Tag Archives: christ

Jul 10 2015

Will the Sun Explode?

image

My 5-year-old girl came to me crying today. She had watched YouTube videos with her 8-year-old brother (who is considering becoming an astrophysicist) and became very upset.

She wanted to know what will happen if the Sun and the Earth will collide.  Furthermore, what will happen if and when the Sun turns into a supernova star and explodes. Tears in her eyes, quivering chin, half-spoken words and all… Meantime, the 8-year-old was sitting on the sofa giggling…

Now, what is a daddy supposed to do to fix this problem? Sounds like a theological discussion is in order (as opposed to a scientific one).

I asked her if she believes what the bible says. Big nod as in yes… I asked her if she believes the bible is the word of God.  Again, nodded yes. Right there, half the battle was won.

My super smart girl can read, so I asked her to read two verses from the Scripture.

Colossians 1:17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

The bible says that all things are held and governed by God, and no catastrophy of such proportions will happen as long as this world stands.  Not only that, but ruling the universe is easy for God to accomplish. He merely has to “speak” it. He upholds the universe together, the galaxies, the solar systems, the massive black holes at the center of our galaxies, and none of them go astray. They follow their orbits and carefully crafted paths as God planned them through Christ.

She was happy with the answer and the big hug from daddy.

But there is a lesson here for adults as well. If we believe in an omnipotent Creator who governs billions of stars, then surely he can take care of his children.  Maybe you are not worried that the sun will explode, but maybe you are worried that your relationship with your spouse or children will explode. Or maybe your financial situation will collapse.

Remember that God is big enough to hold together the biggest black hole which contains the mass of many billion suns.

Trust that your sun will not explode.

image credit: NASA

Feb 24 2014

Is it Possible to go to Heaven Without Hearing the Gospel of Jesus?

The debate between Christian progressives and fundamentalists rages over this question. The former say yes, the later say no.

Delight in Truth is with the fundamentalists on this one.  It is not possible for a human being to be saved without hearing and believing the gospel. The gospel states that every man is a sinner under the wrath of God and must be born again unto life by hearing and believing that Jesus died and rose again to atone for the sin of those who believe in Him.

So, here are the common issues brought up:

1. The people prior to Jesus’s public ministry certainly did not hear the name of Jesus. Are they all condemned? The answer is no. The saints of the Old Testament are saved through Jesus. They were looking forward to the Christ and His suffering. The Christ, or the Messiah, was a very common theme in Judaism and those faithfully waiting for the Christ to save them are certainly saved by faith. Here is the example of Moses looking forward to Jesus:

“He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Heb 11:26

2. What about those people who did not have access to the Moses and the Law and the Abrahamic covenant? There a few exceptions prior to Abraham where special revelation from God was given to certain people. Melchizedek and Job are examples of this.

3. Now, here is the big one. After the time of Christ, what about those people who by virtue of their geographic location could not have access to the gospel? Examples here include ancient Japanese, Chinese, Aztecs (see art above), Mayans, etc… Could any of them be saved?

If the bible is correct, the answer is no. Apostle Peter says of Jesus:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

The progressives will now bring up the Romans 1 and 2 discourse regarding conscience being a guide and providing teaching between right and wrong:

“14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.” Rom 2:14-16

Too bad this is in the context of judgement. This is the judgement at the White Throne when God will judge all of condemned humanity. This is not a judgement for those who are saved.

The law that is embedded in everyone’s heart is there for condemnation, not for salvation. It does not have the power to save. It can only condemn.

This is what the Bible teaches. Complete exclusivity through Jesus. This is our impetus to evangelize the world! Jesus is the only Way!

Jan 13 2014

How Another Doctor Challenged My Faith

surgeon hospital pay

“Hey, so I understand you go to church and all that stuff…”

“Do you really believe that there is a God who created the universe?”

“How do you reconcile all your years of studying science and medicine with your faith?”

These were the blunt question, and sometimes these are the conversations in the operating room (when the situation permits).

My colleague is a bright physician of Jewish descend who sometimes attends synagogue for social reasons because deep down he does not believe in God. So we proceeded to discuss creationism vs. evolution.  I went to the heart of the matter showing him problems in the theory of evolution, particularly relating to speciation. We discussed the Big Bang, and I pointed out problems there including the concept of the expanding and contracting universe necessary for the Big Bang theory; also how the issue of time complicated the matter. After all, the Big Bang does not explain how the universe came to be, it merely places the problem into a different context.

As a naturalist, his only comeback was that science has not yet figured it out.

After a while the Holy Spirit made me realize that this is not the way to handle an apology for the Christian faith.

Next I went to the real heart of the matter.

Jesus.

Because in that name there is power.

As a Jewish man, he was well acquainted with the Davidic kingdom. It was a perfect opportunity to ask him how would he explain the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 22 coming true in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Here we have David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writing one of the most specific prophecies about Christ which came true 1000 years later when Christ was crucified.

“He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” (Ps 22:8)

Evangelists Matthew accounts this exact accusation at the cross by the priests and scribes:

“He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him” (Matt 27:43)

Again in Psalm 22:

“All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” (Ps 22:17-18)

Apostle John accounts this exact detail at the cross:

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” (John 19:23-24)

I presented this prophecy to my friend including the historical account of its fulfillment.  There was no concept of crucifixion at the time of David, no concept of casting lots of for the victims clothing by the ones crucifying the victim. I asked him, how do you explain such accurate description of the passion of Jesus Christ  as the Messiah written by David 1000 years before it happened?

He was at least somewhat impressed by this outrageous information. He promised to go home and read the Scripture I quoted.

May the Holy Spirit continue his work here.

Sep 27 2013

Not of This World

NOTW.

What is the meaning of this phrase?  It is even the logo of a popular “christian” clothing line.

In the hours leading up to his arrest and murder, Jesus prayed His amazing high priestly prayer and uttered the following words:

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” John 17:14 ESV

Jesus is praying for His disciples and the those who will believe in Him in the future.  He is praying for the body of believers who will make up His pure, undefiled church.

The things he says here are more than just a prediction, and they are not just a mere prophecy.  They are more than a guide, more than a teaching.

This is fundamental truth spoken by Jesus.

It was true 2000 years ago and it is true today. In fact, it is truer today more than ever. The two major pillars of the world system, government and mainstream media, both hate God and his principles.  This has been documented in multiple modern societies from those subscribing to Communism to free democracy. I have personally seen it in totalitarian communist Romania and freely democratic USA.

The world hates Christians because of Jesus. It is the message of exclusive salvation that is so repugnant to those who do not believe it. Jesus gave us His word, and as a result, the world hates us.

However, there are many tolerant folks who claim to be Christian who present a watered-down version of the Word of God.  The world loves them because they do not present a salvation message that is exclusively through Jesus. This acceptance by the world is in stark contrast with Jesus’s claim that the world hates us because of his word.

Be suspicious of any preacher of the gospel who is loved by the media, Oprah, etc and the rest of the secular world.

We are in the world, but not of this world.

Sep 16 2013

Joyce Meyer and Unsound Doctrine

Unsound doctrine may be a soft statement. Her teaching is in the realm of heresy.

The popular 70-year-old Charismatic speaker and author holds to prosperity teaching which focuses on material wealth as a result of God’s blessing for authentic Christians.  Even though such teaching is wrong, this is not the worst of Meyer’s teaching.

Joyce Meyer holds heretical positions with respect to the person of Jesus and His work towards our salvation.

It is a shame when a leftist news site like Huffington Post publishes a piece (with references) on how heretical Meyer’s teaching is when compared to historical Protestant Christianity.

She teaches that Jesus literally stopped being the Son of God on the Cross:

“He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn’t do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin.”

The truth is that Jesus Christ was, is and always will be God.  Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  He does not change.  Ever.

Apostle Paul explains that Jesus continued to be God throughout the entire sacrifice on the cross, even His death: “…Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil 2:6-8

She teaches that Jesus had to be born again (like a sinner):

“The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again. Now that was real it happened when he was in hell.”

This is impossible.   Jesus could not have been born again.  John 3 explains that the new birth is necessary to enter the kingdom of God.  Jesus did not need a new birth because He was without sin.  John says: “You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” 1 John 3:5

She teaches that one needs special revelation from God to understand her teaching, revelation which is NOT found in the Bible

“The Bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really. That’s why you’ve got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I’m telling you. I’ve got to just trust God that He’s putting it into your spirit like He put it into mine.”

The Bible is clear with respect to testing any revelation, prophecy or teaching against the Bible itself.  There is no revelation that can supersede the Bible.  The Word of God is the ultimate revelation for us (Heb 1:1, 1 Thes 5:21, 2 Tim 3:16).

Delight in Truth has nothing personal against Joyce Meyer, but false teaching must be exposed in order to protect the church.  You can read more in the Huff post article.

Then there is the prosperity gospel… a critique of that on a different occasion.

image credit

Aug 6 2013

Treading on the Spiritual Edge

Moher Cliffs, Ireland

The Moher cliffs in Western Ireland (pictures here) are a stunning natural monument which attracts scores of daredevils every year.  Some of these adrenaline junkies walk or bike a tight path, sometimes less than a foot wide in order to satisfy the need for excitement knowing that they are inches away from death.

While only a few brave people will do in real life what the bikers in the photo are doing, there are many Christians who walk on the spiritual Moher Cliffs.   Spiritual disaster may be small step in the wrong direction because they are at the very edge of the cliff.

As Christians, we live in the world but we are not of the world.

When a Christian indulges in the things of the world, its philosophies, its entertainment, its pleasures, he is walking dangerously close to the cliff.  We are not called to see how close we can get to the edge without falling, but we are called to be hidden in Christ, far from the dangers of falling.  Hiding ourselves in Christ is the opposite of experimenting in the world.

Apostle John gives us a clear warning against flirting with sin and the things in the world in 1 John 2:

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The spiritual Moher Cliffs are the association with the world and its elements.   By walking these cliffs, the Christian comes dangerously close to falling in love with the world.

The only reliable solution is to flee sin and hide ourselves in Christ.

Aug 4 2013

Jesus Can Forgive Even the Sin of Abortion

Jesus can forgive in fact any sin if the sinner repents.

As I review my patient’s surgical histories, I come across a high percentage of women who have had at least one abortion.  Many of them are remorseful knowing they extinguished a life, while others would not have a problem wearing a “I had an abortion” t-shirt at a pro-choice rally.

The following comment was left on my blog as a response to one of Delight in Truth’s most popular articles “Face to Face With the Reality of Abortion” (here) .  It comes  from a Christian woman who had an abortion in her youth.  It is an uplifting message of repentance and redemption.  She is an example that the blood of Christ can cover any sin, even one as horrific as abortion.  Her blog The Narrowing Path is here.

“For those who have posed the question…if you want to know how a woman could do such a thing [abort her baby], you could ask one directly. Some of us are more than willing to be honest about our experience.

It is one of the most horrendous things a woman can go through, and only the Lord himself can heal a person from the trauma of it. I know, I had one when I was a young adult. At the time, I was spiraling into a breakdown, and couldn’t even process the information about my “options”. I saw none, and with terrible dread every step of the way, went through with it, knowing it was an abominable thing to do, as my mum held my hand and bid farewell to her first grandchild.

I have wept more than I could have ever imagined over this experience, and it certainly was very poignant when my first son was born a decade later. My two children are such an undeserved gift from the Lord, given the fact that I killed my first child.

I share my story sometimes, as a support to others, and also to remind people who even Christians can backslide into terrible sinning and find themselves in this situation.

There are options, and as Christians, abortion is not one of them. It is humbling when you look at the ten commandments and have to admit to all of them, murder included. Thankfully we have a merciful and gracious God, who washes us clean with the blood of his precious Son.

From blood-red to snowy white.

The Lord has now healed me from that trauma, and forgiven me for that heinous sin. I pray that we can show the same compassion to others who have been through similar situations, without ever condoning the practice at any stage in a pregnancy.”

image credit

Aug 2 2013

60 Pounds of Burden

Shrek

This is Shrek the sheep.

He became famous several years ago when he was found after hiding out in caves for six years. Of course, during this time his fleece grew without anyone there to shorn (shave) it. When he was finally found and shaved, his fleece weighed an amazing sixty pounds. Most sheep have a fleece weighing just under ten pounds, with the exception usually reaching fifteen pounds, maximum. For six years, Shrek carried six times the regular weight of his fleece. Simply because he was away from his shepherd.

This reminds me of John 10 when Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd, and His followers are His sheep. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I think Shrek is much like a person who knows Jesus Christ but has wandered. If we avoid Christ’s constant refining of our character, we’re going to accumulate extra weight in this world—a weight we don’t have to bear.

When Shrek was found, a professional sheep shearer took care of Shrek’s fleece in twenty-eight minutes. Shrek’s sixty pound fleece was finally removed. All it took was coming home to his shepherd.

I believe Christ can lift the burdens we carry, if only we stop hiding. He can shave off our ‘fleece’—that is, our self-imposed burdens brought about by wandering from our Good Shepherd.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

This is perfect.

by The Family - A Proclamation to the World (Facebook)
Jul 29 2013

The Wrath of God Was Satisfied

One of the most important doctrines of Christendom is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement or penal substitution.

It basically states that Christ took upon Himself the griefs, sorrows, transgressions, iniquity and sins of believers while dying of the cross,  thereby satisfying the wrath of the Father.   This teaching is beautifully states in Isaiah 53 where the prophet tells us that “it was the will of the LORD to crush Him.” Isaiah 53:10a ESV

It is highly disappointing that churches today reject part of this doctrine.

Today, my friend Romeo Fulga pointed out that the Presbyterian Church USA has publicly rejected one of the most popular hymns sang in our churches today, “In Christ Alone.”  To get an idea of how popular this song is, I typed “in ch” in my google search bar and the first item that popped up was “in Christ alone lyrics.”  This liberal denomination who also happens to ordain gay ministers is rejecting the song because of the following stanza which references the wrath of God in the context of substitutionary atonement:

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

Other Christian artists also have a problem with this line.  Some have recorded the song, but either left out the “wrath of God” stanza or changed it to “the love of God was magnified.”

Christianity today in some circles has become a lukewarm, love-only type of Christianity which avoids preaching such concepts as the wrath of God, the existence of hell, death as the penalty against sin, and many other unpalatable to the flesh doctrines found on the pages of the Bible.

It is time for the church to wake up and realize that an incomplete Gospel is a false Gospel.  We cannot have the love of God without the wrath of God.  We cannot have God’s love and mercy without His justice.  We cannot separate His attributes, nor pick and choose which ones we want to accept or reject.

It is time to accept the Bible as inerrant, and accept the teachings found there in their entirety.

Jul 27 2013

Yoga is not for Christians

If you are an average secular person, you probably never heard anything negative about yoga.

If you are a Christian, you probably heard more positive than negative things about yoga.

Let us be clear from the beginning.

The practice of yoga is grounded in idolatrous and demonic aspects of eastern religions, and Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit should not partake in it.

As a physician anesthesiologist I regularly ask  patients about their level of physical activity in order to assess their cardiopulmonary status before surgery.  More than half of them claim they practice some form of Pilates exercise mixed with elements of yoga.  This led me to research yoga, and the results I came across were astonishing.

Not only is yoga tremendously popular, but there are many Christians who practice it and there is even “christian yoga” out there.

What is yoga? It literally means “union” or “to yoke” with the universe and the Hindu gods.

Yoga is a school of Hindu philosophy defined as “the stilling of the changing states of the mind.”  Mumbo-Jumbo that makes you smile… But in reality it addresses physical, mental and spiritual techniques geared toward attaining permanent peace.  In the western world we tend to associate yoga with stretching, body posture, breathing exercises and meditation, but these are grounded in a practice meant to unite the individual with the universe and ultimately with the Hindu supreme god.

The Bible strictly forbids Christians from engaging in elements of other religions, in this case Hinduism.  We are called to avoid pagan methods of attaining peace and tranquility, and instead undergo the new birth which will give us a completely new outlook on life:

“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.” Rom 12:2 ESV

Attaining a nirvana state of peacefulness via physical posturing and meditation should never be our goal.  By hiding ourselves in Christ we will attain the “peace that surpasses all understanding” which Paul talks about in Philippians 4:7.

What about the so-called benefits of deep breathing and stretching?

Instead of the physical aspects of yoga, I highly recommend traditional exercise like running, biking and swimming which raise the heart rate for sustained periods of time and have been definitively shown to increase the HDL (good cholesterol) and lower the LDL (bad cholesterol).

Incorporating yoga elements in your life will lead to spiritual downfall because of disobedience to God’s Word which is explicit about detesting other gods and worship related to them.

If you are a Christian, you belong to Jesus who paid the ultimate price for you, and therefore yoga and any practice associated with other religions is not for you.