I had once been an atheist actor in the entertainment industry and my purpose in life had been defined by my resume. In 2004, Christ Jesus saved me from myself. I now preach GOD's Word and my purpose is found in dying to myself daily while living for others.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ ”
(Genesis 2:16-17) -ESV
Prosecution:
There exists four common objections to this specific Scripture:
If GOD is truly omnipresent (everywhere at all times) and omniscient (all-knowing), then why would GOD put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden if He knew Adam and Eve would sin while He was not around?
Even if GOD is truly omniscient and omnipresent, GOD cannot be truly omnibenevolent (all-good) because GOD didn’t care enough to prevent the serpent from tempting Adam and Eve and thus prevent them from falling into sin. If GOD is a good Father, He would protect His children, not banish them out of the garden for something He caused out from His own negligence.
Even if GOD is truly omnipresent, omniscient and omnibenevolent, GOD cannot be omnipotent (all-powerful) because GOD did not prevent the serpent from causing Adam and Eve to sin.
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and did not die as Scripture promised. That’s an obvious contradiction!
Cross-examination:
“The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins.”
(Proverbs 18:17) -NLT
Defense:
The skeptic is right to first call attention to the nature of GOD. For unless we understand who GOD is, we will never understand the reasoning behind anything in the Bible. Knowing that GOD’s thoughts and ways are far higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9), it is reasonable to expect that we will not understand everything. If your 3-pound, 15-centimeter brain could contain all knowledge about a god, then that god would be too small to be the real GOD. As it is, we don’t even possess all knowledge about the ocean within our own planet, much less the entire universe where our infinitesimal planet swirls about within our galaxy. So, do you truly expect to know everything about the one true GOD who created the entire universe? In the future, on the New Earth under the new heavens, when we meet Him face-to-face, I believe we will be given the wisdom to understand all that happened in the past; however, I do not believe we can presently know absolutely everything there is to know about GOD in this limited lifetime of learning during our process of sanctification. For this reason, it is written in 1Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
But with that said, GOD has given us information from revelation in the form of GOD’s Word to provide us with answers to difficult questions. Granted, the skeptics will not trust the information from the Bible unless the Bible can be shown to be reliable and accurate. The investigation will reveal that the Bible is actually not full of contradictions, only apparent contradictions that require explanations. But even when the Bible can be acknowledged as reliable and accurate, one still needs to know if the Bible should be taken literally. Only after coming to the conclusion that the Bible is not only reliable and accurate but that the Bible is also inspired by GOD, the revelation can be trusted and then understood with the help from the Holy Spirit who speaks Truth and reveals Truth (John 14:26; 15:26; 1Corinthians 2:10).
So, it is first important to understand who we are talking about – the Creator GOD and the Source of all that exists. Second, we need to understand what we are talking about – GOD’s perfect plan! GOD has not chosen to reveal every detail of His plan to us all at once (Exodus 6:2-3; Matthew 24:36; 25:13; Mark 4:41; John 16:12; Acts 1:7; 1Corinthians 13:12). We can only know what He chooses to reveal. And, since we are part of that plan, we are responsible to it, even if we do not fully understand it or agree with it at times. However, there are some things GOD has revealed to us:
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not a bad tree. Everything that GOD made – including the tree – was “good” (Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25). In fact, after creating Adam and Eve, creation was declared to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The origin of sin in this story came from the serpent, Adam, and Eve; the tree did not sin; the tree was good for the specific purpose for which it had been created.
Adam and Eve had every reason to trust GOD. The Creator did a good job creating them, and He placed them in a beautiful location where they had everything they needed. GOD was trustworthy, but Adam and Eve chose not to trust GOD.
Adam and Eve were created with freedom in mind. GOD places high value on our choice to obey Him, and He created Adam and Eve with freedom so that obedience would be possible. Life without freedom is not really life at all. GOD wisely gave them freedom, but Adam and Eve abused that freedom.
Adam and Eve were not ignorant of GOD’s boundaries. Just as wise teachers test their students on what they’ve learned and parents test their children with new responsibilities, GOD tested Adam and Eve in their obedience. However, GOD didn’t test them on what they didn’t know. They knew which tree was off limits, and they knew the consequences if they ate from it. The rules were plain, but they violated the rules anyway.
GOD provided for Adam and Eve. Before GOD told them not to eat of the tree, He told them they were “free to eat” of every other tree in the garden (Genesis 2:16). They were not in danger of starving, nor were they deprived of variety. They had an all-you-can-eat buffet in the garden, but Adam and Eve chose to place their focus on what they did not have rather than on what they did have.
The decision to sin opened the eyes of both Adam and Eve to the reality of evil. For the first time, they knew what it was to do evil, to feel shame, and to want to hide from GOD. Their sin of disobeying GOD brought corruption into their lives and into the world. Eating the fruit, as an act of disobedience against GOD, was what gave Adam and Eve the knowledge of evil – and the knowledge of their nakedness (Genesis 3:7-13).
Adam and Eve did die just as Scripture promised. The Fall was a separation which led to an eventual physical death of Adam and Eve. The physical death wasn’t immediate though the spiritual death was immediate. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
GOD’s perfect plan is much bigger than the original garden of Eden. His plan for His creation and His people did not end when Adam and Eve sinned. In fact, GOD’s plan from the very beginning was to redeem His people and His creation. The drama of the Fall and redemption could never have happened if the tree had not been in the garden. Indeed, GOD did know that Adam and Eve would sin and fall, but GOD’s plan was bigger than their sin.
Reasonable Response:
But why did GOD allow the sin? How could the permitting of the Fall be in alignment with the nature of the all-good, loving, and perfectly Holy GOD? From the first half of Romans 6:23, we know that the wages of sin is death; however, the other half of that verse provides the key to understanding why GOD permitted the Fall: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The response to the perceived problem of the forbidden fruit is as follows:
GOD is love (1John 4:8,16)
GOD created humans in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27) and thus created us out from love for the purpose to love (Matthew 22:36-40).
GOD desires for us to know Him and for us to have a loving relationship with Him (Matthew 6:33).
For a mutual loving relationship to exist, free will is absolutely necessary.
From GOD’s omniscience, He knew that free will would be absolutely necessary; therefore, He gave us the great gift of free will.
Because GOD is omnibenevolent, He gives us free will and permits the consequences that come from created beings who possess free will.
Through GOD’s omnipresence and omnipotence, He created miracles in order to release the Israelites from slavery, set them up as a free people, and instituted the commandments and sacrificial system in order to reveal the standards of Holy perfection that are impossible to keep through a fallen and sinful people.
GOD set up the sacrificial system so that He could become the willing ultimate sacrifice on our behalf to atone for our sins, doing what we could never do on our own. For this reason, it is written in John 3:16-17, “16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
Closing Statement:
Understanding that GOD is wisdom enables us to put everything into proper perspective in order to help us see that GOD foresaw the Fall from free will. The Father’s wise, good plan included sending the Son into the world that Adam and Eve ruined. Think about it: from eternity past, GOD ordained that Jesus would become the victim of His own plan (Revelation 5). For this reason, it is written in John 10:17-18, “17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
The Good News (the Gospel) is that He guaranteed our redemption by His sacrificial crucifixion and miraculous resurrection. GOD foresaw the separation and created in advance the relentless rescue operation to build the bridge of salvation for our redemption. That’s how much GOD loves us. GOD did for us what we could never do by our own efforts. GOD loves us so much that He allowed us the freedom to choose wrong so that He can help us to see what is right. GOD has allowed us to experience the Fall, evil, and pain and suffering so that we can be grateful for the life that is to come. This limited lifetime of learning through our process of sanctification will become our comparison for completeness in Christ. And when we’re finally with Him, Adam and Eve will probably be the first ones to tell you that GOD’s commands are for our good, not to restrict us. On this present earth, which is destined for destruction by fire (Psalm 97:3-5; Isaiah 64:1-2; Amos 9:5; Micah 1:4; Nahum 1:5-6; 2Peter 3:7,10,12), GOD is showing us that the best humans can have apart from Him is pain and suffering. We ruin everything and that’s why we need Him. And that should be more than enough reason to trust in GOD on the New Earth under the new heavens where only righteousness dwells (2Peter 3:13; Revelation 20:15; 21:3-8,27). Death is merely graduation into the real life. Where we end up will be our choice. And that’s why Hell is justified. GOD loves you so much that He is going to allow you to choose where you end up: Heaven or Hell. So, what will you choose? GOD’s desire is that you will choose blessing over curse, life over death, good over evil, and that you will repent and live (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 30:15-20; Ezekiel 18; Matthew 11:20; 12:41; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:3,5; Acts 2:38; 17:30).
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ”
(John 14:6) -ESV
GOD desires for all people to be saved (1Timothy 2:4; 2Peter 3:9; John 3:16-17). However,do you need to be saved?
If you would rather read this message, the words are provided below…
This is Part 11 of my Superhero series. In the introduction of this series, I provided the argument that heroes are real and then I distinguished between heroes and superheroes. I also provided a list of what defines a superhero. In Part 1, we learned that superheroes recognize the absolute standard of Good and realize that evil is a mere privation of what is good. In Part 2, we learned that superheroes recognize the absolute moral standard and realize that what is wrong can only be known by the standard of what is right. In Part 3, I defined and expounded upon love because all superheroes are full of love and are compelled to act out from love. In Part 4, I explained that superheroes desire to save people from all forms of danger and/or death and this desire comes from love. In Part 5, we learned that superheroes are solution seekers. In Part 6, we saw that solution seekers are willing to sacrifice if necessary. In Part 7, we saw that sacrificial love steps forward and offers service. In Part 8, we saw that superheroes go above and beyond the call of duty. In Part 9, we saw that superheroes never give up! In Part 10, we saw that superheroes don’t need recognition – they are motivated only by love!
In this message (Part 11), we will see that relationship matters and teamwork works!
When was the last time you felt a desire to be loved? We all possess an innate desire to be loved. You know this to be true from your own personal experiences, but it is also evident by humankind’s creations and entertainment choices. From books, to music, to movies, love is prominent and even dominant. Even in the hustle and bustle of New York, where busy businessmen buzz by the bystanders to get to the office buildings, love is showcased and seemingly celebrated in the form of a big 13-ft. high sculpture in Manhattan:
Granted, music, books, and movies often confuse love for lust; however, even when people confuse love for lust, love is still the ubiquitous message intended to connect with the audience. But because people often confuse love for lust, it is imperative that we know and understand the definition of love. If you need a reminder as to what defines love, refer back to chapter 3 in this Superhero series: “What Is Love?“
Humans possess an innate desire to be loved because we were all created by Love; GOD is love (1John 4:8,16). GOD – who is Love – created us out from love and for the purpose to love. But because GOD gave us the great gift of free will, relationship matters. In fact, GOD’s Word reveals to us that relationship is more important than religion (Isaiah 1:10-17; 58:6-12; Hosea 6:6; Zechariah 7:4-6; Micah 6:6-8). True religion is relationship with GOD and doing GOD’s will (Matthew 7:21; 12:50; 22:36-40; John 13:34-35; Romans 2:13; James 1:22-25; 1John 2:4). But we can’t do GOD’s will and have a relationship with GOD unless we know GOD (Matthew 16:13-17; John 8:19). Do you know GOD? We can know GOD by knowing GOD’s Word and spending time in prayer. Relationship matters.
GOD gave us the awesome opportunity to experience the greatness of love through relationships. We are not meant to live life alone. If you live life alone, you will end up like the character, Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks), in the 2000 movie, Cast Away, who spent his time talking to a volleyball!
In Genesis 2:18-24, GOD said that it was not good for man to be alone and so He created Eve. And Adam basically responded by saying, “Wow! A suitable companion! A perfect partner!”
Love matters because relationship simply isn’t possible without it. Relationship is a reflection of love and is necessary to showcase a covenant union. And because relationship matters, fellowship matters. All throughout the Bible, it is evident that people need relationship. Even Moses needed others. First and foremost, Moses needed GOD (Exodus 3:11-12). But he also needed Aaron’s strengths in order to help fill in the gaps of his own weaknesses (Exodus 4:10-16). And finally, we see that Moses needed others because he simply couldn’t do everything by himself (Exodus 17:8-13; 18:13-27).
Teamwork makes the dream work! Teamwork works! Consider sports. Boxing and wrestling are solo sports where teammates don’t exist. The upside to solo sports is the fact that you own every victory. The downside to solo sports is that the competitor is never allowed to have a bad day or else he/she loses; in a one-on-one fight, just one bad decision can cause a great upset and loss. The following video reveals some amazing comeback fights in MMA. Take notice that for the person who lost, it took mere seconds within one bad decision to feel the devastating consequences of that bad decision.
However, in sports such as football, soccer, hockey, baseball, and basketball, the individual can have a bad day and still end up winning the game because of the other teammates. In life, we need teammates to help carry us to victory if we ever have a bad day. Consider this example: In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Iron Man saved Spider-Man. Ponder on that. Yes – superheroes save other superheroes. Why? Because no superhero is perfect.
Now, examine the three images (above). What do these three images have in common? What message do these three images convey? Well, the Justice League – a fictional group of superheroes – is the altruistic ideal that was created from the same concept by which the historic Peloponnesian League was formed in ancient Greece: The purpose was mutual protection. Greater than the sum of their awe-inspiring parts, an alliance was formed to respond to threats too massive for any single hero. In fact, that’s why the Avengers formed! That’s why X-Men teamed up together! Consider the legendary Spartans who were known for their elite warriors. Each Spartan hoplite came together to form the phalanx; all Spartans came together to act as one Sparta. Leonidas – the leader of Sparta – wasn’t great alone. (He was a great warrior, but that does not make him great.) In fact, Sparta wasn’t able to be great alone and that’s why the Peloponnesian League formed. Think about it: many people consider Superman to be the greatest; however, even Superman chose to be a single link in a mighty chain called the Justice League.
Muhammad Ali is considered to be one of the greatest boxers in history. In fact, during his prime, Ali often proclaimed to both the contender and audience at large, “I am the greatest!” However, in 1981, Ali was forced to admit that he had been defeated and that his body simply could no longer perform as it once had been able to do in the past. Question: if someone is the greatest, how can that person be defeated? Truly, if you can be defeated (and I assure you that you can), then you’re not the greatest.
Therein lies the problem with riding solo: losing is inevitable. The wisdom found in Proverbs 6:6 tells us to consider the ant. Though that specific passage is about work ethic, comparing a person’s laziness to the ants’ diligence, the wisdom to consider the ant still applies for this message. Ants work as a team. Teamwork works! Consider the ant: in a flood, a bunch of ants were discovered floating because they linked together so as not to sink and drown; their unity kept them alive. Together, we can accomplish more than we can accomplish alone.
Christ Himself – who is the greatest – single-handedly defeated evil, conquered death and saved us! However, Jesus also showed us the importance of teamwork by forming the ‘Righteous League,’ which consisted of 12 unique disciples (and then expanded from there). Further, Jesus emphasized the importance of fellowship which highlighted humanity’s inability to live life alone. But then again, GOD made that evident when He created Eve for Adam (Genesis 2:18-24).
The Peloponnesian League remained in existence until the 360s when Corinth and other member states were obliged to quit and separate after Sparta’s defeat by Thebes. But why did the Peloponnesian League fail? The foundation was built on quicksand: Sparta only cared about itself; the alliance was superficial. In stark contrast, it is the selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus that is the ultimate standard by which we should all strive to reflect and connect with others. Christ is the Cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16-17; Ephesians 2:19-21), the foundation on which all creation firmly stands; all other ground is sinking sand.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
(Matthew 7:24-27) -ESV
Examine that comparison. Two different lives. They both build, they both hear, and they both experience the storm of life; however, only one is called wise and survived the storm. The difference is that the wise person took action after hearing Jesus’ words. The wise person lives according to the Word of GOD.
“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” (Romans 2:13) -ESV
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) -ESV
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) -ESV
The point I’m trying to make is that superheroes simply cannot be superheroes if they never take action. Spider-Man would not be a superhero if he knew he should save someone but didn’t do it (James 4:17). It doesn’t matter what you’re capable of doing if you refuse to take action. That’s called wasted potential. Possessing superpowers is useless unless you use them. What good would Superman be if he decided not to use his powers but decided instead to watch television all day? But as we’ve already learned, even an active solo superhero can lose the battle due to one bad decision. Let’s consider the active ants and join together as a team. Even the superhero Ant-Man teamed up with the Wasp. But even if we come together as a team, we need to take action. A phalanx doesn’t remain stationary, hiding behind their shields. An inactive phalanx is as intimidating and ineffective as a turtle that refuses to come out of its shell. A turtle may have a fairly good defense, but how long can its shell withstand the hammer’s blow before cracking under the consistent pressure? Love is active.
The Righteous League’s Leader (Jesus) became the servant and the sacrifice in order to insure the protection of everyone who seeks to be covered; and this is why He is the Savior. From servant, to sacrifice, to Savior, Jesus Christ is the greatest insurance policy you will ever be able to obtain. Nationwide Insurance might claim to be on your side (as their slogan suggests), but they are more like a leech that latches onto your side to suck your blood. Jesus isn’t on your side – He leads the way in front of you, clearing paths before you, yet He also completely covers you! Christ doesn’t take your blood, didn’t require your blood for sacrifice like Sparta demanded of its hoplites; instead, Jesus covered you with His own blood. The Righteous League is not a superficial alliance that easily separates! And why not? Because it is a bond linked together by agape love.
We (Christians) are the Righteous League! Rise in righteousness! Not as a self-righteous and self-proclaimed super saint who believes him/herself to be superior over others – no! In fact, we huddle together in humility, knowing we are saved by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9)! We are not an elite group who excludes others; rather, we invite everyone to join. It’s time to form our own phalanx; however, rather than creating a wall of physical shields that act as barriers and carrying dangerous spears that can take lives, let us hold up our shields of faith as our defense, stand firmly on the foundation of GOD’s Word, and outstretch our arms with love in order to combat evil and save lives. Get into formation! The movement is on the way! Peter instructed us to be sober-minded, alert, to keep watch, and resist the devil (1Peter 5:8-9); James also instructed us to resist the devil (James 4:7). Paul instructed us to put on the full armor of GOD (Ephesians 6:10-20). As a member of the Righteous League, I exhort you to heed the wise advice found in the Word:
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) -NLT
Superheroes desire to be loved as much as they love others and long for meaningful relationships. Spider-Man (Peter Parker) accepted love from Mary Jane Watson and Superman (Clark Kent) accepted love from Lois Lane. Because superheroes are motivated by love, they also long for love. But superheroes don’t just long for eros love, but also phileo love. Batman was a good fighter, but he teamed up with Robin; Iron Man was smart, but he still linked up with the Avengers; even Superman linked up with the Justice League!
As Christians, we should form a phileo phalanx of fellowship, uniting together, holding up the impenetrable shield of faith. We are the Righteous League! We are called to overcome evil by doing good (Romans 12:21). That means we are active! We are not turtles who hide in our shells! Turtles that hide in their shells don’t experience life and can’t help anyone. Christians are supposed to be active and more like the fearless Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! And just like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we are not meant to live life alone! Those found in isolation become victims of the predator who preys upon the lonely. Not only was that true in the 1990 movie of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where Raphael was targeted because he was alone, but it is also true in nature. Does not the lion hunt the isolated victim? The one who falls behind without covering is highly susceptible to attack.
Don’t allow the predator to prey upon you; instead, pray to GOD for strength and security found through fellowship. And if you need somebody to lean on, then lean on me. And then together, we will lean on the immovable Cornerstone of Christ.
If you would rather read this message, the words are provided below…
Objection: Is Killing Canaanites ‘Kosher’?
When we think about the horrors that occurred in places like Auschwitz, Rwanda, or Bosnia, it is difficult to understand how any human could command such abhorrent acts of evil or follow such evil orders. It is evident that evil is real. But can the existence and persistence of evil be explained? The perceived problem of pain and suffering prevents many people from believing in the GOD of the Bible as being holy, loving, and perfect. Many people compare modern genocide with the destruction of the Canaanites ordered by GOD in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:1-2; 20:16-17). How is the complete slaughter of Canaanite men, women, and children any different from the ethnic cleansing acts or terrorist attacks that occur today? It is true that humans are sinful and have the free will to perform evil acts, but how is it that the GOD who is perfect and loving could command mass murders? If GOD is love, His command to completely destroy the Canaanites needs to be explained as an act of love. But can this be done?
A Reasonable Response
The reason behind GOD’s orders for the destruction of certain groups can be made in the following bulletin points:
Out of GOD’s love, GOD created humans for the purpose of a loving relationship with Him (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8:5; Isaiah 43;7; Matthew 22:37-40; John 15:14-15; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11).
Sin always separates from GOD because Holiness and sinfulness never mix.
GOD’s Holy nature demands righteousness.
GOD’s love demands mercy.
GOD’s Law demands justice.
Humankind, while living in their fallen and sinful state, chose to persist in rebellion of the absolute standard.
GOD’s mercy allows the opportunity for repentance and restoration.
Certain groups of humankind refused to repent and allowed pride to puff them up, thus separating them from the Savior.
Though GOD is patient and merciful, justice must ultimately be served.
When judgment comes, it is to serve as an act of justice, which is the loving thing to do.
The Bible And Warfare
Because the conquest of the Canaanites is an act of warfare, we must first understand what the Bible teaches us regarding warfare before we can examine the specific order against the Canaanites. The Bible has much to say about war and the right of the state to use lethal force. The Old Testament is full of examples of GOD directing Israel to go to war against certain groups. Those were special occasions, but even long before Israel’s war campaigns, GOD specifically gave Noah and future governments the justified right to shed man’s blood as punishment for murder (Genesis 9:5-6). Ultimately, warfare in the name of GOD is justice for sinful rebellion with a greater purpose in mind in order to eliminate evil. Because this sensitive subject can easily be misconstrued, it needs to be expounded upon in order to bring clarification to an otherwise confusing command.
Many agnostics and atheists alike take GOD to court with the allegation that religion is the cause of most wars and that the Bible and history books alike affirm this claim. But is that really true? Is religion the cause of most wars? In fact, it is not. First, what do we mean by “most” wars? According to the dictionary, most means a majority. If that’s the case, religion would need to account for at least 51% of all wars. But the truth is that only about 7% of wars have been religious in nature. The truth is that most wars have been created due to secular humans who desired to play the role of GOD.
In New Testament times, the apostle Paul wrote that government has a GOD-ordained right and responsibility to protect its people and to punish evildoers (Romans 13:1-5). The examples of both Noah and Paul relate primarily to keeping the peace within a nation, but may have application for war between nations.
Jesus had the heart of a peacemaker. Although He was not speaking about foreign policy, He taught that people should love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). Christian pacifists take this to indicate that all wars are unjust and should be avoided. The New Testament has little to say about international conflict, perhaps because the world of Christ and the apostles was under Roman occupation at that time and there were no serious threats to the Roman Empire.
Christians should not blindly support their nation’s causes in war. Our kingdom is not of this world. When military action contradicts biblical commands or morals, the Christian should refuse to support war no matter the consequences. Conversely, when the government is in the right to wage war, as when it protects itself against aggressors or when it seeks to protect other nations from aggressors, Christians should support it. Unless of course, as a pacifist, you truly believe that we shouldn’t have gone to war against Hitler and the nazi regime. However, in all cases, Christians should take the lead in seeking peaceful resolution to conflict between nations if at all possible.
Jesus taught that we should turn the other cheek on personal matters. Now suppose that the United States had an official policy to always turn its cheek to evil and oppressive governments. A government that allowed its people to be persecuted and killed by invaders would be irresponsible and immoral. For evil to succeed, overcome, and conquer, people who desire good need only to do nothing.
It is arguably the case that a strong, able and available defense is the best option as an offense for keeping the peace since would-be aggressors will think twice before starting hostilities against nations who are able and available to resist and rise above. A parallel is found in a father’s responsibility to protect his family. If an intruder comes into his home, he is justified in using violence in order to protect his wife and children. But if the would-be intruder possesses foreknowledge that the father is armed and willing to defend his family, that home is less likely to be invaded. Just as we see in nature, evil typically preys upon the weak.
The overall message of the New Testament is one of peace – this is true. But in John 2:13-22, when Jesus made a whip, ran people out of the Temple, and overturned the tables, He basically told everyone, “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I will not tolerate evil in my Temple.” Even when war is justified, it should be fought in a just manner with a goal of achieving peace as well as making minimal impact on human life and the environment. When the nations of the world learn that another nation is suffering under a cruel, murderous dictator, world leaders must decide how best to stop the evil aggressions. Christians should encourage their leaders to seek peaceful solutions first, but in the event that such solutions are not possible, it seems biblically permissible to support a war whose aim is to put an end to evil.
Out With The Old And In With The New?
Some people find these Old Testament accounts of orders for warfare so disturbing that they reject them altogether. They say that the warfare stories are not accounts of the acts of GOD in history, but mere myths and legends. Does that mean we should apply the popular saying “out with the old, in with the new” to the Bible? Although it would certainly be convenient, doing so really wouldn’t make sense. For one thing, when we look closely at the New Testament, we find some passages (Revelation 6-8) that are just as bloody as the Old Testament warfare passages. Ultimately, either all Scripture is GOD-breathed or it isn’t. We cannot simply pick and choose the passages of Scripture we like and throw out the ones we don’t like. The Bible is not a buffet where you get to pick and choose only what you want. That would be both illogical and inconsistent.
People often say that the Bible is contradictory because the GOD of the Old Testament is violent and cruel while the GOD of the New Testament is loving and merciful. But the truth is that GOD’s character is consistent throughout the Bible and GOD does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Yes – GOD is love – we hear people emphasize His love all the time. And they should. After all, that’s true. But remember, GOD is also absolutely pure and holy, which means He cannot ignore sin. But many atheists argue that GOD’s order to destroy the Canaanites was a direct contradiction of His sixth commandment for the people not to murder. While it is true that the act would have been considered to be murder without GOD’s divine order, it was GOD’s divine order that made it lawful and therefore acceptable. Understandably so, many atheists will argue, “This is the problem with religion! Anything goes as long as some nutcase believes God told him to do it!”
The Problem Is Perspective
Because the story of our salvation through the Savior is told from Genesis to Revelation, we simply cannot separate the Old Testament from the New Testament. Like a covenant marriage, the two become one. If we try to understand the reasoning behind GOD’s order to destroy a certain group of people by magnifying the wrong area, the search team is going to come up empty handed in their investigative efforts. An investigative team needs to search the right area if they’re going to find the evidence for which they’re seeking. Also, even if one is magnifying something with meaning, that something of meaning can lose its meaning if you’re too close to consider the context. Think about it: If I were to put a penny under a microscope and have you look at the magnified image, you wouldn’t be able to tell me that what you’re looking at is a penny by simply examining a magnified image unless you had prior knowledge that you were looking at a penny. Sometimes we need to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Likewise, placing our focus solely on Deuteronomy 20:16-17 will not show us the entire picture. We need to zoom out so we can discover what area we truly need to magnify. Verse 18 even provides a good clue that we need to expand the area of our search.
The Bigger Picture
In order to understand GOD’s order to destroy a certain group of people, we must zoom out and view the bigger picture from an eternal perspective. The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). When GOD caused the great flood in Noah’s days, He did so in order to cleanse the land from a wicked people who chose to contaminate the land with evil (Genesis 6:11-13). The Canaanites’ evil deeds originated from Ham, who gave birth to Canaan, who was considered evil (Genesis 9:18-27). Just as it is true in our present day that the influence of sinful parents typically leads children to follow their pattern of behavior, the same was true in the past. A parent’s adultery, substance abuse, manipulation, or other dysfunctional behavior establishes a pattern that children typically model as they mature. The results can be a repetition of their parents’ emotional brokenness leading to conflict, divorce, poverty, or other conditions that make their children’s, and even their grandchildren’s, lives difficult. Like ripples spreading across a pool of calm water, our actions have consequences for generations to come. Perhaps that’s why the Bible imparts some wisdom to us that we should from the very beginning direct our children on the right path so that they will walk in righteousness in their adult lives (Proverbs 22:6). The sad reality documented in the Bible is that the Canaanites – who came under GOD’s judgement – were wicked and refused to abide by GOD’s absolute moral standard.
The Wickedness Of The Canaanites
To understand GOD’s order to destroy the Canaanites, we need only to examine their wickedness. A basic knowledge of Canaanite culture reveals its inherent moral wickedness. The Canaanites were a brutal, aggressive people who engaged in deviant sexual acts. Even more abhorrent, various Greek and Latin sources bear witness to Punic child sacrifice. They also attest to a great bronze statue of Kronos, in whose arms children were placed over a fire. Textual and archaeological discoveries align with the assertions in 2Kings 23:10 and Jeremiah 32:35 that children were sacrificed to Molech in Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom. The Canaanites’ sin was so repellent that GOD said, “The land vomited out its inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:24-28). Even so, the destruction was directed more at the Canaanites’ polytheistic religion than at the Canaanite people per se (Deuteronomy 7:3–5,12:2-3). The judgment was not ethnically motivated. Individual Canaanites – like Rahab in Jericho – discovered that mercy follows repentance (Joshua 2; Hebrews 11:31). Another example is the Canaanite woman of great faith found in Matthew 15:21-28.
Justice And Mercy
The slaughter of the Canaanites represented an unusual historical circumstance, not a regular means of behavior. And unlike Islam who uses conquest in order to convert people into their religion by force, the Israelites were not converting people to Judaism; rather, they were administering judgment, which was an act of justice. GOD demands just laws and just rulers. GOD’s desire is that the wicked turn from their sin rather than die (Ezekiel 18:31-32, 33:11). GOD literally pleaded with people to repent of their unjust ways that He might not judge them. When the Lord announced His intention to judge Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins, Abraham boldly asked GOD if He would destroy the righteous right along with the wicked. In Genesis 18:23-33, we see that GOD would spare a multitude of wicked people in order to save a few righteous people. But the Canaanites were wicked; consequently, justice was necessary.
Understandably so, many people question the reasoning behind GOD’s order to destroy the whole group of people, including ‘innocent’ children. First, everyone is born into sin and is a sinner (Psalm 51:5; 58:3); no one but GOD is good (Psalm 53:3; Romans 3:12; Mark 10:18); and all sinners deserve death (Romans 6:23). Second, if we believe – as I do – that GOD’s grace is extended to those who die in infancy or as small children, the death of these children was actually their salvation. The Kingdom of GOD belongs to such little ones (Matthew 18:1-10; Mark 10:13-16). Third, we should recognize that we are so invested into an earthly, naturalistic perspective that we forget that those who die are happy to quit this earth for Heaven’s incomparable joy. Therefore, GOD did not wrong these children for taking their earthly lives. The children merely received a ‘fast-pass’ into eternal joy. And finally, we need to remember that these children were spared from growing up in the evil-infested community of the corrupted Canaanite culture where they might not have made it beyond child sacrifice anyway. And even if they managed to escape being sacrificed as children, how many of them would have grown up with a false belief that they needed to seek revenge on the Israelites for killing their parents? They wouldn’t have known the true evil of their parents, only that their parents had been taken away from them.
The Moral Argument Boomerangs Back Against Atheism
It’s ironic that atheists often present evil to be a problem and then ask why GOD never prevents evil or stops it. Yet when GOD does put a stop to evil, atheists try to call GOD evil for putting a stop to evil. Why do so many atheists raise up the flag to call out the flagrant foul of a moral atrocity? In fact, the weapon they aim at GOD backfires on themselves. The claim that GOD should not have issued such a command to destroy ‘innocent’ children doesn’t falsify or undercut either of the two premises in the moral argument as defended:
If GOD does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.
In fact, insofar as the atheist thinks that GOD did something morally wrong in commanding the extermination of the Canaanites, he/she only affirms premise #2. The truth is that if an atheist is to live consistently with the naturalistic belief of survival of the fittest, the atheist should approve of and applaud any action taken in order to advance oneself – even if that means taking the life of someone else. But GOD did not do anything morally wrong. The truth is that GOD is the Creator of all life and He gives life and can take it away at will. GOD has the right to take the lives of the Canaanites if He sees fit to do so. How long they live and when they die is up to Him. In fact, no one actually dies – we all get moved from a temporary setting to an eternal destination of either Heaven or Hell. So, don’t allow yourself to flounder and fret over the so-called finality of death.
Specify What To Magnify
This argument that the prosecution brought against GOD began by magnifying the wrongness of destroying a certain group of people. The act of magnification wasn’t wrong; what the prosecuting people chose to magnify was wrong because they placed their focus on the wrong area of concern, which is the deaths of many Canaanite people. But how many of these prosecutors would also take the feminists and extreme liberals to court over their murders of babies via abortions? So, what I’ve done in this argument for the defense is zoom out from the wrong area of concern in order to see the bigger picture. And now that we can see the bigger picture, we’re going to zoom in and magnify the area that will reveal the truth and the reasoning behind GOD’s order. The truth we will see is sin and the reasoning for the response is justice.
In Genesis 15:13-21, Scripture reveals to us that GOD told Abraham what would happen before it ever happened. Some scholars hold that Moses, or a later editor of Genesis, is projecting knowledge of later history into the narrative in the guise of advance prophecy. The logic is that no one could possibly have known in Abram’s time that Israel would be in Egypt for 400 years and that they would be enslaved and oppressed for most of that period. Such a perspective is rooted in an anti-supernatural bias that flies in the face of the predictive biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled in amazing detail. And the Israelites’ 400 years of slavery is not the only prophecy that was fulfilled in the Bible. Prophecy is real because GOD is real and speaks to His people. The proof of prophecy is just one of the many pieces of evidence in the entire collection of evidence which reveals that Christianity is the most reasonable of all beliefs.
Ponder on this: GOD waited 400 years before judging the Canaanites because their wickedness had not reached the point of intolerability until then! This is the long-suffering GOD we know in the Hebrew Scriptures. GOD even allowed His own chosen people to languish in slavery for four centuries before determining that the Canaanites were ripe for judgement and calling His people forth from Egypt. Which, by the way, that means that GOD gave the Egyptians 400 years to let the Israelites go from slavery and to do what was right. But they didn’t; consequently, plagues came and then people who persisted in evil pursued after the Israelites and ended up drowning in their own sin. That loving and patient GOD matches the loving and patient GOD from the New Testament (1Timothy 2:4; 2Peter 3:9).
By the time of their destruction, the Canaanite culture was, in fact, saturated in sin and developed deeds from all that is demonic, embracing such practices as ritual prostitution and even child sacrifice. The Canaanites were to be destroyed so that they would not teach the Israelites to live according to all their abominable practices that they had done for their false gods (Deuteronomy 20:18). GOD had morally sufficient reasons for His judgement upon Canaan, and Israel was merely the instrument of His justice, just as centuries later GOD would use the pagan nations of Assyria and Babylon to judge Israel for their sins. Israel was not exempt from sinning simply because they were the chosen people of whom GOD would use in the ultimate plan of salvation.
The bottom line is that Israel had to be set apart as GOD’s chosen people in order to fulfill prophecies so that Jesus could save us from ourselves and unite Creator and creation once again in a loving relationship. From the beginning of this argument, the prosecuting people brought forth that if GOD is love, the command of destroying the Canaanites needs to be explained as an act of love. I have shown that GOD’s order was an act of love for three vital reasons:
GOD’s love demands mercy. Because GOD was loving, He waited 400 years to see if the Canaanites would repent so that they may be restored. But they did not repent; instead, they chose to rebel and live a life of sin, which included child sacrifice. For 400 years, GOD actively chose to be patient; 400 years of dedicated patience is an awesome act of love.
GOD’s Law demands justice. GOD cannot be loving unless He serves justice for what is evil. Because the Canaanites were evil, the judgment served was justice served, which was an act of love.
GOD’s judgment was loving because it was part of a bigger plan for Jesus to come through a chosen people in order to eliminate evil and redeem us from the Fall.
Conclusion:
In response to the question, “If GOD is love, why would GOD order the destruction of the Canaanites?”, the answer is as follows: “GOD ordered the destruction of the Canaanites because GOD is love. The destruction of the Canaanites was not an evil act ordered by an evil GOD; rather, it was an act of justice ordered by a loving GOD in order to eliminate evil.” The bigger picture from an eternal perspective reveals that GOD is less concerned with a current circumstance of a temporary physical condition because He is more concerned about saving souls. Because GOD is love (1John 4:8,16), there simply cannot be evil within Him.
“The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” (Psalm 92:15) -NIV
The Lord is:eternal (Genesis 21:33; Deuteronomy 32:40; 33:27; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 57:15; John 1:1; Romans 1:20); infinite (1Timothy 1:17); transcendent (1Kings 8:27; 2Chronicles 2:6; 6:18; Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33); Creator of all (Genesis 1); Holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1John 1:5; Revelation 4:8; 15:4); Love (John 3:16; 1John 4:8,16); Spirit (Genesis 1:2; John 4:24); Truth (1Samuel 15:29; John 14:6; Romans 3:4); the absolute moral standard (Deuteronomy 27:10; Micah 6:8); just (Acts 17:31; Revelation 20:12); the One and only GOD (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 42:8; 43:11; 44:6; 48:12; 1Corinthians 8:6; 1Timothy 2:5; Revelation 22:13); One essence and three distinct persons known asthe Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; 2Corinthians 13:14); the Father is GOD (Matthew 6:9,32; John 4:23; 5:45; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 15:6; 1Corinthians 8:6; 2Corinthians 1:3; Philippians 2:11; Hebrews 12:9; 2Peter 1:17); the Son is GOD (Isaiah 42:8; 44:6; John 1:1,14; 5:18; 8:19,58; 10:30; 14:7-11; 17:5; 1Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 5:5-6; 17:14; 19:13; 22:13,16-17); the Holy Spirit is GOD (Genesis 1:2; John 3:5-6; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:9-17,26-27; Titus 3:5-7); omniscient (1Kings 8:39; Psalm 139:1-4,15-16; Isaiah 46:10; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 9:4; 10:29-30; 12:25; Mark 2:6-8; Luke 6:8; John 1:47-48; 4:18; 11:11-15; Acts 1:24; 1Corinthians 2:10-11; 1John 3:20); omnipresent (Psalm 33:13-14; 139:7-12; Isaiah 57:15; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Colossians 1:17); omnipotent (Genesis 1; Exodus 7:10-14:31; 1Kings 17:14-24; 2Kings 4:2-7; Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:27; Daniel 2:21; 3:19-27; Matthew 8:1-4; 9:27-31; 17:24-27; Mark 4:35-41; 16:1-8; Luke 1:37; 9:10-17; John 6:16-21); and never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17).
Why is GOD love? Even though GOD knows all, is everywhere at the same time, and possesses all power to do anything, He is omnibenevolent — GOD is absolutely good (Psalm 106:1; 135:3; Nahum 1:7; Mark 10:18; John 3:16-17; Galatians 5:22; 2Thessalonians 1:11; Titus 3:4)! GOD is the great I AM (Exodus 3:14)!
When Jesus asks you, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20), what will be your response (Matthew 10:32-33)?
But is it reasonable to believe that a Creator GOD exists? The answer to that question can be found in my other article, “Does A Creator GOD Exist?“
If you prefer to read this message, I have provided the words below:
This is a message about forgiveness. And as stated in the hilarious 2005 movie, Just Friends, “forgiveness is more than saying sorry.”
But why is forgiveness more than saying sorry? Let’s investigate…
“The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.” (Proverbs 4:18) -MSG
The longer we live, the more we experience and the longer we practice living; therefore, the longer we live, the better at life we should be. GOD provides new and different ways for us to collect wisdom as we travel through our journey in life. Here’s some wisdom I have for you: you poop. (I know — insightful, right?) And you poop because your body has a filtering system: your body keeps the nutrients from the food you consume and it discards the rest. Your body rejects and tosses out what you don’t need; therefore, you poop. Just as our bodies have a filtering system for the food we eat, we are meant to live our lives with a filtering system for our minds that keeps the good and discards the bad. After many years of living and filtering, we will become as a safe with stored treasures within our minds. If we travel through life only keeping what is good and ridding of what is bad, we will be a collection of what is good at the end of our lives. Sadly, many people collect the bad and refuse to let go of it and end up as a jar full of poop.
Have you ever caught fireflies (lightning bugs) and put them in a jar? If you catch enough of them, that jar will turn into a lantern. We are like a jar that can either be filled with fireflies or poop. The jar is the Christian; the firefly is the good in life. The longer we live, the more fireflies (good) we collect and put in our jar, the brighter the light will shine! We then become a lantern of light that shines into the darkness of this world – we will then attract those who are lost in the darkness! The more we filter and the more good we store within us, the brighter we will shine!
However, we must never put the frog (the bad) in the jar with our good (the fireflies) – the frog will devour the light-bearing fireflies! The negative thoughts you keep inside of you will destroy the good; the bad corrupts, contaminates, and eliminates the good you desire to keep. Peace will not be possible so long as the frog is in the jar with the fireflies.
We must filter and discard the bad! A refusal to forgive someone will rot you from the inside-out and rob you of your peace and blessings. Do you have bitterness? Resentment? A desire for revenge? Anger? Those emotions are connected with a refusal to forgive. If you truly forgave someone, you wouldn’t harbor that bitterness or resentment within you. If you truly forgave someone, you wouldn’t possess a desire for revenge or wish for bad things to happen to that person. If you truly forgave someone, you wouldn’t celebrate due to that person’s downfall. If you truly forgave someone, your anger would have transformed into peace. If you truly forgave someone, your forgiveness would be revealed by your willingness to love that person. Is there anyone in your life whom you believe does not deserve forgiveness? You need to examine why you believe that person doesn’t deserve forgiveness.
Forgiveness. What’s it all about anyway? Well, forgive me, but it is my intention to take you out of your comfort zone…
Do you remember the rock star, Alice Cooper? The master of Shock Rock who was considered by many to be the ultimate showman? The Rolling Stone Album Guide once called Alice Cooper the world’s most “beloved heavy metal entertainer.” Well, the master of Shock Rock shocked many when he opened up in an interview in March of 2006:
“I used to celebrate moral decay, the decadence of it. I can look back on what I did then and what I’m doing now and they’re two different things. But at the time I was the poster boy for moral decay, you know. So yeah, I’ve got a lot to be forgiven for… Out of ignorance, I thought I was doing the right thing. I was totally in agreement that every guy should sleep with every girl and drink as much as they can. I don’t believe that now. I don’t believe in it, because I see how destructive it is.”
(Interview – KNAC.com)
Alice Cooper admitted that he needed to be forgiven. But who doesn’t need to be forgiven? Don’t we all need to be forgiven?
“There is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) -Voice
[see also: 1Kings 8: 46-50; Psalms 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:10]
What have you done and why do you need to be forgiven? I can think of many things I’ve done in my past that were evil. And by the way, if your actions aren’t done out of love, then they’re evil. Have you ever made a selfish decision? To be selfish is to be evil because GOD commanded us to be selfless and to love others. And to love others, we must place them above ourselves. Read the following Scriptures and ask yourself if you are in alignment with GOD’s Word: Matthew 16:24-26; 23:11-12; Mark 8:34-36; Luke 9:23-25; Romans 9:1-3; 1Corinthians 10:24; 2Corinthians 6:3; 12:15; 2Timothy 2:10.
Are you in alignment with what is written in GOD’s Word? How often do you place yourself before others and make decisions to serve yourself? The story in Matthew 18:21-35 should help us all to understand the importance of forgiveness:
“Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’
‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’
‘Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. [10,000 talents: a single talent was worth about 20 years worth of labor; about 2,000 lifespans.]
He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. But the man fell down before his master and begged him, “Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.”
Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. [100 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage. So, about 100 days of labor.]
He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. “Be patient with me, and I will pay it,” he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, “You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”
Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.’ ” (Matthew 18: 21-35) -NLT
When Jesus told us to forgive someone seventy times seven times, He did not instruct us to forgive someone 490 times but not on the 491st offense. If you were to count how many times you forgave someone — especially up to a number so high as 490 — one would almost certainly only be counting with intentions of being able to counter attack or walk away once incident #491 came about. Plus, why would we count how many times we have forgiven someone if we have truly forgiven that person? Would we allow that frog in our jar? Would we allow ourselves to be consumed with the details of our forgiveness and hang onto the heavy burden of weighty numbers?
The point Jesus was making is the same point He made when He instructed us to turn the other cheek, give someone our clothes, walk the second mile, give freely, and love our enemies (see Matthew 5:38-48). We are not to condemn someone for their sin(s) because we are not the Judge (see Luke 6:37-38). [Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t point out sin in someone’s life, it just means that we are not the ultimate Judge who should make the judgment as to whether someone is sentenced to Heaven or Hell.] The point of forgiving someone is to clean the slate, not to keep tallying up numbers on the slate. We are to go above and beyond in our love. Forgiveness isn’t a trade defined by special stipulations that would bring the act of forgiveness to be null and void if someone stumbled. Forgiveness is not quid pro quo; we do not forgive a person in order to receive what we perceive to be a right response that would please us. We are not to forgive someone in order to make that person act a certain way that pleases us.
Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Jesus forgave us even though He knew of the evil we would commit. With all the wrong that we have done in our lives, we have built up a debt that we can never repay; however, Jesus forgave us and cleared our entire debt!
Forgiveness is only possible with love. Is there someone in your life you believe does not deserve forgiveness? …If someone came to mind when I asked you that question, you need to let go and finally forgive. It’s time. From a spiritual standpoint, you are withholding GOD’s blessings for yourself because of your inability to forgive someone whom Jesus has already died for and forgiven. It’s wasted energy. Even if the person you’re thinking of is completely evil in your sight — perhaps a murderer? — your unwillingness to forgive is only placing a frog in your jar, devouring your peace and light, and causing you more pain.
Ponder on the person you have trouble forgiving. Why does this person desire to hurt you? Or does this person desire to hurt you at all? Is it possible that he/she does not have intentions to harm you, but that you get hurt because of miscommunication? But if this person does have malicious intent towards you, perhaps that person sees in you what he/she wishes that person could be. Perhaps that person is so wrecked and pained within that he/she lashes out. Some people have never learned the proper way to express emotions in a healthy manner. Whatever the case, it is easy to forgive someone when you place yourself in his/her shoes and realize that he/she hurts others because that person is hurt and broken inside his/herself.
As a believer and a follower of Christ Jesus, I find it easier to forgive someone once I realize he/she is lost and needs to be saved. Compassion overwhelms me and I understand that he/she needs love. I used to be an atheist and full of anger, sadness, and confusion. I used to mock Christians. I can tell you from experience that I had lashed out at others because I was broken and hurt inside. But I got saved at the beginning of 2004. Because I used to be the person who was capable of [intentionally] hurting others, I can relate and understand. I now find it somewhat easy to place myself in others’ shoes. Because I once needed forgiveness (even more than I do now), I understand the need to forgive others. And I’m not saying that I never need forgiveness now that I’ve been saved and am a Christian. I still need to be forgiven by others. I still make mistakes and I still have potential to hurt others; however, if I do hurt others, it is never intentional. But I still have moments where I need to be forgiven — especially for my thoughts. And when I have those moments, I make sure that I confess, I repent, ask for forgiveness, and then make a conscious effort to once again live my life aligned with GOD’s will.
But what if the person you have trouble forgiving isn’t an unbeliever and lost but is a fellow Christian who proclaims to be righteous? It is not your duty to change a person. If you love the person and forgive that person, you have done your part.
The person who hurts you needs an example of Christ in his/her life. The people who hurt you need love. But you can only be that example to that person if you forgive him/her. Unfortunately, it’s rather difficult to express love to someone whom you harbor bitterness or resentment towards. Through Christ who strengthens you, you can forgive that person. You can release yourself from that prison. Pray to GOD and ask for strength to forgive. Pray to GOD and ask for patience. Pray to GOD and ask for endurance so that you may forgive for as long as it takes. Praise GOD! All things are possible through Him who strengthens us! Release that anger/resentment/bitterness and allow GOD’s blessings to flood your life. A refusal to forgive is like a dam that holds back water, but the water is our blessings. Don’t hold back the blessings of GOD any longer! It’s time for forgiveness.
“Forgive other people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive the sins of other people, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6: 14-15) -NIRV
“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.” (Matthew 6: 14-15) -MSG
Do you have a frog in your jar? A frog in your jar will devour your light. Without the light, there is only darkness. With darkness comes pain, suffering, sadness, confusion, frustration, anxiety, stress, worry, doubt, fear, and hatred. And with all that, peace is simply not possible.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (1John 1:5-10) -NLT
Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison and hoping someone else will die. Forgiveness is unlocking a door and expecting to allow someone in only to discover that you are letting yourself out. Forgiveness is freedom; forgiveness produces life; forgiveness provides peace.
Out of all your past sins, which ones has GOD forgiven? The answer: all your sins have been forgiven. Jesus paid the price for you when He allowed Himself to be crucified on your behalf. Christians are the most forgiven people in the world; therefore, Christians should be the most forgiving people in the world. As Christians, we should forgive others’ transgressions more readily than the world would avenge them.
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13) -NLT
“Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.” (Matthew 6:12) -NCV
What would happen if GOD forgave you in exactly the same way you are forgiving others at this time?
Forgiveness is undeserved and cannot be earned. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is an act of the will. Forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgiving is an active process; it involves a conscious choice and a deliberate course of action. Forgiveness is not excusing the sin, accepting sin, or condoning sin in any way. Forgiveness says, “We both know that what you did was wrong and without excuse; however, I’m choosing to forgive you as GOD forgave me.”
Forgiveness may be described as a decision to make four promises:
I will not dwell on this incident.
I will not bring up in this incident again and use it against you.
I will not talk to others about this incident.
I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship from growing healthier.
When forgiving someone, do not merely say, “I forgive you.” Go on to describe the four promises that are packed into those three special words.
Remember: Forgiveness does not automatically release a wrongdoer from all the consequences of sin. Even Newton’s Third Law declares that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Choices create consequences. The ramifications of sin sometimes goes beyond the targeted person and affects others around the targeted person. If the sin is severe enough, it may cause a reaction from those who enforce the law. An example of this was seen in 2015 when the relatives of the Charleston Church shooting victims told the shooter, Dylann Roof, that they had forgiven him. Though the relatives had forgiven Dylann, it didn’t release him of the consequence of his sin. However, like the those family members of the shooting victims, you must do your part. In fact, Jesus commanded us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36). To forgive someone means to release him/her from liability to suffer punishment or penalty within your own heart. To forgive someone, we choose to absorb as much cost as possible. Forgiveness provides opportunity for growth and refuses to allow evil to win.
To forgive, we must renounce sinful attitudes and unrealistic expectations. Either consciously or unconsciously, many of us withhold forgiveness because we believe the offender must earn or deserve our forgiveness or because we want to punish the offender or make him/her suffer. We may also withhold forgiveness because we want a guarantee that such an offense will never occur again. These attitudes and expectations are utterly inconsistent with the command to forgive as GOD forgave us. Just as GOD demands no guarantee from us regarding our future conduct, we have no right to make such a demand of others. We have no right to let our fears of the future delay the forgiveness of today.
Consider the fact that the apostle Paul had once been addressed by the name of Saul and he lived his life persecuting Christians (Acts 8:1-3). In fact, he had been present while Stephen had been stoned to death and he approved of the execution (Acts 7:58; 8:1). But even Paul was forgiven and provided a new life through Christ Jesus (Acts 9:1-22). And Paul acknowledged the fact that he might have been the least deserving (1Corinthians 15:8-10). Is there someone you believe doesn’t deserve forgiveness? The truth is that none of us deserved to be forgiven; however, Jesus was so loving that He forgave us and died for us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
Assess your own contributions to the problem. Again, do your part. In some situations, your sins may have contributed to a conflict. Even if you did not start the dispute, your lack of understanding, careless words, impatience, or failure to respond in a loving manner may have aggravated the situation. We often take GOD’s forgiveness for granted while we stubbornly withhold our forgiveness from others. If you’re struggling with unforgiveness, take another look at the enormous debt for which GOD has forgiven you. Or do you not realize that your sins killed Christ?
Now, we are commanded to forgive, but how is one able to forgive? Put forgiveness into practice. Forgiveness requires reconciliation and replacement. Forgiveness is an event that knocks down a wall that stands between you and a person who has wronged you. Forgiveness is a process. After you demolish an obstruction, you usually have to clear away debris and do repair work. It takes time and requires effort. Reconciliation requires that you give a repentant person an opportunity to demonstrate repentance and regain your trust. Setbacks and disappointments are likely to occur, but mistakes are acceptable so long as continuous effort is put forth to rebuild. But keep in mind that if you are coasting, you’re probably going downhill. In other words, unless a deliberate effort is made to restore and strengthen a relationship, it will generally deteriorate.
We should pursue reconciliation on three different levels: our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We need to replace negative thoughts and memories with positive ones. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, pray about the positives. Pray the positives for the person you need to forgive. And when you pray the positives, speak them out loud so you say it with your lips and hear the positive words come out.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9) -NLT
And when talking to others about the person who offended you, make it a point to speak well of the person. As you verbally reaffirm your relationship and sincerely build up the other person, both of you should experience improved attitudes and feelings. And finally, put your actions where your words are. Loving actions can do much more than change your feelings; they can also communicate in unmistakable terms the reality of your forgiveness and your commitment to reconciliation. Be quick to demonstrate forgiveness with concrete actions.
“And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ ” (Luke 23:34) -ESV
Jesus prayed forgiveness for the very people who were murdering Him and ridiculing Him. Why? Because that’s love. Jesus said that those people didn’t know what they were doing. How is that possible? Obviously, they knew that they were crucifying Jesus. However, they believed they were accomplishing justice when they were actually acting out of sin and doing wrong. Is there anyone in your life who has ‘crucified’ you that you should be forgiving? What has GOD forgiven you for in the past? How serious are your opponent’s sins against you when compared with your sins against GOD? Read Matthew 18: 21-35 again. How does it apply to you?
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1Peter 4:8) -ESV
What does love look like? Love looks like a man wiping away your tears and forgiving you even after you left Him hanging on a cross for your sins.
There are two types of people I want to pray for and exhort to action:
Do you want to be forgiven? If you are full of guilt, regret, sorrow, or shame and want to be forgiven, I want to pray for you, pray with you, and commit myself to encourage you from now on. I also want to challenge you: If you desire forgiveness from someone, I urge you to meet with that individual in person (or via phone if over a great distance), confess your feelings and desire to be forgiven, and then ask the person to forgive you. And remember: your ultimate forgiveness isn’t based upon the person’s choice to forgive you — Christ has already forgiven the repentant person. Your duty is complete upon asking for forgiveness. The Holy Spirit will do the work of change in the other person.
Do you need to forgive someone? If you have a frog in your jar and you need the strength to open the lid and the courage to grab the frog and remove it from your jar, I want to pray for you, pray with you, and commit myself to walk this journey with you. I also want to challenge you: if you need to forgive someone, I urge you to meet up with that individual in person (or via phone if over a great distance) and confess the reasons why you desire to forgive that person. To do this, all you need to do is explain what happened and why you got hurt. The conversation is not to pile guilt on the other person, but to explain your pain. It’s as simple as that. And remember: the person you need to forgive does not need to accept your forgiveness for you to be able to release your frog. The person you need to forgive might not believe he/she needs to be forgiven and might reject your forgiveness. That’s not your problem. The Holy Spirit will deal with that person. You need only to release your frog. But keep in mind that forgiveness is only possible through love.
Please pray this prayer with sincerity: “Jesus, thank you for sacrificing Yourself on the cross and forgiving me. Your forgiveness covers all I have ever done and all I will ever do. You died for me; therefore, I will live for you and I will live for all others whom You died for as well. I repent of the evil ways that are not aligned with love and I commit myself to live a life of love from now on. For myself and others, I pray for the powerful miraculous healing of the heart as seen in Ezekiel 36:26-27. I forgive everyone who has ever hurt me and I give all of my bad burdens to You. For I know that if I hold a grudge, it will be I who will face The Judge. Thank you GOD for setting me free! I proclaim to live a life of love and righteousness from now on. Thank you, GOD, for all that You have done, all that You are now doing, and all that You are going to do. In the name of Jesus, by the power of GOD, I cast out any and all frogs of darkness that are currently in my lantern of light! I proclaim freedom from all bondage of past pain and declare a life of love, light, and peace! I will no longer allow negativity, pain, suffering, sadness, confusion, frustration, anxiety, stress, worry, doubt, fear, and hatred to control my thoughts and direct my actions! I will no longer allow the heavy burden of unforgiveness to weigh me down! I am free from the burden of unforgiveness! Amen.”
Quest For Truth 