Author Archives: Dale Babinsky

Rules For Thee, But Not For Me

Posted on by under Christian Living, Culture

               It has been reported in the news lately that the now former president of Harvard University has had some issues with plagiarism in her academic career.  Some have made a big deal over this, since Harvard is a very prestigious institution with rigid guidelines for their students.  Others have blown it off or have claimed racism as a reason for unwarranted persecution.  Is this a big deal?  What is plagiarism?  What does this say about the state of morality in our nation as a whole?

               Plagiarism is the lifting of text or ideas from someone else’s writing without giving proper credit for such to the original author.  It is one of those ten-dollar words that we might not be exposed to if we are outside of the realm of academia.  It is not some small thing, however.  Plagiarism is basically the theft of intellectual property.  It is stealing.  As such, if you plagiarize in your term papers in most colleges and universities, you will be asked to leave.  Apparently at Harvard, while students are subject to this rule, faculty members are exempt.  One can even rise to University President after plagiarizing.

               When we see that the rules do not apply to everyone equally, that goes against what we believe is fair.  This is especially so when it is those who are supposed to be enforcing the rules.  There is a scripture for that.  Paul wrote in Romans 2:21, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?”  God’s word does not endorse a policy of do as I say and not as I do. 

               If we are going to be successful in teaching lost souls about the salvation that is in Christ and Christ alone, then we cannot be hypocritical.  Do as I say and not as I do doesn’t work in the home (children will see through this in a moment); it does not work in the school; and it will not work in the church.  We must practice what we preach.  We cannot just talk the talk; we must walk the walk.  “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment” (James 5:12). 

    Jesus admonished the religious leaders of His day for basically doing the very same thing as the leaders at Harvard.  “And He said, ‘Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers’” (Luke 11:46).  They were good at making difficult requirements that they had no intention of keeping themselves. 

    Let us not be like them!  Let us be genuine so that we will not be a burden to those who are outside (1 Thes. 4:9-12).  Life is difficult enough without us making it harder.  We need to set the right kind of example. We should be one who is not only proclaiming the word of God, but who is also adhering to the commandments of the Lord.  Let us understand that God’s rules apply to all of us, no matter who we are.

I Am Resolved

Posted on by under Christian Living

          There is a song that we sing in our assemblies that speaks of being resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delight. Instead, the song says that I will hasten to Him. It is a song about being resolute in leaving the world’s charms behind and pressing on to be with the Lord. As we look out upon another year ending and a new one just beginning, what resolutions are we making for the New Year? What are we leaving behind in 2023, and what are we pressing on towards?

     In the Philippian letter, Paul writes, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). We might look back at last year’s resolutions and see how we did. Perhaps our resolution only lasted a couple of weeks or a month. Maybe we were resolved to lose ten pounds last year, and now we are only fifteen pounds away from our goal. But, forgetting those things that are behind us, let us look forward to the opportunities in the New Year to be resolved to do better.

     In 2024 let us then be resolved to:

   · Lose the weight of sin in our lives (Heb. 12:1)

   · Exercise greater discernment between good and evil (Psalm 34:14)

   · Improve our spiritual health (1 Peter 1:13-16)

   · Help save the souls of those around us (Mat. 28:19-20)

   · Stop making excuses and abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58)

  I am reminded of an old commercial that showed a man at his desk and each year the pile of papers grew higher. Each year he stated that this was the year he was going to hunker down and get something accomplished. Is 2024 the year that we will grow closer to the Lord? Or will 2024 be like every other year? The choice is ours. The next year is ready and waiting. Are we resolved no longer to linger?

When Did God Change His Mind About Homosexuality?

Posted on by under Culture, Current Events
Image by Annett_Klingner from Pixabay

            This week Francis, the Roman Catholic Pope, issued a new document which would allow his priests to bless same sex couples.  This was a reversal of a prior stance in which the Roman Catholic institution stated that they could not bless sin.  That prior stance earned Francis a bit of consternation on the part of those in the gay community.  Now, he says, “that people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to ‘an exhaustive moral analysis’ to receive it” (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pope-approves-blessings-for-same-sex-couples-if-they-don-t-resemble-marriage/ar-AA1lGh6Y?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=3ffb240e83214dc9942ffd84c7a63569&ei=35).  So, what happened in between?  Did God change His mind?  Is homosexuality now something to be blessed?

            Let us turn to God’s word for our answer.  In the Old Testament, God’s opinion of homosexuality can be clearly seen.  In Genesis 19 God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their same sex practices.  In the Law of Moses, God states, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22), and “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus20:13).  Homosexuality certainly did not have God’s blessing in the Old Testament.

            Homosexuality does not have God’s blessing in the New Testament either.  In Romans 1 beginning in verse 18, the Bible condemns ungodliness and unrighteousness and states that God’s wrath will be poured out on those who practice sexual immorality.  Included in this, is the sin of homosexuality.  “For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (Romans 1:26b-27).  Not only does God condemn homosexual activity in this passage, but He also condemns those who approve of such activities (Romans 1:32). 

            So, can we bless that which God condemns?  To give our blessing means that we approve of the activity.  God’s word says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, emphasis added).  How cruel would it be for us to know that someone is in a relationship or lifestyle that is going to someday condemn them for all eternity, and then turn around and give them our blessing as if everything is alright?  That passage above in 1 Corinthians goes on to say that some of them were guilty of these sins in the past, but they were sanctified by the blood of Christ. 

            However, to be able to enjoy that blessing of sanctification, they had to repent.  They had to change what they were doing.  They had to be obedient to God.  Jesus is the savior of all those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).  God gives His mercy to those who are obedient.  We should welcome all people to come to Jesus and be saved, no matter what their current station in life is, but we cannot bless and embrace their sins.  We should not enable them by suggesting that they are safe in their sinful lifestyles.  We do not have the authority to change what God has said.  If we are to be God’s people, we cannot bless that which God hates and condemns.

The Lord and Me, We Have a Deal

Posted on by under Article, Doctrine
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

            Perhaps you have tried to share the gospel with someone or encouraged them to come to the worship service of the church, only to have them quote the title above as if they are separate from God’s requirements.  Don’t get me wrong, we can have a covenant relationship with the Lord, but that relationship can only be had according to His stipulations and requirements.  Let’s explore . . .

            In the Old Testament covenant that God made with the nation of Israel, God gave all of the stipulations and requirements to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  Moses then relayed the information to the children of Israel.  “So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the LORD has said we will do’” (Exodus 24:3 emphasis added).   Notice the ‘all’ that they said they would do.  The covenant was not negotiable.  The Lord set the stipulations and the people could either accept it or refuse it.  They couldn’t say that they had a special or different deal with the Lord.  Part of those stipulations were that they had to keep three specific feast days to the Lord (Exodus 23:14).  They couldn’t just decide to roll those three into one day for convenience.  The covenant was unilateral and non-negotiable.

            In the New Testament there is a new covenant.  Jeremiah prophesied that this new covenant was coming (Jer. 31:31-34).  The new covenant is the agreement that we can have with the Lord today, however, this deal is also based upon the commandments and stipulations of the Lord.  We can either accept the deal or deny it.  We do not get to negotiate our own deal individually.  Jesus basically says that if we follow Him, we can have the remission of our sins and live with Him forever (Mark 16:16; Mat. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38).  Notice especially in the Matthew passage that in order to be a disciple of Christ that one must be baptized and taught to observe all things that Jesus has commanded.

   Both the Hebrew and Greek words that are used for covenant in the Bible mean a contract or agreement of some kind.  So, we can have an agreement with God.  That agreement or covenant relationship can only be had, however, if we will accept all that God has told us to do.  God’s salvation is not a buffet where we get to pick and choose.  We must do all that He commands us to do!

By What Authority?

Posted on by under Article, Doctrine
Image by ha11ok from Pixabay

            In the religious world today, there is no shortage of worship styles and services, all of which differ in mode and operation.  It begs the question as to whether they are all approved of by God.  Some will say that the details of their worship to God do not matter, that anything is acceptable.  I wonder if those same folks would be okay with animal sacrifices being done in a voodoo ritual, or snake handling being done by some fringe group, however.  It would seem that we all would draw a line somewhere.

            The question then becomes where do you draw that line?  If we are all going to do something different in our worship to God, who determines if that is acceptable or not?  The root of the issue really boils down to authority.  Do we have the authority to make our own decisions when it comes to worshiping God?

            In the New Testament of the Bible the subject of authority comes up often.  In one such instance, the chief priests and elders are questioning Jesus in the temple and asking where His authority comes from to do what He was doing.  Jesus responded with a question of His own.  “But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” (Mat. 21:24-25 NKJV).  Notice that Jesus only gave two options for the source of authority.  Authority either comes from heaven or from men.

            Everything that is done in religion today is done by one of those two sources of authority.  Either what we do is done with the authority of God Almighty, or what we do is by our own authority.  God has a preference.  In rebuking the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus referred to them as hypocrites and stated, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7, Mat. 15:9).  Worship that is vain is useless.  God will not accept useless worship.  God wants to be worshipped as He has commanded.

            We need to have biblical authority for what we teach and practice.  Paul explained in Colossians 3:17 that whatever we do in word or in deed needs to be done in the name of the Lord.  That doesn’t mean we do what we want and slap the name of Jesus on it.  That means that we do it according to His authority.  Let us examine our own selves to see that we are doing what the Lord wants when it comes to our worship of Him.  By what authority do you do these things?

Can We Deal With the Devil?

Posted on by under Article, Christian Living

Our current news feed is loaded with what has been going on in Israel in the war with Hamas.  Many are wanting for a cease fire that will bring peace to the region, but the question that must be answered is how you negotiate with someone who only wants your death or demise.  How can you appease them if all they want is for you to not exist?  Can we make a deal with the Devil? 

It’s difficult to see how that would bring about the desired result, and yet people seem to think that they can make a deal with the Devil and that it will somehow all work out.  Satan is referred to in the Bible many times and in many ways.  He is the tempter in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3.  He is the accuser of mankind in Job 1.  He is the leader of the fallen angels who have made war against the people of God in Eph. 2:2 and Revelation 12.  All he wants is for the demise and destruction of mankind.  How can you negotiate with him?

Moses certainly understood the importance of not giving in to the adversary.  In dealing with Pharaoh, Moses remained steadfast and sure and did not negotiate with the foe of God.  In Exodus 8:25 Pharaoh told Moses to hold a sacrifice in the land of Egypt, but that was not what God had demanded.  Later, in Exodus 8:28, Pharoah said to go, but only do not go too far away.  Satan would like for us to not go too far away from him. He wants for us to keep one foot in his synagogue (Rev. 2:9) and one foot in the church. 

In the plague of the locusts in Exodus 10, Pharaoh again tried to control the situation in allowing the men to go and sacrifice, but he wanted the children to be left behind.  Satan is delighted when we don’t bring our children with us into the church or into a right relationship with the Lord.  Satan loves to tell us that it is wrong for us to “force” our religion on our children, and instead would have us allowing our children to make their own choices when they are still young and naïve.

Pharaoh tried one last time to negotiate with Moses and his God in allowing the people to leave, but not taking their possessions with them.  “Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, ‘Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back’” (Exodus 10:24).  Moses answered Pharaoh that they would not leave a hoof behind when they exited Egypt (Exodus 10:26).  Moses understood that he could not give ground to the adversary.

Satan loves it when we give in and negotiate with him.  Go serve God, he might say, but don’t go very far away.  Go do what the Lord wants, but leave your children behind with me.  Go ahead and be a Christian, but don’t let that get in the way of your pursuit of material things.  We cannot give ground to the adversary.  We cannot deal with the Devil.  We cannot negotiate with Satan.  We need to stand, and to stand firm against the wiles of the Devil. 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph 6:10–13).

Give Us A King!

Posted on by under Christian Living

               In 1 Samuel 8 the nation of Israel came to Samuel, who was the last of the Judges.  Apparently, they felt Samuel was too old to continue to be their leader, as they pointed out the obvious to him.  More importantly, they wanted a king so that they could be like the nations surrounding them.

               This was not what God had desired for them.  He was supposed to be their king.  They were to look to God for His guidance, they were to rely upon Him for their protection, and they were not to be like the nations in the land of Canaan (Lev. 20:23).  God had called them to be a holy people, who would be different and distinct from their neighbors (Ex. 19:6; Lev. 19:2).

               Likewise, God calls for us today to be holy and distinct from the rest of the world (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:15-16).  In 2 Corinthians 6 Paul explains that Christians today are the temple of the living God, and so we are to “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17).  Too often we are comfortable being like the world, but God desires something better from us.  Let us realize that we have a great King, and let us walk in His ways.

How Was David a Man After God’s Own Heart?

Posted on by under Repentance

            There are passages of scripture that we may ponder more than others.  One of those is the statement that David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).  We likely remember what David did in committing adultery with Bathsheba and how he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed in battle to cover it up.  So, we may wonder at how this man is to be commended.  Fortunately for David, and for us, we are not judged by just one moment in time.  So how did David become a man after God’s own heart?

            First, David owned his sins.  When Nathan confronts David over his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah in 2 Samuel 12, David makes no excuses.  He simply admits that he had sinned (2 Sam. 12:13).  This is unlike Saul, who constantly blamed others for his shortcomings (1 Sam. 13:10-12; 1 Sam. 15:20-21).

            Second, David repented of his sins.  David’s deep remorse over what he had done can be seen in Psalm 51, which shows David’s feelings and his broken heart because he had transgressed the law of God.  David wrote, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:3 NKJV).

            Third, David trusted in God to forgive him.  Nathan told David that God had forgiven him (2 Sam. 12:13b).  David trusted in that forgiveness and placed his faith in God.  Several places in the Psalms show us that David trusted in God (Psalm 16:1; 20:7; 31:14; 62:8).

            We should also be like David.  We need to own our sin, repent of what is wrong in our lives, and trust in God to forgive us, as He said He would.  If God has forgiven us, we don’t need to carry that guilt any longer in our lives.  Therefore, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1b).  While none of us are perfect, we can be people after God’s own heart if we do these three things.

Can We Die Apart from How We Live?

Posted on by under Article, Christian Living

            There is a country song by one of Knoxville’s more famous sons titled “Everybody Wants to go to Heaven,” which expresses the attitude that we can live however we want now and still go to heaven in the end.  In the song, the lyrics suggest that we can have the women and whiskey and all the worldly pleasures we want, as long as we put some extra money in the collection plate on Sunday.  Is that how God operates?

            The thought is nothing new.  Around 1400 BC, there was a prophet of God named Balaam who basically wanted to do the same thing.  Balaam was eager to go with the men that the king of Moab sent to him in order that he might come and curse the children of Israel, who had exited Egypt 40 years prior and were now encamped on the plain hear Moab (Num. 22-24; 2 Pet. 2:15).  You may remember that God did not want Balaam to go and even placed the Angel of the Lord in his way.  Balaam wanted to go and be ‘honored’ by the king of Moab, but he still wanted to die the death of the righteous (Num. 23:10).  Can we live wickedly and still die the death of the righteous?

            How we live matters!  We cannot live like the devil and die like an angel.  God says that we are to strive for holiness in how we live (1 Pet. 1:13-16).  Indeed, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Eph. 4:1).  We cannot live in disobedience and think that we can somehow buy our way into heaven.  It didn’t work for Balaam, who died with those who caused Israel to stumble by his counsel (Num. 31:8, 16), and it will not work for us.  If we want to die the death of the righteous, we must live in obedience to God!

Whatever Happened to Truth?

Posted on by under Culture, Uncategorized

It seems such a long time ago that common sense was more common, and people believed that there were some things that were absolutely true.  Our own Declaration of Independence states that there were certain truths that the population held to be undeniable and self-evident.  Today, however, truth has taken a back seat as our nation has embraced relativism.  In short, relativism is the idea that what is true for you may not be true for me.  It’s all relative and based upon our own experiences.  Modern scholars will declare that there is no absolute truth, to which I would like to ask if they believe that absolutely.

            The Bible paints a different picture of truth.  Jesus prayed in the garden that God the Father would sanctify or set apart His followers in the truth and declared that God’s word is truth (John 17:17).  In his conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, when she stated that she did not currently have a husband, Jesus told her that she was correct in this and proceeded to point out that she had a spiritual problem (John 4:16-18).  She and the Samaritans also had a truth problem in that they were worshipping upon Mt. Gerizim rather than in Jerusalem.  Jesus did not tell her that she needed to live out her own truth.  Instead, He told her that they who would worship God must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  God wants us to follow the truth of His word, and to not make our own path (Matthew 15:7-9).  That would seem to be absolute.

            Absolute truth means that there are some things that are true for all people and at all times.  Boiled down, truth is always true.  It doesn’t depend on our circumstances or experiences.  Water is always wet, ice is always cold, and fire is always hot.  God has revealed the truth to us in His word, and it is that truth that will set us free (John 8:32).  Nothing from our imagination will compare to the truth.  If we are to escape the eternal fire, then we need to learn, understand, and obey the truth of God’s word and follow His will (Hebrews 2:1-4; Matthew 7:21ff; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).  Be a seeker of truth, and follow God’s path to salvation.