How Do We Reconcile Our Sin and Suffering with God’s Sovereignty?

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:50 — 8.7MB)

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

God is in control over every molecule that moves in the universe, right?  If one molecule, or one human decision, was outside of God’s control or influence, then He wouldn’t be the all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign God the Bible says He is.

Since God is in control of everything, and since God’s nature is good and holy, how do we explain God causing or allowing the terrible suffering that we can experience in our lives or the sinful choices that we are free to make?  Where is God in all of that?

How the sovereignty of God intertwines with the sin and suffering of man is one of the most difficult dilemmas.  The biblical accounts of Job and Joseph offer profound insights into this question and help us to trust God even in the midst of our world of hurt.  Join us this weekend on The Christian Worldview as we discuss this important topic.

Your Greatest Loss, God’s Grace Greater Still

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:48 — 8.7MB)

Guest: JJ Jasper, Cooper’s “Flame On, Dad!”

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

Imagine that you were out playing with your best buddy — your five-year-old son –  taking him for a ride in the dune buggy, as you had done many times before, when you accidentally flipped it over causing his death.  The deepest hurt you have ever experienced sets in — first shock, then grief, depression, bitterness, and anger, at yourself, even God, for how this could happen.

This is exactly what happened to JJ Jasper and his son Cooper less than two years ago.  How does one go on from there and deal with the deep mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish?  Is there something in God’s character and Word that can sustain us through our most difficult losses in life?

This Father’s Day Weekend on The Christian Worldview, we’ll be talking with JJ Jasper about the loss of his son, Cooper, and how God offers comfort and grace in the midst of our darkest times.  The Jasper’s story has been made into a touching 40-minute film which you can watch for free or order the DVD for the cost of shipping at FlameOn.net.

When it comes to great loss in life, it’s not “if” we’ll experience it, but “when”.  Tune in to The Christian Worldview this weekend to discover that God’s grace is still greater than our greatest loss.

Theology, Therapy, Twitter, and the Scandal of the Gospel

published with permission from Dr. Albert Mohler

There is no shortage of perplexing realities in our world today, but counted among them must be the fact that many rather well informed people seem to be shocked that Christians believe the doctrines of Christianity.

Over the weekend, Rep. Anthony Weiner announced that he will request a leave of absence from the House of Representatives in order to seek professional treatment in the aftermath of his sexting scandal on Twitter. In the words of his spokeswoman, Risa Heller, the congressman left last Saturday “to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person.”

She continued: “In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.”

That is a course now familiar to us all. As a matter of fact, it is now almost a reflex that people caught in moral trouble (especially related to sex) announce that they are seeking “treatment” for the problem.

On the one hand, this just points to the fact that the “Triumph of the Therapeutic” heralded by sociologist Philip Rieff in 1966 is now so ingrained in our culture that therapy appears to be the answer to every problem, including a moral crisis.

Sadly, many Christians have accepted this worldview as their own, believing that their own deepest problems are therapeutic rather than theological in nature. To our shame, many books written by and for evangelical Christians reflect the therapeutic impulse, rather than the appropriate biblical and spiritual concerns.

In response to Rep. Weiner’s statement, I posted the following message on Twitter:

“Dear Congressman Weiner: There is no effective ‘treatment’ for sin. Only atonement, found only in Jesus Christ.”

As far as I know, Rep. Weiner is not among my “followers” on Twitter. I did not assume that he was reading my posting. My message was mostly directed at my fellow Christians as a reminder of this very concern — that the American impulse is to seek treatment when our real need is for redemption.

This is a basic and central Christian belief. The Bible reveals that our need is not to find a way to make ourselves well — which we can never do — but to realize that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The Christian Gospel is the message of redemption accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that is found in him and in him alone.

The very essence of biblical Christianity is the knowledge that the real human problem is sin — not sickness — and that the only rescue is that which comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

In response to my tweet, Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today posted a series of tweets of her own, including this:

“Top @Baptist voice chides @Jewish @Weiner to choose Christ. Shades of Brit Hume telling @TigerWoods to quit @Buddhism.”

Later, in response to a complaint on Twitter that she had “slammed” me by twisting my words, she responded: “It’s Mohler slamming Jews here.”

In a separate article, she wrote this:

“This reads as an evangelism tactic, riding in on the Weiner headlines but aimed at people like Jews such as Weiner, Buddhists like Woods, and many others, such as Weiner’s Muslim wife, who hold different ideas about salvation, different approaches to atonement.”

Seriously? It is rather shocking to find the religion and spirituality writer for USA Today surprised that a Christian believes what orthodox Christianity has consistently taught — that every single human being is a sinner in need of the redemption that is found only in Christ.

I never mentioned Judaism. Rep. Weiner’s problem has to do with the fact that he is a sinner, like every other human being, regardless of religious faith or affiliation. Christians — at least those who hold to biblical and orthodox Christianity — believe that salvation is found through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him alone.

Later, Cathy Lynn Grossman posted this in response to criticism:

“What @Mohler said was atonement ‘only’ through Christ. Non-Christians disagree, also have routes to restoring righteousness.”

The exchange on Twitter is another sign of how politically incorrect biblical Christianity is becoming in our times. Christians do understand that non-Christians disagree with the Gospel. We also understand that other religions claim “routes to restoring righteousness.” But biblical Christians cannot accept that these “routes” lead to redemption, and the only righteousness that saves — the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer, who is justified by faith in Christ alone.

That is the Gospel as declared in the historic Christian creeds and held, at least by historic claim, by almost all Christian churches and denominations. It is a non-negotiable of the Christian faith, deeply rooted in the teaching of Christ that he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one comes to the Father, “but by Me.” [John 14:6]

Non-Christians who have an understanding of Christianity may well find this claim offensive, but they should not find it shocking — even on Twitter.

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You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler

You can follow Cathy Lynn Grossman on Twitter at www.twitter.com/faith_reason

See also:

Cathy Lynn Grossman, “Baptist to Jewish Weiner: Christ is the Only ‘Treatment,’” USA Today, Sunday, June 12, 2011.

The Tricky Little Issue of Loving Your Enemies

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:45 — 8.7MB)

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him” (Proverbs 24:17-18).

Democrat Anthony Weiner from New York is one of the more vociferous liberals in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Most everything that Christians oppose, such as the homosexual agenda and the killing of unborn babies, Weiner stands in strong favor.  What’s more, he often advocates for his unbiblical positions in a contentious and arrogant manner.  It wouldn’t be a stretch to consider Rep. Weiner an “enemy” of Christians and biblical values.

So what was your inner reaction this past week when you found out that the married Rep. Weiner sent lewd messages and pictures of himself to a number of women?  Did you tell yourself not to “judge” him?  Did you think, “I’m glad his sin found him out”?  Or maybe you wondered, “How does God want me to respond to the downfall of an ungodly man?”

Whether it’s a politician you don’t like, a family member you avoid, or someone at work you can’t stand, Christians needs to understand how to apply the tricky issue of loving our enemies.  We’ll discuss that this weekend on The Christian Worldview Radio Program.

Keeping Your Faith … at Christian Colleges

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:46 — 8.7MB)

Guest: Ken Ham, founder, Answers in Genesis

“Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).

A study by the Higher Education Research Institute found that students who professed to be “born again” Christians when entering Protestant colleges were more likely than their counterparts who attended public universities to say they no longer considered themselves to be born again Christians upon graduation.

Huh?  How can going to a professing Christian college be more faith-destroying than attending a secular university?  Don’t most Christian colleges, especially the well-known, historically sound ones, have chapel and Bible classes and faculty who believe and teach the fundamentals of the faith?

Listen to our guest this weekend, Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, who has written a brand new book entitled “Already Compromised” and you will find out the perplexing state of affairs on Christian colleges across America.  Most parents and students think they will be “safe” from a Bible-rejecting agenda when they choose a Christian college but Ken Ham and one of America’s top research teams show that you need to be a lot more careful when deciding on a Christian college.

Tune in for an eye-opening program on The Christian Worldview this weekend.