Christ and Common Sense

Thoughts from a Central Valley Pastor

Tag: Gospel

John MacArthur’s Letter to the Governor

October 1, 2022 /

I have never heard of a pastor writing an open letter to the sitting governor of a state. I am sure it has happened in the past, but for a letter of this magnitude to be written is a historically significant event, if only because of how rarely it occurs. As such, I think it is important to make my readers aware of what has happened so they can be informed and pray accordingly. 

The letter was published on September 29, 2022 at www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/3592. The following is a portion of an open letter from Pastor John MacArthur to Governor Gavin Newsom. The letter was written in “response to billboard advertisements placed across the country by Newsom’s campaign shamelessly misquoting Mark 12:31 in support of abortion.” 

Almighty God says in His Word, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Scripture also teaches that it is the chief duty of any civic leader to reward those who do well and to punish evildoers (Romans 13:1–7). You have not only failed in that responsibility; you routinely turn it on its head, rewarding evildoers and punishing the righteous.

The Word of God pronounces judgment on those who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20), and yet many of your policies reflect this unholy, upside-down view of honor and morality. The diabolical effects of your worldview are evident in the statistics of California’s epidemics of crime, homelessness, sexual perversions (like homosexuality and transgenderism), and other malignant expressions of human misery that stem directly from corrupt public policy. I don’t need to itemize or elaborate on the many immoral decisions you have perpetrated against God and the people of our state, which have only exacerbated these problems. Nevertheless, my goal in writing is not to contend with your politics, but rather to plead with you to hear and heed what the Word of God says to men in your position.

“Let all kings bow down before Him, all nations serve Him” (Psalm 72:11).

“He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises” (2 Samuel 23:3–4).

“It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, for a throne is established on righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12).

What God said to Cyrus is a truth you should take to heart: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5–6).

“In mid-September, you revealed to the entire nation how thoroughly rebellious against God you are when you sponsored billboards across America promoting the slaughter of children, whom He creates in the womb (Psalm 139:13–16; Isaiah 45:9–12). You further compounded the wickedness of that murderous campaign with a reprehensible act of gross blasphemy, quoting the very words of Jesus from Mark 12:31 as if you could somehow twist His meaning and arrogate His name in favor of butchering unborn infants. 

You used the name and the words of Christ to promote the credo of Molech (Leviticus 20:1–5). It would be hard to imagine a greater sacrilege.Furthermore, you chose words from the lips of Jesus without admitting that in the same moment He gave the greatest commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). You cannot love God as He commands while aiding in the murder of His image-bearers.Psalm 50:16–19 speaks to people who pervert the Word of God for their own sinful ends: But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to recount My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you. When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. You let your mouth loose in evil And you harness your tongue for deceit.”

My concern, Governor Newsom, is that your own soul lies in grave, eternal peril. “Each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). One day, not very long from now, you will face that reality. Nothing is more certain. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). You will stand in the presence of the Holy God who created you, who is your Judge, and He will demand that you give an account for how you have flouted His authority in your governing, and how you have twisted His own Holy Word to rationalize it. As you look over the precipice of eternity, what will your answer be? When you look ahead of you and see that nothing awaits you but eternal misery—the just punishment for your sins—what will all the clever rationalizations and political talking points avail for you then? And by then it will be too late for any remedy or redemption. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

My plea to you, Sir, is that you would not let it come to that—that you would not go to that day of judgment apart from receiving forgiveness and righteousness through faith in Christ alone. In Psalm 50, after rebuking the wicked for uttering God’s words in a profane way, Scripture makes this promise: “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Me; and he who orders his way, I shall show the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:22–23).So there is salvation for those who repent. Christ purchased full redemption for all who will turn from wickedness, forsake their evil thoughts and actions, and trust fully in Him as Lord and Savior.Our church, and countless Christians nationwide, are praying for your full repentance. 

Please respond to the gospel, forsake the path of wickedness you have pursued all your life, turn to Christ, ask for forgiveness, and use your office to advance the cause of righteousness (as is your duty) instead of undermining it (as has been your pattern). “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6–7)Governor Newsom, “now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). For the Master, John MacArthur Pastor-Teacher 

As I wrote earlier, this is a significant event. John MacArthur is not one to waste time pursuing political messages for personal gain. He is driven by his conviction and his belief in the sufficiency of Scripture. He is sounding the alarm and graciously calling the governor to repentance. 

From my perspective this is a case of stolen valor. The governor has tried to drape himself and his campaign in a religious uniform by quoting scripture to support his view of abortion. This is an affront to God’s holy word and to the Catholic beliefs that the governor claims to support. Kathleen Domingo, the executive director of the California Catholic Conference said, “It is unconscionable that these ads distort Scripture to support abortion, specifically in states that have already dramatically limited abortion in favor of supporting life,” (https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2022/09/23/unconscionable-california-gov-newsom-cites-jesus-on-billboards-promoting-abortion/) 

I will not be surprised if the governor does not reply to pastor John’s letter because technically the campaign posters he authorized only pertain to his reelection campaign, not his current role as governor. That is what I was told by the governor’s office when I called last week. The person who took my call ended the call abruptly after saying, “This conversation is no longer constructive.” Clearly she was referring to the governor’s office’s perspective. I disagree with her viewpoint. I believe the need to hold a sitting governor accountable is an important role for every citizen, especially if the governor has made the mistake of misquoting a religious document that many of his constituents hold in a higher regard than any civic document. 

We Were Warned About This

October 1, 2022 /

The apostle Paul gave a prediction that has proved true over and over again. He said, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) 

We are living in such a time. The world is full of false teachers who try to infiltrate churches. Many are successful and those who don’t disrupt churches internally, often start new churches that allow them to invent new ways to mislead people.

The need for discernment is great because now politicians are cutting in on the false teaching.

They are seeking to use God’s holy word to convince people to support their causes. It doesn’t matter if the causes are abhorrent and completely opposed to the teaching of Scripture. If they can find a verse and pull it out of context, then their hope is there will be some people who will be fooled by the veneer of spirituality and vote to support their “religious” cause. 

One verse that has been ripped from it’s original context is Luke 12:48. This passage takes place at the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus was talking to the crowds about the Kingdom of Heaven, not about the need to raise taxes. But that doesn’t stop some politicians from quoting the following words to justify the need for a tax increase, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” The original context is not referring to sacrificing for the local government. It is referring to sacrificing spiritually for God! 

At the root of this problem, there seems to be the belief that governments can replace God’s influence in the world. While living in Albania I learned that one of the strategies of Enver Hoxha’s brutal regime was to replace the Ten Commandments of the Bible with the 10 Commandments of Communism. I talked to a pastor who remembered going to a room in a government building where he had to agree with the newly invented moral code. This type of false teaching is easy to discern for those who know Scripture, but for the generations that grew up in the atheistic society, they would have had nothing to compare it to. 

Our society is becoming less moral and people are not only becoming less literate, but more importantly, they are becoming less Biblically literate. Once this happens their ability to discern between truth and error is considerably weakened. I believe this is one reason why we are seeing more politicians trying to use Scripture because they know less people understand it is being used out of context. 

An example of this was when Nancy Pelosi tried to use Matthew 25:35 to support a massive $40 billion aid bill that included billions of dollars in weapons and security costs. She said, “So when you are home thinking, ‘What is what this is all about?’ – just think about ‘when I was hungry, you fed me’ in the Gospel of Matthew.” If people had actually stopped to find the quote and read what Jesus said, they would realize what a twisted use of Scripture that was. 

More recently, the governor has decided to venture into the detestable practice of misusing Scripture for political gain. One of the political ads for his 2022 campaign for governor tries to use Mark 12:31 to support his view on abortion, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.” 

The ad doesn’t even include the first commandment which states, “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

It is clear from the context that love is not defined by men or women in the passage. It is defined by God! How is someone supposed to love God? With all their heart and with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength. If someone is not doing the first part of the command, they will not be able to do the second, which is about loving others. 

The context of the campaign ad is completely opposed to the message of Scripture because it implies that someone can love others by supporting abortion. Excuse me? How is it possible to 

take a quote from a book that teaches that life begins at conception and use it to support abortion? Just read Psalm 139:13-16 the next time there is any confusion about the abortion debate, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” 

To the discerning Christian, using any Scripture to support abortion immediately signals the existence of false teaching. Not only that, it signals the need to pray for those who are misusing Scripture. In Matthew 18:5-6 Jesus gave a stern warning to those who would seek to mislead the children of God. It says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Jesus’ harshest words were saved for those who knew the teaching of Scripture and yet chose to use it for personal gain. My prayer is that all who read this will recognize that we have been warned and if we must be honest with ourselves. If we have sinned, may we seek repentance and forgiveness. God is able to forgive. 1 John 1:9-10 says, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

Surprised by the Narrow Gate

June 11, 2021 /

One of the most surprising conversations I’ve ever had was with a professing Christian who believed all religions lead to heaven. I remember it was my freshman year of college and I had travelled back to Thailand to visit my parents. As part of my trip I had to go to the immigration office and that meant waiting in a long line for the paperwork to get processed. While waiting I struck up a conversation with a self-described “seeker” who had traveled from the U.S. to southeast Asia on a religious pilgrimage. We talked for a long time about his travels and life. He told me about his fascination with Hinduism and Bhuddism. I asked him what he thought about Jesus Christ, and this friendly ex-pat told me he was a Christian. I remember being surprised because I had never met anyone who was so confused. He told me a phrase I have unfortunately heard many times since then, “I think all religions lead to God.”  

I wasn’t sure how to respond to such relativistic thinking, but I knew I had to say something. Looking back I think it would have been helpful to ask him a few diagnostic questions to show him the error of his ways, but instead I said, “Sir, I am a Christian and I know the Bible says there is only one way to heaven and that is through belief in Jesus Christ.” I wanted to press the point home so for the first time in my life I told someone to stop calling themselves a Christian. I said, “Please do us all a favor and stop calling yourself a Christian. You are only going to confuse other people and you are going to hurt the reputation of those who are true believers.” 

I thought he would get upset, but he didn’t. Clearly, he had never studied the Bible enough to know you can’t use it to create your own spiritual mash-up of religions. I’m not sure how many other people he had talked to about his views, but I wanted to make sure he didn’t leave our conversation thinking Christianity had room for his philosophy of life. 

As I reflect back on that conversation I know the most surprising part was not that he was a professing Christian, it was that I was emboldened enough to tell him he was wrong. I did not consider myself an evangelist or an apologist. I just wanted to make sure he knew he couldn’t get away with such intellectual dishonesty. 

I’ve prayed for the man and I have often wondered how God used that conversation in his life. I hope he was surprised enough to go back and study the Bible for himself. I hope he read Jesus’ teaching in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Or he could have read Acts 4:21, “Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 

That conversation took place more than twenty years ago. Now, that man’s relativistic attitude has turned mainstream. I have heard dozens of people say they are Christians when the Bible would say they are not. They think they can be a Christian and say “All roads lead to heaven” because no one has shown them the folly of their ways. They need Christians to lovingly tell them about the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. You can’t create a piecemeal version of spirituality that adds other religions to the Bible. Other religions can add teaching under their umbrella of philosophy, but Christianity has no umbrella. There is a narrow gate that leads to life, and Jesus urged the crowds listening to him, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14) May we all strive to enter by the narrow gate to heaven which is only through Jesus Christ.

taking the road less traveled

I've been to 30 out of 217 countries

© 2024 Christ and Common Sense

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑