Category: Theology for Life

Suicide and the Serious Business of Heaven

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe3 Comments 
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, ESV)

Jesus wants us to experience joy. The Bible is all about finding joy from the true Fountain of Joy. It’s not about faking a smile so that everyone thinks you’re okay. The Bible emphasizes the kind of joy that wells up from deep within, because we have found the reason for our existence.

God did not make us to live as bored and miserable creatures. Every one of us longs to experience a meaningful life. Deep down, we know that we were not made for a dreary, barren existence. We were made for a bigger joy than anything this world can give us. Our hearts are deeper than we know. Only God Himself is big enough to fill them with lasting joy.

C. S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”[1] Where you find joy says everything about you. In fact, I think it’s one of the clearest ways to know if you are a genuine follower of Jesus. Because if you are, then you have the Holy Spirit living inside you, and the Holy Spirit changes everything He touches. He brings warmth and life to what is otherwise cold and dead. He is the Source of true joy. Just like a branch draws sap from the trunk, we receive life-giving joy from the Spirit who dwells inside us.

Just think about this. Does it make sense to have the Fountain of everlasting joy live inside you, yet always be gloomy and miserable? Certainly, Christians get sad, too. But the true Christian still has the wellspring of everlasting joy living within, and that will buoy them when nothing else can.

Running on Empty

Our society today demonstrates that material possessions and economic wealth cannot make us happy. In the United States, we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world—not only today, but in all of history—and yet we are also one of the most anxious and depressed nations in the world. Advertisements today promise us happiness through purchasing a certain product, such as a car, or taking a vacation. And we have bought the lies that leave us empty.

Sociologists tell us that suicidal ideation is at an all-time high today—even higher than during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In the next hour, more than five Americans will take their own life. By the end of the day, that number will reach roughly 130 people. In the course of 2024, an estimated 47,000 people will have committed suicide. These numbers should astonish us, but it’s impossible to calculate the amount of pain caused by even a single suicide.

Many people today pay little attention to the Bible. Frankly, they don’t care what a bunch of Jews wrote two thousand years ago. And yet, this book claims to offer the joy that our world is desperately craving.

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, ESV)

The same Holy Spirit that indwelled Jesus and indwelled the Apostles indwells His followers today. The Holy Spirit closes the gap so that everything in our Bibles is relevant to us today, because the deep truths they talked about 2,000 years ago remain true for us today. Jesus is just as relevant.

People were sinners in need of a Savior back then, and people are sinners in need of a Savior today. People were hurting, miserable, and lacking joy back then, and people today are hurting, miserable, and lost.

Why Do People Commit Suicide?

Dr. Matthew Sleeth is a medical doctor who saw countless patients in the emergency room who had attempted to take their own life. Dr. Sleeth is now a follower of Jesus, but for most of his medical career, he was an atheist. During that time, he observed the protective effect of belief in a personal God when it comes to suicide.

In his book Hope Always, Dr. Sleeth notes how suicide doesn’t really fit with the theory of evolution, a theory that teaches all of life owes its existence to the principle of survival of the fittest. In fact, in study after study, it’s been shown that suicide is unknown in the animal kingdom. So, the question is: Why do we commit suicide?

Dr. Sleeth writes:

“…for most of my medical career, I was an atheist. Nonetheless, in the course of seeing some thirty thousand patients, I couldn’t help but notice the positive role faith played in my patients’ ability to cope and recover from both mental and physical illness. In fact, faith seemed to be the crucial factor in most of those who successfully recovered from long-term addictions.”[2]

If we were made for God and joy really is the serious business of Heaven, then it makes sense that a wholesale rejection of God—as we are seeing in our culture today—will lead to tragic increases in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

He adds, “God helps when it comes to suicide. It’s a fact. Yet the current sixty-one-page report published by the CDC on suicide expunges God and faith from the discussion of suicide and depression.”[3]

 Jesus alone can give you the joy your soul is craving.

His joy can be in you today, in 2024, because Jesus is alive today. That’s what the story of Easter is all about. He defeated all our enemies—sin, death, and the devil—so that we can be restored to union with Him that we were made for.

In other words, you can’t be united to Jesus by faith and not have joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). That doesn’t mean every day is easy and filled with laughter for the follower of Christ. But it does mean that from the bottom of your soul, you can know that friendship with Jesus is the only way to true joy. And it means you can have the confidence that Jesus is greater and more satisfying than anything this world has to offer.

No career will give you this kind of joy. No house or car will give you this joy. No relationship or marriage—no matter how amazing it might be—can possibly give you what Jesus can give you. That’s because He offers a supernatural joy. Again, this was Jesus’ promise for His disciples, and that includes us today:

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, ESV)

The Extraordinary Life of Following Jesus

As our friend, Jesus is giving us another motivation to follow Him. The life of discipleship is the context for the above statement. He is saying we’ll know deep joy if we abide (or make our home) in Him. This is not how the world thinks. The world thinks that if we turn from what the Bible calls “sin” and start following Christ, then our life will seem so dull and restrictive. But the truth is the very opposite: Living as Christ’s disciple is liberating and invigorating. I get to walk hand-in-hand with the Creator of the stars! He wants to talk with me from His Word, guide me by His ever-present Spirit, and hear from me. He treasures me more than the birds of the sky or the flowers of the field. And I am His. What could possibly be better than this?

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness.” (Psalm 30:11, ESV)

Living in sin might be pleasurable for a season, but it will actually choke out all sense of joy. In the end, sin is always a joy-killer, not a joy-giver. Because sin always disrupts good and right fellowship with our Lord. And He is the One that can fill us with joy.

I can say I used to think like the world about this. When I was in high school, I simply thought of obeying Jesus as “the right thing to do” and there were even times I resented the fact that, as a Christian, I didn’t get to have all the so-called “fun” that other teenagers were having. And though I wouldn’t have said it, I sometimes even felt a little deprived. But today I see things far better. I recognize how nothing can compete with the joy of knowing Jesus.

It’s not what you’d expect, but there is deep and profound joy in surrendering every part of your life to Christ.

Because when you consciously give yourself to Jesus, you experience more of His love, His goodness. There’s freedom in knowing your sins are forgiven, and you can gladly say, “Not my will, but Your will be done in my life.”

And what’s the alternative? Do you really want to look to yourself to be the one manufacturing all your joy? Do you really want to carry every burden in life on your own shoulders? How much better to let Jesus lift all your burdens and listen to Him. Because His Word has greater wisdom than this world can offer.

The Joy of Your Salvation

For a time, King David thought he could find joy outside of God. He looked for it in the arms of a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. But though he had pleasure for a night, that adultery led to the sin of lying, which led to the sin of murder. And then even more deception. And as his heart hardened into concrete, all the joy was sapped out of him. In Psalm 51, he talks about how he was a tormented soul; his own guilt was crushing him.

It took a prophet of God to confront him, just like the Word of God confronts us today. And then David, broken as he was, poured out his heart to God:

“Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love.” (Psalm 51:1-2, ESV)

God responded to his repentance by lifting his weight of guilt. And then David could pray:

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12, ESV)

Forgiveness was no longer an abstract idea for David. He had experienced it on a level he never knew possible. He was washed completely clean, and then he once again knew the sheer joy of being loved and known and cherished by God. What a gift! He didn’t deserve it. But God is abundantly merciful and loves to extend forgiveness to all who cry out to Him just like David did.

It took a humble surrender on David’s part before he experienced the “joy of salvation.” Such is always the case.

You want to know what can steal your joy? Thinking too highly of yourself (see Romans 12:3). Thinking everyone owes you. That you’re always in the right and that everyone else is in the wrong.

Some of the most miserable people in this world are those who have either forgotten or maybe never known how precious it is to walk in true humility. True humility means having no sense of entitlement, no sense of God owing you, but instead having an overwhelming sense of gratitude that God has given you so many extraordinary gifts you simply don’t deserve. True humility comes from learning to delight in God Himself.

Think often of how gracious God has been to you. God has loved you while knowing everything about you. And He loves you more than anyone else ever could or would.

Abiding in Jesus comes from humbly recognizing just how much we need Him in every part of our lives. It’s admitting that if we are in the driver’s seat of our lives, the car always ends up in the ditch. Life is far better when the true King and Captain of your soul is behind the wheel. Because He can give you fullness of joy.

If you have any questions or thoughts about any of this, I would love to hear from you!

[1] C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, 93.

[2] Dr. Matthew Sleeth, Hope Always, 44.

[3] Ibid, 45.

The Danger of Delayed Discipleship

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

Throughout my life, I can think of several dates when the plans for my day were totally upended. The death of a relative. An unexpected phone call. 9/11. A co-worker tragedy. In most of these examples, when the plan for the day was totally canceled, someone died. Death has a way of intruding into our life, changing plans, and unexpectedly causing shock and grief.

In ancient Israel—as is true for many Jewish people today—the first thing the faithful do is recite the Shema, the confession found in the Torah: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, ESV). The one exception that put all prayers on hold is when your parent died. In that case, burying your father or mother takes precedence over everything, out of reverence for the one who raised you.

This helps us understand a passage in the Gospel of Matthew when a man pledges to follow Jesus after he first buries his father. We expect Jesus to say, “Of course, you must first give your father a proper burial. But then come follow Me!” Instead, Jesus gives this jarring response: “Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury the dead.”[1]

For those who have derived their image of Jesus from the culture, this statement is always puzzling. They picture Jesus as a nice guy who walks around with a lamb on His shoulders and a nice smile, hugging everyone He meets simply because He is so full of niceness (trust me, that’s a word).

Now, don’t get me wrong. Jesus was and is the most loving person to ever grace the planet. But quite often Jesus showed tough love—which is the kind of love that says things we don’t think we need to hear, but desperately do. In the words of 1 Corinthians 13:6, it’s a love that “rejoices in the truth.”

Jesus didn’t always say what sounds “nice” and affirming, but He did always tell us what we need to hear. And in this instance, He was teaching about the danger of delayed discipleship. His point was that no matter what else we may think is urgent and essential, nothing can take priority over following Him. In light of the Bible’s strong emphasis on caring for one’s family, Jesus’ statement here is all the more surprising.

Jesus knows that sometimes people will look for excuses for why they can’t follow Him today. Sometimes, people will use family as an excuse.

To such people, Jesus says:

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”[2]

Stop and consider for a moment how insanely self-centered this would sound on the lips of anyone else. Do you still think Jesus was merely a good teacher of moral ideals?

Offensive? Maybe. But necessary for each of us to hear.

At another time, Jesus gave a parable (which is a story meant to illustrate the kingdom of God) about a man who decided to host a great banquet at his house. He sent out invitations to all his close family and friends. “But they all alike began to make excuses.”[3]

Some claimed they were too busy. They had purchased fields or oxen that demanded their care and attention. Another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”[4] Each person seemed to have a good and reasonable excuse. It’s not as though they were all at home playing video games or binge watching Netflix. But they were excuses nonetheless.

Jesus said the master of the house became angry when people rejected his generous offer. After all, he was providing a sumptuous feast, free of charge. Because those who were supposedly closest to him rejected his offer, the master sent his servant to go and “bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.”[5] After all, those who had less in life would recognize the generosity of this invitation.

After his dining hall is filled with everyone from “the highways and hedges” far and wide, the great banquet can finally begin. Then, somewhat disdainfully, the master of the house says of those who turned down his invitation, “I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.”[6]

The message is pretty clear. Those who put off Jesus and His invitation into life in the kingdom of God are missing out on the joy He is offering.

To say it again: Nothing is more urgent or important in your life right now than discipleship to Jesus.

We might imagine that while we can’t follow Jesus today, we will certainly square things up with Him later. We might even think it’s better to live for ourselves today so that we will better appreciate grace later. But here’s where people need to take care. Sin has a way of hardening the heart that puts Jesus off. How do you know you aren’t hardening your heart against Jesus today? If you don’t have time for Jesus today, what makes you think you will suddenly have time later in life?

The spiritual sage J. C. Ryle offered this warning:

“Habits of good or evil are daily strengthening in your heart. Every day you are either getting nearer to God, or further off. Every year that you continue unrepentant, the wall of division between you and heaven becomes higher and thicker, and the gulf to be crossed deeper and broader. Oh, dread the hardening effect of constant lingering sin! Now is the accepted time. See that your decision not be put off until the winter of your days.”[7]

In reality, no matter what excuse we might come up with for why we are delaying discipleship to Jesus, that very excuse might be the roadblock that keeps us from ever coming to the party. Beware of excuses in your own heart. Take warning from Jesus’ parable. What a tragedy it would be to miss out on the very thing that gives our lives meaning not only for this life, but for all eternity.

In the words of Jesus, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”[8]

If you have any questions about any of this, I would love to hear from you!

[1] Matthew 8:22, ESV

[2] Matthew 10:37, ESV

[3] Luke 14:18, ESV

[4] V. 20

[5] V. 21

[6] V. 24

[7] J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 16.

[8] Matthew 16:26, ESV

God Invented Romance

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

Marriage is central to the storyline of the Bible. From its earliest chapters, we see that God created the man and the woman for each other and told them to “Be fruitful and multiply.” The marital union of two becoming one flesh has been there from the beginning, and it has a special purpose in God’s world.

The story of the Bible both begins and ends with wedding imagery (Genesis 2:22-25; Revelation 21:1-5). Marriage is God’s living illustration for His covenantal union with His people, which will one day be fully realized in a restored creation when Heaven and Earth unite.

So, no matter what pops into your mind when you hear the word “marriage,” the first thing to know is that God invented it.

“Then the Lord God made a woman... and he brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:22, NIV)

This has some important implications. If marriage is God’s idea, then that means romantic love is His idea, too.

Every Good Gift

That first spark of interest a boy has for the cute girl that sits across the classroom. The feeling you get when your song comes on the radio. The dinner by candlelight in that perfect setting. The couple that has been married for 50 years taking a walk, hand in hand. The electricity of a first kiss. The love note that a wife puts in her husband’s lunchbox. All of that is part of God’s grand design. God is a romantic. If you doubt me, I encourage you to take up and read the biblical book Song of Solomon.

You may be thinking, “Okay, Jason. It seems like you’ve got rose-tinted glasses on. Don’t forget marriage can also be pretty hard.”

True. But it’s important to begin here when we think about romance, because all that is good about marriage, romantic affection, and sexual intimacy comes first and foremost from God.

Many today bemoan God’s restrictions on sex and marriage laid out in the Bible. But what they don’t realize is that everything that makes those romantic moments in life beautiful, good, and right comes from God.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 
(James 1:17, NIV)

Without God, all the joy and excitement of romance is reduced to random neurochemical reactions. Modern progressives like to claim that monogamy is drab and boring. Don’t buy that lie! You know what really takes the magic out of romance? Imagining there is no God behind it all.

Fit for One Another

If we’re going to get marriage right, we need to go back to the beginning when God first created man and woman.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 
(Genesis 2:18, ESV)

Don’t think that this term “helper” is meant to be demeaning. This is not code for “man’s servant for cooking and cleaning.” The point here is that the man needs help. He can’t take care of God’s world without her. More than anyone else, this very word “helper” is used of God in Scripture. But the Bible says God created woman with the intention of finding the right fit for man.

In God’s design for marriage, one man and one woman complement each other perfectly. Men and women are equally valuable, but different. There is a fittedness between a man and a woman that you can’t find in any other combination.

After God parades all the animals before Adam, Adam recognizes nobody here is a good fit. Not that kangaroo. Not that horse. Definitely not that hippo! Nothing from the animal kingdom matches and complements him perfectly.

No matter how many times you’ve read this passage before, I encourage you to ponder what is said here:

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. 
(Genesis 2:21-25, ESV)

Before there was any sin in the world, this is what marriage looked like. The perfect combination of trust, vulnerability, and intimacy. This was God’s design and intention. So, no matter what you think of marriage, you can’t fault the design. You cannot improve on God’s design.

Be Intoxicated with Her Love

So, when you think of God, think of Him as the One who invented the beauty of marriage and designed our bodies with the special fit of a man for a woman. The joy of a wedding ceremony is just a slice of the great joy God has over marriage itself.

Because marriage is something God thought up, we don’t get to change it. And because it is from Him, we can know it is an intrinsically good institution.

In our bizarro world, people (especially young people) often assume that getting married will take all the romance out of the relationship. As if, committing to one another in a one-flesh covenantal union will kill the embers of love. But in God’s economy, it is in marriage that the fire of romance should finally be stoked.

May your fountain be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love. 
(Proverbs 5:18-19, NIV)

According to the Bible, marriage is a covenant not merely between husband and wife, but one that includes God, too (Proverbs 2:17). It is God that joins the two together, and thus God blesses the marriage union. As if he was making a toast at a wedding, the author Solomon says to his son, “May you ever be intoxicated with her love.”

However—and this is important—only those who honor this covenant get to experience its greatest blessings. When people dishonor marriage, let me assure you, it will eventually come back around to bite them.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of heeding these loving warnings from God:

“Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
    and he examines all your paths.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.
For lack of discipline they will die,
    led astray by their own great folly.” 
(Proverbs 5:20-23, NIV)

When people toy with their marriage vows, it is like taking a pile of burning wood on to your lap or walking across hot coals, hoping not to be burned (Proverbs 6:27).

People may say things like, “The Bible is an outmoded text. Marriage can be a relationship for any two people who truly love each other and are committed to one another.”

But why say only two people? And what about if those two people are already in the same family? And why say they must love each other? What if they have other reasons for getting married? And why does it matter that they are committed exclusively to one another?

As it turns out, everyone has restrictions on what they think marriage should be. Elton John jokingly drew the line at goats when someone pressed him.[1]

Honoring Your Spouse Is Honoring Marriage

Unless you get your definition of marriage from Genesis, marriage becomes this elastic thing that you can shape any way you want. And when we shake off God’s definition and trade it in for our own man-made definition, we cheapen and dishonor marriage. It is no longer the sacred thing God intended it to be.

Even secular psychologists understand marriage is worth protecting.

Marriage expert John Gottman writes, “One of the saddest reasons a marriage dies is that neither spouse recognizes its value until it is too late.”[2]

Gottman goes on to tell us all the incredible psychological and health benefits that come from taking your marriage seriously. And one of the most important ways to protect your marriage is to pursue your spouse romantically (husbands, I’m especially talking to you here).

Pay attention to her (or his) needs. Listen well. Make time for date night. Look for activities you can share together. Go out of your way to make sure your spouse feels valued simply for who she (or he) is.

You may have been told that Christians are just as likely to get divorced as non-Christians. However, that hasty conclusion was based on flawed research, because it was based on people just taking the label “Christian,” without any inquiry into whether subjects actually lived a life committed to Jesus Christ. New research done by Brad Wilcox found something very different. Wilcox discovered that committed Christian couples—which he defined as those who regularly attend worship together and read their Bibles regularly—are much less likely to get divorced.

Not only are committed Christians more likely to stay married, but they report greater satisfaction in their marriages. Wilcox concluded, “It turns out that the happiest of all wives in America are religious conservatives… Fully 73 percent of wives who hold conservative gender values and attend religious services regularly with their husbands have high-quality marriages.” Another study found that “When it comes to relationship quality in heterosexual relationships, highly religious couples enjoy higher-quality relationships and more sexual satisfaction, compared to less/mixed religious couples and secular couples.”[3]

Nancy Pearcey adds, “Churchgoing men are also less likely to cheat on their wives. Research has consistently shown that religious attendance is the most important predictor of marital stability.”

In other words, even sociological research shows that when men love Jesus, love the Bible, and take their families to church, the marriage tends to do better. And when marriages are stronger, families are stronger, children have better well-being, society flourishes, nations are stabilized, and God is honored.

So, no matter how you may feel on any given day about marriage, I encourage you to see the value of upholding the sacred beauty of the marriage covenant and of loving your spouse as the sacred image bearer he or she is.

Thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] In context, Elton John said, “There’s nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex. Who cares! I just think people should be very free with sex… They should draw the line at goats.” Rolling Stone magazine ran this interview with Elton John as its cover story on October 7, 1976.

[2] John Gottman, 7 Principles for Making Your Marriage Work, 5.

[3] Brad Wilcox, Jason Carroll, and Laurie DeRose, “Religious Men Can Be Devoted Dads, Too,” New York Times, May 18, 2018; Jeffrey Dew and Brian Willoughby, “Are Religious Faith and Sexual Satisfaction Mutually Exclusive–or Surprisingly Mutual?,” Institute for Family Studies, May 16, 2019.

Speaking the Truth in Love about Abortion

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I Believe3 Comments 
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, NIV)

It’s not easy to talk about abortion. In our culture, merely expressing pro-life convictions can earn you the label “bigot,” “misogynist,” or “ignorant.” When I joined some college students for a prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood in Salem, Oregon, several years ago, one middle-aged woman pulled her car over just so she could scream, “How can you be so stupid and hateful!” Ironically, the only one showing hostility was her.

Thankfully, no one in our group responded in kind. Instead, the young woman next to me said, “We love you! We don’t hate you!” Still livid, the woman got back in her car and sped away. After she left, a middle-aged Christian woman participating in the prayer vigil turned to me and said, “That makes me sad.” She said it sincerely, without a hint of contempt. “I used to think like her. I had an abortion a long time ago, and the only reason I’m here today is because of Jesus.”

This dear woman was not there to express hatred and condemnation. She wanted to express the love of Jesus to the women pulling into the parking lot about to make an immensely important decision. She wasn’t there to name-call or retaliate with anger. But the one thing she couldn’t do was remain silent. Even by telling me her story, she was speaking the truth in love.

We Bear a Message of Life

My pro-life convictions rest on the basic recognition that every human life is a gift from God. Each one of us came into existence at a specific point in time in our mother’s womb. Scientists have learned that at the moment of conception, there is a flash of light in the womb.[1] Human beings have only recently discovered this, but our Creator has seen every time one of His image bearers came to life.

Take God and His Word out of the equation, and I really don’t have much to say on the issue. And I definitely wouldn’t be able to say anything in love. If you leave God and His gospel out of the conversation, someone can always make some kind of utilitarian argument for why abortion is a good idea in certain cases. It is because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, first and foremost, that Christians are called to speak the truth in love regarding the sanctity of every human life. It makes no sense to claim to follow the One who is Life and not be pro-life.

Many people, including pastors, would love to leave the topic of abortion alone. They point out that any time the word “abortion” is mentioned, sparks fly, and emotions run hot. In the minds of many Christians, we should just vote accordingly and otherwise avoid the subject altogether. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of life, hope, and forgiveness. If we cannot speak about the hundreds of thousands of human lives taken every year by abortion,[2] then either our gospel is impotent (Paul calls the gospel “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” Romans 1:16) or our belief in the gospel is.

If you are a Christian tempted to think that there is no real value in speaking the truth in love about abortion, I want to challenge your thinking. I say that not because I enjoy walking into a hornet’s nest, but simply because God calls us to represent Jesus, no matter what the circumstance.

In Scripture, there is the repeated theme that those who belong to God must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. The Jewish Queen Esther even risked her own life by speaking up for her own people when their lives were in danger of being snuffed out.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9, NIV)

Who is more needy and vulnerable than the baby in her mother’s womb? Like Esther, we must accept the risk and speak up for those whose right to life is being trampled.

On the other hand, you may be a passionate pro-life advocate ready to defend the cause at the drop of a hat, but your tone tends to be derogatory, inflammatory, and harsh. In that case, I don’t want to quench your passion, but I do want to urge you to temper your language with gentleness and love. Jesus urged us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When you love God rightly, you will love your neighbor well. Scripture calls us to speak the truth about the crucial issues of life—even if they are controversial—but to do so out of love for others.

“A Patient Is a Person, No Matter How Small”

Dr. Bill Lile is a pro-life doctor who models speaking the truth with love and grace powerfully.[3] Borrowing from Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Lile’s trademark statement is, “A patient is a person, no matter how small. And patients have rights.”

I first heard Dr. Lile speak at the Options Pregnancy Resource Centers annual banquet in 2022. I was impressed with the way he confidently, yet graciously, shared some encouraging news about advances in fetal surgery. He even described an open-heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic for a baby at 27 weeks gestation. The surgeon successfully removed a teratoma—a rare type of tumor—that was on her heart. He pointed out that during the surgery both mom and baby needed their own anesthesiologist. He then showed a digital illustration of how this astonishing surgery took place.[4]

Dr. Lile told the captive audience, “If you can do open-heart surgery and have a separate pediatric anesthesiologist for the baby in the womb, is that a patient? Yeah, a patient is a person, no matter how small. And patients have rights.”

As an obstetrician who has even delivered quadruplets, Dr. Lile could speak with clarity and confidence about the humanity of the preborn baby. But he did so with kindness and humility, rather than sounding like someone with an axe to grind. Most importantly, he connected the issue of saving preborn babies to the message of ultimate salvation and forgiveness found in Christ.

Fear of Man Is a Snare

As Christians, we need to know how to address abortion because, whether we like it or not, it exists as a real issue that people in America face every day. We need to face it squarely, guided by the lens of Scripture and the character of Christ. Yes, we need to be careful how we speak about sensitive topics, and we need to be sure we are listening well to those that are hurting. But this doesn’t mean we need to permanently zip our lips.

Too often, I think Christians have avoided talking about abortion out of fear of being labeled “judgmental” or “too political.” It’s in those times of fear that we should recall what Jesus said:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  (Matthew 10:28, ESV)

In the same way, do not fear those who try to kill your reputation or unfairly criticize you. Don’t fear those whose opinions will evaporate on the day of judgment. Fear the One whose opinion eternally matters. “The fear of man is a snare,” the Bible reminds us (Proverbs 29:25). May you and I avoid this snare!

At the same time, in principle, we should not relish controversy. In fact, if you love to just stir the pot whenever you get the chance, that’s not a great sign. There is a kind of fleshly craving to say things that will upset others. But we are called to be ambassadors for Christ and speak about real issues of life that confront us.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who stood up to Hitler and the Third Reich. He spoke out against their horrible treatment of Jews. Nazi ideology held that the Jewish people were subhuman. At the time, Bonhoeffer was warned by many of his fellow pastors to keep silent about what the Nazis were doing if he wanted to avoid trouble. Bonhoeffer responded, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” In other words, there is no neutral approach when innocent lives are being taken. To be cowed into silence was to swear loyalty to Hitler. And that was something Bonhoeffer could not do.

God has given Christians guidance on how we are to live and speak in a world where lies and deception meet us at every turn.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, NIV)

Christians are followers of the risen King, and we have been appointed to speak the truth about His kingdom in love. Notice the conjunction here. We’re not merely to smash people with the hammer of truth and let God clean up the mess. We are to speak the truth in love.

Balance Grace and Truth

It’s not easy to balance truth and love. Early on in our dating relationship, my wife Whitney took me horseback riding. If you have ever ridden a horse, you know how important balance is. If you start to fall one way, you can’t overcompensate, or you’ll fall off the other side!

In a similar way, it’s very challenging, but we must try to balance truth and love. This is how the church grows into maturity. We build one another up with love and truth. Christians have often fallen off the horse on one side or the other, but we need both!

When we communicate truth to a lost world, we need to be careful that we are speaking from a place of love and understanding. It does no good to interrupt, tear down, and scream. We already have enough of that today.

Engage with Questions

That means we need to listen well to those with whom we strongly disagree. James 1:19-20 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

This is why perhaps the most effective way to begin a productive conversation with someone in favor of abortion is to pose some important questions. Ask them with the goal of understanding them, not so that you can pummel them or make them look foolish. The goal should be helping them see the error in their thinking with a spirit of gentleness.

Christian apologist Scott Klusendorf suggests the following questions when you are engaged in an abortion conversation:

“Do you believe that every innocent human life should be protected?”

“What is the unborn (preborn)?”

“What is your understanding of what happens in an abortion?”

“What’s wrong with a law that says you can’t kill innocent human beings and, if you do, there will be consequences?”

“Why is it legally okay for Laci Peterson to kill her unborn child, but if Scott does it, he’s convicted of murder?”

“When you say the Bible is silent, do you mean the word abortion is never mentioned or that we can’t draw any inferences from what’s taught there?”

If someone was to say, “The unborn are human, but they are not persons” some follow-up questions might include:

“What’s the difference? Do you mean there’s a group of humans whom we can set aside to be killed while others can’t be?”

“Have you considered what your view does to the concept of human equality?”

Become a student of the other side. Seek to understand them. Ask questions with gentleness and grace, always aspiring to leave the impression that Christ is loving this person through you. You don’t want to beat anyone up, but you do want to bring light into clouded thinking and help people see the truth of what is at stake.

But don’t be cowed into silence. Speak the truth in love as a faithful ambassador of our Lord.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

*If you are interested, I encourage you to check out Options Pregnancy Resource Centers in Albany, OR at their website here: https://www.optionsprcfamily.org/ You can find out how to support this important organization and hear testimonies of women who found love and support when they walked through their doors.

[1] https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-captured-the-actual-flash-of-light-that-sparks-when-sperm-meets-an-egg

[2] According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were 930,160 abortions in the US alone in 2020. See: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/11/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s-2/

[3] You can learn more about Dr. Lile’s ministry at his website: https://www.prolifedoc.org/

[4] I strongly encourage you watch the video here where the details for the surgery are given: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5UAOI5M4ow

Why Does the Virgin Conception Matter?

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe2 Comments

I always want to encourage my fellow Christians that theology is not a stuffy subject reserved for uptight scholars to study in their ivory towers. Theology literally means “the study of God.” It is our extraordinary privilege to investigate the God-breathed text of the Bible and discover the truth about God and what He calls us to be. And if the goal is the knowledge and worship of God, there’s hardly anything more life-giving and thrilling to the soul than theology. On that note, I want to share four big reasons why the virgin conception matters for you today, and why there is no Christmas without it.

 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34, NIV)

Why the Virgin Conception Matters:

1. The virgin conception shows that the coming of Jesus Christ is the sovereign work of God alone.

With every other birth that has taken place, both a mother and a father were needed to create new life in the mother’s womb. One modern embryology textbook explains:

“Human development begins at fertilization when a sperm fuses with an oocyte to from a single cell, the zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell (capable of giving rise to any cell type) marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.”[1]

This is the natural process that God has designed from the beginning. One of the reasons God created marriage to be for one man and one woman is that in God’s design, a baby can only be conceived through the sexual union of a man and a woman. But here in this one unique case, we see a baby growing in the womb of a woman who has never been with a man.

This proves that God is the One who sovereignly sent Jesus into this world. The fact that no human father was needed demonstrates that God didn’t need our help to bring Jesus into this world. He did it supernaturally to show that salvation could only be accomplished by Him.

Also, note that God didn’t come down and start asking several Jewish women who would be willing to carry His Son. He simply chose Mary for this task. He didn’t ask Mary whether she was willing or have her sign any papers. God sovereignly chose her alone to have this extraordinary responsibility of carrying and giving birth to His Son.

2. The virgin conception proves that Jesus has always been the eternal God.

If Jesus was merely a man, then there would be no need for a virgin conception. But because the Son of God existed from all eternity, it only makes sense for Him to be born apart from human means.

In the virgin conception, we have the most astonishing miracle in all of human history. This is God Himself coming to earth, becoming one of us.

There have been numerous heresies throughout history that have gotten Jesus wrong, and it all comes down to His nature. Was He truly God in human flesh? Some early heretics tried to say that Jesus was such a remarkable human being that God adopted Him as His Son and gave Him a godlike status. Others have tried to argue that Jesus was the first and greatest creation of God the Father. But Scripture is clear. Christmas is about God Himself becoming one of us.

Speaking of Jesus, John 1:1 says:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1, ESV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, ESV)

This “becoming flesh” is what happened in Mary’s womb. This is not something we can analyze, dissect, or figure out scientifically. Satan loves it when people worship at the altar of scientific materialism. Those religiously devoted to scientific materialism have adopted a belief system that rules out God and miracles from the start. I can almost hear the devil cackling when I hear people say, “I only accept what science tells me.” Such an absolute statement exposes a deeply religious conviction and idolatrous form of worship, akin to saying, “I only accept what the priests of Baal tell me.”

The virgin conception is a supernatural work of God, meant to draw our attention to the truth about Jesus. Jesus has been divine from all eternity, and yet he took on a human nature that He inherited from His mother, Mary. So in Jesus, we have the only one in history who is somehow both fully God and fully man.

3. The virgin conception means that Jesus understands us completely.

Of course, as God, Jesus already had perfect knowledge about what it means to be human. He made us, after all. But because of Christmas, Jesus now knows experientially what it means to be human. He can relate to us and personally identify with all the struggles, temptations, and miseries that come with being human in a fallen world.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

Think of this. Right now, in Heaven, at the Father’s right hand, you have an advocate, a high priest who knows exactly what it is like to be human. Have you lost your temper recently with someone in your family? Jesus understands. Have you been tempted to lust or to want to control everything? Jesus understands.

He understands you completely, and yet He is totally free of sin. Jesus knows what it means to live as a full-fledged human in this world.

4. The virgin conception ensures that Jesus would be the perfect and sinless sacrifice we need.

We all came into this world through a mom and a dad. And we inherited from them both their genetic traits that make us who we are and the corruption of original sin.[2] We all arrive stained with the corruption of Adam. So for Jesus to come as that perfect atoning sacrifice who could bear our sin and endure the penalty we deserved, He needed to come in a supernatural way.

“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17, ESV)

That word “propitiation” is a very important word. Some translations render this verse to say “atonement” instead of “propitiation.” But propitiation has a very specific meaning: “a sacrifice that removes or satisfies wrath.” By dying in the place of sinners, the sinless Jesus absorbed the wrath of God that we deserved. By trusting in Jesus, we are trusting in His sacrifice in our place. The Bible teaches that we are naturally enemies of God and that the most urgent need for every man, woman, and child is to trust in the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:9, ESV)

Baptist pastor Adrian Rogers summed it up:

“All Christianity is described in three sentences. 1) I deserve hell. 2) Jesus took my hell. 3) There’s nothing left for me but His heaven.”

Only through being born of a virgin could He be human in every way and yet utterly sinless, too. He never once failed His Father. Because of that, He could be our atoning sacrifice and represent us so that we could be reconciled to God.

The famous Heidelberg Catechism teaches the importance of Jesus being both truly divine and truly human:

Q.17. Why must he also be true God?

A. So that, by the power of his divinity, he might bear in his humanity the weight of God’s wrath, and earn for us and restore to us righteousness and life.

The virgin conception matters because we can’t understand the purpose of Christmas without it. The whole purpose of Christmas is that Jesus is the God-man who was born to live, die, and rise again to save us from the wrath of God and reconcile us to Himself.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Keith L. Moore, T. V. N. Persaud, and Mark G. Torchia, The Developing Human: Clincially Oriented Embryology, 11th ed. (Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier, 2020), 11.

[2] https://lampandlightdevotionals.com/2021/11/16/is-original-sin-a-biblical-idea/

Should We Teach Our Kids about Santa?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

Santa Claus is coming to town. He’s back in the shopping malls and showing up at various holiday events. The jolly old, white-bearded guy in a red suit certainly is popular in our American culture. What’s not to love about a guy who lives at the North Pole, employs elves, magically soars through the sky with flying reindeer, and delivers Christmas gifts to children all around the world each Christmas Eve?

The question many thoughtful Christian parents have is: “Should we teach our kids about Santa?”

The Purpose of Advent

Let me begin by asking another question: “What is the purpose of the Advent season?” Most Christians would agree this season is about the birth of Jesus.

That first Christmas, the angel proclaimed to the shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11, ESV). What made it “good news of great joy” is that the message was about Jesus. If you want your Christmas season to be filled with “great joy,” you will want Jesus to be at the center of all your family’s traditions and festivities. Without Jesus, all the parties and presents are ultimately meaningless and empty.

“Christmas” literally means “Christ’s mass.” From the beginning, Christmas has been a time to especially contemplate the wonder of God’s love for a lost world, that the Son of God would come as a baby. Of course, the goal of Christ’s coming was primarily so that He would one day die as a substitute for sinners and rise again.

The angel told Jesus’ adoptive father Joseph, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, ESV). Jesus came as the true Light of the world, and His primary mission was to save those who were lost in sin.

If Jesus and the salvation He brings is the reason we celebrate Christmas, then as parents, doesn’t it make sense to do all we can to put the focus on Him, not lesser distractions?

Harmless Myth?

As you look around our home during the Christmas season, you won’t find much of Santa Claus among our decorations. That’s not because we are anti-Christmas or even anti-Santa, but because we are very pro-Christmas and pro-Jesus. And my wife and I want our three boys to know that nothing compares with the gift God has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Many parents might say, “But there’s nothing wrong with encouraging kids to believe in a magical myth while they are young.” But is that true? I think it’s a wonderful thing to read fiction to your kids. It fuels their imaginations, can teach deep lessons, and helps them grasp the real world in new and powerful ways. But that’s not the same thing as encouraging your kids to believe the fictional world is true.

Colossians 3:9 says, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” Is it possible to encourage belief in a myth while not lying? I don’t think it is. And if you are teaching your kids about both Santa and Jesus, yet not distinguishing which is myth and which is true, can you see why this could lead to problems later? They may struggle to believe other things their parents have taught them, because they have a clear example of myth being presented as reality.

Old Man in the Skies?

Santa is often described in ways that remind many people of God. He’s seemingly all-knowing: “He sees you when you’re sleeping; he knows when you’re awake.” He fits the image some have of God as an old, white-bearded guy in the skies. And then he rewards good behavior: “He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.”

But on closer examination, Santa is lightyears from the true God. God is infinite and all-knowing, and Santa is a chubby old man who needs elves and reindeer to help him do his job. The caricature of God as an old man in the sky is both false and dishonoring. God is eternal and all of creation depends on His sustaining power moment by moment. And unlike Santa, God is gracious and forgiving. Rather than merely rewarding the nice and leaving the naughty with a lump of coal, the one true God has given His beloved Son to die for His enemies.

While the mythical Santa can bring toys and trinkets that cannot last, the true and risen Jesus can give eternal life and the hope of an inheritance that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). Rather than giving Santa and Jesus equal attention this Christmas season, why not teach your kids about the true and living Jesus as the One who is always present for them (not just once a year!) and will meet their every need?

So why in the world would we focus on the myth of Santa, when we can teach our kids the glorious, joy-giving truth about Jesus? There’s simply no comparison!

The Real Saint Nicholas

Lastly, one thing we have done is teach our boys about the true Saint Nicholas from history, because he’s a great example of one who boldly stood for Jesus Christ and suffered for his faith.

Soon after ascending the throne in AD 284, the wicked Roman emperor, Diocletian, began a full-scale persecution dedicated to wiping Christianity from the face of the earth. Diocletian had copies of Scripture burned and imprisoned many bishops, including Nicholas of Myra. Many years later, Constantine became the Roman emperor, and he ordered the release of all bishops.

Around the time that Christianity was gaining more influence, a heretic named Arius began to deny Jesus was fully God. Arius gained quite the following and his teachings caused a lot of division in the church. So, in the year 325, Constantine called on 300 bishops across the Roman Empire to meet in Nicaea and come to unity on the question of Jesus. As Arius stood up before the assembly and began to pontificate, many of the bishops grew angry.

Many of these bishops at the council still had scars and maimed limbs from suffering brutal persecution for their faith in Jesus. Now they had to listen to this snobbish academic spout blasphemous ideas about their Lord. One man strode right up to Arius and smacked him across the face. Arius cried foul, and that bishop was restricted from the remainder of the Council. That bishop’s name? You guessed it: Saint Nicholas of Myra, better known today as “jolly old Saint Nick.”

The irony of all the attention going to Santa at Christmastime is that the real Saint Nicholas was passionate about people knowing the truth about Jesus. So, if someone asks you if you believe in Santa, you can say, “You bet I do, and he had a mean left hook!”

Let’s commit to worshiping Jesus and making Him known this season, beginning with our own homes.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

Leading Well Is Loving Well

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

As a pastor, I know I need regular reminders to stay faithful to the Lord, to not compromise my convictions, and to love those I lead.

We have all heard stories of politicians who chose political expediency over fulfilling promises made to their constituencies. At times, all leaders can be tempted to sacrifice convictions when it is convenient. When a leader is driven by selfish ambition rather than love for those they lead, they end up treating their fellow image bearers of God as steppingstones for career advancement. But the best leaders don’t treat people as a means to an end. Instead, they love those they lead and invest in their growth.

I often tell men at my church that all men are called to lead in some sphere, beginning first with leading themselves. Self-rule or “self-control” is a quality the Bible holds in high esteem; it’s a necessary ingredient for leading others with patience and integrity.

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32, ESV)

According to the Bible, leading well is not so much about dominating and ruling over others, but about ruling your own spirit so that you can lead others by example.

And the best leaders are those who first faithfully follow their Master, the Lord Jesus. Jesus chose twelve men—called “Apostles”—to be the leaders of His church after His ascension into Heaven. But before that time, He poured into these men with wise instruction and taught them that His kingdom would be marked by loving service, self-denial, and humble faith.

When no one else was willing to do the job of a servant, Jesus showed these guys what true leadership looks like. In a stunning display of humility, Jesus washed their feet. In the Apostles’ minds, this was an act fit for a household slave, not a rabbi. And certainly not a Messiah! Yet Jesus said:

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should just as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15, ESV)

“As Goes the Man, So Goes the Family”

Family is the first sphere to practice this Christlike kind of servant leadership. A man leads his wife well, not by bossing her around and expecting to be served, but by sacrificing his time and energy to love her well, listening well as she shares her heart, and caring for her needs so that she will flourish (Colossians 3:19). Dads and moms lead their children by teaching them, certainly, but also by changing diapers, preparing meals, and bandaging a skinned knee.

The greatest Leader of all time said it best:

“Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, CSB)

All men are called to lead, but they can lead best if they first submit themselves to God and His will for their lives. When men fail to lead with strength and service, everyone suffers.

Pastor Tony Evans put it well:

“As goes the man, so goes the family. As goes the family; so goes the church. As goes the church; so goes the community. As goes the community; so goes the nation. So if you want to change the nation; change the community; if you want to change the community change the church; if you want to change the church; change the family; if you want to change the family, change the man.”

A Case Study in Bad Leadership

The biblical book of 1 Kings provides us with numerous examples of leadership gone awry. One such example is the young Rehoboam. The heading for 1 Kings 12 in my Bible is “Rehoboam’s Folly,” so we know immediately things are about to go sideways for this young king. After ascending the throne in place of his now deceased father, Solomon, Rehoboam encounters a crisis early in his political career.

Another young man named Jeroboam (not to be confused with Rehoboam) acts as a union leader and leads the Israelite labor force in demanding some changes occur now that Rehoboam is king, or else they’ll go on strike.

“Your father [Solomon] made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” (1 Kings 12:4, ESV)

Rehoboam buys some time to consider his next move. So far, so good. When a leader responds impulsively during a crisis, problems can escalate. A good leader knows when to press pause and reassess the situation before making a decision. Rehoboam then meets with some of the senior members of his advisory board, the very men who helped guide his father Solomon. Again, this is a good move. Solomon himself said, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers” (Proverbs 11:4, NLT).

These older men had experience and wisdom that Rehoboam lacked. They knew what it took to lead people over the long haul. Here’s what we read:

“They replied, ‘Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.’” (1 Kings 12:7, CSB)

In other words, these aged advisers recommended servant leadership. “If you serve them, they will serve you. If you love them, they will love you. If you’re in touch with their needs, they will gladly follow your lead.”

Unfortunately, Rehoboam didn’t care for this advice. He was too headstrong and progressive to recognize the wisdom of their words. He wrote them off as old has-beens who were stuck in the past. He then consulted the young men he had grown up with—his childhood friends and frat buddies, who, like him, were privileged and proud.

Their advice was the exact opposite of the older men:

“This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’” (1 Kings 12:10-11, CSB)

In other words, “These people feel they’re being worked too hard, huh? Why don’t you tell them there’s a new sheriff in town. It’s time you showed them who’s really in charge. You’ve got to lead with an iron fist. Remind them how puny they are and how much you’ll punish their insolence!”

Rehoboam must have smiled maniacally as he heard these words, because he decided to do exactly what these foolish young men said. Today, this would be a bit like ignoring the sound and biblical wisdom of older generations in your family, church, and community, and instead turning to the latest advice from some rising star on TikTok, who is probably prone to thoughtless narcissism and overreaction.

And because he ignored the advice of the older men, Rehoboam lost the people. They now saw him as the cold-hearted tyrant that he was, unwilling and unfit to lead people well. Nearly the entire nation turned on him, and they made Jeroboam, the one viewed as “a man of the people,” their new king.

Not only that, but Scripture says, “And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually” (1 Kings 14:30). That is a painful reminder that tyranny and violence only begets tyranny and violence.

Back in the 1800s, the wise theologian J. C. Ryle made an observation that is just as timely today:

“How common is it to see young men with big heads, high-minded, and not wanting to hear wise counsel! How often they are rude and uncourteous to all around them, thinking they are not valued and honored as they deserve! How often they will not stop to listen to a hint from an older person! They think they know everything. They are full of conceit of their own wisdom. They view elderly people, especially their relations, as stupid, and dull, and slow… And this is all pride.”[1]

Every Leader Is Accountable

There’s an important reminder included in this passage that is easy to miss. The narrator says:

“The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the Lord to carry out his word.” (1 Kings 12:15, CSB)

In other words, although Rehoboam supposed he was in charge, the reality is that all this came “from the Lord to carry out his word,” because God had already promised in the days of Solomon’s rebellion that the kingdom would be divided. All leaders need to be reminded that ultimately it is the Lord, not man, who truly rules the world. The Book of Revelation tells us that eventually there will be only one Man sitting on the throne, and His name is Jesus.

The lesson for all of us is that good leaders recognize that they are accountable to God for how they lead. Who you are influenced by matters a great deal. And if you lead with domineering and harsh cruelty, you will have to answer for that.

Rather than looking for ways to break the spirit of those we lead, as Rehoboam did, we ought to look for ways to build up others so that they can grow and flourish under the umbrella of our leadership. To lead well we must love well.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 27.

Are You Looking Forward to Christ’s Return?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

A couple weeks ago, I experienced the joy of reunion. I spent the previous week hunting deer in Wyoming and was glad to be back home with my beautiful pregnant wife and three boys. I love spending time outdoors, tracking game, and enjoying time with my dad and brother. But nothing beats coming home to my family.

Because I had already bagged my buck and my dad came down with a cold, we ended up driving home a couple days early. As you might expect, my family was pleasantly surprised to have me back sooner than expected. But just imagine if their response was disappointment instead of delight. Imagine if after I came through the front door, my wife frowned and said, “Oh, you’re back. I was kind of getting used to you being gone.” How do you think I would feel?

The question I’m asking here is: Are you looking forward to Christ’s return? Do you expectantly hope for this joyful reunion? Would it delight you or disappoint you if Jesus came tomorrow?

Just like if my family was not delighted at my return, wouldn’t a lack of delight indicate something is wrong with our relationship with Jesus?

“Our Lord, Come!”

At the conclusion to Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he makes a bold statement:

“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:21-22, ESV)

It’s worth noting that Paul says, “If anyone has no love for Jesus, let him be accursed (anathema in the Greek)”? Why doesn’t he say, “If anyone has no faith in Jesus let him be accursed”? Aren’t we saved by faith alone?

We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But Paul is highlighting something significant. When we are brought to new spiritual life in the Lord through a process called regeneration (new birth), we are given a new heart that loves the Lord and longs to please Him. In other words, if you have no love for Jesus, you have no faith in Him either. That’s why Paul says, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.”

This explains why Paul then says, “Maranatha,” a phrase meaning “Our Lord, come!” “Maranatha” has been the cry of believers for 2,000 years. As we look around this world, we see that Jesus has not yet set everything right. There are wars and rumors of wars. There is lawlessness, hatred, apostasy, violence, and all kinds of perversions. Therefore, we long for the glory of Jesus and His physical presence on earth to make everything right.

Coming the Same Way He Went

After Jesus was lifted into the clouds, the disciples stared into the sky with mouths agape. Two angels appeared beside them and said:

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11, NASB)

Ever since then, Christians have been waiting for Jesus to come back in the same way He ascended into the clouds. After all, the angels didn’t say Jesus will come in some metaphorical or hyper-spiritual sense as some Christians believe.[1] They clearly said, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” If the angels wanted us to believe Jesus was coming back physically and visibly, “in the same way” that He ascended before their eyes, I don’t know how else they could have said it.

In other words, this promise hasn’t yet been fulfilled. It wasn’t fulfilled in the first century, and it hasn’t been fulfilled since. Some Christians believe that the promise of Jesus’s coming has already been fulfilled in a metaphorical or spiritual sense at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. But many passages—including the angels’ words—have to be virtually strained out of the New Testament to come to that conclusion.

Interestingly, even Paul had to deal with people thinking Jesus had already come in the first century. Apparently, this error has been around for a long time.

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, ESV)

This is the great event Christians still look forward to with great anticipation. After you’ve given your life to Christ, you finally have real cause for rejoicing. You’re forgiven, made new, and now God is walking with you through every step of life. Infinite joy awaits you in eternity.

I cannot wait to see Jesus face to face! While on the one hand, I’m overwhelmed by the thought of seeing Him in all His glory, I also cannot wait. I want to look into those holy eyes full of love and compassion for the lost. I want to touch the hands that were pierced for me. I want to embrace the Savior who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

A Day of Wrath or Joy?

The Book of Revelation tells us:

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.” (Revelation 1:7, ESV)

Think of that. One day every eye will see Him—again, His return will be oh so visible—but not everyone will have the same response. Some will be overwhelmed with joy and exhilaration at seeing their Lord and being caught up to meet Him in the clouds. Others will be devastated and overwhelmed with shock and terror. Consider these sobering words of the Apostle John:

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17, ESV)

How awful must be their dread of Jesus if these people would rather be crushed by mountains and rocks than come under His wrath?

Sometimes I realize I haven’t really stopped to reflect on what I’ve just read in the Bible. Consider what is being said here. This day of wrath is going to be utterly terrifying for a vast number of people. Despite the fact that so many talk show hosts, comedians, screenwriters, politicians, and social media influencers mock the Lord Jesus today, a day of reckoning is coming. And, according to Scripture, it will come on a day that no one expects.

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3, ESV)

To downplay the seriousness of this reality is to pretend this passage isn’t in Scripture.

But, we are reminded, the picture is very different for those who love the Lord Jesus.

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, ESV)

For those who long for the Lord’s return, that day will be a glorious day of rejoicing. This is because if you know and trust in Jesus, you don’t need to live in dread of Christ’s return or experience terror at His return. Instead, you get to look forward to being with your Savior and all your brothers and sisters in the Lord who have gone before you.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, ESV)

If you have found salvation in the living Lord, you too can look forward to His return. It’s not something to shrink back from; it’s something to fuel your excitement. Jesus is coming back!

Are You Looking Forward to His Return?

Here’s what I’d have you consider. The deeper your relationship with Jesus, the more you will look forward to His return.

Full disclosure here: our home is not always pristinely clean with every dish put away and everything so immaculate that it sparkles like in those Swiffer commercials. We have three boys who love to turn our living room into a miniature city, with cars lined up in traffic and bridges going across chairs and couches. Don’t get me wrong. We do try to have them clean up after themselves, but, believe it or not, things don’t always go as planned. So, when we are expecting guests, we sometimes have to do what we call “blitzing” to get everything clean in time. Of course, there have been times when a guest showed up surprisingly early, and, frankly, we just didn’t feel ready.

Sometimes people feel that way about Christ’s return. They want Him to come back, but maybe not today. Soon, but not today. But the more we face challenges in life, the more we should long for Christ’s return. While those who don’t know Christ can fall into despair when bad things happen, the Christian should have a different perspective. Trials are meant to be God’s way of weaning us off our love for the world.

Sometimes a bit of pain is the only way to break us out of our cycle of pursuing the things of this world. He wants us to find ultimate joy with Him. So, in those times of trials, we need to turn our grumbling over circumstances into gratitude that our Savior is coming.

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.” (James 5:7, ESV)

Sometimes we can be hoping and praying for something, and not expect it to take so long. Perhaps it’s physical healing. Or a relationship with a family member needing to be reconciled. Or a friend we want to come to know Jesus. We can wonder, “Why is this taking so long? I’ve been praying! Why is my heart still so heavy?” But that’s where we need to humbly surrender to the Lord’s timetable, because He sees things from a much grander perspective than we could.

And one day, when Jesus returns and we see Him face to face, we will experience ultimate healing, both in our hearts and our bodies. Thus, we say together “Maranatha!” “Our Lord, come!”

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] A view called preterism holds that Jesus’s predicted return was fulfilled in the first century at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 in a spiritual sense, despite the fact that the promise was that Jesus would return physically and visibly. Of course, our understanding of end times events should not be shaped by what is popular or what fits neatly into a particular scheme, but what is plainly taught in Scripture. For that reason, despite the apparent neatness of the preterist view, I have to reject it.

40 Marks of Men Committed to the Truth

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

Many Christians today are concerned about the direction our culture has been going for some time now. Some are agitated, some anxious. I’ve spoken with many Christians who have admitted a deep concern for what is happening in current events, both locally and globally.

It’s no wonder that Paul called the current era “the present evil age” (Galatians 1:3). Thankfully, we are also assured that faith is “the victory that has overcome the world” (1 John 5:4). In order to live victoriously by faith during the present evil age, Christians must make a personal and unreserved commitment to the truth of God’s Word. Only Scripture can tell us the truth about who God is, what has gone wrong, who Christ is, who we are, and what we can expect while living in these crazy and confused times. In particular, God calls men to commit their lives—body, mind, and soul—to the truth, setting an example for their families and friends to follow.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, ESV)

Rather than being tossed back and forth by every new wave of teaching that comes our way, we are called to stand firmly on the rock of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls every man to “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith,” “be strong,” and “act like men.” I would encourage every Christian to meditate on Ephesians 4:14-25. In that passage, Paul speaks of the truth of Jesus as the liberating force that sets us free from all that hinders our spiritual growth.

One thing I love about this passage is the emphasis on unity in the body of Christ. To the extent that the church of Jesus Christ ignores the truth of Christ, to that extent we will split apart and lose a strong sense of identity as adopted sons and daughters of God.

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25, ESV)

Below are 40 marks of men committed to the truth.

Men committed to the Truth…

  1. Love the truth about God (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
  2. Rejoice when the truth is proclaimed (Philippians 1:18)
  3. Admit they are sinners in need of a Savior (1 John 1:8)
  4. Have been born again through the Word of truth (James 1:18)
  5. Know the truth about Jesus and His Gospel (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:26)
  6. Trust in Jesus for salvation for forgiveness of sin (John 3:16, 36)
  7. Know that Jesus sets us free from sin, Satan, and hell (John 8:32, 36)
  8. Are filled with the Spirit of truth (John 16:13)
  9. Worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24)
  10. Commit to follow Jesus without reservation (Luke 20:21)
  11. Believe the Bible in its entirety is God-breathed truth (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
  12. Are not ashamed of the Gospel of truth (Romans 1:16)
  13. Repent of sin (2 Timothy 2:25)
  14. Refuse to suppress the truth about God’s righteousness and wrath (Romans 1:18)
  15. Study God’s Word diligently (2 Timothy 2:15)
  16. Renew their minds through belief in God’s Word (Romans 12:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)
  17. Obey the truth of God’s Word and walk in the light (1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 1:6)
  18. Rejoice in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6)
  19. Stand for truth even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient (2 Corinthians 13:8)
  20. Desire to have God’s heart for the lost (1 Timothy 2:4)
  21. Put away falsehood and lovingly share truth with others (Ephesians 4:25)
  22. Know that we have an enemy who hates the truth (John 8:44)
  23. Know that spiritual warfare is real and are prepared to fight the good fight of the faith with the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6)
  24. Confront error when needed, especially gospel error with truth from God’s Word (Galatians 2:14)
  25. Seek to have a clear conscience in everything (Romans 9:1; 1 Timothy 1:5)
  26. Renounce manipulation and misrepresentation of others (2 Corinthians 4:2)
  27. Turn from myths and avoid worthless debates and meaningless speculations (2 Timothy 4:4; Titus 1:14)
  28. Never teach false doctrine (2 Timothy 2:18)
  29. Understand the danger of sinful indulgence (2 Peter 2:2)
  30. Pursue joy in the Lord rather than in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
  31. Refuse to make an idol of money, sex, power, or anything else (1 Timothy 6:5)
  32. Honor the marriage institution as a gift of God (1 Timothy 4:3)
  33. Love their wife and children, and lead their family to follow the Lord in truth (1 Timothy 4:3; Ephesians 5:25; Ephesians 6:4)
  34. Commit to serve and support the church, a pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15)
  35. Stay alert through prayer to God (Ephesians 6:18)
  36. Pray for boldness to speak the truth of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:19-20)
  37. Acknowledge their need for regular reminders of biblical truth (2 Peter 1:12)
  38. Renounce pride as an enemy of the truth (James 3:14)
  39. Strive to be reasonable, considerate, and clear in speech (Acts 26:25)
  40. Bring brothers back who have wandered from the truth (James 5:19)

Men of Consequence

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment 
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16, NLT)

Every man has a hunger for purpose. I’ve heard one man put it this way: “All men long to be men of consequence.” There is something deep within the soul of a man that longs to make a powerful impact on this world. This drive to make a difference is good, right, and God-given. However, there is a subtle and dangerous tendency for this desire to become misguided and destructive when it’s not properly channeled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

Men Long to Make a Lasting Impact

Paul reminds his young protégé Timothy—whom he calls “man of God”—to satisfy this purpose hunger in the will of God. Rather than simply telling Timoty to passively avoid sin, he charges Timothy with action-oriented commands like “Pursue righteousness,” “Fight the good fight of the faith,” and “Take hold of eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:11-12). In other words, if this desire to make a difference is corrupted by selfishness and a bloated ego, it will backfire and cause more harm than good. But if this hunger for significance is directed by God’s power and purposes for a man laid out in Scripture, he can make a powerful impact not only in this life but in the life to come.

Many Hollywood films speak to this hunger in a man’s soul. In the movie Gladiator, the great general Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, rallies his troops for battle with these words:

“Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium [Heaven], and you’re already dead! Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity.”

When I first saw Gladiator, I found that line compelling: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

Many passages in Scripture speak to this same desire to make a lasting impact.

“Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV)
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
“To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.” (Romans 2:7, CSB)

Men Are Created as the Image and Glory of God

Many men today have been counted unworthy by our worldly and godless culture not for anything they have done but simply for being men. They are told that their desire to be strong and masculine is “problematic” and “toxic.” Rather than seeing the goodness of strong and courageous men, our world tends to blame them for so many ills of society. Granted, many men have displayed toxic behavior. They have lived according to their lusts for power and pleasure. And whenever men pursue power and pleasure as ends in themselves, this results in devastating consequences for others, particularly the women they should have been cherishing and protecting. Men who have used their strength either to assault or take advantage of women should rightly be charged and prosecuted.

However, in an effort to expose and dismantle this toxic version of masculinity, many have attempted to stigmatize masculinity altogether. To take just one example, when movie director James Cameron discussed his previous films with The Hollywood Reporter, he admitted he now thought testosterone was downright dangerous because it made men wild and untamed risk-takers. Discussing his previous films, including the Terminator series, Cameron said:

“A lot of things I did earlier, I wouldn’t do—career-wise and just risks that you take as a wild, testosterone-poisoned young man. I always think of [testosterone] as a toxin that you have to slowly work out of your system.”[1]

From the biblical perspective, such a quest to emasculate manhood and reengineer men into some kind of androgynous being is both foolish and harmful. God created men as men. He created mankind as “male and female” on purpose from the beginning, not as an evolutionary afterthought (Genesis 1:27).

He calls men to “act like men” (1 Corinthians 16:13). In doing so, God was not calling men to be self-centered pigs who are enslaved to their lusts. This seems to be how many influential voices in the culture view masculinity. But if God viewed masculinity as inherently toxic, He wouldn’t have charged men to act like men or called men “the image and glory of God” (1 Corinthians 11:7).

Men Need to Be Redeemed by Jesus Christ

The real problem is that our mainstream culture does not have a doctrine of original sin. Masculinity is labeled inherently “toxic” because of the sinful proclivities of men. But the Bible teaches us to view the world through the lens of the story of creation-fall-redemption-restoration. A man’s masculine nature is part of God’s good design at creation.[2] Men became sinners through the fall, and that is why we see men using their strength for evil.[3] But Jesus Christ, the God-man, came to redeem sinners, among whom are men and women.[4] Today, Jesus calls men to embrace their God-given nature as He restores them in His likeness.[5] Redeemed men must boldly stand for Christ in a lost and dying world that has forgotten the great value of men.

If you don’t understand that the problem is what sin has done to men, then you will identify the problem as men themselves, a foolish and ultimately demonic conclusion.

Having been told that their desire to be aggressive, courageous, and heroic is either stupid or troublesome, many young men resort to living out their dreams in the virtual world of video games while snacking on Cheetos in their mom’s basement. Men, if that’s been your reality, my goal isn’t to shame you but to assure you that God calls you to something far greater.

Men Are Called to Be Strong and Courageous

God wants men to live with intentionality and purpose. He wants us to have a God-centered perspective on life, seeing things in the big picture.

There are real evils in this world, and men are called to be at the frontline to stop evil with courage and conviction. When a man has bowed the knee to Jesus and is filled with the Spirit of power, he can rule over his own ungodly desires and stand for truth in a culture that has been massively deceived.

If you are a man, know this: Your desire to make a difference—to be a man of consequence—is good and right. Jesus values you. And as the ultimate Man, Jesus models for you perfectly what true masculinity looks like when we submit ourselves to God the Father and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

The church of Jesus Christ is to be a place where men are welcomed, called to be fully alive, and not shamed for who God made them to be. The world may try to shame masculine men as “toxic,” encourage men to be weak and passive, and may even call testosterone a “toxin,” but God says to men:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NIV)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

Photo courtesy of David Liff.

[1] https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment-news/avatar-director-james-cameron-says-testosterone-is-toxic-masculine-twitter-calls-him-beta-male-article-96001279  Accessed on October 10, 2023.

[2] Genesis 1:27, 31

[3] Ecclesiastes 7:29

[4] 1 Timothy 1:15

[5] Ephesians 4:22-24