Jim Wilson's Blog, page 5

Chaos at the Center

Douglas Wilson

Credenda Agenda Vol. 10 No. 2

Rumorthrives in two environments. The first is obvious. When men who love to wag thetongue are so undisciplined that they refuse to confirm what they pass on, theninth commandment is clearly broken. The environment is that which isestablished by the lying tongue. The world has always contained many who haveloved to live in this way—and Christians condemn all such gossip, slander,libel, and wild speculation, particularly when it has to do with a"ruler of your people" (Acts 23:5).

Butanother breeding ground for rumor exists as well, and this is why we have seensuch a remarkable explosion of astounding reports in recent years. Thisenvironment for rumor is created when the courts of justice have beenhopelessly compromised and corrupted, and have been turned aside from theirordained and appointed use. When this happens, it means that those who havereasonable grounds to make an accusation are prevented from doing so by aconspiracy of factors—awareness of the futility of the endeavor, knowledge ofthe widespread corruption and bribery, real fear of being dismissed as a crank,concern about physical harm, and so forth. The throne of iniquity has nofellowship with God, and the righteous know that these guys are good at framingmischief through a law (Ps. 94:20). Anyone who believes that unbelievingsecularism can have become the established faith in our nation without a grosscorruption of the courts of justice simply does not understand the biblicalteaching of antithesis. This is not written as a warning of things to come, butrather as an explanation of what has already occurred to us. Res agitur.

Whensomeone cannot lawfully be charged with wrongdoing—even when plain and evidentproof of that wrongdoing exists—then the available information seeks anotherroute. Meantime, the one who is officially "bulletproof" believes hemay conduct his affairs with a high hand because he knows he has the officialsystem in his back pocket. This creates an abundant demand for information fromthose who disseminate it through the new channels. In our day, when the courtsno longer settle anything that looks or smells like justice, the new channelsare books by alternative publishers and internet newspapers.

Whensomeone is bold enough to mention such things as will be mentioned below, hewill be indignantly told that these are all unconfirmed internet rumors, none ofthis has been established in a court of law, no controlling legal authority…etc.Quite so. We're sorry. So may we be permitted to present all this evidence in acourt of law? No?

Ourpresident iswell-known for his sexual immorality and financial corruption. Tragically, thisconsidered by itself does not make him unique among our presidents. But it musthonestly be said that he has brought an old game to new levels of performance.In addition, in the minds of those whose understanding goes past what they hearfrom Peter Jennings, he is also under reasonable suspicion of drug trafficking,cocaine use, obstruction of justice, perjury, and serial murder. These arereasonable charges, with enough evidence to bring a biblical charge in a courtof law, provided that the court has not been previously subverted. But here is ourdilemma—the courts have been.

Nowthe loyal opposition is of no use in such situations. The Republicans believethemselves to be conservatives, but they have an ineluctable problem beforethem. Scandal of the garden variety helps them out, helps them considerably inthe next election. Then, if everything goes well, they can be king ofthe hill. But scandals of this magnitude call into question the legitimacy ofthe entire regime, that entire interlocking power grid which we call theWashington establishment.  This includesthe media and Congress, lobbyists and presidents, cabinet officers and bigbusiness, White House interns and Starbucks employees. If such charges aretrue, then that whole sorry ganglion on the Potomac needs to go.

Our"national greatness" conservatives are of course appalled at thecorruption and mendacity of the current administration. But for the most partthey remain quiet about it—why? And those who are not quiet are attacked by thetamed conservatives with a ferocity which can only come from fear. This is notthe same kind of corruption as was found in the administrations of UlyssesGrant or Herbert Hoover. Our national life now lingers between a strugglingconsciousness and the collapse of final surrender. We are afflicted with thekind of disease which attends great republics, hacking pitifully on theirdeathbeds.

Nevertheless,we pretend otherwise, which calls to mind a comment from Pirates of Penzance,where it is said that there are "the remains of a fine woman" aboutRuth. The vestiges of blessing which we still enjoy these days are enough toconvince many that these problems are transient and will pass away. A cancerpatient may truly enjoy those times in which he denies everything he knows. Butreality is not optional, and truth haunts.

Whenan accuser is refuted in open court, we may all rejoice at the defeat ofslander. But when potential accusers are found dead in an open ditch, ourthoughts turn in another melancholier direction. The silver has become dross,the wine is filled with water, the bread is made with sawdust, and Lady Justicehas taken to sleeping around.

"Hearthis, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house ofIsrael, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion withblood, and Jerusalem with iniquity" (Micah 3:9-10).

Written under Clinton’s presidency.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Dealing with Internet Rumors

When we read rumors and stories on the internet, we do notknow if they are true. Here are my comments. First, the Scripture:

“One witness is not enough to convictanyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter mustbe established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deut. 19:15).

“Surely God is good toIsrael,
    tothose who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet hadalmost slipped;
    Ihad nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
    whenI saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;
    theirbodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from common human burdens;
    theyare not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
    theyclothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
    theirevil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
    witharrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    andtheir tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
    anddrink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How would God know?
    Doesthe Most High know anything?”

This is what the wicked arelike—
    alwaysfree of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept myheart pure
    andhave washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
    andevery morning brings new punishments.

If I had spoken out likethat,
    Iwould have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
    ittroubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    thenI understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them onslippery ground;
    youcast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
    completelyswept away by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes;
    whenyou arise, Lord,
    youwill despise them as fantasies.

When my heart was grieved
    andmy spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
    Iwas a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
    youhold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    andafterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    Andearth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    butGod is the strength of my heart
    andmy portion forever.

Those who are far from youwill perish;
    youdestroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    Ihave made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    Iwill tell of all your deeds.”

 

(Psalm 73)

 

“Do not fret because of thosewho are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away….

Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked andruthless man
    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
but he soon passed away and was no more;
    though I looked for him, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless,observe the upright;
    a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed;
    there will be no future for the wicked.”

 

(Psalm 37:1-2, 34-38)

 

Personal opinion: Where thereis smoke, there is fire. However, sometimes there is much smoke and very littlefire. The devil is often on both sides in a public controversy. And thedevil is a liar (when he lies, the speaks his native language). If you have nomeans of checking the veracity and no means of knowing the original source ofthe information, then believe me some of it is not true. However, even if itwere all true, it is often written in a way to get the reader to make certaininferences. This is the way lynch mobs happen. It is not the Christian way tocommunicate information. It may be fun to participate in, but it is dangerousfun.

The next post will also be on this subject. It is an article written by my son which I recommend.

Written 10/5/1998.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Son of Man

“In my vision at night I looked, and therebefore me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. Heapproached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations andpeoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlastingdominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never bedestroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14).

When Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, He is referring tothis person. The Jewish leaders knew what He was saying and did not like it.

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man inheaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Sonof Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory”(Matt. 24:30).

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in thewilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believesmay have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave hisone and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but haveeternal life” (John 3:14-16).

Here the Son of Man is identified as the only-begotten Son. 

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Psalm 73

I’d like to “read” to you the 73rd Psalm.

Surely God is goodto Israel,
    tothose who are pure in heart.

But as for me, myfeet had almost slipped;
    Ihad nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
    whenI saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have nostruggles;
    theirbodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from common human burdens;
    theyare not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
    theyclothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
    theirevil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
    witharrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    andtheir tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
    anddrink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How would God know?
    Doesthe Most High know anything?”

This is what thewicked are like—
    alwaysfree of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain Ihave kept my heart pure
    andhave washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
    andevery morning brings new punishments.

If I had spoken outlike that,
    Iwould have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
    ittroubled me deeply.

In other words, the Psalmist doesn’t know why all this is. Thenhe changes. He says:

Till I entered thesanctuary of God;
    thenI understood their final destiny.

Now he knows why all these things are this way:these people are going to end in judgment.

Surely you placethem on slippery ground;
    youcast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
    completelyswept away by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes;
    whenyou arise, Lord,
    youwill despise them as fantasies. 

When my heart wasgrieved
    andmy spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
    Iwas a brute beast before you. 

Yet I am always withyou;
    youhold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    andafterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    Andearth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    butGod is the strength of my heart
    andmy portion forever.

Those who are farfrom you will perish;
    youdestroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    Ihave made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    Iwill tell of all your deeds.

This Psalm is in two parts. For the first 16 verses, thePsalmist doesn’t understand why this happens. In verse 17, he gives the answer.Then follow verses telling the judgment on the “bad guys.” The rest of it isthe salvation of the good guys.

Reading Scripture is always a blessing to me.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Grieving, or Glad?

We are approaching the time of year when we give specialattention to the events that took place 1,970 years ago. This attention isgiven by Christians at this time because by these events we have receivedforgiveness of sins and an inheritance among the sanctified.

The three events were Jesus’ crucifixion, His burial, andHis resurrection.

“From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciplesthat he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders,chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on thethird day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” (Matthew 16:21-22).

“When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘TheSon of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him,and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filledwith grief” (Matthew 17:22-23).

Peter rebuked Him, then later the disciples were filled withgrief. Jesus had just told them twice that He would rise from the dead.Why would anyone grieve over someone who is going to rise from the dead? Theywouldn’t, unless they had not heard it. They had only heard Him say that Hewould be killed. They had quit listening.    

Some years ago, I was driving to a conference near SunValley, Idaho. A half an hour from home, I realized I had not had enoughbreakfast. I stopped for gasoline. I also bought a pint of chocolate milk. Iput the milk in the cup holder and drove off. About a mile down the road, therewas a little man hitchhiking. I pulled over to pick him up. When he got intothe car, he was very grateful. He was going to Grangeville (a few hours away)to find a mobile home cheap enough for his mother to live in. Mobile homes weretoo expensive in Portland where he was from.

When I asked about his family, he said that his father lefthim when he was a few months old. If he ever found his father, he would sit himdown, buy him a beer, and ask him why he had left him. If the father came upwith an adequate answer, the son would forgive him. By his manner, I could tellthat he did not anticipate finding his father or forgiving him.

“Any family”? Yes, he had had a wife but she had left himfor his best friend and had taken their 8-month-old daughter with her.

Soon he opened his backpack to get a bottle of eye drops andbegan putting drops in his eyes. When queried, he explained that he hadglaucoma.

This short history had me aching for him: 21 years old withglaucoma, no wife, no daughter, no father, and a poverty-stricken mother. Iasked him if he had ever been to church. Yes, once. He was impressed; they hadtalked about the Bible and did not ask for money. I told him that was the kindof church I was in. He pulled out a dollar bill and said, “When we stop for apop, you can have the change.” I realized these things: 1) He wanted a pop verymuch. 2) The dollar was the only money he had. And 3) he had been hitchhikingall night and had not had any breakfast.

I said, “If you are hungry, you may have that chocolatemilk.” He drank it down very fast and then said, “You can have the wholedollar.”

Then the conversation went something like this:

“Do you read the Bible?” He reached into his backpack andpulled out a little red paper Gospel of John published by Moody Press.

“Do you read that?”

“Sometimes.”

“Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?” Some sort ofaffirmative.

“Do you believe that He died for your sins?” Affirmativeagain.

“Do you believe that He arose from the dead?” He looked atme hard and said, “No! No! I never heard that one!”

“Please read the last three chapters of your little redbook.”

He laboriously read those chapters. When he had finished, helooked up and said, “That’s amazing, that’s amazing!” He had never heard of theresurrection.

“After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. Thedisciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20).

Have you listened, heard, and seen?

Are you grieving, or are you glad?

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Unrighteousness in the Camp

God’s kind of righteousness is not passive. It has apositive effect on society. “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and “youare the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

Righteousness is not to be ineffective. Salt that is notsalty is good for nothing. Light that is hidden is not light. Men do not praiseGod for bad deeds in the lives of Christians.

These are principles which I would like to amplify furtherin a more radical way. There are two events in biblical history which takethese truths to two opposite extremes. One is the destruction of Sodom, and theother is the minor defeat of Israel at Ai. The stories are found in Genesis 18-19and Joshua 6-7. In the first case, God had promised the safety of a very wickedcity if there were found in the city ten righteous people. In the other case,God allowed the defeat of a righteous nation by a wicked city because there wasone unrighteous man in the camp. Thirty-six other men were killed because ofthis man’s unrighteousness.

I think that these are not opposite principles, but onlyopposite effects of the same principle. God will spare a wicked city if thereis an adequate righteous witness in the city. However, God will not give victoryunless there are all righteous people in the camp. We as Christians havesettled for the first option. We are content with minimum light, just enough tokeep the Sodoms of the world from being destroyed. We are not willing to purgethe unrighteousness in ourselves and in the church in order to take the Ais ofthis world with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One is a defensive view, and the other is an offensive view.We (the church today) who, like Joshua, have an offensive view, have endeavoredto take the Gospel with unrighteous men in the army. The Lord is not with usfor victory.

We here at CCM are seeking to increase our methods of war.It is not enough that we increase our methods if the Lord is not with us forvictory. We need all of our men and women walking in the light as He is in thelight. Would you ask God to show you if there is any unconfessed, unforsaken sinin your life? Then confess and forsake it. And then pray for us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Marriage & Growing in the Lord: Providing for Your Wife's Needs

Dear Joe,

Before I continue, I want you to know that I have alwaysloved you and respected you. This love and respect have been separate from yourperformance; nevertheless, it is real.

The following are perceptions of mine. I do not think theyhave been automatic causes in your slowing down in your journey toward God, butthey have had some effect.

·      You are competitive.

·      You have been a perfectionist in the past.

·      You have been a subject of flattery in the past.

·      You have had a desire for wealth in the past.

·      You were not spiritually ready when you got married, nor didyou catch up after you got married.

If these perceptions are true, so what? You and your wifehave had thousands of incidents in your life together that seem more importantthan these six thoughts.

Whether she wanted these things or not, your wife neededthe following from you:

·      She needed to be protected.

·      She needed to be nourished and cherished.

·      She needed to be taught and led by exampleand from the Word.

·      She needed to have boundaries.

You may not see the connection between the first list andyour wife’s needs. Here it is: the things in the first list have selfishnessin each of them, and the second require selflessness.

You have been focused on her needs, but not the ones youshould provide. You have focused on the kind you think need to be corrected inher before you provide the others for her. This is the wrong way to lookat it. You need to focus on the providing.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

How to Treat Your Wife: Admonishing vs. Cherishing

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the churchand gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing withwater through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church,without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In thissame way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loveshis wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feedand care for their body, just as Christ does the church” (Eph. 5:25-29).

Note the last verse. The KJV says “nourishes and cherishes.”

In Ephesians 6, Paul says that children are to be nurturedand admonished.

Wives are to be nourished and cherished.Children are to be nourished and admonished. You must admonish yourchildren. You must cherish your wife.

You may not admonish your wife. If there is somemoral infraction on her part, then you should handle it in the light of Galatians 6:1:

“Brothers, if someone is caught in sin, you who arespiritual restore him gently. But watch yourself or you may be tempted.”

If the infraction is not immoral or heretical, you may notdo this, either.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Church Planting: Why I Started a Church

Some time ago, I received this question: “Why did you startyour own church when you moved to Moscow? I am working in ministry in my church,but I am considering being a pastor. How do I know if I should leave thischurch to start my own or stay and keep trying to minister to the people here?”

We came out to Idaho from Michigan to spy out the land inFebruary 1971.

In October ’72, fifteen months after we arrived, I was askedto substitute at the Grange church, which my family had been attending. In themeantime, we had been holding an afternoon house church in our home. In1976, we shut down the afternoon house church because we did not want tocompete with Community Evangelical Fellowship, the Moscow church that westarted from the Grange in September 1975 because the congregation there wasgrowing. The Grange grew and divided/planted again in 1976. I pastored bothchurches in Pullman for one year until another pastor was able to join us. Theother church I pastored until I retired from preaching in 2018.

When we left Ann Arbor, I told Bessie that if the bestevangelical church in the U.S. were in Moscow, we would not join it—because ifthe church sees that you have anything on the ball, they put you to work in thethings that do not save, edify, or glorify. Since we were in the business ofsaving, edifying, and glorifying, we would not become members. We wouldfellowship (attend church every Sunday) but not join.

We are not opposed to starting churches. I do not think thatthey should start with musical chairs but with new converts. Talk to those whoare interested in starting a new church with you. Could they pray some peopleinto the kingdom?

Concerning whatever church you are in now, I will guaranteethat there is at least one hurting Christian there who wants to be back in thejoy of God’s salvation. There is also someone in the church or in town whowants to be saved so badly he is ready to fall off the vine. This sinner is soready he does not need an evangelist to reach him. Pray for contact with thesetwo people.

Remember Jesus’ teaching. You are called to bemisunderstood.

“All this I have told you so that you willnot fall away” (John 16:1).

“Blessed are those who arepersecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when peopleinsult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you becauseof me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your rewardin heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were beforeyou” (Matt. 5:10-12).

 

“Tothis you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,that you should follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21).

 

The fruit is there. Quitfighting; eat it with joy. If you leave your church, you will only change thesize of your frying pan. Leave when they are boiling the tar and plucking thegoose. By that time, you will leave living, thriving fruit behind.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Bearing Fruit in All Circumstances

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts inman, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from theLORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity whenit comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt landwhere no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whoseconfidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sendsout its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves arealways green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bearfruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of thewicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But hisdelight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked!They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will notstand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For theLORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked willperish” (Psalm 1:1-6).

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will growlike a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourishin the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stayfresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there isno wickedness in him’” (Psalm 92:12-15).

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear goodfruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs fromthornbushes, or grapes from briers” (Luke 6:43-44).

Ever since the Garden of Eden, there have been good fruit treesand bad fruit trees. We are all fruit trees. These scriptures tell us how tobear good fruit all of the time.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships