11 Christian Truths that… well… Aren’t True

God is good when my life is great

I see this one all over Facebook. The template looks something like this:

“So today marks a great landmark/accomplishment in my life and I am soooo excited. I would like to take this opportunity to Grammy acceptance speech thank all of my friends and family. I wouldn’t be here without them. Can’t wait to see what God has in store for me on this new adventure. God is good!”

Ok. I get it. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this (except it’s kind of annoying). However, it seems to imply that were this person not to land her first “big girl job” or get accepted to whatever college, or get engaged… God would somehow not be good. Yet, isn’t God good no matter what? Isn’t that a fundamental truth of who He is? I would really like to see a status that says:

“Had one of the worst days of my life. Everything fell apart and my life now lies before me in ruins. But God is still good, and I give Him all the praise.”

*Like*

Christians shouldn’t judge

Ok, yes, it’s in the Bible. But like every other cliché verse, this one is taken out of context and loaded into the arsenal of people who have never even read the Bible. It most accurately means “Don’t make condescending judgments about others without first realizing that you too have faults” (see context of Matthew 7). The Bible (Jesus) gives criteria to judge people and discern whether or not they are truly Christian. The Bible actually supports judgment, but only in a non-hypocritical manner, intended to be helpful (after all, wouldn’t you want that pesky speck out of your eye?). There is a way to judge lovingly.

Christians are all hypocrites because they eat bacon

Again, this one is usually spat at Christians by those who haven’t crossed through the doors of a church since they were 10 and their parents made them go. And if they did their research, they probably wouldn’t use this as an argument because it’s so weak. Personally, I knew the response to this when I was in 2^nd grade Sunday school class. Standing next to the felt board, the teacher taught us that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the laws in the old testament except for moral laws (like the 10 commandments). I was satisfied with that explanation and you should be too.

Satan lives in hell

I asked my friend one day if he believed Satan lived in hell. He quickly remarked, “Why the hell would he live there?” Most people don’t ever stop to think about this one. It’s in comics, cartoons, movies etc., but most assume it’s true. Seriously, why do people believe this? It’s nowhere in the Bible (except in revelation when Satan is thrown into hell). For now, he actually lives here, and that’s in the Bible. The battle for your soul is happening on this earth, in this life, and Satan would just love for you to believe that he isn’t real or that he is occupied with other things.

You are saved because you prayed a prayer

There are elements of truth to this, but if this is your only appeal to your salvation, you have every reason to be terrified. Yes, the Bible does say that we are saved by confessing Jesus as Lord, but it is also clear that this completely transforms our lives. If you prayed and then nothing changed, then you probably aren’t saved. And any preacher who tries to console you and reassure you that this isn’t a rational concern of yours could possibly be holding your hand as he walks you comfortably into hell…

God loves you just the way you are

This sounds great, right? Our culture idolizes those who remain resolute in who they truly are. In some ways, this authenticity isn’t bad, however, missing the need for change is detrimental. Central to the Bible is a constant call for change (since we are, after all, sinners), which will make you more and more like Jesus, the image of perfection. Because God loves you, He wants for you to change.

Faith means believing in something with no evidence to support it

If Christianity supported this kind of irrationality, I probably wouldn’t even take it seriously. But that’s not what faith is. When Jesus came, He performed miracles so that people would believe that what He said was actually true (i.e. He gave them good reasons to believe Him). Faith, as it turns out, is more accurately your answer to the set of foundational beliefs you have about God, yourself, and other metaphysical questions. In this sense, everyone has faith in something (or nothing). Belief without evidence is, I think, impossible anyways.

Worship means singing with your hands in the air

That’s actually called “praise”. Worship isn’t what you do on Sunday; it’s how you live your life. Your time is valuable and God wants all of it. If you give your time, energy, attention, and devotion to Him daily, that’s worship. If not, well… you’re still worshiping, but you’re not worshiping God. And if you spend your life devoted to yourself, but then go to church and sing praises to God, then you might be tricking the audience, but you aren’t fooling God. He knows the words you’re singing are lies.

Hate = Bad

In some cases, yes, it is wrong to hate. In fact, the Bible says that hating another human is just as sinful as murdering that person. However, most of us are raised believing that the moment the word “hate” escapes our lips, someone nearby will sternly correct us.

“You hate it? Would you care to reword that, mister?”

“I don’t hate it. I strongly dislike it…”

“That’s better.”

Hate isn’t a cuss word. In fact, I think hate is necessary. The Bible, on several occasions (old and new testament) speaks of even God hating. You see, hate is a natural byproduct of love. In order for God to love that which is good, he must hate that which is not. He allows us to share with Him in this hatred for evil, for injustice, for terror, for suffering, and yes, for unholy hatred.

God exists to make me more comfortable

It’s a tragedy that this needs explanation. In many ways, discomforts in our life are specifically given to us by God in order to help us grow, mature, and become wiser. Although God does bless physically, He more often blesses spiritually. And quite often, this spiritual gift comes packaged in the ugly wrapping paper of trials and hardships. It might be hard to see at the time, but God has a purpose for it. And if you don’t believe this and you truly think that God is there to make you comfortable, your faith will suffer greatly whenever your life gets hard. Ideas have consequences, and this is one of them.

You don’t need theology. Just give me Jesus.

Naturally, the follow up question comes, “Who was Jesus then?” If you begin to answer in any way that suggests that He had anything to do with God, welcome to theology! Without theology, the “Christ” in “Christian” doesn’t really mean anything. The people who most often say this, do so whenever they’re confronted with an inconsistency in their own theology. They’ve been cornered and would rather not deal with the reality of being wrong. Yes, granted, some people use theology improperly and shoot venom daggers at the less informed, but that doesn’t mean it’s inherently bad. Theology is a study that seeks to explore into the mind of the infinite God. It is limitless, unimaginably rewarding, fulfilling, comforting, mind blowing, and inexplicably beautiful. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, huh?

The Funeral Speech I’m so Sick of Hearing

A baby cries and everyone shifts nervously in the pews, hoping the mother fixes the problem quickly. Sniffles echo through the stained glass sanctuary as organ pipes resonate the remainder of an old comfort hymn. The casket is open at the front of the aisle, but nobody looks inside. Instead, everyone’s gaze fixes upon the adorned minister, who spreads open his arms and begins his speech. His delivery is heartfelt, tactful, and professional. He holds his composure stoically, and as he progresses through the “he’s in a better place” clichés, he stumbles upon one of the worst, universally accepted phrases that plague modern eulogies…

“We know that this tragedy was not part of God’s plan…”

And with those words, my attention is lost to the nauseous feeling crawling through my stomach, the ineluctable cringing, the distaste my mind has developed towards overt heresy. The crowd nods softly. The man beside me mumbles reverently, “Amen”. My eyes narrow as my mind swats at his words like a swarm of gnats, the words that betrayed truth, spoken by its supposed ambassador. He concludes his speech and summons the crowd rise for the concluding ceremony, the final motions before the long, reverent drive to the cemetery…

As I stare out the window, silently acknowledging the lit headlights of passing cars, I contemplate quietly.

“What is it that drives our beliefs? Surely it isn’t consistency. For, if it were consistency, there wouldn’t be such obvious contradictions littered throughout our language. For example, we praise people for accomplishments, which means that we believe in freedom. Yet, we attribute mistakes to genetic diseases, family history, etc. We like free will when we speak of good things, yet can’t accept it when we speak of evil. In other words, the good in our lives we meant to happen, and the bad in our lives happened to us. Conversely, we love freedom when we speak of tragedy. Life is a plan, but death is chance. We love destiny, but hate when we’ve arrived.

“Or perhaps we don’t believe in a plan after all. Although we love the idea of God having a plan for our lives, we quickly abandon this mindset as soon as something goes wrong. Maybe we don’t believe that God has a plan separate from ours. That’s it! Maybe we see God as merely an enabler for our plan to play out. He exists not as a wise, holy being, but as a cosmic Santa Clause who simply gives us what we want when we want it. We look to Him to conduct our lives in the best manner we see fit. (Come to think of it, that’s probably why we say that God ‘answered a prayer’, while we really mean that He simply answered it in a manner that pleased us. When He says ‘no’, we just assume it was an ‘unanswered prayer’, since it wasn’t done so in accordance with our plan for our lives.)

“Maybe this is why we see tragic death as accidental, not according to God’s plan. We assume that we know God’s plan because we know our plan. Therefore, if anything happens apart from our plan, it happened apart from God’s plan. Perhaps this is why people stop believing in God when their lives get tough. We’ve become so obsessed with our freedom that we’ve abandoned all trust in the only one who deserves it.”

(Almost every issue can be traced back to an obsession with ourselves…)

You see, there are no degrees of sovereignty when it comes to God. God is either fully sovereign or fully not. And if He is not sovereign, He is not God (capital G). He cannot control some things but not others, for in controlling even the smallest of things, He would affect the entire order of creation. Moreover, there is no Biblical case for God removing His controlling hand from any situation (except for sin, which is still part of His plan according to Gen 50:20). In fact, there can be a strong Biblical case that God exercises complete control over every facet of creation. He has to. That is, if you believe that He has a plan.

The Bible is clear that God has had a plan from the beginning. He doesn’t just know what is going to happen; He has planned it since before there was time. If you ever say that God has a plan for the good things, you must believe that He has a plan for the bad things as well. And if He has a plan for the bad things, then He is in complete control of their occurrence, which is not bad news. In fact, it’s wonderful news, for instead of allowing chance to reign, we allow God to control. The sovereignty of God is a comforting doctrine. It states that God, in His infinite wisdom, doesn’t allow for us to fall victim to the random acts of chance, which many believe dominate our lives. But, instead, He sovereignly wills all that comes to pass, the good and the bad alike, and He guides them all into a greater plan, a plan that we can’t see, a plan that ultimately works not necessarily for our happiness on this earth, but for His glory.

Tragedies are not accidents; they are part of a perfect plan.

So, if you are experiencing the loss of a loved one, do not listen to the preacher’s words if he tells you that it was an accident. Take comfort in knowing that your loss was not due to the cold, brutal forces of chance, but was a product of a perfect plan and had a definite purpose. An eternal one.

And if you are a preacher and you have given a funeral speech in which you have said anything along the lines of it being deviant of God’s plan or that God wasn’t involved, you need to repent and apologize to the friends and family, whom you mislead during one of their most sorrowful times.

So as I stand and watch the body sink slowly into the dirt, I know. I know that although he might be gone, the purpose for which he lived is not, because it is the purpose for which we all live, the purpose of glorifying God in His perfect plan. Not ours.

How to know if you’re really a Christian

In our society, being a Christian is about as easy as finding a Starbucks in Seattle. You’d be hard pressed to find a home without a Bible. Churches are more commonplace than schools. Football teams pray before games. We say “God bless you” when someone sneezes. Our conservative, cultural morals demand adherence to traditional, Biblical teachings. Crosses are so common that we hardly notice the tattoos, necklaces, bracelets, books, company logos, and license tags that so proudly display that trivialized symbol. Even our pledge of allegiance mentions God for crying out loud…

But what if it wasn’t so easy?

What if by simply going to church, you risked not only your own life, but also the lives of your immediate and even distant family members? What if the government raided underground churches and brutally slaughtered every participant? What if our nation experienced a massive paradigm shift in which Christianity became severely persecuted? Who would remain? Would you still go to church? What does your faith really mean to you?

Let that sit for a moment.

You see, in America, we are obsessed with having a perfect life. We have our job and our cozy homes and our coffee in the morning and our pets and our degrees and our favorite TV shows and our trips to the grocery store and on and on until our world is so small that we forget what truly matters. We include church and Jesus in our little world, never stopping to consider the heavy, heavy implications that these beliefs bring. For many, church on Sunday is the cherry on top. It’s an item on the checklist to leading a good life. It’s what good people do! Good people wake up early on Sunday and go to church in their best clothes so they can prove to the rest of world how perfect their family is while they sit in the pew, patiently waiting for the pastor to finish so they can go out to a fancy lunch and get on with their lives.

Hear me. Going to church will never save you.

Even more shocking for some… praying a prayer doesn’t save you. So many are led astray by this lie, which infects so many gospel messages. The preacher man tells us that if we stand up, come forward, raise our hands, or drop to our knees and repeat after him, we will be forever saved. But sadly, this isn’t true. If you look back on your life and are able to point to an exact moment in which you prayed a specific prayer of salvation, that doesn’t mean anything except that you were guilted into doing something you may or may not have wanted to do. However, if you look back on your life and are able to point to a moment in which you were changed radically by your belief in Jesus and you haven’t been the same since, that is incredibly significant. (I’ll mention in passing that this moment of drastic change came in my life while I was praying a prayer with a preacher. So it can happen! My point is not that God doesn’t use that prayer to change our hearts. My point is that there is nothing magical about a scripted prayer and if that’s all you have to claim salvation, you have every reason to doubt your conversion).

If your life has never been dramatically changed by the message of the gospel, you have every reason to be terrified. Don’t sleep on that.

So how do you know if you’re a Christian? The answer really isn’t too complicated, and ultimately, only you can know your heart. Ask yourself two questions and be honest.

1. Are you defined by your relationship with God in such a manner that it affects every facet of your life?

This means that, if you are truly a Christian, everything in your life changes. Relationships, intentions, attitude, and your overall drive are all geared towards pleasing God. This is the mindset Paul talked about in Acts 20:24

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

The message of forgiveness is something that causes us to change who we are. It defines us. Christianity is not just a priority in our lives; it is the only priority, and it determines everything else we do and how we do it. In fact, it isn’t really a priority at all. It is simply everything. It causes all our priorities in life to be seen through the lens of the gospel.
Jesus either means everything or nothing to you.

2. Do you love God?

This one is difficult to answer. For many of us, God is just some abstract being who’s constantly telling us what not to do. There are few, if any personal elements and we find the idea of loving God to be a bit strange because, after all, how do you love God anyways? This question is tough, but if you truly love God, you have in your heart a desire to live in such a manner that it directs others towards Him. Your life for Christ extends beyond Sunday morning and into every day, hour, and moment. Your life ceases to be about your comfort, your security, your little world, and your own wellbeing. Your life is completely consumed by God, and your love for Him fuels your passion. It’s not about what you do; it’s about what you love. Because what you love will lead you to live your life for the object of your affection, whatever it is that you love. Do you hold the message of Jesus close to your heart? Do you understand that you have sinned and that Jesus has forgiven you? Is that all that really matters to you? Is your purpose in life to bring God glory?

Don’t sleep on this.

Turn off your computer. And sit in silence.