When Christians Use The "S" Word

I hate it when Christian’s use the “S” word. By “S” word I mean sovereignty. If any of you thought that my last post on Christian music was taking things a little too far then some of you will probably want to take me outside of the city and stone me after you read this. I’m not purposefully trying to stir up trouble but I feel like the issue of God’s sovereignty is one of the most misunderstood subjects in Christianity.

God’s sovereignty is probably one of the most talked about subjects in churches and among Christians today. I think the reason is because there are so many things that happen in this life that are unexpected and that we didn’t see coming and sometimes it’s hard to handle those things when they come our way. I mean things like sickness and disease, murder, rape, natural catastrophes, etc. More often then not the response you will hear from Christian people will be something like this, “Well, God knows best.” Or, “God is in control.” “It must be God’s will or it wouldn’t have happened that way.” I’m going to have to say that I disagree with these reasons.

Old Testament scripture is what people usually sight as “proof” that everything, good or bad, comes from God. Passages from Job are often quoted. We have to keep in mind that Job did not have a full revelation of who God was as we do now. And also at the end of the book of Job we find Job repenting and admitting that he “uttered what I did not understand.” One very important thing that we need to remember that I believe would change our understanding of these things is this: We must run everything through the cross. It acts like a filter. God did not change; but, His way of dealing with people changed after Jesus died on the cross. This is the good news of the gospel, which by the way, literally means “good news”.

The question we always hear from people is, “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” You’ve heard that one right? The answer is really simple. God gave Adam and Eve a free will in the garden of Eden. They choose poorly and sinned and as a result we are living with the consequences of that. All the bad stuff that happens in this world is not a result of God not caring or not knowing what’s going on. It’s not a result of God willing or allowing bad things to happen to teach us a lesson, bring us closer to Him or even so that He will get the glory. What God allowed was man to have a choice in the beginning and we’re living with that choice still.

People often say “God can do anything He wants.” But that’s not true either. God cannot and will not break His word. It’s not an option. So if His word tells us that He is a good God and that He is a giver of good gifts then He cannot turn around and give bad things. He has limited Himself by His word. The truth of the matter is that people like to think that everything that happens is God’s will and we don’t have any say in the matter. It somehow is a comfort to them. There’s a feeling that if I can’t do anything about the situation anyway then I’ll just trust that God knows what he’s doing.

At the end of Matthew and Mark right before Jesus ascends back to heaven he gives his disciples authority in this world to go and make disciples, heal the sick, etc. A transfer of power took place in the garden of Eden. Man gave Satan power in this world when they sinned. Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice and atonement for sin and He’s now given the power to back to us. We as Christians need to realize where the bad stuff comes from and use the authority that’s been given us in Christ and stop blaming everything that happens on God’s sovereign will. I don’t think God likes to be blamed for doing something He hasn’t done anymore than the rest of us do.

Jesus tells us in John 10:10,
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
I don’t think it can get any plainer than that. But in case you’re still skeptical try James 1:17 which says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

You can remember it this way. If it’s good, it’s God. If it’s bad, it’s the devil. God is not guilty. Why do we blame God for bad things when the Bible plainly tells us that God is a giver of good things and it’s the devil who is behind the bad stuff? I love how James says it, there’s not even a hint of God changing. I choose to believe that God’s word is true and if it is then the bad things can’t possibly come from Him.

In Matthew 7 Jesus says this:
“Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

I don’t have kids but I have two beautiful nieces and a nephew on the way that I love very much. And I know that as much as I love them it can’t possibly compare to how much God loves us. I wouldn’t cause my nieces and nephew pain just to get their attention, even if they were doing wrong. I want good things for them. I want them to have the least amount of heartache and hurt as possible. And as an Aunt I would never, ever even consider hurting them in anyway just to teach them a lesson. So why do we think God who loves us even more would ever do those things to us?

We are also told in Hebrews chapter 1 that,
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…”

The Bible is telling us that Jesus is the “express image” of God the Father. If that’s the case then everything Jesus said and did was a reflection of what God the Father wants for us. Jesus went around healing people and setting them free not bringing bad things upon them so that they would be taught lessons. Everything Jesus did was good.

Acts 10:38 says
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him”

He healed all; not just some. Not just those who deserved it or the ones He felt like healing. He healed them all. And notice it says that it’s the devil who was oppressing them. I think it leaves a bad witness to the world when we as Christians tell unsaved people the reasons bad things are happening to us or to them is because God has caused it or wants it that way.

Why on earth would anyone be remotely interested in a God who wants bad things to happen to us? You’ve got to be kidding! No thank you! Try telling a rape victim or someone who has cancer, “Well God must be trying to teach you something or else this wouldn’t be happening to you. God’s trying to get your attention.” If I was unsaved and a Christian told me that I think I’d run as far in the other direction as I possibly could. Why then are we so surprised when people don’t want to have anything to do with Christianity when this is what we tell them?

I will leave you with this thought. I once heard a preacher say something that I’ll never forget concerning the sovereignty of God. And while it makes me laugh, it’s so true. He said this, “The next time someone starts talking about God being sovereign; slap them. And when they get all mad and ask you why you did it tell them that it must have been God’s will otherwise it couldn’t have happened!”

Think about that next you time you use the “S” word and give God the credit for something. It might not be any of His doing.

When Christian Music Isn't Christian

The following thoughts have been going around in my mind lately and then I talked to my brother and he was having some similar thoughts so I decided to write about it.

How many times have you heard Christians talk about listening to only Christian music? You may have heard any of the following statements: "I don't listen to secular music because it doesn't glorify God" or "I only listen to Christian music because it edifies me and secular music doesn't." Part of both of these statements can be true. But, I would like to pose a question. What about when Christian music isn't Christian?

Before I go any further let me say that I'm not writing this to bring down any particular Christian artists or the radio stations that play them. I won't be mentioning any artists names. I believe they have the very best of intentions but I also believe at times they are very wrong.

So, back to my question, what about when Christian music isn't Christian? Some of you are probably thinking that that's not even possible. Sometimes I think we get into trouble by assuming that just because something is labeled "Christian" then it must be theologically correct. We tend to swallow everything hook, line and sinker without stopping to think what the Bible has to say about the subject.

Do we do that with preachers? I hope not. I think that most people would say that when they hear a new preacher or teacher they are careful to weigh what is being said against the counsel of scripture. Hopefully we do that all the time even with those that we hear on a regular basis. Why then don't we do the same with Christian music? It's a valid question.

I know many people who don't listen to secular music or allow their children to either. That's their privilege and I think there is a time for that. When my brother and I were younger we were not allowed to listen to much secular music either. I know that their is a lot of bad music out there but I think there is a lot that is good also that falls under the "secular" label.


My point is this: Why refuse to listen to a song simply because it is labeled "secular" when a "Christian" song you are listening to may be biblically inaccurate and may be shaping your views and opinions about God in a way that is damaging to your faith and not glorifying to God?

When asked why they believe a certain way I have heard people say, "Well that's what that one song we sing in church says." In other words, we don't know our Bible well enough to know if what we are singing is accurate or not. The songwriters have now become the final authority instead of the Bible.

This should be a challenge to those of us who write songs to make sure that what we are writing is correct. When I was a worship leader I tried very carefully to only sing songs that I believed were biblically accurate and because of that there were some popular songs that we didn't sing when I led.

I find that I get more and more disgusted when I turn on Christian radio. It's more discouraging than it is encouraging. If I listen to it for very long I find that I have to remind myself of the reasons why I don't believe all the things I've just heard. That leaves me wondering what the point was in even listening to it in the first place.

The bottom line in my mind is that we shouldn't discredit something just because it's labeled "secular" in the same way that we shouldn't assume that everything we hear in "Christian" songs are gospel truth. We should know God's Word well enough to be able to tell when something doesn't line up. And if we're not sure then we need to be willing to take the time to read and see what the Bible really says. Just some things to think about the next time you turn on your radio.