Critics of Christianity love to complain about how we as Christians think we’re better than everyone else when we proclaim that Jesus is the only way to God. They often ask questions like “How can your God be a God of love and also send people to burn in hell?” or “How can millions of people who aren’t Christians be wrong not to follow your religion?” I’ll admit that there are Christians who think they are better than other people–who think of themselves more highly than they ought to–but most of us know we are who we are only by the grace of God and whatever righteousness we have originated with God. I’ll also admit there are Christians who have made Jesus Christ and his church look bad because of their ungodly actions, but most of the critics are angry because they want to be free to commit their sins without being confronted or made to feel guilty about them. They love darkness rather than the light of God’s truth. They would rather serve a god they create in their own sinful image instead of bowing down to the righteous God who created them and wants them to follow his righteous ways.
God is love because he rewards what is good and punishes evil, while giving those who commit evil plenty of time to repent before he sends out his judgment against them. Here are some proclamations that God makes about himself in comparison to other gods:
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
“They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.” (Isa. 42:17)
“I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa. 43:11)
“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: … For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. …I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. …they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. …and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isa. 45)
“Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.” (Jeremiah 10:11)
This is God’s testimony about himself and it is more reliable and will last longer than the heavens and the earth. Yes, those who are influenced by Satan have tried to question, destroy, or supply cheap imitations of God’s word–but they have always, and will always, fail to snuff out God’s truth. Now what about those who bow down to Buddha, Krishna, Allah, and the whole pantheon of other gods and false religions?
“They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.” (Deuteronomy 32:17)
“And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.” (Psalm 106:36-38)
“But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” (1 Corinthians 10:20)
The title of this post may not be politically correct in this evil day, but it’s biblically correct and when the end comes, that’s all that will matter. The church is being attacked from all sides and is being weakened from the inside with doctrines of devils that have crept in subtly. Those of us who love the truth should be as unrelenting in our proclamations as those who hate the truth.
–Harry A. Gaylord–
For more on idolatry, read this month’s Berean Call Newsletter.
March 3, 2007 at 4:39 am |
The title of your post may not be politically correct, but I saw it in my “Tag Surfer” and wanted to comment that I wholeheartedly agree. I think it was very well put. It’s not a point of the faith that we can afford to shy away from.
March 3, 2007 at 8:30 am |
Amen to that! I think I would also add that while our God is a God of love, He’s also a JUST God and given that that’s also a warcry here on this earth – everyone’s desiring justice of one form or another, then they should fully understand that in order to be just, a price has to be paid for a crime committed. Sadly that’s the other problem – humanity doesn’t consider it’s committed any crime against God, and thus doesn’t consider that there’s any price to be paid, but God declares that Adam & Eve committed the crime, and the consequences of that crime (in listening to Satan over Him), are inherent in our flesh from birth to death (aka sin), and thus we also have to pay a price.
I like how Ray Comfort puts it in his talk “Hell’s best kept secret” -
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“So if God judges you by this standard on the day of judgment, are you going to be innocent or guilty?” He says, “Guilty.” I say, “Well, do you think you’ll go to heaven or hell?” And the usual answer is, “Heaven.” A product of the modern gospel. I say, “Why do you feel like that? Is it because you think God is good and he’ll overlook your sins?” He says, “Yeah, that’s it. He’ll overlook my sins.” “Yeah, well, try that in a court of law. You’ve committed rape, murder, drug pushing—very serious crimes. The judge says, ‘You’re guilty. All the evidence is here. Have you anything to say before I pass sentence?’ And you say, ‘Yes, Judge. I’d like to say I believe you’re a good man and you’ll overlook my crimes.’ The judge would probably say, ‘You’re right about one thing. I am a good man, and because of my goodness, I’m going to see that justice is done. Because of my goodness, I’m going to see that you’re punished.’ ” And the very thing sinners are hoping will save them on the day of judgment, the goodness of God, will be the very thing that will condemn them. Because if God is good, He must by nature punish murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, fornicators, and blasphemers. God is going to punish sin wherever it’s found.”
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And since the price of sin is (eternal) death, and none of us desires to die more than once, we should very much listen to what He says about how we can have that judgement lifted from us and be paid for us (through Jesus).
March 3, 2007 at 8:47 am |
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