Motive

In Lewis Carroll's classic nonsense novel "Alice in Wonderland", Alice stands at a crossroads, uncertain of which path to choose. So she asks the Cheshire Cat which way to go. The Cheshire Cat insightfully replies, "That depends on where you want to go." 

Without knowing which way she wanted to go, Alice could go nowhere - she was stuck. An action cannot be taken in the absence of motivation: every action has a motivation behind it. 

There are two types of motives - moral, and immoral. Moral motives can lead to immoral results, as demonstrated by Les Miserables. Jean val Jean desired to feed his sister's starving family - his motivation was pure. But the theft he committed to fulfill that motive was wrong. Conversely, immoral motives can lead to good results. Pharaoh's refusal to release the Israelites from Egyptian slavery showed forth God's great power, through the plagues. 

If both types of motives - moral and immoral - can lead to bad results, then does it matter which motivates our actions? Yes, it matters a lot. God weighs the motives of the heart in weighing the action accompanying the motive. The Pharisees' righteousness was counted as filthy rags, because their motivation was pride. The tax collectors' repentance, though seemingly paltry compared to the Pharisees', was motivated by love for God. The attitudes of the heart, or motives, often differentiate between good and bad actions.

God is weaving all history into a tapestry of grace, regardless of evil or righteous motives. So let each of us play a role in Hisstory, doing our best to keep our motivations pure, to walk in the path of the righteous, and to remember that with God, nothing is impossible. 

The Present

In popular children's film Kung Fu Panda, a character remarks: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the 'present.'"


God designed humans to experience life through the present. Unlike God, humanity is incapable of experiencing time as a whole; instead, every individual experiences life as a series of successive moments. The present is continually flowing, suspending the individual between the past and the future. Enjoyment can be found only in the present, whether by enjoying a meal, writing a paper, or fellowshipping with friends. Even looking forward to the future is a hope experienced in the present; wistfully looking back to the past in retrospect still is experienced in the present. 


But how often does humankind get caught up in the past or the future? Victims of tragedy or a dreary lifestyle sigh for the past, while the young and hopeful peer into the future and chase the horizon. Sin often finds a foothold in retrospect or prospect; procrastination and despair assume the hope or desperation of tomorrow, while wishful thinking looks backward to "the good days". 


Even Kung Fu Panda offers a lesson to every human being: live in the present. Anticipate and prepare for the future, remembering that the present is moving toward the future. Look back on the past with wise retrospect, learning from past mistakes and using the acquired knowledge to aid in wise present decisions. 


For no matter how hard humanity tries, the future is always ahead and the past is always behind. God desires His people to make the most of the gift of today. This day - this hour - this moment - is designed for us to enjoy and excel in.

Roman Opalka and Infinity

Roman Opalka died on August 6th, leaving a legacy of longing. Opalka, a painter who yearned for infinity, spent the last 46 years of his life in painting numbers on canvases. He painted numbers all the way from 1 to 5,500,000. 

Why? Infinity intrigued him, drawing him irresistibly to its pulsating fascination. He yearned to get as close to infinity as he possibly could. 

Some may think Roman Opalka's enterprise was silly, some may think it was admirable. But Roman Opalka was expressing the same longing for infinity that all of us have. Sometimes a beautiful piece of music arouses the yearning for infinity - sometimes it's a lovely landscape - sometimes it's a well-written book. But all human beings possess  that same longing for the infinite, the perfect, the beautiful - a desire placed in human hearts by the infinite, perfect, beautiful Creator.

The Foundation of Government

Why do we establish governments at all? I’d contend that the two foundational principles of government are order and justice.

1: Order

Edmund Burke, an English thinker considered the father of modern conservatism, said “Good order is the foundation of all things.” However disorganized life may feel, order is still the foundation. To better understand why order matters, imagine what happens without order. As you know, it’s unpleasant and inconvenient when your house becomes disorganized and messy. On the bigger scale, the same principle of order holds true. Disorderly governments like many in South America struggle to survive against the onslaught of anarchy. We need order almost as much as we need water in order to survive. Violence and chaos flourish where order withers. But if we’re to have order, we need someone or something to enforce order. The house doesn’t keep itself tidy. Similarly, without government, chaos and anarchy reign. Society needs an agent to establish order. We institute government to enforce order and protect its citizens. Why? Order gives us security and allows us to walk the streets without fear. The absence of order is the presence of terror and insecurity.

Order is necessary for government. But it’s not sufficient.

2: Justice

Order without justice is tyranny. North Korea, for instance, has a lot of order, but no concern for justice. The result is oppression. Justice and order must both be valued by the government.

Justice is an integral part of our human identity … and for good reason. None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes and do wrong. The reason we need justice is to resolve conflict between criminals and victims. When a burglar commits theft, his crime must be punished. Justice counteracts crime by promising a just reward for every deed, good or bad. What happens without justice? Look at countries like those found in South America. Corruption, terror, and tragedy have taken over. But when justice is upheld and government fulfills its duty, French philosopher Frederic Bastiat argues, the people are happy and fulfilled; they are able to pursue happiness, enjoy individuality. “It is under the law of justice, … that every man will attain to the fullness of his worth, to all the dignity of his being[.]”

Incidentally, order and justice have a semi-symbiotic relationship. Order is a prerequisite for justice, and without justice, order eventually collapses. How? Let’s first look at how justice helps order survive in the long term. Before the French Revolution, there was order but no justice. The peasants revolted against injustice, and order was destroyed. If justice had been in place, the peasants would have had no legitimate reason to revolt. Order without justice is brittle and fragile. Order with justice is strong.

On the other hand, order is a prerequisite for justice – without some sort of order, justice cannot be enforced.

How does this work practically? How do we keep the government accountable to these high ideals? I would recommend a constitutional republic.

The government should answer first to the highest law of justice, and then listen to the people. Why? When the people’s voice is ignored, power is arbitrary and concentrated. The danger of concentrated power is that it breeds corruption. As Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The more power you have in the hands of few people, the more likely it is that corruption will exist. Distributing that power in the hands of the people avoids the danger of concentrated power.

Yet the government’s first priority should be justice, hopefully as embodied in its constitution. The people can make tragic mistakes, and can’t be the final answer to all the government’s accountability problems.

The government should be accountable first and foremost to justice, and next to the people.

Aristotle's "Politics"

The pompous, patronizing style that Aristotle uses in “Politics” could easily disguise the beauty of his ideas. In “Politics” he lays out things relating to the “polis”, or the city state – from listing the ways to govern different kinds of governments to asking if music should be part of education. Let’s look at two main points Aristotle covers.

1: Types of government

The essence of government is authority. Aristotle recognizes this and breaks down the use of authority into three main categories.

- Familial

Aristotle held the view that families should be ruled by the man of the house. Early on, he said, “the wife should be treated as a citizen of a free state, the children should be under kingly power.” Women were created to help and assist their husbands, working diligently at home. The children obeyed, since Aristotle argued that youth had much courage but little understanding. It was the men governed households.

- Herile

Aristotle contends that some were created to be slaves, and others to rule, according to the nature of things. Perhaps biased by the customs of his time, he failed to understand that God didn’t create anyone for slavery.

- Political

In addition to isolating a few main types of government, Aristotle subdivided those main types even further. But right now we’ll just take a look at the four he presents.

• Monarchy

In a monarchy, the semi-absolute kingship is passed from father to child.

• Oligarchy

Basically, this is rule by the rich.

• Democracy

The poor have the biggest say in a democracy.

• “Free state”

A strong middle class to balance out the rich and the poor composes this so-called “free state”. Popular sovereignty guides the government of the free state, according to Aristotle.

2: Best form of political government

Aristotle argues for popular sovereignty in terms of pure practicality. He says, “the judgment of an individual must necessarily be perverted if he is overcome by anger or any other passion; but it would be hard indeed if the whole community should be misled by anger.” An individual ruler might have a bad day with anger, and cause the government to violate justice for no other reason than his own varying emotions. But when is everybody angry all at once? The sheer number of people in popular sovereignty outweighs extreme ideas. Better yet, popular sovereignty provides a huge diversity of opinions to guide the government. Similarly to how a hand, foot, or eye by itself doesn’t make up a body, just a few people ruling over the entire population can’t see the big picture. But when you bring in popular sovereignty, there are a multitude of perspectives.

Popular sovereignty provides a big picture of justice, kind of like the story of the blind men and elephant. One feels the elephant’s trunk and decides the elephant is like a snake. Feeling the elephant’s leg, another says the elephant is like a pillar. Another feels the tusks, thinking an elephant is like a spear. We see the elephant only when we put the different perspectives together. Similarly, different perspectives are invaluable in government. Aristotle said that “If [justice] … [is] to be found in democracy, … [it] will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.”

Based on the ‘checks and balances’ that popular sovereignty provides, Aristotle concludes that in general the populace should guide the government’s decisions.

"Lord of the Flies" - more than a novel

A casual observer, reading through the first few pages of Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” would expect a kind of Robinson Crusoe tale of adventure on an island. But as the story draws you in, you realize with sickening horror the reality of fallen humanity. Sobered, you awaken with a deepened appreciation for a just government.

Let’s look at a few themes from Lord of the Flies key to this year’s resolution.

1: Man is fallen

At first there was order on the island. The boys stood under the rule of their leader, Ralph. But dissension and disorder crept into their ranks. Fear manifested itself in the form of a nightmarish “beast” that terrified the “littluns”. One boy began to grasp what haunted them, and, petrified, said, “Maybe there is a beast. … Maybe it’s only us.”

Then bloodthirstiness and savagery overtook the boys. By the end of the book, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart,”

A nauseating symbol for Satan, the Lord of the Flies, hisses to the appalled Simon, “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? … I’m the reason why it’s not go? Why things are as they are?”

They learned that the heart of man is desperately wicked, all because of the Lord of the Flies who once hissed temptation to a woman in a garden.

Falleness taints all of our actions, even as it twisted the antagonist’s mind, and silenced the consciences of his followers.

2: Order and Justice are necessary for survival

The hero, Ralph, tried to establish rules and order. But no one followed them. During one particular meeting, Ralph attempted once more to keep order. “shouted Ralph, ‘You’re breaking the rules!’ ‘Who cares?’ ‘Because rules are the only thing we’ve got!’”

Ralph knew that when order was shattered, survival was put at risk. Because they neglected order, the signal fire went out, and they missed an opportunity of a ship rescuing them. Their carelessness allowed a fire to ravage the forest and kill a boy. Order was lost; survival was endangered.

Worse, the antagonist, Jack, set himself up as a tyrant. He violated justice – two boys were killed, and more would have died if it hadn’t been for their sudden rescue by grownups. This was too late for the three boys whose deaths had proven that without order and justice, survival is at jeopardy.

3: Popular Sovereignty is unreliable

The boys on the island initially voted for Ralph as leader. Before long, though, they began to listen to the call of the dark side. Within a few days they surrendered to barbarism and deserted order and Justice in order to embrace disorder and injustice.

It was the boys’ choice that directed the government. But the consequences of their wrong choices far outweighed the good choice that they first made. Popular Sovereignty is unreliable because it relies on the fickle nature of man.

Immanuel Kant Can't Climb Walls

Immanuel Kant built a wall that had devastating consequences for the entirety of modern history. Time and again, intellectuals have tried their hardest to tear down this wall … with little success. Could there really be a chink in Kant’s armor, a hole in the dike? Let’s find out.

Now, what wall are we talking about anyway? It’s certainly not a physical wall. It’s a wall between two realms that Kant called the noumenal and the phenomenal realms. Kant, with those tricky-to-spell words, is simply referring to the world that we can see, taste, touch, smell, and feel with the term phenomenal. Noumenal speaks of the realm outside our sense perception (God exists in the noumenal realm). Where the controversy lies is Kant’s next assumption – the wall between the two realms is utterly impassable. We cannot use science or even reason to bridge that wall. Humanity is cut off from God with no rational or scientific way to know if God even exists except by a blind leap of faith. Now if you happen to be a Christian, Kant’s speculations should rub against the grain. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:20 “For His [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they [humanity ]are without excuse.”

Paul is saying that God has reached down from the noumenal realm and revealed Himself through the natural realm, that is, the phenomenal realm. But Kant says that there is an insurmountable wall between the noumenal and phenomenal realms. Either Kant is right and Paul is wrong, or Paul is right and Kant is wrong – but both of them can’t be correct at the same time.

The Bible was inspired by God, and written through human authors. If Paul is wrong, then God Himself is a liar. God forbid such an impossibility.

Immanuel Kant was a very clever person, or at least he thought so. His noumenal and phenomenal realms sound impressive, and we can nod appreciatively at the wall between the two realms … but only so long as we know that the wall is only built of sense perception (since we can’t use our five senses to perceive God). God is powerful enough to overleap the wall by revealing Himself through nature, just as Paul said. For with God, nothing is impossible.

Natural Law

Evil strikes a deep chord with every human being. We cheer when the police apprehend a thief. When we think of Hitler, rage boils within us. We delight when King John is dethroned and King Richard the Lionhearted is restored to power.

Why?

Natural Law. 

What is Natural Law? It is a set of moral laws implanted into every human being. These laws - this Natural Law - include ones such as a horror of theft, cold-blooded killing, and inhumane treatment of humanity.
Our every interaction is tempered by Natural Law. It's that little voice inside us that niggles away when we transgress its moral law.
The Apostle Paul referred to Natural Law in Romans 2:14 "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law."
When Paul states that the Gentiles do not have the law, he is speaking of the law contained in the Old Testament. The law that the Gentiles do have - "by nature" - is Natural Law.
Natural Law can help guide us on the road of life. But what happens when we must choose between two parts of Natural Law?
In Victor Hugo's masterpiece Les Miserables, Jean val Jean - an everyday French man mired in poverty - is hurled into this very dilemma. He has a choice: starvation of a family member, or theft to feed the family member. Jean val Jean chose to steal a loaf of bread.
What do you think - did he do the right thing?
The worst problem with Natural Law lies not in the law itself, but in humanity's sinful nature. If Natural Law was the cure-all for moral problems, there would be no thieves, Hitler, or King John the usurper. All too often, Natural Law conflicts with our evil desires. The child knows that she should obey her mother, but those cookies in the cookie jar just look so tempting ... so the child hardens her heart against Natural Law. In small steps, humanity sears their consciences. That's how we get people like Hitler.
Natural Law's usefulness is limited by its conflict with both itself and our evil desires.

What do rely on for our rules of conduct if we can't rely on Natural Law all the time?
God's perfect law is the only one that never changes. Natural Law can be the map that guides us on the road of life, but God's law is the magnifying glass that clarifies the tricky spots. If the map tears or coffee spills on it,  God's word will be our guide.
Psalm 119:60 sums up our discussion well: "The sum of Your [God's] word is truth, And every one of Your righteous rules endures forever."

True Freedom

There are some pieces of music that send your heart soaring, that tug loose in you that longing for freedom. Then the song ends, and you're left with a hollow ache.

God planted in every one of us a desire for freedom. What is that freedom? Why do we want it so much? Most of all, how can we find it?
Today I'll answer the first question: What is freedom?

Freedom is not a lack of restraint.
Look up the word freedom in a dictionary, and you find definitions such as:
 a. "exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc."
 b. "the condition of being free from restraints."
 c. "the capacity to exercise choice; free will."
 d. "a political or civil right."

The American government was formed under the aspiration to the lofty idea of freedom. Yet according to common definitions, freedom (which is a civil right) can never be fully delivered by a government. Why? A government limits choice and imposes restraints, controls, interferences, and regulations.

More importantly, what does the Bible say about freedom?
2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
Nowhere in Scripture does the Bible say that once we are reborn into freedom, we can be unrestrained.
1 Peter 2:16 "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."
Well, that's it: freedom is not the lack of restraint.

On the other hand, freedom is not restraint.
1 Peter 2:16, however, does not say that freedom is servitude. After all, the very word freedom broken down containing the word free. Our whole soul cries out for freedom! We know that freedom can't be found in a government imposing restraints, or even the culture's endless dos and don'ts.
Galatians 5:1 confirms freedom's appeal for ethereality, "For freedom Christ has set us free..."
We yearn to be free. God desires for us to be free. Yet what is freedom, if it's not the lack of restraint, or even restraint?

True freedom is the ability to be who God created you to be.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were frustrated because you were prevented from using your God-given talents? That did not feel like freedom, did it?
However, when you are able to develop your talents, you are closer to freedom.
God will set you truly free when you arrive in heaven, if you call on His name. You will be free to fulfill your ultimate purpose: praising God forever.

True freedom is the ability to be who God created you to be. 

What is Pragmatism?

A simple definition of Pragmatism is "whatever works". Pragmatism's focus is on efficient practicality.

Let's explore pragmatism through two main points:
1: Practicality
Pragmatism is, if you will, utilitarian. It focuses on the practical. "What do we need?" Pragmatism asks, "Which is the fastest possible way to get what we need?"
Pragmatism's highest goals are efficiency in practicality. However, this can lead to a serious problem ...
2: Short-sightedness
America is a very pragmatic society. We love to solve problems so we can get what we need - quickly!
But what happens when the most efficient way to solve a problem creates a host of other problems? Pragmatism has the answer. We simply solve those problems the most efficient way. That leads to even more problems created ... because we want what we want right now!
Ladies and gentlemen, Pragmatism's problematic problem-solving is how we got to the budget deficit!

Often, the godly answer to problems and getting what we want is just to be patient, work hard, and pray. God values patience and long-suffering more than efficiency, and wisdom more than Pragmatism's short-sighted problem-solving.

Are you real?

How do you know that you are real?

Really. How do you know? What proof do you have that this isn't just a dream?

Today I'll prove that you exist in three ways.
1: Self-Awareness

We wake up each morning with a keen sense of self-awareness. We don't wander around, looking for the cereal, and think, "Who is this person? Oh - it's me!"

We can't escape ourselves. We simply are ourselves, in a way that only we can know and tell.

However, self-awareness isn't enough by itself to prove our existence, as we are still aware of ourselves in a dream.
2: Limited Point of View

In a sense, you are all of the characters in a dream. You see into their minds, feel their emotions, and even control them. Obviously, life doesn't work this way.

In life, you know for sure solely what you are thinking, feeling, and can control only your actions. You are one of the actors who struts along the stage with no guarantee of what the other actors will do next.

You are limited to yourself.
3: Sense Perception

Sense perception is so vivid. We run our hand along a bookshelf and smell the faint scent of wood, see the dark grains that flow over it, feel the friction of our hand against its smoothened fibers, even hear the whisper of our hand against the wood.

There seems to be no doubt about whether or not sense perception is part of a dream.

Today I hope I've proven to you that you exist. Don't laugh. This is a serious matter that calls into question the entirety of reality.

Next time you feel like something's so wonderful that it must be a dream, praise God that we do exist!

You Matter

The human soul yearns for eternity. We desperately want to believe that we matter ... that there's something beyond the here and now.

Yet sometimes we wonder, don't we?

We watch people striving to accomplish certain goals. Perhaps they want to achieve fame, gain money, impress others, or maybe they strive out of true zeal for a cause.
Then we realize that even if they do achieve their goal, it may feel that it hardly matters and no one cares. Even if they achieve fame, it may not last. Even if they gain money, it may vanish. Even if they impress some, there's no guarantee everyone will stay impressed. Even if they fulfill their cause, it may be defeated at any time.

We build our hopes and fears - our very lives - on these dreams ... only to realize sooner or later that they don't satisfy our yearning for eternity

Ecclesiastes 3:19 echoes the hopelessness we all feel: "For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity."

Is there any way out? Jeremiah 31:17 gives us the answer: "There is hope for your future..."

How do we grasp this hope? We must center our lives on Jesus Christ by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior.

If we make Him the cornerstone for our lives, we will matter. Even when our hopes and dreams don't give us the satisfaction we desire, He will satisfy our desires more deeply and fully than we could've ever imagined.

Jesus offers you meaning for eternity.

Just Exist?

"Though you may not know

where your gifts may lead,

and it may not show

at the start,

when you live your dream,

you'll find destiny

is written in your heart."

Those words come from the closing song of the Barbie movie The Princess and the Pauper. Although seemingly harmless, they sum up one of the most prevalent and dangerous philosophies of today.

What is that philosophy?

Existentialism.

What is existentialism?

One of the leading proponents of this philosophy defined existentialism as "existence precedes essence."

Dr. R.C. Sproul clarifies that definition when he says that existentialism is all about living for now - since it says that there is nothing beyond our existence right now.

Why is existentialism dangerous?

1. Existentialism denies the supernatural

If we're going to take the Bible seriously at all, we need to take the supernatural seriously. Every page of the Bible savors of the supernatural affecting our daily lives. However, existentialism says that there is no supernatural; that right now is all that there ever was, is, and will be.

Fellow Christians, take this point seriously.

2. Existentialism opens the floodgates of evil

Existentialism's denial of the supernatural leads to a more obviously destructive implication.

If there is nothing beyond this world, then there are no consequences for our actions. With no eternal consequences, then there's no real right or wrong - we make our own destiny. Since nothing matters forever, we might as well party out our lives. Thus the saying, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

Do you see how existentialism leads to moral chaos?

3. Existentialism is deceptively attractive

Yet despite these huge dangers, existentialism is alive and well!

The secret of its survival is its prevalence in the media. Movies, books, and music scream at us to follow our hearts and dreams, to do what we want to do right now because that's all there is.

Watch carefully - existentialism may be hiding in your favorite things. Defend yourself from it and cling to the word of God alone!

Relatively speaking ...

"That's what you believe."
"It's all relative."
"There are no absolutes."


Those three statements belong to the philosophy called relativism, a philosophy that dominates our culture. What is relativism all about, anyway?

Relativism is all about no absolutes. Let's look at the implications of relativism as we see three fatal contradictions in the philosophy of relativism.
1. Absolutely no absolutes
Relativism confidently asserts that there are absolutely no absolutes. Absolutely no absolutes? I don't think so.
2. Intolerance
Often relativists will boast in their tolerance of other religions and scold Christianity for their intolerance. Do you see now? There is one thing that relativism can't tolerate: intolerance.
3. Right and wrong
If everything is simply preference, since there are no absolutes, then justice, peace and liberty are all preferences. Some people might prefer to violate those preferences, because their preferences aren't the same as other people's preferences.

Relativism is inadequate as a philosophy because it violates its own principles.

What is Truth?

What is Truth?

This question has intrigued people since the very beginning of time. It's a question built into human nature. We all find ourselves asking this question, sooner or later.
If the answer doesn't emerge, we shrug it off.
Yet the question remains in the back of our mind, begging to be noticed.

Philosophers, theologians, and everyday people endeavor to answer the question. But sooner or later they run into a wall.
How do we know we're telling the truth about the truth?

By then, most people give up. "Truth is unknowable," or "There are no absolutes" they say.

What do you do when the question of right and wrong emerges?

Our very souls cry out for an answer to the question!

Jesus in John 14:6, says, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life..."

What is truth? Or rather, who is Truth? . . . Jesus Christ.