My Christmas Eve Rant: Avoiding the "Appearance" of Evil

Someone in the church asked a simple question this week. What is the reference for "avoid the appearance of evil?" What I figured would take less than five minutes to answer quickly turned into an exegetical study of the text. The answers I uncovered were quite shocking and revealed that I personally needed to change the way I view and sometimes referenced this passage. Coming from a staunch "baptist" upbringing I had heard that verse used to stay away from everything from alcohol to television for the fear that even the smell of alcohol might condemn me to hell because I didn't "avoid the appearance of evil." Here is what I uncovered:

The Authorized Version (also known as the KJV) translates 1 Thess. 5:22: "abstain from all appearance of evil." Honestly, it is a bad translation of the Greek, which is why all of our modern translations today (including the NKJV) use a phrase like "abstain from" or "stay away from every form of evil." The Greek has nothing to do with "appearance" but rather a "separation from." Most likely the church culture of the day was trying to use this verse to enforce some of their legalistic tendencies. When it came to accusing someone in the early church of sin it was often a "guilty" before proven innocent type charge. There was very little, if any, grace. (Hence the witch hunts of the late 1600s) Unfortunately, as the KJV was translated they allowed their theological views to sway the translation to fit their views. (every translation is somewhat guilty of this, but this is a perfect example.)

Jesus obviously didn't care too much about avoiding "appearance" when He had dinner with the tax collectors and sinners at Levi's home. Now, before I through the baby out with the bathwater, I do think there is biblical precedent for living "upright" lives as an example for non-believers, but certainly not to look down at them. (which is always a danger we must avoid) The point is to show love and grace to "sinners" so that they will be drawn to Jesus, not so that they will be pushed away by our pious attitudes. We can NEVER expect a non-believer to live like a believer, because they are not one! Unfortunately, many churches (and Christians) today seem to quickly forget that truth.

Here are just two (of many) passages that support the admonition of living "upright" lives among the world.

Ephesians 5:3 says there must not even be "a hint" of sin. (NIV) It then goes on to list several examples of sin. There are actually only two Greek words that are translated as the phrase: "there must not be even a hint of." One of them means "speaking or mentioning the name of." Obviously, it doesn't mean that we can't say the words "sexual immorality" or "greed." Rather it means these things should have no consideration in the life of a believer. The actions/thoughts related to these sins should be avoided at all costs.

1 Peter 2:12 says, "live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." (NIV) Christians are to abstain from sinful desires not only for their own spiritual well-being but also in order to maintain an effective testimony before non-believers. Does that mean that when we live upright lives the non-believing world around us will always approve of our actions? Not at all. Later in 1 Peter 4:4 it says, "they (non-believers) think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you." The only time that the sinful world will approve of our "good deeds and glorify God" is "on the day He visits us." So, until THE DAY, when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father (Phil. 2), we can expect our "good deeds" to be "rewarded" by strange looks, obscene comments, and criticism by those focused on worldly things.

(another passage would be Philippians 2:14-15: "that you may be blameless and innocent.")

The point is: we need to be salt and light. We cannot be salt and light if we live exactly like the world. We are called to be different. If we aren't different then what good are we. (see Matthew 5:13-16)

One last warning from Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. " Be different, but be GRACIOUS!

Our Savior is born, Jesus; the only name given under heaven by which men must be saved!

God's Infinite Power

The old question goes something like this: "If God is so powerful, can he create a rock that he cannot lift?"

My immediate response has always been: There is no good answer to a bad question.

God has the power to do anything and everything that He wills to do (that is what it means to be omnipotent). This does not mean God can literally do everything. Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29 clearly state that God cannot lie, nor can He change His nature (i.e. He cannot cease to be God.) However, God can and will do all that He wills and promises to do.

The Psalmist clearly understood God's omnipotence when they wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

Praise the Almighty, the King of Creation!

What is a biblical understanding of baptism and its relation to forgiveness and receiving the Holy Spirit in the context of Acts 2, specifically 2:38?

There has been a lot of confusion over this passage throughout the history of the church. In fact, there are a few Christian groups today who believe that the "baptism of the Spirit" occurs at some distant point following conversion. There are even a more groups who believe that baptism is necessary for forgiveness of sins. Still others insist that we receive the Holy Spirit during baptism just as the Spirit descended on Jesus during His baptism by John. Unfortunately, none of these views really fit with the teaching of Scripture.

When reading the book of Acts we must remember that the book is describing a period of dramatic transition. The book as a whole is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, it is a good historical record showing us how the church, as we know it today, came into existence under the direction of the Apostles, those men commissioned directly by Jesus. We can look at the book and see how things were done, but it doesn't necessarily mean they must be done in exactly the same way today. It is a different type of writing compared to the rest of the New Testament, which is prescriptive, in that it says do this, don't do that, avoid this, cling to that, etc. So, when we seek to draw a specific principle from the book of Acts and interpret what we are reading we must compare it with the whole of Scripture.

With that in mind, let me provide a biblical definition and basis for baptism as I see it presented in Scripture. Baptism in no way provides salvation nor is it a means to salvation. Jesus' work on the cross is the sole means to forgiveness and redemption from sin (cf. Romans 3:24-25). Repenting of sin and turning to Jesus in faith is the only basis for forgiveness (cf. Romans 10:9). Thus, baptism is for followers of Jesus who desire to make their commitment to Him public and identify themselves with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism does not result in forgiveness of sins as some argue from Acts 2:38. There are two strong arguments to support this understanding of baptism:

(1) Luke, the writer of Acts and the gospel, clearly teaches in his other writings that repentance and belief (on the foundation of faith alone) are the basis for forgiveness of sins (cf. Acts 5:31, 10:43; Luke 24:47). Other New Testament writers, such as Paul, clearly show that salvation (forgiveness of sins) comes solely "by grace, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9) to the "one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

(2) Perhaps the most obvious support for this view is found in the linguistic support in the original Greek phrase of Acts 2:38: "repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins." In the Greek the verb makes a distinction between singular and plural verbs and nouns. In Acts 2:38 the verb "repent" is plural and so is the pronoun "your" in the clause "for the forgiveness of your sins." Thus, the verb "repent" is tied linguistically to the purpose of forgiveness of sins. Conversely, the imperative "be baptized" is singular, separating it from "forgiveness."

So, we repent of our sin, turn to Jesus through faith (internal) and publicly announce our faith to others through baptism (external).

In John 14:16-17 and 16:7-11 Jesus promised that when He left the apostles and ascended into heaven the Father would send the Holy Spirit to fill every believer. In fact, Acts 1:5 records Jesus telling the apostles they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Sure enough, that happened in the very next chapter on the day of Pentecost. This is a perfect illustration of how the book of Acts is descriptive, not prescriptive. The day of Pentecost was a unique event, in that the apostles were already followers of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit at a later date. From that special event until today the Holy Spirit immediately indwells every believer at the moment of conversion and never leaves us. Romans 8:9 describes how the Spirit is in everyone who has eternal life and John 14:16-17 says that that the Spirit "dwells with" and "will be in" believers "forever;" meaning that He never leaves us.

Thus, there is no special "filling" or "baptism" of the Spirit. In fact, the Bible says that there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). If you are a believer in Jesus you have the Holy Spirit in you as revealed by the statement in Romans 8:9 that anyone who does "not have the Spirit…does not belong to Christ." If you belong to Christ you have the Holy Spirit. His presence in your life should be confirmed through the outworking of the "fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians 5.

"So I say, walk by the Spirit." - Gal. 5:16

What do you do when you don’t feel like praying?

I doubt that any follow of Jesus wouldn’t acknowledge the importance of prayer in our daily lives. As followers of Jesus we are commanded to pray. Throughout the Bible there are innumerable people who pray as an example for us to follow, including Jesus Himself.

In all honesty though, prayer is not something that “just happens.” Prayer takes work; hard work. The question we’ve all faced at some point is how do we pray when we don’t feel like praying? Here is a short/simple process (based on Matthew 6:9-13) that I recommend you trying the next time you’re tempted not to pray:

1. Make God the center of your prayer by adoring His greatness (Matt. 6:9)

Read: Isaiah 40:12-15; 21-25; 28-31

Sing (or read):
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Personal Response: Adore God and His greatness in your own words.


2. Make God the center of your prayer by submitting to Him and His purposes (Matt. 6:10)

Read: Psalm 115:3; 135:5-7

Sing (or read):
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Personal Response: Pray a prayer submitting yourself, your desires, your thoughts, your actions to God and His will for you.


3. Make God the center of your prayer by acknowledging He is the source of all things. (Matt. 6:11-13)

Read: Matthew 6:19-34

Sing (or read):
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Personal Response: Thank God for His continued love and provision through Christ. Ask Him to meet your needs according to His power in Christ. (Phil. 4:19; 1 John 5:14)


Martyn Lloyd-Jones - “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God”

Question: Doesn't the Bible say something about if I, as a Christian, marry an unbeliever that they will be saved too?

Scripture is very clear that a believer should not "partner" with and unbeliever - 2 Cor. 6:14 "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." The term "partner" or "yoked" could refer to any number of relationships (marital, business, etc.) but Paul's primary association was probably ecclesiastically (church) focused. Paul's ultimate concern was that regardless of the situation the unbelievers not lead the believers astray in their teaching of the truth (see 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Cor. 15:33).

If they are already "partners" (married) then Scripture is also very clear. 1 Cor. 7:12-16 states that the believing spouse must remain with the unbelieving spouse as long as they agree to do so. Divorce is to be avoided because the Christian spouse becomes a channel of God's grace in the marriage relationship. The two are "one flesh" and therefore as God gives His blessing to the believer, the other spouse receives some portion of the blessing. (examples in Scripture are Joseph in Potiphar's house, Gen. 39:5; and Jacob in Laban's house, Gen. 30:27) It is NOT that the unbelieving spouse is now personally justified before God because Romans 14:12 states that "each of us will give an account of himself to God." The ULTIMATE reason why the believing spouse should stay with their unbelieving spouse is that they might come to know Jesus personally by witnessing the example of the believing spouse living out God's love and grace in their personal life (see. 1 Cor. 7:16; 1 Peter 3:1-2).

Bottom line: If you're not married, don't marry an unbeliever. If you're already married to one then stay married and live like Jesus so that your spouse might come to know the Savior and believe in the Good News.

Do people immediately go to heaven or hell when they die?

Another closely related question I'll try to address in the same answer: If everyone supposedly has to die, then what happens to the people who are alive when Jesus comes back?

This is a wonderful question that has a clear yet complex answer in the Bible. The short and clear answer is, yes, people go either straight to heaven or hell when they die. In Luke 23 we are told that one of the two thieves hanging next to Jesus on the cross repented of his sin and asked for forgiveness. Jesus replied in verse 43, "today you will be with me in paradise." Again in Luke 16 Jesus tells the parable of a rich man who died and went immediately to "hell" (hades). Thus, yes, people go immediately to heaven or hell when they die.

The complex part of the answer is that the "heaven" and "hell" mentioned in those passages is not our final, eternal destination. When a Christ follower dies our spirit (soul) immediately enters the presence of God (heaven). 1 Thess. 4:14 tells us that when Jesus returns he "will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians." Just two verses later we read that "the dead in Christ will rise first." What's happening here? Christ followers who have died prior to His second coming are spiritually with God but they will not be reunited with their physical bodies for eternity until Jesus raises their bodies to life.

1 Thess. 4:17 then explains that "we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord." (answer to the 2nd question) I believe this passage describes the rapture event which will precede the 7-year tribulation period on earth. After the 7-year tribulation Jesus returns to earth riding on a white horse (Revelation 19:11-21). Christians who have died prior to this event return to earth with Jesus where he reigns for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-6). At the end of the 1,000 years we see a new heaven and a new earth described in Revelation 21. This new heaven and earth is the final, eternal destination for all Christ followers.

Those who die without trusting through faith in Jesus Christ for salvation from their sin go immediately to "hell" or "hades" as described in the parable of the rich man, but that is not their final destination. Ultimately, they are destined for the great white throne judgment described in Revelation 20:11-15. This is the scene described in Revelation 20:13-15 which says, "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death - the lake of fire. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire." Bottom line: If you make it to the great white throne you are destined for the lake of fire. That is where every non-believer will spend eternity.

The question is: Where's your lake house going to be - beside the new Jerusalem or the lake of fire?

Happy Easter...You're a slave!

On December 6, 1865, the thirteenth amendment to the United States Constitution was officially ratified. Section 1 states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

We now live in a land of freedom - freedom from the oppression of England; freedom from the oppression of slavery. Yet, in reality our freedom in this great country is only an illusion. Jesus once spoke to a group of people who thought they were free, much like us today. He said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Their response was probably a lot like most of us would respond: “We…have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:32-34)

The Apostle Paul in Romans 6 explains that everyone is a slave; either a slave to sin, which leads to death; or slaves to righteousness, which leads to eternal life. We are either governed by sin or governed by God. “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin...” we are now “freed from sin…and have become enslaved to righteousness.” There is nothing we can or could ever do to escape our slavery to sin. Yet, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  Christ paid the ultimate price “with his own blood” for our freedom from sin and as a result, we are now bond-servants of Christ. “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20) We owe everything to Christ now. We are freed from slavery to sin, but have become slaves of Christ – capable of obeying God only through His power. “Therefore, glorify God with your body.”

Don’t fall prey to the illusion. You are not your own. You are a slave to sin or a slave to Christ. If Christ, then it’s time to live like it.

Question #5 - If there is so much controversy about whether or not God exists, why doesn't he prove to the world that he does exist?

The sub-comment for this question was: "That way, more people would believe in Him and there would be less people that have to suffer in hell."

The Bible never sets out to prove the existence of God. It simply makes the statement in Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning, God..." However, Jesus gave us a wonderful parable (short story) to address this great question in Luke 16.

Beginning in Luke 16:19 Jesus tells the story of a rich man who died and went immediately to "hell." (YES, hell exists; contrary to what some are teaching today) (The word translated "hell" is "hades" and is used here to describe the destination of the unsaved dead prior to the great white throne judgment described in Rev. 20:11-15.) While the rich man was in "hell" he pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the horrible place, that they might trust God and be spared the torment (16:27-28). Abraham's reply was that they already "have Moses and the Prophets" and "even if someone rises from the dead" his brothers would not listen.

In other words, God has given us everything we need to believe in Him through the creation and His Word (the Bible). Romans 1:20 says, "since the creation of the world his invisible attributes - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse." Even if God was to somehow give further proof of His existence the people would still not believe, just as the rich man's brothers would not believe.

Unbelievably, the Bible gives us an example of this happening in the future. The book of Revelation clearly describes a 1000 year period in which Jesus will reign on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Rev. 20:6). At the end of the 1000 year period there be a group of people who will gather to fight against God before being devoured by fire from heaven. It amazes me that even after all the prophecy of the Bible is fulfilled and Jesus has returned, there will still be people who do not believe.

God gave His call to us through the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 45:22-24 states, "Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth's remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer. I solemnly make this oath - what I say is true and reliable: 'Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; they will say about me, "yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer."'"

Turn to God today and trust in His Son, Jesus, for forgiveness from your sins.