Some Christians portray Jesus as a long-haired hippy Jew from the Middle East, a laissez-faire kind of fella with little guidance on how Christ-followers should live, speak or conduct their affairs with others.
They assume that because Jesus loved a prostitute, healed lepers and granted a thief salvation that somehow this means He approves of (or at least doesn't condemn) certain lifestyles. That He, our Lord, was an anti-wealth community organizer who never mentioned abortion, homosexuality or the consequences of willful long-term unemployment.
Here is a recent post I ran across on Facebook:
But he was more than a Rabbi. He was God in human form -- the Jews' promised Messiah whose name meant Emanuel, Prince of Peace, who would take the weight of His people's sins upon himself in propitiation for their sins before a holy God as prophesied in Isaiah 7 and 53.
That said, it is true that Jesus hung around with lepers, hookers and crooks. But He hung out with them to convert them, to convict their hearts so that they would see their sin, repent and begin the transformative born-again process. This is why He said to the adulteress in John 8:11, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
Jesus didn't hang out just to hang out. He had a purpose and that purpose was to save souls and build His kingdom on earth.
Jesus wasn't American and He did not speak English -- true. But just as He condemned the Jews for their religious hypocrisy, He also condemned fornicators, homosexuals, adulterers and drunkards. In 2 Thessalonians 3, laziness and freeloading is discussed at length. Then there is the popular verse, "He who will not work shall not eat."
This is not an excuse to ignore the poor, as God's word commands us to care for the poor through tithing and charity. His word also teaches us how to live free. To do that the government must be both limited and God-fearing. History has proved this point.
Progressives jump at the opportunity to point out Jesus' rebukes of religious hypocrisy (Matthew 6:5) but conveniently dismiss scripture dealing with immorality. They also look past scripture that discusses private property rights, the importance of corporate worship, the blessings He bestows on Godly nations and how wealthy Christians are to handle their finances.
Jesus is God -- a HOLY intellectual, sinless and perfect -- who became the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have everlasting life. To reduce Him to a homeless hippy who would look the other way if He came across a woman murdering her unborn child is nothing less than offensive.
I wonder how Mr. Fugelsang or His followers would manage to distort Romans 1:21-27:
Matthew 24:11: And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
In my opinion Mr. Fugelsang is a false prophet, mischaracterizing (probably unintentionally) our God to fit the mold of a radical revolutionary. Mr. Fugelsang's characterization of Jesus reminds me more of Satan -- the master deceiver who robs people of their ability to discern right and wrong.
I'm sure Satan is neutral on issues like abortion and prefers to let a homosexual, adulterer or fornicator die in sin, rather than tell the sinner the hard, but soul-saving truth. You see, Satan is building his kingdom, as well, and he does it by making evil good and vise versa.
Conclusion
Sin is sin is sin, yes. But God's word brings us to repentance, where we realize we are sinners in need of a redeemer. God's word pierced my heart, instilling in me a burning desire to obey His laws on morality, wealth and family structure.
I will end this blog post with the scripture that convicted me in 2010 when the Lord pulled me back to Him -- at a time when I was struggling with my faith, particularly how it would affect my political and moral beliefs as well as my relationships with my more liberal, intellectual counterparts.
In other words: Live it. Love it. Vote it.
They assume that because Jesus loved a prostitute, healed lepers and granted a thief salvation that somehow this means He approves of (or at least doesn't condemn) certain lifestyles. That He, our Lord, was an anti-wealth community organizer who never mentioned abortion, homosexuality or the consequences of willful long-term unemployment.
Here is a recent post I ran across on Facebook:
Jesus was a Hebrew-speaking Israeli from the poor side of town known as Nazareth. As a young man He went to the synagogues to discuss scripture with the Jews, who were so enamored with Jesus' scriptural knowledge that they began referring to him as Rabbi.
But he was more than a Rabbi. He was God in human form -- the Jews' promised Messiah whose name meant Emanuel, Prince of Peace, who would take the weight of His people's sins upon himself in propitiation for their sins before a holy God as prophesied in Isaiah 7 and 53.
That said, it is true that Jesus hung around with lepers, hookers and crooks. But He hung out with them to convert them, to convict their hearts so that they would see their sin, repent and begin the transformative born-again process. This is why He said to the adulteress in John 8:11, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
Jesus didn't hang out just to hang out. He had a purpose and that purpose was to save souls and build His kingdom on earth.
Jesus wasn't American and He did not speak English -- true. But just as He condemned the Jews for their religious hypocrisy, He also condemned fornicators, homosexuals, adulterers and drunkards. In 2 Thessalonians 3, laziness and freeloading is discussed at length. Then there is the popular verse, "He who will not work shall not eat."
This is not an excuse to ignore the poor, as God's word commands us to care for the poor through tithing and charity. His word also teaches us how to live free. To do that the government must be both limited and God-fearing. History has proved this point.
Progressives jump at the opportunity to point out Jesus' rebukes of religious hypocrisy (Matthew 6:5) but conveniently dismiss scripture dealing with immorality. They also look past scripture that discusses private property rights, the importance of corporate worship, the blessings He bestows on Godly nations and how wealthy Christians are to handle their finances.
Jesus is God -- a HOLY intellectual, sinless and perfect -- who became the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have everlasting life. To reduce Him to a homeless hippy who would look the other way if He came across a woman murdering her unborn child is nothing less than offensive.
I wonder how Mr. Fugelsang or His followers would manage to distort Romans 1:21-27:
21) For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22) Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.
25)Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 26) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27) In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves due penalty for their perversion.This verse is one of many New Testament verses discussing sexual immorality. Because He is not a dictator, God gives us over to our desires, hardening our hearts to the point we justify and become comfortable in our sin. We become fools, exchanging His truth for a lie.
Matthew 24:11: And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
In my opinion Mr. Fugelsang is a false prophet, mischaracterizing (probably unintentionally) our God to fit the mold of a radical revolutionary. Mr. Fugelsang's characterization of Jesus reminds me more of Satan -- the master deceiver who robs people of their ability to discern right and wrong.
I'm sure Satan is neutral on issues like abortion and prefers to let a homosexual, adulterer or fornicator die in sin, rather than tell the sinner the hard, but soul-saving truth. You see, Satan is building his kingdom, as well, and he does it by making evil good and vise versa.
Conclusion
Sin is sin is sin, yes. But God's word brings us to repentance, where we realize we are sinners in need of a redeemer. God's word pierced my heart, instilling in me a burning desire to obey His laws on morality, wealth and family structure.
I will end this blog post with the scripture that convicted me in 2010 when the Lord pulled me back to Him -- at a time when I was struggling with my faith, particularly how it would affect my political and moral beliefs as well as my relationships with my more liberal, intellectual counterparts.
Romans 2:13: For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Jesus taught of a moral law)Jesus is not a holy hippy, but rather a Holy God worthy to be worshipped publicly, privately and corporately. As believers in the one true God -- Jesus Christ -- we are not only to hear His word, but obey it as well as advocate on its behalf.
In other words: Live it. Love it. Vote it.
I am always amazed at the Master, Jesus, and how things went so hard against Him. God was truly keeping His cool, I'd say. He was crucified for being the King of the Jews, which was not a criminal offense, even in Rome.
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