Before You Go On the Attack
A classic strategy in times of warfare is to dehumanize the enemy. No sooner has a conflict broken out than the two sides begin to refer to one another as animals rather than men, as mere creatures rather than human beings. It is difficult to harm another person and abnormal to kill one. Our humanity naturally rebels against it. But the challenge becomes easier when the enemy soldier is an animal instead of a man. After all, it is human beings rather than animals who have particular rights and dignities.
Similarly, a classic strategy in times of church conflict or theological debate is to demean the person who believes what you do not. Even if you do not quite regard the other person as an animal, you can regard him as a heretic or an enemy of the faith, as something other than a Christian. If the strategy of military leaders is to make their soldiers regard the enemy as less than human, the strategy of many believers is to regard their theological enemies as less than Christian. After all, the Bible provides clear instructions about the love, respect, and honor we owe to our fellow Christians. We permit ourselves to circumvent such instructions when the other person is an apostate or unbeliever.
In times of conflict or debate among those who profess the Christian faith, it is crucial to relate to others rightly. It is crucial to bear in mind who this person is and how God calls us to relate to him.
We need to bear in mind that this person is a human being. He has been created by God in the image of God and deserves all the dignity that comes with this highest of honors. God made man a little lower than the angels but much higher than any other created being. Of man alone he said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” To man alone he gave the creation mandate and dominion over this earth. God regarded man as a special creature and one of special worth. Surely we ought to do the same.
And then we must also consider that this person is God’s child. Not only has he been created by God in the image of God, but he has been saved by Jesus Christ and is being re-created in his image. He was loved by God before the ages began, saved by God when Christ died for his sins, and indwelled by God when he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He has been adopted into God’s family and rightly considers God his Father. He is no longer under the dominion of Satan but is within the family of God—he is a precious child of our Heavenly Father.
That being the case, we need to also consider that this person is a brother. He is not a brother in a casual sense as if we are members of the same fan club or enthusiasts of the same hobby. He is a brother in a sense that is even more profound and longer-lasting than biology. We have the same Father and are therefore members of the same family—a family that has been called out of all humanity to be loved by God and to display the glory of God. The love, loyalty, and honor we owe to him is that of a brother to a brother.
And then we also need to consider that we will be in relationship with one another for all of eternity. The relationship we have now will continue past death and into endless life beyond. Of course it will be perfected and all will be reconciled and forgiven when we pass from earth to heaven. But there is a long and glorious future between us, a future in which we will live together forever, brothers who have been justified and glorified. God’s calling on all of us is to enact that relationship now, to begin to live on earth as if we were in heaven, to demonstrate heavenly virtues during our earthly lives.
And so in times of disagreement and times of debate, we must be careful to relate to one another in the ways God commands. We owe it to them and we owe it to Him to afford one another all the patience a human being deserves, all the dignity a child of God deserves, all the respect a brother deserves, and all the love deserved by a friend with whom we will spend all of eternity.
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A La Carte (November 12)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
On sale at Westminster Books this week is an excellent new daily devotional from Alistair Begg.
Brothers Indeed
I very much enjoyed this dispatch from afar.
The Middle Years
Melissa often makes me laugh. “The middle years, where any guess about my age is likely to be wrong one way or the other, depending on ridiculous things like how much water I’ve been drinking or how much I spent on my current anti-aging moisturizer.”
The Grief of Finite Joy
“Somehow my oldest child is a freshman in high school. As I’ve experienced those where-did-the-time-go emotions that come with such minor milestones, I’ve started to feel a deep, preemptive loss.”
Public Health After Christendom
This is quite an interesting look at how public health is likely to change in a post-Christian era. “It is my contention that public health should be recognized for what it has become, not what it set out to be.”
How to Spot a Personality Cult
Mark Hampton: “In the modern West the church has an issue with its public image. With the rise of digital media and heightened technophilia, the image we often present to the world is not Christ but ourselves. We build up mini-celebrities in Jesus’s name, calling for the world to follow along. At times, whether Jesus is actually glorified can become negligible.”
Should I Choose a Church for Its Pastor?
Mark Dever says that “if you are looking for a good church, the role of the preacher of God’s Word is the most important thing to consider. I don’t care how friendly you think the church members are. I don’t care how good you think the music is. Those things can change. But the congregation’s commitment to the centrality of the Word coming from the front, from the preacher, the one specially gifted by God and called to that ministry, is the most important thing you can look for in a church.”
Flashback: Four Categories to “Act the Miracle”
So much of the Christian life comes down to the matter of identity. At heart, who are we? Who or what has the right to define us? What is our deepest identity?Spiritual work is taxing work, and men are loath to do it. Praying, true praying, costs an outlay of serious attention and of time, which flesh and blood do not relish. —E.M. Bounds
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A La Carte (June 15)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
I had been quite a slow week for Kindle deals, but I did find at least one good one for today.
If “Representation” is the Issue, Where Are Pixar’s Religious Characters?
Now that’s an interesting question, isn’t it?
Tasteless Graceless Gervais
This is an interesting take on comedians like Ricky Gervais who mock things we find appalling. We should think seriously about allying too closely with “the enemy of my enemy.”
Free audiobook –The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M. Bounds from ONE Audiobooks
ONE Audiobooks is giving away a 2nd free Audiobook download to Challies readers! In The Possibilities of Prayer, E.M. Bounds encourages Christians to pray big and to pray often. Focusing on the unlimited power that comes from prayer, Bounds emphasizes the importance of continuous and sincere prayer. ONE offers great everyday pricing on Christian audiobooks and access to a FREE audiobook each month. (Sponsored Link)
The Unforgivable Sin
I get more questions about the unforgivable sin than just about any other topic. Reformation21 has a helpful take on it.
When You’re Afraid to Take Communion
“I am embarrassed to admit this, but for many years I was hesitant and sometimes outright afraid to take communion. But I thought sharing my experience might help some who have wrestled with the same thing. If you’ve never had troubles with this issue yourself, you might know someone who does.” Barbara is not alone.
Fragments
“Fragments of divided hearts scatter. In the winds of social media. Bits and pieces of pride. Rebellion. Hate. Anger. And the very avenues that can draw people together, turn and twist. Break trust. Splinter relationships.”
Brands Taking Stands
Chris Martin writes about “The Current Thing” and all the companies rushing to take a stand on it.
Flashback: 10 Sure Marks of Humility
A sinful, arrogant person is too high to stoop down to take a reproof, but a godly person loves and honors the one who reproves him.There is more grandeur in five minutes of self-renunciation than in a whole lifetime of self-interest and self-seeking. —J.R. Miller
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A La Carte (January 20)
I am off to Houston today for the Truth in Love Conference. I look forward to meeting some of you there!
Those on the lookout for new Kindle deals will find a few today.
The Church of England Takes a “Third Way” on Gay Marriage
Carl Trueman: “The solution is, of course, no real solution. Fine distinctions—particularly fine distinctions that attempt to soften the opposition between the contemporary cultural consensus on gay marriage and Christianity’s understanding of the same—are unlikely to be sustainable for any extended period of time.”
Kiss the Son, But Not Like Judas
“When we understand the worth, glory, and authority of the Son of God, the notions of submission and allegiance to him are reasonable in every way. He’s King of kings, Lord of lords. The Son’s identity is what makes Judas’s kiss so outrageous.”
The Gospel Coalition Conference 2023
Join us September 25—27, Indianapolis, IN. With worship led by Sydney, Australia’s CityAlight and keynote speakers including John Piper, David Platt, Andrew Wilson, and many more, we’ll explore the theme, Hope in the Wilderness: Encouragement for Pilgrims from the Book of Exodus. Find out more about our theme, full lineup and breakouts. (Sponsored Link)
When Your Job Feels Meaningless
Reagan Rose has quite a lengthy on what to do when your job feels meaningless.
Do Those Who Never Hear of Christ Actually Go to Hell?
“When Beth and I served overseas, we would be met with vacant expressions by a few who were stunned that we actually believed in a God who would send people to Hell. If this topic was unpopular 40 years ago, it is more so today.”
The Old Testament sacrifices teach us a great deal
This article considers what we may miss by not actually seeing sacrifices.
Flashback: We Prophesy Grief, Not Grace
The future we imagine, and the future we begin to feel, is far more often bleak than lush, far more often painful than promising. The fantasies we conjure are of harm, not help, of sorrow, not support.Satan is a lion (1 Pet. 5:8). Jesus is a lion (Rev. 5:5). One is on a leash. The other is on the throne. —Matt Smethurst
