Principle vs Preference

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Michael Carpenter

What is really important? What things do you consider to be a big deal? Have you ever considered these questions? We all have principles that we believe are worth fighting for. We all have people in our lives we stand up for. But when do I cross the line from being principled to being someone who is just plain difficult to deal with? In other words, do I have the wisdom to know the difference between principle and preference? Am I standing on what I know to be vital truth or have I elevated something dear to me higher than it deserves? Knowing when to fight and knowing when to yield requires discernment, and having discernment is critical to healthy relationships.

Learning discernment starts early. Most of us can probably remember instances from our childhood where one of our parents or a teacher told us, “You can’t always have things your way.” Not only is this teaching discernment, but, more importantly, it is teaching the child that they are not the boss of anyone else. As I grew I had those experiences where I demanded my own way simply because that is what I wanted. Those experiences never ended well. More discernment learned.

As a husband I’ve found that knowing the difference between principle and preference removes a lot of stress from our marriage. I was raised to turn off lights when you leave a room and close whatever you open (door, drawer, etc.). Evidently my wife was not brought up with those things emphasized. Early in our marriage seeing a light on in an empty room or an open drawer in the kitchen would cause my blood pressure to climb. Eventually, though, I had to ask myself, “What exactly is the big deal?” In other words, what is the principle that is at stake here? I could not find a principle. All those things were simply my preference. Now, I can argue some practical reasons why lights should be off and drawers and doors closed, but are those reasons principles? I found that it is best in our marriage to consider it my wife’s job to turn on lights and open things, and it is my job to turn off lights and close things. So much stress eliminated. I am not saying that I could not remind her to turn off the light when leaving a room. What I am saying is I needed to remind her gently and not stress over it.

The same thing applies to parenting. You begin to discern when a child’s behavior is disobedience or childishness. You learn you have to pick your battles. We found our principle of parenting to be more concerned with our children’s character than with their feelings. So if a particular behavior or attitude does not reflect good character (that is, it is direct disobedience), it is good for our children to feel bad. Also, this meant we were not concerned with building self-esteem, but we were concerned that they might not think more highly of themselves than they should (Romans 12:3) or be wise in their own eyes (Proverbs 3:7). Is a spilled drink childishness or disobedience? It could be either. Is hairstyle a principle? Rarely. Some of the battles you pick with one child may be different from the battles you pick with another child. Again, it requires discernment.

We need to be able to distinguish between principle and preference when we are in our workplace or the supermarket. We need to do this anytime we interact with others. This especially applies to the body of Christ. In Romans 14:1 Paul says not to quarrel over opinions. What he shows in this chapter is I may have a principle that others in the body do not have. I can hold tightly to my principle, and I can defend my principle, but I cannot force others to adopt my principle. Let me be clear, I am not saying the truth of God’s Word is up for debate. Remember Paul said in Ephesians 4:5 there is one faith, and Jude tells us to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). What I am saying is there are matters over which one member of the body will deem important and another member of the body will not. We need discernment to know which matters are vital and which are not vital. (See Article IV – Core Versus Secondary Beliefs of the Constitution of Reformation Christian Fellowship for a more in-depth discussion.)

All discernment must be based on the truth of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. In the second chapter of 1 Kings, King David dies and his son Solomon is eventually established as king over the nation of Israel. In verse 5 of the next chapter God appears to Solomon in a dream and commands Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon asks for wisdom so that he may be able to discern good and evil. This request pleased the Lord.

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. (1 Kings 3:10-12 ESV)

Also, Proverbs 14:8 (ESV) says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.” The NIV translates the first part of that verse in this way, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways.” In other words, what makes one prudent is the wisdom to discern what is right and live by what is right. The way of a fool may seem right at first but it winds up being a lie (see Proverbs 14:12). In the New Testament Paul says to renew your mind so you can discern what pleases the Lord.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)

Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8b-10 ESV)

We must immerse ourselves in the Word of God. As the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews Chapter 5

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV)

As we grow in the Word may we not only grow in the ability to distinguish between good and evil, but also grow in the ability to distinguish principle from preference.

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Steadfast Love

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Michael Carpenter

I was recently at a service where Psalm 136 was read responsively. This psalm calls on worshipers to praise God for who he is, praise him for his great works of creation, and praise him for what he has done on behalf of his people Israel. There are 26 verses and each verse ends with the refrain for his steadfast love endures forever. Over and over the phrase for his steadfast love endures forever was repeated. My first thought was how repetitive. I think we have got the idea. Of course that kind of thinking comes from my sinful self-centeredness. We like to think God just can’t help but love us since he so loving and we are loveable. We are not amazed by the love of God because we do not understand the holiness of God. (There are those who tend to think that God could not love us because he is so holy but they seem to be a rare find.) Clearly, I wasn’t really thinking about what was being said. Later I began to think over this simple refrain and was truly humbled.

I thought about each word. The refrain begins with the word for. This indicates that this refrain is a response to what has just been said about God. Next, we have the word his which shows we are saying something about God. What do we say about God? What do we hear others say about God? Do my words about God inspire worship of God? The words that hit me the hardest are steadfast love. Steadfast is a wonderful word. The dictionary defines this word as “firmly fixed in place (immovable)” or “not subject to change.” Is this how we think of God’s love towards us? I know many times I have not thought of God’s love towards me as steadfast. If I’m doing good he loves me more, if I’m doing bad he loves me less. This is not the case. God’s love is based on his character, not my attitudes or behavior. What the writer of Psalm 136 realized was that God had done mighty works and delivered his people, not because his people deserved it, but because his love towards his people was unchanging. The psalmist even mentions God’s common grace towards all people (verse 25) and follows this with for his steadfast love endures forever. Love in this life surely does not look steadfast with people claiming they fall in and out of love. This is where we have to correct our understanding of love. As long as we think of love as a feeling then we cannot even fathom how God’s love is steadfast. Finally, this steadfast love endures forever. It would seem that if something is steadfast it does not change and therefore must endure forever. If that is the case why mention how long God’s steadfast love will endure? One reason is we use the term steadfast in a temporal sense. For example, a husband that is committed to his wife until the death of either spouse is considered to be steadfast in his commitment to his wife. However, this commitment does not endure forever. Nothing in this earthly life endures forever. Everything is temporary. Also, the words endures forever are praising God for his faithfulness to his people. This contrasts with our unfaithfulness. God’s love is not separated from his whole being, which includes his faithfulness and his holiness. God throughout history has acted to demonstrate his commitment to his people, but his ultimate act of love for his people was sending his son Jesus to die on the cross. As Paul says in Romans chapter 5

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 ESV)

Not only did God show great love by sending Jesus to die for us, this love is steadfast love that will endure forever.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:9-10 ESV)

Jesus is faithfully interceding for his unfaithful people, you and me, at the right hand of the Father. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Paul’s words at the end of Romans chapter 8 are another way of saying the steadfast love of God endures forever.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)

This great God who is the God of gods and Lord of lords, who does great wonders, who made all that is, shows steadfast love to his people and will do so for all eternity. Oh that I may never tire in this life of saying his steadfast love endures forever for we will say this for time unending with joyful and thankful hearts. Read Psalm 136 and rejoice in the steadfast love of our God.

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A God by Any Other Name? (Part 2)

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Steve Simkins

In the last Postcard (http://postcardsoftruth.com/god-name-part-1/) we covered the major difference between Christianity and Islam with regard to God’s nature and character. In this week’s Postcard, we pick up the remaining two major differences between Christianity and Islam: the identity and deity of Jesus Christ, and soteriology (the study of salvation).

Identity and Deity of Jesus Christ. To the Muslim, Jesus is merely one of the many prophets of Allah (Sura 4:171; 5:74). According to Islam, the prophet Muhammad supersedes Jesus Christ. Yet, according to the Qur’an, Jesus did miracles (Sura 3:49; 5:110) but Muhammad did not (Sura 13:8; 6:37; 6:109; 17:59; 17:90-93). Jesus was sinless (Sura 3:46), but Muhammad sinned and needed forgiveness (Sura 40:55; 42:5; 47:19; 48:2). Jesus was called “the Messiah” and was even born of a virgin (Sura 3:45-57), yet remarkably He is not the Son of God or a part of the Trinity (Sura 5:17; 5:116, 19:35)! Most Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was taken bodily into heaven without having died (Sura 4:157), yet Sura 199:33 says He died and would be resurrected. (1)  With all of this inconsistency in the Qur’an, it is comforting to know that the Bible delivers the same message. The Reformation Christian Fellowship Statement of Faith presents Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, being fully divine who became man without ceasing to be God. The divine and human natures of Jesus Christ are distinct but united in one person. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was tempted as we are but lived a sinless life. Jesus was crucified for our sin, buried, and raised from the dead. He ascended to the Father and now rules over all and makes intercession to the Father for his people. Jesus is the head of the body, the church, and He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead and usher in the final glorious state. For Biblical references, see http://reformationchristianfellowship.net/Documents/AppendixA-RCFFullStatementofFaith.pdf

Soteriology. The Qur’an teaches that all have sinned: “If God were to take mankind to task for their wrongdoing, he would not leave here one living creature” (Sura 16:61a) and “ask forgiveness of thy sin” (42:5), and were created weak (Sura 4:28). While the LORD is a God of grace and mercy, every Muslim who hopes to escape the judgement of Allah must fulfill the works of the Five Pillars of the Faith (Sura 10:109):

1. Recitation of the Shahada (“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah”);
2. Five daily prescribed prayers in Arabic, which include genuflection and prostration in the direction of the holy city, Mecca;
3. Almsgiving, which Muslims are required to give 1/40th of their income;
4. Fasting during the entire month of Ramadan, when Muslims are supposed to fast from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset in atonement for their own sins for the previous year;
5. A pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime. (2)

Holy War (gihad) used to be a condition of faith, and early Muslims believed it was their sacred duty to murder anyone who would not embrace the one true faith. Contemporary Islam is much more moderate, although some groups talk of restoring gihad as one of the essentials of Islamic faith. (3)

Thankfully, the Bible consistently presents that before the creation of the world in eternity past, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit covenanted to accomplish salvation. This covenant is called the Covenant of Redemption. Salvation, which is sovereignly administered by God, is being rescued from God’s wrath and being given eternal life in Christ. The Father from all eternity chose people for eternal life. This choice was not due to any foreseen faith or merit in the chosen (elect), but only due to his mercy and good pleasure. The Father gave the elect to the Son, who accomplished redemption on their behalf. The Holy Spirit applies this redemption to the elect by regenerating unbelievers and sealing them for eternity guaranteeing their complete salvation. All who are foreknown by the Father are chosen, called, justified, and glorified. All aspects of salvation, including our faith in Christ, are gifts from God so that he receives all the glory. For Biblical references, see http://reformationchristianfellowship.net/Documents/AppendixA-RCFFullStatementofFaith.pdf

So what’s in a name? When it comes to the one true God, it makes all the difference in the universe. To the LORD be all glory!

(1) Walter Ralston Martin, with Hank Hanegraaff, The Kingdom of the Cults (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1997), Appendix D, 622-623

(2) Ibid.

(3) Thomas W. Lippman, Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World (New York: Mentor Books, 1990), 112-120

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A God by Any Other Name? (Part 1)

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Steve Simkins

Have you ever had a double take?   Usually it’s a compulsory second look due to something visually startling.  I had one not long ago due to a conversation before a luncheon with two evangelical Christian friends who attend two different churches. The conversation led to the comment “The Muslims believe in the same God as we do, they just call him by a different name, Allah.” After my double take, but before I could blurt out, “No!”, our luncheon host called us to our individual tables.

So is a name really that important? Juliet Capulet deeply hoped it wasn’t, as Shakespeare penned “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Ironically, name changing wouldn’t have solved their families’ feud because of the nature of the people involved. In my scenario, the name does matter, because the name is mentioned and the Being revealed in authoritative writing.  For the God of the Bible, He is YHWH (LORD; I AM).  For the God of the Qur’an, he is Allah.  The Islamic name doesn’t translate well in English, so one Muslim writer defined it as “the unique god who possesses all the attributes of perfection and beauty in their infinitude” (1).  From this alone, you can’t conclude anything–there’s no detail to make a comparison. However, there are important differences in three areas: nature and character, the identity and deity of Jesus Christ, and soteriology.  I’ll cover the first in part 1 of this postcard, and the remaining two in part 2.

Nature and Character of God

The LORD is a person, Allah is wholly other, neither physical or spirit. To Muslims God has no likeness (Sura 42:11; a sura is one of the 114 revelations in the Qur’an), yet the Bible informs us that we have been created in His image and likeness (Gen 1:26-27).  Allah is transcendent (Sura 4:171), meaning being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge, or being beyond comprehension.  While the LORD certainly has incommunicable attributes that we don’t share (holy, self-existent, self-sufficient, unchangeable, all knowing (omniscient), all powerful (omnipotent), fully sovereign, having no beginning and no end (eternal), and his whole being is present everywhere (omnipresent), we certainly have some understanding of what they are, again due to Scripture.  He also has communicable attributes (holy-when redeemed, spiritual, loving, merciful, wrathful, jealous) which we more fully understand because we recognize them in our own lives.  Lastly, the LORD has revealed himself to all and is knowable (Rom 1:19-20), which is in direct contrast to Sura 4:171.

The LORD relates to man, Allah does not. The Qur’an has two passages (Sura 11:90, 85:14) that describe Allah as compassionate and merciful, however there’s not a single passage that indicates God loves any portion of mankind, or that people can know God on a personal, relational level. Scripture tells us that those who trust in Christ, do the Father’s will, and have been redeemed have been adopted as sons (Rom 8:14-15; Gal 3:26). We are heirs of God (Gal 4:7) and the Father deals with us as His children (Matt 12:47; Mark 3:35; Heb 12:5, 7).  We can even be called His friends (John 15:13-15; James 2:23).

The LORD is triune, Allah is not. To the Muslim the concept of a triune God is blasphemous.  The Qur’an attacks valid heresies of Christianity in Sura 5:116 (probably the Collyridians or Anticomarionites, who gave Mary, Jesus’ mother, co-Godhead) and in Suras 5:17, 5:72 (probably Patrippassianism, where the Father became the Son and suffered on the cross).  However, in other parts of the Qur’an, such as Sura 9:30, Christian beliefs are accurately identified and attacked.  The Scripture reveals that the only true God eternally exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – the Trinity. Each person of the Trinity is fully and completely God with the same divine nature, but the persons of the Trinity are not identical. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is fully divine. The Holy Spirit is fully God and not an impersonal force. See our complete Statement of Faith for Biblical references (http://reformationchristianfellowship.net/Documents/AppendixA-RCFFullStatementofFaith.pdf)

The LORD is unchanging, Allah is changeable. One of the prerogatives of the Qur’an is abrogation, a legal term referring to the “destruction or annulling of a former law by an act of the legislative power, by constitutional authority, or by usage.” (2)  This is something taught in Sura 2:100/106, Sura 13:39, and Sura 16:101, which says, “And when we exchange a verse in the place of another verse–and God knows very well what He is sending down–they say, ‘The art a mere forger!’ Nay, but the most of them have no knowledge. Say: ‘The Holy Spirit [in Islam the angle Gabriel is the Holy Spirit] sent it down from the Lord in truth, and to confirm those who believe, ad to be good guidance and good tidings to those who surrender.” (3)  One must ask why this is necessary since the Qur’an is described as the eternal speech of God.  It seems to indicate God can change His mind, something vastly different from the Biblical God who is unchangeable in His character and essence.  Scripture is never abrogated, because God does not change (Mal 3:6), nor does His word (Matt 5:17-18).

In Part 2 we’ll pick up the remaining important differences between Christianity and Islam when it comes to the defining tenants of God.

(1) Badru D. Kateregga, with David W. Shenk, Islam and Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980), 1

(2) Black’s Law Dictionary, abridged 5th ed. (St Paul, MN: West Publishing Co., 1983), 3

(3) The Koran Interpreted (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955)

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Believer’s Baptism: What are we celebrating?

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Kenneth D'Auria

As the title of this article might suggest, I am a credobaptist. If you’re not quite sure what the term credobaptist means, it simply means that I believe that the sacrament of baptism is not for infants/children, rather it is intended for people who have repented of their sin and placed their faith in Jesus Christ. This weekend I had the great honor exercising my credobaptist convictions as I baptized three people including my oldest son Jeremiah. What a time of celebration! Yet in the midst of the celebration I find it helpful to remind myself of what it is that I am actually celebrating. You see, all too often I find that my fellow credobaptists seem to make the central focus of our baptismal celebrations the individual’s response to the gospel message. And while it is certainly appropriate to celebrate an individual’s response to the gospel (see Luke 15:7-10), I can’t help but think that our celebrations ought to have as their primary focus God’s gracious and sovereign work. After all, this is just what the Apostle Paul does in…

  • Colossians 2:12-15—having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

His focus isn’t “You guys have really made a great decision” or “Through baptism, you’re really standing for Jesus.” Instead, his discussion of baptism is almost exclusively about the “powerful working of God” and we credobaptists ought to follow Paul’s example. We must be diligent to remind ourselves of what it is we are celebrating when we have the opportunity to baptize a new believer. We celebrate the glorious, powerful, gracious, and merciful work of God through Jesus Christ. That’s what we are celebrating. Soli Deo Gloria!

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What is Truth?

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Michael Carpenter

In John chapter 18 Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested. He is sent to the former high priest Annas, then to the current high priest Caiaphas. Eventually Jesus is sent to the Roman governor Pilate. Pilate at first tells the Jews to take Jesus away and judge him by their law, but the Jews are determined that Jesus be put to death and only Pilate has the authority to do that. John 18:33-38a relates the first conversation between Jesus and Pilate.

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38a ESV)

The conversation ends with Jesus saying, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate responds with the question, “What is truth?” In other words Pilate, the one who is charged with determining the truth in this situation, is saying truth is subjective. It is as if Pilate is saying, “You say you are right, the Jews say they are right. Everyone has an opinion.” Note that in the end Pilate went with the “truth” that caused him the least trouble. Jesus was not demanding to be released, but the Jews were demanding Jesus be crucified and threatened Pilate by saying if he released Jesus he was no friend of Caesar.

This is life apart from objective truth. What is true is what pleases us. However, objective truth is true no matter the situation. Frances Schaffer called this kind of truth “true truth.” Our goal with this blog is to explore, explain, and proclaim “true truth.” This means we will lift up Jesus since he is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and he is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). We will proclaim the Word of God since Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified by the truth and the Father’s word is truth (John 17:17). We will present truth because we cannot properly worship apart from the truth (John 4:23-24). We pray the Spirit of truth will guide us into all God’s truth (John 16:13) for only God’s truth revealed in his incarnate Word, Jesus, and his written Word, the Bible, will set us free from sin and death (John 8:32).

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