We return to answering questions I was unable to answer during our Question and Answer session. These are tough questions and I’m not sure everyone will like the answers but we look to the Bible for our principles so that we can think and live biblically. Thanks for your questions! Here goes:
How do you explain to an unbeliever when they ask what physical evidence there is that supports the stories of the bible? This is a reasonable question that people often ask. Here’s the ‘problem’ with that question. Unless you are willing to memorize and provide bibliographic information off the top of your head you are wasting your time. Why do I say this? The overwhelming archeological evidence that supports the fact that these stories are true is undeniable. Spend time in the Louvre in Paris or the British Museum. Google topics pertaining to biblical discoveries like this one here, or here and this one here. But “here” is the trouble. Whatever evidence you present will not be enough on two counts. First, secular archeologists are always looking for a way out and typically employ a “yes… but… acknowledgment. Second, they want you to prove something… Essentially, they put you on the defensive and they make themselves the final arbiter of divine truth based upon your ‘performance.’ Take a moment and read Romans 1:18-32 or Romans 3: 9-18. If you think about it, if put on the spot, they can’t prove to you their own mother or father exists or existed. Any photo evidence they can produce, if required, can be discarded with a “yes… but:” “Yes, I see a picture of a person that could be your parent… and you appear to be in that picture. How can I be sure?” To be frank, it may be that you are engaging in the proverbial act of casting pearls before swine that Jesus warns of. My encouragement to you is to gauge their sincerity and invite them to a study of John’s gospel or invite them to come to church for 6 Sundays in a row. If they are not interested, then you have your answer. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to provide them enough evidence because whatever you provide them it will not be enough, and they will want more. In the end, no one can prove Socrates existed or Shakespeare. There is more evidence for the Bible and its contents than any of these… the Bible is the most reliable ancient document in existence, see what I mean by clicking here.
How do you handle a situation where a fellow Christian judges someone simply because they sin differently than they do? Here’s another case where I’m not so sure the Bible allows me to accept your hypothesis. Sin is sin. There’s no place in the Bible where Christians are told not to judge. People often take Matthew 7:1-5 out of context or fail to think it through.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)
The call here is not to judge hypocritically. Judge people the way you want to be judged (v. 2). Read the passage a couple of times. Jesus is telling us to evaluate others carefully not carelessly. That’s why Jesus gives the ‘Golden Rule’ as clarification in verse 12, ““So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12).” In fact, Jesus calls upon us to evaluate the conduct of others in the near context of this passage:
5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew 7:5-6)
Notice how we go from do not evaluate to evaluate carefully? You’d have to judge the people and the situation in order not to give what is holy to dogs. Further down, Jesus says to judge further:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)
Notice verse 16. This calls for judging and evaluating behavior and character.
So how do I handle a situation where a Christian evaluates someone’s behavior who sins in a different manner than you or that Christian sins? I’d point both of you back to Matthew 7:1-5. Aren’t you judging the Christian whom you say is judging? We all sin. We are to hold one another accountable. I just taught on this in the Sunday service in a sermon entitled “Intervention.” To listen click here.
The wisest way to do this is to employ Matthew 18:15-17:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17)
There’s a popular mythology that we are not to judge or evaluate one another’s conduct. That’s just plain wrong, as Jesus shows above and as Paul shows below:
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you…” 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers…9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God… 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
We are to hold one another mutually accountable. We are to help each other confront our own sin. So, to answer your question, as your brother or sister struggles with his or her own sin (and as you struggle with yours) help them humbly but help them—because you will need their help someday:
…if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2)
Be kind, be brave, be gracious; and be humble. But above all be helpful. Judge wisely.
Roman's 13: 1-7 command to submit to the civil authority then 8-14 command us to love our neighbors. How do we apply this today in San Jose where bashing the "alien" living among is acceptable? This is a difficult and complicated question. With all due respect, I have to reject part of your hypothesis. Who are ‘those in San Jose?’ Are you suggesting that every man woman and child (including every ‘alien’) bashes aliens? Our country is the most welcoming country in the world when it comes to outsiders. It is a nation of outsiders. My son-in-law is an “alien” who recently received citizenship. He’s from Jakarta. No one that I know of in San Jose is or has bashed him. San Jose, at the heart of Silicon Valley is filled with people from all over the world, working in the tech industry. I don’t see anyone bashing them. My neighborhood is about 60% Indian and Sino-Asian. No one is bashing them.
My guess is that you are referring to the controversy surrounding our seemingly broken immigration system. Now that IS frustrating when you think about it. President Bush when he and his party had control of the House of Representatives and the Senate failed to address this issue. Imagine that! You are the President of the United States and you have both houses of Congress and you don’t solve the problem. Some people blame the terrorist attacks of 9-11 for this. But the truth is, President Clinton had the opportunity as well. President Obama had both houses of Congress, he was the president and he chose not to address this issue. What does this tell us? I think people are naturally frustrated by all this. Sinners are frustrated and sinners, well, sinners sin. Sinners sin by breaking the law and coming here illegally. Our country has asylum laws. If you are being persecuted for your race, political believers and or religious beliefs you can seek and obtain political asylum. Wanting a better life for you or your family doesn’t not necessarily qualify you to come here. There are laws, procedures, and steps that must be taken. Thousands upon thousands of people take these steps every year. Others disregard these laws, processes, and procedures.
People on all sides are naturally frustrated. They are frustrated with the countries who corrupt governments and ineptitude create the issues that drive these folks here. Some are frustrated because they live in failed states who cannot and will not take care of them (click here). People who live here, pay taxes, and who have immigrated here legally are frustrated (click here). People who are born here and whose parents are here legally are frustrated. Everyone is frustrated. Some make the case that if you live down the street from me and you like my home better than your own home that you do not have the right to enter my home without an invitation. The reasoning goes on that if you are invited into my home that you should not take advantage of my hospitality—you should respect my practices and preferences as a homeowner extending hospitality to you. When you shrink the idea down to its simplest concepts one sees there are multiple sides to the story. Some may crassly argue that if while visiting my home for dinner and you have a baby neither you nor the baby are necessarily entitled to take up residence in my home. If you stay in my home for an extended time, then you should probably share in the burdens I bear in my home.
Those breaking existing laws in disobedience God’s word in Romans 13:1-7 inevitably (maybe inadvertently) put both themselves and their families at a great disadvantage. Sin has consequences. When you break the law, you fear law enforcement. And living outside the law of the land puts you at a marked disadvantage.
There’s little doubt that the immigration system is broken. It should be ‘fixed.’ Fixing it is not in the best interest of the established political parties (Democrat and Republican) so they aren’t going to do it even when they have the means. Both have had the means and chose not to address the issue. However, this does not empower others to break the law. We have a system. We have the rule of Law. Laws and systems can be repaired, changed, and modified. Go through the system or change it. Laws cannot and should not be ignored. If they are no longer sufficient change them. Meanwhile, obey them. Disobey them? That’s sin. Sin has temporal and eternal consequences.
Implicit in your question may be the question or inference of racism. We like to say that America is a racist country. Our country in some sense is like a bright white dress shirt. A few oil drops ruin the appearance of the shirt. They stick out. The shirt is still useful but stained. Racism is a stain on humanity. Racism is sin. But as a black friend of mine likes to point out to me that the U.S. is the safest country in the world for black people and people of color. Why? We have the rule of law. Yes, we have sinners. Racist countries he likes to point out don’t elect minority (black) presidents. Blacks, he reminds me, make up less than 15% of the population. I’ve been all over the world people are sinners in virtually every country I visit whether I go to Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, Europe, the former Soviet Union—everywhere I go. And there’s discrimination in all these places. There’s racism in all these places. And there’s racism here, too. But what differentiates this country from others is that everyone is coming here. Why? They feel safe. They are safer here than anywhere else in the world.
The larger problem has to do with Hillside’s credo and the culturally tainted thought process of many well-meaning Christians. The only way to abolish injustice and racism and reduce sin is changing the world one soul at a time with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Change all the laws you want. Pass all the laws you can. Create institutions and agencies by the score. But when you think about it, we have laws against speeding. Do people speed? We have laws against murder. Do people murder? We have laws against stealing. Do people steal?
Put all that emotional effort you feel into serving God by fulfilling the Great Commission. Until then realize that none of this will ‘get fixed’ by human beings. It requires the return of Christ. And if you really want to make a difference—share your faith. If Clinton, Bush, Obama, and, now, Trump can’t fix it—it won’t be fixed. In the meantime, what does the word of God say? Respect the laws of the land or change them through prescribed means (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Be like Jesus, “rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.
As far as obeying the law (ala Romans 13:1-7) and loving our neighbor: do both. It’s difficult but not impossible. Difficult does not mean impossible. And as you do so, join me in taking the log out of my own eye so I can see clearly to help others get the speck out of theirs.
Thanks again for these challenging questions! I’ll answer more in a few weeks!