Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Q: How do we know who to believe when there are so many interpretations of the Bible?

A: Unfortunately or fortunately, there is no infallible interpreter of the bible, nor is there infallible denomination or church. Therefore, no one is able and qualified to be the judge of biblical interpretations. Even after we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we are still tainted by sin, aren't we? We all make mistakes. But the key is that all the essentials of our faith are clear in the bible. We don’t need infallible interpreter to determine that God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that Jesus atoned for our sins and was risen from the dead, that Jesus is the one and only way to salvation, that salvation is received by grace thru faith, that there is heaven and hell.

What I mean is that the core/essential truth a person needs to know in order to be saved is clear in the bible – is summarized in the creeds (Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian). Even on the non-essentials, if the principles of sola scriptura were consistently applied, there would be unanimity. One of the principles, as the Westminster Confession states, is that in order to understand unclear passages of Scripture, one ought to examine clearer passages to understand the more ambiguous ones.

Ok, let me wrap this up with citing this adage, "In essentials, unity (we are united in the essential truth); in non-essentials, liberty (but we are all responsible to the LORD); in all things, charity (no hate or bitterness, but love)."

Q: Are we Christians because we were born into a Christian family?

A: Let me first ask you questions: How do you explain the conversion of Paul? He came from a very strong Judaistic family/culture/education, how did he become Christian? How do you explain the conversion of Muslims - who had been born and grew up in Iran - into Christianity? We Christians believe that we are saved by grace alone. And nothing is impossible for God.

But perhaps this question came from a relativist, or a pluralist. S/he believes that all truths are the product of social conditions, that we are conditioned by our upbringings, our families, our cultures, and so on. Ok. If that’s the case, I would remind him/her that that belief itself is socially and culturally conditioned. S/he won't even ask that question if s/he was born in China, say 60 years ago. I agree that social conditionedness of our lives is a fact, but it can’t be used to argue that all truth is totally (or absolutely) relative. Because that very argument refutes itself. As Peter Berger says, "Relativity relativizes itself."

I suggest you read: Tim Keller, The Reason for God.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

If homosexuals are not supposed to practice homosexual tendencies, it is safe to assume that they are called by God to live single lives? So why does God call people to live single lives? Isn't everybody entitled to a spouse?

A: You have two questions here, and they are related to each other. First, are people with homosexual tendencies called to live single lives? People with homosexual desires are called to repent and live a holy life. According to the Bible, homosexual desires (tendencies) are sinful. People with that desires should struggle and fight against them. They can experience true change, healing and victory or live a single life.

Second, why does God call people to live a single life? Isn’t everybody entitled to a spouse? Singleness is a gift and call. Paul says, “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another’ (1 Corinthians 7:7). In his writings, Paul always uses the word “gift” to mean an ability God gives to build others up. So being single is a gift and call. The call of being single is to bear fruit in life and ministry through the single state. When you have this gift, you might struggle with your singleness, but God will help you to grow spiritually and be fruitful in the lives of others.

The purpose of both singleness and marriage is to create communities (the church) which are a sign of the glory of the coming (and present) kingdom of God. To do that, every church needs a combination of both Christian married couples and Christian singles. Both couples and singles can minister to each other. Singles and marrieds both point to the hope of Christ in different ways. And the world needs to see both.

So isn't everybody entitled to a spouse? No. We should avoid idolizing marriage. Even the best marriage cannot by itself fill the void in our souls left by God. Without a deeply fulfilling love relationship with Christ now, and hope in a perfect love relationship with him in the future, married Christians will put too much pressure on their marriage to fulfill them, and that will always create pathology in their lives.

Christians are to choose between marriage and singleness not a) for the basic contemporary motive (idolatry) of personal fulfillment nor b) for the traditional motive (idolatry) that you aren’t ‘anybody’ unless you have a family and children. Rather, we marry (or not) on the basis of which state makes us best a sign of the kingdom of God.

Note: my response to the second part of the question is based on Tim Keller's article, "Gospel-Community: Singleness, Marriage, and Family".

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Q: What happens to the people who die without being exposed to the word of God?

A: People who knows the Gospel but choose to reject it, they simply don’t get God. Paul made his points explicitly in Romans 3: 9-10. They are all sinners, and thus they earn the wages of sin, namely death (Romans 6:23). But your question is, What about those who haven’t heard the Gospel in their lives? In this case, my position can be designated as “agnostic” (I don’t know). That means all I can say about this as a minister of the Word is that I don’t know. I have never been told about it. All I can tell you is unless you get Jesus Christ, unless you are reunited with him sometime, there is no eternal future of glory for you. Therefore, if Jesus is who he says he is, then one needs to get Him to get God and to be saved. That’s the only thing I know: you need Jesus. I also certainly know that God is wiser than me, more merciful than me, and I do know that when I finally find out how God is dealing with every individual soul, I won’t have any questions about it.

So my answer is I don’t know. But I also want to add this: Although theoretically possible that those who have never heard the gospel could respond to God via general revelation (Romans 1:18-32), there is little biblical warrant to say that God ever does save anyone that way. J. I. Packer once said “we have no warrant to expect that God will act thus in any single case where the gospel is not known or understood.” Moreover, Packer asserts, “Living by the Bible means assuming that no one will be saved apart from faith in Christ, and acting accordingly.”

I hope it helps.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Bagaimana semestinya kita bersikap terhadap kehilangan pekerjaan dan pekerjaan yang tak memuaskan?

Implikasi persatuan dengan Kristus dalam menghadapi kehilangan pekerjaan dan bekerja dalam pekerjaan yang tidak memuaskan.  

Kehilangan pekerjaan 
Dalam budaya kita, pekerjaan dipandang penting. Untuk beberapa orang malah pekerjaan merupakan sumber security dan identitas. Maka, kehilangan pekerjaan tidak hanya dapat mendatangkan financial stress, tetapi juga bisa menghancurkan hidup seseorang, ketika ia memertaruhkan security, identitas, masa depannya pada pekerjaan. Bagaimana semestinya orang Kristen melihat karir? Orang Kristen menemukan identitas dan security-nya dalam Kristus. Kehilangan pekerjaan tentu bisa menyakitkan, menyebabkan stress, tetapi hal yang paling berharga tidak dipertaruhkan. Karena bersatu dengan Kristus, orang Kristen punya resources melampaui wisdom, karakter, kekuatannya sendiri. Christ is in control, dan selalu bermaksud mendatangkan kebaikan bagi mereka yang percaya. Ini akan melindungi orang Kristen dari discouragement dan memberi keberanian, iman, dan harap dalam masa sulit.  

Bekerja dalam thankless job atau pekerjaan yang tak memuaskan. 
Jika kita memandang hubungan, circumstances, prestasi sebagai fulfillment, tentulah kita akan menjadi putus asa, marah, pahit, bekerja dalam pekerjaan yang tak memuaskan. Tetapi jika fulfillment kita ada pada Kristus, kita tidak mendekati hidup dengan feeling needy. Kita akan menghadapi tantangan thankless job setiap hari dengan kepuasan (contentment) dan sukacita NO JOB COULD EVER GIVE. Ini tidak berarti kita tidak akan pernah menjadi discouraged, capek, bosan. Ini berarti kita punya seseorang yang kita percaya, yang akan menolong kita melewati masa sulit. Yes, your job may bore you. Yes, you had hoped to do something more significant. Yes, you wish you could find a way out. Tapi kita tidak pergi bekerja untuk mencari fulfillment. Yes, pekerjaan bisa memberi sense of dignity, tapi ia tidak akan mendefinisi diri kita. Karena dalam Kristus kita penuh, joyful, puas. Meski kita melakukan pekerjaan yang thankless, kita tahu Kristus tidak pernah melupakan apa yang kita lakukan demi nama-Nya. Persatuan dengan Kristus memberi meaning pada segala sesuatu yang kita lakukan dan katakan.

Sobat, kita mungkin capek, tapi kita tidak akan putus asa. Kita mungkin sedih, tapi kita tidak akan hopeless. Kita akan merasa sakit, tapi kita tidak akan menyerah. Kita akan nikmati berkat, tapi kita tidak akan jadi pongah. Hidup kita tidak hanya terdiri dari apa yg kita punya, kita rasakan, kita capai, tetapi dalam siapa kita dalam Kristus. Ini akan menjadi kekuatan kita setiap hari.

Amin.

Sumber: Tim Lane & Paul Tripp, How People Change.