Author: Stephen Field

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” – C.S. Lewis

A popular trend in classroom arranging is to create a safe space for our students. It is a place where, when a student feels out of control or overwhelmed with emotions, one can go to calm down and talk with the teacher. We constantly emphasize the importance of the safe space. We redirect students to the safe place all the time. To students, it is a place where you can express emotions, frustrations, questions, and find someone who can do something about what is going on inside.

People may laugh at the idea of a safe space. However, how many of us would like a place where we can vent, cry, doubt, and question without the fear of judgment and ridicule?

We, as Christians, claim that God is our refuge. We tell people to trust in him and run to him for safety. Yet, why are so many not doing that.

Do we really see God as safe?

Representation matters

The phrase “Representation Matters” is a buzzword in the education world. It means that all people are represented in books and the classroom. However, it also means that the right representation is presented.

Representation matters for the church as well! If you look on social media, you will see many bashing the church for this and that. Why is that? Is it because we are not representing our savior well?

I Corinthians 3:16 tells us the church is God’s temple and his Spirit dwells there. This means that the church represents who God is and his Spirit. This is key in remembering our identity as the church.

I love how we are working on representing the love of God, the holiness of God, the Scripture of God, but are we representing the safety of God?

god’s safety

When we think about God’s safety, we immediately think of the many Psalms that talk about God as a shield and refuge. Psalm 23 shows us God as the safe shepherd. These are all important in understanding God’s safety.

However, to see God’s safety in action, let’s look at the Gospels to see Christ (God incarnate) demonstrating God’s safety.

God is safe to approach. In Mark 2:1-12 and Mark 5:21-34, we see people coming to Jesus for healing. They knew he would not judge them. Jesus exuded a presence proving he is safe to approach. Many came to him for healing. Many were not afraid to call after him or approach him at dinner. To the people, he was safe and close. Unlike the religious leaders who were the opposite. Jesus invited people to come close and be blessed.

God is safe to argue around. The disciples argued in front of Jesus in Mark 9:33-37. An arguments sparks about who is the greatest disciple. Jesus does not rake them over the coals. He does not kick anyone out. Instead, he teaches them about greatness. He uses the argument to go back to faith. He is safe to argue around, because he will point us back to what is important and change our attitude.

God is safe to doubt around. After Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples saw Jesus; except Thomas. Thomas said he would not believe until he saw and touched Jesus. We tend to shame Thomas for his unbelief and doubt (like we do to many Christians today). However, how did Jesus respond? He appeared to Thomas and gave him the proof he needed to believe. He did not shame him for being of little faith. Jesus granted him peace and invited him to touch (John 20:24-29).

God is safe to experience emotions and mental health issues around. John 11:1-44 gives us one of the most powerful examples of intense emotions with Jesus. Mary and Martha experience grief, and Jesus grieves with them! In Mark 5:1-20 we experience a man going out of his mind. Yet, Jesus calmly calls the demons out of him and puts the man in his right mind. God is not scared of our emotions or our mental health. He invites us to safely reveal those things to him.

There are more examples in the Gospels than room I have to write. However, the point is clear. Jesus demonstrates God is safe when we are our authentic self in the many facets of ourselves.

False safety

Yet, how is the Church representing God’s safety? Can people be their authentic self in the many forms that come? Or is authenticity met with judgement and ostracization?

Do we value safety in our churches?

It is in safety that one can be vulnerable enough to receive the life-changing grace of God. It is in safety that one’s faith grows and blooms.

However, that is not the case. We use a false safety. We tell people they can open up and tell us their struggles or be real with us. Yet, how many times does that end in more hurt and spiritual abuse? How often is that used as an excuse the weed out the unwanted?

False safety turns the church into a country club for those with the image we want. We are no better than the religious leaders when we do this.

When someone opens up to us, how are they treated after? As less than? Kicked out? Removed from ministering? Ostracized and marginalized? Is the reason for this really Scriptural or is it to preserve our image?

How is the safety of God through Christ coming out in his church?

But what about aslan?

You may be wondering about the quote mentioned at the beginning. How can we talk about God being safe when C.S. Lewis (who compares Aslan to God/Jesus) calls him not safe?

This safety isn’t the safety we are talking about. Aslan is a lion. He is not to be approached willy-nilly or just as a regular house cat. He is king. He is safe to approach on his terms. He is good, because he can do something about the issues going on. Edmund was safe to approach Aslan; even though he was a traitor. He would be the least worthy to approach him. Yet, he was safe enough to do so.

It is the same in our relationship with God. We approach him through our faith in Jesus Christ. God isn’t safe to mess with like a house pet. He is safe to approach, because he can do something about the issues we bring to him. Without Christ, we could not approach him. Yet, now we can.

Hebrews 4:15-16 promises us safety in boldly approaching God. Once Jesus finished his work, we were able to approach God without fear – thanks to the temple curtain being torn in two (Matthew 27:51).

How often do we take this awesome promise away from others as we make our churches unsafe to boldly come before God. How many people struggle in the dark, because there is no safety in our churches? How many people leave the faith, because we do not faithfully represent the God who calls us out of the darkness into light?

When we are faithful in our representation, we will see a faithful harvest grown by the Holy Spirit. Everyone deserves to approach God without having to hide or being inauthentic before him. It is in those moments the work of God can take root in a soul.

Is God safe? Yes, not because he is a cuddly house pet. He is safe, because he can do something about the things we go through.

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.” – C.S. Lewis

Has anyone ever tripped you? Walking down the school hallway with heavy books, and “wham!” Your gaze goes from the hall to the floor. Books scatter like roaches across the floor. The snickering and staring flushes your face, so you get up and keep going. If you approach the person who tripped you, they usually say, “It was a joke,” or “I didn’t mean any harm by it.”

We hate when we are in a situation which embarrasses us or rips the rug out from under us. We feel used or the butt of a joke. Our trust is broken, and our faith in humanity vanishes.

How many of us have experienced a spiritual version of this scenario? We are led on to believe things. Only to find out; we were lied to.

I want to look at a verse where Jesus warns us about leading people on that leads others to go astray.

Christ’s heavy millstone

In Mark 9:42, Jesus says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away —it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

This verse always gives me chills. I have usually heard this passage preached on in the context of hurting children in some way (i.e. pedophilia). With all the sexual abuse issues in the church today, this verse sticks out as a warning to anyone who tries to mess with children. Or is it?

Mark 9:42 shows up in the dialogue where the disciples are arguing about a man who was casting out demons and was not apart of the group (Mark 9:38-42). The passage also shows up in Matthew 18:6. The context is Matthew 18:1-9. Here Jesus brings a child into the group and talks about having the faith of a child. The other passage is Luke 17:1-4. Here Jesus talks about offenses and those who cause offenses.

I find it fascinating that many sermons use this passage to talk about offending children or causing believers to go worldly. But is that the correct interpretation?

We have to remember the cultural context. This is not Paul talking to Gentiles, or Jesus talking about offending children. This passage is directed to a group of Jewish people and the disciples. The Jewish culture is highly religious. The Pharisees and Sadducees are the religious leaders, and the Mosaic Law is the law of the land. People are well versed in what worldliness is.

So what is Jesus getting to in this passage?

The theme of the context gives us the clue: faith of a child. Each context is surrounded by the theme of faith. The faith of a child is belief like a child. The way a child throws themselves into their belief and how their whole world becomes about that is the faith of a child.

The warning of causing a little one to stumble needs to fit in this context.

Therefore Jesus is saying… If someone uses the child-like faith of a believer in spiritual abuse while preaching a gospel or holding onto things that are not from Christ, then that person should have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the sea.

Jesus is warning church leaders and believers to not make faith gullible by leading others into spiritual abuse.

The religious abuse in the new testament

How were people being led astray in the New Testament?

Through the burdens of the religious leaders. Jesus rebukes them for this in Mark 7:1-13. The religious leaders put their human rules and traditions over the Scriptures. They made a relationship with God about the rules to follow and the image the Jewish people frustrated themselves into keeping.

The rule keeping became the life and death of the Jewish people. Their whole world balanced on their adherence to the religious leaders. You were not a good person unless you did or said or looked or whatever the religious leaders wanted. God was not the center of the Jewish faith. Man’s traditions were. Control and image could sum up the religious abuse of this time.

Religious abuse today

You might say, “But we know better. We are saved by grace through faith. We do not have to do works!”

Great, biblical sentiment… but, do we really practice it?

How do we determine if someone is a “good Christian”? Is it through their faith in Jesus as stated in Romans 10:9 and Ephesians 2:8-9? Or is it through their adherence to our standards, rules, and images?

If it is the latter, then we are committing the same spiritual abuse as the religious leaders during the New Testament.

Spiritual abuse in my life

I use to be a apart of a Christian community steeped in the Independent Fundamental Baptist world. I went to the Mecca University for “good Christians” – Bob Jones University.

The only thing I knew about this school was there was a lot of rules, but my parents said it would be good for me. So, I went. I thought it would be a community of mature Christians who could straighten me out and help me grow.

Yet, as time went on, things changed. The rule book was just over 100 pages. The stress of wearing the right outfit, listening to the right music, attending the right church, being at the right event at the right time overwhelmed me. Within my first few weeks I already received a lot of demerits for swearing at a roommate (story involves my insecurity about my disability). When I met with the dean of men, I was told to fix my rebellious attitude in order to fit in better.

I tried my best. The rules became like Scripture to me. My parents told me that if they say to jump I should ask how high. Inside, though, there were things I needed to grapple with that this system smothered with fear.

I knew I was same-sex attracted. I had no idea what to do. In chapel, they encouraged us to come forward and be transparent for help. I did that. Little did I know, help was only to help them. I was given a book to read, told to pray and read Scripture. I was also told to get rid of any “gay inspiration” in my life. This came from the music on my computer to even clothes. Further, my life was now watched for who I hung out with. I felt like a freak on top of having a disability.

Sermon after sermon told me how evil I was. I even heard sermons and teachings about how disabilities were a result of the fall and can be a result of sin. Guess how I was treated after?

Suspicion and paranoia ruled my life. I was under suspicion for everything. I even had to prove my disability every semester; just in case I was lying about it. If I got an email to meet with the dean of men, I was never told what it was about. Panic attacks riddled me like bullets from a machine gun. I had nightmares of being watched and being put on trial in front of the entire student body.

My faith was about going to the right church, reading Scripture like a workhorse, having the right image, and staying under the radar. I didn’t stay under the radar well with questioning things, but that’s another story.

When I graduated from there with my masters, I was in a terrible shape. Faith was about my works and image. Other Christians were seen as suspicious if they were not like me. I never took a class in how to love people, but I took many in how to prove my way was right.

As for being same-sex attracted, I was told getting married to a spiritually sound woman would fix me. Put off same-sex attraction, and put on opposite-sex attraction. Hide your struggle. It will never end well if people find out.

Inside, I was angry, hurt, and full of self-hatred. It was preached in chapel so many times that no one truly hates themselves, and the self-hatred in me was just a way to get attention. God would not love me fully unless I was fully surrendered to him and celebrating victories. The struggle of sin was seen as test of your salvation. I was torn up so much inside; no wonder I blew up at people. It was not me resisting God’s work. It was me frustrated and stumbling under the weight of spiritual abuse.

More could be said, but fast-forward to today. I still claim to be a Christian, but going to church, reading my Bible, and any of the Christian things I used to do hurt. Even if they are good things to do, the stain of spiritual abuse taints the beauty of the gospel from God. I struggle with mental health and other things just from a group that calls themselves Christian and that they had the best for me.

This is what it means to be led astray.

A Warning driving us to christ

Christ gave us this wild and scary picture of someone drowning over leading someone astray. It is not about leading children astray. It is about taking the innocence of a child-like faith and turning into what the religious leaders did to the Jewish people.

The harm and scars this type of abuse creates takes years and sometimes a lifetime to work out of. Finding grace in the shatter glass of our faith is difficult. It is in those moments we need to be gracious to ourselves. We may not be ready to go to church, but can we sit in a coffee shop and read one Psalm? Can we continue to share our story to work the poison out of our system? Can we set up boundaries to make sure it does not happen again? There is no quick fix. It is one day at a time.

When you hear story after story of people spending thousands of dollars in therapy trying fix what was promised as Christ’s freedom, then you know it is spiritual abuse.

So, we must lead with grace. We must love people. We must be like Christ. We cannot use our human traditions, standards, and images to control people and expect to escape this warning.

Spiritual abuse is real. Let survivors speak, and let’s take our millstone and use it to make bread for our tables of healing.

“May a merciful God preserve me from a Christian Church in which everyone is a saint! – Martin Luther

A popular Christian meme depicts Jesus flipping tables over with the statement, “If anyone asks what would Jesus do, remind them that flipping over tables and chasing people with a whip is within the realm of possibilities.”

While this meme can be humorous, it takes a biblical story out of context. It forgets where the event took place, and what Jesus said afterward.

Jesus did not flipped tables or drive people out with a whip at a marketplace, school, or state capitol. He did so at the temple!

According to Mark 11:15-19, the temple was filled with money changers conducting business. Jesus became irate over the buying and selling. Afterwards, the religious leaders plotted a way to kill Jesus.

Flipping tables and driving out people was rooted in Isaiah 56:7. Jesus wanted his house to be a house of prayer for all nations; instead, the religious leaders have made it into a den of thieves.

It is in the passage from Isaiah that we find a question for us today.

The church is to be a house for whom?

Thriving in the den of thieves

A den of thieves is a place of refuge for thieves as they exploit people. In the New Testament, the religious leaders exploited people in many ways – money, religious burdens, etc. In order to make it and not be kicked out of the temples, people went along with it. Fear controlled all their actions (John 9:20-23).

Have our churches turned into dens of thieves? Are we exploiting people under the guise of spirituality?

Let’s think about it…

Are we exploiting people by selling them a certain political party? Do we tell them that only good Christians vote a certain way or follow a certain political leader? Pastor Greg Locke of Tennessee has been filmed saying such as he requested democrats to leave his church. We might not be that bold, but we will begin to avoid people who “are too left,” or “too liberal,” or we question their Christian faith for voting anything other than how we do. It is the fear of exclusion or fear of suspicion that causes others to question if they can truly worship God unless they are politically like us.

Are we exploiting people of their freedom in Christ? Are we forcing people to give up their freedoms in order to be a better Christian? Think about the standards and images we uphold in our church. What if someone does not fit that image? Isn’t there this subtle move away from that person to exclude them?

These are just two examples (just as many as Mark gives us in Mark 11). These are all robbing people of things we would sing, praise, and thank God for, but we force people to sell those things in order to be seen as a good Christian in our eyes.

Worship in a den of thieves is about an image of worship rather than the act of worship. It is about controlling an image and keeping power over people. That is what the religious leaders wanted.

The attitude of jesus

Jesus saw what the religious leaders were doing to the people he created, loved, and was going to die for. He could not allow this abuse of his house. He doesn’t drive out the people. He drives out those who are abusing the temple.

Why?

He states that his house is to be a house of prayer for all nations. It is quite the statement when compared to calling it a den of thieves.

Again, a den of thieves is a place of exploitation. A house of prayer is a place of safety and refuge, and prayer is an act of communication with God. Therefore, unless our churches are a safe refuge to communicate with God, then we risk creating a den of thieves.

But, who belongs in this house of prayer? Jesus refers to Isaiah 56:7. The verse isn’t saying a place just for Israel or a select group of people.

Jesus says his house is a house of prayer for all nations. The word can also be translated as “people groups,” “ethnicities,” etc. It is a word that encompasses all people.

A house for all

In a den of thieves, in order to be in good standing, a person must do what the thieves say or fear more exploitations or worse. That is what the Jewish people feared in New Testament times. It is a similar fear many face in our churches.

They fear speaking up, questioning things, doing things, being themselves, and a host of other things.

But, what does a house of prayer for all look like?

It is literally a place for all people.

It is a place for all people of political beliefs who love each other. They are not worried about judgment for how they voted. We uphold Romans 13:1-7 as our guidance to dealing with politics; rather than forcing a political stand on others.

It is a place where all people can be themselves and communicate with God through the work of Jesus. They do not have to change themselves in order to approach God, because Jesus already took care of that.

It is a place where the faith of a child is cultivated. It is not a faith of just believing what leaders tell you (that can lead to exploiting). It is a faith of curiosity and questioning. As a teacher, I see children being gullible. But, I see how they question and create and are unafraid to make mistakes. And from those things, they grow and mature. That is the faith of a child. Unfraid.

It is a place where we welcome all to come. The act of coming is the faith that saves. Plenty of times in the gospels, Jesus tells many, “Your faith has healed you.” Their faith wasn’t a adherence to a theological system. They simply believed Jesus could heal them, and so they came to him.

It is a place where we would rather drive out our own religious leaders before we drive out the people. Jesus did not flip tables to challenge the people coming into the temple. He did it to challenge the system the religious leaders implemented.

A house of prayer for all nations, all people groups, all cultures, all languages… all.

whosoever BELONGS HERE

Asking what would Jesus do would entail flipping tables and driving people out with whips. But, remember where he did it and towards whom/what. If we are going to do that, then we need to start with those who are exploiting people inside our churches.

A den of thieves separates those who belong and do not belong. If someone threatens the power of the thieves, then that person is ostracized.

A house of prayer for all nations welcomes everyone to a safe refuge to communicate with God through the work of Jesus Christ.

If we begin to see people as you belong or do not belong, then we are cultivating a den of thieves. If we welcome everyone and point them to Jesus, then we are cultivating the point Jesus was making in Mark 11.

Worship is not about creating an image. It is not about having the right people in your church to control and make you look good.

Worship can only happen when we can be real before God, real with ourselves, and real in our community. That is why it is known as a house of prayer for all nations. It takes all kinds of people groups to show the far reaching love and grace of God.

A house of prayer for whom?

A house of prayer for you, me, he she, they, them.

A house of prayer for whoever believes and comes in faith.

“Too many people today know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
– Ann Landers

Jesus sat before a crowd and told this story, “A man was out in a field. He stumbled across a treasure greatly valued. He reburied the treasure. He, then, went home, sold everything he had, and bought the field with the treasure.”

How many of us have found a treasure like that? Something so important to us that we end up giving our all just for that treasure?

Many would say having a nice car, a career position, or living an authentic life. There is a myriad of things we would give everything for. Why? Because it is worth it to us.

So what about this particular Bible from Thomas Nelson: NJKV Premium Collection Personal Size Large Print Reference? Is this Bible worth it? I mean the price is $189.99!

I have seen Bible like this one on the shelf before. I loved the look and feel and the sense I get from it, but the price shocked me and back on the shelf it went to shock the next customer.

Is this Bible worth it?

A pREMIUM pACKAGE

When I slid the top of the box open, a shiny, silver sticker greeted me with a shimmer and a wink. I knew something special lay just inside the black paper wrapping.

Gingerly, I lifted greeter and unfolded the paper. Inside lay the most beautiful Bible I had ever held in my hand. The brown leather cover whisked my imagination back to Europe and the binding of ancient manuscripts. My hands cradled the weight of the Bible. My attention and awe were connected to the Bible before me.

The rose gold gilding invited me to see what treasure lay buried under such an exquisite beauty. Was it just binding deep? Or was this truly a premium package.

Inside the beautiful binding, the feel of the pages were firm yet loose. The color was a beautiful off white keeping my attention on the words. The font readied my eyes for exploration. The references at the end of each verse and at the bottom of the pages teased me down a rabbit hole of spiritual wonder in the Scriptures.

As I my senses took all of this in, I realized that this was a very different Bible than I had ever owned.

An aWESOME ASSEMBLE

Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Premium Bible Collection Personal Size Large Print Reference Bible is an amazing assembly of translation, aesthetics, and Scripture.

I love the NKJV translation. To me, it feels like it brings the reader to an older time while keeping the text understandable. It may not be the translation some may choose right off the bat, but it is a good, solid translation out of many.

The size of the font and lay out of the pages is perfect for reading with ease and note taking. I love note taking in this Bible. I use a pencil and things are easily erased without eraser smudges.

Another feature I love is the 3 color page-marker ribbons (brown, red, blue). I believe this feature is amazing for readers and deep study of the Bible. Ribbons help study? Yes! I use the brown to mark the Old Testament, red the Gospels, and blue the Acts and the other epistles in the New Testament. It is perfect for going in between each section of Scripture and seeing the connections between each section (which I totally geek out about!).

In the back there is a simple concordance and maps. But what this Bible does is help readers be able to set up their own studying system bound in a very beautiful package.

But the Price…

But, the price is 189.99! Yes, as a teacher that is quite pricey to spend on a Bible. Yes, I did receive this Bible for free to review.

But…

Would I ever buy it after I wholly use this one? Yes! I would save up money for another one. When I held this Bible in my hands, I felt the weight of my faith in a more tangible way. Just like there is a hefty cost for relationships with what we invest in others, are we willing to invest the same into our relationship with God? Do we have one special Bible that we come to and just by the binding our mind switches to experience the weight of our faith?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that where our treasure is, our heart will be there too. When we invest our treasure into our relationship with God even in spending money on a beautiful Bible like this one, our heart connects to that value.

When we need to see the value of our faith, we may need to spend into our personal relationship with God. Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Premium Bible Collection Personal Size Large Print Reference Bible is the perfect Bible to accomplish that goal.

It may seem very trivial or using like “new age energy idea,” but, in reality, many people see the importance of something when they spend a great price for it. In doing so, they want their money’s worth. And what is definitely worth more than all the money we could have in this life time? A relationship with God.

Purchase it here:
Amazon
Biblegateway

(This study Bible was given to me free by biblegateway.com for an honest review as I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid)

“The law works fear and wrath; grace works hope and mercy.” – Martin Luther

Have you ever been lost in the dark?
Being lost in the dark can be a scary situation. It feels like a pack of unseen, shadowy villains cornering you until you suffocate. You feel trapped. It is not until light finally arrives that you feel free to move beyond the shadows and be yourself again.

You are no longer in fight or flight. When you can walk and move in the light, you walk as your true self full of freedom to be and move.

The same is true for our spiritual life. We celebrate the light Christ has brought to our shadowy sin as he breaks the darkness.

Except…

How many of us are truly living out in the light?
How many of us are still hiding in darkness?

Many of us are still living in the darkness. We watch the light come over the dark forest. We live in its thin rays that reach us, but we hardly run to the light and live in freedom.

Why?

Evangelical enslavement

We would never say we are under the Law. We would never say we follow the Mosaic Law and need it in order to be saved or reconciled to God. We would never do what the Pharisees or the Judiazers did in the New Testament. When Paul would plant a church, these group of Christian Jews would insist Christian Gentiles to follow the Law since they follow Christ. The Pharisees made the Law such a burden for people, that everything became about the Law in Jewish life; before Jesus came.

We would all agree that was wrong. We do not need Laws to save us. We live by faith in Jesus Christ! We are saved by grace! Can I get an amen?!

Stop.

Unfortunately, we are enslaved. We cannot be our true selves, we cannot walk in freedom to be like Christ.

In the Evangelical church, how many of us would be looked down on for passing out water at a Pride Parade as we reach out to a community? How many of us would be looked down on for voting Democrat when we see things are really wrong with the other party? How many of us would be looked down if we fought for the rights of others? How many of us would be ostracized if we were real about our struggles, hurts, and doubts? How many of us attend a church where we cannot say certain things, or be seen doing certain things at risk of being called a bad Christian?

Does that sound like the light and freedom Jesus called us to? Galatians 5:1 says for freedom Christ sets us free. Freedom means we walk without fear. Then, why do most of us not say or not do things out of fear?

The church, today, preaches freedom but practices enslavement. We enslave one another under our standards, laws, and images. We say, “Christ brings you freedom,” and we do not finish the sentence, ” in order to follow these rules.”

It is biblical history repeating itself.

The purpose of the law

The Law mentioned throughout the New Testament refers to the Mosaic Law or the one given to Moses that is found in the Pentateuch. It was the bedrock of Jewish life. It was the way the people lived pleasing to God.

Until Christ came, the Law ruled everything. After Christ ascended, the Law is now seen as a way to show us our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24), so we can come to him in faith.

The purpose of the Law is not to make someone feel like they would be better off dead than try to please God. The Law should not be used to bring people to Jesus. It is to show sin and the depth of sin. It is the kindness and grace of God which draws us to him, not the ever beating-down Law (Romans 2:4)

How many times have we abused the Law (even our man-made laws) to beat another Christian up or an unbeliever hoping that the weight of sin would lead them to Jesus and repentance? Christ never did that. He always used grace and kindness (and still does today).

until faith revealed

Do we see the problem we have? We burden each other with ways to please God – what music we listen to, Bible translation we read, clothing we where, things we claim about ourselves, what political party we vote for, who we associate and stand up with, what we fight for or against, etc.

We have made our own Mosaic Law! We have our own Protestant, Puritanical Precepts. We get away with it because “it is not the Mosaic Law.” But, it does the same thing in our life!

We forgot Galatians 3:19-26!

This passage talks about the Law and Christ. However, there are some important words to look for – until, now, before, since.

Until Christ the Law was our master and we had to obey it in order to have a relationship with God. It is not until the Seed (Christ) comes that we can fully receive the promise of God of being justified through faith.

When Jesus came, this faith was revealed. Everything is done on the basis of faith. Christ brings grace. Grace brings faith. Faith brings freedom.

Until Christ, we had to fulfill the Law, but, since Christ, he fulfills the Law for us (Romans 8:3-4).

Since faith revealed

Now that faith is revealed, we are no longer under the Law. We can walk in freedom as we follow the Spirit. Freedom is not just a freedom from hell and sin. It is a freedom from striving, working, and pleasing. It is a freedom to live by faith as we walk in the Spirit.

We unnecessarily burden ourselves with our own Mosaic Law and forget our freedom. Since faith was revealed, we no longer have to beat ourselves up if we are perceived as a good Christian or bad Christian based on a list of rules and standards which changes at every church you go to.

Since faith, God releases us from condemnation, gives us a spirit of adoption, casts out fear, and brings us close (Romans 8:1-2; Romans 8:15; II Timothy 1:7).

If you notice, God does not give us a Law 2.0. He gives us the law of love and the law of Christ which is all based in faith. If the law could bring us the righteousness we need to be right before God, then Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21).

live in the since

Until Christ came, we lived under the Law. We were forced to live in fear of rules and wrath. Since Christ came, faith reveals freedom through grace.

Yet, we live our life as if we were still in the until. “Until we get to heaven, we need to do such and such to be a good Christian.” “Until I reach the next Christian level, I need to do x,y, and z.” “Until I am fully accepted in my church I need to vote, behave, or be like _______.” Most of us truly do not live in freedom, because we are burdened by our own Law 2.0.

To experience true freedom, we must live in the since.

“Since Christ, I can come to him boldly with all requests, questions, and doubts.”
“Since Christ, I can reach out and love people like he does.”
“Since Christ, I can be my true self without fear, because in faith I accept his love for me.”
“Since Christ, I know my standing before God is paid for by Christ and I live by faith.”
Since Christ, I ____________”

The Law is like being lost in the dark. It suffocates us with fear. Yet when the light of Christ enters, we can live in freedom, faith, and love. It is not a freedom to another law burden, but a freedom to walk in the Spirit.

Which one are you living in? Until Christ or Since Christ?

Think about all you can be and do since Christ. No longer are we waiting for the until.

We can live in the since!

What can I do since Christ?

Over the recent years, many study Bibles have been released to help individuals understand and apply biblical principles to their life. These are great tools to have on hand.

The Evangelical Study Bible was released in 2023 overseen by a group of biblical scholars from Liberty University. It is said in the foreword that the goal of this study Bible is “to produce faith-affirming study notes that represent the finest conservative Christian scholarship and to provide clear explanations of biblical passages for today’s readers.” Therefore, this shows where the theological positions of the study notes lie. For example, when talking about tongues, the notes refer to the spiritual gift in the past tense; meaning it is really not active today.

The Evangelical Study Bible is a conservative study Bible with notes constructed to help the Christian believer in 2023 and beyond.

Let’s take a closer look…

Texts and layout

This study Bible uses the New King James translation (NKJV). It is a solid translation choice. I enjoy using the NKJV from time to time. The font size is very readable, and the study notes font size is great (as many study Bibles can make the notes too small).

Each page features the biblical texts, Scripture reference guide in the center, notes for study at the bottom of the page, and articles and pictures throughout (more on those later). I like the shaded box for the Scripture reference guide in the center. It is easy to follow and catches my eye as I read. The notes at the bottom of the page start with a blue font of the verse or phrase the notes work through. The notes are well thought out and clear, but the blue font does not stick out enough to catch my eye. I would have done either a different color or font to make sure it catches the eye better.

Each book of the Bible starts off with a short introduction ending with a great simple outline of the book. Throughout there are great pictures of archaeological finds, maps, and images to help understand the passage, historical context, and “realness” of the Scriptures (which is quite helpful). You will also find articles throughout ranging from character studies, to historical/archaeological issues, apologetic issues, and doctrinal issues. These are well marked and can take a complicated issue and make it simple to understand. These are short, sweet, and to the point which is very beneficial to the reader.

Does it complete its goal?

Remember the goal of making the Bible clear for today’s reader? I feel like this study Bible lends more biblical theological study more than modern day application. While there are portions of notes that have applications, the question of how can this be applied today or how does Scripture handle certain issues in clarity are missing here and there. It is a great study Bible for digging deep into verses, contexts, and other matters. But, I believe it does not provide a good source of application as other sources have done.

cONCLUSION

The Evangelical Study Bible is a good study Bible stemming from the conservative theological position as taught at Liberty University. Notes and articles are thorough and clear. This resource is great for understanding passages, language, historical context, and other such things. However, it lacks in the wrestling with issues that many Christians face today in application of the Bible (there is some, but not as much as it leads the reader to believe it has as stated in the foreword) . This Bible is comparable to the NIV Study Bible and the ESV Study Bible.

One thing that I like about the Evangelical Study Bible is that is makes commentary work easier and more accessible rather than having loads of commentaries.

In the end, this is a great tool to have with lots of interactive articles and notes. However, it did not stick out to me as doing something different that other study Bible in the past have failed to do. The Evangelical Study Bible follows in a long line of great resources to have, but tends to have similar look and feel as the ones before.

To Purchase:
FaithGateway Store
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(This study Bible was given to me free by biblegateway.com for an honest review as I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid)

“One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as ‘those evil people’ or ‘those poor people who need our help.’ Nor must we search for signs of ‘loveworthiness.’ Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.”
– Phillips Brooks

God loves you!
How does that phrase hit you? Does it lift your heart in praise? Or does it sicken your heart where only a forced smile hides your broken heart?

Why is that?

God calls each Christian to love his neighbor as himself. Christ says that the sign of a true disciple is how he will love one another.

Yet, how many of us find Christians to be the most unloving group of people in our life? I have talked to many people who will not step inside a church due to the lack of love they felt from Christians.

The result of this is that people turn away from God. Church starts to be a bitter taste in our mouth. Christian phrases feel like irritating insects. Bible reading, which once was a joy, is likened to euthanizing the family pet, because your spirit cannot handle the pain of seeing what you once loved struggle for life.

Is this really the outcome of experiencing God’s love?

Bait-and-switch

It is election season. You carefully wade through the news articles, social media posts, and debates to select the candidate you desire. You hear their promises that will directly benefit you. You even get an opportunity to ask questions face to face! Their political plan sounds solid, and all it costs you is your financial support of so much per month till they get elected. Without hesitation, a check is written or a card is swiped in faith in the fulfillment of this candidate’s promises.

We laugh at such things, because we know politicians have a tendency to bait-and-switch their voters. Not all of them do, but we have plenty of stories of that happening. We shake our head at the many people who fall for these tactics.

Yet, we do the same thing with the church.

We promise love. We promise freedom. We promise a family. We promise security and belonging. We promise grace and mercy. We promise benevolence. We promise understanding. We promise to stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. We even will give a hearty, “Amen!” to these things.

Yet, amens do no produce actions. Instead, we really promise an image to uphold. We promise a list to make you free. We promise judgment and suspicion. We promise patronizing and degrading comments if you disagree with anything. We promise ostracizing you if you do not meet our terms that we have cherry-picked for our own betterment.

Certainly sounds like the church today – always baiting people to enter and switching the Gospel for our traditions and images. Jesus condemned this as he cleansed the temple calling it a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13).

The bait-and-switch burnout causes so much unbelief and abandonment. Many of us came to Jesus and church ready for healing, freedom, acceptance, love… and all we found was a chain of slavery with W.W.J.D branded into the iron.

And many people leave the church turning their back on God since the Gospel of love only turned out to be deception once the worship fog and light show dissipated.

God’s love used as a bait-and-switch just like the Pharisees and just like cults.

Facing the pain

It hurts. I know. I’ve been there as I have been shunned by church members, gossiped about, disowned by Christian parents, dismissed by pastors, texts for help and wisdom unread, and Christian friends letting go. It hurts.

It hurts when cries for financial help are met with, “God will provided.” It hurts when pleas for understanding and needs for companionship are met with, “Trust God. He knows your pain. Someone will come.” It hurts when restless struggles are met with restless to-do lists.

It hurts. And in this hurt we believe we have seen the love of God. We believe we have experienced the love of Jesus. But, we have not.

When we face the pain and call it for what it is, it is not unconditional. It is not grace-filled. It is not restful. Facing this hurt allows us to see that we see a counterfeit, conditional love. Think about it. The God’s love presented at the start of your first visit to a church is unconditional, open, and free. But after awhile, it is switched to a conditional love based on rule following, standard keeping, political positions, and a host of other things.

It is in the church’s conditional, counterfeit compassion we see so many walking away from faith. I know deep inside you is still an ember of faith weakening. But, face the pain of this spiritual abuse. Call it out for what it is – Not the love of God.

God’s love revealed

So what is God’s love?

It is how he relates to us (John 3:16). God loves us so much that he gave. It doesn’t say God gave to certain people. The Bible just says out of God’s love God gave Jesus. No conditions or rules to follow in order to get Jesus. It is in his love that our relationship with God blossoms and grows (Hebrews 4:16). In order for us to experience grace and mercy, we must have love be the center of our relationship. If it is not, then it is conditional.

God’s love is restful (Matthew 11:28). Christ calls to us to bring our burdens to him, so he can give us rest and a light load for the journey ahead of us. This shows that God cares for us as he listens and wants our burdens on himself (I Peter 5:7). It is in his love we find the restoration of our soul and wants met (Psalm 23:1-2). When the love we experience at church becomes a heavy burden of restless worry, then we know it is not from God’s love. A task horse is loved until it can no longer perform, but a child is loved just by resting in who that child is and who he belongs to.

God’s love is fearless (I John 4:18). How often do we fear punishment? How much do we fear someone’s opinion? Too many times a day! Yet, God’s love pushes away our fear. We can clearly know we have not experienced God’s love when we fear what the church will say or do dictates our life. Being unafraid means you can be fully open, vulnerable, and live as you were created to be. Being unafraid means you can come to Jesus freely to touch his garments (Mark 5:25-34).

God’s love is the mark of his disciples (John 13:35). How do we know we are his disciples? Is it from our political positions? Or our constant keeping of standards? Or our what we are against? Or how we keep our Christian image shiny? No! God’s love is the mark of a believer and first part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). God shows his love today through his believers. He shows he relates to us, how he gives rests, and how he casts out fear by allowing believers to show the same thing. If these three simple things are not a part of a believers life, then their faith is a fraud.

God’s love is so much more than these things, but it is a place to start. Ultimately, God’s love is revealed in Jesus (John 1:14). We can beat the drum of holiness all we want, but unless our holiness is founded in love, then we are nothing more than a clanging cymbal needing to be silenced.

Belief after love

I know that once we have been hurt by the church and Christians, it is very difficult to believe in God. We experience their love as having more plastic in them than a Barbie doll. It is fake. It is not the real thing. We would never want a relationship with a fake doll resembling a human when we can have a relationship with a real human.

Our faith is the same. We can still believe in God after experiencing the fake love we see plaguing the church today. It starts with acknowledging our pain and hurt. We need to call out our pain and give it a name – Counterfeit Love! Then, we need to search Scripture for what it says who God really is. If Martin Luther can do it to spark the reformation, then think about what we can do when we search the Scriptures. Then, begin letting your mind be filled with how God wants to relate to you and start slowly. It doesn’t mean going to church right away. It may mean finding a quiet place to be with God on Sunday and build up to going back to church. It may mean starting as small as getting a new Bible to start a whole new way of relating to God in his true love.

It is step by step. God knows where you are at. He wants a relationship with you based on his love. It is easy to see how the church has a tainted love. But, look to the Bible to see how God’s heart will go on and on for you.

Churches, how are you showing God’s true love? Is it conditional? Is it filled with us versus them? Is it about positions and standards? Is it about disowning, shunning, and ostracizing till repentance happens? Then it is not unconditional, Godly love. In fact, we can say that your faith is based on on image more than the mark of love. You may want to workout your salvation if love is not the mark of your faith.

There is too much hate and hurt in the world. God’s love is what heals. Let us grow our faith in God by still believing after the fake love we experienced. Let’s move into understanding God’s love that gave us the Gospel and a brand new life to thrive in.

Do you believe in God after love? Difficult to say yes, but take it one step at a time, and you will see that fire of faith return.

“Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in.” – Charles Spurgeon

What would it take for you to hate another person? What would it take to refer to another as “other”?

In the 1950’s a fear reigned throughout America known as “The Red Scare.” Americans were fearful of Communism coming from the Soviet Union (Russia). It was the 1950’s version of “side-eye.” People could scrutinize you over what you talked about, who you hung around, your profession, and even where you were from if it had any association with Communism in a way the government thought was bad. Thousands of lives were turned upside-down (a majority through false allegations). The accused were jailed and many were fired from jobs. The fear of a Communist corruption crippled many citizens and government officials.

American history has many instances of fear and suspicion causing harm to innocent people – the first Red Scare of the 1920’s, the Salem Witch Trials, Executive Order 1066 (Japanese Internment Camps), etc.

Suspicion of us vs. them has plagued many people groups and nations for a variety of reason. We saw this through the Covid Pandemic and the Trump administration (just to name a few).

But…

Did you know there is a “Christian Red Scare” festering in churches today?

cONCEAL; DON’T FEEL

Have you ever walked into a church service as the best actor deserving an Oscar? Was there a moment where a Christian leader told you to stop thinking certain thoughts, stop questioning certain things, or stop saying things on your mind? Did your Christian brothers and sisters offer to pray for you as you “struggled with doubt”, or faced a “crisis of faith”, or any spiritual contrived phrase for “your benefit”? Were you ever kept at an arms-distance?

Many Christians, whether out loud or as a quiet response, answer, “yes.”

Something that is said or questioned is not liked, and, therefore, is silenced out of fear – fear of “corrupting the flock,” “fear of causing doubt among other believers,” and many other types of fear.

Whatever the fear is, anything that does not align is silenced, and people are fearful.

It is like Elsa from Frozen. She must conceal herself and not feel what is inside so she can perform her duties above revealing her true self. Many Christians feel the same way.

However we want to package it, this is an unbiblical way to treat anyone who claims to be a Christian. Christians should never be in context over who gets an Oscar for best actor.

What makes a christian?

When we begin to be fearful of someone questioning something in a church or what the Bible says, we tend to question if they are a Christian or not. The first suspicion is the validity of someone’s faith. Their “struggle” dictates whether we believe they are a Christian or not.

But, what makes a Christian?

We could become distracted by things like a church attendance record, music choices, Bible translation choices, or countless other choices. That would give us too many variables to work with and would cause division (which we want to avoid).

Therefore, we need to use a constant – something that will not change. Good thing we have God’s Word as our measure, and we have many passages that tell us what makes a Christian.

Ephesians 2:8-9 states we are saved by grace and not by our own means. What makes a Christian is grace. It is not something we do. So our “Christianness” comes from God out of grace. Grace cannot originate in our Christian choices that we use to judge the validity of another’s “Christianness.”

John 3:16 states that when anyone believes in Jesus he is saved. The dictionary defines “believes” as accepting something as true. Therefore, when someone believes Jesus is who he says he is, that individual passes from darkness into light and is saved.

Romans 10:13 states it very clearly. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Based on these three verses, we see can see clearer than Johnny Nash. A Christian is someone who, through an experience of the grace of God, believes in Jesus Christ. That’s it!

the threat

However, we forget how simple the Gospel is. We forget our faith is demonstrated through works grown out of the love of Jesus; rather than an adherence to a to-do list. We trade the gracious gospel of divine design for a man-made, matted, mess of meticulous millstones. In doing so, we commit the sin of Romans 1 (Romans 1:18-32).

It is in the erroneous exchange that we spark suspicion and fear in the church. We fear things that break our lists. When our list is broken, fellowship is broken, because it was not founded upon God’s grace.

In the early church, suspicion broke fellowship between Jews and Gentiles. There was such suspicion if God’s grace could extend to a people group who were not considered God’s people. It took a vision from God to Peter, and Paul confronting Peter to show how suspicion destroys fellowship (Acts 10; Galatians 2:11-21).

Were there differences between Jews and Gentiles in the way they practiced their faith? Yes. Think about meats offered to idols, the question of circumcision, the adherence to certain “holy day”, etc.

What about us today?

Are there differences in the ways we practice faith? Yes! Yet, we allow those differences to break fellowship and cause suspicion. We see anything outside of our comfort-zone as a spiritual crime leading to a trial of guilty until proven innocent.

The early church took their questions, doubts, and practices back to Scripture (Acts 17:11). Yet, those things threaten us. We cannot handle questions, doubts, or practices we are not comfortable with. Why? Because maybe a simple diversity of believers is threatening.

Mccarthyism manifests

During the Red Scare, a way of thinking called McCarthyism emerged. It drove the Red Scare in the 1950’s. Suspicion and fear led many to be seen as guilty until proven innocent.

Instead of embracing a diversity of unified believers, we tend to create our own McCarthyism in our churches. Questions we do not know how to answer are shut down. Doubts are extinguished. Practices are hidden. Then we hold people under this weight by ostracizing them in our church. Sure, we might offer them a “right hand of fellowship,” but we are hesitant to offer them the rights of being a believer like we think we are.

Jesus condemns the religious leaders for a similar attitude towards people. He called them out for shutting the door to the Kingdom of Heaven to everyone else, and not entering in themselves (Matthew 23:13).

Aren’t we doing the same when we build up a “Red Scare” in our churches? What happens when we do so? Believers are driven away from churches, and unbelievers wave the flag of hypocrisy as their reason not to step foot in church. The reason church attendance is low may be not from what we think, but may be from the lack of self-reflection in how we interact with other believers that show to the world a lack of Christlike love.

Conclusion

It is a bad idea to imitate our churches after the actions of American government. The Red Scare brought much division to our country (like so many other events in American history have). Churches should be above that.

Hebrews 10:23-25 tells us we need to provoke each other to love and good works. This is the motivation for fellowship. If our fellowship is based on what we do not approve of, hate, or are against, then there is no provoking to love and good works. It is not true Christian fellowship. It is a clique of cantankerous Christians.

So…

That Christian who holds a different opinion than you, how can you provoke to love? That believer who questions and doubts, how can you provoke to love? That brother or sister who practices differently or lives their Christian life differently, how can love be the basis of your fellowship with them?

There is one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is one faith through the grace of God. How can we show this union through the beauty of diversity in believers?

A fellow senator said to Joseph McCarty (the guy behind McCarthyism), “Have you no decency?” Have we reached a point where we need to ask the same of ourselves and our churches?

“Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.” – St. Augustine

Airports can be fun places to observe people. As you wait for your flight, you can see all different people. However, everyone at the airport have one thing in common – they have not arrived.

Frequent flyers will understand this. You have left your original location and find yourself as not yet arrived at your destination. You are in a place of in-between. This is also known as the liminal space.

Very often we feel this deep in our everyday places. We feel like we do not belong. Either we feel like an outsider, someone in exile, or a good actor trying to pretend we belong. All of these feelings are feelings of the liminal space. We know where we have been, but we feel, deep inside us, that we have not arrived.

The place we currently find ourself feels like an airport. We count down the beats of our life-clock hoping we will be off to our destination where we belong.

However, what if we are not seeing our place properly. What if the thought of not belonging really is just a way for Satan to distract us from our relationship with God and his purpose for us?

The God of placing

Does God care about the place we are? Or does he only care about us fulfilling our obedience to him?

Good question!

So often we focus on living for God no matter where we are. We focus on doing and doing and following while wanting to escape the world for Heaven, that we forget about something –

God is the God of our placing!

God places each of us exactly where he wants us. In Genesis 2:8, God places the man he created. However, God created the place for the man first. He set up Eden exactly how he wanted it before he placed the man. In Jonah 1:17, God prepares a place for Jonah – the great fish or whale (at least it wasn’t a situation where Jonah needed a bigger boat). Even though Jonah was running from God, God still prepared a place for Jonah. It was not a place of exile or a liminal place. It was God’s place of meeting, resting, healing, and refocus.

God prepares our place for us. It is not just in Heaven, but also here on earth.

The God of forming

But is the place where we find ourself right for us?

We often want to escape for Heaven, because we feel we are not the right person in the right place. We preach to ourselves that the only “right place” for us is Heaven.

Let’s look at Scripture in a different way. Genesis 2:7 shows God forming man in order to place him in Eden. (Read Revelation 21 to see how we are created for an eternity on Earth rather than in Heaven.) God spent time forming man out of the dust of the ground. God speaks every other part of creation into existence (Genesis 1). For man, God takes time to create, form, and sculpt. He makes men and women in his likeness; after his image. This means that humans have a pattern in their DNA modeled after their Creator.

God designs us in wonderful ways, writes down all of our days, and places us (Psalm 139:13-16). What are the things in your life that you feel like keep you as an outsider or feel in exile? Those are things God designed and knitted into your being for the place where he created you.

Daniel was not created with the personality or faith to be second in command in Egypt. Esther was not created with the faith to be the mother of the Savior. David was not created with the knowledge to be the wisest man in Biblical history. Each story in Scripture shows us how God created each one of us with exactly what we needed to be in the place where we find ourself. Think of Peter being the king of Israel. Think of Ruth being the mother of Jesus. There is a reason why God places them where they are.

God forms each individual to be placed where he has us. My father is a doctor, but my personality does not fit the medical field. That is why God did not place me there. We may feel we are placed in exile or as an outcast in society, but God formed us in order to be in that place for him.

The treasure in our heart

Investment. I hate words that deal with numbers. Anything that causes me to think about numbers, math, and pulling things out from my schooling in math gives me a headache. However, investment does not necessarily mean numbers and money.

Jesus tells us that where our treasure is, there is where we will find our heart (Matthew 6:19-21). The context is keeping our hearts focused on heavenly things. But, what if being focused on heavenly things is to be focused on the place where God placed us for a specific purpose?

Hear me out…

God forms us for a specific place to carry our a specific purpose. If we invest our money in our place in order to carry out God’s purpose, is that not placing our treasures on heavenly things? For example, think about teachers. Majority of teachers must use their own resources to decorate and fill their classroom for students. They put their treasure into their classroom for the investment in students and for the use of students. I do not know many teachers who want to take a vacation in their classroom since it is set up for the students’ success.

It is the same for us. Are we putting our treasure into the place where God has placed us? When we do so, we begin to see the liminal space transform into our destination and calling. We no longer want to escape to Heaven. Instead, we see our heart where our treasure is – the location God places us for his purpose.

Are we investing into our placing?

Leaving the Liminal

The airport is a good example of what a liminal space is – the space between spaces. However, so often we see our life as one big liminal space till we get to Heaven or till everything is comfortable for us. We do not full grasp the beauty of being promised that we are created for such a time and place as this (Esther 4:14).

Our airport is really our placing. When we trust God with our placing, we are no longer an outcast or in exile. Instead, we are walking in the presence of God where he wants us. We find our heart swelling with Christ’s love, because we invest in our placement for God’s glory. The more we invest, the more difficult it is to say goodbye to the ones we have loved like Christ loved.

So where do we find our happiness? Is it in the longing of Heaven? Or is it in the investing in our placing?

We all must come to the place where we stop longing for grass on the other side. We all must experience the pleasure in the placing God formed for us.

That is where our happiness is.

“The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray.” – Chuck Swindoll

We might think the dirtiest word is the f-bomb. But, to a Christian, there is a word far more dangerous and dirty to come out of another Christian’s mouth. This word implies a selling of one’s soul to the devil, a leaving of one’s faith, and a turning back on all they once held dear.

Christians who proclaim such a word are often ostracized, shunned, and lifted up in most holy prayers for their salvation.

Can you guess the word?

It is… Deconstruction.

When a Christian talks about deconstructing their faith, the fellowship ends, the prayer requests begin, and the pleading for them not to walk away from the faith becomes the only topic of communication.

You can almost see the Christian mother hearing her son talk about deconstructing his faith and a fainting spell comes over her. While that might seem like an exaggeration, it is definitely how people react.

But, is that reaction founded? What does it mean to deconstruct one’s faith? Is there any Scripture passages about this? How should we respond to deconstruction?

DECONTRUCTION AND THE DICTIONARY

First, what does deconstruction even mean? According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, to deconstruct means, “to break something down into its separate parts in order to understand its meaning, especially when this is different from how it was previously understood.” The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines it as, ” to separate something into the parts from which it is made up and put them together again in a different way.”

From these two definitions, we can come to some conclusions:
1) Deconstructing something just means to break something into parts to understand those parts, 2) Deconstruction happens when a view that is previously held onto is challenged, and 3) Deconstruction has the goal to put the pieces back together.

To be clear… Deconstruction is different than destruction.

When talking to someone who is “deconstructing their faith,” it would be wise to see if these three qualifications are in their mind as they go through this process.

So what is this process? It is when a Christian’s previously held conviction/value/belief is challenged in some way. Then, the individual is forced to reconcile their faith and Scripture with whatever has crossed their path. Mentally, the building blocks of their faith begin to be taken apart or “deconstructed” for analysis. During this step, the lingering thought of reconstruction is usually in mind. How can faith be restored? How do the pieces fit together? These questions may seem simple, but to the individual they are a windstorm of worry and a famine of fear. Usually these storms come from the fact that they do not have anyone truly to turn to without a symphony of shunning or a strangulation of Scripture synched to suffocate such “sinful speculations.”

If we do not keep in mind the difference between destruction and deconstruction, we are condemned to a cacophony of cackling comments which only hurt the heavy-hearted.

dECONSTRUCTION AND SCRIPTURE

But, is this Biblical? The more pertinent question.

There are two very famous passages which show a deconstruction of faith that is praised and used as testimony.

The first is found in Acts 9:1-6. We find Paul on the road to Damascus. At this point in his life, Paul does have faith in God. He understands the Torah. He considers himself a good Jew and boasts about being a Pharisee of Pharisees. It is just about this Jesus Messiah that Paul wants gone so his traditional faith can keep him going. However, on the road, a new view of Jesus blinds him (literally). Paul is confronted with his previously held view of Jesus by Jesus himself. He is so humbled by the experience that he does not eat or drink. He only contemplates what happened (Acts 9:7-9). His faith in God takes a radical turn. He rejects his faith of the past and accepts Christ as Messiah and Lord (Acts 9:10-19). He does not fully destroy his previous faith. Instead, he deconstructs the pieces in order to fit the pieces handed to him. We can see this through all his writings. Paul quotes the Old Testament around 183 times! He does not just dump his “old faith.” Instead, he puts back the pieces he needs and chucks, as far as the east is from the west, the other pieces that keep him from following Jesus as God created him to do.

The second also involves a Biblical writer: Peter. In Acts 10:9-23, some Gentiles have come to bring Peter back to Cornelius (a Gentile as well) in order to hear about Jesus. However, a good Jew would have nothing to do with Gentiles (just like my stomach acid has nothing to do with onions). Yet, God paints Peter’s vision with a dream commanding him to eat unclean animals. After an argument with God, Peter realizes his previously held hatred toward Gentiles was ungodly. This dream deconstructed his view so he could reconstruct a faith more aligned with God’s heart.

There are many other Scriptural examples of an event changing someone’s faith in God that would be considered deconstruction by Christians today. The key was that none of them destroyed their faith. Their deconstruction led to a redemptive reconstruction as they figured out how to place the pieces God had given them.

We can conclude from Scripture that God does allow things in our life to challenge our faith in order to reconstruct it for his glory and his purpose in our life.

Deconstruction and the individual

So many are dealing with the issue of deconstruction. A life shattering event, passage, sermon, experience or something else cracks a traditionally held view of our faith. This can be experiencing a new church with a belief that is different than another church (i.e. the view of tongues and the gifts of the Spirit). It can also come from a life event or truth that reveals something about ourselves (i.e. a school shooting, a family tragedy, a struggle, etc.). Any of these things can cause someone to deconstruct their faith.

In most cases, those who are in a phase of deconstruction do not want to be there. I have been there and currently there. It feels like the beginning of the musical Into the Woods saying, “I wish” over and over again. We wish for many things, but we mainly wish for life to make sense, for life to become organized chaos, and for life to be stable like other Christians have it. We wish for what we think should be.

I was struck by a quote from The Little Mermaid (2023). Prince Eric’s butler, Grismby, tells him this:

“Don’t be held back by what you think should be. Think of only what is.”

So many of us who struggle with all the baggage that comes from deconstructing our faith that we feel the chains of what should be holding us back. Then in our despair we end up lamenting in song our own version of “Part of Your World.” But we forget to think about what is. Where do we find ourselves currently? What is the “is” God has given us to deal with?

Daydreaming about what should be only leads to more heartache. What is is. We must focus on that and work towards a redemptive reconstruction.

To those who have someone in your life who is in deconstruction, I have only one thing to ask of you: LEARN EMPATHY!

Understand the path they are walking. Stand by their side supporting them as they take each step. Don’t be one to continually drag them down to depths of depression, despair, and degradation. Work it out with them. Without empathy, there will only be more hurt, more condemnation, and more hatred which will continue to drive a stereotype of Christian hypocrisy across a culture which desperately needs to see true Christian love.

In Conclusion…

II Corinthians 5:7 urges us to live by faith; not by sight. Too often we measure our faith and the faith of another by what we can see. How well do I or another measure up to the sightly traditions we have constructed? What do I need to do in order to be in good standing with my Christian family, Church, or Christian friends? What do I need to avoid? This all begins to make our faith about being approved in the sight of others, and we only live by sight.

When we lay down the suffocating frustrations of what should be and focus on what is, we will begin to live by faith as we walk things out before God. Resting our faith in the decisions that give us the most approval of parents and friends will only have us chase a siren song sung by a deceptive sea witch. However, when we walk with what is, giving it to Jesus, we find our story begins to reveal the true person God designed us to be living out a faith that is reconstructed according to his redemption.