Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Scratching the Surface of the Psalms - 53


Kopp Disclosure

(John 3:19-21)

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Scratching the Surface of the Psalms

#53

“Religion and Politics Don’t Mix”

          You’ve heard it before.

          Religion and politics don’t mix.

          I don’t know about that.

          Pero I know Jesus says people who follow Him as Lord and Savior are the good leaven that mixes in everywhere with everyone about everything to make it all better by bringing His grace, mercy, and forgiveness wrapped in agape to anyone at anytime anywhere.

          People who say Christians should not get involved in politics or talk about politics in church don’t know the heart of Jesus and betray their Biblical ignorance.

          People who lionize or demonize 44 or 45 like pathetic idolaters that God has chided because no one is pure and perfect in every way and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and everyone needs Jesus as Lord and Savior by grace through faith to make up for their frailties, foibles, failures, and fallenness don’t know the heart of Jesus and betray their Biblical ignorance.

          People who are willing to enable America to accelerate its distancing from God in government, courtrooms, classrooms, commerce, entertainment, media, and all of the rest don’t know the heart of Jesus and betray Biblical ignorance.

          Psalm 53 comes to mind.

          Bringing Psalms 2 and 14 back to mind, Psalm 53 repeats the intellectual stupidity of denying the existence of God and, ergo, not governing life in faith and obedience to God as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament.

          David begins, “Morons say ‘God doesn’t exist’ and they act like it…They are self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic, lining their own pockets, and don’t really care for God’s people because they don’t really care about the God that they deny…Too bad there are so many of them that make things so bad for everybody else by mixing in to make it worse.”

          David reveals the heart of God about the atheism in mind that generates behaviors without God in mind: “God sticks His head out of heaven, looks around for someone not stupid but smart enough to seek Him and finds so many who have turned against Him that His anger grows…God will not let them get away with it…He will reject them sooner or later…Night more like a nightmare is coming soon for them.”

          Fortunately, reminding us of remnant theology and the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 18 confirmed throughout the Bible, David repeats humanity’s ray of hope: “God turns life around for those who turn to Him…God restores people who want to be unchained to the world and free to be His in all things at all times in all places with all people.”

          Recently, I was asked après a preface, “You have a lot to say about a lot of things.  Do you think God favors Democrats or Republicans?”

          With Will and Ariel Durant’s conclusion about the life span of empires in mind not to mention Biblical eschatology along with the Abrahamic covenant and contextual verities of retribution only survived by the remnant that are not always obviated by grace through faith in Jesus, it’s an important interrogative.

          The interrogative is integral to how people coming from a Judeo-Christian heritage and continuing devotion will vote in 2020.

          Well, I don’t believe God is double-minded.

          God has gone to extremes to reveal His mind in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament.

          Our double-mindedness about ethics born of Biblical theology betrays the darkly depraved instinct to create God in humanity’s image; assuming the Bible is not bigger than our favorite parts.

          Anyone who actually reads the Bible knows it is clear, conclusive, and compelling to holy, holy, holy communion on all matters of belief and behavior.

          O.K., there are some gray areas; pero not as many as pretended to enable belief and behavior antithetical to Biblical revelation.

          O.K., the Bible allows for exceptions to the rules; yet exceptions to the rules are called exceptions to the rules because they occur so infrequently that they are exceptions to the rules which means it’s prudent to play by the rules while acknowledging exceptions.

          Having said that, while I may be wrong, I believe it will be clear who God favors in 2020.

          Just look at the platforms and “principles” propagandized by the two major political parties in America and compare them to the compellingly conclusive clarity of the Bible when it comes to life, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, voting rights for felons, reparations, green deals, family, marriage, borders, Constitution, socialism, taxes, welfare, warfare, weed, and everything else.

          Though no one is pure and perfect in every way which is why Jesus came to save sinners by grace through faith, I am convinced scrutiny of the Democrats and Republicans juxtaposed to the Bible will betray affinities, affections, and allegiances to God by the book or somebody/something else.

          That’s why it’s so silly for people who say they are part of America’s Judeo-Christian heritage to approach issues and challenges before thinking, studying, reflecting, consulting, and praying about them through their Biblical filter.

          Candidly, starting with the Bible before addressing issues and challenges will provide the compellingly conclusive clarity that could save the republic and model Someone better for the rest of the planet and be the antidote for its thanatos libido.

          Let me put it another way through the eyes of someone (moi) living in the ghetto of one part of America’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

          When we are faced with an issue or challenge on the corner of Lincoln and Main in Belvidere, Illinois, we have learned to begin deliberations with this simple confessional approach/commitment: “While we may be wrong, this is what we think according to our understanding of Jesus, Holy Scripture, and common sense.  If you can show us how we are wrong by Jesus, Holy Scripture, and common sense, we will recant, repent, and ask for your forgiveness.  Buuuuuuut if you cannot expose our error by Jesus, Holy Scripture, and common sense, we’re not really interested in your opinions unrelated to our Biblical, confessional, constitutional, historical, traditional, and common sense faith.”

          So, yes, I believe it is possible to see, more than less with compellingly conclusive clarity, which political parties are favored by God.

          Of course, once digested, we have to decide if God as revealed through our Judeo-Christian heritage founded upon and filtered through the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament is more persuasive at the polls than our navel-gazing idolatries and auto-suggestions that are often only coincidental to our pretended theology.

          So I’ve been thinking about suggesting a Sunday School class for all churches still committed to Jesus by the book to assess the platforms and “principles” of the Democrats and Republicans and all of their candidates for all offices juxtaposed to the Bible and seek that compellingly conclusive clarity before casting votes.

          I believe that is the only Christian thing to do.

          Unless convinced otherwise by Jesus, Holy Scripture, and common sense, I believe that is the only Christian thing to do.

          When we act like there is a sovereign (Father), saving (Jesus), and sustaining (Holy Spirit) God, it shows we believe there is a God and we are determined devotionally to embrace, esteem, and herald Him as God.

          If enough remnant churches do that, maybe the republic can be saved.

          Moretheless, God will smile on the faithful and that’s all that matters in the end.

Blessings and Love!


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Wake up! Look up! Stand up! Speak up! Act up for Jesus!

Shatter the sound of silence!

Salt! Shine! Leavenate!



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