Category Archives: Bible Talk

Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

Academics & The Arts, Bible Talk, Books, Education, Family Life, Living the Word, , , , , , , ,

How does one arrive at a disturbed character? This is not a rhetorical question. One arrives at a disturbed character by continually ignoring three things:

1. The Genuine Existence of God
2. The Authentic Character of God
3. The Justice System of God

The Bible tells us clearly that every human is equipped with a conscience and that the conscience is there to point him or her toward God; to reveal His very genuine existence as well as His authentic character, and to make obvious His definition of right and wrong- His system of justice.

The Scriptures also tell us that the man or woman who does not see any benefit in retaining this knowledge of conscience will eventually be possessed of the depraved mind that is left to him or to her.  The Bible tells us that this depraved mind is capable of all types of evil- probably beyond what some who have thoroughly nurtured the conscience are capable of imagining.

This depraved mind is the one that displays the disturbed or disordered character; this mind is held captive by a system of belief that has developed a set of core values (to direct the soul)  that is selfish to the degree of being diabolical. This mind is the antithesis of the mind of God, if you will allow, an anti-Christ.

How does one keep himself or herself from arriving at this reprehensible state?This also is not a rhetorical question. The answer is evident. One must continually nurture belief in the three things one’s conscience has been designed to bring to attention:

1. The Genuine Existence of God
2. The Authentic Character of God
3. The Justice System of God

From the beginning, each and every time one is situationally placed so that it is necessary to purposely acknowledge these three things one must be made to do so- forced by his or her own will to acknowledge the conscience or by the will of an earthly authority figure such as a parent, a teacher, or other official to do so as the conscience must be the arbitrator of what many theologians refer to as common grace; and the truly converted under specific grace if  momentarily and specifically submissive, shall be aided further by yielding to the will of The Holy Spirit of God within the self so accessing the wisdom and power available to him or her.

The person who consciously and continually engages in an effort to refute or to silence the conscience will naturally digress to the condition of the disturbed character. The disturbed character will appear as having no conscience and will yet be a “functioning” member of the community.  A disordered character is displayed by one who was once only disturbed but has now slipped into the realm of the surely dysfunctional (rendered incapable of carrying out the requisite responsibilities of society).

The failure to nurture the conscience is the failure to nurture Truth and will surely result in the demise of the individual and the eventual destruction of any general population in which these individuals are prevalent.

Notably, George K. Simon, Jr., Ph.D., has done a beautiful job of further explanation, and in giving socially  acceptable as well as academically responsible language to the subject matter found here and in our Bibles (particularly in the book of Romans), in the book he authored: Character Disturbance, The Phenomenon of Our Age.

We must take seriously the view of ourselves found in God’s Holy Word for the protection of ourselves, our loved ones, and for the benefit of humanity as a whole. May God help us!

Copyright 2017. L.L. Shelton

Brief Thoughts on Marriage

Bible Talk, Church Culture, Family Life, Married Life, , , , , , ,

To begin:  There is only ONE good reason for getting married and for having children, and it is:  Because GOD wants you to do it.  And if it is HE wanting you to do it; it is because He wants you to be a part of what HE is building. He wants you to be a part of illustrating HIS story to a watching world. God desires for you to be a part of LOVE as defined by Him.

Don’t allow yourself to enter these arenas, the building of marriage and family, at the persuasion of any other than God in Christ, or without reading His Word and getting whatever grasp upon this that your maturity and His patience allow to you. These are not institutions for the faint of heart and will never withstand the difficulties that come along with them unless built upon a proper foundation. Marriage and family belong to Him. They are His design and He has said that they must be structured upon Him, upon the principles set forth in His Word, to be successful.  And the terms for success in marriage must be and are determined by its Creator.

Maybe you have entered into these things lightly and without a proper amount of forethought. It is not too late. You must pray for GOD to make your partner willing and as He does this, the two of you begin (together in Christ) to tear down the old relationship and to start anew on the correct foundation. Seek out an older married couple in whom you see Christ (in other words, you observe them living together according to the principles set forth in The Bible for the living out of their shared faith). Approach them and directly ask for their active guidance and participation in your lives. If resources allow, find a Biblical counselor to assist you in building this new platform for your marriage.

Another issue may be that your partner remains unwilling to consider Christ. In this case, you must continue in earnest prayer, gentleness, and good will toward your spouse until such time as God releases you from the relationship, and you are free to start again; and this must be done with the greatest caution for two primary reasons.  The first is that you must try with all your will to NOT push your partner away from either yourself or God in the hope that the other will leave soon. This happens often in such a case and is regularly realized only when an experienced helper points out to the Christian in the marriage that this is indeed what that one is doing. The second reason is that you are quite liable to abandon the frying pan in favor of the fire, unless you have spent an adequate amount of time in the judicious study of Holy Scripture concerning the Way of Life of a Christian in order that you may more easily recognize a fraud should there be opportunity for a next time around.

Paul reminds us in a letter to the early church that it is better not to marry at all than to enter the covenant casually.  It is a choice open to the Christian to remain single and serve GOD fully from that position, rather than serving Him from the position of marriage.  However, for God’s saved child, there is no choice as to serve or not to serve, and if your heart is completely without reservation His own; you will be compelled to serve despite your finest efforts to the contrary.  (The difficulties and delights specifically associated with the Christian’s choice to remain single are beyond the scope of this short essay.)

In the end, I don’t wish to leave the impression that there are no joys associated with marriage but only trials, as that would be wholly untrue.  There are multiple blessings to be had within the marriage relationship- true friendship, God’s allowance to fully know and to be fully known by another human being- to completely relate to another person, children within God’s favor and under the protection of a legitimate bond.  I count it a great privilege to enjoy many of the wonders of marriage.

Now,  in this day of much confusion concerning marriage and family, I implore you to search God’s Word for yourself to find that these very things that I tell you are true. And may The Lord God of All bless your every effort!

Signposts: How Churches Can Minister to the Divorced

Copyright 2016.  L.L. Shelton

Brief Thoughts Regarding Human Sexuality

Bible Talk, Living the Word, Married Life, , , ,

(An Addendum to, Brief Thoughts of Love)

My Young Friend,

Each of us is composed of both physicality- our body and the stuff therein, and of a soul or spirit- the eternal self; that was a thought in the mind of God before our physical existence and destined to continue long after our body has perished. We are each in possession of a mind- emotion and intellect (albeit there are varying degrees of functionality among them) and along life’s way we each develop a personality and a sexuality, both a reflection of a deeper development- that of character. Character is the essence of who you are; it is your nature. These things are inextricably intertwined until the day of physical death. Until then, one can not function apart from the other and each is connected to and affected by the other. This is a terrifically complicated and marvelous design.

God has created our sexuality specifically to allow for and to encourage the most intimate level of communication in relationship that two people and their Heavenly Father can together experience. He designed this aspect of the system to lend us the ability to procreate and to grant us the capability of relating in a way that is illustrative of that way in which The Trinity relates, and of the way in which God in Christ relates to His people. Also, it is to be a reward unique to the covenant marriage of a man and a woman in the Presence of God.  It may be startling to consider that God is a part of the expression of one’s sexuality, and yet it should be obvious. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere at once. As Christians, we are promised that His Holy Spirit lives in us- all the time. Our God does not slumber or sleep, rather He carefully watches over us continually.

However, because we are living in the contaminated environments of the earth and of our own fleshly bodies, we are apt to the perversion of our sexualities. Though there are myriad natural consequences as a result of expressing one’s sexuality outside of the one relationship for which it was designed, and those consequences are always spiritually degrading, often emotionally detrimental, and many times physically debilitating; still we are highly likely to misuse this aspect of ourselves, and yet Christ insists that we are to strive for sexual purity.

Interestingly, Christ is apparently unconcerned with the technicalities of things surrounding human sexuality; things such as whether or not a person should date at this age or that, whether a kiss is sexual or not, or that a person refrain from intercourse until marriage. It is possible that I have, again, startled you. I mean to convey that Christ’s concern is for something infinitely greater- our sexual purity; and sexual purity has its roots in the imagination. It is in our imaginations that He desires to reign supreme. Pure sexuality begins in the thought life and can never be achieved apart from it.

Sexual purity is maintained through the constant effort to view God, ourselves, and others appropriately, as living beings valued beyond price, worthy of sacrificial love; as opposed to objects to be used and abused according to our whims or our erroneous desires.

In God’s economy, there is truly no need for such deliberations as whether or not to hold hands on the first date; as He has in Christ surely freed us from endless and  rigorous  contemplations of the nature of “angels on the head of a pin” rather, God has allowed for us to be (in Him) all that we can be!

In His Love,
An Old Friend

See Psalm 51, Matthew 19, Mark 7

Copyright, 2012. L.L. Shelton

Brief Thoughts of Love

Bible Talk, Family Life, Living the Word, Married Life, , , , , , ,

My Young Friend,

Love has been tragically misrepresented and misunderstood. Love both requires of you and insists that you require of yourself; it is both a proper noun and a verb. It requires of itself what is best for another and gives it without reservation. Love demands sacrifice and sacrifice usually stings a bit.  Often it is genuinely painful, at times even debilitating.  Any one who has truly loved has felt both the joy and the bite of it. The idea that love is all pleasant and ever delightful is a gross adulteration.

I hear a great deal these days about fear of commitment, about lack of commitment, and inability to commit. I listen to tales of lack of intimacy and emotional distance in family relationships and in marriage. I am often told of loneliness, and the death of community. I believe these things are symptoms of a lack of love, and I do not believe it is commitment we are so afraid of, rather it is sacrifice that we fear.

Most of us have felt the confusion resulting from a person’s declaration of love for us followed by an expression of our sexuality, only to realize rejection at a later date. Some of us have felt the terrible vexation that comes when a parent who has claimed love for us has then neglected or abused us (or our other parent or sibling) and maybe even abandoned us or left the home. Each of us has been puzzled at one point or another by the expression of love and insult from the same mouth. Each of us has brandished both affection and grief with one tongue.

People are imperfect. We are incapable of either loving or hating perfectly. This is why we are taught to strive always to become perfect in love and to avoid hate altogether. We’re instructed to leave the hating to God. We are taught to learn of repentance and forgiveness and to become experts at both, and there is a Way.

Another method by which love has been horribly distorted is by the idea that love and sexuality can be one in the same. The two are never one. Human sexuality is and has always been one way in a million of expressing love. Obviously, it is often used in a perverse manner to express things that do not resemble love in the slightest.

For many reasons, one being to set the relationship above and apart from all others, and some that are mysterious and still known only to God Himself, we are told that His system is designed to function optimally for us (for all of us individually and as a corporate whole) when each of us limit the expression of our sexuality to one relationship with one person of the opposite sex (gender) for the entirity of our lives. Yet, we are encouraged by God to express our LOVE for everyone all the time!

My third and final offering concerning the misrepresentation of love is this: God is love, but love is not God.  According to His Word, God is many things and love is ever a part of Him; His perfect Love motivating him continually.  Love is only itself.  Love is one of the many attributes of God and is nonetheless the epitome of holiness and the greatest thing.  Love is perfect. God Himself is love, but love is not God. Therefore, we in our love are not God.  God is bigger.

Lastly, in love I offer this truth from God’s Word.   It is an expression of my love for you. May it allow you some clarity and grant you a bit of peace on earth.

An Old Friend

(Please see 1 John 3:16, John 13,  1 Corinthians 13: 1-13)

Copyright 2016, L.L. Shelton

Adam & Eve: Those Idiots!

Bible Talk, Church Culture, Living the Word, ,

adam and eve

Teaching Bible to children is a delightful experience for me. Throughout my careful, thoughtful lessons are numerous ah-ha! moments… I can only hope there are a few in the minds of my small charges, as well.

One day, as I was sharing the age-old history of the first man and the first woman with whom God dwelt, I arrived at the place in the report at which I was compelled to relate the extremely disappointing news that both Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, bringing about a tragic situation for humankind.

Of course, what followed was a series of excited interjections, a few in the form of questions: “No way! Couldn’ they ‘ave just had peanut butter and crackers if they were hungry?” “ Yeah… And there was prob’ly candy!”  “An’ now we’re all in trouble… those idiots!” And with the slow, deliberate shake of a little head, “Anybody knows you can’t trust a snake.”

Now, while their observations were not completely without merit, their remarks did indicate restricted vision. Children tend to view The Word of God through a narrow lens, and for the most part, limit themselves to two colors- black and white. Though this is sometimes appropriate, and often provides the needed dramatic emphasis; it is at other times limiting, and the need for a more expansive view is obvious. Adam had turned to worshiping the creation rather than The Creator, a grave sin indeed, and Eve exchanged the Truth of God for a lie; sins in which we all would have readily participated, had we been in their place. Their actual eating of the fruit was an outward display of the garbage that had taken residence in the heart.

As adults, we should be equipped and able to switch to a broad scope and to embrace a full spectrum of light, permitting our perspective to be imbibed with every possible hue; in so doing we may find the liberation of our souls!

Certainly, there are various hindrances to a person’s being able to think As an adult:  Natural and appropriate immaturity as in a child, general immaturity, or specific immaturity such as emotional, social, intellectual or spiritual immaturity. There is retardation and there are developmental delays and disorders which affect the capabilities of some, and of course there is the weak will.  These are real obstacles which cause some of us to genuinely exist in a fledgling state, or less able to think and to behave as an adult, despite our historical age.

But for most of us, a simple willingness to take the initiative in the sanctification process will prove to bring about the gracious help and kind generosity of Our Heavenly Father, and He will mold and grow the soul longing to be fully freed by The Truth of Scripture. Though we will remain imperfect while we are attached to these bodies, we will be free in the sense that we are comprehending Scripture and are able to apply it appropriately in our lives.

Furthermore, this is to be a beautiful benefit to those who are less mature, in that according to Scripture, the more mature are entrusted with the supervision and careful consideration of the others. God has truly designed and is orchestrating by His Spirit a perfect system, by which the needs of His children may be perfectly met in this fallen place: The Church. When we are functioning optimally– keeping first things first, keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ and by His grace obeying Our Father- we are the best thing that ever happened to this planet- for we are in sime sense, Christ on Earth!

And yet we display a tendency to divide and to argue one with another, sometimes to the exclusion of serving a broken world as we should. For example: We deliberate over the literal versus the metaphorical in Scripture which is in some instances necessary, however  it is apparent to me that Our Great God, to whom and with whom all things are possible, could easily have dictated a perfect document in which many or all things are both. For instance: Proverbs 31 speaks of a godly woman as one who keeps the oil in her lamp burning throughout the night; she is not idle. I believe that this is literally true throughout many seasons in her life as she is never one to neglect her duties, as well as metaphorically true, in the sense that the oil is representative of The Holy Spirit who is ever present in, and never extinguished from her life. (Please note that I am not saying that there may be a metaphorical meaning for something that is historically understood and consistently presented as literal, instead of the literal, only that there may be a metaphorical meaning in addition to the literal.)

I have found a world of beautiful possibilities by studying The Word with these things in mind; however I am by His grace, ever aware of The Absolute Truth, and of the consistency with which God’s Word will reveal Itself , in other words, the unwillingness of God to contradict Himself, and His unwillingness to confound and exasperate His children.

Therefore, the more I study, the more grateful I become to Him who has rendered the plight of the idiot, glorious!

©L.L. Shelton, 9/27/2011

A Note to The Westboro Baptists and to All Who May Have Misunderstood Christmas

Bible Talk, Church Culture, Living the Word, Politics, , , ,

While I may not be compelled to label you as goats, as you are and will be labeled appropriately by One greater than us all, I do stand with Danny Akin and others who have considered the possibility.

Are you unaware of the Absolute Truth and Authority of Scripture? Is it possible that you do not consider the entire Word?

Have you considered the Word of The Lord in Matthew 2:8, 9:4, and 12:25? God knows your thoughts! Are you as angry with yourself for your own evil thoughts, as you are at the openly homosexual for his? Have you considered the Word of The Lord in Luke 5:22, Luke 6:8, 9:47? Have you thought about His Word in Mark 2:8, 8:17, and 12:15? How about John 2:23?

Is one man’s sexual offense greater than that of another? I am sure from Scripture that God hates fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pedophilia, and the like. He also hates gossip, envy, and divorce. God hates sin because He loves man and sin destroys man.

Is one man’s thoughtful or behavioral response to any temptation weighed differently in heaven than another’s? Is one man’s illegitimate desire or action more offensive to God than that of another? I submit to you that the answer is no.

And so we have Christmas! God came as Christ to be with man, so that the man who is with Christ will no longer be ultimately destroyed by his sin! Hallelujah! God with us!

I do believe there is Scriptural evidence to support our understanding that heavenly rewards may be adjusted according to our record here, and there is tremendous empirical evidence to support the fact that the natural consequences of sin vary greatly and are certainly destructive according to the degree of depravity displayed in the offense.

However, whatever the natural consequences of sin, our mandate as individual Christians is to love in Christ, all of humanity; and to call one another to account as well as others, in The Spirit of Love. (Luke 6:27-36)

Of course, we must consider that it is NOT loving not to call ourselves and one another to account when we are obviously offending God, according to His Word; as then we would be helping ourselves and one another along the path to evil, to compounded sin, or to hell.

This is why it is so important for each of us to remember that we are unable to effectively call another to repentance when we have sin that we have failed to forsake in our own lives, thus we must daily confess our obvious and secret sin, seeking forgiveness for all that is in us that has offended God and then receive that forgiveness. Only then, may we be ready to assist the next man. (Luke 6:39-42)

And one conspicuous way to assist each other is to meet the need we all share as human beings for love, grace, encouragement, companionship, and tenderness.  Some say that we cannot offer these things to those outside the church because we are not to fellowship with the unbeliever. If you are one of them, I submit to you that we have a tendency to misunderstand the term “fellowship” in this instance, as it is intended to imply that we must not engage in those things that are an offense to Our Wonderful God no matter our company or our circumstance, however we are encouraged by the example of Scripture to engage any human being in the love of Christ Jesus Our Lord.

Furthermore, we can offer these things to one another more readily without falling into sin ourselves if we are keeping up the spiritual disciplines in our own lives! My friend, and brother in Christ, Dr. Don Whitney, has written a most excellent and readable guide for today’s Christian called Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. It has been a benefit to me and I highly recommend it to all.

May God help us this Christmas and always to remember that Christ is Christmas! And may He assist us in our attempts to aid one another in His Almighty Love!

The Shack by William P. Young – Book Review

Bible Talk, Books, , ,

On the Shack…

“Do not come any closer; take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

-God, Exodus 3:5

By way of introduction:

Because several Christians have recommended to me this “wonderful book,” The Shack, because there are over 5,000,000 copies in circulation and because it is my understanding that one of my personal heroes, Dr. John MacArthur, elected not to formally review the book in the interest of preserving his time for other useful endeavors, and lastly due to the fact that in searching, I failed to turn up my own idea of a suitable review- I decided to undertake the venture myself.

It is not my intent here to question Mr. William Paul Young’s personal relationship with Our Lord, nor his motives for writing his story. Neither is it my intent to defend The Gospel- and it is most certainly not my objective to defend GOD ALMIGHTY as He needs no defense.

I wish only to illuminate the moments in the story of The Shack in which God is portrayed as one opposed to who He has declared Himself to be in His Holy Word. Of course, I may have missed one or more, in which case I invite you to add your observations to my own.

Now allow me to state- there is Truth mixed with the lies put forth in this story, creating deception, which in my estimation poses a greater danger than a lie served straight up. (Eve was deceived, as you will remember.)

I will here refute the falsehoods put forth in the story not from my own point of view, but from that of God Himself as He has revealed Himself to be in His Holy Scriptures.

Furthermore, The Shack may be a work of fiction but it is most assuredly didactic in nature. In fact, the lessons that it desires to teach are very thinly veiled, and while this story may do some good; it will do some harm.  All must depend on the reader’s ability to discern accurately the Truth of Scripture, and this ability comes with applying oneself with a pure heart to the study of God’s Word; with a willingness to understand and the sincere desire to conform to It, coupled with the careful examination of each word in its proper context, while seeing the conceptual whole- all this because The Holy Scriptures are the will of God. It is my concern that many who will read The Shack may not read and prayerfully as well as carefully, study their Bibles.

In addition, Mr. Young’s decision to write God into the story as a predominant character was a bold move at best and a highly presumptuous one at worst. It is possible that he has over-played his hand.

Finally, it is distressing to me that Mr. Eugene Peterson, professor emeritus of spiritual theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., compared The Shack to Pilgrim’s Progress; and I do believe that Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of NBC’s Today Show, will be proved correct in her prediction that the way the reader (of The Shack) thinks about God will be forever changed.

The Review:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21

 

1. LessThe Shack by Willliam P. Youngon from The Shack, p. 122: God does not punish sin. (“Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Sin is most certainly its own punishment, as the consequences of sin are most likely to go unrelieved even in the presence of genuine forgiveness, however sin is definitely and finally punished. We condemn ourselves through our persistence in sin, and He finally punishes our persistence in sin. (See Num. 14:18, Ecc. 11:9-10, Jer. 12:17, Jer. 34:17-20, Ezekiel 38:17-23, Isaiah 33:13-16, Isaiah 53:5-6, Micah 1:13-15, Hos. 8:11-14, Hos. 9:7-9, Nahum 1:3, Matt. 10:28, Matt. 13:49-50, Matt. 18: 7-9, Matt. 24:50-51, Matt. 25:33, Matt. 25:41, Matt. 25:46, Mark 9:42-48, Luke 3:9, 16-17, Luke 10: 13-15, Luke 13:28, Luke 16:23-24, John 3:18, John 5:28-29, John 12:48, Romans 4:25, Romans 6:23, 2 Cor. 11:15, James 2:12-13, James 4:19-20, 2 Peter 2:1-10)

2. Lesson from The Shack, p.124: There is no absolute authority present in The Trinity. (“Mackenzie, we have no concept of final authority among us, only unity.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: All must submit to Our Great Father, Christ included, though He does not have to be made to submit, as in His sinless perfection, He does so willingly; and submission implies authority, though you may be volunteering to allow that authority. (Matt. 26:39,42, Matt. 14:35-36, Luke 22:41-43, John 6:38, John 8:28-29, John 10:18, John 12:49-50, John 14:30-31, John 15:10, John 17:1-4, 1 Cor. 15:28, Philip. 2:5-8, Heb. 5:1-7)

3. Lesson from The Shack, p. 121: It is not okay for God to hate. (“I don’t like a lot of the choices they (my kids) make, but that anger-especially for me- is an expression of love all the same. I love the ones I am angry with just as much as those I’m not.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God allows Himself to hate, and He is sinless in it. He is pure as He hates. The fact that God is Love does not imply that He can not hate. We are not allowed to hate anything but sin, because we are not perfect. We can not remain pure in our hatred of anything other than sin; our own sin, as well as that of others. We must accept our own limitations, and we must refrain from re-designing God into a being of our own desiring. We must remember: It is not God’s character that is on trial- it is our own. (Psalm 5:5, Malachi 1:1-5, Romans 9:6-21, Ps. 11:4-5, Ps. 45:7, Ps. 97:10, Amos 5:15, Rom. 7:15, Rev. 2:6)

4. Lesson from The Shack, p. 124-125: Authority is bad. Authority destroys relationship. (“Once you have a hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or a system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it.” “Don’t confuse adaptation with intention…”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Authority is good. The presence of authority is not the evil. The abuse of authority is the evil. Furthermore, lack of submission to the authority of God is the ultimate evil which will send many to hell.
It is true that we should not confuse adaptation with intention. We must intentionally submit to the authority of God, through Christ, and in The Holy Spirit. We must intentionally submit to all authority placed over us that is not sin; however we must not submit to sin for any cause! Therefore, we certainly must not merely adapt to our position. We must readily evaluate all authority in The Light of God’s Holy Scripture; we must submit to that which is not sinful, and we must resist or flee that which is sinful. While we will not be perfect in this, and God stands ready to forgive in the face of confession and genuine repentance, still it is a mandate. (2 Chron. 30:8, Jer. 42:6, Matt. 8:5-13, 27, Matt. 10:28, Matt. 12:30-32, Matt. 14:40-43, 49-50, Mark 1:27, Luke 4:36, Luke 7:1-10, Luke 9:1-2, John 3:30-31, Rom. 13:1-7, John 5:27, John 10:18, John 14:30-31, John 17:2, Eph. 1:18-23, Eph. 2:1-2, Eph. 6:5-6, Eph. 1:15-23, Philip. 2:5-8, Titus 2:15, 1Peter 3:10-17, 1 Peter 5:8-9)

5. Lesson from The Shack, p. 126-127: God does not exercise His power over human will. (“As difficult as it will be for you to understand, everything that has taken place is occurring exactly according to this purpose without violating choice or will.” “If you could only see how all of this ends and what we will achieve without the violation of one human will- then you would understand.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God does exercise His power and authority over human will. He chooses us, and He saves us from our sin, not only the inherited condition of being born in sin, but also the condition of our slavery to sin. God frees the one who is a slave to sin that he may volunteer to become a slave to righteousness! Oh, and we can see the way it all ends- Revelation- Jesus wins! (Exodus 9:15-16, Ex. 10:1-2, Ex. 11:9-10, 1 Chron. 1:13, Daniel 4:28-37, Ps. 14: 2-3, Ps. 51:5, Ps. 58:3-5, Ps. Ps. 65:4, 105:43, Ps. 106:4-5, Is. 44:1-2, Jer. 7:24, Jer. 11:8, Jer. 17:9, Jer. 32:33-34, 39-40, Ezek. 36:26-27, Matt. 1:21, Matt. 4:19-22, Matt. 11:27, Matt. 22:14, Mark 3:13-14, Luke10:22, Luke 24: 32, 45, John 5:6-9, John 5:21, John 6:39, 44, 55, 65, John 8: 34-36, 44, John 13:18, 26-27, John 15:16, John 17:2, John 17:6, 9, John 18:9, Acts 1:1-2, 24 Acts 10:41, Acts 13:48, Acts 16:14, Rom. 2:4, Rom. 6:5-7, 16-18, Rom. 7:14-15, Rom. 7:25, Rom. 8:6-7, Rom. 9:15-18, Rom. 11:1-6, Gal. 3:22, Eph. 1:4-12, Philip. 2:5-13, 1 Peter 2:4-10, 2 Peter 2:19)

6. Lesson from The Shack, p. 128-129: It is not necessary to please God. (“For now I just want you to be with me and discover that our relationship is not about performance or your having to please me.” “Mackenzie, you cannot produce trust, just as you cannot ‘do’ humility.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: It is all about our having to please God. As slaves to sin, we are incapable of pleasing a Holy God, and as slaves to righteousness, but not yet made perfect, we are unable to please God perfectly. Therefore, Christ willingly laid down His life in perfect submission to God as an atoning sacrifice for our sin- past, present, and future sin. His act of perfect obedience satisfied God’s requirement for justice. Now, this is why faith is absolutely necessary, because without it, it is impossible to please God; as without faith there is no salvation -no mercy- and God requires mercy as well as justice. Trust begins with faith- that is our believing in His ability and willingness to save. Humility begins with our understanding of who we are in relation to a Holy God; it begins with our comprehension of our need for rescue. Humility is the catalyst urging the plea for saving faith, without which it is impossible to please God! (Psalm 69:31, Job 42:5-6, Dan. 10:12, Luke 2:52, Luke 11:28, John 3:36, John 5:44, John 8:29, Acts 13:22, Rom. 3:10, Rom. 6:14, Rom. 8:1-8, Rom. 12:1-2, Rom. 14:17-18, 1 Cor. Gal. 1:10, Gal. 6:7-8, Phillip. 2:12-13, Col. 1:10, 1 Thes. 2:4, 1 Thes. 2:14-16, 1 Thes. 4:1, Heb. 11:6, Heb. 13:16, Heb. 13:20-21, 1 Peter 5:6, 1 John 4:10)

7. Possible Lesson from The Shack, p. 129: God is not justifying His own; He is only redeeming the earth and humanity in general. (“We are not justifying it. We are redeeming it.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God is both justifying His own and redeeming His own, as it is His plan to save His creation in this way. (Is. 44:24, Is. 53:11, Acts 13:39, Rom. 5:1, Rom. 8:30, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, Titus 3:4-7)

8. Lesson from The Shack, p. 147: God is submissive to humanity. (“To force my will on you, is exactly what love does not do. Genuine relationships are marked by submission even when your choices are not helpful or healthy.” “In fact, we are submitted to you in the same way.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God is submissive to no one. He is Sovereign Lord of All. {If you will permit me a bit of fun here- I was beginning to feel really sorry for poor Mack at this point. He is perfectly clear on the fact that he needs a HIGHER POWER to RULE him, but God just refuses to be it.} (Isaiah 44-45, Job 38-41, ENOUGH SAID!)

Also on p. 147: In this scene, “Jesus” seems to contradict himself as he states “Well, this blue-green ball in black space belongs to me.” Mack then asks, “So why don’t you fix it?” To which “Jesus” replies, “Because we gave it to you.”

9. Lesson from The Shack, p. 148: Men turned to the work of their hands. Women turned to men. Men and women have chosen to declare what’s good and evil. (“Most men have expressed it by turning to the work of their hands and the sweat of their brows to find their identity, value, and security.” “…so the woman’s turning was not to the works of her hands but to the man, and his response was to rule ‘over’ her, to take power over her, to become the ruler.” “By choosing to declare what’s good and evil, you seek to declare your own destiny.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Men were forced, as a consequence of their sin, to do work with their hands to eat, and to feed their families, and the earth would not be cooperative toward men (Man and woman may have worked in the garden before, but it would not have been in order to stay physically alive. Physical death was ushered in at this point.). Women were forced, as a consequence of their sin, to long for relationship with their husbands (whose nature it would be to deny relationship and to abuse their authority) and to bear the children of their marital unions in a state of pain. Also, we were made aware of good and evil- its existence, and which is the one and which is the other. Therefore, we became accountable for that knowledge, accountable for our sin; which is anything that displeases God, and is therefore evil. (Genesis 3, John 9:41, Rom. 1:18-20, Rom. 7:7-13)

Also on p. 150: A contradiction is apparent here as ‘Jesus’ states “We want male and female to be counterparts, face-to-face equals, each unique and different, distinctive in gender but complementary, and each empowered uniquely by Sarayu (The Holy Spirit), from whom all true power and authority originate.” Please see #4.

10. Lesson from The Shack, p. 151: Jesus did not intend to be an example for us to follow. (“Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Jesus meant to be an example for us to follow. (Matt. 10:37-39, Mark 1:16-17, John 12:26, Eph. 5:1-2, Heb. 13:7-8, 1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6)

11. Lesson from The Shack, p. 166, 192: Man and woman, in eating the forbidden fruit, demanded their independence from God and He granted it. (“Your world is severely broken. You demanded your independence, and now you are angry with the One who loved you enough to give it to you.” “All evil flows from independence and independence is your choice.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Man and woman, in eating the forbidden fruit, earned humanity’s enslaving to sin and God granted it. God did grant our independence from relationship with Him, but it did not result in free will, but rather in our becoming slaves to our flesh- to our sinful nature. ( John 8:34-36, Rom. 6:6,14,18, Rom. 7:14-18, 1 Peter 2:19)

12. Lesson from The Shack, p. 166: Justice and mercy are competitive, with the one over-ruling the other. (“She (God) chose the way of the cross, where mercy triumphs over justice because of love.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Jesus satisfied God’s wrath in His perfect sacrifice. He satisfied God’s justice, and earned God’s mercy for us, and so God’s mercy was also satisfied. Mercy triumphs over judgment, which is different than justice. Judgment is the process of determining justice and is not always just; particularly in the hands of sinful men. (Nahum 1:2, Jer. 13:14, Eph. 2:3, Rev. 14:9-10, Deut. 16:20,Is. 42: 1-4, Is. 56:1, Is. 59:9, Is. 61:8, Ps. 89:14, Ps. 99:4, Hos. 2:19-20, Hab. 1:4, Matt. 12:15-21, Deut.4:31, Luke 6:36, Heb. 2:17, 1 Peter 2:10, James 2:13)

The scene on p. 178 of “Jesus” and Mack fishing together is cute and I’m convinced that it could play out just the way Mr. Williams has described it, however I would hope that it will not be lost on the reader that Jesus did in fact command the fish to fill the nets of Simon Peter, James, and John; as well as on a separate occasion, commanding a fish that had in ‘some strange manner’ obtained a coin- to hold it in its mouth, until the the proper time for Peter to take the four-drachma (coin) from it. Now that’s awesome! It’s in The Bible with many other beautiful and consistent, non-contradictory Truths of our Amazing God!

13. Lesson from The Shack, p. 183: God requires only that we love Him and others. (“It’s not your job to change them or to convince them. You are free to love without an agenda. “Remember the people who know me are the ones who are free to live and love without any agenda.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God requires that we love Him above all others, and that we love Him with our entire being. Next, He requires that we love ourselves in an appropriate manner, and that we love others likewise. He then requires that we express that love by obeying His commands; one more time- we will not be perfect until we are glorified, but the mandate is to make an honest attempt at it!
We are instructed, also, to examine ourselves for evidence of His ownership of us, and to inspect for that same evidence (fruit) in others; not for the purpose of judgment or hostility, as this right belongs ultimately to God alone, but for the purpose of reassurance that we are saved and for the purpose of knowing to the best of our ability, who is our brother with whom we should share fellowship, and who is outside the faith that our primary focus will be our witness to that one.
His agenda is to be our agenda, just as His agenda was Christ’s agenda- which is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. While I agree that God will do the changing and the convincing through His Spirit in us, and through His Word, we are not free from the responsibility to be available to Him for His use. (Matt. 22:36-40, Matt. 28:18-20, Matt. 7:13-20, Matt. 13:22-23, Gal. 5:22-23, Mark12:29-31, Luke 8:21, Luke 10:26-27, Luke 11:28, 1 John 2:17, John14:15, John 15:2, 10-11, 16, Mark 11:12-14, 1 John 2:3-6, 1 John 3:10, 18-24, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 Cor. 4:11, 2 Cor. 13:5-6, Gal. 6:1-4, Is. 4:2, Eph. 5:8-17, Heb. 13:15)

14. Lesson from The Shack, p. 184: The term ‘Christian’ is one with which Jesus does not associate Himself. (“Who said anything about being a Christian? I’m not a Christian.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: The first church-goers were proud to be identified with Christ in spite of the terrible persecution that they would undergo for that identity. This famous and beautiful group, portrayed so vividly in the book of Acts, named the disciples of Jesus, therefore us- Christian, literally ‘little Christ’. While I agree that the term is used much too loosely these days, I am persuaded that the label is not the problem, but rather those of us wearing the label who do not spend enough time examining ourselves, confessing and repenting of our sin, and therefore becoming right with God, then others. This is known as our sanctification and is an on-going process, not a one time event. (Acts 11: 25-26)

15. Lesson from The Shack, p. 186: There is no need to grieve over our sin. (“But that is in the past now, where it belongs. I don’t even want your sorrow for it , Mack.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Blessed are those who mourn over their sin. We are blessed, meaning favored, or selected out for something altogether good, when we are sorry for our sin. We are not only instructed to grieve over our past and present sin, but to take care not to grieve the Holy Spirit with future sin. Though we will be imperfect in this, it is nonetheless a mandate. (Ps. 38:8, Matt.5:4, Eph. 4:30, 2 Cor. 7:8-13)

16. Lesson from The Shack, p. 192: God’s love for His creation, including humanity in general, is the same as His love for His own children. (“Just because you make horrendous and destructive choices does not mean you deserve less respect for what you inherently are- the pinnacle of my creation and the center of my affection.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God’s love for His creation, as in the world and all of humanity, is different than the love that He has for His own children. A parent may love all the children of the world, but he will love his own differently, in a way that is reserved especially for them; and His expectations of them will vary from his expectations of the whole group. Humankind are the pinnacle of God’s creation; but it is the elect, God’s own children, who are the center of His affection. This is not to say that God does not love His creation; but it is to say that there are varying degrees of love that differ in origin, intensity and result. (John 1:12-13, Rom. 8:12-17, Rom. 9 :6-18, 2 Tim. 3:8, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 3:10, 1 John 4:4-5, 1 John 5:19, Jude 1:1-2, Heb. 3)

17. Possible Lesson from The Shack, p.194: God is reconciled to all of humanity, through Christ. (“The whole world, Mack.)

Lesson from God’s Word: God is reconciled to His creation which includes a portion of humanity, through Christ. (John 3:16- Obviously not everyone will believe.)

18. Lesson from The Shack, p.194: It would be unloving of God to over-ride our free will to bring us into relationship with Him. (“It is not the nature of love to force a relationship…”)

Lesson from God’s Word: It is the nature of Love to pursue the object of Its affection, and Perfect Love does not return empty from that pursuit. Love finds its home in the relationship that can not be forced, but will instead develop as a result of Its perfect labor. (What free will? Please see Scripture references for #5.)

19. Possible Lesson from The Shack, p. 199: The principles in the Bible are not important. (“Just don’t look for rules and principles; look for relationship- a way of coming to be with us.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: Relationship with God, through Christ, is the definite point, however the principles found in The Bible are to be sought after as well, and to be highly valued. Christ is seen in the principles found in The Scriptures, and the “rules” or the law is an arrow to point us to Christ, as our inability to keep the law illustrates beautifully our great need for a Savior. Christ explained that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the law, but that through Him we will understand why the law exists. It is for the best good of the world, as is, ultimately, everything else. (Psalm 119:45, 129-136, Rom. 15:4, 2 Tim. 1:2, 15, 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21)

20. Lesson from The Shack, p. 205: The law no longer has the power to accuse or command. (“The law no longer has the power to accuse or command.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: The law is perfect, and does still command. Christ, in His sinless perfection, fulfilled the law in the sense that He is willing and able to free one to keep it, however imperfect one may be in the attempt. We are unable to keep the first and greatest commandment and the second which is like it, without being saved from our sin; also, the original ten, when kept perfectly, are simply a fulfillment of the two greatest commandments spoken of by Christ in the New Testament. (Matt.5:17-19, Mark 7-9, Rom. 8:1-4, Rom. 13:8-10)

21. Lesson from The Shack, p. 207-208: We are free from any responsibility in any relationship, as well as being free from expectations in any relationship. (“Responsibilities and expectations are the basis for guilt and shame and judgment, and they provide the essential framework that promotes performance as the basis for identity and value.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: We are certainly not free from responsibility in relationship, or from expectations in relationship. God does not free us from these things; He empowers us in these things! He enables us to carry out our responsibilities and to meet the expectations that He has of us- and at the risk of beating a dead horse, of course we will not be perfect in our attempts but we are forgiven when we fail, are again reminded of our need to subdue the flesh and walk in the Spirit, and are restored to right relationship. Also, an expectation is not a demand, and the fulfilling of an expectation does not mean that one is not free (A close consideration of the Scriptures may indicate that freedom in Christ is not freedom- as in what we normally think of as free will.). In fact, if one practices the meeting of God-given responsibility and living up to the expectations of God consistently, that one has the potential to become a servant-leader, as was Christ, Himself. Furthermore, God is a loving Father and is fully aware of each of our individual limitations and never expects more than we are capable of giving; thus guilt and shame occur for us only when we fail to live up to our God-given responsibilities. (Please see #6.)

22. Lesson from The Shack, p. 217: Repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation can occur after physical death. (“Daddy!” yelled Mack…)

Lesson from God’s Word: God does not allow or endorse necromancy, in fact it is strictly forbidden; and this scene from The Shack may reinforce the unfounded idea that people may be pardoned after physical death. Reconciliation between humans requires confession and true repentance of the offender, and forgiveness by the offended, while both parties are living on the earth. (Lev. 19:31, Deut.18:10, 11, 14, 2 Kings 21:6, Is. 8:19–20, Acts 19:19, Rev.9:21, Rev. 18:23)

23. Lesson from The Shack, p. 225: God is not involved in the humiliation (humbling), guilt, or condemnation of anyone. (Son, I don’t do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don’t produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness…”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God is involved in producing humiliation, guilt and condemnation, as well as conviction in the form of The Holy Spirit. However, it appears from Scripture that He prefers that we humble ourselves before Him; and also from The Bible, it appears that we condemn ourselves when we stand against Him, as well as the fact that at judgment, many will rise and stand to condemn those who have finally opposed God. (Lev. 14:25, Lev. 26:41-42, Deut. 8:3-4, Deut. 19:13, Ps. 44:9, Ps 107:39, 2 Chron. 28:19, 2 Chron. 33:23, Jer. 51:5, Is. 2:12, Hos. 5:15, Hos. 13-16, Malachi 2:7-9, Luke 14:11)

24. Lesson from The Shack, p. 226: God needs for us to forgive those who have offended us for Him to be able to redeem them. (Mack, for you to forgive this man is for you to release him to me and allow me to redeem him.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: God redeems His elect, ultimately, without any help from us. God does not need for us to forgive another person for that person to be saved. He wants us to forgive so that we will know the joy of it and we will be released from the bitterness that grips us when we are unforgiving; however whether or not we forgive someone does not determine that one’s final destiny, though there is some evidence to suggest that the decision may affect our own. (Luke 17:1-4)

25. Lesson from The Shack, p. 227: Jesus has forgiven all humans for their sin, but only some choose relationship with Him. (“I have forgiven all humans for their sins against me, but only some choose relationship.”)

Lesson from God’s Word: All humans are not forgiven for their sin; precisely because not all humans choose relationship, because not all are drawn and persuaded to choose Him, or are chosen by Him. (Please see #5 and #6.)

26. Possible lesson from The Shack, pp. 131, 140, 166, 193: Chaos Theory, the existence of fractals, and time-dimensional coupling (a term I am assuming Mr. Williams is associating with String Theory), present new and different truths about God.

Lesson from God’s Word: These theories and discoveries in the realm of physical science being presented, considered, and discussed among modern physicists can not and will not change The God of Scripture into someone other than He has so perfectly, carefully and consistently revealed Himself to be in Holy Scripture. We must never believe or fear that The Creator and Designer of All while being dynamic and unlimited, will be undermined by the discoveries and accumulating knowledge of His created beings. The discoveries of new Truths in any scientific realm will ultimately and finally agree with The Holy Scriptures. (Ecc. 12:9-14, Is. 40:8, John 1:1, Hebrews 13:7-8, 2 Timothy 3:16, Jude 1:3-4)

In Conclusion:

” God’s Word has not been tried and found wanting-it has been found demanding and not tried.” Dr. Bob Agee (paraphrasing G.K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong With the World)

Within The Shack, Mr. Young has created a God quite different in many respects from The God of The Bible- thankfully, he does not claim to be a prophet or claim his book to be Truth; for we are to love The God of The Bible as He has there revealed Himself to be, and we are never to attempt to re-design Him according to our own desires and preferences. As is beautifully illustrated in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), and as I have previously pointed out, it is not the character of God that is on trial- it is our own.

©2010, L.L. Shelton