Religious Essays – It seems to me . . .

Reflections Upon Reaching My 75th Birthday

Reflections on My 75th Birthday

Bob Beanblossom

18 August 2022

I’m getting older. To be honest, I am old. After all, I passed the biblical three score and 10-year mark five years ago (Psalm 90:10). This birthday marks my official post-womb passage across the ¾-century mark. I have other milestones: graduation, marriage, the birth of my children. My initial crossing of the Equator was at 0 degrees latitude and longitude, and I’ve crossed the International Date line several times. This is different. This passage has real consequences. The Psalmist, too, reflected: “I have been young, and now I am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). I have to agree with him on both counts.

One of the signs of my age is that memories of the Good Old Days are often more vivid than the Here and Now. Another is that I seem to have more doctors than friends. Like winning the lottery, good insurance attracts those who are concerned about by well-paying well-being.

Memories of the Good Old Days are sketchy and imprecise if not long gone, but my lifestyle reflects the passage of time clearly. I don’t get up as early or stay up as long as I once did. I work less, and rest more. My sight is dim, my hearing dull. My sense of smell left me about the same time that my hair did. My cane is not essential, but is a great comfort: it too is old and gnarly, but serviceable. My head is as hard as ever but, unencumbered by useless hair, displays my battle scars vividly.

I have had experiences that younger generations can’t comprehend. The words and phrases remain, but their original meanings, founded in function, have long since passed on. For instance, I have dialed a telephone, shared our party line, made dime phone calls from a pay phone, and used the services of an Operator to place long distance calls: all with phones “hard-wired” to the wall. “Portable” was an extra-long cord. I paid 23 cents a gallon for gasoline so that I could drive my stick shift car that “cranked” with a floor-mounted starter switch, enjoying “air-conditioning” adjusted by manually rolling the windows up and down as I listened to the AM radio, all while sitting close to my date on the bench seat. Later, I thought bucket seats were cool until I realized that the separation of occupants was a hinderance to romance. I watched cowboys and Indians and “The Wonderful World of Disney” on our 12-inch black and white TV, but (this is personal, not generational) never watched a World Series or Super Bowl game. I remember all three network TV stations concluding their broadcast day every night while playing the National Anthem and displaying a billowing Old Glory. Patriotism in those days was a virtue. I pledged allegiance to America and prayed to almighty God as part of opening activities in elementary school. Mrs. Ben, a volunteer, was welcomed into our classes weekly to give us Bible lessons.

I’ve been ignored by many and abused by a few: no big deal. It all works out. It’s usually not personal, for this world is not about me. Paul said it well: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). I am an unworthy benefactor of God’s grace, receiving abundantly what He considers good for me, not what I want. That, in itself, has been a blessing.

I am a person person, not a people person. The individual is real, someone with whom I can interact—the crowd is not. I’ve never been part of the “In” crowd. I grew up in semi-isolation as an only child on a farm. I’ve lived semi-isolated and will die in that mode. Those roots are deep and, for me, comfortable.

I am a member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club. I spent most of my naval duty in the waters offshore or the air above, but I have stood on the soil of Vietnam: eaten there, slept there, been a random target there—again, nothing personal, just a pawn in a game played by elite power structures. I have seen death in all three. I survived. Many did not. The relentless “Why” has made survival uncomfortable at times. My wife does not understand the nightmares. Maybe she won’t read this. She is a Vietnam vet, too, though in a different sense. She went through our first pregnancy without me; our first son was 13 days old before I knew he had been born. He was three months old before I met him, coming off a 747 carried by his proud mama. I was fortunate: too many vets down through the years never met their children. Instead, they got Taps while their families got a meticulously folded flag.

The joy of my life is my family, though experienced rather vicariously these days: Our children are grown and busy with their own families. My wife continues to stick with me after 53 years, to her credit and my amazement.

The great blessing of my life is that, without any doubt or merit on my part, I know Jesus as my personal Savior. Because of that, I proclaim a message that the world fervently and aggressively rejects: All of us have sinned, falling short of God’s standards, but Jesus provides the correction for each person who accepts His saving grace (Romans 3:23). This is clearly revealed in God’s inspired, inerrant, complete Word, the Bible (John 1:12; 3:16-17). My voice—His message—has been marginalized, cut off, and shut down, but never silenced. The latter, of course, is the Lords’ doing, not mine. I’m expendable, but He is invincible (Mark 10:27). I’ve always tried to be competent and content as I serve others, but found that this often brought on confusion and distrust. I’ve encouraged folks to think for themselves using empirical evidence and logic rather than feelings. For that, many call me subversive.

But all in all, I’m still a voice to be heard, and a force to be reckoned with:

Ever so gently.

ABORTION After Roe vs. Wade

Personal Liberty vs. Personal Responsibility

By Bob Beanblossom

4 August 2022

The Supreme Court revisited abortion as a federally guaranteed right in Dobbs vs. Jackson and, on 28 June 2022, announced that the question of abortion must be settled as a state’s rights issue: the “right” is simply not found in the U.S. Constitution as the Court had declared in Roe. The decision is simple based on Constitutional law, but complex both in social implications and in the sorting out what will be an ongoing panoply of statehouse debate and lawmaking over the next several years. Anticipating the various state solutions, President Biden has donned his lawmaking hat and issued an executive order that the Fed will pay for travel for any mother who intends to abort her baby from a non-abortion state to an abortion state. Since the President does not have the constitutional authority to enact legislation or appropriate funds, this should also be interesting.

Abortion rights were not settled by the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe as some folks thought. In fact, the question of abortion as a legal means to terminate the life of an unborn American citizen was not considered. The decision simply returned consideration of the legal question to the States where it belonged on Constitutional grounds. This has nothing to do with the moral question that should dominate the discussion but does not. Moral values, simply stated, should outweigh acts of physical pleasure by actions designed to produce human children. The ability to engage in an act that produces children does not suggest a right to destroy the children produced by those indiscriminate acts. Responsibility should come into play here.

The words and phrases used to describe abortion are always interesting. "Abortion rights," "the right to decide what happens to the (mother's) body," "mother's right to choose," etc. The author of a recent AOL article cited "reproductive rights."

Increasingly, these words and phrases are acknowledging the obvious: abortion is the killing of an unborn baby, the product of (statistically) a willful and intentional act by the mother and father that is known and physiologically intended to produce a human offspring. There is no other outcome than a human baby, no matter what words or phrases are used to obscure that fact.

This makes abortion a bit different from an appendectomy. The courts acknowledge this when an expectant mother is murdered by charging the killer with an additional count of homicide when the unborn baby is also killed. This dichotomy is not rational: either it is a living human baby, or it isn't. Holding that the baby in the womb is incapable of sustaining itself as grounds for in-womb murder is incredulous--neither can that same baby sustain itself for the first few years of its life, but this is not grounds for killing it.

Where was this same outcry by abortion-rights advocates when the government mandated COVID shots--what became of the right to choose? Yet another inconsistency. And, since it takes a male (a real one) and a female (a real one) to produce a human offspring by natural means in the womb, what about the rights of the father--the unborn child carries his DNA, too? So many contradictions.

Well, the court did good this time. As President Biden’s job is not to legislate or appropriate funds, the Court’s job is not to decide issues based on popular opinion. The "right" for a mother to kill her unborn child rather than carry it to term, give birth, and raise and nurture that product of her recreational activity is not found in the US Constitution and should be considered with any subsequent legislation enacted on the state level. As for the moral discussion--that does not seem to interest the pleasure at any expense crowd. But then, neither does the Constitutional basis of Supreme Court decisions.

Christians and Their Holidays

By Bob Beanblossom

12 December 2021

For many years now, I’ve heard well-meaning Christian folks explain that they don’t celebrate Christian holidays on certain days because there are, or had been, pagan celebrations on those days.

It seems to me that this is not only a bit short-sighted, but an affront to God. It doesn’t take much research to discover that every day of the year has been used by sinful man to celebrate his sinful behavior. After all, we live in a fallen world, both as revealed by Scripture and by casual observation. But rather than hiding, we are to shine His light in this sinful world that He came to save:

Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Instead of glorifying God by openly celebrating Him, these folks bow to the god of the world and hide their heads in the sand, rejecting an opportunity to shine the light of the Gospel to the world as commanded by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). Rather than showing love for God, they join the world in rejecting the Great Commandment to proclaim Him to the world (Matthew 22:36-39) as they allow the world to rule rather than God, and as they fail to show love for their brothers and sisters by spreading the Gospel message that Jesus Saves.

Let’s take the opportunity presented by this Christmas (NOT Xmas or even a happy holiday) to obey Christ’s commandment to bring His light to the world in spite of growing anti-God social pressure. If we believe that He is “THE way, THE truth, and THE life,” and that “no man cometh unto the Father” except through belief in Him (John 14:6, emphasis mine) then we need to say so without hesitation. Remember Christian: we don’t witness in our own strength, but through Him and the power He gives us through the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle John wrote: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. . . . Who is He that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 4:4; 5:5).

It’s MY body! Or is it?

Bob Beanblossom

9 September 2021

The popular argument for legalized abortion is that a woman has an inherent right to exercise control over her own body. This seems legitimate on the surface. It falls apart, though, when it is used to argue that a mother right to choose to kill her unborn child is no different than her choice to have cosmetic surgery.

It seems to me that this argument has at least one fatal flaw: the unborn child is developing in its mother’s body, but is not part of it. Science has gotten beyond the “lump of flesh” theory to acknowledge what non-scientists have known since Creation: From the moment of conception, the fetus is an unborn human baby. Rather than an aberrant piece of tissue, it is a complete developing human being, individual and with a unique personality. Every unborn boy and girl is a developing body containing all of the organs and appendages of all human beings. More importantly, this unborn infant has a mind. As every mother will attest, this child-under-construction moves and acts independently, turning, kicking, and responding to stimuli. Every unborn child is a human being from conception. That it changes significantly from conception to birth does not make it non-human—we all continue to change considerably from birth to death.

To argue that this squirming, wiggling boy or girl only becomes human at some magical point during its nine-month sojourn in its mother’s womb only shows the desperation of the abortion-rights position. Every baby conceived by the procreative acts of human parents—intentionally or unintentionally--results in a human child that will soon squeeze its way through the mother’s birth canal kicking and screaming to join the rest of us in the “outside” world.

Going back to the original argument, it is often overlooked in today’s society that “rights” always come with responsibilities. Pregnancy is not the result of a virus or other random medical problem. It is the result of a male and female engaging in the procreative act. It is the result of a choice followed by a distinctive action. Since this is most often consensual, it is the first point at which pregnancy can effectively prevented—abstinence works 100% of the time. To simplify—if a potential mother does not want children, do not engage in the single natural activity that produces children.

I will discount rape victims in this discussion since fewer than 1% of all abortions take place because there has been a rape. Some 85% of rape victims choose life for their child. This is not to minimize the serious nature of rape and its impact on the victim, only to show that concern about unwanted children as the result of rapes is highly overstated—a smokescreen. For the younger reader, rape was at one time considered to be the same level of crime as murder, and punished as such. We should return to that standard.

That the mother “wants” or does not want the child of her intentional procreative act is immaterial. Since the baby is clearly separate from the mother, keeping her child is responsible and honorable while killing her own offspring is murder. If the pleasure of the procreative act overrides responsible behavior, one would think that preventive measures would be better than mothers murdering their own children. The first thing that comes to mind is to realize the since Creation the procreative act is designed to produce children, and it often does. For those addicted to this particular type of recreation, preventive surgery might be a viable alternative to murder. Since this is not about abstinence or contraceptive methods, I’ll leave this line of thought for others to pursue. When irresponsible recreation results in pregnancy, choosing to carry the baby to birth and releasing her or him for adoption is a viable alternative. Actions have consequences, and the procreative act as recreation is no exception. At any rate, abstinence, effective contraception, or adoption are far better choices than murdering your child.

If this seems a bit harsh, I suggest that you engage your favorite search engine to learn what abortion means in real terms to your unborn child. Don’t be bashful. Dig into the data to see what happens to the child during the procedure. One should be informed about the subjects that one strongly supports.

Women certainly have the right and the responsibility to enjoy and maintain their bodies just the same as men do. Here, however, an additional person is involved, one who has no voice in exercising the rights and responsibilities that his parents do. Here, the child’s mother has been entrusted to responsibly exercise those rights on behalf of the child of her act of procreation. Until birth, she is the only voice that her child has. Please exercise that responsibility wisely. It is the Christian thing to do. It is the moral thing to do. Even rejecting those, it is the normal and reasonable act of a mother. It is what your mother did.

COVID: The “Bug” That Divided America

COVID—The “Bug” That Divided America

By Bob Beanblossom

18 August 2021

It seems to me that our response to the COVID pandemic has some very striking similarities to both gun control and abortion issues. All three issues divide along “rights” versus responsibility.

Let me start at the bottom and work my way up.

Abortion (the intentional killing of unborn humans) is seen as fundamentally wrong by those who hold biblically responsible worldviews (and others), while “pro-choice” advocates object that any prohibition of abortions is a violation of the mother’s right to have unfettered use and choice of care for her own body.

Gun control advocates rightfully cite the Second Amendment as the foundation of their fight for law-abiding citizens to own and operate firearms responsibly. Anti-gunners want most if not all firearms banned from private ownership and, today, even prohibited from use by law enforcement officers in the normal pursuit of their jobs. Their argument is based on the tremendous loss of life every day across America from gun violence.

COVID is the same in principle. Those who oppose mandatory vaccinations and mask use base their opposition on the overstepping of governments by federal and state constitutional authority. Those promoting the use of vaccines and masks cite the ongoing, and even rising rate of infection and broadening of deaths to ever-widening groups, now including young people, in spite of attempts to stall its ever-morphing spread.

Before I get back to the COVID issue, let’s examine the other two in a bit more detail. I’m afraid I am about to offend most everybody since I will try to present an objective picture of both sides of each argument. It will necessarily be painted with broad strokes.

Abortion: I hope that it is a point of agreement that sex exists as an incentive to pro-create. Whether you find the Bible authoritative or are an evolutionist who looks only to science, even the birds and the bees support this proposition. Often ignored in this discussion is abstinence—avoiding an act that is intended to produce offspring. Today, however, included in the various and always increasing “freedoms” and personal “rights,” pleasure takes precedence over responsible behavior. Thus, unwanted and unplanned offspring are often the result. The choice seems to be twofold, but a third alternative exists: 1. Be responsible, give birth, and raise the child; 2. Have an abortion to remove all evidence (except that lingering emotional damage) of the irresponsible act of sex-as-recreation since it is not a child, but a fetus or something; or, and this is the often forgotten alternative, 3. Bring the child to birth and offer him (or her) to the adoption system.

The anti-abortionist correctly points out that science has proven (surprise!) that the fetus is wholly human from conception. Since has never found a human fetus develop into something other than a human baby, and the human baby into a human adult. Thus, it cannot be argued that to kill the infant-in-situ is not killing a human being since it is no less human in or out of the womb.

The argument today is largely based upon “rights,” with pro-abortion advocates advocating individual recreational rights, no matter what the outcome, and the anti-abortionists citing the human and Constitutional rights of the unborn child to pursue “life, liberty, and happiness.” This argument makes the Revolutionary cry of “taxation without representation” pale in terms of human rights.

It seems to me that the sensible solution is to avoid the activity that produces the unwanted result, or at least using methods that have a high likelihood of preventing conception. None, of course, totally foil the mission of the components to procreate.

Gun Control: This one is interesting since the tables are turned. The pro-gun folks argue from the Constitutional position of the Second Amendment that guarantees that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I will not argue the militia phrase since it has no bearing here. The anti-gun crowd argues the right to life of American citizens, as the federal government is mandated to protect the “general welfare” of all of its citizens. The solution is to totally prohibit private ownership of guns and remove all existing firearms from the owners. Gun advocates then point out that most gun crime is just that: crime. Criminals who, by definition, do not obey existing laws, will not relinquish their guns to anyone for any reason.

It seems to me that the anti-gun proposal to remove guns from law-abiding citizens is short-sighted and un-Constitutional. It is reasonable to expect, based upon history, that criminals are not going to give up the tools of their trade, and law-abiding citizens are not going to give up their weapons used for personal protection and recreation with no harm to others. The stand-off reminds me of the fiasco of Prohibition where the criminals profited and the citizens became criminals. But—and this is important—I do believe that responsible gun owners and the organizations are abdicating their responsibility as experts in this field to help formulate and implement reasonable laws and actions to remove as many guns as possible from criminal hands. Gun owners should be part of the solution, not part of the problem. The question needs to move from “rights” to “right,” that is, not simply the constitutional issue, but the saving of human life.

COVID: Again, this issue has become one of “rights” versus “right.” Both sides must recognize that in the last year governments (federal, state, and local) have grossly overstepped their constitutional mandates of limited government in the name of public safety. Individuals and businesses have been impacted as government acted with “informed” impunity to control nature. Again, we should recognize that these efforts have largely failed to curb the spread of the disease in all of its constantly changing forms (yes, there will be more variants).

Yesterday, some folks were picketing the local board of education of office in protest of another mandate to wear masks in school. This whole issue was summed up in one woman who carried her picket sign protesting masks in school—while wearing a mask!

Disregarding the vacillating ineptitude of federal medical “experts,” the anti- group’s problem is focused is focused upon what certainly appears to be an overstepping of constitutional power by the federal, state, and local governments. The helter-skelter applications of mandates and the uneven enforcement of unenforceable regulations have had effects that should have been anticipated (and were?). The devastating effect of the loss of income by individuals and businesses should not have been a surprise to government officials, but they seem to be. An example is the rent moratoriums that give some relief to renters but are devastating to landlords forced to suffer loss of income with no support from the governments that mandated the moratoriums. But this isn’t about the big picture, but about We the People and our response to the threat of the disease.

It Seems to Me that the dispute revolves around those who oppose big government overstepping its constitutional limits and those who assume that the government has some measure of expertise in this area, therefore accept some measure of expanded control, to stop the threat.

To solve this problem, these must be considered as two separate issues. First should be our concern for the health of our friends and family. Generally acceptable data backed up by anecdotal evidence from friends and family who have had the disease, and from those we might know in the medical profession, clearly shows that the threat is real. Ask someone who has had a serious case of COVID. Ask someone in the medical profession. People are getting sick, some are dying, many are having well documented prolonged symptoms after recovery. There is no end in sight. The obvious fact is that as COVID cases increase, so do COVID deaths. The statistical rate is low. But that is primarily of concern to those charged with tracking and mitigating the disease. Statistically, few people are killed crossing a busy interstate highway (probably because few people try), but that figure is not going to encourage me to test the odds. If one is concerned with killing innocent pre-born babies in the womb, one should be as concerned about preventing illness and death among the living.

Health is the first problem to solve. Ignoring the constantly changing COVID virus will not remove the risk and results of infection. Mask use and vaccinations are the two big issues. It has rightly been noted that most available masks are not effective in stopping the virus that is about .1 micron in diameter—a size about 1/1000 the size of a human hair. The M95 mask approaches 50% efficiency, blocking particles between .1 and .2 microns. Most others do not even come close. The missing part of the equation is that a majority of these particles are attached to liquid droplets exhaled, a potential threat that many masks properly worn intercept.

The effectiveness and safety of the innovative mRNA vaccines are far beyond my capability to discuss. Some emerging studies suggest an uncertainty of long-term effects. The studies I have read suggest this as an uncertainty, not a problem per current available data. These studies continue and the data will change. What I will suggest is that each of us refer the question to our own physicians rather than some unknown “expert” on the internet—or in the White House or state house.

Political overreach is the second issue. COVID seems to be a springboard for politicians who want to change the home of the free into the home of the ruled and regulated. Many politicians have forgotten that they are elected to serve, not rule. That said, much of the damage can be overcome by government falling back (or being driven back) into the limits established by the Constitution. From that unaccustomed perspective, our representatives should then do their best to provide valid data (on a moving target) and advise appropriate behaviors for specific districts that honest experts, who honestly admit that they do not know everything, suggest. To clarify, the uphill road to reestablishing citizen trust in government can only begin when its practitioners operate within the confines of Constitutional law and recommend rather than mandate.

CONCLUSION: American constitutional government is in deep trouble, perhaps as deep as those years leading up to the Civil War. Issues that are already hot buttons are being exploited by politicians of all labels and by the media to further their personal agendas—and line their pockets. But it is time to step back and evaluate the whole problem—including our personal response to the disease and the Constitutional issue.

Divisiveness and greed never produce healing and growth, but always lead to failure. History (for those who study the real thing) clearly shows this from the earliest of times until the present. Neither does the supposed benevolence of a socialist government that ultimately leads to a two-class system: the ruling class and the ruled. Not many Americans would like to live in North Korea, China, or other socialist/communist-controlled countries. The recent example of Ashraf Ghani, who swiftly abdicated his presidency and abandoned his people in Afghanistan as the Taliban approached his capital, is informative also. It will be hard for many Afghans to forget being left without defense as their president bailed out with a helicopter full of their cash. For those who find comfort in a “benevolent” government, look at the fiasco created by our own government in Afghanistan where, because of inept planning and implementation of an event 20 years in the making, American citizens are stranded in actively held enemy territory because, President Biden says, he is concerned about escorting them to safety through Taliban check points. Though the scenario is different, the results are the same: government failed its constituents, leaving them in life threatening situations.

The political solution can only be realized when Americans decide that America is more important than their personal opinion, and that the rights of the people were established in the balance of the over-all effect on all of the people. While I hope it is beginning to be a “given” that our politicians and news media must be held to moral and constitutional standards, this will mean nothing if each of us fail to hold ourselves to the same standards. I have no Constitutional right to try to forbid anyone from engaging in recreational sex. But I do have a right and moral mandate to protect unborn children. As a gun owner, I support efforts to maintain the integrity of the Second Amendment. I also am responsible to help stop the loss of life by gun violence. I expect—I demand—that our elected officials act within moral and Constitutional limits as they exercise the mandates of the constituents in their districts. As a husband, parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent, I strongly desire the health of my wife and offspring. It is incumbent upon me to help them work their way through the differences between outrage at illegal government control, and the reality of the devastation being produced by COVID and other threats to their health and well-being.

There is no easy answer. There never is when people are involved. But the solutions begin when we cast aside self-righteous opinion that divides and become the focal point of cooperative efforts to identify the real problems and the guts to offer creative solutions—and to admit that some proposals will simply not work—even our own.

The Christian Layman’s Call to Service

It Seems to Me:

The Christian Layman’s Call to Service

By Bob Beanblossom

22 June 2021

I grew up in a church that strongly supported world missions. In those days, the ladies of the church would meet to “roll bandages” from torn strips of cotton sheets for our missionaries where medical supplies were in short supply. This simple recurring act of service gave substance and relevance to missions for a young boy.

I understood the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to be a call to foreign service for a few missionaries and a call for support from the home-front for the rest of us. Today I have a far different, and I trust, more accurate understanding of what that mandate actually means.

Mark also recorded the familiar words of our risen Savior: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Somehow, I didn’t connect Acts 1:8 with Christ’s Commission: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

As I learned that the Scripture is a whole, not just a collection of “key verses,” and “proof texts,” my understanding of His complete message improved. I learned that I am among the “ye” called to serve as certainly as any missionary sent by a local church to some far-away land. My field—my Jerusalem--begins where I am standing and extends to my family, friends, and casual contacts. My mission field is where I am.

The call to be a layman in the service of his Savior is not a lesser call than to the ministry, but a different one that encompasses the majority of Christians. In the context of our local churches, we hold the solution to the problems of the world in the pages of our Bibles, and we are commanded to share that Good News with our world, beginning with our own homes and extending to every reach of our personal worlds.

Uncertainty

By Bob Beanblossom

11 January 2021

It is an understatement to say that we in the United States are living in a time of uncertainty. Liberals are proclaiming the Great Reset that will usher in a new American utopia as conservatives lament the end of our constitutional democratic republic. Unlike many politicians, news commentators, entertainers and sports figures, and run of the mill social media experts, I don’t have access to the future. For me, it remains the future. I could worry about it and complain about the things that will be and place blame on folks I don’t know, but I don’t think that is what Jesus wants His followers to do.

It seems to me that Jesus’ message was clear: He is not only in control of the world and its events, but He cares about you and me as individuals:

²⁶Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? ²⁷Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ²⁸And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ²⁹And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 6:26-30).

It’s not that we aren’t responsible for supporting ourselves and our families, “¹⁰This we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This in no way contradicts the passage in Matthew 6. Paul is addressing a problem in the ancient church that sounds familiar today: “¹¹ We hear that there some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:11).

Let’s see if I can bring this together for us today.

God is in charge. Period. “²¹ He (God) changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:” (Daniel 2:21).
My assignment is to:
1. ^“1first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; ²For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. ³For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
2. My prayer is not to change policy or procedure, but to see the souls of those leaders brought to Christ: “⁴ Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth” (1 Timothy 2:5)
3. ^“11study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Remember that these admonitions were made to First Century Christians were being persecuted and killed by both Jews and the Roman government.
4. He reinforced this message: ^“8He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:8). Despise here is broadly applied. It means to set aside the will of the leaders, to reject, even to frustrate that will by whatever means may be at hand. Remember, God ordained and established government to provide and preserve order, even though that government may be as corrupt as man himself is. Remember Point 1: God is in charge.

Why would He say that? Why the apparent disregard for the lives of His followers? We are finite and cannot understand the mind of our infinite God. But He has revealed some key concepts.

We are all sinners (Romans 3:23): Christians are but sinners saved by faith through the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (Ephesians 2:8).
This is the most important point: God’s perspective is eternal: “⁴⁶And these (the unsaved) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46).

Each of is bound by time. We each have some 24 hours in every day. God fully expects us to engage in those activities necessary to sustain ourselves and our families: “17 God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work” (Ecclesiastes 3:17). But overindulging any one of those things takes limited time away from our mandate to engage our world as we present the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20). Our finite activities that interrupt our witness carries the potential of a lost soul missing the chance to be saved.

This is not a popular position in the nation of strong opinions and self-reliant (we think) lifestyles. Think of it this way: history clearly shows that governments and their rulers come and go, but sin and hell are eternal. The solution for sin is not to be found in government but in Christ alone. As Scripture shows, we are to be good husbands and wives, parents, and citizens in our communities, remembering always that our permanent citizenship is heavenly, and our vocation is service to Him (Ephesians 4) in love according to the grace that He gives each of His followers. I suggest you take the time to read Ephesians 4 on a regular basis. It doesn’t take long, but the impact it has on your life may surprise you.

The remedy for the unrest we feel is Christ alone; the solution for our crumbling Nation is Christ alone. It was not reasonable for Caligula or Nero to rule as a Christian would; it is no more reasonable to expect our elected and appointed leaders who are not Christians to do so. This is certainly not to suggest that your witness and mine will solve all the problems we face. Remember what Jesus said:

“³²Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. ³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33).

The First Century persecution that the church faced caused the scattering of its members as well as many other hardships and even death. From that, the church grew throughout the western world. He always had a purpose for allowing the enemies of Israel to overthrow them and take them into bondage. We should not be dishonest enough to call America a Christian nation, but we should recognize the unparalleled opportunities God has given us since the founding of our country to spread the Gospel. The challenge now is to recognize those opportunities as having eternal consequences against the temporary benefits of political and social “solutions.”

“⁷If My people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

This is, of course, a promise to Israel, but with application for us in the United States today. The promise is preceded by four conditions in the “if” statement. All four are required before the promise can be granted. The promise is three-fold: First is approval from heaven; second is the forgiveness of sin; and the last is to heal the land.

Do you really want the peace that comes from a constitutional democratic republic operated by responsible Christians? Do you care enough to humble yourself, pray, seek God’s face (His will), and turn from your wicked ways? This applies to each American individually. I include myself in this question. Time will tell. History shows clearly that God’s patience has limits.

A parting thought from God:

“¹ I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. ²I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; ³A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;” (Isaiah 65:1-3).

Creation vs. Evolution

By Bob Beanblossom

11 January 2021

This PowerPoint presentation is a companion to my thesis: “The Beginning: The Result of Chance or the Gift of God?” Other shorter essays on this subject can be found in several essays on this website at “Creation and Evolution.”

The PowerPoint contains nine lessons in one file of about 45.5 MB that can be downloaded to your device for viewing or presentation. Although it is reasonably self-explanatory, additional helpful information can be found in the essay “The Beginning: The Result of Chance or the Gift of God?”

Click HERE to download the PowerPoint. I am happy to answer any questions or correct technical errors that you can document or provide a path to documentation for me. You can find me on Facebook or email me at dinkydao@aol.com.

From the Cradle to the Cross

By Bob Beanblossom

28 December 2020

Christmas is over. The frantic energy of preparation has given way to the less enjoyable chore of cleaning up, packing up, and returning our lives to normal. Perhaps now is the time to reassess what “normal” should look like since we currently live in a world of fear that seems to be controlled by a virus 1/30^th to 1/400^th the diameter of a human hair—or by those who have the definitive “answers” to help us survive the pandemic that has disrupted families, closed churches, and business, all while drastically expanding the practical powers of government over all aspects of our lives.

The traditional assault on public expression of Christmas as a religious institution in general, often targeting highly visible nativity scenes, was expanded this year as the Corona virus became a vehicle to keep media and entertainment figures in the limelight, sports profitable, and extend the control of government. Constitutional protections have been thrown to the wind as executives, legislators, and courts exercised powers not enumerated in overt anti-God mandates, taking advantage of opportunities that attacks on single nativity scenes did not afford. Corona became the vehicle to control the church with inequitable prohibitions against worship always given as measures to “protect” the constituency from the dreaded disease were imposed even as the various elites disregarded their own mandates. Interestingly, the attack also shifted from private humanist organizations to overt actions by their often-silent ultra-wealthy sponsors who strongly influenced government actions. All, of course, had become instant “experts” on the disease and the best plan to counter its spread. On the family level, it remains to be seen whether old family-oriented traditions have been merely disrupted or the seeds of un-family practices initiated. We have yet to have the new normal defined for us, but preliminary glimpses reflect former President Obama’s promise to “fundamentally change” America. It is interesting that Karl Marx said, “My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.” As I write this, additional mandates are being promised to close small businesses and continue church closures while discouraging or prohibiting family gatherings. All the while government is promising free money to take care of the poor struggling masses.

Back to Christmas. The nativity scene is an endearing part of Christmas for many. It is a visual reminder of Jesus’ birth and a summary of that story: His birth into a humble family; angels leading local shepherds to worship the newborn King. Then came wise men from far away, following a great star, bringing gifts of great value for the King of the Jews, a young child by that time, and departing quietly in direct disobedience to the Roman king. The timeline is compressed and the details are somewhat popularized, but the gist is there. Many of our children can tell us that the baby in the manger is Jesus who loves us. But there is a missing element: Why is this baby different from all others? Why did God’s messengers, the angels, announce the birth to local shepherds and exotic foreigners? A significant clue can be found in many of the paintings of the nativity scene: the Christmas star radiates its guiding light ringed by the shape of a cross. This cross is the Why that God the Son came to live and die among man. The cross leads mankind to the answers of life’s ultimate questions: why do I exist; why is there evil in the world. The cross illuminates the answers that have puzzled the wise men of all ages who looked for those answers within themselves rather than to the Person who died on that bloody instrument of torture and death. Life is not controlled by governments, or a pandemic, but by personal choices. For the Christian, choices are determined by a relationship with this Jesus Christ who is a personal Savior (Luke 19:10) who informs through His Word, the Bible (John 17:17),and comforts through the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). For those who have not yet accepted Him as their Savior, the message of the cradle, the cross, and the resurrection are hidden: “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3). But it doesn’t have to remain hidden, for at some level, every man, woman, and child is aware of Him (John 1:9).

Christmas is over and the cross looms large: In God’s plan it is the next big event with eternal consequences for mankind following a brief interlude as God incarnate walks among men, one in which He was not recognized but by a few (John 1:10-14). The angel told the shepherds: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” What was that Good News? What could possibly be so important that the heralds of heaven came to earth to make the announcement? It was this: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (see Luke 2:8-11). Savior? What do we need to be saved from? Why is that important, or even helpful? The answer is simple, but intensely and personally offensive, for the Scripture (see Romans 3:20-30 for the following discussion) says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (v. 23). It is important to understand here that this is not a pronouncement on society but on individual man: we can read the “all” as “each,” and be spot-on the condemning truth. “It is certainly conceivable,” some might argue, “that others are sinners, for the news is full of violence and greed. But—I am a good person. I take care of my family and work hard: I’m a good citizen.” That may well be true. But it misses the point. God gave Moses the Law in the wilderness to be a guide for the Israelites, to point out the vast wall between the righteousness of God and man’s best behavior. Our failure—yours and mine—is characterized by the first and last commandments: rejection of God as Sovereign, without peer or even contender (Exodus 20:23); and greed (Exodus 20:17). The Word, in this same passage acknowledges the inability of man—you and me—to meet God’s standards on our own: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (v. 20). Let’s not argue with that. It doesn’t take much reflection to realize that we are not righteous in the sense that God demands. My actions and thoughts are often less than desirable, even by my own standards. Paul, the great evangelist, wrote about this problem in his own life: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Romans 7:19). Paul was a Christian, an Apostle, writer of several books of the New Testament. And he still had problems with sin. Was he a misfit, a failure? No. He was a man. And, even with his ongoing fight against sin, he—like you and me—was one of the “whosoever” that God loves (John 3:16).

Paul had an essential resource that he shared with the Roman Christians. He said: “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets” (v. 21). Let’s unwrap that a bit. Applied to you and me today, Paul said that the law set the standard of behavior and attitude that God expects, but man could not reach that standard on his own. God’s righteousness is outside of, beyond, the Law. Therefore, when Jesus came and became the sacrifice for our sins, the law was set aside for something better and more effective. He continues, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon them that believe; for there is not difference” (v. 22). The solution, the new way that Jesus brought to you and me by His death and resurrection on that bloody cross, is the gift of God’s righteousness to each man and woman, boy and girl, who choose to believe upon Him, to accept Him, as their personal Savior: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 24). What is God’s grace that it can do what the law couldn’t? It is the unlimited love that God has for you and me. Love big enough to allow His only Son to become man and suffer the agony of death on the cross that we might live. Living in this sense means coming back into a relationship with our Creator that Adam and Eve gave up when they chose to disobey their Creator. Paul explains, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare righteousness for the remission for sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (v. 25). Jesus is our propitiation, our stand-in who alone gains each believer forgiveness of sin and a personal relationship with God. This redemption is obtained by faith in Jesus and His sacrifice on the always-present cross, by which God declares us righteous by His standard when seen through the blood sacrifice of His Son, all through His forbearance, or grace.

Here is an essential part of Paul’s explanation: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (v. 28). He brought this same thought to the Christians at Ephesus: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). As Jesus replaced the Law with His own sacrifice, He showed us that there is nothing that man can do to satisfy the requirements of God’s righteousness: hard work, good deeds, charity: all are completely inadequate to make man presentable to God. However, the Good News of the Gospel is that “by grace are you saved.” This is achieved by the faith we looked at above. The faith of Jesus Christ (v. 22) that God would honor His sacrifice was proven as Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus’ death on the cross was accepted by God as the only act possible to achieve the propitiation for our sins. The formula is simple: By the grace of God we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ; it is the gift of God, not the result of anything that we can possibly do except accept His offer of eternal life. It is also unique: there is no other path to salvation. This is contrary to the predominant worldview that says that all paths lead to God. The problem is that this is only what man says. God says that worship is reserved for Him alone, not for our pet causes, hobbies, political and social activism, sports figures, or anything else. Worship in this case is anything that places that object above the time and energy we spend in our relationship with Him: “”For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).

Some may point out that Jesus was a Jew, and many of us are Gentiles, that is, not Jewish, or that for some other reason God’s offer of salvation by through faith through God’s grace is limited somehow. Paul addressed that issue, too: “Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith” (vs. 29-30). There is but one God, Paul says, who justifies both Jew (circumcision) and Gentile (uncircumcision) through faith by His grace. John quotes Jesus’ answer to a Pharisee named Nicodemus: “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:15-16).

If you have never accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, now is a good time. There will be no better time. Just open your heart to Him, acknowledge that you are a sinner unable to save yourself, and ask Him to forgive you and come into your heart and soul. Jesus said numerous times to those who by faith accepted His healing power: “thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matthew 9:22; 15:28; Mark 5:34; 10:52; Luke 8:48; 17:19). Your exercise of that same faith is no different, for He does hear and answer the prayer of a sinner seeking salvation. The next step is to diligently read your Bible to learn what He says, not what others say He says (2 Timothy 2:15), and to join yourself with a Bible-preaching local church: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

The biblical advice is not much different for the discouraged or struggling Christian. Remember that even as Christians, we are still indwelt with our old sin nature that won’t be removed until we join Jesus in heaven. But we are promised, “But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:22). The next step is to intentionally study your Bible, again not relying on what others say the Bible says, but learn from the Book directly. Then, make sure you are involved in a Bible-preaching church as Hebrews 10:25 states.

The cradle was the beginning of the current phase of God’s relationship with man. It is known as the Church Age. Christ’s death on the cross, His resurrection, and the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, at Pentecost (Acts 2) ushered in the Church, itself. Sinlessness, wealth, comfort, and the like are not promised by Jesus, but the trials of life and even persecution cannot break our tie with Christ: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35).

The Sound of Silence: Looking at what the New Testament Doesn’t Say

By Bob Beanblossom

21 December 2020

It seems to me that we live in a society where cooperative effort for a greater good has been replaced by the expectation of instant personal gratification. We demand it. When I want something, I want it now, without delay or hassle. It is my “right.” Others are expected to meet my needs, even at the expense of their own. If the results do not meet my expectations, I will throw a tantrum on social media castigating all who have failed me. Tolerance is lost in the shuffle. This does not seem to be the world heralded by an angel two thousand years ago who said: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.” Or, is it?

The power of Me-ism is clearly seen in the quick and overwhelming success of a popular online company that is not only successfully replacing brick and mortar retail chains but is changing a ponderous consumer package shipping industry into a responsive customer-oriented system that guarantees rapid delivery of the buyer’s latest whim. This Me-now worldview is encroaching upon many other areas of our lives. The time-proven educational process been degraded from arduous study directed by experts in their field, and by concerted personal effort to prove newly-acquired expertise to demanding instructors, to grabbing a few sound-bites and short-subject videos posted by ho-hum proctors. Reading is limited to concise material artfully presented with lots of pictures and cartoons, but few facts supporting broad recommendations for instant self-improvement and unearned success. Classical knowledge of history, literature, the arts, and religion—the bedrock of stable civilizations—is becoming extinct. Educational institutions equitably pass out unearned rewards to all participants so none will be offended or feel the need to expended effort to prepare for an unsuspected competitive world ahead. This “everybody’s a winner” mindset has consequences. Responsibility and proof of performance are no longer acceptable criteria. Success is measured by solicited “likes” and “followers” rather than by content and effectiveness. Graduates, from high school through graduate school, find themselves unemployable at the level of their expectations even as employers struggle to find competent employees with minimum skill levels and solid work ethics. Social media and polls determine social, political, and religious values and responses of the herd, as the individual conforms to the dogma du jour. Nonconformance is met with various forms of social stigmatism. Freedom from hearing is the devalued version of freedom of speech. Feelings not facts dominate responses. Vocabulary is increasingly limited by new-speak abbreviations and emojis while the meaning of words has become soft and relative. Educational achievement (for student and teacher) is measured by standardized tests that are taught in lieu of foundational knowledge and problem solving.

The spinoff is much further reaching, but that is not the subject of this discourse. Our subject is the relation of this Me-now person with just one book—the Bible.

From its very beginning in the American Colonies, educators used Scripture as a teaching aid. The New England Primer, published originally in 1686 and continuing in print for over 150 years, was used extensively with the Bible throughout colonial America as school texts. Times and practices have changed. The pressure of overscheduled calendars on disjointed families seems to have made both personal and family Bible reading a casualty. A holdover in some churches is the encouragement to read the Bible through annually. It is a worthy goal with beneficial results—when practiced as intended. For many, it has become a task, an unprofitable use of time, rather than a refreshing break from the grind of life. Discussion with these folks often leads to confessions of stress as they attempt to meet their daily reading quota amid the overwhelming pressures of overfilled lives. Instant gratification with minimal self-investment prevails even here. Some readers acknowledge skipping genealogies or other sections, while others find that “speed reading” minimizes their time investment. Neither approach brings comments of satisfaction. For many, the real goal seems to be just another checkmark on their Things to Do list, the portion dealing with “something someone else expects me to do.” Me-ism breeds a ritualistic religion that replaces the relationship that God wants.

Paul advises his protégé Timothy to, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). This requires us to revert to the time-honored approach to learning that needs the effort and time to reach the goal. Paul didn’t list this as an option, but added a note applicable to today’s worship of popular opinion and social media: “But shun profane and vain babblings; for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” (2 Timothy 2:16). This passage requires a retreat from the over-scheduled lifestyle, where every moment must be expended in “important” activities, in favor of time and effort studying the Bible. Among the answers uncovered and insights revealed, frustrating questions will surface. This is true for all of us. As our knowledge grows, and God gives us wisdom and discernment (James 1:5), our faith becomes informed and a driving force to understand more.

Scripture should never be superseded by the writings of human “experts,” but a judicious selection of this material can be a great help in fleshing out the background of a passage and understanding the original audience, as well as discovering what problems others might have experienced with specific passages. Comprehending what the New Testament, written in the First Century of this millennia, has to say to me in the 21^st Century is like that. A primary tenant of understanding the Bible is that it was written to an original ancient audience for their benefit, but has application for us in today’s world. Reading the New Testament without understanding the historical setting can be misleading. In an age of personal freedom and men and women who have the answers for the world’s problems, this approach is different.

For instance, the Bible is largely silent on the political and social unrest that Judea experienced throughout the intertestamental silence (the 400 years or so from the end of Malachi to the beginning of the Gospels), and the entire First Century ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. This silence is understandable when we allow Scripture to direct our study, for Jesus’ message was clear:

1. Each of us has sinned and come short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23);
2. Jesus came to seek and save every soul lost to sin (Luke 19:10);
3. He alone is the path to salvation (John 14:6);
4. The individual reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus is assigned two duties:
  1. To love God completely, and to express this love in his love for his neighbor (Matt 22:37-39); and,
  2. To testify at every opportunity of the Good News to the entire world, from where we stand at this moment to the farthest reaches of man’s habitation (Matthew 28:19-20).

Jesus and the Apostles largely ignored the day-to-day social issues, political oppression, and even the renewed assault by Rome on Judea and the destruction of God’s great temple. Persecution drove the spread of the Gospel, not activist reformation efforts. Jesus specifically told the religious leaders who questioned Him that they were duty-bound to give the government what was due (Matthew 22:15-20; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25). This goes beyond taxes to allegiance and respect of even wicked leaders enforcing inhumane policies and practices. Where politicians and other leaders were personally addressed, it was to offer the Gospel message to each as a lost soul. Jesus revealed that He was greater than even the great temple in all its majesty and splendor. The ritual and rule-keeping that it came to represent was only superficial. As intended, it was to instruct and guide, not save; in Jesus’ time the priesthood was a commodity to be bought and sold and the temple had become a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13). He alone brought eternal salvation to the lost, one person at a time (Matthew 12:6). His message, delegated to us, His followers, focused entirely on the eternal condition of individual souls, and the remedy for eternal damnation that is the “wages of sin.”

This period was anything but peaceful and pleasant to the nation or the man-on-the-street. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had been destroyed and the people scattered by Assyria in 725 BC, a condition that still exists. Judea, the Southern Kingdom, was ruled by Persia from 532-332 BC, a time that ran from the end of the Old testament through the birth of Christ. Early in this period some Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity and rebuilt Jerusalem, the temple, and their homeland. Then Alexander the Great defeated the Persians, and the Greeks ruled under various leaders until 308 BC when the Egyptians rose to power and ruled from 308-195 BC. These, in turn, were displaced by the Syrians who ruled Judea from 195-130 BC. A faction of the Jews rebelled, led by the Hasmonaean, Judas Maccabeus. In 164 BC this Jewish faction ruled with no less war, violence, and infighting than during foreign rule. Pompey overcame the Jewish resistance in 63 BC. With no end in sight to war and oppression—foreign and domestic—Julius Caesar took over the Roman empire in 46 BC with the Romans remaining in control of Judea throughout the lifetimes of Jesus and the Apostles.

Herod the Great ruled Judea from 37 to 4 BC. He is the king who tried to kill the young Jesus when informed by the wise men that the King of the Jews—a direct threat to his title—had been born. Jesus and John Baptist were born about 6-4 BC, with John’s ministry beginning about AD 26, and Jesus’ ministry within the year. The Jewish underground continued attacks on the Romans throughout the New Testament period. Jesus was crucified in about AD 30-33, by the government He told the religious to obey. The first organized attack on the church by the Jews began in AD 35, with Saul (who became the Apostle Paul) a leader of the faction. During Jesus’ ministry at least eight zealots (Jewish freedom fighters) are known to have been crucified by the Herod who crucified Him. Jesus’ disciples included Simon the Zealot; whose political passions seem to have been curbed when he accepted Jesus’ call to become a “fisher of men.” James, the brother of John, was executed in AD 44-45, Philip in AD 54, and Matthew in AD 60. Nero, emperor between AD 54-68, was active in prosecuting dissidents, including Christians. The Jewish Wars broke out in full force again in AD 66 as the Zealots attacked Roman rule in Judea on a variety of fronts. This resulted in Titus and the Roman Legions tightening Roman control of Judea. When the Zealots did not stand down, he destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. Peter was executed around AD 64-67. In other words, the entire history of the period from Malachi through the destruction of the Temple was one of conquest, slavery, infringement upon human rights, and heavy taxation.

Most of this history is ignored in Scripture. But the results could not be. For instance, in Jesus’ time the Jews held the Samaritans in utter contempt. Jesus, sending his disciples on a mission trip told them to avoid the Samaritan cities (Matthew 10:5) without explanation. Yet he later spoke of the “good Samaritan” in His parable we know by that name (Luke 10:25-37); He healed a Samaritan among the Jews (Luke 17:11-16); and He brought the Gospel to a Samaritan woman at a well in Samaria (John 4:4-42). The reason the Samaritans were so despised is found in history. The Jews did not need to be told this background for they and their fathers had lived it. For captor nations, their captive colonies were melting pots: the more the local populations intermarried with their captors, and adopted the new culture, the less likely they were to rebel. For the Jews, however, the ongoing march of pagan captors was a challenge to their racial and ethnic purity. The Mosaic law was clear: “Neither shalt thou make marriage with them …” (see Deuteronomy 7:1-4). While the Judeans were captives in Babylonia, the remnant of the Northern Kingdom, whose capital had been Samaria, intermarried indiscriminately, eventually developing an offshoot version of the Jewish religion. This could not be tolerated under the Mosaic law. The result was

In current theology, this stark contrast between the social and political situation and Jesus’ message is overlooked as Scripture is tirelessly combed to find authorization for political and social reform rather than spreading the Good News. This substitution of man’s gospel for that of Christ is the driving force that inserts the church into

American politics, the social gospel, and human rights issues in service of an all-loving God while rejecting sin, eternal damnation, and salvation through Jesus alone. The reason for the omission needs to be emphasized here. Jesus had not come to change and control it human history. He was not, during His human incarnation, the militant Messiah who would conquer its physical enemies and rule on David’s throne. Instead, He had come to “seek and save that which was lost,” the soul of every man, woman, boy, and girl, whose sin had separated them from fellowship with God—both Jew and Gentile. Those who look for a social or political gospel in the New Testament, struggle to find a contextual setting for their arguments. It is certainly commendable to care for our fellow man and the world we live in, and want to do something to make it better (in our own opinion, of course). Jesus did command us to love our brother as ourselves. But He did not call His Church to cures the ills of this sin-cursed world except through the salvation of one soul at a time. God repeatedly warned man that He didn’t need any help being God. He said, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” He prefaced this with the admonition: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (cf. Isaiah 55:7, 8). The cure for the ills of this world is not the best intentions of man, but the hand of God. Reading the Bible with this background information helps the reader develop a proper relation with both God and his neighbor. Man’s role for man has finite consequences. God’s role for man has eternal consequences. It is not limited to current events, or public opinion.

Given this background, the careful reader of Scripture will then find two distinct admonitions from Jesus under which all others fall:

Jesus said: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37-39).

As Jesus returned to Heaven, He left His followers with this commandment: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

These are Jesus’ commandments; what He expects of His followers. His guidance for each will be unique, but will never deviate from the principles set out here. Be careful, the Word says: “Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Don’t allow the wise of this world to lure you away from what you find in Scripture; always in context; always with the prayerful leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is a radical departure from the me-now culture and the message will never be popular among the crowd that is afraid of hurt feelings. The idea that every person is born a sinner and continues in sin that separates him from God does not set well with most people. When one rejects responsibility for personal sin, then the message of salvation can be ignored. This opens the field to the Christian to study the Word to be able to provide a biblical witness to all and let the Holy Spirit do the rest of the job.

We have come from the me-now mentality to the possibility of the servant mentality demanded by Jesus for His followers as a distinct choice in worldviews. This is quite a transformation. It directly opposes the attitude of our society, of our friends and relatives. Maybe even our church. It is only possible through the leadership of the Holy Spirit as the believer spends time in the Scriptures and submits to the Spirit as Paul did to the vocation of being a Christian: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Ephesians 4:1).

In opening, I stated: “This does not seem to be the world heralded by an angel two thousand years ago who said: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.’ Or, is it?” The answer is as simple, and as profound, as the Gospel message itself: It is up to me. And up to you. There is support for our decisions among fellow Christians, for the writer of Hebrews said, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25). But this group support and fellowship is not the starting point. It begins only with accepting Jesus Christ as our individual personal Savior. With that, and developing an always growing relationship with the Creator of the universe, you will see your world begin to change.