Exposing the Darkness

June 30, 2008 at 9:34 am | Posted in Christianity | Leave a comment
Tags: abortion, ateasetees, attack, Christian, darkness, Dobson, Ephesians 5, evangelism, expose, fruitcake, God, homosexuality, Jesus, Obama, sound teaching, truth, twisting scripture

It should be no surprise, but it seems that it is getting more and more common to hear famous and powerful people twisting scripture for their own means. It has also gotten much more common to hear those speaking the truth getting criticized and attacked. This was foretold in scripture and will continue until the return of the Lord. The most surprising part of all of this is that more of the attacking is coming from people who call themselves Christians.

 

One case that comes to mind quickly is the exchange between Barack Obama and Dr. James Dobson. Recently, Dr. Dobson spoke out against Obama and his mangling of the scripture to support his political agenda. Obama’s camp return the criticism saying that Dr. Dobson was doing it “for his own purposes” and that someone would be “hard-pressed to prove” that he was twisting scripture. The attacks didn’t come from Obama and his staff alone though. They also came from prominent “Christian” “pastors” who support Barack Obama. They said that Dobson was out of line for his comments and that the political arena is a place of higher standards.

 

Personally, I don’t believe that Barack Obama is a Christian so I can understand why he has no understanding of scripture or reverence for it. It is the men and women who call themselves Christians that I am aggravated with. These are people that are supposed to have a reverence for God’s Word. God has put His Word above His Name. If this is true and the punishment for blaspheming the Name of God is death, then what kind of reverence should we be showing the Word? And yet, there are a number of pastors who support Barack Obama. Why? What is it about Obama that these men and women support him? They are supposed to be Christians and stand for the truth, but they are supporting a man who not only doesn’t revere God’s truth, but he actively goes against it! Do these “Christians” not care about what God’s Word says? Are they seeking fame and prestige by connecting themselves to the person they think will be president? If they were truly Christians, then why would they subordinate God’s Word for any reason? They should know that it’s the absolute truth. They should put it above their ambitions and desires. But they don’t.

 

Dr. Dobson has taken a lot of flack from “Christians” for calling Barack Obama on his terrible use of scripture. He has had people who are supposed to be “brothers” and “sisters” turn on him. What Dr. Dobson did is something that Christians should be doing daily. When I read the story about Dr. Dobson and Barack Obama, I immediately thought of Ephesians 5. Those that support Obama and know Ephesians 5 will probably focus on the first few verses. Those verses say:

 

Eph 5:1  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

Eph 5:2  and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

 

Those who support Barack Obama will say that Dr. Dobson wasn’t walking in love when he said those things about Obama. They’ve said that his attack on Obama’s use of scripture was uncalled for. They will completely ignore much of what scripture says about the things that Obama is doing with scripture. Again, I have to ask why?

 

What these “Christians” don’t seem to understand is the next part of Ephesians 5:

 

Eph 5:3  But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;

Eph 5:4  and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Eph 5:5  For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Eph 5:6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Eph 5:7  Therefore do not be partakers with them;

Eph 5:8  for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light

Eph 5:9  (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),

Eph 5:10  trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Eph 5:11  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

 

What I believe Dr. Dobson has done is made an effort to expose the darkness. Some may think that is a little harsh, but I disagree. I don’t know Barack Obama personally and know nothing of his personal life. I don’t know if he participates in immorality or greed or any of the other things listed here, but I do know that he supports them. He is one of the most pro-homosexual presidential candidates we have ever had. He is also pro-abortion. These things are enough for me to make my conclusions. They are also the basis of my inability to understand why anyone who names the name of Christ could possibly vote for Obama.

 

I’ve been over this many times already, but the Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is a sin and an abomination in the sight of God. He condemns it as such in Leviticus 18:22. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of homosexuality in Genesis 19. It is the same in the New Testament. In Romans 1:20-32, Paul describes the sin of homosexuality. He says that it is impure (v. 24), that it dishonors the body [which is made in the image of God] (v.24), that those who practice homosexuality have exchanged the truth for a lie (v. 25), that it is a degrading passion (v. 26), that it is exchanging the natural function for something unnatural (v. 26), that it is an indecent act (v. 27), that those who practice homosexuality no longer acknowledge God (v. 28), that God has given them over to a depraved mind [because of their lack of acknowledgement of Him] (v. 28), that they do things which are not proper (v. 28), and that they are filled with unrighteousness (v. 29). In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul gives a list of unrighteous deeds that will keep someone from entering heaven. Homosexuality is among them. One of the things that Paul says here is an admonition to his readers not to be deceived. Those who practice any of these things (including homosexuality) will not inherit the kingdom of God. In 1 Timothy 1:8-10, Paul talks about whom the Law is for. He says that it is not for the righteous, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane. He then gets specific about some of these types of people. Homosexuality is included in this list. Not only that, but Paul says that these things go against sound teaching! How can there be churches/”Christians” who allow homosexuality or support it when scripture says that it is against sound teaching? If it’s not sound teaching, then we shouldn’t be having anything to do with it, should we? If I can find this in scripture by myself, without any sort of seminary training at all, then why does it seem so hard for “pastors” and other “Christians” to be able to find or understand this? God’s Word says that homosexuality is wrong and as Christians we should not support it. What is so hard to understand about this?

 

Barack Obama also supports abortion without limits. While there are some who consider homosexuality to be a gray issue (which it’s not as I just showed above), I don’t understand at all how a “Christian” could support abortion. It just completely boggles my mind. Scripture makes it clear that we are formed/fashioned in the womb by God (Job 31:15, Ps. 139:13-16, Is. 44:2, 24, Is. 49:1, Jer. 1:5). It is also evident that those in the womb are more than just a “blob of tissue”, that they are human beings. Because of this, abortion is murder. Ironically, those who disagree with this do so for the same reasons that the “pastors” defend things that are unscriptural; because they want things their own way instead of God’s. Exodus 20:13 says, “You shall not murder”. Exodus 21:22-25 contain the famous “eye for an eye” verse of scripture. What most people don’t seem to realize is that the context of the verse is when men kill the child in the womb. God says that those who kill the unborn in the womb should be punished life for life. God obviously sees the unborn as human beings.

 

While there are passages of scripture that are hard to understand, none of those listed above are included. If I can understand it, then there isn’t any reason that someone else can’t either. God makes it clear how he feels about both issues. For someone to go against those clear declarations is to go against God Himself. If you’re against God, then are you a Christian? The question isn’t whether or not you think that scripture says that homosexuality and abortion are wrong, it’s about the fact that God says that they’re wrong and you need to decide whether or not you will abide by the truth or do what pleases you.

 

While I talked about Barack Obama and James Dobson, they were just an example. This sort of thing applies to everyone. If someone claims to be a Christian and they support things that are unscriptural, then either they are deceived or they’re not a Christian. While it is up to everyone to study for themselves, I feel that a large part of the blame should be laid at the feet of “pastors” who preach and teach whatever “the Lord” leads them to preach, even when it goes against scripture. More and more churches today are filled with “pastors” who are looking for large congregations and emotional highs. More and more today churches are being filled with people who have an “understanding” of scripture that isn’t even close to what it really says. They go by what they “feel” scripture says, instead of actually accepting what it says and applying it to their lives. They seek an “experience” that has nothing at all to do with Christ. They are looking to feel good about their lives the way they are and not concerned in the least about whether or not their lives conform to scripture.

 

Where are those people who truly love the Lord? Where are the people who are willing to crucify their flesh and live the way that God tells them to? Where are the people who desire to glorify God above everything else? They seem to be a dying breed.

 

While most people like to focus on the love of God, they don’t understand it. They don’t understand that it includes judgment, righteousness, and holiness. More then that, they don’t seem to care. They fill their churches, their houses, and their minds with things of the world. They pay to see movies that blaspheme God’s name and mock what Christ died for, and they show clips of these movies in their sermons!

 

While I am saddened by the state that our country is in and I feel overwhelmed when I look at my puny effort to try and preach the truth, I can’t say that I’m surprised by where our country is headed. The sad thing is that it’s not the fault of the people who don’t believe in God or call themselves Christians. It’s the fault of those that do for turning their backs on God and defying Him with their words, their actions, and their lives. I pray that there is still time for America to turn around. I pray that our nation will remove the evils that we have allowed to fester here. It will take those who call themselves Christians living the life of Christ in front of everyone on a daily basis. It will take them getting rid of the worldly things in their lives. It will take them being bold enough to speak the truth and expose the darkness.

 

Are you willing?