Beginning With the House of God

The Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage has generated passionate responses from millions of Americans, ranging from exuberance to rage and from exaltation to panic. There is much to be said about the ruling, and there are many possible directions the conversation could and should take. What I hope to share is not intended to invalidate or belittle the many contributions that have already been put forth. I do, however, feel that this is an important contribution to the dialogue, and that the perspective I am sharing is crucially important for the Church. This is not a political commentary concerning the Constitutionality of the ruling, or a denunciation of the society in which we live. It is rather a call to the Church, delivering a message that I believe is from the heart of God.

            One of the most common themes I witnessed on social media was the belief that this ruling would bring God’s severe judgment upon America. While I am not debating that the embracing of sin brings God’s judgment upon individuals and nations, I feel that the aforementioned declarations are in need of refinement.  Many of the voices warning of coming judgment, due to the ruling, pointed to Romans chapter 1 to support their claims. A closer look at Romans 1, however, reveals something different than the message many were sharing. Rather than saying that God’s judgment came because of the sin of homosexuality, it actually says that God’s giving men over to their lusts, and specifically to homosexuality, was itself part of the judgment of God. Look briefly at Romans 1:25-27:

25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. (NIV)

Rather than this ruling being the act that results in God’s rightful judgment on America, I believe that we see in Romans a more likely revelation that we are already under judgment, and God is simply giving us over to our own lusts and darkness. How can one look objectively at our society, and even at many of our churches, and not see how the description is fitting, that “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator”? Judgment is not coming. We, as a nation, are already under judgment.

            It is important to remember two things at this point. First, though we are under judgment, God’s long-suffering grace is still sheltering us from the fullness of His rightful wrath for the moment. Second, God’s righteous judgments are meant as correcting rebukes that lead us to repentance. There is yet hope, and this hope lies at the heart of the message that I feel God has for His Church. If we exert all our energy castigating sinners and society, we will completely miss the true heart of God and His intent in this moment. God’s word to His Church, in this season, is found in 1 Peter 4:17, “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (NIV). The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthian 5:12 and 13, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked person from among you.” (NIV). Likewise we see in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV). We cannot expect those who have not been saved and liberated from sin, by the atoning work of Christ’s salvation, to live in freedom from sin or to even want to do so. It is not our place to sit in judgment upon the world, it is our place to sit in judgment upon the Church and to be a light to the world. This does not mean we are not to declare the truth of God’s law or that we are to cease to expose and warn of the dangers and sinfulness of sin. Nor does it mean that we are not to use wise discernment to know the true from the false, and to look to the fruits of men’s lives as evidence of their salvation. Those are tasks to which our Lord commands us. Removing our voice and witness from the conversation would be a grave error and a sinful desertion of those whom are perishing in their sin. We should heed the warning God gave to Ezekiel:

18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:18-19 NIV)

            It does mean, however, that rather than placing ourselves upon a pedestal and condemning the world while ignoring our own sin, we need to look closely at ourselves, repent when we need to, and dedicate ourselves to a lifestyle of genuine Christian character. As I said, it is unfair to expect those in bondage to sin to live up to God’s holy standard—it is, in fact, impossible for them to do so. Rather, our duty is to hold those within the Church, who have been saved and set free by the atoning work of Christ, accountable to walk according to those standards and to strive to uphold them ourselves. The most reprehensible part of the Church condemning the world for living like the world is that the Church itself is so often indistinguishable from the world. In terms Jesus once used, the salt of the earth has lost its saltiness and we have hidden our light under a bushel. It is time, now, for judgment to begin in the house of God. It is time for His people, who are called by His name, to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, turn from our wicked ways that He might hear from Heaven and heal our land. God is calling us to be purified in both our theology—thinking about God—and our spiritual practice—right living before God. We need to allow God to purify us from any resemblance to the conditions found in Romans 1:25, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (NIV).

It is imperative that we do not exchange the truth about God for a lie. This requires believers to search the Scripture and draw closer to God, so that we might see Him as He truly is, as opposed to the image we want Him to be. Romans 1 makes reference to idolatry in this context. Idolatry is not just worshipping a false god or desiring something more than God. Idolatry is also worshipping an image of God that is a false representation. When Moses was on Mt. Sinai and the Israelites worshipped the golden calf, they were not claiming to worship another god. Aaron said, “This is the God which led us out of Egypt.” The Israelites did not try to find another god, they tried to create their own image of the God who saved them, but it was not His true image. We need to examine our beliefs about God to determine whether they fit within His self-revelation given to us, or if we have simply tried to mold Him into an image we are more comfortable with. We also must study His word to learn His ways and what He expects from us. As Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20 NIV). God is calling us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and to set our hearts upon Him and His ways.

The second part of the condition, from Romans 1, was worshipping and serving created things rather than the creator. This form of idolatry is evinced when we place our own desires above His desires in the way we live our lives. It is practiced when we choose to be the lords of our own lives rather than submitting our lives wholly to His lordship, and when we allow any earthly thing or person to be more important to us than our love of and obedience to God. It is also subtly evident in popular theology that focuses primarily upon the self rather than God, and primarily upon receiving blessing rather than upon serving, adoring, and exalting the One who blesses. Rather than creating sacrificial servants, it fosters a desire to receive and multiply personal gain. It removes, or ignores, the emphasis of discipleship that is the irreplaceable core of Christianity. Dealing with this condition entails the need to live righteously, serving the Creator rather than our own whims.

            Allow me to give some application in light of the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. As important as it is to not compromise the truth or celebrate sin—as many churches are doing by abandoning God’s teachings on homosexuality—it is even more important for us to set the standard by modeling successful marriages and relationships. The hard truth is that same-sex marriage is not responsible for destroying the sanctity of marriage; that sanctity is already broken. Same-sex marriage may be taking our nation even further down the path of violating its sanctity, but the sanctity of marriage has been crumbling for decades. The sins of divorce, adultery, pre-marital sex, and having children out of wed-lock long ago shattered any illusion of sanctity in modern marriage, and a large portion of those of us in the Church are every bit as guilty as the world. If we are to regain any credibility in the discussion on marriage, we need to clean our own house first. We have often exerted enormous amounts of energy verbally testifying, when what we are ultimately called to do is to be a living testimony. Our lives and our relationships should demonstrate the holiness, happiness, goodness, peace, love, and righteousness of God’s kingdom. Christians are called to be a kingdom of priests, called out of the world to stand apart and be a beacon in the darkness. As my friend Jeff Boyer added to these thoughts, “A beacon draws to it those who are lost in darkness. There must be something attractive about the beacon, something worth coming to. If the beacon is no different than the darkness, it is no beacon at all. Why would those in darkness be drawn to something that is no different than where they are already?”

            It is time for judgment to begin with God’s household. True revival is not God pouring out His spirit to bring sinners into the Church. It is the work of His spirit reawakening the Church and bringing it back to life, resulting in a vibrant living faith that then draws in the lost. The first step to revival as described in 2 Chronicles 7 is for His people to humble themselves. We do this by acknowledging when we are in a backslidden state and falling upon His transforming mercy. Before we can influence or change society we must first be changed ourselves.

            One final word, which needs to be added, is that the heart of our message must always be love. Those who are entangled in sin may not always be able to see or acknowledge the love we have for them when we must speak a hard truth that they despise, but our hearts must be pure before God and motivated by genuine compassion. Love is concerned with the well-being of the one loved. We take our stand, not because we are angry at sinners, but because we want for them to be free and come to know the love of God that saved us when we ourselves were sinners. We know the painful consequences that come as a result of sin and we long to help them avoid that pain. Love does not give false hope or remain silent when we see our loved ones in danger. It is unwavering in its message concerning sin and the means of salvation. Yet, we must also remain humble in the knowledge that it is only by God’s grace that we are not in bondage to the same sin. Because we have discernment, we confront sin and share God’s revealed standards of divine judgment, as well as the promise of His atoning gift, that all might be saved. We do not, however, demean those in sin, or try to condemn them to Hell without hope; rather we speak the truth in order to bring conviction of sin that might lead to repentance and salvation. We must be ruled by and model true godly love that might not look like the idea of love held by much of society, but it is a higher and deeper love with the power to transform lives.

Fixing Bad Theology: Romans 4 and the Cult of “Calling”

     If you have spent any time around Charismatics, or tuned into Christian TV, you have likely encountered some form of encouragement to “stir up your faith and call those things which are not as though they are”. This is a very popular sentiment these days, and this verse (Romans 4:17) is a favorite among “faith” oriented believers. There is one tiny problem, however. The Bible never once tells believers that they have the power to call those things which are not as though they are. In fact, the only person that Scripture ever claims has this ability is God. The second problem is that, it not only attributes to man that which is only attributable to God, it completely ignores the entire context and meaning of the passage being quoted.

          

     If you ask most of the people quoting “call those things which are not as though they are” what the rest of that verse says, you are likely to be answered by a vacant stare and dumbfounded silence. At least that is the response I usually get. I don’t want to just walk into your computer, kick over a sacred cow, and waltz back out again, so let’s take a look at  Romans 4 and see whether the verse gives believers the power to create what they want through their faith and spoken words, or if perhaps the passage says something totally different. A simple look at the rest of verse 17, and verse 16 preceding it, should be sufficient. 

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. (Romans 4:16-17 NIV).

            The overarching context of Romans 4 is justification by faith, just in case that isn’t clear from the opening statement "the promise comes by faith". The specific promise discussed here is not a Cadillac, financial prosperity, or even divine healing. It is the promise of salvation and a covenant relationship with God. In light of this context there are really only two plausible meanings for our controversial passage. 

            One might argue that the text refers to God calling all those who would be heirs of Abraham, either by descent or by faith. This interpretation would lean heavily on the fact that it is God’s promise to Abraham to make him a father of many nations. At the time of the promise those nations did not exist, yet God called them as though they were, and indeed He brought them into being in faithfulness to His promise to Abraham. In other words, God calling into being things that were not refers to His calling into being all those who would be Abraham’s heirs, nationally or spiritually. This argument has merit and is defensible based upon the text. I would argue however that there is a better interpretation which takes into account, not only the literal details of these two verses, but coincides with the rhetorical argument which Paul has been building up to this point. 

            Paul did not need to convince Jews that they were heirs of Abraham’s covenant, or that God had called their nation into being in faithfulness to that covenant. The Jews had known that for millennia. Paul’s purpose in this portion of Romans is to address the new reality that the gentiles have been grafted into the covenant on account of their faith. See again Paul’s assertion, “not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.” (v. 16). The argument Paul is making is that, in grafting the gentiles into the covenant, God called into the covenant those who were not formerly a part of the covenant. He gave life to the dead (spiritually) and called those who were not as though they were. 

            So while it might be nice to call the new car I want into existence, by speaking it thus with my creative faith, this text at least, does not give me the scriptural standing to be able to claim such power.  This passage testifies to a much greater miracle. That the holy and omnipotent God, who has the power to call those things which are not as though they are, chose to extend His grace and call us into His covenant and justify us through faith. Or as Paul reiterates later, quoting Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” (Romans 9:25). Unless you are a member of the triune Godhead bringing lost people into covenant relationship with you, you do not get to call those things which are not as though they are based upon your faith in reading Romans 4. 

            This is an important distinction for a couple of reasons. First, it is important because it is the Word of God, and we should always attempt to read and interpret it faithfully. Second, it is important because some people are having their faith wrecked when they are told, by preachers, that if they have faith they can do this and then it doesn’t work. Instead of realizing the preacher they trusted had simply mislead them, they think something must be wrong with them, or else they figure that faith just doesn’t work and they walk away from the whole Christian thing altogether. Finally, it is important because this false teaching skirts the edge of blasphemy, and as it is preached on some occasions, dives completely in. Though we are made in God’s image, we are not God. We need to be careful when we start to claim for ourselves those things which rightfully belong to God alone. There are at least two things which scripture tells us God is incredibly jealous over. His covenant people, and His glory. If you don’t believe me, ask Herod. “And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:23). That’s even in the New Testament, folks. Let’s not steal glory from God and attempt to claim for ourselves what belongs to Him alone. We are called to be like Him in His character and holiness, not in his power and majesty. He may move powerfully and miraculously through us, according to His sovereign will, but let us never abandon the humility of knowing we are merely vessels through which God may move if He so chooses.