Perfectly Clear

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV

“To be or not to be, that is the question…” William Shakespeare.

Pretty deep, huh? Although I barely squeaked by with a B in philosophy, I love this stuff! Don’t ask me why, because I’m not really sure. However, God designed me, from my earliest days of consciousness with a mind that is fascinated with thoughts that require more than a passing glance to understand. Recently, I subscribed to a group online who discusses such thoughts and philosophical terminologies, out of sheer curiosity. As you might imagine, some participants in the group dive deeply into the realm of mind consciousness that is, well, way over my head (wait, “dive deeply” and “over my head” don’t sound compatible…). Now I know why I only garnered a B in my philosophy class.

How happy am I, that the Author of all knowledge and deep things of the human mind has given humanity His word, the Bible, translated for even the least learned among us to understand and apply. The following scripture is from 1 Corinthians 1:27, written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Apparently, the church was divided into factions, each claiming greater wisdom and understanding depending on which teacher they followed: “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ’” (1 Cor. 1:12, NKJV). In the 21^st century, the church is still divided, perhaps more so than ever. The various Christian denominations have been shaken up, some landing on one side or the other of the cultural philosophies divide, while others are simply straddling the fence. What in the world is going on? The answer is not as difficult as it may seem. Going against the culture has never been easy or popular, and who wants to be “that group” who gets targeted as “insensitive,” or “unloving” toward the cultural differences the Bible calls, “sins?” So, what are we as Christians to do?

Jesus is the perfect example. When God put on flesh and lived among us, He demonstrated beautifully how to address humankinds’ sinful condition. To the haughty self-righteous, He pointed out their hypocrisy; to the labeled “misfits and sinners,” He showed compassion and the pathway to redemption; to those who chose to follow Him, Jesus reflected the words of Isaiah, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21, ESV). With Jesus, there was no fence straddling or capitulation; there was no confusion in the message, for anyone and everyone could understand “the Way.”

My dear friend, you do not need a degree in philosophy, or a seminary degree to understand the ways of God. His desire is not to confuse us, rather to guide us with clarity by His Word. If you come to the proverbial fork in the road of the cultural divide, listen carefully to the “word behind you” which has not changed and never will change with the cultural currents, “This is the way, walk in it.”