Guilty Anyone?

 

Guilty, Anyone?

Guilt-inducing racism is being employed as a political tool, imposed on the schools, teaching children that they are collectively and individually responsible for racism by virtue of their skin color.

Written by Peter Jones | Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | The Aquila Report

Here is a last word. A worldview without forgiveness, such as the worldview of CRT, offers no hope. There is no vision of a world in which this sin is defeated or redeemed, much less one in which the guilty are forgiven and restored. But the great message the gospel brings to the world and serves as a reminder to the church is this: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20).

How easy it is for us to feel guilty and to make others feel guilty. The damning accusation of racism divides both the culture and the church because it is one of the most deeply felt indictments one could hear. Such an indictment creates guilt and shame in the accused, yet it is deeply subjective. Anyone trying to know whether someone else, or even oneself, is racist is making a subjective evaluation, which is, therefore, inevitably divisive. Has a racist offense been given or taken? Is it systemic? Is it the result of personal insecurity? Was it intended? Did it stem from hatred? It would seem that on this subject there will always be dissention, especially since the current ideology is now using such subjective assumptions politically, promising to produce national and societal unity. Such an approach, I daresay, will never attain unity. On the contrary; it stirs up dissent and bitterness.

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The Race of Faith - Free E-book by R.C. Sproul

Today, millions of people around the world are watching the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. As the world’s greatest athletes compete and contend, Ligonier is taking this opportunity to raise critical questions: What is the most important goal you’re striving for in life? Is it truly worth pursuing? Dr. R.C. Sproul wrote The Race of Faith to help readers address these questions directly. Download this free ebook today to probe into the most important race of our lives: the race of faith. Dr. Sproul uses the Apostles’ Creed as a framework to present a simple summary of the gospel of Jesus Christ and emphasizes the importance of one goal—focusing on what is true and eternal. Competition will be on everyone’s mind during the Tokyo Games, and The Race of Faith is available in Japanese for the first time. This ebook is also available in English and nine other languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Farsi, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Combined, these languages are spoken by more than 4.8 billion people. Download this free resource and start reading it today. We also encourage you to share it with friends and family around the world so they may encounter the good news of salvation and be called to focus on the race that matters most. Point them to Ligonier.org/TheRaceOfFaith on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

Irreducible Complexity

by Dr. Lisle | Apr 9, 2021 | Biology, Origins

Evolutionists may argue that all these systems evolved from simpler versions.  But even the simplest system of its kind must have something like a heart to move the blood, blood to be moved, plasma to make the blood mobile, and some way of exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen from the environment.  Each system requires at least a basic version of the others in order to function.  So which part evolved first?  None.  Each is useless by itself.   Which part evolved last?  None.  Without all these parts the organism dies. (Continue...)

God's Work in God's Way

The following is an excerpt from a chapter in the book No Little People, by Francis Schaffer.

There is no source of power for God’s people—for preaching or teaching or anything else—except Christ Himself. Apart from Christ, anything which seems to be spiritual power is actually the power of the flesh. Luke’s record of Jesus’ pre-ascension statements has exactly the same emphasis: “But ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The force of the Greek is, “ye shall receive power; then ye shall be witnesses.” A specific order is involved: after having the Holy Spirit come upon them, the disciples were to witness. Though we today are immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ as Savior, being indwelt is not the same as having the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples had to wait to receive the Spirit at Pentecost. Christians today are to follow the same order: to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation and to know something of the reality of the power of Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit—and then to work and witness. The order cannot be reversed. There are to be many “fillings.” Doing the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way is not a matter of being saved and then simply working hard. After Jesus ascended, the disciples waited quietly in prayer for the coming of His Spirit. Their first motion was not toward activism—Christ has risen, now let us be busy. Though they looked at the world with Christ’s compassion, they obeyed His clear command to wait before they witnessed. If we who are Christians and therefore indwelt by the Spirit are to preach to our generation with tongues of fire, we also must have something more than an activism which men can easily duplicate. We must know something of the power of the Holy Spirit. (Schaeffer, Francis A., No Little People, pp. 64-65, Crossway) 

What It Means to be In the World But Not Of It

What It Means to be In the World But Not Of It

The words are simple in themselves but it still seems hard for any Christians to understand how their daily lives should be “in the world but not of it.” They have heard the phrase so often and on face value it seems simple. But how does it apply in practice? Many seem genuinely confused by the constant dilemma between engaging with the world and fleeing from it. They have a calling to follow in this world in which they can glorify God and this means they cannot retreat from life. They need to be distinctively salt and light. Although the words are simple it is difficult and so some want to limit its impact. They try to reinterpret it or define only specific things as “of the world.” The phrase belongs to Christ and in using it He shows us we have to imitate Him in applying it (John 17:14). Let us find out how.

Much could be and needs to be said about how to apply this truth but first of all we need  to have a better grasp of its meaning. We need to have a deeper sense of the spiritual principle being revealed in these words before we start putting them into practice. There is an attitude here that we need to embrace before we can start thinking about what it means in the details of life. Anthony Burgess helps us understand what this phrase means in the following updated extract.

Victimhood is Not the Answer

Everyone faces hardship of one kind or another. Victimhood does not promote anything. It is destructive. It keeps people focused on finding fault and blaming others. We can look at the glass half-empty or half-full. Many people have taken advantage of living in a free society and yes, they have faced many hardships, but they have not been deterred and have not focused blame on those of another race, or made other excuses. They got to work, they persevered, they found a way and they succeeded. We live in a sinful world in which people do not love one another as they ought to. Change hearts and you'll change ways people treat each other. Jesus Christ is the answer. Turn to Him, believe in Him and you'll be forgiven. Your heart will be changed, you'll become a new creation, and you'll become part of the body of Christ, in which there is neither Jew or Gentile, male or female, black or white. Then, out of love, you will begin to think of the needs of others ahead of yourself. You will live a life of meaning and purpose, for the glory of God. Jesus is the answer. Do you know Him? Oh, and there will be a final exam, called the "day of judgment." "For we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Better examine and judge ourselves and stop judging and blaming others. Humble yourself, turn from your sin, trust in Jesus Christ and then you'll be a blessing to everyone around you, especially as you share the good news of the gospel. Jesus alone is our peace.

The Second Helvitic Confession - Of the Providence of God

ALL THINGS ARE GOVERNED BY THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD. We believe that all things in heaven and on earth, and in all creatures, are preserved and governed by the providence of this wise, eternal and almighty God. For David testifies and says: "The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down upon the heavens and the earth?" (Ps. 113:4 ff.). Again: "Thou searchest out...all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether" (Ps. 139:3). Paul also testifies and declares: "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28), and "from him and through him and to him are all things" (Rom. 11:36). "The Lord said, 'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will' " (Matt. 10:29). By speaking thus he wanted to show that what men regard as of least value is governed by God's omnipotence. For he who is the truth says that the birds of the air are fed by him and lilies of the field are clothed by him; he also says that the hairs of our head are numbered (Matt. 6:26 ff.). Nevertheless, we do not spurn as useless the means by which divine providence works, but we teach that we are to adapt ourselves to them in so far as they are recommended to us in the Word of God. For God, who has appointed to everything its end, has ordained the beginning and the means by which it reaches its goal.