Hi there,
If someone says they believe something, because they would rather not look like they thought nothing was important, it is actually best not to argue with the fact that they believe something that may or may not be true. And if someone defends what they believe as if it couldn't not be important, it is actually best to decide one way or the other how true it could be if you wanted it to be or not. The important thing for you to remember, is that this is irrespective of whether you actually believe what they believe.
Why is this important? Because it is about being friends to people that have very little, without God and understanding that God loves you, whether you interpret what He believes the same way He does or not, at least to begin with. This is the message of the gospel, in an Age when only what you remember is able to stand (and stand it must - let the reader think on this). The whole debate about Evolution, actually revolves around whether believers are able to remain friendly about the way in which they believe what they choose to believe, not how much or how accurately they remember the theory of Evolution, if indeed they have anything to do with it, initially or otherwise. I say this not to distance myself, but to remind you and everyone that we all have choices and moreover, much more moreover, we have certain immutable choices in Christ that cannot be taken from us, whether we doubt our faith a little for other's sake or our own or greatly for our sake or for other's.
What gets lost in the debate, is a sense of balance, of the credulity of the moment, even of momentousness, because of the tendency to joke and harangue and harass, losing sight of the simplicity of the truth because of waywardness, the light of salt because of foolishness and the totality of the end because of narrow-sightedness. Not all of this is the other side's fault, either. We must remember we have an adversary, who will not stop at one or two sacrifices, no matter how freely they may be offered, apart from Christ. If our fundamental word is lost, we have nothing and must return to Christ as quickly as we can, lest more be lost. But we are already clean because of the word that He has spoken, as He said to us and in this we have confidence.
In the end, it is not "what" you carried with you, in your heart to the end, even if it was laughter, but how you carried it and to what end, if indeed you do want to be remembered for something, even greatness at all. No one who enters Heaven without praise, stays there for very long nor enjoys it (let the reader take note). The debate must rage on of course, or we would have nothing to test our faith and no way to develop character necessary to make our praise worthy of the God who has saved us, if indeed He has been able to do so (and we must not rule that out, do not kid yourselves, if you can - let the reader have caution). The point is that any debate is in God's hands and even if it is a barb to the end of time, it should not change our resolve.
A man's resolve can be above everything, if he knows by what manner of honour he sustains it (selah)
If someone says they believe something, because they would rather not look like they thought nothing was important, it is actually best not to argue with the fact that they believe something that may or may not be true. And if someone defends what they believe as if it couldn't not be important, it is actually best to decide one way or the other how true it could be if you wanted it to be or not. The important thing for you to remember, is that this is irrespective of whether you actually believe what they believe.
Why is this important? Because it is about being friends to people that have very little, without God and understanding that God loves you, whether you interpret what He believes the same way He does or not, at least to begin with. This is the message of the gospel, in an Age when only what you remember is able to stand (and stand it must - let the reader think on this). The whole debate about Evolution, actually revolves around whether believers are able to remain friendly about the way in which they believe what they choose to believe, not how much or how accurately they remember the theory of Evolution, if indeed they have anything to do with it, initially or otherwise. I say this not to distance myself, but to remind you and everyone that we all have choices and moreover, much more moreover, we have certain immutable choices in Christ that cannot be taken from us, whether we doubt our faith a little for other's sake or our own or greatly for our sake or for other's.
What gets lost in the debate, is a sense of balance, of the credulity of the moment, even of momentousness, because of the tendency to joke and harangue and harass, losing sight of the simplicity of the truth because of waywardness, the light of salt because of foolishness and the totality of the end because of narrow-sightedness. Not all of this is the other side's fault, either. We must remember we have an adversary, who will not stop at one or two sacrifices, no matter how freely they may be offered, apart from Christ. If our fundamental word is lost, we have nothing and must return to Christ as quickly as we can, lest more be lost. But we are already clean because of the word that He has spoken, as He said to us and in this we have confidence.
In the end, it is not "what" you carried with you, in your heart to the end, even if it was laughter, but how you carried it and to what end, if indeed you do want to be remembered for something, even greatness at all. No one who enters Heaven without praise, stays there for very long nor enjoys it (let the reader take note). The debate must rage on of course, or we would have nothing to test our faith and no way to develop character necessary to make our praise worthy of the God who has saved us, if indeed He has been able to do so (and we must not rule that out, do not kid yourselves, if you can - let the reader have caution). The point is that any debate is in God's hands and even if it is a barb to the end of time, it should not change our resolve.
A man's resolve can be above everything, if he knows by what manner of honour he sustains it (selah)
