Humanism: Adversary to Understanding God's Justice

The base premise of humanism is that man is inherently good. If man is good in his very nature, then man will be able to progress to have unity, equality, tolerance, and great accomplishment. Humanism has permeated every area of our society, & even societies all over the world.

If we do not believe that humans are evil in their very nature, then we will constantly be at war with the idea of God’s justice. Justice is when God gives the just reward for an action. However, if men believe that they are “good people,” then they will see no need for salvation, and they will not rightly understand the mercy or justice of God.

Men blame God when something bad happens—“If He was a God of Love, then why did He allow this to happen?” However, humans do not understand that God is also Just, and He allows actions of sin and lawlessness to reach the maturity of their fruit, which is actually a fulfillment of justice.

The reason we do not understand the Justice of God and the need for His judgments is because somewhere in the dark recesses of our mind, we believe that we are good. Although we would never say it, we actually believe that in some way, we can fulfill our own righteousness. Somehow, we believe that we deserve better than what God is giving us.

The main reason for this war in our minds is believing that men are good by nature. When we finally see that men are not good by nature, we will begin to understand the need for God’s justice, and we will begin to be thankful for His mercy & forgiveness.

If you need to be convinced of the inherent evil nature of man, just watch a couple of toddlers play together for a few minutes. That will do it.

Difference Between Mercy & Justice

Along with the confusion between grace & mercy, people also have confusion between justice & mercy. Many believe that mercy & justice are against each other, but really, they are two sides of the same coin.

The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross was mercy for us because it was something that we did not deserve; it was God’s heart reaching out to His people to give them a chance to turn back to Him again.

However, the Cross of Christ was also justice, because it was a judgment against evil & the fulfillment of all righteousness & all the Law.  It was seemingly unjust, because an innocent man died for the guilty, but because it was a voluntary act of love—it was a fulfillment of justice.

Now, those who call upon the mercy of God and His redemptive work of the Cross are covered by the blood of Jesus which is necessary for all justice & righteousness to be fulfilled. All of those who do not accept this free gift through the mercy of God will be judged according to the absolute justice of God without the covering of the blood of Jesus which filled that necessary vacuum of injustice.

Many ask, "If God is love, why does He judge?" God is Love, but He is also a Judge. He is Merciful, and He is also Just. He is loving and He is Holy. It is difficult for us to fathom, because we cannot hold this seeming opposites in perfect balance like the Lord can.

When God breaks in on a sickness through healing, He is releasing mercy to the person who does not deserve it because of their own righteousness, and He is fulfilling justice by responding to the completed work of the blood of Jesus. He is also fulfilling justice by judging the evil sickness, disease, & death which Jesus conquered on the Cross.

When God saves or delivers someone, He is extending mercy to them, because in their own power, they do not deserve that salvation or deliverance, but because they are applying the legal transaction of Jesus on the Cross, they are appealing to the legal implications of His complete fulfillment of the Law.

Many ask why God is allowing wickedness to keep prevailing and getting darker. It is because He has extended mercy so many will turn. However, at times when He does release judgments, it is also mercy, because people’s eyes are opened to the grave nature of their sin, and they are given the opportunity to turn. Also, those who do not turn are removed; thus, releasing mercy on those who evil was tormenting.

We must understand that God can hold all of His attributes in complete and perfect balance. God is both merciful and just, and we cannot pit mercy and justice against each other as though they were enemies. They are both part of the nature of God, and we should ask Him to help us understand them more.

Once Upon a Time in a Far-Away Land...

Ladies and Gentleman,

Come one, Come all…
While I tell you a tale, you are longing to hear,
Gather around and incline your ear…

Once upon a time, in a far-away land,

There lived in a garden a woman and a man.
The man’s name was Adam & the woman was Eve,
Once you hear the story, you are sure to believe…

They lived in a beautiful garden made by God,

And in the middle of the garden was something a little odd;
Placed there by the Creator, there were standing two trees—
Both were so beautiful, it would bring you to your knees…

Some say this was awful,

Others say it was mean;
But I personally believe that God was rather keen…

He spoke to Adam & gave him a command,

“On the Tree of Good & Evil, do not lay a hand…”

And of course, it’s no shocker—you know how the story goes…

Of which of the two trees, do you think Adam chose?

Did he choose the Tree of Life that he was allowed freely to eat?

Or at the prompting of his wife, did he fall into deceit?

We all know the story of how Adam fell;

It is a story that we all should know very well.

“I will be like God,” he said in his heart.

And from that very day, the world began to fall apart.

Now all us humans, point the blame back to Adam & to Eve,

But truly in our hearts, we all choose the same of those two trees.

“Why did God give us two trees,” you ask?

“Because He wanted us to surely fail this task?”

No, is the answer; it’s because He gave us a choice,

Always in the matter, Love has a voice.
God always lets us choose between the two trees,
And truly, we should learn from Adam & from Eve.
 

Five-Fold Ministry: Teaching Role & the Gift of Discernment

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting… (Ephesians 4:11-14)

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man can come to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). One of the names of Jesus is “the Truth.” Many times, the Holy Spirit is called “the spirit of Truth” (Jn. 14:26).

In our post-modern society, the idea of relativism has so permeated every area of our culture that it has replaced the idea of absolute truth. It has even crept into the church. The idea that there is more than one way to God has become a dominating premise in the whole of society.

The truth of the Gospel is absolutely opposed to any other way to God except through Jesus Christ. However, even in the early church, men were being persuaded to the right or left because of false doctrines that were infiltrating the church (Gal. 1, II Cor. 11:4).

Paul said in Ephesians 4:11-16 that the role of pastors, prophets, apostles, teachers, and evangelists was for equipping the saints into the work of ministry AND for bringing them into the fullness of the knowledge of Christ. The reason was so that they would not be tossed around by every whim of false doctrine.

There is a huge lack in the body of Christ of having discernment. Many people cannot discern truth from lies, and they cannot distinguish between soul and spirit. This is because they do not know the Word of God.

Although the Lord has raised up all those in the five-fold ministry to bring the Church into the fullness of Christ. I believe one of the main roles of the teacher is to teach the true, accurate Word of God to believers and to equip them with discernment.

Many times, the apostles exhorted the church to test all things and to hold fast to true doctrine (I Thess. 5: 21, I John 4: 1-6). The role of the teacher in the body of Christ is to systematically teach true doctrine to the church and to equip the body to search out the knowledge of God for themselves.

I believe that one of the spiritual gifts of a teacher is discerning of spirits, because they need to be able to see the lies infiltrating the body of Christ and correctly teach the Truth.

One of the names of Jesus is “The Truth” and when we look at Him, we will be able to discern all things that are false. God is restoring the Five-Fold Ministry back to the Church to train the saints in the truth of His Word, bringing them into the fullness of the knowledge of Christ, so that they will not be tossed about by every whim of false doctrine.

Message of the Apostolic: Christ Crucified

…Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

(I Cor. 1:20-25)

It is a tragic thing that so many in the body of Christ are beginning to water down the Gospel and the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Many are beginning to say that there is more than one way to the Father other than Jesus Christ.

However, we need a restoration of the true Apostolic Gospel in the Church today. We need to restore back the absolute Truth of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ into every home, every school, every church, and every place in the world.

There is no way to God the Father, except through Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man can come to the Father, except through Him (Jn. 14:6).

Everything in the world goes in the exact opposite direction of the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God was an innocent man dying on the Cross for the sins of the guilty. The wisdom of God was the Creator of the Universe taking on a human frame as a baby, then growing into a man and being killed by the very people He came to save.

 

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong…so that no one may boast before him… (I Cor. 1:27, 29).

The wisdom of God cannot be understood by human thinking, but it must be revealed by the Spirit (I Cor. 2:9-10). The fleshly human mind is at war with the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:7). So, the things of God cannot be discerned with the human mind, but our mind must be renewed so that we can come under the leadership of God rather than the leadership of man (Rom. 12:1-3).

For this reason, Paul said that he did not preach with persuasive words of human wisdom, but with demonstration of the power of God, so that their faith was not in the power of men but in the power of God (I Cor. 2:4-5). He said that he determined to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him Crucified (I Cor. 2:2).

They Loved the Praise of Men More than the Praise of God

While reading this morning in John 12, verses 42 & 43 jumped out at me, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."

It is amazing that even though the Son of God was standing before them performing signs & wonders in a human frame, they did not confess him because of the fear of man. Upon reading this, my first reaction was to cry out in repentance for my own desire for the praise of man & to ask God to root that terrible thing out of my heart. I desire to live before His eyes alone.

My second reaction was to realize how much that longing in the human heart is going to corrupt men & cause them to fall away in the last days. In a public event recently, someone introduced a sermon by putting Jesus on the same level with Buddha, Allah, Hinduism, & Atheism. A clergymen followed the introduction with a sermon that did not correct that information or give any clarity as to who the true God is. That clergyman may have believed in Jesus as the one true God, but he did not stand up & say so in the eyes of the public.

This is terrifying, & the church is going to face this more & more as we near Christ's return. Anyone who does not claim Jesus Christ as the only Way, Truth, & the Life does not know Him or stand for the Truth. As preachers & ministers of the Gospel, we are held accountable when we allow the praise of man to hinder us from our confession. Lord, have mercy & purge us of the fear & praise of man so we can stand on Your truth in the eyes of the world. Amen.

Devo 30: Absolute Truth

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:31-32

Everyday we hear talk of tolerance and coexistence—on the news, in our schools, in our colleges, and (worst of all) in our churches. We hear a message of false peace and that we can all get along if we unite around helping each other and the poor.

This past election, America chose leaders that will lead our country into deeper immorality on a variety of issues, specifically the area of abortion. Within the next four years, approximately four Supreme Court justices could be put in office that will change the course of our country for the next 40 or 50 years.

America has chosen these leaders, and while we need to now pray for those in authority over us (I Tim. 2; Rom. 13:1), we must also realize that this is not a time of peace. This is a time of war. Yet, our battle is not with flesh and blood, but principalities and powers in high places (Eph. 6).

Currently, there is an uproar in California over Proposition 8 being passed (making homosexual marriage illegal). Churches are being vandalized and pastors threatened.

From our own group, thirteen people were almost killed worshipping on the streets of San Francisco last week. The police had to escort them out while an angry mob of several hundred was pouring hot coffee on them, screaming profanity, doing perverted acts, punching them, and blowing whistles in their ears. All they were doing was worshipping and praying on a street corner in the Castro district like they have done every night for 3 years.

I am not saying this to make you angry; I am saying this so that you will feel an urgency in your spirit about the true state of our country at this time. We need to fast and pray. We need to be holy. We need to know the truth.

Over and over again, Jesus warned us to watch and pray (Mk. 13; Mt. 24). He warned against false christs and those who would deceive many. He made it very clear that He was the only way to the Father (John 14:6). He is the way, the Truth, and the life. We have to know Him.

The spiritual climate is rising tremendously. Opposition from witchcraft is increasing right here in our own country; yet much of the church is sleeping. It is time for watchmen to rise. It is time for the church to get on their faces and ask God for mercy, and it is time for us not to be silent on the truth of the Gospel.

We are called to exemplify lives of holiness, hold the line on the truth, pray, and fast. Then, we will see an increase in the activity of the spirit in our own lives, as well as an increase in the spiritual opposition against us.

“Abide in the Word.” This is about more than reading the Bible. This is about living it, and it is about communion with God on a daily, hourly, and minutely basis. It is about abiding in His love and obeying His commandments (John 15). It is about knowing God and having a relationship with Him (John 17:3).

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Abide in the Word (abide in Christ) and then you shall know the Truth. The Spirit of Truth will come to teach you all things and guide you into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13).

Many voices are saying a variety of things across the board, in every arena; yet there is only One Truth. It is Absolute. He is a Man. His name is Jesus. If you get to know Him, you will know Truth and it will set you free. When we know Him, we can rightly discern all things that are false.

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Eph. 1:17). Ask Him for your love to abound in all knowledge and discernment (Phil. 1:9). Ask Him to grant His servants boldness that they may speak His word with power (Acts 4:29). Ask Him to teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance that He has taught you (Jn. 14:26). Ask the Spirit of Truth (Holy Spirit) to guide you into all Truth (Jn. 16:13).

Bless you all.

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved