Some updates
Hey everyone, I am a bit hyper now cos I just came back from a jog.. I am elated because I got a mail from someone which made my day! u know, nothing beats knowing that one (in fact two) of your good friends or loved ones is open to the gospel or is being saved.. what can I say? God works according to His purposes and I can only thank God for them.. And I am relieved cos I led 2 bible studies in 3 days unscathed.. I thank God for them too.. I dunno how I survived last week with 2 bible studies to prepare and so many things to do.. but I did! now to take a breather, continue blogging and going back to reading up on neurology.
Da Vinci's Code
I think most of you would have expected me to write something about this. But actually the fact is there are already so many books and articles out there on it, I really got nothing new to add.. haha.. perhaps I shall just summarise some of the more important points from various articles..
Actually I havent watched the movie but I read the book like one year ago so I roughly still know the story.. I think it is an interesting story no doubt.. as a young Christian then, I think I am forced to consider whether some of the things said in the book are true.. it forced me to deal with the facts and not just blindly believe. but I will be lying if I say that my faith wasn't shaken a tiny bit..
that is where Dan Brown is so successful in doing.. he skilfully tries to mix what he claims as "facts" and "real events" with fictional characters and events.. and successfully created a bestselling novel and blockbuster movie. by doing so, he is absolved of any blame of misreporting facts.. at the same time, blurring our perception of truth vs fiction.. in the process, readers are challenged to question whether there can be any absolute truths and tempted to believe that there are none.. he is really good at doing that.. and in the process, tens of millions of dollars richer.. to him, he has achieved his purpose, whether or not his supposed facts in his novel are really facts or not.
Dan Brown defines things his own way. his truths and facts seem to be his own truths and facts.. he claims that he is a Christian trying to decipher life's big mysteries (whatever that means), on his own path to enlightenment, and most incredibly, a student of many religions.. I rest my case. I admit, I hold my own prejudices and biases as I type this.. but I don't think u would expect a non-Christian to be typing this right?
and indeed, I suggest to you, everyone of us here hold our own prejudices as we watch the movie or read the book. as a non-Christian, with little knowledge of the bible and how it came about, you will walk out of the theatre thinking Christianity consists of a spectrum of beliefs ranging from Jesus is God to Jesus is a married man and that a group of people long ago ganged up to edit documents and make Jesus seem to be God when he wasn't. to you, this alternative "fact" is enough to discredit Christianity. case closed. "I knew it.." "I told you so.." but I didn't expect you to be more objective or less biased than this.. after all Dan Brown is such a skilful writer..
still, some of u might be interested in what the "opposition" might have to say. you have a choice!
Da Vinci Code VS Opposition
DVC: The bible is a product of man.. Not of God. the bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it.. History has never had a definitive version of the book.
O: DB got it right, the bible did not fall magically from the clouds. It was written by man. BUT it is God-breathed. It is inspired by God. It was not created from nothing. It is based on historical facts and real-life accounts of people who touched, talked and interacted with Jesus.
DVC: Constantine commissioned and financed a new bible which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made him god-like. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up and burnt.
O: Constantine was the Roman Emperor from AD 313 to AD 337. He was not a Christian cos he prayed to various gods and accepted many religions in his empire. Thus, he had no reason to commission or finance this "new bible" which made Jesus out to be a god. The earlier gospels were neither gospels, nor were they earlier.. These books were excluded from the bible on the basis that they were not written by first- or second-hand witnesses of Jesus. They were also written 100 to 200 years after Jesus' death.
The gospels that were accepted in today's bible were written by Jesus' disciples or his disciples' close mates or disciples. All these writers lived during the time of Jesus. And all these gospels were written before AD 100. That's like historians writing about Hitler now.
There was no "new bible". As early as 10 to 20 years after Jesus' death, there were already gospels or creeds circulating around and which were already accepted as being authoritative and true. And by AD150, there were reportedly collections of books that were regarded as authoritative. But in AD325, due to the challenge of heresy and fraud, the church leadership decided to clearly define a list of books which have become the New Testament of today. But these books had been circulating for at least 2 centuries..
The accepted books did not embellish Jesus' god-like traits or downplay his human traits. In fact, the bible says that Jesus is fully man and fully God at the same time. Jesus breathed and ate and was tempted in the desert like a human being in the gospels. And he was crucified to death on the cross. The rejected "gospels" were never suppressed. They were available and read by people but were simply not recognized as having the same worth or authority as the accepted gospels. DB also got it completely wrong when he says that the outlawed "gospels" talked about Jesus' human traits. Cos the opposite is true. These false gospels claimed to have some superior revelation from God, were not based on eyewitness accounts, and rejected the belief that Jesus came in the flesh. In other words, these false gospels rejected Jesus' humanhood.
DVC: Jesus’ establishment as the Son of God was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea. Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote. A relatively close vote. Until that point in history, Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal prophet, … a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.
O: Jesus’ divinity was accepted by the twelve disciples soon after his resurrection, way before AD 300. The issue at Nicaea was how the divine Son (Jesus) and Father (heavenly God) were interrelated and whether they share the same substance. No one at the council was contending that Jesus was a mere mortal or just a prophet. The dispute was over whether Christ had a divine substance like the Father's or whether he shared the same divine substance with the Father.
DVC: There were thousands of documents recording that Jesus was a mortal man.These are the Nag Hammadi documents, named after the place they were discovered in Egypt in 1945.
O: There are not thousands of them. Only 45 fragments, parts of documents.
It is agreed by almost all scholars that most of the documents were written in the second or third centuries. Unlikely to be part of the original real documents of the NT, written mainly before 100 AD.
DVC: Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus.
O: This one is a smoke bomb dropped from no where. Don't know where it came from too.. Maybe it came from the gospel of Dan Brown or something.. but good try la.. very sensational.. and makes for good debate.. but none of the gospels, no matter false or true, mentioned that Jesus was married..
Conclusion
Well, actually most of the articles are giving DB too much respect by even bothering to criticise his novel. Cos it is just a fictional story with too many half-truths and absolute lies. You don't use fiction to confirm or disprove anything.. If you would like to think that the bible is false, why not read the bible or attend a sermon? challenge your Christian friends' beliefs or something..
Oh and I have no qualms about reading the book or watching the movie. And no, most churches do not forbid their members from catching the movie. My personal opinion is that: all the more Christians should watch it cos we are not afraid of facing up to challenges to our faith. Only by considering that something might be false can someone come to accept that it is true. And if anything, Christianity is a religion which can be readily defended by evidence and logic.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Lonely, I am so lonely..
Hey it's not what u think it is.. not lonely in that sense. I think I have learnt to put my trust in God. God made us for relationships yes.. but I think relationships are not exclusive to boy-girl relationships or marriages.. friendships, parent-child relationships and sibling-sibling relationships are all equally valuable. and of course, above all, my relationship with God.
but sometimes, I do feel lonely.. sometimes I feel that I am the only one holding on to the faith among the people around me. my parents, my family, my close friends.. sometimes, I doubt about the truth of what I believe and why I believe. sometimes, I feel it is easier to just follow the crowd and throw away all these beliefs.. maybe Christ didnt exist.. maybe, it is like what the Da Vinci's Code says.. that the bible is all made-up and fake.. if it is fake, then what use is my faith and my holding on to these beliefs? why am I going to church? why am I preparing bible studies? why am I reading the bible? why am I spreading the gospel on my blog? why am I praying for my friends and family members to be saved?
really, it is so much easier to just conform to the values of the world. work hard. make lots of money. marry a pretty wife. rear cute children. enjoy life.
sometimes I feel misunderstood. I can almost imagine the things people are saying behind my back. I can even hear them vividly sometimes. I can imagine what they are thinking when they read my blog. I can feel the awkwardness. I can sense the things going through their minds. " oh dear, one day he is going to ask me to go to church.." "he is going to ask me to go to the service again.." maybe I am just imagining things..
maybe this world is all that there is.. sometimes, I wish I had not heard the gospel at all. sometimes I wonder what I will be doing now if I had not gone to church 2 years ago.. probably reading my medical textbooks or something. going out with friends rather than spending 5 hours at church..
Yet, despite all these recurring thoughts these 2 years, I have not given up on the gospel.. somehow, something inside me tells me that this is true. Christ is real. despite all the doubts, I still held on to the beliefs. my doubts also spurred me to question and explore.. and I still arrived at the same answer. Christ is real. sin is real. salvation is real. God 's grace is real.
indeed, often I asked myself why I had converted.. is it because of that "frivolous reason"? is it because I was convicted of my sin? is it beacuse of the bible studies? is it because of peer pressure from the church people? or is it because of the love I had experienced in the Church? I don't know.. but looking back at how I came to the church, the circumstances in which I came to believe and how I grew in my knowledge of the gospel and how I grew in my Christian walk, it seems there can only be one person making sure all these happened.. it seems that He had purposefully made all those things happen so that I could believe and be saved. it seems that He had put certain people in these 2 years of my life to teach me, to encourage me and to guide me in my Christian walk.. it seems that He had painstakingly planned and choreographed each and every step that I took to reach where I am now. it is God.. it must be..
and what more can I ask for? really.. in Christ, I can no longer demand anything else.. and indeed, if something as difficult as saving a sinner like me has been done, what more the little things like studies, work, financial security and relationships..
and despite all the doubts and difficulites I had coming to terms with my faith, I find it difficult to believe that this world is all that there is.. I still find myself asking where did I come from? and for what purpose am I here for? and to where will I return or go when I die? it seems a futile existence if Christ and God were not real.. am I just here to work hard, earn lots of money, marry a good wife, have good kids and enjoy life? then what happens if I don't earn lots of money? if I can't find a wife? if I suffer from cancer and die a painful death? is there meaning in all these then? if not, do I go around looking for some other meaning or is there already a purpose that my maker had long established for me? and still, I find great comfort in knowing that God has made me for a purpose and that I am going to a specific destination when I die and that I will be saved from my sins.
in all these I have nothing to complain or whine about.. as I told someone, it is not: God is all I have, but rather it should be: I already have God, what more shall I need?
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
but sometimes, I do feel lonely.. sometimes I feel that I am the only one holding on to the faith among the people around me. my parents, my family, my close friends.. sometimes, I doubt about the truth of what I believe and why I believe. sometimes, I feel it is easier to just follow the crowd and throw away all these beliefs.. maybe Christ didnt exist.. maybe, it is like what the Da Vinci's Code says.. that the bible is all made-up and fake.. if it is fake, then what use is my faith and my holding on to these beliefs? why am I going to church? why am I preparing bible studies? why am I reading the bible? why am I spreading the gospel on my blog? why am I praying for my friends and family members to be saved?
really, it is so much easier to just conform to the values of the world. work hard. make lots of money. marry a pretty wife. rear cute children. enjoy life.
sometimes I feel misunderstood. I can almost imagine the things people are saying behind my back. I can even hear them vividly sometimes. I can imagine what they are thinking when they read my blog. I can feel the awkwardness. I can sense the things going through their minds. " oh dear, one day he is going to ask me to go to church.." "he is going to ask me to go to the service again.." maybe I am just imagining things..
maybe this world is all that there is.. sometimes, I wish I had not heard the gospel at all. sometimes I wonder what I will be doing now if I had not gone to church 2 years ago.. probably reading my medical textbooks or something. going out with friends rather than spending 5 hours at church..
Yet, despite all these recurring thoughts these 2 years, I have not given up on the gospel.. somehow, something inside me tells me that this is true. Christ is real. despite all the doubts, I still held on to the beliefs. my doubts also spurred me to question and explore.. and I still arrived at the same answer. Christ is real. sin is real. salvation is real. God 's grace is real.
indeed, often I asked myself why I had converted.. is it because of that "frivolous reason"? is it because I was convicted of my sin? is it beacuse of the bible studies? is it because of peer pressure from the church people? or is it because of the love I had experienced in the Church? I don't know.. but looking back at how I came to the church, the circumstances in which I came to believe and how I grew in my knowledge of the gospel and how I grew in my Christian walk, it seems there can only be one person making sure all these happened.. it seems that He had purposefully made all those things happen so that I could believe and be saved. it seems that He had put certain people in these 2 years of my life to teach me, to encourage me and to guide me in my Christian walk.. it seems that He had painstakingly planned and choreographed each and every step that I took to reach where I am now. it is God.. it must be..
and what more can I ask for? really.. in Christ, I can no longer demand anything else.. and indeed, if something as difficult as saving a sinner like me has been done, what more the little things like studies, work, financial security and relationships..
and despite all the doubts and difficulites I had coming to terms with my faith, I find it difficult to believe that this world is all that there is.. I still find myself asking where did I come from? and for what purpose am I here for? and to where will I return or go when I die? it seems a futile existence if Christ and God were not real.. am I just here to work hard, earn lots of money, marry a good wife, have good kids and enjoy life? then what happens if I don't earn lots of money? if I can't find a wife? if I suffer from cancer and die a painful death? is there meaning in all these then? if not, do I go around looking for some other meaning or is there already a purpose that my maker had long established for me? and still, I find great comfort in knowing that God has made me for a purpose and that I am going to a specific destination when I die and that I will be saved from my sins.
in all these I have nothing to complain or whine about.. as I told someone, it is not: God is all I have, but rather it should be: I already have God, what more shall I need?
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Absolute relativism
This is going to be my shortest post..
Relativism is absolutely true. this statement contradicts itself. if relativism is true, then there are no absolutes. so the more appropriate statement would be that relativism might be true. considering if relativism is true, then what happens if I think relativism is false? by the nature of relativism, u can't say that what I say is wrong cos relativism says that everyone is right. but if what I say is correct, then relativism is false. so how in the world can relativism be true?
I am not talking about cultural and social norms and preferences here. such things are relative by nature. I like pink, u like blue. there is no truth in what colour to like. so of cos relativism must stand here. same goes for how u want your steak and eggs done..
but relativism is an idea that is fundamentally flawed especially when it comes to God and religion. some people say that all religions are true and all will lead to the same destination.. that is really ignorance at its best.. simply because Christianity says that the only way to know God is through Jesus and Jesus is God, Buddhism says there is no one God and everyone can reach godlikeness or nirvana on their own while Islam says that Jesus is merely a prophet and not God.. so how can these different paths lead to the same destination when they totally contradict each other? how can we be subject to different "systems" when we live on the same earth and breathe the same air?
same goes for the idea that we are perceiving different aspects of the same reality..
if my reality is that your reality is false, then both cannot be true. if both are not true, then one of us (or both) is in error. if one or both of us is in error, then relativism is not true.
ok it's a bit mind boggling.. so take your time to figure that out.
Relativism is absolutely true. this statement contradicts itself. if relativism is true, then there are no absolutes. so the more appropriate statement would be that relativism might be true. considering if relativism is true, then what happens if I think relativism is false? by the nature of relativism, u can't say that what I say is wrong cos relativism says that everyone is right. but if what I say is correct, then relativism is false. so how in the world can relativism be true?
I am not talking about cultural and social norms and preferences here. such things are relative by nature. I like pink, u like blue. there is no truth in what colour to like. so of cos relativism must stand here. same goes for how u want your steak and eggs done..
but relativism is an idea that is fundamentally flawed especially when it comes to God and religion. some people say that all religions are true and all will lead to the same destination.. that is really ignorance at its best.. simply because Christianity says that the only way to know God is through Jesus and Jesus is God, Buddhism says there is no one God and everyone can reach godlikeness or nirvana on their own while Islam says that Jesus is merely a prophet and not God.. so how can these different paths lead to the same destination when they totally contradict each other? how can we be subject to different "systems" when we live on the same earth and breathe the same air?
same goes for the idea that we are perceiving different aspects of the same reality..
if my reality is that your reality is false, then both cannot be true. if both are not true, then one of us (or both) is in error. if one or both of us is in error, then relativism is not true.
ok it's a bit mind boggling.. so take your time to figure that out.
Monday, May 08, 2006
心连心，向前进。
u got to read this post in unicode.
pap's election slogan this year is 心连心，向前进。
well some online forums were suggesting this: 金连金，向钱进。 haha..
anyway, I am not going to discuss about politics here lest my blog gets shut down or something. but as I went through the weekend's sermon and bible study, one theme was rather glaring. and it was that of sin. and I suggest to you this: sin连sin, 向泉进。 泉是指黄泉的泉。
this topic of sin is rather hard to broach.. I mean deep down we are all proud people, and we do not want people to tell us that we are bad people.. so even when some churches evangelise to non-christians, theirs is a message of comfort, solace and meaning in life. come embrace christianity, God loves you and will give you life. God will comfort you in your sorrows. Christianity will provide you the meaning you are looking for in your life. if you want to know how to live the perfect life, Christianity is the answer.
but if I tell you that the true message of Christianity is that you need Jesus because you have sinned, many of you will be rather turned off.. i think the message of the true meaning of life and the love and comfort Jesus can provide is probably more palatable and easy to swallow. but I don't think that is the point. if I were to be faithful and true to God's word, then the message of sin must be told first before the message of love.
the rationale is simple. there is a problem. there is a consequence of this problem. and there is a solution. without a problem, there is no consequence and obviously, what solution is there to talk about?
The bible says, "As it is written: there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. all have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." the problem of mankind is this: all man have sinned by rejecting God and refusing to obey his commands. the consequence: "the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalms 1)
the consequence of sin is death. therefore, as much as we can prolong our lives in this day, all of us will one day die. and this death is a result of the sin we all have.
I don't know about you, but I have never failed to realise how bad or sinful a person I am, even before I became a Christian. perhaps that makes it easier for me to believe in the bible. and in fact, one of the reasons why I was first convinced of the message is that what the bible says about sin really applies to me. and it makes a whole lot of sense to me. and that is a crucial first step, to acknowledge that all of us here, no matter how hard we try to be good people, have sinned and have fallen short of God's standards.
I am not sure if I can explain this well but I shall try. we are all born with a conscience, murderers, rapists, liars, cheaters all included. we are able to decipher what is right and what is wrong. and quite amazingly, this idea of right and wrong is generally consistent even across ethnicity and geography. let's say the same act of B sticking out his leg and causing A to trip. A will not so much as cast a frown on B if it was not intentional. but if A knows that B had a bone to pick with him and had purposely done so, A will confront B and start a quarrel with him. so although it is the same act, we can somehow say that the latter act is wrong and the former is not. and that applies for many things. things like murder. things like stealing. have you ever wondered why it seems so natural for us to think that murder and stealing are wrong? where did we get this idea from? is it taught to us? so at 4 years old before you received any education, do you sincerely believe that killing someone is the right thing to do? so it seems that all of us share this natural law inside us which tells us what is right and what is wrong. and CS Lewis who wrote Chronicles of Narnia had this to say to skeptics: "whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real right or wrong, you will find him going back on this a moment later. he may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaining 'it's not fair' even before you can say jack robinson."
my next point, or actually it's CS lewis' point, is that none of us are keeping to this law within us. so if u have been a perfect person all your life, and have never done anything wrong, I think whatever I have said and am going to say now and in future does not apply to you. and this is where I will refute the claim that Christians are conceited and arrogant snobs. because one definition of a true Christian is a person who accepts that he has sinned and fallen short of God's standards and has come to believe in God and accepted God's gift of salvation. in short, he is one who feels that he needs to be saved.
for myself, while I was still exploring the faith, this verse from romans 7 was very true to me. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. for what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.. so I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. for in my inner being I delight in god's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. what a wretched man I am!"
sometimes, we read the newspapers and delight in condemning the murderers and the sexually depraved people.. why is he so cruel? why did he had to resort to killing her? why did the father rape his daughters? this doctor had a wife and a nice family, why did he have to take upskirt photos of women? why did Hitler and Pol Pot have to resort to massacring millions of people to attain their political ambitions? it seems so stupid of them, so inexplicable to us.. but the bible has always been right in its assessment of mankind.. all have sinned. what about you? no, I am a good person. I donated $5 to charity that day. I helped an old lady cross the road. what wrong have I done? but really, what the murderers, the rapists and the robbers did were just a manifestation of what is deep within everyone. he hated his wife who had slept with another man. so he killed her. the murder was just a outward manifestation of the hatred in him. when I hate another person, the difference between me and the murderer is that this hatred was not that deep. what this person did to me was not as serious as what the wife did to the man. and if really there is one day when that hatred is so deep, the only thing stopping me from killing my enemy is just the law and the dire consequences. but the heart of mine and the heart of the murderer are the same. sin is in 心. it comes from within us. when we hate someone, when we feel conceited and proud, when we look at someone lustfully, when we put our own interests above others, we have already sinned even though outwardly, we can pretend to be the most angelic creatures on earth.
and God looks right through our heart and sees all our evil thoughts. and the only rightful result of our sin is death. we can never escape that.
so what hope is there for us? by our own human efforts, we can never achieve God's standards. God is holy and his standards are high. he wants us spotless and clean. we can help a thousand people in our lives. we can meditate at home all day. we can become vegetarians. we can even give up all our possessions. but nothing is ever going to change the fact that we are sinful people. and nothing is ever going to blot over our sins. given the wrong circumstances, we are always going to fall into sin. there is absolutely no hope for us except Jesus Christ. I know, I know.. u will say: how can you guys claim that Jesus Christ is the only way? yes, I also wished there were other ways and other alternatives. but the bible says this is the only way. if the bible is true, then this is the only way. if it is false, either there is no way and everyone is condemned or there is some other way/s.
but why is there even a way for us explained in the bible? since we have done wrong, we deserve punishment.. by right, God doesn't have to provide us with a solution. but by left, because of his mercy, he has provided us a solution in the way of Jesus Christ. that he has come to die on the cross. Jesus was absolutely clean and spotless in God's eyes. he did not sin like us because he is god. by being perfect and yet accepting God's punishment on our behalf, he is the perfect sacrifice for all our sins.. and we are saved from God's anger because of him. and this only if we believe in Jesus Christ and believing that what he had done really happened and his act is sufficient to wipe away all our sins. the result of believing in him is eternal life. physically we will still die, but spiritually we will be raised up after our death and live happily ever after, literally.
it doesnt make sense at first. absurd. but if u think about it properly, how can imperfect man make peace with God? but only on God's terms and God's solution can we be saved. by sending a perfect person to die for imperfect man.. and after 2 years as a Christian, it seems a perfect solution. God's gift of salvation (being saved) is free and unconditional. oh I need to do steps 1 to 10 to become a Christian. I need to go to church. I must donate this amount of money to the church. I must be born in a Christian family. Nope! all God wants is for you to recognise that you are a sinful person, confess to him that u have sinned and tell him that you truly believe that Jesus Christ has died on the cross for your sins and you are willing to accept this gift of salvation from him..
my sincere prayer for all of you reading this blog: that all of u will be saved and we will see each other in heaven in future.. =)
pap's election slogan this year is 心连心，向前进。
well some online forums were suggesting this: 金连金，向钱进。 haha..
anyway, I am not going to discuss about politics here lest my blog gets shut down or something. but as I went through the weekend's sermon and bible study, one theme was rather glaring. and it was that of sin. and I suggest to you this: sin连sin, 向泉进。 泉是指黄泉的泉。
this topic of sin is rather hard to broach.. I mean deep down we are all proud people, and we do not want people to tell us that we are bad people.. so even when some churches evangelise to non-christians, theirs is a message of comfort, solace and meaning in life. come embrace christianity, God loves you and will give you life. God will comfort you in your sorrows. Christianity will provide you the meaning you are looking for in your life. if you want to know how to live the perfect life, Christianity is the answer.
but if I tell you that the true message of Christianity is that you need Jesus because you have sinned, many of you will be rather turned off.. i think the message of the true meaning of life and the love and comfort Jesus can provide is probably more palatable and easy to swallow. but I don't think that is the point. if I were to be faithful and true to God's word, then the message of sin must be told first before the message of love.
the rationale is simple. there is a problem. there is a consequence of this problem. and there is a solution. without a problem, there is no consequence and obviously, what solution is there to talk about?
The bible says, "As it is written: there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. all have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." the problem of mankind is this: all man have sinned by rejecting God and refusing to obey his commands. the consequence: "the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalms 1)
the consequence of sin is death. therefore, as much as we can prolong our lives in this day, all of us will one day die. and this death is a result of the sin we all have.
I don't know about you, but I have never failed to realise how bad or sinful a person I am, even before I became a Christian. perhaps that makes it easier for me to believe in the bible. and in fact, one of the reasons why I was first convinced of the message is that what the bible says about sin really applies to me. and it makes a whole lot of sense to me. and that is a crucial first step, to acknowledge that all of us here, no matter how hard we try to be good people, have sinned and have fallen short of God's standards.
I am not sure if I can explain this well but I shall try. we are all born with a conscience, murderers, rapists, liars, cheaters all included. we are able to decipher what is right and what is wrong. and quite amazingly, this idea of right and wrong is generally consistent even across ethnicity and geography. let's say the same act of B sticking out his leg and causing A to trip. A will not so much as cast a frown on B if it was not intentional. but if A knows that B had a bone to pick with him and had purposely done so, A will confront B and start a quarrel with him. so although it is the same act, we can somehow say that the latter act is wrong and the former is not. and that applies for many things. things like murder. things like stealing. have you ever wondered why it seems so natural for us to think that murder and stealing are wrong? where did we get this idea from? is it taught to us? so at 4 years old before you received any education, do you sincerely believe that killing someone is the right thing to do? so it seems that all of us share this natural law inside us which tells us what is right and what is wrong. and CS Lewis who wrote Chronicles of Narnia had this to say to skeptics: "whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real right or wrong, you will find him going back on this a moment later. he may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaining 'it's not fair' even before you can say jack robinson."
my next point, or actually it's CS lewis' point, is that none of us are keeping to this law within us. so if u have been a perfect person all your life, and have never done anything wrong, I think whatever I have said and am going to say now and in future does not apply to you. and this is where I will refute the claim that Christians are conceited and arrogant snobs. because one definition of a true Christian is a person who accepts that he has sinned and fallen short of God's standards and has come to believe in God and accepted God's gift of salvation. in short, he is one who feels that he needs to be saved.
for myself, while I was still exploring the faith, this verse from romans 7 was very true to me. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. for what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.. so I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. for in my inner being I delight in god's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. what a wretched man I am!"
sometimes, we read the newspapers and delight in condemning the murderers and the sexually depraved people.. why is he so cruel? why did he had to resort to killing her? why did the father rape his daughters? this doctor had a wife and a nice family, why did he have to take upskirt photos of women? why did Hitler and Pol Pot have to resort to massacring millions of people to attain their political ambitions? it seems so stupid of them, so inexplicable to us.. but the bible has always been right in its assessment of mankind.. all have sinned. what about you? no, I am a good person. I donated $5 to charity that day. I helped an old lady cross the road. what wrong have I done? but really, what the murderers, the rapists and the robbers did were just a manifestation of what is deep within everyone. he hated his wife who had slept with another man. so he killed her. the murder was just a outward manifestation of the hatred in him. when I hate another person, the difference between me and the murderer is that this hatred was not that deep. what this person did to me was not as serious as what the wife did to the man. and if really there is one day when that hatred is so deep, the only thing stopping me from killing my enemy is just the law and the dire consequences. but the heart of mine and the heart of the murderer are the same. sin is in 心. it comes from within us. when we hate someone, when we feel conceited and proud, when we look at someone lustfully, when we put our own interests above others, we have already sinned even though outwardly, we can pretend to be the most angelic creatures on earth.
and God looks right through our heart and sees all our evil thoughts. and the only rightful result of our sin is death. we can never escape that.
so what hope is there for us? by our own human efforts, we can never achieve God's standards. God is holy and his standards are high. he wants us spotless and clean. we can help a thousand people in our lives. we can meditate at home all day. we can become vegetarians. we can even give up all our possessions. but nothing is ever going to change the fact that we are sinful people. and nothing is ever going to blot over our sins. given the wrong circumstances, we are always going to fall into sin. there is absolutely no hope for us except Jesus Christ. I know, I know.. u will say: how can you guys claim that Jesus Christ is the only way? yes, I also wished there were other ways and other alternatives. but the bible says this is the only way. if the bible is true, then this is the only way. if it is false, either there is no way and everyone is condemned or there is some other way/s.
but why is there even a way for us explained in the bible? since we have done wrong, we deserve punishment.. by right, God doesn't have to provide us with a solution. but by left, because of his mercy, he has provided us a solution in the way of Jesus Christ. that he has come to die on the cross. Jesus was absolutely clean and spotless in God's eyes. he did not sin like us because he is god. by being perfect and yet accepting God's punishment on our behalf, he is the perfect sacrifice for all our sins.. and we are saved from God's anger because of him. and this only if we believe in Jesus Christ and believing that what he had done really happened and his act is sufficient to wipe away all our sins. the result of believing in him is eternal life. physically we will still die, but spiritually we will be raised up after our death and live happily ever after, literally.
it doesnt make sense at first. absurd. but if u think about it properly, how can imperfect man make peace with God? but only on God's terms and God's solution can we be saved. by sending a perfect person to die for imperfect man.. and after 2 years as a Christian, it seems a perfect solution. God's gift of salvation (being saved) is free and unconditional. oh I need to do steps 1 to 10 to become a Christian. I need to go to church. I must donate this amount of money to the church. I must be born in a Christian family. Nope! all God wants is for you to recognise that you are a sinful person, confess to him that u have sinned and tell him that you truly believe that Jesus Christ has died on the cross for your sins and you are willing to accept this gift of salvation from him..
my sincere prayer for all of you reading this blog: that all of u will be saved and we will see each other in heaven in future.. =)
Thursday, May 04, 2006
You have a choice!
Hmm decided to take a break from my usual "bible-bashing" to talk about something else.. haha..
elections are here! so exciting.. it seems that this year's election is more exciting than the previous ones. number of reasons. firstly, this is the first time in many years that the pap is not returned to the government on nomination day. yay. secondly, i get to vote. double yay. thirdly, this election's opposition candidates seem more credible and capable compared to the past. so really, we are in for an exciting 6th of may.
but of cos let us not kid ourselves. we know who will form the govt on saturday. even the most politically apathetic person living here can tell u that.
so i think we are not really looking at opposition parties forming the govt. we are not looking at opposition candidates who can negotiate FTAs or change the education system. minus all the bread and butter issues. minus james gomez. minus upgrading. i agree with the opposition that we cannot allow the pap to have absolute power in the parliament. and that we really need an opposition, a credible one, to keep a check on the pap in the parliament and to really prevent them from getting complacent and abusing their power..
having said that, i have no doubts that pap has done a great job of governing singapore for the past 40 odd years.. and i believe the pap govt will continue to do their job.. but there is always a role for an alternative voice in the parliament. and saying that, i don't mean any tom, dick or harry getting into parliament and talking nonsense or trying to pick a bone with the govt just for the sake of it. and i am very sure singaporeans are shrewd enough to see for themselves who are good enough and who are not..
for this election, i am witnessing a very impressive batch of opposition candidates who are not contesting for fun. they are well-educated, can speak and argue sensibly and most importantly, they have a passion to serve and improve the livelihood of people. and their willingness to step out of their comfort zone to contest against the pap and stand for what they believe in deserves to be applauded.. on the other hand, i really question the wisdom of allowing new, untested pap candidates to sail into parliament on the backs of ministers without a true baptism of fire..
it's not hard to guess who i am supporting.. just that unfortunately, i am not living in hougang or aljunied grc haha.. it all boils down to a very interesting 6th of may.
to those who are living in these areas, i just have to leave you with this: you have a choice! =)
elections are here! so exciting.. it seems that this year's election is more exciting than the previous ones. number of reasons. firstly, this is the first time in many years that the pap is not returned to the government on nomination day. yay. secondly, i get to vote. double yay. thirdly, this election's opposition candidates seem more credible and capable compared to the past. so really, we are in for an exciting 6th of may.
but of cos let us not kid ourselves. we know who will form the govt on saturday. even the most politically apathetic person living here can tell u that.
so i think we are not really looking at opposition parties forming the govt. we are not looking at opposition candidates who can negotiate FTAs or change the education system. minus all the bread and butter issues. minus james gomez. minus upgrading. i agree with the opposition that we cannot allow the pap to have absolute power in the parliament. and that we really need an opposition, a credible one, to keep a check on the pap in the parliament and to really prevent them from getting complacent and abusing their power..
having said that, i have no doubts that pap has done a great job of governing singapore for the past 40 odd years.. and i believe the pap govt will continue to do their job.. but there is always a role for an alternative voice in the parliament. and saying that, i don't mean any tom, dick or harry getting into parliament and talking nonsense or trying to pick a bone with the govt just for the sake of it. and i am very sure singaporeans are shrewd enough to see for themselves who are good enough and who are not..
for this election, i am witnessing a very impressive batch of opposition candidates who are not contesting for fun. they are well-educated, can speak and argue sensibly and most importantly, they have a passion to serve and improve the livelihood of people. and their willingness to step out of their comfort zone to contest against the pap and stand for what they believe in deserves to be applauded.. on the other hand, i really question the wisdom of allowing new, untested pap candidates to sail into parliament on the backs of ministers without a true baptism of fire..
it's not hard to guess who i am supporting.. just that unfortunately, i am not living in hougang or aljunied grc haha.. it all boils down to a very interesting 6th of may.
to those who are living in these areas, i just have to leave you with this: you have a choice! =)
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