A discussion took place in 1762 between two writers concerning the "shame and infamy of Christianity". The truth is, we who have westernized Christianity, have an issue with the authority and holiness of God. Where in any other day of Christian history, His name could not even be spoken without fear, yet here we disrespect His name daily. In reading through a book entitled "the institutes of Biblical Law" I find that to break the third commandment (blashpheming His name) we not only blaspheme His holy name with swearing or cussing, but in the original definition it meant to tear down something holy from its pedistal. We as western Christians tear God down daily through our words but as well as our actions. Rebecca West in The Meaning of Treason wrote "It was laid down in 1608, by reference to the case of Sherly, a Frenchman who had come to England and joined in a conspiracy against the King and Queen, that such a man 'owed to the King obedience, that is, so long as he was within the King's protection'." But in an age when men deny God and His sovereignty, the world is torn then between two conflicing claimants to the authority of God: the totalitarian state on the one hand, and the totaliarian, anarchistic individual on the other hand. The totalitarian state permits no dissent, and the anarchistic individual admits no possible loyalty outside of himself. When all the world is black, no concept of black is possible, since no differentiation exists. Everything being black, there is no principle of definition and description left. When all the world is in blasphemy, no definition of plasphemy is possible: everything is the same. As the world moves toward total blasphemy, its ability to define and to recognize anything diminishes. Hence the necessity and health of judgement, which, as a catharsis, restores perspective and definition to the world.
The sad truth is that the basic premise of the law and of society today is relativism. Relativism reduces all things to a common color, to a common gray. As a result there is no longer any definition for treason, or for crime. The criminal is protected by law, becuase the law knows no criminal, since modern law denies that absoluteness of justice which defines good and evil. What cannot be defined cannot be delimited or protected. A DEFINITION IS A FENCING AND A PROTECTION AROUND AN OBJECT: it seperates it from all things else and protects its identity. An absolute law set forth by the absolute God separates good and evil and protects good.
When the law is denied, and relativism sets in, there no longer exists any valid principle of differentiation and identification. What needs protecting from whom, when all the world is equal and the same? When all the world is water, there is no shore line to be guarded. When all reality is death, there is no life to be protected. Because the courts of law are increasingly unable to define anything due to their relativism, they are increasingly unable to protect the rightous and the law-abiding in a world where crime cannot be properly defined.
Is there anymore distinction today between Christians and Non-Christians?
Is there anymore distinction in the modern, western society between those who obey God's law and those who don't?
After WWII Chief Justice Frederick Moore Vinson made the claim, "Northing is more certain in modern society than the principle that there are no absolutes." No absolute truth, no absolute salvation, no absolute institution for biblical law and principle. Thus "the principle that there are no absolutes", enthroned as law, means warfare against the Biblical absolutes. As the old saying went (yet is forgotton today) Ecrasex L'infame--CRUSH THE INFAMOUS THING! The shame and infamy of Christianity must be wiped out. This can only be done once the "Christians" start acting like lovers-of-Christ. As Voltair wrote in 1762 "Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror...May this great God who is listening to me, this God who surely could not have been born of a virgin, or have died on the gallows, or have been eaten in a piece of dough, or have inspired these books filled with contradictions, madness, and horror--may this God, creator of all the worlds, have pity on this sect of Christians who blaspheme Him."
See, the problem with us is that we continue to blaspheme His holy name. Not through swearing if you are one of those, in your mind more rightous than others, but through your very act of blasphemous worship. We see this in our own churches in three ways.
1-reductionistic theology. To understand the name of God is to understand the power of the name, and the name implies an entire theology. The revelation of the name of God is a revelation of His character, perfections, sovereignty, power, holiness, and His love--and all these attributes are maligned, distorted, and denied in the reductionistic theologies rampant in our day. God's name is taken in vain among theologians as a matter of routine practice. There are entire libraries of vanity where God's name is taken vain. God has the sole right to define and to name Himself, and it is an act of creaturely arrogance and defiance to deny any component of His revealed name--or to seek to redefine it in a way that would make His character or His being more palatable for a postmodern age. We deny God daily and rob Him of His very power whenver we distort His attributes or name.
It is evident of disguised self-love, disguised idolaters, and it has everything to do with cutting God down to size to accomodate the contemporary standard of thought. Through this all that is left as Dr. Mohler Jr. says is a "desiccated, dehydrated, and demythologized deity--a God who bears no resemblance to Jehovah."
2-triumphalistic piety. Next, we take our LORDS name in vain through our triumphalistic piety. If we could hear ourselves talk--chattering of "religious nonsess" as Mohler says. Leonard Ravenhill call its "useless rheteric." What do we have to say about God. Or better yet what do our bumper stickers say about God: "God is our co-pilot", "our dream weaver", "our life artist", "our friend", "our coach", "our therapist." Not Jehovah? He renders no therapy, he offers no coaching, and he weaves no dreams. He reveals to people their sin. He saves people from the full evil and wrath of hell. He rules over all the earth and no one can limit His power. The triviality and triteness of our triumphalistic piety, the backslapping easy familiartiy with the things of God and his own name. We avoid forbidden words yet take the LORDs name in vain by the sheer triteness and cheapness of so much of how we speak when we talk about Him. "God told me", "God showed me", "God led me". Yes he does show, and he does tell, and he does lead...through His reavealed word. Forms of idolotry come upon us when without any revealed, canonical, scriptural word we speak as if God has spoken to us and given us a new revelation. This is where false theology comes into play...theology such as the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. Yes God does want us wealthy...but wealthy in His word and grace.
3-superficial worship. God takes worship seriously. He demonstrates this all throughout the Bible. The story of Cain and Abel. And Nadab and Abihu who were consumed by fire. Our worship should be word-centered, biblically regulated, scripturally established, Christ-focused, and trinitarion. Yet the modern church turns it into a laboratory of Frivolities and circus of creativites. We care more so about entertainment rather than the honest worship of Christ. We go to church wondering whther the green bay is winning or not. Or where to eat afterwards. Or about golf later. Or even about going out with the kids, or wife, or girlfriend later. And your heart isn't in worship. You are so dependant upon things of this world that your spiritual life is being molded and formed by them. As the chinese missionary said when he went back to China our churches are flodded with distractions. Christ is not in the church today, the center of our church is football and sports, and family meetings, and 'look at me and what I am doing for the LORD,' instead of "God come fill this place and bring us to our knees." There is no more agony in the church today. What happened to the weeping? Leonard Ravenhill tells us that "todays church wants to be raptured from responsibility." We are so full of ourselves and our own desirings...yet we dont desire Christ. How can you pull down Satans strongholds when you dont even have the power to turn off your own television. Ravinhill asks, "Is the world crucified to you tonight, or does it facinate you." I know that 99% of everyone I know is more fascinated by the world than crucified to it. You know what fascinates me...some women will spend thirty minutes to an hour preparing for church externally (putting on makeup, find the best dress, their hair, etc). What if we spent the same amount of time in prayer? We can go to the movies for three hours and not even give God five minutes in prayer. Our morning bible study is spent with four mintues in "My utmost for his highest." Or any other little five minute bible study. Yet even those people will tell us not to use them as a substitute for the Bible but we do everyday. Our worship is a sham, the way we praise God is a farce, our horizen of worship over him is too low. When we do not worhsip Him seriously or in the way that He would have us worship Him we are creating an idol and that is all. We fabricate a new God which will merely tolerate our sinful pethetic existance where we only care about how we want to worship him and nothing else.
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