least be willing to work for that).  And so I pray for God to be merciful upon us, not because we deserve it, but because so many of us are crying out for deliverance.  

The original post is below:

It has been about a year and a half since I wrote, "If I say anything about guns", in which I expressed my desire to not allow my views and opinions (no matter how well informed or articulately shared) about the issues of America's culture wars to become a smokescreen that prevents those both within and outside the Church from hearing my voice about the Good News that Jesus Christ died to set them free from their sins.  In the intervening year and a half, the issues of the culture wars have grown more contentious, more polarizing, not less.  {Update 10/26/23: Things have hardly improved on this front since 2019, sadly.} A cursory glance at social media today showed several of those among my FB friends who have decided to post pro-gun memes in the aftermath of the two most recent shootings.  Rather than showing restraint in the face of yet two more examples of how one person with hate in his (I could say, "or her", but statistically this is a "his" problem) heart can murder at a rate of twenty people per minute (or more), there is a significant percentage of people who feel the need to defiantly defend the circumstances which make such rapid lethality possible.  This is not the first time I have seen this response, and not the only issue where the reaction of many is to defend their own position no matter the context.  In this case those posting pro-gun sentiments after a mass shooting are very conservative, after the next tragedy or disaster, it may be those who are very liberal defending a different sacred cow.  Such responses are a human problem, not a conservative or a liberal one.

I was sheltered as a child, I grew up in a rural community that was almost exclusively white, highly conservative on a variety of issues, and mostly Protestant.  And yet, even in that bubble I did not sense the all-pervasive animosity of the deep seated us vs. them mentality that seems today to pervade our culture.  This isn't the America I grew up in.  It is more divided, more partisan, more bitter, more prone to treat those it disagrees with as enemies, and more likely to resort to violence when things aren't to its liking.  A lot of things have contributed to where we are now: The internet, 9/11, 24 hour cable news networks, social media, Citizens United (the Supreme Court case allowing for unlimited political contributions, i.e super-PACs), gerrymandering (making politicians in the middle vulnerable, as the only serious challenge is from the more extreme wing of either party during the primary stage), just to name a few. 
Perhaps we are not too far along this path as individuals, and as a culture, to want to turn back.  Perhaps we can seek solutions rather than simply demonizing those with whom we disagree, perhaps reconciliation and healing can overcome hatred and violence.  I, for one, am doing what I can to help and trying to not be the person who makes things worse.  Trying to mold and shape the congregation I have been entrusted with, and perhaps my community as well, with the Love of Jesus Christ, one day, one person, at a time.  This is the slow and steady path that will be mocked by partisan zealots on both sides, it will encounter jeers of "cowardice" from those who would rather burn the village than let the enemy have it.  So be it, I answer to a higher authority than peer pressure.
Perfect solutions do not exist, they all have flaws, but the direction we are traveling in as a culture and a nation is not sustainable.  Either things will continue to devolve further and further into factionalism and hatreds, or we will find a way to live in peace, even if we are not in harmony.  To continue to do nothing about mass acts of violence (primarily from those wielding guns) has been morally unacceptable since at least Columbine, this issue, along with a host of other pressing concerns, requires true moral leadership with the courage to seek solutions (or at least attempted solutions) that, while imperfect, at least have a chance at making things better.  Where that courage will come from, I do not know, for we have seen precious little of it in the last two decades, and it is getting more rare by the day.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

{Update 10/26/23: Rereading this post actually hurt my heart, it was written before the bitterness of the 2020 election and the Covid pandemic, before the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent aborted reckoning with racism in America.  Four years later it is very hard to find more optimism than I had in 2019, with war raging in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza, there are reasons to have less.  And yet, God is good, the triumph of evil is always temporary, it is always darkest before the dawn.  Perhaps my daughter's generation will have had enough of our folly, perhaps they will learn from our generation's mistakes.}

Sermon Video: Self-Examination - 1 Corinthians 11:27-34

At the end of his instructions for the church at Corinth regarding the Lord's Supper, Paul warns them of the danger of participating in an "unworthy manner" which would result in a believer committing a sin "against the body and blood of the Lord."  Paul's warning remains for us today, we need to approach God (specifically regarding communion, but in all areas of worship as well) in a way which respects the holiness of God.  As such, it is incumbent upon as, as those redeemed by the Lamb, that we practice self-examination, seeking to eliminate sin in our hearts and minds.  What is the alternative to self-judgment?  God's judgment.  As our Heavenly Father, God will correct his children, disciplining them to prevent their own self-destruction, therefore it is both wise and respectful of God's grace toward us when we practice self-examination, admit our faults before God, and repent of our sins.

To watch the video, click on the link below: