I Feel Therefore I Am (Are You Sure?)

Recently, athlete and TV personality Bruce Jenner decided to live his life as a woman. During a television interview, he described how he’s always felt like a woman trapped in a man’s body. Do feelings matter?

In 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation into law that empowers public school children to reassign their gender as they see fit. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice recently compelled the Arcadia School system to make special accommodations for transgendered school children who wish to reassign from a girl to a boy or a boy to a girl, ruling that the student’s gender is whatever they feel it is. What makes a man a man, or a woman a woman? Is it physical appearance, genetics, biology, or feelings?

What if I decide in my heart of hearts that I am a Native American trapped in a Caucasian body? What if I come to believe in my heart of hearts that I am a member of the Pechanga Band? Would feeling it make it so, no matter how sincere I felt? Should I sue to obtain my rightful share of casino profit sharing?

A recent survey taken indicated that 77% of American self-identify as Christian. However, some of those polled did not believe that Jesus Christ ever existed. A number of those surveyed did not believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected. Others surveyed believed that Jesus wrongly taught that He was the only way to heaven and He was not the way, the truth, or the life---and that there were many ways to heaven besides Jesus. Still others did not believe in God or an afterlife. But all these people felt they were Christians. Do such feelings matter? Does feeling it make it so?  What does Jesus say?

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."  (Matthew 7:21-23).

Jesus says a few things that should cause us to examine our relationship with and our claim on Him. First, Jesus says that not everyone who believes they know Him, or calls Him Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (verse 21):  “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21).” Maybe these folks (the “not everyone’s”) are the rare exception. The trouble is that verse 22 indicates otherwise: “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” Could it be that many if not most people get it wrong?

Does feeling you’re a Christian make you a Christian? It looks like the “many” in verse 22 do a lot of religious things: prophesy in Jesus’ name, cast out demons in Jesus’ name, and perform many mighty works in Jesus name. Doesn’t that count for something? What does Jesus say? “And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (v. 23).”

In verse 23, He shows us that our feelings don’t assure salvation (I never knew you; depart from me). These people felt strongly that they belonged to Jesus, but He rejects them---“I never knew you.” He dismisses them from His sight---“depart from Me.” Then He labels everything they did in His name as “lawlessness.”

It is not our feelings that assure us of our salvation. It is not our claim on Christ, but His claim on us. These people call Him Lord 4 times. Three times they declare they’ve done religious activity befitting of salvation. They feel like Christians like Bruce Jenner believing he’s a woman, or me believing I’m a Native American. But just believing that you’re a Christian doesn’t make it so. So what does? Jesus provides the answer in Matthew 7:21b: “"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Is this about “works”---earning one’s way to heaven? Nope. It’s about a devotion to God that is so strong that it reveals the presence and existence of genuine saving faith. It’s the kind of devotion demonstrates a faith that puts God’s will ahead of our own. We are saved through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). But that faith produces fruit in a genuine believer’s life and it shows a desire to be habitually submitting to and surrendered to God.

This is a faith that produces a desire in me to deny myself daily, take up my cross and follow Christ no matter the cost (Matthew 16:24). I can stand in a pulpit, but that doesn’t make me a Christian any more than standing in a restaurant makes me a hamburger. Neither does teaching a class, handing out bulletins or singing in a choir. Are you trusting Christ to the point that you’d go anywhere He wanted to take you and give up anything He asked you to? It’s that kind of devotion that points to a genuine saving faith. Are you willing to surrender your will, your rights, and your past, present and future to Jesus? If you haven’t already, do it now. Ask Him to come into your heart and save you because just feeling it does not make it so. Entrust yourself to Christ by repenting of your sin and turning to Him for salvation.

Facts are stubborn things. Regardless of the strength of our emotions, or feelings, they do not change the facts. The fact is your feelings do not determine the assurance of your salvation any more than they determine your gender or racial identity. The fact is it is not your claims on Christ that matters, no matter how strongly you feel that they do. The fact is it is Christ's claim on you. 

Death by Comfort

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" ( Mark 8:36 ESV)

In China, hours before prisoners are executed, having received the death penalty for their crimes, they receive new clothes, new shoes, a nice meal, and even entertainment. Then they are marched outside and shot (http://tinyurl.com/cb8abp3). Similar customs are observed even in our country where condemned prisoners often receive a special “last meal.” The sad fact is, in China or anywhere else, these kindness are of little value of those facing execution. In a few moments, the meal is over and they cannot take their nice clothes with them into eternity. The moments of comfort are followed by an eternity without Christ, without hope, and without mercy.

K.P. Yohannan, founder and president of Gospel for Asia, a missions group that spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ in India and other places in the world, writes that “a bowl of rice is no substitute for the Holy Spirit (Revolution in World Missions, 107. Gospel for Asian Publishing).” He’s right of course. Sadly, increasingly in Christian circles, people are more and more emphasizing providing comfort to the lost by giving them food, clothing, and education in hopes of bribing them to consider the gospel. And more and more social action is taking priority over evangelism. Jesus commented that goods, wealth, or comfort are of little value in the scheme of eternity. The Bible tells us “the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).” Giving people, who are under a death sentence, food, clothing, and education does them little good if they die without Christ. "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36 ESV) We do better to feed them eternally for a life time with the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, than to feed them for a few hours, a day, or a week with food that perishes. A bowl of rice, a food card, or a tank of gas is no substitute for salvation and the indwelling, life changing power of the Holy Spirit.

For 10 years, a church in the Midwest with which I am familiar fed 700 homeless people and shut-ins every Christmas morning. Moreover, they delivered 190 meals to those who could not or would not come to the church for a sumptuous Christmas Dinner. Oddly enough, in 10 years they could not point to a single conversion from this outreach. Part of the problem was that they did not require those coming for dinner on Christmas Day to attend a worship service. Few ever heard the gospel. I attended a meeting once where a member of the outreach team indicated that a group he supported provided food and clothes for orphans without worrying so much about sharing the gospel with them. As I sat there in that meeting I thought of those prisoners in China who were given nice treats before facing the firing squad. I thought of all those homeless people coming for Christmas dinner without being fed the gospel. I thought of Jesus’ words: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36 ESV?

Leading up to Easter, we having been showing the love of Christ by doing acts of real kindness for people so that we can invite them to church that they might hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m always impressed how committed the people and pastors of Sunrise are to sharing the gospel. I am thankful that the real act of kindness isn’t the grass we cut, the food we give away, or the money we give to those who have need but the sharing of the gospel, the inviting to Church, and including them in our Bible studies, small groups, and worship. Remember all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All people without Christ are as much under a death sentence as prisoners in China facing the firing squad. Acts of real kindness involve linking assistance to church attendance, having strings attached so that they must come and hear the gospel and must maybe get saved. Anything less isn’t kind at all. Do not be embarrassed to invite people you help to church. All the comfort and clothes and food and money you give them will profit them nothing if they die without Christ.

Join Me in Judging Others

Much is made about judging others. In this era of' 'tolerance,' we're told not to judge others. Usually, this admonition comes from politicians, academics, and would-be postmodern philosophers who aren't sure about much except that they judge everyone who disagrees with them as misguided or wrong.

I judge people and so should you. Why? When we tell people not to judge we are hypocritical. Educators judge academic performance every day in classrooms around the globe. Employers evaluate employee job performance and hand out raises or pink slips. We judge character when we choose our friends. We rate TV Shows, films and pass judgement on politicians at the polls. We watch and seek to influence who our children play with or date---that's right, as we pass judgement.

Think with me on this. Someone knocks at your door at 2 AM. You look out throw the peephole in your front door. You see a stranger standing there with a bloody knife. Will you through the door open indiscriminately or keep it locked? Will you consider dialing 911? You're judging.

Even Jesus Christ taught His disciples to judge. I know. You're about to tell me just the opposite incorrectly and misguidedly citing that helpful passage so many take out of context "Judge not lest ye be also judged ..." "Hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye..." Here's your problem (and the problem of at least one 90 something professing Christian politician who talks about the Bible but likely hasn't studied it: Matthew 7 is all about judging and how to judge (evaluate) people and things in the right fashion.

Matthew 7:1-5 warns not to judge hypocritically. We are to examine our own motives and habits first before we quickly examine or evaluate those of others. Then in verse 6 Jesus warns about giving holy things to dogs and swine, a metaphor for those who only profess interest but will quickly turn on you. Think critically now: you have to judge people to identify dogs and swine. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus tells you to judge yourself. Are you inclined to take the hard way (i.e. right way), or go with the crowd (i.e. the narrow gate or the wide and popular path)?

Then Jesus tells us how to judge those who claim to be one thing when they are in fact another (His discussion of wolves in sheeps clothing in vv. 15-20). He tells us to look beyond their claims and judge their actions (v. 20). In verses 21-23 Jesus tells us how to judge real-deal Christ followers. Again, it's not what they claim to be that matters (v. 21). It's not even religious activity that helps you identify them (v. 22). They are not "saved" by feelings or "works" but by their faith-driven devotion to God (v. 21b). Anyone can claim to be religious. Anyone can act religious. But constant devotion to God reveals the heart condition, long term---going back to evaluating actions, long term (by their fruits you will know them).

Thinking I'm reading too much into what Jesus is saying. Well, elsewhere in John's Gospel (John 7:24), Jesus commands us to judge not by first impressions but by righteous judgement. Whether or not you and I can agree on what righteous judgement is, it's clear Jesus is not forbidding judgement. But just for the record, in the larger context of John 7, Jesus is saying that His miracles speak volumes about who He is and to judge Him by His miracles (i.e. by His fruit).

Judging is Christian. Christian are to judge themselves and others who claim to be Christians, leaving God to judge outsiders. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the pen of the Apostle Paul puts it this way: "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges." (1Corinthians 5:12-13)

Join me in judging others. It's okay as long as we do so carefully. In the meantime, regardless of your reaction to this post, know that you have judged me as you read it. So be honest. Judging is okay and everyone does it anyway. Judging isn't bad. Judging unrighteously is wrong.