Truth Talks

Who's Your Daddy?

“Who’s your daddy?” the billboard shouted to me alongside a highway in downtown Kansas City.  As if it were yesterday, I remember my surprise at the sight.  I wondered how many calls the paternity testing service received from the ad.  I mused over how much uncertainty existed over the issues of paternity.  After all, I knew without a doubt my daddy’s identity.  Now, nearly a decade later, paternity questions can be settled for $17.99 by purchasing a take-home kit at your local drugstore.   

Settling doubts regarding fatherhood is important from a human identity perspective.  However, because it is commonplace to hear the words “We are all God’s children”, I wonder how many people, especially those from the Millennial generation, concern themselves with their spiritual ancestry.   All people are not God’s children, and as Christians, it is important that we know how to articulate what the Bible says regarding this statement. 

Two spiritual families exist in the world—the devil’s family and God’s family.   As descendants of Adam, we are automatically born into the devil’s family (John 8:44).  The method by which one becomes a “child of God” is through a personal relationship with Jesus, resulting in being “born again” in a spiritual sense. (John 1:12-13, John 3:3).

All Christians are “born again”.  This new “birth” puts us into God’s family in exactly the same way as our physical birth puts us into our father’s family.   As members of God’s family, we are heirs to eternal life in heaven.  Without this relationship, our “inheritance” is hell. 

I’m glad I know my identity without a shadow of a doubt.  I desire to erase doubts in others’ minds as well, but I will not refer them to a drugstore paternity test.  More is at stake than earthly fortune.  Instead of asking “Who’s your daddy?” let’s ask “Are you a child of God?”.  God wants more in His family.

With whom can you share the Truth?

Obama, McCain on Abortion

Last week a forum was held with both presidential candidates. Each shared their view on abortion in non-committal riddles:

One candidate said a human is entitled to human rights at conception…but, he also supports stem-cell research.

The other candidate declined “to the answer with specificity as it was above his pay grade.” He did, however, commit to being pro-choice, for Roe v Wade, but not pro-abortion.

The cause for the apparent dilemma surrounding taking a human life from the womb stems from each man’s worldview.

The medical community agrees that the fetal heartbeat can be seen at five weeks and heard at eight. If this is so, why the dilemma? It’s as simple as Darwin’s theory of evolution.

It is important to understand the incredibly destructive influences that evolutionary theory has had on modern thinking. If life was not created by God, and if human beings are simply random occurrences in the universe, then of what significance is human life? 40 million abortions since Roe v Wade seems to conclude human life apart from a Creator is disposable.

Also, if all of life can be explained by evolution, and if there is no God who created us, then there is no supreme Judge to hold us morally accountable. Therefore, moral absolutes regarding human life are only subjective preferences.

The election issues provide perfect opportunities to dialogue with people outside the church. Revisit the creation story and be reminded afresh how God dialogued with Adam and Eve. He personally saw to their needs. Even after their disobedience, he remedied their wrong because he is a personal God who desires relationship with us.

When the eternal soul enters the body is up for debate—even in the Christian community. So, it’s not necessary to go there. What you can do is share with others the biblical worldview that God creates life and desires a personal relationship with every person through his son Jesus Christ.

What will you do with what you know?

Just Talking About Sin

A popular belief in our culture today about the nature of humankind is that we are all basically good.  I've heard this personally on several occasions.  This is not a new concept.  Many early philosophers, including Abraham Maslow insisted human nature is innately good.   Here are two examples:

I do not find that evil is inherent in human nature. - Carl Rogers

Since this inner nature is good or neutral rather bad, it is best to bring it out and to encourage it, rather than to oppress it.  If it is permitted to guide our life, we grow healthy, fruitful and happy. - Abraham Maslow

The danger in believing that mankind is basically good is that it negates the need for a Savior, Jesus, to rescue us from a holy God's wrath on evil mankind.   If we are already good, we could get to heaven on our own.  However, the bible says that from as early on Adam, all of us have a sin nature and God is grieved by it:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  Ge 6:5-6

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned - Ro 5:12

We can’t escape our inheritance from Adam, but we can escape God’s eternal punishment for sin through belief on Jesus for eternal life.  We can also use each opportunity we have, such as when we hear statements like “we are all basically good”, as a springboard to gently share the truth of a Christian worldview and lead people to Christ.  That’s why we should be able to articulate why we believe what we believe.

What will you do with what you know?