Losing For A Purpose

...Just read the latest question of the day over at Jesus.org, called, A Gospel for Losers? It really made me think that we need to put such a topic in the proper perspective and in the proper context.

In the article, the author speaks of truth, but does not contextualize it...not to do so is a major weak point of any type of teaching. He states the following:"Jesus came to show us that the gospel explains success in terms of giving, not taking; self-sacrifice, not self-protection; going to the back, not getting to the front. The gospel shows that we win by losing, we triumph through defeat, we achieve power through service, and we become rich by giving ourselves away."

But what does all of this mean? When do we do this? Why do we do this? We must qualify statements such as this by looking at WHY Jesus taught these amazing principles. Statements like this that are isolated from a proper perspective simply sound like feel-good slogans or cheesy bumper stickers.

Jesus does not want bumper stickers, He wants bold servants. He wants people that serve while leading, not those who serve simply to lose. I am seeing a lack of leadership in the Christian community (which includes myself) to take a stand against all the moral filth and secularism that is infecting our country. Moral relativism and religious pluralism have invaded every area of life like a bad virus. And one of the reasons this is occurring is because Christians are saying, "well, I need to just stay quiet and triumph through defeat."

Let me digress for a moment and qualify where I am coming from on this issue and state what I am for and what I am against so that my statements are not taken out of context...

What I am in favor of: I am all for The Gospel and believe in everything Jesus said. I firmly believe in Classical Christianity because I am a firm believer in objective truth. I am in favor of the proper Exegesis of Scripture (explanation of then and there) and the proper use of Hermeneutics of Scripture (interpreting for the here and now).

What I am against: I am totally against Eisegesis (interpreting a text in such a way that it introduces one's own ideas)... I despise relativism and the claim that all truth is subjective truth...

...so to get back to my main point, Jesus tells us such counter-intuitive teachings not so that we can look all humble and sweet, but so that we can live for a higher purpose...His purpose. He exhibited this in His own life. He did not simply take a punishment or die on the cross so that we could say, "Wow, what a nice man." Instead, He willingly laid down His life for a purpose. He came on a rescue mission to save all of humanity from eternal torture in order that we could be justified, sanctified, and glorified.

So could it be that all the secularism that has taken over our planet, the removal of school prayer, the corrupt politics and political correctness, the immoral lifestyles, the pro-choice movement, the double standards, and all the filth that we see in the media is because as Christians, we see it happening, but we are too soft to stand up and do anything about it? Is it because we have an improper view of the definition of humbleness? An improper view of what it means to save our lives by losing them?

There could be other reasons of course, apathy for example, or wanting to take a stand but not knowing how...but when it comes to giving and not taking, self-sacrifice instead of self-protection, and winning by losing, it must be in the context of purpose...If we "lose" then we "lose" in order to assure a greater victory...we need to have a context for our convictions instead of a cop-out for our cowardice...

Do Christians and Muslims Worship The Same God?

If someone were to ask you, "Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?" what would you say?

There are some great discussions going on at Stand To Reason and the Denver Seminary on this specific topic, but I think the best way to answer this question is not necessarily if it is The same God, but rather what are the paths taken to get to such a God...

...I must preface by saying that the identity of God is of utmost importance because Christians believe in the Trinity yet Muslims do not, so we need a way to help deduce the identity of The Christian God and the Islamic God, and this deduction comes through the path...the path in which we get to God...

For instance, John 14.6 states, "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father." So let's say, for arguments sake, that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, then we must focus on how to get to Him...

Imagine you and your friend want go to the moon one day. You decide to take NASA's path and head up through the earth's atmosphere, but your friend thinks he can get there by heading East on Interstate 10...You both want to go the same place, but only one of you has the correct path...

...therefore, since Christians believe that Jesus is The One and Only Son of God, and Jesus claims that He is the only way to God, then Christians and Muslims definitely worship a different God...how do I know this? Because if you believe that there is more than one path to the same God, then you now believe in religious pluralism, and this goes against one of the fundamental laws of logic, the law of non-contradiction: something can not be true and not true at the same time...for example, Jesus can't be The only way to God, and not the only way to God at the same time and in the same context.

Bottom line: you can accept the Christian view of The Trinity and that Jesus is The Only Way to God, or you can reject it, but you must understand one MAIN issue that separates all beliefs... Jesus Christ changes everything...Lee Strobel puts it this way:

"In short, if the Resurrection is false, then Christianity is refuted. But if it's true, then regardless of what any world religion teaches, Jesus is the one-and only Son of God. And that changes everything." (see 1 Corinthians 15)