Your will be done (Pt. 3)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

The words “God’s will” do not always refer to the exact same thing. There are various adjectives linked to God’s will that determine what we are talking about. In this post I will focus first on just two: God’s decretive will and God’s preceptive will.

God’s decretive will refers to God’s sovereign determination of what will be or take place. Everything God decrees will happen and nothing or no one can change or overrule it from happening. In this sense God’s will is always done.

God’s preceptive will refers to what God commands. That He commands it means it is God’s will, but sinful human beings can, and often do, disobey God’s commands. In this sense God’s will is not always done.

In the context of the Lord’s prayer, when we pray as Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are (1) acknowledging that God’s decretive will is always done, and (2) asking God to work in the hearts and affairs of human beings to obey God’s preceptive will. Both are legitimate and good prayers.

Now for a bit more detail on God’s will. God’s decretive will may be accomplished either actively or passively. He may actively cause His will to be done. After all, He is God! Or, He may use secondary causes to passively accomplish His will—including allowing people’s sinful actions to end up accomplishing His will. (Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is a prime example of this.)

Rest assured, when God accomplishes His will by using even people’s sin (as in the case of Judas), those sins are solely on the persons who sinned! God does not cause, or even tempt people to sin (James 1:13-15). He merely allows them to act according to their own sinful desires. God is not the author of sin, nor is He ever responsible for sin. He cannot be because He is intrinsically holy and altogether incapable of sinning.

Your will be done (Pt. 2)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

While seeking to discern God’s will by searching God’s Word for precepts and principles, there are times when we still remain unsure. What then? James offers this advice:

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

(1) There will be times when every one of us lacks wisdom regarding God’s will in a given situation. So these verses apply to us all!

(2) When this happens, ask God! God never turns His children away for asking. Let us be sure that we are asking God, as it is easy to seek wisdom from any of the many voices in the world.

(3) Believe that God gives His wisdom generously. He receives no joy in keeping us in the dark about things we need to know. There are, of course, questions that will remain unanswered until the Lord comes again, but rest assured that the Lord delights to reveal what we need to know. If He does not, He wants us to trust that He knows even when we do not.

(4) We must ask in faith, believing that He knows, that in most cases He will show us, and that in those instances in which He does not clearly reveal His will, we can and must trust Him!

When we simply do not know, even after seriously seeking to know His will, trusting means we make the best decision we know to make. In faith we do not second-guess ourselves. And if He later shows us we were wrong, we repent and do what we can to correct our course when His will is revealed.

A footnote to this: When we are not sure from scripture, we should not say, “The Lord told me…” Instead, let us humbly say, “I sought the Lord’s will in His Word and in prayer. I believe it is His will to do [this or that], but I could be mistaken.” Why this approach? Too many claim that “God told them,” only to learn later that Lord did not tell them! When that happens, God is incorrectly blamed. But when we say “I believe it is God’s will that…”, we rightly assume responsibility for misunderstanding God’s will.

Next Time: There is more than one kind, or aspect of God’s will.

Your will be done (Pt. 1)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

One of the most common desires among biblical Christians is to know the will of God. Why? In order to do the will of God. Why is this a strong desire among disciples? Because we know that God’s will is only always good. God’s will is good for us and gives glory to God. What could be more desirable than that?

There are many times when we are unsure of God’s will. How do we know God’s will? He revealed virtually every bit of His will in the Bible.

In many cases His will is explicit, clearly stated in precept. Precepts are stated as commands. For example the Ten Commandments are precepts to be obeyed. It is God’s will that we obey and it is not God’s will that we disobey.

Likewise, in many cases God’s will is implicit, stated in principle. Principles are often not as clear, and seldom give the particulars of what to do in a given situation. Instead, it is up to us to use wisdom to apply a biblical principle in a particular situation. For example, God’s Word does not tell us which car to buy. But the Bible clearly teaches us about the dangers of indebtedness (Proverbs 22:7). So applying the biblical principle when buying a car, it is God’s will that we avoid debt, and not God’s will to enter into debt. It is God’s will to buy only what we can afford.

In both cases, God reveals His will in His Word, so when asking for God’s will, it is imperative that we know His Word.

Next time: God’s will from the book of James about what to do when we are still not sure.

Giving Thanks 2023

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

The words from James 1:17 remind us of two important truths:

#1 All goodness comes from God. Why? Because God is good. In fact God is so completely good, that apart from Him there is no good. God is perfectly good. And, praise God, He graciously gives us good gifts.

#2 God never changes. God not only is perfectly good, He has always been perfectly good, and He will always be perfectly good.

Based on these two truths about God and His goodness, we have every reason to thank God for always being good.

But let us not miss the verse that comes immediately before (v.17).

James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

We can be easily deceived into forgetting that God is the source of all that is good. When that happens, we can forget to thank God for all that is good. The good that we enjoy is not the result of luck, or our hard work, or of anything else. God does bless our hard work, and He may use other people to bless us, but do not be deceived: All good comes from God!

And since that is true, let us thank God this Thanksgiving Day—and every day!

Your kingdom come

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

Jesus came to save His people from our sins (Matthew 1:21). He came to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18). And He came to establish His kingdom (Matthew 4:17).

Jesus spoke a lot about His kingdom. A lot! His parables were typically about the kingdom. When speaking to Pilate, Jesus affirmed that He is a king and that His kingdom is unlike earthly kingdoms (John 18:36). What is His kingdom like?

Some have taught that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same. The stronger opinion is that they are one in the same, but called by different names. I believe this second opinion is correct.

So when will (or did) Christ’s kingdom come? He established it by teaching about it, by dying and rising, and and by inaugurating the NT Church. In this sense Christ’s kingdom is now.

His kingdom has not yet been fully realized, however, since every knee has yet to bow (Philippians 2:9-11). That fullness of the kingdom will be realized when Jesus comes again.

When Jesus taught this prayer, the initial establishment was yet to take place, so at that time the prayer looked forward. We stand on the timeline between the establishment and the full realization at the Second Coming. So for us, as we await the Lord’s return in glory, we can pray this prayer both looking backward and looking forward. We look back to the establishment, praising our King. We also look forward to when His kingdom will be fully realized when our King comes again.

"Hallowed be Your Name" (Pt. 2)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The last phrase of verse 9, “Hallowed be Your name,” has been understood on two ways. Yesterday I shared the first one about the importance of beginning prayer with worship of our holy God.

The second understanding of this phrase correctly recognizes the phrase, “Hallowed be Your name,” as the first petition of the prayer. The request is that the Lord’s name would be more widely acknowledged as being holy. The sad fact is, the Lord’s most holy name may be more commonly used in vain than it is reverenced. This common breaking of the third commandment has two sides to it—both equally blasphemous. The most obvious is using the Lord’s name as a swear word. I trust we all know how seriously sinful this is. If this is a part of your vocabulary, please, confess it as sin and ask the Lord for the gift of repentance!

The other way the Lord’s name is commonly taken in vain verbally is by using His name casually without reverence. Casually uttering the words, “Oh my God!” (or other derivatives) is blasphemous. Again, please, purge all such phrases from your vocabulary!

Another way in which the Lord’s name is taken in vain non-verbally is by claiming to be His child while living as one who is not His child. Our lives often fail to hallow the name of the Lord we profess to be our Lord!

One last example. False preachers who misrepresent the the Lord, and those who follow such teachers. There are too many ways this happens to list them all, but here are a few examples:

• teaching that Jesus is a ticket to physical or monetary prosperity;

• presenting Him as a buddy instead of as the Lord God Almighty;

• claiming that God forgives everybody of everything;

• being more casual than reverent regarding God.

Jesus taught us to pray that His name would be hallowed. Let us hallow His name and pray that others would do likewise.

"Hallowed be Your name" (Pt. 1)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The last phrase of verse 9, “Hallowed be Your name,” has been understood on two ways. I believe they both have great value.

First, we do well to begin our prayers worshipfully, remembering who it is to whom we are speaking: God, who alone is infinitely holy.

The word hallowed is a form of the word holy. God is no more any of His attributes than any other of His attributes. He is not a composite of His attributes that make up a whole God. No, He is 100% of every one of His attributes. However, as RC Sproul frequently taught, the attribute of God that most perfectly describes every other of His attributes is His holiness. So by beginning prayer with worshiping God for who He is, a great place to start is by glorifying God for His holiness.

That does not preclude worshiping God for His other attributes, however. If you are unsure of God’s attributes, a great place to learn is by reading A.W. Tozer’s, “The Knowledge of the Holy.” This book is a great place to begin because it is not long (117 pages), and it is divided into twenty-two short readable chapters. It guides readers on a life-changing adventure into a number of God’s attributes. Note that there are many more attributes of God that are not included in this book.

For a free PDF, Click Here. To listen to a free audio book, Click Here. To purchase a paperback or Kindle copy, Click Here.

BTW: My favorite attribute of God on which I often meditate is God’s self-existence, or aseity.

Next time we’ll consider the other equally true understanding of this opening phrase.

To whom are we to pray?

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The opening phrase reminds us of three important points about prayer:

First, we pray to God and God only!

Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.' "

We must never, ever, ever pray to saints, angels, deceased loved ones, or anyone, or anything else. Period.

We pray to the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; but here Jesus instructs us, under that normal circumstances, to address our prayers to the Father. There may be special circumstances in which we address the Son or the Holy Spirit. Examples of this include the fact that we would not thank the Father or the Holy Spirit for dying and rising from the dead for us, because Jesus did that. Likewise, we would not thank the Father or the Son for indwelling us, because the Holy Spirit does that. But unless we are addressing a prayer specifically to the Son or the Spirit, we are to address our prayers to our Heavenly Father. This is based on orthodox trinitarian theology.

Finally, a word about addressing our Heavenly Father as Abba. The Aramaic word Abba means “Father.” It expresses affection, confidence, and trust. Abba highlights the close, intimate relationship of a father and his child. However, care should be taken when using this term so as not to diminish the necessary reverence due God when praying—especially when praying publicly. Using the word Abba as an adjective connected to the word Father is a way to speak of both God’s deity and of our childlike faith in Him. The English word, daddy, when addressing our Heavenly Father seems to me to draw dangerously close to inappropriate.

Let us keep the two following verse is mind:

1 Timothy 6:16 tells us that God “alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Let us draw near, never forgetting that the throne to which we approach is the throne of the thrice Holy God Almighty!

What is The Lord's Prayer?

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

First, the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that He taught us, but it is a prayer that contains an essential element that He Himself could not pray. Jesus had no sins for which to ask for forgiveness (Matthew 6:12). For this reason alone, the Lord’s prayer might be aptly renamed the disciples’ prayer—though it was taught by the Lord Jesus.

Second, the Lord’s Prayer is not primarily given as a rote prayer intended to be recited. That said, it is not bad to recite the prayer—as long as our minds are engaged regarding the meaning of the words. Without thought, the Lord’s Prayer easily (and therefore frequently) becomes a vain and repetitious prayer Jesus warned us not to pray. Reciting the words of Jesus as we pray is not bad—but let us do so with alert and captivated hearts and minds.

Rather than being regarded solely as a prayer to be recited, it is a model outline instructing us of topics to be included in comprehensive prayers. They include:

• Worship and a desire for God to be worshipped.

• Desire for God’s will to be done.

• Requests for our needs to be supplied by God.

• Confession and repentance.

• God’s grace when facing temptation.

• Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over all.

We will continue with comments on each of these.

Are long prayers bad?

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

What should we make of Jesus words about long prayers? Are they bad? Almost never, with two exceptions. First the exceptions:

Exception #1. Jesus said praying long prayers and thinking that God hears because our prayers are long (or flowery) is not good. God is not moved by how long we pray (or by how beautifully we pray). He is moved when we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15), and that we do not give up praying when instant answers fail to arrive (Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 18:1-8).

Exception #2. When praying aloud in a group, it is courteous to keep our prayers short to give others a chance to participate. Many know how it is when someone monopolizes the time in group prayer. In group prayer, pray several times, but keep each prayer short so others can also pray.

But when praying alone, long is not only not bad, it is good. The heart that understands the importance of prayer often prays long prayers—not merely to get God to answer, but in order to unburden one’s heavy heart as well and to simply enjoy prolonged times in the presence of the Lord! There are long prayers in the Bible. Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before choosing the disciples.

Prayers are not answered if they are not prayed, and the brevity of our prayers is more of an evidence of our weakness in prayer than its strength!

Our church needs more prayer than ever before. Long, pleading prayers!

Why pray?

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

“Why should I pray if God already knows, and if He will only do His will if I pray contrary to His will?”

There are three simple answers to these two objections to prayer:

First, the leading reason to pray is because God’s Word teaches and even commands us to pray (Luke 18:1). If there were no other reason than this would this not be enough!?

Second, prayer is not a way to change God’s will. It is a way to change our wills to be like His will. Yes, God only does what is right (His perfect will in a given situation). Therefore, it is on us to discern God’s will before asking. We do this by knowing the vast amount of His will that He has already revealed. It is in the Bible! As we know God’s will, as revealed in the Bible, we are to pray according to His will—knowing that He hears and will answer (1 John 5:14-15).

When we are not sure of His will, we should pray according what we think is God’s will, confessing that we are not sure, and praying, ”Thy will be done!” (Matthew 6:10, 26:39).

Third, God does not need our prayers. He needs nothing from us! But by calling us to pray and by answering our prayers (that are according to His will), He graciously affords us the opportunity, the privilege, and the honor to be included in the accomplishment of His perfect will.

Yes God knows everything. We inform Him of nothing no matter how we pray. But by praying we obey His command, we conform our wills to His, and we get to play a role in the accomplishment of His will. So, let us pray!

Examples of vain repetitious prayers

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

All prayer is not the same! This is evident since Jesus commands His disciples not to pray certain kinds of so-called “prayers.” Why did He say this? Because certain kinds of prayer are illegitimate, and in fact, not prayers at all.

As we pointed out, this is not a prohibition against praying the same (legitimate) prayers repeatedly until they are answered. Rather, is it a prohibition against chanting mindless repetitions. This is why it is dangerous to repeatedly “pray” rote prayers, since in time we are prone to disengage our minds and think we have prayed when we have merely chanted.

This is true, for instance, of Tibetan monks spinning “prayer wheels” imagining that each rotation of the wheel represents another prayer, when it is in fact a meaningless religious ritual. (Click Here to see pictures of such wheels.)

Another example is praying a series of “Our Fathers” (the Lord’s Prayer”), or “Hail Marys” (a passage of scripture that is not a prayer!) to secure forgiveness of sins. To add to the mindlessness of these practices, these so-called prayers are made more mindless by counting a string of “holy beads” while supposedly praying. These practices are blasphemous because they declare that the blood of Christ is not sufficient for forgiveness!

I do not give these examples to put down the people who do engage in such practices—most of them do not know any better. The practices are wrong, but the people who engage in them need the Lord! So pray for them!

The value of praying repetitious prayers--Huh?

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

I trust that the title of this post caught your eye. Praying repetitious prayers is not a problem. They are frequently good and fruitful. It is VAIN repetitious prayers that Jesus warned against! Let’s consider a do and a don’t.

First the don’t. Jesus clearly said don’t pray vain repetitious prayers—the kind heathens (non believers) use. The problem is not repetitious prayers, it is the VAIN repetitious prayers that are the problem. It is when prayers are chanted repetitiously with little or no thought that these so-called prayers are meaningless.

Now for the do. Praying for the same thing every day is not wrong. For example, when do we stop praying for the salvation of spiritually lost loved ones? Not until they are either converted or have died. It is not only not wrong to pray repetitiously for such things, it is right and to be commended.

God does not answer our prayers because we badger Him into it with our many prayers. But as we pray ceaselessly for such things, we remind ourselves that if those for whom we pray will be saved, it will be because only God could do it—and, we got to play a small role by praying.

So let us not mindlessly repeat prayers as though out many words will bring about an answer, but let us not give up on thoughtfully praying over and over again for things that matter.

Applicational thoughts: Can you think of other matters about which we ought to pray, ceaselessly, without giving up? Are there any prayers that you need to rethink because you may be repeating them thoughtlessly and vainly like mantras?

Read Ryle's "A Call to Prayer"

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

I am trusting that you read this blog for spiritual enrichment. That being so, last Friday when commenting on Jesus’ words, “when you pray,” I encouraged you to read a wonderful essay by J.C. Ryle on the essential nature of prayer.

I am including that link again today, so in case you have not yet read it—or at least begun to read it—you can do so today. It is only about ten pages, but it is powerful.

Click Here to read J.C .Ryle’s “A Call to Prayer.” You can read it online or print it.

More on prayer tomorrow…

https://www.jcryle.info/2016/02/a-call-to-prayer-sermon.html

Prayer: Essential

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

We begin with a reminder of where we are in our thoughts on The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is telling His disciples about living in the Kingdom of God. He is talking more specifically about the role of the Law in the lives of His disciples. His emphasis is on the spirit of the Law, which has higher standards than does the letter of the Law. He contrasted the spirit and the letter in Matthew 5 considering several specific laws. Now in chapter 6, Jesus contrasts the spirit and the letter in three activities: (1) Charitable acts; (2) Prayer; (3) Fasting. Today we begin focusing on His words about prayer.

First, as was the case when He spoke about charitable acts, Jesus begins with the word, when, rather than the word, if. Why? Because it is expected that citizens of God’s kingdom pray. It is a given. Is prayer a given in your life? I do not ask if you are mighty in prayer. Many believers struggle with prayer: e.g., consistency, knowing how, and what to pray for. That we struggle testifies that though prayer is sometimes difficult, we do at least attempt to pray. The best treatment of the subject of how essential is prayer is by J.C. Ryle. It is called “A Call to Prayer.” Here is a link to this gracious and penetrating meditation on prayer. Click Here to read it. You can also print it if you’d like. It is only 9 pages long. I highly recommend it!

I’ll cut this post short in hopes that you will read it this weekend! I’ll forego a post on Monday except to give you a little more time to read Ryle.

More on prayer beginning next week…

"The Chosen" (Pt. 3)

But Zerubbabel and Joshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us." Ezra 4:3

God’s people were sent primarily by God and then by the king of Persia to rebuild the ruined temple in Jerusalem. Once they were there, enemies of God (Ezra 4:1-2) offered to “help” with the project. The Jewish leaders rightly refused their help.

When it comes to building Christ’s Church, He is the Master Builder and He only uses His people, not the help of the unbelieving world who are “enemies” of God (John 2:15, James 4:4).

What has this to do with “The Chosen”? Only this: if this is supposed to glorify God (and one would think that a work about Jesus would be for His glory!), it ought to be done exclusively by God’s people. “The Chosen” is a work by some who may be Christians, and by those who are not. Forget all the crew members, the primary cast member (who portrays Jesus) is a Roman Catholic. If he believes Roman Catholic doctrine, he believes that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is not enough, but that “believers” must add to Christ’s work on the cross with good works of their own. These added works are not merely to be performed in this life, but continue in purgatory after physical death before one can enter Heaven. That is not biblical Christianity.

The actor who portrays Jesus even went to Rome to receive the Pope’s blessing on his portrayal of Jesus—and on a bag full of rosaries. Click Here to see a video of this encounter with the Pope.

Beyond the actor, the creator, director and co-writer of “The Chosen,” an alleged Protestant, also went with the lead actor to meet the Pope. He is the other person in the video clip linked above.

Please do not respond to these three blog posts with, “But I like it!” or by saying, “I don’t see what the big deal is!” What we like is not the point. And if I do not see what is the big deal, that doesn’t mean it is not a big deal, it only means that I do not see it.

Let us be discerning about entertainment masquerading as the Bible that has many more reasons to not watch, than to watch.

"The Chosen" (Pt. 2)

“…whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9

Having given two biblical reasons I believe “The Chosen” and all other such projects are not a good choice, let me now explain why, in practical terms, these kinds of fictionalized “Bible stories” (particularly but not exclusively about Jesus) are dangerous.

They dangerously confuse and mislead viewers regarding the truth.

All non-believers, and sadly most believers, are sufficiently unfamiliar with what the Bible actually says in order to know, when watching Bible films, what is biblical and what is not. The disastrous result is that many viewers (probably most) end up believing that something depicted in the film is in the Bible, when it is not!

When Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ ” came out in 2004, I did not want to see it. Because my thinking was not as developed twenty years ago as it is now, I caved to pressure from Christian family and friends and went to see the movie. I have not watched it again. There was a particular scene that moved me more than any other. To this day when I think of that film, that scene is the most memorable. It is not from the Bible. It is not even hinted at in the Bible. It was pure fiction. It was not even primarily about Jesus. It was about Mary.

I had a post graduate degree in Church History and another in Theology at the time, so I knew it was not biblical. How many others—who did not know the scriptures as I was fortunate enough to know them—would be gripped by the fictional aspects of the drama and think it was biblical?

Far more often than not, when I ask believers how they are doing in their walk with the Lord, the first answer is, “I’m not reading the Word as much as I ought,” or something to that effect. What I have never heard any Christians say is, “I’m not watching TV or movies as much as I ought.” Why is that? Forgive my bluntness, but I think it is because most tend to be lazy regarding Bible reading while loving entertainment. May I suggest that there are at least some who mistakenly rationalize that watching movies and/or shows like “The Chosen,” in some way makes up for a lack of Bible reading? And that in spite of the fact that much, if not most, of such programming is not only fiction, but fiction that many mistakenly assumes to be scriptural?

A footnote on this is an equally important warning that the vast majority of children’s Bible story books condition our children to confuse, and therefore accept, fiction as scripture. This is why, if I had it to do over, I would have read more straight Bible and less Bible story books to my children.

In my next (and final) post on this subject, I’ll write about the sources of projects like “The Chosen.”

Why I have chosen not to watch the TV series "The Chosen"

I realize that this Special Edition of my blog may bother some. Some may liken me to a Grinch telling children that there is no Santa Claus. But I feel compelled as biblical shepherd to speak up about the TV Series “The Chosen”—more specifically, why I not only choose not to watch it, but encourage all Christians not to watch it. I will present several reasons divided into two groups of reasons.

Group Number One: The clear teaching of the Bible (two reasons)

(1) The second Commandment forbids making images of God.

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me…” Exodus 20:4-5

I know some disagree with the interpretation and application I believe is best and safest. To those who insist (as I once did) that making images of Jesus is not making an image of God because Jesus was a man, may I remind you that Jesus is the one and only God-man? While the deity and humanity of Jesus are distinct, they cannot and must not be separated. Images of Jesus are images of God.

Images are not limited to statues or even pictures. Motion pictures are images, that move. TV shows and movies create and present images of the God-man that are infinitely below who He is. They are human interpretations of who Jesus is, and therefore they cannot be accurate. Being inaccurate they are misleading at best, and at worst, blasphemous.

Why does God prohibit images of Himself? Two reasons; (a) We tend to think what we see is Him—and even if we do not formally worship the image, it plants a false picture of God in our minds. (b) God communicates Himself through words, not pictures. Remember Peter’s words about Jesus in 1 Peter 1:8, Jesus Christ “whom having not seen, we love.” If the Bible tells us to love Jesus whom we have not seen, why do we insist in seeing Him?

(2) The Bible warns us not to add to or subtract from the Bible.

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19

I recently saw a video in which actor, Kirk Cameron (a Christian actor, not a theologian) was defending and affirming “The Chosen” precisely because even though it adds to the Bible, it is good. Please Click Here to watch this 48 second video clip.

The Bible says not to add to the Bible, yet in this unbiblical statement we are told that adding to what the Bible says “enhances” the Bible. Since when does the Bible, which is the very words of God, need to be enhanced? Please think about this!

I will expound on the profound danger of adding to the Bible especially in story books and films, next time.

Rewarded for giving?

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:1-4

The passage ends with Jesus speaking about being rewarded for giving. Is there a reward for giving? Yes, and no.

First, the Yes. There is a reward for giving, but let us understand that God rewards believers not so much for giving, per se, but for being generous. Giving out of one’s abundance requires little or no generosity (Luke 21:4) Remember that God looks not merely on outward deeds but on inward attitudes of the heart.

Second, the No. A popular false teaching promulgated by the prosperity cults teaches people to give in order to get. This is completely unbiblical and therefore false. It is superstitious and self-serving. And it does not work. God is never obligated to give us anything. He gives because of His grace, not because we give some money so we can receive more money.

Give because you have already received so much (everything) from God. Give to bless other people, preferably in ways that they will not know who gave what they have received. And do not give in hopes of receiving wealth in return.

Giving correctly

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:1-4

Being charitable is a mark of true spiritual discipleship. Being charitable for the sake of feeling good about one’s charity is a blemish not only on one’s generosity, but also on one’s spirituality.

Some well-intentioned, but misguided folks even say that they like to help others because of the good feeling they experience as a result. Having good feelings about generosity is not bad. It is only bad when those feelings are the motive for one’s generosity. Jesus points an accusing finger at the religionists of His day, but they were, and are, by no means the only guilty parties in this regard!

Akin to this error is giving so that others will see and praise the giver for being generous. It is not bad to be seen doing good if the goal is that people will praise God (Matthew 5:16). But when the goal is to receive recognition, though the gift may well help the one to whom it was given, there will be no spiritual reward afforded to the giver.

Do not miss, however, Jesus’ promise that those who: (a) give and (b) give with no thought of applause from people, will receive a reward from God.

Not allowing one’s right hand to know what the left hand is doing is a figure of speech warning us to give charitably, secretly, without thought of the cheers of those around us.

As a footnote, giving money is not the only means of giving. Those who give of their time to help others, and even give their ears to kindly listen to other people troubles are likewise “doing charitable deeds.”

Let us all pause for a moment of self-examination: Are we people who give generously? Do we give without thought of personal promotion, but merely for the sake of assisting others and for the glory of God? Are we motivated to give because the Lord has given so generously to us? Let us genuinely seek to grow in this all-important aspect of discipleship.