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(This has been re-edited and updated: 06-26-07)
The goal of this document is to study how well or how poorly Hollywood portrays God's full glory and truth. Also the goal is to help God's elect to better testify to Jesus Christ's true fame and glory in their lives, in their words, and in their culture.
All movies have truths, or misconceptions of truth, that they teach. There is no exception to this rule. Even the most mindless and most silly movie teaches a godly worldview or lie. Such mindless and silly movies, which make us laugh and give us so much pleasure over and over, teach us that even with such a Grand reality as Christ Jesus shining forth in all His infinite beauty and demanding all our devotion, that it is still O.K. in this light to waste lots of our precious time and be very silly and vain. Yet, the Almighty God commands our total allegiance in serving Him. Nothing with God is just neutral.
Part 1:
The Right Theology Matters
Theology concerning God or Jesus Christ is the greatest tool in understanding what worldviews movies tell. Practical do's and do not's about Christian living is not the best tool for understanding worldviews, although they are helpful.
First, all things in the universe revolve around God's purpose, just as all the spokes in a wheel turn as a common soul in the same direction. So to do all things revolve for God's purposes that He set in motion and holds in motion, His Glory. If you know God and what His greatest passions are, then you are headed in the right direction. Understanding why and how He has set up the universe, to have His Glory perfectly displayed, helps keep you tuned to God and His purposes. The more you look at a straight line, the more the crocked will be obvious to you when you see it. Know who God is and how He has designed the purpose of the universe and you will know if something is contrary to God. Understandably, my reader might say, "That is a deep topic which might take much time to understand properly." My response is that that is true, but Psalm 111 says if you truly have pleasure in our Lord Jesus Christ, then you will study Him often! Theology, which is about God Himself, not about mere godly principles, helps clarify what worldviews movies are truly portraying. Also, the Bible gives the most detailed understanding of why human beings are the way they are. God made the human heart and, therefore, knows it infinitely best. For example, an unsaved writer or producer, no mater how nice they are, will create movies with false worldviews. The Bible, however, clearly tells us universal truths, which apply to every unbeliever. The Bible tells us about how their evil hearts work, whether the person themselves know it or not. No Psychology book in the whole world is better than the Bible! If you desire to know how the hearts of people who make movies work, then know your Bible well. I would suggest the reformed teachings of the church fathers and others such as John Calvin, John Owen, St. Augustine, C.H. Spurgeon, George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, R.C. Sproul, C. J. Mahanney, and John Piper. These men are some of very best Christian writers and will, therefore, be a fantastic help in comprehending the Biblical understanding of the human condition and how we relate to true beauty of Jesus Christ.
So let me summarize this briefly: 1.) The most important understanding to have concerns to truth about God our Father and Jesus Christ's themselves. It also concerns God's ways and passions. Have not only a mental knowledge but also a spiritual knowledge through the power of the Holy Spirit, and you will have the "treasure" and satisfaction of knowing such a famous and Glorious God. Know that God first loves this Son above all things and, therefore, is supremely satisfied with the fellowship of the Trinity. Therefore, God does not need a special relationship with man. If God did need a relationship with man, then that would mean that His fellowship with Jesus Christ is not enough for God the Father. However, that suggestion is blaspheme to the greatness of Jesus Christ! Therefore, for movies to suggest that God needs anything from anyone is wrong.
The freeness of gospel grace appears in its being bestowed not from any expectation of any recompense for it. God had no expectation of making a gain of mankind, which he laid out himself so exceedingly to save them. If we had all eternally been lost, it would have been our loss only: God would [not] have lost by us, either by being deprived of any good or happiness that he was wont to enjoy, or by missing of any addition that he expected by us. Nor is our salvation by Christ a contrivance for making of us any way profitable unto God.... Can we love God, and praise him for it? But if we can, our love and thankfulness is not our gift to God, but God's gift to us. 'Tis part of that very grace of the gospel we speak of. (Jonathan Edwards)
This quote from Edwards is to demonstrate that God does not need a relationship with human beings. The only reason He does is for two simply reasons. First, entering a relationship with people through the mercy and righteousness, provided by His Son Jesus Christ, is His pre-planned design to Glorify Himself. Second, God is overflowing with infinite kindness and grace and therefore on those terms, out of mercy, enters into a relationship with man that is so beneficial to us, although we do not of ourselves add God's essential happiness. Therefore, in this light it is clear how God's planned to Glorify Himself by entering a relationship with us. God is such a wonderful merciful God that He would love people who in essence cannot add to His is happiness. What incredible love that gives so much benefit to the loved but receives so little back. God has wonderfully magnified His loving mercy for all to admire.
"The source [God] of all things cannot be enriched or tempted with angelic or human service. ' [Human hands do not serve him] as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything‘(Acts 17:25). If anyone offers God anything-and aims to offer it rightly-he must say with David, 'Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and we have given only what comes from you' (1 Chronicles 29:14; cf. 1 Corinthians 4:7). In other words, all that is, including the ability to offer willingly, is a gift from the overflowing, all-sufficient, ever-happy God." (John Piper, "The Pleasures of God")
Know deeply and cherish supremely God's infinite Love, infinite Power, infinite Justice, infinite faithfulness, infinite wrath, and infinite happiness in Himself. I would even encourage you to cherish God never had a beginning! The vast majority of the time when I see people doubtfully question God in real life or in the movies, I can always trace it back to first an improper or ignoble thought about who God is. Most of the time, I simply do not meet people who really understand that God is INFINITE. If God has infinite happiness, then does God need anything? If God has infinite wisdom and goodness, then why should God not be perfectly trusted even in the hardiest of times? If God has infinite power and wisdom, then certainly God designed it so that people are responsible for the choices they make, yet, at the same time, out of His infinite power and wisdom He order all things, even all decisions of people, as He so wishes. Does God lack the power and insight in how to do this? No, God is truly infinite. So, let me encourage my readers to study the famousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Know and cherish the infinity of His Greatness and wonder. Search the scriptures to find an understanding of the everlasting covenant of Grace, which the Father, Son, and Spirit took up together. Understand that man was not present during the original singing of the Everlasting Covenant of Grace (For more please read "The Blood of the Everlasting Covenant," by C. H. Spurgeon and "Part One--The Everlasting Covenant," by A. W. Pink).
The intention and aim of the Father in this great work was a bringing of those many sons to glory, - namely, his elect, whom by his free grace he had chosen from amongst all men, of all sorts, nations, and conditions, to take them into a new covenant of grace with himself, the former being as to them, in respect of the event, null and abolished; of which covenant Jesus Christ is the first and chief promise, as he that was to procure for them all other good things promised therein,
The value, worth, and dignity of the ransom which Christ gave himself to be, and of the price which he paid, was infinite and immeasurable; fit for the accomplishing of any end and the procuring of any good, for all and every one for whom it was intended, had they been millions of men more than ever were created. The fountain and cause of God's sending Christ is his eternal love to his elect, and to them alone ... for the praise of his own glory.(John Owen)
The Triune God by Himself promised and then set out infallibly to accomplish His desires and goals, "love does not fail." Know this better and you will know the God who saved you. Know why God first created the universe. For this answer, I point my readers to John 12: 27: "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘ Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Your name." Christ came into the world first to "Glorify" the Father. Therefore, God above all things created the world and ordained all its history so that His Glory might be fully displayed and infinitely satisfying to the soul that beholds Him in it. To know more please see John Piper's book, God's Passion for His Glory.
Your goal, as God's blood-bought children, is to make known the Glory and "Fame" of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 66:19, "I will send to the nations ... to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles." We are to show the Famousness of God. Yet, the challenge is that we show God as famous according to His standards and definitions. We should not try to squeeze God's true Fame into what the world wants to hear. The missionary David Brainerd, who was ministering to North America Indians during the mid 17th century, declared the following:
It is necessary, in the first place, to teach them, that God is from everlasting, and so distinguished from all creatures; though it is very difficult to communicate anything of that nature to them, they having no terms in their language to signify an eternity "a parte ante" [eternity past].... The divine all-sufficiency must also necessarily be mentioned, in order to prevent their imagining that God was unhappy while alone, before the formation of his creatures. - David Brainerd, "Mr. Brainerd's Journal," in The Works of Jonathan Edwards.
I realize not only these Indians but also many other pagan nations did not even have words in their language to articulate a Being who is truly and infinitely sufficient and happy, needing nothing. This demonstrates, to me, the blindness of the evil heart, which is a slave to sin and an offspring of the devil. John 8:34,44: "Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin . . . . You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.'" Jesus Christ said early on in His ministry that He came to call people to repentance: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" Luke 5:32. This means that one of the most basic truths this sinful, self-confident, and prideful world needs to hear is that same call to repentance, because without repentance there is no salvation! People need to realize the dreadful wrath God has on sin and, therefore, on sinners. People need to know the dreadful place their sinning has put them before the universe's Judge, Jesus Christ our Lord. In consequence, of course this will lead some to come to Christ and lead others to hate Him. The last thing people need to think is that they just merely need help. What this world needs to feel is true conviction by seeing the depths of our corrupted, sinful hearts. By so doing, we will discover that we need more than mere help; we need to be totally, monotheisticly saved by a Holy and Merciful God. Yet, I ask how many movies, even Christian movies, truly and powerfully express this worldview creatively to the human soul? The Bible's clearest picture of this total salvation is the story of Lazarus. Lazarus was dead. Obviously, dead people cannot save themselves because they are dead; they need some one else to entirely work salvation for them! Jesus Christ, the Almighty God, is our only help. He saves people! Ephesians 2:1, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
King David, who was said to be a man after God's own heart, was constantly expressing in humility his depravity and the hopelessness he had in himself. Psalm 146:3, "Do not put your trust in [the] son of man, in whom there is no help." Psalm 53:3, "Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one." Paul quotes this verse to mean the entire human race. If you desire to understand the true condition of man before God saves them, then read Romans, chapter 3. We need to avoid trying to cover up the true horribleness of the human condition so that we might better know the audience to whom we are trying to reach. If Romans 3 is the true condition of our audience, then we need not to play around with mere cliques. What this audience needs is deep penetrating truth about the Glory of Jesus Christ so that the precious Holy Spirit might take that and with supernatural Divine power awaken stony hearts to the reality of the Living God. How well do you teach and express the true depth and glory of Christ's gospel, or do you proclaim a contrary gospel. Does the gospel you proclaim merely mention the love of God and not His holy justice? Does the gospel you proclaim make man in ultimate control of His destiny instead of God having this control over every man? Does God save people or does God, according to your gospel, provide the matrix of salvation so that man can save himself. If so then your gospel is just that, your gospel and not God's.
Part 2:
Must Know Foundation Scriptures
Now, we turn to a base scriptural foundation as we consider how best to promote God in your life and passions. Also, we will discover how to understand if Christian worldviews in movies are truly good or inferior to what God demands of us through scripture.
The Suppressing of God's Truth and Glory
Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.... Romans 21: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 22: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.... Romans 25: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."
These verses opened a whole new way of seeing things through God's eyes years ago for me. For in them I found how much God loves His Glory! Therefore, as a blood -bought Christian, I desired to pick up the baton, which these people in these verses dropped, and run in the way that God desires: I will speak and live life in such away that none of God's Glory is diminished, obscured, or changed from its true image and potency. Oh, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ would give us this zeal to burn in our hearts and the strength to live it. Verse 18 in Romans states that God's wrath is coming merely because people "suppress" the truth of God's Glory and Fame. This suppression is amazing to think about because most people who do not know the true infinity of God's value and beauty and, therefore, His hatred towards sin, would have said God's wrath is coming because people totally distort or hid God's Value and Glory. However, that is not what the verse says. Therefore, I ask my readers to ponder that the Almighty God's horrific Wrath is coming to Earth just because people merely suppress His Truth. I wonder what Jesus Christ thinks of Hollywood's ideology that it is okay only to get some of the answers right-- just as long as you try hard--, have lots of fun doing it, and don't go to jail for it (in other words, don't get caught if your doing something bad). In John 17:17, our Lord prayed that the Father would sanctify (make holy) His disciples by "truth." The less truth we portray about Jesus Christ the less of a saving and sanctifying effect it will have on the world and church. More importantly, it dishonors God. When I see God bringing His wrath just because people "suppress" the truth of His Glory and Fame, I see this: God's zeal for His Name is utmost in His affections and desires. God is infinitely beautiful and wonderful; therefore, it is good and right that He love, esteem, and value Himself above all things. Accordingly, it is evil if we love anything else in life more than we love God. If we do put something above God, we are telling the world something is more beautiful than God is. This act would be an infinite insult and dishonor to the Almighty God who is the "fountain of living waters." Jeremiah 2:13, "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns -- broken cisterns that can hold no water."
In case some might think that God's wrath in this passage is not against people who slightly suppress His Truth but only against those people who largely suppress His Fame and Truth, I answer with the story of Ananias: Ananias, in Chapter 5 of Acts, along with his wife sold some property for a certain amount of dollars but kept a little of the money for themselves. Then, they went to Peter and told him they had sold the property for an amount of dollars and are giving the same amount of dollars to the church, without mentioning that they are keeping some for themselves. God, through the hand of Peter, killed both Ananias and his wife the very day for merely saying a small white lie! Often people think this is out of character for God. However, if we see this under the backdrop of Romans, chapter 1, it quite contrarily seems in place. Ananias suppressed the truth of God's omnipotence and fame by thinking this Almighty God, if you could still call Him that in this context, lacked the knowledge of their willfully hiding the earnings of the property. Acts 5:3, "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?'" Ananias thought he could lie to God and get away with it. If Ananias believed the truth of God's infinite understanding (Psalm 147:5, "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite"), he would not have lied to Him as he did. Thus, God's wrath was reveled in this case merely because this man and his wife slightly suppressed the truth of God's understanding even though he was in the act of giving money to help the church. Does Hollywood show this much care to exult the Fame and Glory of God's truth. If Hollywood does not, then God is intensely angry, and He will reveal His wrath one day against it. So, can a movie still be called great and good if it "suppresses" the truth of God's Glory? How do you think Paul--according to Romans 1--would have answered this question?
Ecclesiastes 12:1, 6, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them....' Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well." I would like to bring in these last verses because it addresses young and old people in wealth and prosperity; therefore, these verses are especially applicable to Americans. The advice is given to people in situations where they are young or wealthy. "Remember your Creator!" Why is the word Creator used instead of God or LORD? I believe that both in youth and in wealth it is easier to forget your place and think more highly of yourself. Thus, youth and wealth can lead to disobeying God, meaning you "suppress" the truth of God's Fame. Disobedience is none other than "suppressing" God's truth. The truth of God being our "Creator" is extra strong at keeping people from thinking too highly of themselves. It is hard to live your life "your way" if you truly believe you have been created, and this Creator, therefore, owns you and also demands your allegiance to Him. Furthermore, this Creator made you for a purpose and will punish you severely if you do not fulfill this purpose. This understanding helps the youthful and the wealthy to spend their abundant energy on their Creator and not on idol time. How well does Hollywood display this truth?
God's Glory Changes Us into Christ's Image
2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image."
2 Corinthians 4:4, "whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."
Corinthians 4:6, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
2 Corinthians 3:18 states one of the most profound truths in the Bible! It directly tells us the way in which we are "transformed" into the image of God. Few verses have this type of direct weight to them. Therefore, I encourage you to carefully think and study over these scriptures time and time again.
We are told that by "beholding the Glory of the Lord" as an absolute, direct promise, we will then be "transformed" into the very image of God, whom we love. God will transform us into His image if we are truly seeing His Glory. This is an amazing promise! I believe the question to ask in light of such a promise is specifically what is this "Glory," and how do we "behold" it? "[Persons who do not believe in Christ their] minds the [devil] has blinded, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." This verse gets very specific in that it tells us the devil blinds people from seeing this Glory: The evil one knows the incredible force of this promise and so does all he can to blind people from seeing God's Glory because, if they see it, they will be freed and changed into God's image. Then the verse tells us that this Glory is the "light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. . . ." Christ is the "image" of God; therefore, if we see Christ, we see GOD! This is why the Glory of God here is called the "Glory of Christ" specifically as it is written in the gospel. Furthermore, this Glory is described as shining which proceeds from the light. Light is a beautiful and pleasant thing as it shines upon dark and cold hearts, for this gospel is not some dry truth but is the light of Christ who is the very "word" of God Himself, Christ the magnificent! This truth is "shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This glory, referred to in 2 Corinthians 3:18, is now called the "Glory of God" but is specifically beheld in the "face of Christ" because God is shining the "light of the knowledge" which, as we have seen, is beheld in the face of Christ, as mentioned in the Gospel in verse 4.
Lastly, I would like to point out to my readers that, in both verse 4 and 6, this Glory of God and Christ, which, if we behold it, will absolutely change us into the image of God, is the "gospel" and the "light of the knowledge." Consequently, we must know our God and His ways very well. Also, note in verse 6 that it is God who shines this knowledge in our hearts just as God created light to shine in the dark universe many ages ago. Since imparting this knowledge is a sovereign work of God, we must bow and lean on His mercy and goodness so that He will create this light of knowledge in our hearts.
I have said all this to make this simple point: The degree to which we do not see correctly this Glory of God is the same degree to which we will NOT be transformed into the same image. To the degree that this true Glory of God is obscured and lessened is the lessened degree we will be changed into the image of Christ. Therefore, if the church wishes to be a truly impactful voice to this American culture, it will have to know who this God is and what this gospel is so that the church can proclaim this knowledge in boldness and humility. Clearly, the main reason the church is so weak and why its voice has so little power behind it is because the image of God we proclaim today is something other than what the scriptures proclaims. Therefore, it has no power to save sinners or to transform saints. The best advice I can give is from Acts 20: 21-32 were Paul states he is innocent of the blood of anything which might go wrong in this church because he declared to them the Whole truth of God's Glory: "[by] preaching the Kingdom of God ... repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ... to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.... Therefore, I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." Thus, I encourage all to make known the Whole Glory and Fame of God, which shines through the Face of Jesus Christ by His Gospel. To this is end, I encourage you to study the books of Romans and Hebrews over and over again. These two books are the only Biblical, full-length New Testament examples of what gospel sermons are suppose to look like! Romans 1:15, "So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.... For in It [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." How much does your gospel-sharing look like these examples in the scriptures? Here, Paul starts off the gospel, as well as in Hebrews, by asking who is God, and what He is revealing. He is infinite Righteousness and Greatness; it also reveals that He is a merciful God to those who believe on the Name of Christ, His Son. Does your gospel start with God or man? (I recommend John Piper's books The Pleasures of God and The Passion of Jesus Christ, A. W. Pink's book The Nature of God, J. I. Packer's introductory essay to John Owens' book The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, and, lastly, I recommend sermons and articles by the following authors: George Whitefield, C. H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, John Piper, C. J. Mahanny, and Sam Storms.)
Part 3:
God's Love and our foundation of our confidence
Two main themes in Hollywood attempt to make truth known about God, but, in the end, they are either a blatant lie or a diminished truth of God's Glory.
God's most Fundamental Essence Is His Love?
Is God love, or is God infinite in every attribute? This is an important question to ask as we have seen throughout this article. If God is overly emphasized in one characteristic, then God's Glory will be wrongly seen, and, therefore, the power of saving people and transforming them into the image of Christ is diminished.
In Hollywood movies, I mostly see them portraying God as love far above all other of His attributes. Is this is good thing? According to the scripture, I am forced to say, no. In fact, a badly distorted view of God is almost worse than no view of God. For example, in the movie Bruce Almighty, God is limited in both knowledge and power: He is both surprised and frustrated that he cannot make two people fall in love. Yet, He is a nice and kind God who does the best He can to order our lives and that is all that matters right? Hollywood can deal with a God who is nice and tries to guide our lives to the best of His abilities. However, a God who is infinite in perfection and Holiness and demands all to conform to His standard is a God with which they cannot deal. If God is the standard, then there is no higher appeal. If Christ is only seen as a loving lamb, then the world can deal with Him, for who can't do with more love, right? Yet, to see Christ as both the Lamb and the Lion who strongly pursues us is an Image the world is not accustomed to seeing. Nevertheless, only this God holds the power to change people into the image of Christ.
God is as infinite in His wrath as He is infinite in His love, for Hell is the eternal exertion of God's wrath against the ungodly, and heaven is the eternal exertion of God's grace to His Children found in Christ. If we overly emphasize one of God's characteristics over His other perfections and excellences, we are guilty of diminishing the truth of God's nature and ways. God has infinite power, understanding, love, faithfulness, sovereignty, grace, knowledge, control, and every other possible good perfection. We must, therefore, make known all of these perfections clearly and faithfully. If you read the Book of Romans and Hebrews, which are Biblical standard of Gospel sermons, you will see all these perfections distinctly mentioned and gloriously made known. How well does Hollywood's version of God line up to the God of the Bible? How does yours? How many times have you read your Bible from cover to cover so that you might know very well whom this God is? Do you know and have in memory other things in this world more than you do of the Glorious God and Savoir of the Bible?
If the church really wants to make known the Fame of Jesus Christ, then she must rise to the Biblical change and proclaim God in His true essence. Finally, let us look at some more Biblical evidence that will prove that God's Holiness is the sum of all He is, including His love. God's Holiness is His Name!
Ezekiel 39:25, "Therefore, says the Lord GOD: 'Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name "
Isaiah 54:5, "For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth"
Psalm 106:47, "Save us, O LORD our God, gather us from among the Gentiles, To give thanks to Your Holy Name, To triumph in Your praise."
Psalm 111:9, "He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name."
(NLT) "He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!"
Psalm 99:8, "You answered them, O LORD our God; / You were to them God-Who-Forgives, / Though You took vengeance on their deeds. / Exalt the LORD our God, / And worship at His holy hill; / For the LORD our God is holy."
Luke 1:49, "For He who is mighty has done great things (mercy) for me, And Holy is His Name." (song of Mary)
Isaiah 6:3, "And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!". ... And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged."
In each of these passages, God is said to be "Holy." Furthermore, these verses give us reasons as to why God is "Holy," such as "sent redemption to His people," "God who forgives," "done great things," and "your sin purged." These statements are important because these acts of "forgiving, redeeming, and "purging sin" are direct acts of "Mercy" and "Love[0]." Notice in Psalm 106 that God is being praised for saving His people; then notice He is not credited as having a "loving Name" for saving people. Instead, the writer of the psalm goes straight to the highest reason why God loves and saves, His "Holy Name." Next, in Isaiah 54:5, God is called our "husband," which is referring to His tender intimate love for us. The passage finally says that He is our "redeemer," but what, in conclusion, does that make God for us? He is not primarily a God of love but He is the "Holy One." He is set apart in all His transcendent Power, Grace, Wisdom, Love, and Justice. No other is like Him. Therefore, these verses plainly show that God is Holy because He is merciful and loving to undeserving people. God's Holiness, according to the scripture, is the sum of all God's marvelous perfections, including His love.
Because we are relational creatures, we will naturally gravitate to esteem God's love above most things. However, just because this might be true, it does not change the reality of who God is. Just because we might notice God's love naturally more than some of His other perfections, this does not mean that His other perfections are any less infinite or that God's Holiness is not the Sum of all He is, given to us through Scripture. Divine Love is part of His Name; Holiness is His Name itself.
Lastly, I wish to give a real life example of what happens when God's love is overly emphasized. Several years ago, I was downtown L.A. doing some mission work. I particularly remember this one individual when I asked him if he knew the Lord Jesus Christ. He responded with a remarkable answer in all sincerity. He said he loved Jesus and that he and Jesus Christ were tight. This revelation seemed remarkable to me because this individual had a 3 or 4-inch needle pumping as much heroine into his body as he could before reaching human limits. It seemed to me this person had a very incorrect understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ. His God was a God of love and nothing else. Few people know or accept the fact that there is a limit to the mercy of Jesus Christ, but we must not forget the unforgivable sin! A point can be reached if an individual has for so long pushed off the drawing of the Holy Spirit that they commit blaspheme against Him. At this point, there will be no forgiveness for you in this age or in the age to come, for the Holy Spirit--through Him is the only way by which a heart is regenerated into a new heart to believe in Jesus Christ--will forever leave you to your enslavement of sin, and all hope is, therefore, lost. Are there second chances? Second chances are uncertain, which is why the scriptures exhort us to seek God, repent, and serve Him today while we still have breath left in our bodies. Today, Christ's gift of grace is offered as freely as He offered it 2000 years. His grace is free to all who only but believe that He was sent by the Father to save men from their sins. Do you believe God exists and is able to save you, and do you believe Christ is this God? If so, then a life lived in humble repentance and obedience will prove if your confession was authentic. What does your life prove?
Do You Believe in Yourself, or Do You Believe in God?
One of the main ideologies or doctrines that Hollywood preaches to its viewers is to "believe in yourself," or "I can change my destiny." This theme is even preached in the Christian labeled movies. I am amazed at how unabashedly and confidently Hollywood preaches this theme as if it is doing a good thing. Is it at any time a Godly thing to say, "Believe in yourself"? No!
Proverbs 14:16, "A wise man fears and departs from evil, / But a fool is self-confident."
Sometimes it is hard to understand the meaning of a particular scripture, but in this case, the meaning is glaringly clear! A "fool" is a person who is "confident" in himself. Consequently, Hollywood's greatest so-called gospel preaching is nothing more than teaching the American public to be "fools." In the previous verse, the "wise" man fears to do evil in the sight of God and so departs from it. The wise man's confidence is placed in God and more precisely in the Fear of God to keep him safe. Proverbs 3:26, "For the LORD will be your confidence, / And will keep your foot from being caught." This scripture is from the same book of Proverbs. From Proverbs, we receive a clear answer as to where our confidence or "believing" should be. Whether you are aware of it or not, "believing in yourself" is the same thing as having confidence in yourself; to think otherwise is to prove you are already deceived. Therefore, the Bible tells us to be carefully watching, for this world will try to deceive us with phrases that sound Biblical but are not. To say you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you is to say you have "confidence" not in yourself but in Christ. Your confidence is in the Lord's power, wisdom, mercy, and ability to save you. Proverbs 3:26 tells us directly that our "confidence" or believing is to be in "the LORD." One of the surest ways to mock the Living God, in light of His INFINITE Power, Love, Wisdom, Sovereignty, Faithfulness, and His promises to ordain all of our lives in perfect goodness, is to have confidence in yourself in anyway; do this, and you will surely mock and dishonor the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6, "[Be] confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Although Paul is addressing all sorts of people with all sorts of God-given talents and abilities, he says that his confidence is not in any of these people and their potential; his confidence instead is only in Christ Jesus, that with all His Power, Grace, and Mercy, He will be faithful to "work" in these people a full sanctification and salvation. Paul's confidence is that God has the power to change a sinner's destiny; he has no confidence that these people have this potential. 2 Thessalonians 3:4, "And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you." Where does your "believing in" truly rest? Ephesians 2:1, 12, states that we are "dead in sins," "having no hope." Furthermore, Romans 3:12, considers our condition as "unprofitable." To be "unprofitable" and "dead in sins" mean you are dead toward God and His Son, and "having no hope" means we do not have the abilities to change our destinies. In Matthew 19:26, Christ our Lord has this to say about our ability to change our destinies: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
The problem, which is underneath this worldly way of turning things upside down, is the misconception of the phase "free-will." The power of human choice has no more power and potential than a blade of grass has. Sadly, the church is just as responsible for wrongly influencing both the church and Hollywood with this over-glorified misconception of man's will. The whole point of the Covenant of Grace was that human beings proved that the evilness of their hearts was so severe that it totally and completely left their power of choice worthless and hopeless. I Ezekiel 36:27 states the Glory of the New Covenant made by the Blood of Jesus in this way: "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." The Hebrew word here for "cause" is the same as "make," or to put it negatively, force. The hope of the New Covenant, which was originally made between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was to provide atonement for our sins and give us a new heart empowered by the Holy Spirit so that by Him we will be made to walk freely in loving relationship and worshiping God, as we should have been. In other words, our human self-will or choice did not save us, God saved us because He "caused" us freely to make the right choice. This gift was purchased for us by the death and intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 9:16, "So then it depends not on human-will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy-ESV." The reason we are so hopeless in ourselves is due to the fall of Adam and Eve. At this point, the human race became enslaved to sin. A slave cannot free himself; that is the very meaning of being a "slave." (See Romans[0] 6:6, 17 and John 8:34) No amount of man's choice or any other thing on our part would free us from being mastered to desire evil over God, for that is the very essence of sin's enslavement of us. We are bound to love sin forever more that God. Therefore, I conclude that this exalting of man's choice and believing in one's self to change your destiny is the great idol of the modern world. In the olden days of Israel's history, Baal and prosperity were their idols; today it is ourselves that are our idols. The devil is all too clever to masquerade this idol in all kinds of ways to make it look as cool and religious as it can be. Believe in yourself; it almost sounds right at first. Yet, under the magnifying glass of scripture, this is far from Godly. If we are unable to make a Godly choice because of our enslavement to sin, then what hope do we have in ourselves? This is the main question that the Holy Scriptures asks the world. The obvious answer is we have no hope--no confidence, no believing in yourself, no changing your destiny, no banking on the ruined power of human will which is enslaved by sin and Satan. This lack of hope is why the Bible commands us to put our confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is able to save when we are not. Christ is truly the Magnificent! God our Father has provided all man needs to have forgiveness and eternal happiness in the sending of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Heavenly Father knew of our true condition which is why He entered into a covenant with His Son to save us.
Lastly, I would like to sum up this article with a lesson from the Psalmist David and then with a real life example. Psalm 27:3-5, "Though an army may encamp against me, / My heart shall not fear; / Though war should rise against me, / In this I will be confident. / One thing I have desired of the LORD, / That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, / To behold the beauty of the LORD, / And to inquire in His temple. / For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; / In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock." Here King David will put confidence neither in man nor in himself, even with all the great talents and potential that God gave David; instead, the king puts his confidence in the Lord. The point I wish to stress is in verse 5: "In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion." Some might be so bold as to conclude that we only put our confidence in God when we are in serious trouble. However, many make this grave mistake, and they have to learn the hard way to understand That God is not an errand boy to be called only in the time of trouble. Do this and you will publicly display a mockery of the beauty and value of the Lord of the Universe. Let us turn to verse 4 to find out the way to Honor God in the right manner when we call upon God in time of trouble: "One thing I have desired of the LORD, / That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, / To behold the beauty of the LORD." David wants more than anything in this world and life simply to dwell with His Almighty Wonderful LORD every moment and to behold His beauty. In other words, David is in love and enthroned with His God and wishes nothing more than to known and worship Him better. In this statement, we see that King David is fulfilling the greatest commandment given by our Great God Jesus Christ: "Love your God with all your heart." Loving God is obeying God by separating yourself and your desires from this world and seeking your life and satisfaction in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to these devoted Christians who live life this way who are the only ones able to ask God in times of trouble for help and rightfully honor the Living God while doing it. Does Hollywood display this reality? Do you mock God by believing in yourself in all the good times, while only believing in God during the hard times? I might not be able to answer this for you, but the Judge, Jesus Christ, will.
So many movies teach this message of believing in yourself that it would be pointless to mention all of them. Sadly, some movies that have no other good messages in them are praised for at least having the message of believing in yourself. What a tragedy and waste of film. A few movies with this theme are Hook, the Shriek movies, almost all of the Disney movies, most animated children's movies, and even the recent movie adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
I wish to focus on this last movie for just a minute. During the first viewing of this movie, I recognized a phrase that stuck out to me like an all too familiar sore thumb: "Peter, I believe in you." This is where Peter and Edmond realize Aslan is gone and not coming back. I then bought and listened to the unabridged CDs of C. S. Lewis's original masterpiece. I was shocked to discover that there was no such language in it. In the book, the message that came across was that Peter believed in Aslan, not in himself. From the very first moment of hearing Aslan's name inside the beavers' hut, the children felt a joyful awe and wonder at how great a creature this Lion must be! Upon the children meeting this Lion, they knew why they felt this way. Just hearing His name made the children think of Him as Magnificent and Awesome. In the mist of all their confusion and hardship of losing their brother, they knew they could trust and believe in Aslan[0]. Aslan even took special care personally to tell Peter that His Father was the Great Emperor and that all things and all destinies are governed by His Father. In effect, Aslan was telling Peter that if you believe in Me and if you believe I am good then know that my Father Governs all things and destines. Therefore, trust me even more when I tell you that I know what I am doing by asking you to lead my subjects into battle. Soon after this scene is where the makers of the movie stick in this ungodly, un-Aslan like statement of Edmond telling Peter that he "believes in him." I find it especially strange that Edmond is the one saying this when his life was just saved by Aslan. In the book, the message we get is that the children trusted and believed in the Magnificent Aslan. Therefore, it was out of this trust that they were willing to fight in a battle with swords and arrows when they had never fought before.
Yet, Hollywood somehow thinks this added line gives a good message. I say all this to encourage my fellow believers to be aware of the hidden messages of the gospel of Satan, which Hollywood uses instead of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not be so easily duped by the trickery of words, for you could also be so duped out of your admittance from the courts of heaven! Hebrews 3:14, "We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." Live life worthy of repentance, a life that testifies to the WHOLE Fame and Truth of the LORD Jesus Christ. How well do you testify in words and life to the "complete" Glory of Jesus Christ His gospel? Having no confidence in yourself is a testament to your worship of God and rejoicing in Jesus Christ. When you turn all confidence in life to Him who alone is able to save the body and the soul, you will surely understand God's grace.
All men are seeking happiness and real enjoyment of life. Their problem is that they have confidence they have the power and wisdom to accomplish this themselves. This is sad because in reality men do have this potential. Only the true God has the ability to give real enjoyment, which is the giving of Himself. By this I mean God personally gives Himself for us to enjoy His infinite beauty and Glory. The way this relationship works is to imagine Jesus Christ is a stream of fresh water as we freely plunge ourselves into Him. Imagine the pleasure of this beautiful stream not only covering us but also filing us from the inside out with its pleasure. This is the reality of those who God our Father brings into His Heaven to have eternal fellowship with. Therefore let it be known that to engage into this fellowship or relationship with God, which yields real infinite enjoyment there is only one place to find it. It is the sole chosen means designed by God our Father and it is at the cross of Jesus Christ. The only means to start and sustain communion with God Almighty is at the cross of Jesus Christ where we behold the Lord of the Universe dying for our sins and rising victoriously on the 3rd day. Our confidence for true fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ is a confidence in His free mercy to forgive all our sins and free love to walk with us every step of the day. Our confidence is that His blood purchased all we need to come to our Father free from the guilt of sin so that we may trust, know, fellowship and worship Him in satisfying admiration every hour.
If what I have said about the real hopelessness of man under the enslavement of sin is true then I ask my readers to ponder this truth. Do you believe God the Father knows everything and possesses endless wisdom? I know from the scriptures that He does. Therefore, may we have all confidence to come to Jesus Christ the Lord, who was the Father's chosen man to bring full salvation and eternal life. Our Heavenly Father knowing our helpless situation sent Jesus Christ to be the full and complete means to save all who believe and treasure Him. Therefore, may we all come to the Lord Jesus Christ resting all our hope and trust in His death and rising from the dead. Let us rest our shame and fear at the foot of the cross knowing that the Eternal Covenant between God the Father and God and Son was finalized and, therefore, all that was written in that contract concerning the saving of our souls must be done. Let us, therefore, place all our confidence at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ knowing that we find free mercy and forgiveness, free reconciliation with God our Father, free comforting peace, the free gift of the Holy Spirit, free eternal life, free eternal happiness and everlasting enjoyment of the Trinity by entering to fellowship with our God both now and forever! To our Heavenly Father be Glory and Dominion for all times, Amen.
Philippians 3:3, "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
Therefore, let me say to God's elect who read this article, "I have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things [God] command[s] you" (2 Thessalonians 3:4).
Yours in Christ: Oshea Davis
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