Perhaps the secret of living a holy life is to avoid every thing which will displease God and grieve the Spirit, and to be strictly attentive to the means of grace.
- Adoniram Judson
The blessings and distractions, temptations and deceptions of modern life have had the cumulative effect of both inverting morality in a single generation while all but supplanting Biblical Christianity with Churchianity.
Part and parcel of the new normal is an escalation of profanity, in not only the obtusely crude and worldly sense, but an even more problematic and subtle spiritual variety. Biblically, profanity is simply treating the holy as common.
The 1960's sexual revolution washed over the First World like a tsunami that never receded. The release of such flood waters, combined with a fifty year rain of temptation, has daily grown to the point of turning every aspect of society into a "Water World" of immorality.
Such a stormy reversal of millennia of gains by Christianity could only be accomplished under the veil of a dramatic decrease in the salt and light being offered by modern Christianity.
- “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16 MSG
- “Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principal of evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way is disputed. The night is given us to take breath, to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the strength which has been given us, to go forth to work with it till the evening."
- “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Wherever the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that one point.”
- “Take with me your share of hardship [passing through the difficulties which you are called to endure], like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service gets entangled in the [ordinary business] affairs of civilian life; [he avoids them] so that he may please the one who enlisted him to serve. And if anyone competes as an athlete [in competitive games], he is not crowned [with the wreath of victory] unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer [who labors to produce crops] ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Think over the things I am saying [grasp their application], for the Lord will grant you insight and understanding in everything.” 2 Timothy 2:3-7 AMP
- “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” Ephesians 6:10-18 MSG
The fallout from the pitfalls described above, not to mention the inconceivable impact of such sins as abortion have had on the church, including the the sacraments of prayer and worship, communion and even salvation are nothing short of devastating. Yet rather than following the Bibles command to repent (halt, about face, march) with brokenness and humility, our generation has responded by writing and performing the most inappropriately intimate songs in human history! Yet who can deny that from David Wilkerson’s crying Ichabod (God’s glory has departed) over the downward spiral of contemporary Christian entertainment and worship styles in the late 1980’s, our culture and lifestyles, both inside and outside the church, have taken a nose dive.
Given such circumstances, combined with imminent and immanent judgment against all but ubiquitous levels of apathy and worse, some unpleasant albeit necessary truths seem apparent.
Divine Executions
Under such a backdrop and more, a myriad of subtle forms of spiritual profanity are flourishing with too few the wiser. Within Christian fellowships these generally revolve around over inflated declarations of love for and service to God. Yet it’s self evident that actions speak louder than words. Thus to continually overestimate our commitment level to the claims of Christ designed to lead to whole life sanctification and radical discipleship is dangerously disingenuous. A critical concern easily demonstrated by passages from both the Old and then New Testaments.
1. Aaron’s sons: During the Exodus, God’s glory and presence was powerfully present among His people. So much so Egypt, perhaps then the preeminent military and socioeconomic, political and religious power on Earth, was brought to it’s knees. After which Israel destroyed all who opposed them with hardly a scratch. Nevertheless, before the miraculously delivered nation would enter the promised land, because of disobedience nearly every adult having escaped the slavery of Egypt would perish. Either by God’s hand or during forty years of wondering the wilderness:
- “Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God’s fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God’s wonder and grace didn’t seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased. The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did—“First the people partied, then they threw a dance.” We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day! We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them. These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 MSG
During Exodus’ deliverance of the God’s people, one of the first and most striking summary executions was that of Aaron the high priest’s own sons for improvising with the worship formula:
“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: “Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ Aaron remained silent.” Leviticus 10:1-3 NIV
2. Uzzah and the Ark: In his joy and zeal in returning the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, the warrior and king, psalmist and prophet David also found treating the sacred too commonly a deadly mistake. Rather than transporting the standard of God’s presence on the shoulders of a single clan of Levites as prescribed, he chose another way:
“David mustered the pick of the troops of Israel—thirty divisions of them. Together with his soldiers, David headed for Baalah to recover the Chest of God, which was called by the Name God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who was enthroned over the pair of angels on the Chest. They placed the Chest of God on a brand-new oxcart and removed it from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were driving the new cart loaded with the Chest of God, Ahio in the lead and Uzzah alongside the Chest. David and the whole company of Israel were in the parade, singing at the top of their lungs and playing mandolins, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Chest of God. God blazed in anger against Uzzah and struck him hard because he had profaned the Chest. Uzzah died on the spot, right alongside the Chest. Then David got angry because of God’s deadly outburst against Uzzah. That place is still called Perez Uzzah (The-Explosion-Against-Uzzah). David became fearful of God that day and said, “This Chest is too hot to handle. How can I ever get it back to the City of David?” He refused to take the Chest of God a step farther. Instead, David removed it off the road and to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.” 2 Samuel 6:1-11 MSG
3. Ananias and Sapphira: Observant students of Scripture appreciate the quantum nature of the interplay between Old and New Testaments. As St. Augustine observed, “The new is in the old concealed; the old in the new revealed.” Exemplifying this reciprocity, the New Testament continues warning against presumption, if not profanity; i.e. treating the holy as common.
For millions dismissing Old Testament warnings as those referenced above, the Book of Acts offers what may be an even more disturbing account. On the heals of the birth of the Church at Pentecost, incredible miracles primed the pump for equally unusual acts of generosity:
“While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence. The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need. Joseph, called by the apostles “Barnabas” (which means “Son of Comfort”), a Levite born in Cyprus, sold a field that he owned, brought the money, and made an offering of it to the apostles.” Acts 4:31-37 MSG
“But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it. Peter said, “Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn’t lie to men but to God. Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him. Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, “Tell me, were you given this price for your field?” “Yes,” she said, “that price.” Peter responded, “What’s going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you’re next.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.” Acts 5:1-10 MSG
The shocking nature of this story may best be illustrated by how differently contemporary Christianity might handle the same scenario. Having served as a charismatic pastor and familiar with clergy of various denominations, a modern day rendition of this event would clearly unfold far differently. First, were today’s leaders spiritually sensitive enough to discern and concern themselves with Ananias' duplicity, the conversation would certainly follow along more merciful lines: “Ananias, I sense that you may have actually sold the land for more than you’re saying. If so, I want you to know that your generosity is greatly needed and appreciated. I’d also like to assure you that over reporting is completely unnecessary. The fact that you feel the need to do so suggests underlying issues of low self esteem. I’d like to set up an appointment for you and Sapphira to meet with a Christian counselor to work through any self worth issues you may be suffering from. Before I do, let’s take a moment to confess this mistake and ask the Lord’s forgiveness, confident that ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Afterward let’s take a few minutes and pray through some great verses describing God’s unconditional loving acceptance for you and your family. As well as His wonderful future plans for your lives and ministry!”
Far from heresy or hyperbole, the above re-write is exactly the kind of response one would and should expect from modern Christian leadership. Clergy or otherwise. The question is why such a horrific disconnect between 1st and 21st century style and outcome? Those expert in artful doctrinal apologetics, not to be confused with authentic Biblical exegesis, might suggest we enjoy a dispensation of grace the likes of which Ananias and Sapphira were not privy. Other’s maintain that in such cases the power and demonstration of the Spirit, so prevalent in the apostolic age, demanded greater obedience.
Yet, what if just the opposite of these lines of reasoning proves closer to the truth? Based on a myriad of passages, not the least of which being Christ’s already referenced warning, “Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater” it may be we, rather than the infant church of the Book of Acts, who are actually accountable to greater scrutiny. If not condemnation. A reasonable case can be made that hundreds of millions of well meaning Christians each week repeat a from of Ananias and Sapphira’s costly error by declaring their complete devotion to God, while holding back a substantial portion of their hearts, minds and wills.
Entangled in worldly habits and besetting sins, we sing and speak as if enjoying unfettered relationship with God. Done well, this produces feelings of warmth and fellowship, to the point of at least temporarily convincing ourselves. Yet all the while, hundreds of millions of believers remain all but prayerless and Biblically illiterate, worldly and disinterested in the vital interests of the Kingdom of God.
4. Paul and Communion: Another New Testament passage highlighting the crucial need for honesty and reverence can be found in conjunction with the all important act of communion. Here Paul joins with Jesus and His apostles in pointing out the virtue of godly fear among believers. The word fear is used over 400 times throughout Scripture, including more than 100 times in New Testament.
Given so many references, we do well to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as Paul recommends, rather than presuming and suffering the consequences. Good advice for all Christian endeavors, up to and including participating in the most intimate of sacraments:
“Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.” 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 MSG
“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.” 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 MSG
Paul reinforces the fact that our presumption grieves God to the point of either hindering the genuine gifts of the Spirit, including that of miraculous healing or worse, actively moving God’s hand against His own as demonstrate in the previous passages.
Unpleasant Truths
Most understandably find the above passages extreme and such exegesis unnecessarily severe. What is not immediately obvious to many is that, as offered undiluted in Scripture, the principals and governance of kindness and severity of the Kingdom of God are so at odds with worldliness and earthly wisdom as to be all but antithetical. The burden of Christian leadership is not to dismiss such tenants nor coddle believers, but to correctly interpret and exemplify the wisdom from above. Unfortunately with cheep grace and seeker friendly pop doctrines all the rage, those capable and will to do so are few and far between. A problem identified as far back as the 1800’s by such notables as Søren Kierkegaard:
- “The matter is quite simple. The bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.”
- “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:45-51 NIV
- “The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1 MSG
- “Not many [of you] should become teachers (self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].” James 3:1 AMPC
- “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” James 4:4-5 NIV
- “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.” Hebrews 12:14-17 NIV
Here the author of Hebrews draws from the Old Testament, bringing forward a cautionary tale. Why? Clearly the birth line of Christ was long since established. The question the begs asking is to who and of what is the Holy Spirit warning?
As already demonstrated, both real and supposed Christian leaders are under the greatest scrutiny. So this and all warnings are clearly directed to them. And of what are they warned? That there are lines of sexual immorality and/or godlessness (worldliness) that once crossed cannot be uncrossed. This is not necessarily to say that the vast majority of sins cannot be forgiven, but rather that once committed, any place of honor within the Kingdom is forever forfeit.
One important example is sexual sin among leadership. The entire tenor of Scripture, including Hebrews and the 4 major passages previously commented on, is anathema to profaning or treating the holy as common. Certainly this includes the Holy Spirit’s holy calling of and to the ministry. Yet thousands if not millions of leaders and teaches guilty of committed fornication have done just that. Then, making matters worse, rather than recognizing the seriousness of their crime(s) against the Kingdom, with or without counseling and repentance, they continue in leadership. Yet this passage in Hebrews is chosen and crafted to make the very point that, “Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”
The Kingdom principal is obvious. Much like the law enforcement slogan “use a gun and your done” so too all Christian teachers engaging in this kind of behavior should immediately and forever renounce their commissions and never again hold or aspire to leadership positions. While they may well be forgiven and restored to the body of Christ, where they may and in fact must serve, they may never again lead.
May God quickly open our eyes to the epidemic of confusing presumption with faith to the point of mistakenly assuming salvation. Often going so far as to teach and believe such erroneous doctrines as unconditional love and eternal security. Doctrines producing lifestyles that if unchecked may well metastasize into the kind of modern day profanity that growing up will “cause trouble and defile many.”
More information
In the Red Dropdown Icon you'll find resources that we hope will both stimulate and facilitate your pursuit of and understanding of the God of the Bible. To get started simply place your cursor on a category of interest and see where it leads. You can also join the discussion in a variety of ways including posting comments to God Blogs as well as making comments or asking questions by email or text.
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved