Don't Fear the "Dictionary"

In grade school, I put off looking up words in the dictionary because I didn't like discovering that I'd been spelling them wrong for the umpteenth time.  It seems funny to me now, since I have a degree in English and every time I mention that to people, they joke that they need to watch their spelling and grammar around me.  What good was it doing me to avoid opening the dictionary, anyway?  It was still misspelled, whether I knew it or not, yet somehow ignorance really did feel like bliss.

Some Christians feel the same way about the Bible.  So many people out there preach how we are "free in Jesus," and that statement is no lie.  Unfortunately, we too often misinterpret that sentence to mean things that it shouldn't.  Do we know better, or are we just afraid to look?

As I've said before in my post, "To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice," total freedom is actually anarchy.  Rules and laws are important to protect our freedoms.  When we say we follow God, we are saying that we obey Him and accept His rules and His leadership.  Before we knew God, our lives were various degrees of anarchy against rules and order, but when we became Christians, we voluntarily gave up our so-called freedom to rebel, to hate, to harm others, to act out against the way God wants our lives to be.  We gave up the stress of keeping up an outward attitude of holiness (aka an act), the fear of getting caught, and the hard work of keeping all the lies and tricks from catching up with us.

So when I speak of being free in Jesus, I mean that when I am obeying God and living the way He planned and designed me to live, rather than doing my own thing, I feel somehow freer than before.  It feels better than it did the first time I looked up a word in the dictionary and discovered that I had spelled it right.  Jesus wasn't exaggerating when He said, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11: 30 NIV).

The problem with the phrase "free in Jesus" as it is usually used is that many use it to lay claim to freedoms that God doesn't offer Christians,  such as freedom and entitlement that doesn't take into account other people's freedom and entitlement (anarchy).  Sometimes people are trying to get away with something by claiming that "freedom in Jesus" allows them all these freedoms, but many just haven't read God's Word enough to know what God calls off-limits.  Often they choose not to look or search deeply into their own hearts, for fear that they might have something to repent of.  I don't know if this is laziness, a vague sense of conviction they are trying to brush off, or a type of immaturity that is unable to accept the consequences of their actions.

Whatever the reason, the Bible says that God doesn't wink at ignorance (Acts 17: 29-31).  At the end of our lives, we will have to explain to God why we did everything that we did.  Whether we know what to do but choose not to, or just willed ourselves ignorant, we will still have to account for everything we have done.  If you ask me, it's best not to get into trouble at all, but if you're going to anyway, you should at least know what you did to deserve the punishment.  When it comes right down to it, most people know in their hearts when they are doing something that might get them into that kind of trouble.

So to get back to my point, the real bliss, the real freedom in Christ, is knowing God's ways and walking in them (Jeremiah 7: 22-24), not living in fear of breaking rules we are not aware of or don't fully understand.  When we've made God's rules part of the framework and habits of our lives, we suddenly are free to live greater, happier, easier lives.  There are no laws against doing what is good (Galatians 5: 22-23); there is nothing really to fear for doing what is right, except the opinions of those who still fear being "found out" by the dictionary, so to speak, and their opinions don't ultimately matter.  When it comes down to it, it is better to know what God asks of us and do it than to live in fear of His displeasure.  Ignorance is not bliss.

The Test of Freedom

I don't ask you to think about this--whether the freedoms you claim in Christ really come from God--without trying to help you test them for yourself.  It isn't a good idea to make your spiritual decisions solely on what someone else says.  Ultimately you need to know what God thinks about something, not what other people think.  Not even my opinion, or your pastor's opinion, or your mom's opinion means more than what God's Word says.  I can't give you a cumulative list of all the do's and don'ts of the Bible, but I can try to give you biblical pointers to help you judge whether something you are doing is okay with God.  The rest is up to you.

1. Does it show Christlike love to someone else?  The Bible says, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another," (John 13: 34-36 NIV).  Paul also wrote that we shouldn't do something in our freedom if it causes another person to sin (Romans 14: 21-23).  If it doesn't show real love and consideration for those around you, you should question whether you, as a Christian, should be doing it.
2. Are you doing it to get glory and attention for yourself?  The world's way seeks to get on top or put yourself first, but God's way is to be humble and serve others (Luke 14: 7-11).
3. Is it the opposite of the fruits of the Spirit? (See Galatians 3: 22-23, linked above).  The fruits of the spirit are characteristics of God's nature.  If it truly is the opposite of God's nature, there is probably something written in the Bible that tells you not to do it.
4. Do you feel guilty about what you are doing?  Does it make you wonder if God would disapprove?  If so, you know on some level that something about what you want to do goes against something you've read in the Bible or heard preached.  You need to find out what that is.

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it's time for some serious Bible study.  God wants you to be free, but He knows that living with sin and guilt in our lives is actually bondage and suffering (Psalm 38, Isaiah 42: 6-8).  That is why Jesus came.  God has made an easier way than living in fear of the "dictionary," always afraid of what it is going to say about you.  The Bible says, "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice," (Proverbs 12: 15 NIV).  The best advice I can give you is to seek God's advice, which He's put down in His Word so you don't have to wonder about it.

Weekly Trivia Files #8, Come Along

As I always do, I'll remind my audience again that I'm going through all these argument fallacies (errors in reasoning) to sharpen our skills for presenting our faith when asked.  I don't assume that everyone who reads this post does street-corner witnessing or prison ministry on the weekends.  I do assume that if you live like a Christian, you are going to get asked a question our two about your faith from time to time.

I will also remind readers that the Bible is the best resource for information on how to present our faith intelligently, but I believe secular resources can sometimes help, when used with discernment.

The Bandwagon: A Peer-Pressure Technique

Chances are you have personally experienced the "Bandwagon Appeal" at some point in your life, especially if you were making a high-stakes decision.  The Bandwagon technique singles out it's victims, making them feel isolated, left out, or outdated if they choose not to go along with the crowd.  My professor called it "sneaky guilt."  The whole technique rides on the perception that a large number of our peers want something, and we shouldn't be one to stand in their way.  But does this crowd really exist?  Even so, should we define certain decisions (especially moral and ethical decisions) based on what the crowd wants us to do?

Example: "Thousands will be voting for State Question 270.  Don't forget to vote 'yes' on State Question 270 tomorrow, and be counted among those who are voting for a better tomorrow for our state."

Example: "The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, 'Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably,'" (2 Chronicles 18: 12 NIV).

Weekly Trivia Files: #7 Questioning Authority, part 2

As I said earlier this week, I'm posting two trivia pieces this week to catch up for time lost last week dealing with computer problems, etc.  My computer is still having a lot of trouble, so I'm using a different one in the house to keep up with all of you.

I'll remind you again that I'm going through all of these argument fallacies to help you become a better debater for your Christian beliefs.  They may be from non-Christian sources, but I think they could strengthen the force of your testimony by preventing people from criticizing your presentation.

Biased or Incompetent Authority

Last time I spoke about citing authorities in unrelated fields to support your argument.  This time I'm talking about citing non-experts, or those whose testimonies are shaped by bias (not fact), to support an argument.  This boils down to citing someone's unsupported opinion (including personal opinion) as proof of what you are saying.

It's important to note that everyone's testimony contains some bias, and no one is completely unbiased, but a true authority on a subject has the factual knowledge to support a position, not just an opinion.

Example: (a statement a student made to one of my professors) "I don't know where you're getting your information, because my grandpa always said that the Bible was written in good 'ol King James English."

Example 2: "Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast [Yom Kippur]. So Paul warned them, "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also."  But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.  Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest." (Acts 27: 9-12 NIV)

Example 2 needs more explanation: I was having some difficulty finding a clear example of this fallacy, since usually the bad authorities cited in the Bible are usually supposed to be experts in the subject they are discussing.  The dynamic in this passage is less obvious.  Here, the centurion has two advisers: (1) a prisoner who claims insight into the weather (either from God or experience; we don't know), and (2) a pilot who set sail at an unconventionally late time and really wants to get his cargo into a large harbor where he can sell it and winter over.  The unbiased adviser, Paul, has much less to gain, since he has nothing to sell and he may be going to his death in Rome, anyway.  The biased adviser, the pilot, either knows nothing about the weather in that region, or has chosen the monetary or personal benefits of making a large harbor over the risks to everyone's personal safety.   Apparently, the centurion took the pilot more seriously anyway, and used his statements to persuade the crowd to vote in favor of sailing on.

This particular fallacy tends to make the one who uses it look uninformed, since the world judges us by the company we keep.  If we cannot find a true authority who supports our topic, we need to reassess our point of view.   As Christians, the best authority we could cite would be the Bible, since others can judge that authority and test its truthfulness themselves.  It's not just my personal bias that makes me say so; the Bible has survived many tests, from archaeology to practical application.  Know it and use it wisely!