God

We live in a culture that promotes and emphasizes being “open-minded.” Being “closed-minded,” or “narrow-minded,” is considered an ugly character trait. Being “open-minded” is part of being a contributing member of society, as you are moving society forward, not backward. “Progressive” is a happy term, while those stuck in the past are just old and stupid.

This is dangerous. It is absolutely lethal. Why?

Because sometimes being closed-minded is a good thing.

I’m reminded of that commercial for a brand of tequila. I can’t remember the brand, and honestly, I don’t want to take the time to look it up. But in the commercial, a man and his friends walk up to a bar and orders tequila. The bartender asks, “Which tequila?” The man responds, “It doesn’t matter, any tequila.” The commercial takes a humorous turn as the man has this response (“It doesn’t matter, any ___) to different situations, such as haircuts, tattoos, etc. The point of the commercial is to show that this specific brand of tequila is better, and it’s not worth going to some other, worse brand.

Now, don’t worry, I’m not advocating drunkenness. However, the commercial brings up a valid point. What if, in the spirit of being “open-minded,” we’ve come to the point where we don’t know what we believe anymore? What if, instead of abiding by the quote, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything,” we’ve gotten to where we stand for everything and nothing has our attention or allegiance? Have we missed the danger (much more dangerous than a bad tattoo) of not standing firm in truth?

Before I show why being closed-minded is sometimes good, let me acknowledge two things: One, there is a good amount of things and ideas which we need to be open-minded about; two, the attitude we carry when we are “closed-minded” is important.

What kinds of things ought we be open-minded about? Open-minded meaning we’re open to change, we’re open to someone else having another opinion and accepting it as valid, we’re continuing to seek what’s “true,” and we really aren’t making judgments on the issue being considered.

Sports. Ice cream flavors. To some extent, our political views. Business models. In other words, areas in life in which opinions are the main issue, rather than truth. Chocolate ice cream is not objectively better than strawberry ice cream. But I prefer chocolate ice cream. In sports, there is constant debate over “Who’s #1?” It’s why we have playoffs. It’s why 18-year old kids are about to play in a professional playoff system that will generate revenue for a bunch of different people, so that grown men and women can say, “My team’s #1!”

Hold on, though. Doesn’t this “playoff system” determine who’s #1? Isn’t it settled that whoever wins the championship is “better” than another team? Not necessarily. Two cases to examine: 2007 Super Bowl, 2011 NCAA BCS Championship Game.

2007: The New England Patriots finish 18-1, the most wins in a single NFL season counting playoff wins, and they set records for offense. The New York Giants finish 14-6 and sneak into the playoffs. Who’s the better team? According to the shiny trophy, the Giants. If you watched that epic Super Bowl, you know the then-undefeated Patriots lost to the then-major/mega underdog New York Giants because Tom Brady’s Pro-Bowl offensive line completely collapsed, Eli Manning used his feet, and a third-string wide receiver named David Tyree made a ridiculous, once-in-a-lifetime catch that set up the Giants for the game-winning touchdown. This is why, when the talking heads gathered the next morning, there was a serious conversation about who the best team was. The Giants had won on the field, but the Patriots were by far more talented, had won more games, and had clearly lost on some crazy, fluke plays.

So while we can determine who wins a championship game, we cannot objectively prove who is the “best” team.

2011: LSU at Alabama in the “Game of the Century.” I was at that game, and if that’s the game of the century, I’d hate to see what the other games looked like. LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in one of the ugliest games ever. Some would say the defenses were just really good. While that was part of it, it also helped that both teams had seemingly inept quarterbacks and kickers that couldn’t kick. LSU went on to play in and win the SEC Championship game against Georgia, securing their spot in the national championship game. Alabama won the rest of their games, but was stuck behind Oklahoma State for the coveted second spot in the title game. Then, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State, and Alabama somehow, someway, snuck their way into a national title game without even playing for their conference championship. Alabama dominated LSU, 21-0, keeping LSU from getting into Alabama territory and spawning numerous jokes on social media. But who was the “better” team? On the night of the national championship game, it was Alabama. But what if they played the next night? Who would have won?

So, while Alabama, and every other team that wins a championship game, can and should rightfully claim to be champions, there will always be some argument as to who is the “best” team.

The same argument can be used for political systems, business models, and other areas in life driven by opinion and strategy rather than truth. Because we all want different things out of the government, what one person says is good is another person’s rant to their coworker (that their coworker really doesn’t want to hear). Now, these do have their limits. And this is where we turn our attention next.

If I were to ask you to choose between a New York Strip prepared by the finest chef in the world and a McDonald’s burger prepared by a 15-year old with pimples, which would you choose (both are free to you)? The New York Strip, right? So why is it, when we find the right thing, the good thing, that which is excellent, do we feel like going back to McDonalds? While this question can be applied to our fight against sin, we’ll use it to show the baffling nature of not settling on absolute truth.

There are some things that are absolutely right, and some things that are absolutely wrong. It would be foolish to not be closed-minded about these things. Rape is wrong. I hope that every single person reading this post agrees with me on this. Rape is wrong. It harms, devalues, and destroys lives, and it dishonors God. It is a crime for a reason. It is disgusting and wicked. And hopefully, we are all closed-minded on this. We are not seeking the truth anymore! We are not open to another opinion being right or valid because it’s not! If you disagree with this statement, something is terribly wrong.

That’s obviously an extreme example, but it establishes the existence of absolute truth and the need to be closed-minded about some issues. Unfortunately, on some issues that are clearly right and wrong, we have proclaimed relativity. Instead of standing up for truth, we’ve been silent.

Example: Pornography. Pornography is wrong. Period. God’s Word says so. The statistics say so. The ruined lives say so. It destroys relationships, marriages, friendships. It harms the viewer, destroying the brain and the body. It has no positive side effects. It usually involves the trafficking of young women, forced prostitution, and extortion of women’s bodies (not that it doesn’t affect men at all, but by far, it harms women). There is nothing good about pornography. I long for the day where it is gone from our society.

This is a “closed-minded” issue. What does that mean? It means that my mind is made up, not just about my relationship with this issue, but my mind is made up in regards to what is true about it for everyone. If something is true, it is true because it is true, not because I say so. It is not just true for me. It is true for you, for you brother, for my friend, for the neighbor, for everyone. And yet, there seems to be a general lack of passion for ridding our society of this evil. In order to stay “open-minded” and “not judge people,” we act like we don’t know it’s there. We think it’s a personal issue because it’s done behind closed doors. But what’s done behind closed doors seldom stays there. I have seen this evil wreck lives and relationships. We think, “Oh, well, he’s a guy, so it’s gonna happen.” It might. But that doesn’t mean it should. We don’t need to debate whether or not this is wrong. We need to act to rid our society of it, and stop playing around and taking Matt. 7:1 out of context.

I mentioned that pornography is wrong because God’s Word says so. That’s probably a little more controversial than the issue of pornography. This is another closed-minded issue for all Christians. I’m not open-minded on whether or not the Bible is true. Since I’m already rambling, I won’t go into an apologetic defense of the reliability of the Scriptures (though at some point, I might). Suffice it to say that God’s Word speaks for itself in the experience of Christians, in the consistency from the original text to our English translations, from the work of the Spirit attesting its truth to us, and, in my mind, the most important fact: the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, He is God. If He is God, He cannot lie. Jesus Christ upheld the authority of the Scriptures and their divine inspiration. If Jesus is risen from the grave, He is Savior. If Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, Christianity is true. And the good news is that Jesus is alive.

Now, at last, we arrive at our destination: Christ Himself. I am closed-minded about Christ. While that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with doubts and questions (those are well-documented on this site), it certainly means that I am banking my eternity on His salvation, and I am, by His grace, reorienting my entire life around His Lordship. Why? Because He is absolutely alive. If Jesus is alive, He is not alive just for me, but He is really, truly, risen from the grave, and He commands your faith, worship and obedience.

And it is foolish to not be closed-minded about what Francis Schaeffer called “true truth.” If Jesus is the truth, why would I be open-minded about Him? That’s the equivalent of a man telling his wife, “Yeah, I’m married to you, but I’m still looking around.” You already have your wife! Why are you looking for one? That’s like grabbing my keys and continuing to look for them, simply because who knows, these keys could be imaginary. Being open-minded about something that is already absolutely decided is foolish! If Jesus is Lord, we need not search any longer!

I want to quote my seminary professor here, though, as I wrap up: “Good biblical doctrine and theology is NEVER an excuse for unChristlike behavior.” We are under the command of Jesus as Christians. We have acknowledged Him as Lord and trusted Him as Savior, and we belong to Him, and He commands us through Paul to “speak the truth in love.” That doesn’t mean we aren’t firm! That doesn’t mean we acknowledge other religions as valid. What it means is that we don’t bash people because we know the truth. What it means is that we respect other people as made in God’s image, regardless of how far they’ve fallen away from Him, for we all need Christ.

We do not load up our truth gun with apologetic arguments as ammo to knock people down, rather, we seek to unfold God’s truth to sinners that desperately need to hear it. The Bible teaches that our fight is not against people, but against Satan and his lies (2 Cor. 10:5). We don’t get into shouting matches with dead sinners—we bring them to Jesus, who gives life!

So let us be closed-minded where we need to be closed-minded. And let us change the connotation surrounding that word. Let people proclaim, “Christians are closed-minded, but man they are gracious and loving in speaking what they believe.” Let us be people that are not known for being “open-minded,” but known for speaking the truth in love, for boldly proclaiming Christ as Lord, the truth of God’s Word, in ways that exalt God and serve our fellow man.

Lord, may we speak the truth in love. May we remember that we were dead in our sins before you came. May we remember that the only reason we believe your truth is because you have called us to yourself. May we show that same grace to every single person we meet.

God bless,
Neal E.

Tonight wraps up the November blog series on temptation and the tools God has given us to fight back against it. We close by examining the importance of the church and Christian friendship in our fight for godliness.

Being a part of a local church and having godly friends is something that we can easily take for granted. Having people in your life who trust Christ and are committed to Him is a wonderful gift from God, and one of the reasons God gives this gift is for our holiness.

While Jesus and Jesus alone saves me, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the man I am today if it weren’t for the influence of Godly men and women in my life. There’s something about being around God’s people that helps us trust, love and reflect God more.

So how does having friendships/relationships within the local church practically make us more like Jesus, and help us fight against sin? First, we understand that in order to fight sin and follow Christ, we need each other. You will not make it in the Christian life alone. God’s plan for your Christian life was never just you and Him. Does a father adopt a child and tell him to stay as far away from His other children as possible? Of course not! That would be awful, and that child wouldn’t experience as much joy and love as he or she could if they were part of the rest of the family.

Paul lays out part of what it looks like to follow Jesus in Colossians 3:12-16: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Paul is not here commanding just individual Christians to be more like Jesus. Paul is writing to the church as a whole. Obviously, the church is made up of individual Christians, who should absolutely learn to walk out Christ’s righteousness. But in addressing the church as a whole, Paul has united the church around a common goal: Grow in Christ and glorify God TOGETHER. Your growth in godliness is never a solo project. We are all in the same fight, trusting the same Savior, following the same Lord. This binds us together.

Sanctification happens in the church. How could we say that we’re learning to love and listen to others more if we aren’t involved in their lives? How can we be patient and humble if we don’t have Christian friends, the church, to be patient and humble towards? According to God’s Word, we are very involved in each other’s growth in Christlikeness.

Paul makes this clear in verse 16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” We are to help each other. We do this in three major ways:

1) Teaching: This isn’t necessarily talking about the spiritual gift of teaching, as in small group/Sunday School leaders or people who have an actual job in the teaching field, but about the task we all have of teaching God’s Word to each other in the context of relationships. Example: You’re at lunch with a friend, and your friend is showing a tremendous amount of anxiety about his or her future. As a believer, we have the promise of Matt. 6:25, where Jesus tell us to not worry about tomorrow, but to trust God. You have that opportunity to “teach” your brother or sister in Christ. No deep discussion of doctrine or $8 theological terms, but simply reminding each other of the promises of our God and the truth of His Word. While we certainly need teachers in the church, and that role is a part of teaching one another, every Christian has the responsibility to remind other Christians of God’s Word. This gives us opportunities to help each other know and believe God’s Word and use it in fighting sin, whether it be anxiety, lust, anger, idolatry, etc.

2) Admonishment: We hold each other accountable and lovingly rebuke each other when necessary. Christian love does not equal “not judging someone,” at least not in the way the world defines it. We absolutely judge those who claim the name of Christ (1 Cor. 5:12-13). We judge each other, not in prideful bashing or gossip, but in lovingly calling each other out when we see sin in our friend’s lives and when our friend seemingly fails to see it. We judge each other because we love each other and want to help each other be more like Jesus. There is no room in God’s church for bashing one another, because we all need Jesus. There is no room for gossip, for that is worldly and divisive. There is room, and lots of it, for judgment that pronounces condemnation on sin and grace for sinners who repent and trust Christ. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” I’m grateful for friends that lovingly show me where I fail and where I need to repent. As we lovingly correct each other, we help each other fight sin and grow to be more like Jesus.

3) Modeling godliness: We learn by listening and hearing from others, but we also learn much from watching them. Example: I’ve grown up around my grandfather. For 23 years, I’ve watched him fix things, pick people up when needed, help others financially, give advice when requested, and love and encourage others consistently, especially within his own family. I’ve watched him be faithful to his wife and to his church. We haven’t had a tremendous amount of discussion about these things, though we have had some, but he models what it means to be a godly man. As we live our Christian lives in the presence of others, we are showing others, especially those that are younger in the faith, what it looks like to be a Christian. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” As a man, when I spend time around godly men, I learn, just from being in relationship with them, what it looks like to be a godly man. And as I’m influenced by them, I start to look more and more like Jesus.

A note here: Being influenced by Christians and hanging around them does not make you a Christian. Submitting to Jesus as the authority in your life and trusting His salvation makes you a Christian. But after we do that, as we spend time with others who have been saved by Jesus, we learn to be more like Him.

This isn’t to say that in fighting sin, we just need to spend all of our time around other believers. Being in relationship with other believers helps us fight sin because we’re sharpening each other, we’re helping each other grow, and as we do that, we’re more and more able to say no to sin. But this should drive us outward to others who don’t believe so that they can believe the gospel and start fighting their sin, too.

As we grow individually, we see the church grow, ultimately reaching the goal laid out in Philippians 1:9-11: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

All of the growth that we have ultimately comes from Jesus. As we set out to fight sin, we need to remember that our righteousness is in Christ. We are in the business of bearing the fruit of that righteousness. So let us remember the cross, read the Word, walk by the Spirit and help each other as we fight sin and follow Jesus.

Lord, may we remember all that you have given us in the fight against sin. May we remember that you are Lord, that we have trusted you, that we have been forgiven, and that you lead us now to be more like you. May we continue to help each other grow. May your church be united in this goal.

God bless,

Neal E.

The Life I Now Live

Living by faith in the Son of God

Being Closed-Minded

The Church and Temptation