There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
We must pray for grace to enable us both to govern our tongues well and to use them well.
Lord, enable me to guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue, and to guard my mouth, as if with a muzzle, Psalm 39:1(ESV) that it may not be hasty to utter a word. Ecclesiastes 5:2(ESV)
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips, Psalm 141:3(ESV) that I may not stumble in what I say. James 3:2(ESV)
Let my speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, Colossians 4:6(ESV) and enable me always, out of the good treasure of my heart, to bring forth good. Matthew 12:35(KJV) Let my mouth utter wisdom, and my tongue speak justice; Psalm 37:30(ESV) and let not your words depart out of my mouth, or any of your people’s mouth, or out of the mouth of our offspring, or our children’s offspring, from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah 59:21(ESV)
Enable me always to open my mouth with wisdom, and let the teaching of kindness be on my tongue. Proverbs 31:26(ESV) Give me to know what is acceptable, Proverbs 10:32(ESV) that my tongue may be as choice silver, and my lips may feed many. Proverbs 10:20-21(ESV)
Nehemiah 12:27-47 In this week’s study, we look at the dedication ceremony and note the great rejoicing by the people for all that the Lord had done for them.
Theme
The Dedication of the People and the Great Wall
In Nehemiah 12 the priests and Levites were the first to dedicate (or, as it says, “purify”) themselves, which was fitting since they were the ones who were to conduct the dedication service. We are not told of what this work of purification consisted, but it was probably ceremonial washings of themselves and their clothes, fasting, abstinence from sexual intercourse, and sin offerings.1
The people were next. They probably merely washed themselves and their clothing,2 though they may have been asked to abstain from sexual relations too.3
The gates and wall would have been dedicated by using a hyssop brush to sprinkle them with the blood of sacrifices and with water.4
After we are told about the dedication of the people, followed by a ceremonial sprinkling of the gates and wall, we are told of the great service of dedication itself. As I indicated above, it consisted of two parts: first, a festive wall-walk, in which Nehemiah led one group of the people in one direction while Ezra led a second group of the people in the other direction; and second, a formal service at the temple at which the choirs sang and the priests offered sacrifices.
In my opinion, the details of what took place in these services are less significant than the spirit in which they were conducted. And when I think of the celebration in terms of this overall spirit or tone, I notice two very important things.
1. Singing. According to Nehemiah’s account, the chief place in these services was given to the choirs and the instrumentalists—the players of “cymbals, harps and lyres” (v. 27)—who accompanied them. These led each of the two groups around the wall, the choirs no doubt singing all the way. And then, when the service was ready to begin, the choirs took their places first and led the singing. The music was so important to the occasion that the name of the choir director is recorded. His name was Jezrahiah.
What did the people sing? The psalms certainly. We do not know which ones, of course. But I would be surprised if they did not sing the psalms which chronicle God’s blessing to the people in past days, the psalms of ascent.
Charles Swindoll makes a great deal of the importance of singing in the Christian life in his study of this chapter, and I think he is right in doing so, since singing has always been a striking feature of the worship of God’s Old Testament and New Testament people. This is not true of other religions. Many use repetitive chants. In some, clergy sing. But generally the religions of the world are grim things. It is only in biblical religion that the people of God are characteristically joyful and express their joy in great singing.
Christians write hymns. They sing them in their services. Christians write choruses, and although the sentiments and music of some of them may be theologically and aesthetically dreadful, they are nevertheless generally joyful. Christian musicians also compose great oratorios.
Why is this? Obviously because Christianity is itself joyous. And the reason it is joyous is that it is a response to the great acts of God on our behalf, particularly in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which secured our salvation.
Christians sing on all occasions, even at funerals. One of the most thrilling song experiences I have had has been standing at the graveside of deceased members of the Tenth Presbyterian Church congregation while the family and friends sing together:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Swindoll encourages Christians to keep singing, knowing that many of us sadly lose this great joy. He says, “Don’t stop singing! Sing this afternoon. Sing on your way home from work! One of the most exuberant expressions of a happy heart is a singing mouth. People are starved for happiness. When it is expressed in any authentic manner, they are greatly encouraged.”5
5Charles R. Swindoll, Hand Me Another Brick (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1978), 188.
Study Questions
What may the purification of the priests, Levites and people involved?
List the two parts of the dedication service.
Application
Application: In your worship on Sundays, do you sing enthusiastically, with grateful praise for who God is and what He has done for you? Are you blessed and encouraged as you join with your fellow believers in singing the great hymns of the faith that have been passed down through the centuries?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “Everybody, Praise the Lord.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
I recently finished reading Carl Trueman’s book, Luther on the Christian Life (Crossway, 2015). It is a wonderful introduction to a man that the Lord was delighted to use for the well-being of His church. In fact, if you’re looking for a book to read at this time of year, then I recommend it highly. The pinnacle of the book for me was Luther on the Word of God. Trueman points out that for Luther; the absence of God’s word meant the absence of God. Thus, when commenting on Amos 8:11 and the famine of the word that God would bring upon the land, Luther bursts forth, “[this] is absolutely horrible.”
But something struck me while reading that section. Satan knew the very point at which to attack God and His new creation. In Luther’s comments on Genesis 3:1, he writes, “Accordingly, Moses expresses himself very carefully and says: ‘The serpent said,’ that is, with a word it attacks the Word.”[1] A paragraph later Luther explains why this is the case, “For when the Gospel is preached in its purity, men have a sure guide for their faith and are able to avoid idolatry.”[2]
So, if this is the case it’s not surprising to discover that when Jesus came, the Apostles saw it as a new creation (e.g. the genealogy of Matthew’s gospel compared with Genesis 1:1-2:9) and so did Satan and he attacked. In fact, in chapter five of Mark’s gospel we find a demoniac rushing toward the beach where Jesus and His disciples just landed. The demoniac ran to Jesus and we expect him – because of his superhuman strength – to pick up the Lord and try and do Him bodily harm. But instead, the demoniac ran to Jesus and fell before Him and cried out saying, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” This demoniac knew who he was battling. He knew that if Jesus was to be defeated, He must be defeated by a word and so the demoniac spoke.
But he didn’t simply speak, the demoniac attempted to bind Jesus with his words. Look at what he said, “I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” Notice the word “adjure.” He commanded Jesus as though he had placed the Son of God under oath. It’s as if he had said, “I command you as one under oath do not torment me.” He was attempting to bind the Son of God by his own authority.
Now, look at verse 8. Often translations will render these words, “For he (that is Jesus) said to him…” But the verb is in a tense that suggests that Jesus had been saying to the man, “Come out of the man you unclean spirit.” Do you understand what is happening here? As the man approached, Jesus immediately assessed the situation and He said to the demon, “Come out of the man…” But the demon in the possessed man is strong. So, while Jesus was speaking, the demoniac was also saying, “I command you as one under oath, do not torment me!” We are witnessing a terrific and terrifying battle here! A battle of words.
This is a lesson for us. Luther said that Satan attacked “Adam and Eve in this way to deprive them of the Word and to make them believe his lie after they have lost the Word and their trust in God.”[3] Again, Luther reminds us that “Satan imitates God. Just as God preached to Adam, so he himself also preaches to Eve.”[4] The Lesson is clear. The Word of God must be preached, read, heard, and held in the highest regard by the Church. According to Luther, “The source of all sin truly is unbelief and doubt and abandonment of the Word.”[5] Thus, may the Church ever cling to the Word of her only Savior, Jesus. Amen.
[1] Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis 1-5, vol. 1 (St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1958), 146.
It’s fall in full swing around here and we are loving the cooler temperatures, the harvest festivals, Homecoming events, and looking toward Christmas. Some early birds have already put up Christmas decorations. These last three months of the year are my favorite time of year. A Prata Potpourri is one of my favorite blogs to write. I hope some of these links are meaningful or helpful to you. Enjoy!
As a Reformed conservative Christian, I am against feminism. We all have heard how feminism as an ideology is ruining society, families, even churches. I read this article posted by the Sheologians Summer White and Joy Temby and it brings new facts and insights as to what is happening in the larger society with regard to women’s place in it than we ever knew.
Author Helen Andrews brings light to the fact that our institutions such as education, medicine, law, journalism, etc., are at or past a tipping point where women comprise the majority of that institution- and what happens when that happens. It’s devastating, and this gender majority flip bodes ill. I urge you to read it to be aware and knowledgeable about our near future.
Nothing shows an unregenerate heart than someone who refuses to be discipled, won’t listen to godly men attempting to reach them in their error, and who rejects correction. Mark Driscoll has done all that and more for decades.
We don’t mark and avoid someone who professes the faith just because of recently discovered sins or minor doctrinal variances from our own interpretations. We don’t mark and avoid especially an elder or pastor, on the basis a little here or a little there, because marking and avoiding is serious.
But when a little here and a little there becomes a mountain of evidence from a variety of credible sources, then we enact the biblical commands to credit that person as false.
Driscoll
Mark Driscoll is in the news again and apparently not only making a comeback (which he did within a year of his disqualification/resignation from Mars Hill Church in 2013), but a visible and warmly welcoming comeback today from even supposedly conservative Christians and organizations.
If you are curious about the Mark Driscoll situation, here are some credible links to bring you up to speed:
Dallas Holm Praise Ministries, here, Dallas Holm writes about the Power of Unity. There are always doctrinal differences, and there are always fights over them. Many fights are not warranted, while others are. It is a mark of maturity to know when to contend in love and when to agree in love. Holm writes, “I’ve often said that when ‘we all get to Heaven’ as the old hymn says, there may be this great sit down orientation moment before we take the tour, and Jesus will say to us, “You were all wrong about a few things, and you were all right about some things.” But, I’m pretty sure the main thing will be the love of God toward us, our love of Jesus, His Son, and our love for one another realized and expressed through The Power of Unity.”
Unity
In that same vein, a lot of people are on edge and concerned after they saw the listed lineup for the next Shepherd’s Conference at Grace Community Church, the church John MacArthur pastored for 56 years. Included in the speaking lineup are several personalities who have been lately associated with woke-ism. Questions arose as to whether now that MacArthur is passed on, the church will begin to compromise, slide, or otherwise cause a disheartening in onlookers and members. Why is the church hosting them? Isn’t separation called for?
Phil Johnson is an elder at GCC church and was MacArthur’s editor and right-hand man, he presented this response to a similar question. The reasoning in my opinion is good. If you don’t want to listen, the short of it is, inviting the gentlemen who people say are woke…was John MacArthur’s idea. The notion is the same as in Dallas Holm’s piece. Unity, love, and maturity. Here’s Phil explaining why the gentlemen were invited to participate:
Our digital lives are just as busy as our real life lives. Here we have Marci Ferrell the Thankful Homemaker with podcast advice on how to manage the digital life so that it reflects our love for Jesus as a primary orientation in our public, private, and digital lives. Here’s Marci:
Today’s [podcast] discussion isn’t about getting rid of our smartphones; it’s about using them in a way that aligns with the gospel. Matthew 10:37 tells us that whoever loves anything more than Jesus is not worthy of Him. Our first desire must be to be wholly devoted to Jesus, ensuring that our smartphone use reflects that devotion. We need to be mindful of how our phones impact our spiritual lives, making sure they enhance rather than hinder our walk with Christ.
What’s your gut reaction to the total depravity of man? Do you shrink from this doctrine because it sounds too pessimistic? Today, R.C. Sproul explains why so many people have this response.
And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (14:4–6)
Since He had already told them that He was returning to the Father (e.g., 7:33; 13:1, 3), Jesus expected the disciples to know the way where He was going. But by this time their minds were so rattled (cf. the discussion of v. 1 above) that they were not sure of anything. Thomas vocalized their perplexity when he said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” (cf. Peter’s similar question in 13:36). By now they understood that Jesus was going to die. But their knowledge stopped at death; they had no firsthand experience of what lay beyond the grave. Furthermore, Jesus Himself had told them that at this time they could not go where He was going (13:33, 36). If they did not know where the Lord was going, how could they know the way to get there? Jesus’ reply, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” is the sixth “I AM” statement in John’s gospel (cf. 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; the seventh comes in 15:1, 5). Jesus alone is the way to God (10:7–9; Acts 4:12) because He alone is the truth (John 1:14, 17; 18:37; Rev. 3:7; 19:11) about God and He alone possesses the life of God (John 1:4; 5:26; 11:25; 1 John 1:1; 5:20). The purpose of this gospel is to make those things known, so they are repeated throughout the book so as to lead people to faith and salvation (20:31). The Bible teaches that God may be approached exclusively through His only-begotten Son. Jesus alone is the “door of the sheep” (10:7); all others are “thieves and robbers” (v. 8), and it is only the one who “enters through [Him who] will be saved” (v. 9). The way of salvation is a narrow path entered through a small, narrow gate, and few find it (Matt. 7:13–14; cf. Luke 13:24). “There is salvation in no one else,” Peter boldly affirmed, “for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Thus, it is “he who believes in the Son [who] has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36), and “no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11), because “there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). The postmodern belief that there are many paths to religious truth is a satanic lie. F. F. Bruce writes,
He [Jesus] is, in fact, the only way by which men and women may come to the Father; there is no other way. If this seems offensively exclusive, let it be borne in mind that the one who makes this claim is the incarnate Word, the revealer of the Father. If God has no avenue of communication with mankind apart from his Word … mankind has no avenue of approach to God apart from that same Word, who became flesh and dwelt among us in order to supply such an avenue of approach. (The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983], 298)
Jesus alone reveals God (John 1:18; cf. 3:13; 10:30–38; 12:45; 14:9; Col. 1:15, 19; 2:9; Heb. 1:3), and no one who rejects His proclamation of the truth can legitimately claim to know God (John 5:23; 8:42–45; 15:23; Matt. 11:27; 1 John 2:23; 2 John 9). It was because the early Christians taught that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation that Christianity became known as “The Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2008). John 12–21 (pp. 102–103). Moody Publishers.
The Only Way Home
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The exclusive claim of the Lord Jesus Christ to be “the way and the truth and the life” is wrapped up in three phrases. He claims to be the way to God, indeed, the only way; he claims to be the truth about God, himself the truth; and he claims to be spiritual life, not merely the way to life. We would think, as we read that phrase, that it has said all that needs to be said. Yet, as we read the Lord’s own words, we find that immediately after saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” he says the whole thing over again in different words, lest we misunderstand it. He says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” If the Lord stated this a second time, lest we misunderstand it, then we should look at it a second time also.
Only through Jesus
Taken together, these phrases mean that Christianity makes an exclusive claim. People sometimes suggest that we are narrow-minded as Christians when we say that Christ is the only way to God, and we have to confess that this is precisely what we are at this point. We are as narrow as the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord said—this is the emphasis of the verse—that he is the only way to God. There is no other way. So while it would be nice for us to equivocate on this point and say, in order to win friends and influence people, that other ways have some value—though we would like to say this, we are nevertheless unable to do so. Rather, we find ourselves affirming with the Lord Jesus Christ and with all the biblical writers that there is no salvation apart from Jesus. Many verses teach it: 1 Corinthians 3:11—“No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ”; Acts 4:12—“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved”; 1 Timothy 2:5—“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” If you are one who is rejecting all this, if you are one who perhaps is interested in Christianity but not exclusively, if you think that perhaps Jesus Christ is a way to God but not the way to God, I want to stress that, according to his teaching, he is the only way and that any attempt to find another way is folly, is bound to produce despair, and is perverse. The tragedy is that apart from the grace of God folly, despair, and perversity characterize each one of us. We are fools because we seek another way. We despair because there is no other way to be found. We are perverse because God has told us that there is only one way. Therefore, in turning from him to try to find another way we dishonor him.
The Fool Has Said
First, there is the folly of trying to find another way. Why is it folly? It is folly because, if a way to God has been provided, it is nonsense to look for another. Who would seek for a second cure for cancer if a perfect cure had been found? Yet this is the folly of the human heart in spiritual things. Jesus told about it in a parable that concerned a rich man. This man thought the way to life was through material possessions, so he spent a lifetime accumulating worldly goods. He was a farmer. He had produce. His wealth was in the storage of his barn. When the barn became too small for what he was accumulating, he said, “I’ll tear down my old barn and build a bigger one that can hold my possessions.” The Lord’s comment on that man’s life was: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20). It is not the preacher who calls the unbeliever a fool. If that were the case, it would mean little indeed. The unbeliever could simply say to the preacher, “You are the fool for believing as you do.” No, God is the one who calls men fools, fools for refusing to come to him in the way he has provided. If we explore a bit deeper to find out why this is so, we find that it is because we are determined to provide for ourselves. During World War II, my father served as a doctor in the air force in the southern part of the United States. When he was released from military service he and the family began to drive northward to the family home in western Pennsylvania. It was only a few days before Christmas. So it was no surprise that on the way we ran into an early blizzard in the mountains of Tennessee. The storm got worse and worse and eventually halted our progress. At one point, however, before we had stopped for the night and as we were going uphill in a little mountain area with a dangerous precipice at our right, a car up ahead stopped. My father realized that, if the car ahead stopped, he would have to stop and, if he stopped, he would immediately begin to slide over the precipice. So he grabbed a blanket, jumped out of the car, ran around to the back wheels and stuck the blanket under one of them to stop our descent. We were stopped. But there we were, stranded in the blizzard on the mountainside. My father was an Irishman, and at this point two things characterized him: first, pride in his achievement and, second, determination to bring off another. He had saved us from going over the precipice. Now he was going to get us up the mountain. So he began to work, shoveling snow and placing boards and blankets under the tires. He worked for about an hour, but without much success. All the time my two sisters and I, my mother, and my aunt were in the car, getting colder and colder. We were very depressed. Suddenly a truck with wonderful traction came by. This truck moved ahead of us and stopped. It was obvious that the driver knew he could get going again. He got out, came back to my father and said, “I have a chain. Would you like me to hitch onto your car and take you up the mountain?” Do you know what my father said? He said, “No, thanks. We’re doing fine.” And he did do fine! But it was about sixty cold and gloomy minutes later! God says that we are exactly like this spiritually, except for the fact that it does not matter whether we spend an hour, two hours, a year, or a lifetime. We are never going to get ourselves going up the road to salvation. So Jesus says, “Look, I’ve come to provide the way to salvation. I am the way. Don’t be so foolish that you turn your back on me out of pride.”
No Exit
Second, you are not only foolish, you are also on a trip to despair. If Jesus is right when he says, “I am the way … no one comes to the Father except through me,” then no other way can be found. The Father is the source of all spiritual blessings. The way to the Father is through Jesus. If you are trying to find another way, you are never going to get those spiritual blessings. To go in any other way is to embark upon a road that has no exits and no destination. Paul spells it out in the Book of Romans, pointing to the different ways men and women try to reach God. There are three categories. First, there is the way of natural theology. This is the way of the man who goes out into the field at night and says, “I am going to commune with God in nature.” It is the man who says, “I worship God on Sunday afternoon in my golf cart.” Paul says that this is a dead end, because you cannot find God in nature. No man has ever found God in nature. You can find things about God in nature, but these condemn you. Romans says that nature reveals two things about God. It reveals the “Godhead” of God, that is, his existence, and it reveals his “power,” because obviously something or someone of considerable power stands behind what we observe. That is all that can be known of God in nature. So if you think you are going to find God in nature, you are destined to emptiness in your search. You cannot worship an eternal power; you cannot worship a supreme being; you cannot worship a law of nature. Moreover, says Paul, “You don’t even try!” Because when you say to yourself, “I’m going to worship God in nature,” what you are really doing is using nature as an excuse to avoid God. Actually you do not want to be with Christian people, nor do you wish to be under the preaching of the Word. You find it disturbing. What you are really trying to do is to escape from God into nature. If you worship anything at all, it is nature you worship; and the worship of nature is idolatry. Some years ago, after I had given a message along these lines, a woman said, “I found that to be true in my work with the beach crowd in California.” I asked, “What do you mean?” “Well,” she said, “we used to have meetings on the beach, and I used to witness to the surfers. When I would speak to them about God, they would reply that they worshiped God in nature. At first I didn’t know what to say, but after a while I caught on. I learned to ask, ‘And what is God?’ They would reply, ‘My surfboard is my god.’ ” At least that is honest, but it is paganism and idolatry. Second, there are people who try to find God in the way of human morality. They say, “God certainly likes good men and women; therefore, I’ll be good, and I’ll get to him that way.” Paul says that this line will lead you to despair also. Why? We see the answer when we reason as follows. If God loves good people—and it is true that he does—how good do they have to be? The answer is that they have to be absolutely good, perfect, because God can settle for nothing less. But no one is perfect. So Paul says, “When you start like that, when you start thinking that you are going to please God by getting better and better, you fail to see that even if you could achieve the maximum goodness possible to anyone in this world, you would never get to God in that way because it would not be good enough. We have a strange situation in the church today. The church has a message to proclaim; it begins with the total depravity of man. But this is offensive to most people. So the church gets cold feet at this point—ministers do, of course—and it backs off from preaching these things. Ministers say, “We admit that the Bible does say that all are sinners; it does say that all are dead in trespasses and sins; but it does not really mean that. It is hyperbole. What it really means is that we just need a little help. People are really pretty good underneath. So if we just appeal to their natural goodness, they’ll come and be Christians. Besides, they’ll join our churches and give us money.” Does the world congratulate the church for congratulating the world? Not at all! The world knows that this is not true. So you have people like Jean Paul Sartre and other existentialists leaping to their feet to say, “If the church is not going to tell the truth, we are going to tell the truth! We know that when you scratch beneath the veneer of mankind, when you get rid of the social conventions, when you get rid of the desire to be acceptable with other people by matching up to certain preestablished patterns of behavior, what you find beneath the surface is garbage. You find a sewer of corruption.” The existentialist does not have the answer. The despair of the existentialist is proof of what lies at the end of his road. But at least he speaks out; he is not silent. Then, in Romans 2:17–29, Paul says that there is a third way that people try; it is the way of religion, a sort of formalism. This person says, “If I cannot be righteous, at least I can do things that God likes. I’ll be baptized. I’ll be confirmed. I’ll go to communion.” Paul says that this leads to despair also. Why? Because it is based on a false conception of God. It suggests that God will settle for externals. Does he? No! People may settle for externals, but not God; he looks on the heart. God sees that although you can go through the rite of baptism, it does not mean a thing if your heart is not cleansed. He sees that although you may come to communion, it does not mean a thing unless you have first fed on Jesus Christ by faith and have drunk at that stream that he provides.
An Insult to God
To say that one is a fool for looking in another direction than Christ sounds insulting. To say that it leads to despair sounds grim. But there is worse to come. For seeking a way other than Jesus is not only foolish and leads to despair, it is perverse. It is insulting to God. How is it insulting? It is insulting because Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” So if you go another way, it is not merely that you are doing something for yourself, and it is certainly not the case that you are doing something praiseworthy. What you are really doing is saying to the Lord Jesus Christ, “Lord Jesus Christ, you are a liar!” Do you think that God is going to be proud of you for trying to find your own way? Do you think that God is going to admire you for that, love you for that, praise you for that? God is going to regard this for what it is, an insult to the Lord Jesus Christ his Son, because that is the equivalent of saying, “You, Lord Jesus Christ, you in whom the Father is well pleased, cannot be trusted.” Furthermore, to seek another way is not only an insult to Christ, it is an insult to the love of God who planned the way of salvation out of his great love for the sinner. What the Lord Jesus Christ did was in fulfillment of the desires of his Father. He said, “I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God” (Heb. 10:7). It was God’s will that Jesus Christ, his Son, should die in your place. So it is an insult to God to ignore it. Do you think that it was easy for God to send Jesus Christ to die for you? I am asking you fathers: Would it be easy for you to give up your son or your daughter, to see that son or daughter killed, in order that someone else might be saved? I ask you mothers: Would it be easy for you to have a son or daughter killed in your sight, to turn your back when you could save that son or daughter, in order to have someone else saved? Of course not! You who are brothers: Would you give up a sister? You who are sisters: Would you give up a brother? If it is not easy for you, why should you think that it would be easy for God? Yet that is what God did for you. Do you think it was easy for the Lord Jesus Christ to stand with his disciples on the verge of his crucifixion and say, “I am the way”? He knew what it meant to be the way. It meant that he had to go to the cross; he had to die; he had to suffer; he had to have the Father turn his back on him while he was made sin for us; he had to have the wrath of God poured out upon him. That is what it meant when the Lord Jesus Christ said, “I am the way … no one comes to the Father except through me.” Yet he said it.
Come … Come
So I ask: Is it anything but sinful, obstinate perversity for someone to say, “That is all very nice, but I am going to go another way”? To go another way is to condemn yourself to hell! For there is no other way. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). How foolish it would be, how much despair is involved, how perverse on your part to go away, saying, “Well, that is all very interesting, of course; but I’m going to look a bit farther.” Today is the day of salvation! This may be the last opportunity you will ever have! I cannot promise that you will ever hear the gospel again. I cannot promise that the Holy Spirit will ever speak to your heart again, if he is speaking at this moment. Heed the invitation and come! The Bible says, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17).
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 1081–1086). Baker Books.
I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.Isaiah 44:3
Our dear children have not the Spirit of God by nature, as we plainly see. We see much in them which makes us fear as to their future, and this drives us to agonizing prayer. When a son becomes specially perverse, we cry with Abraham, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before thee!” We would sooner see our daughters Hannahs than empresses. This verse should greatly encourage us. It follows upon the words, “Fear not, O Jacob, my servant,” and it may well banish our fears.
The Lord will give His Spirit; will give it plentifully, pouring it out; will give it effectually, so that it shall be a real and eternal blessing. Under this divine outpouring our children shall come forward, and “one shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob.”
This is one of those promises concerning which the Lord will be inquired of. Should we not, at set times, in a distinct manner, pray for our offspring? We cannot give them new hearts, but the Holy Spirit can; and He is easily to be entreated of. The great Father takes pleasure in the prayers of fathers and mothers. Have we any dear ones outside of the ark? Let us not rest till they are shut in with us by the Lord’s own hand.
The word metamorphosis describes a radical transformation. It is most strikingly seen in the way a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. We undergo a spiritual metamorphosis when we come to faith in Christ. We put to death our old “caterpillar” state and begin a new life in our “butterfly” stage. Whereas before we were bound to the ways and whims of the world, we now find freedom, life, purpose, and hope. Jesus takes us from the depths of the grave to the heights of heaven.
When Paul paints this vivid picture of a believer’s metamorphosis in Romans, he is not merely presenting an image but also making a declaration. Through faith in Christ, we die to our old life and slavery to sin. The power of the grave and the enemy no longer have dominion over us. The pathway set by Adam is overcome and a new one is given to us in Christ. Righteousness is not just a suggestion, goal, or good idea … it must rule our lives. The journey to and with Jesus is one that leads us from death to life in more ways than we comprehend.
Paul begins by saying believers are those “who have died to sin” (v. 2). This powerful image depicts a dramatic and decisive shift in our state of being. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we “die” to sin and its hold over us. We might not see this change immediately, because we still live in a sin-stained world, but it has taken place.
Paul goes on to describe how this transfer from our former state of sin to our new life in Christ has taken place. In baptism, we are joined to Christ and to his death and resurrection (vv. 3–5). Jesus’ own death was a death “to sin,” and his resurrection meant living “to God” (v. 10). Therefore, those who participate in Christ’s death and resurrection have also died to sin and now live to God. When we place our faith in Jesus, his death and resurrection become our own. Baptism is thus symbolic of our whole conversion experience. We are brought into union with Jesus and the powerful events of his redemptive work.
Paul uses a future tense to describe our participation in Christ’s resurrection: “we will … be united with him” (v. 5). While we experience new life when we come to Christ, Paul is likely referring here to the promise of our future resurrection — when we are raised with Christ at his second coming. The statement Paul makes to describe what Jesus accomplished in his death and resurrection is thus more than just a picture of what our Savior has done. It serves as a promise of our freedom from sin and assurance of our future resurrection.
Past to Present
Dying With Christ
When we place our faith in Jesus, everything changes. Of course, this process takes time. We will still stumble and be tempted at times to not trust that God’s grace is sufficient. But our desires begin to change. The taste of sinful practices starts to leave a bitter taste in our mouths. The false pleasures we once pursued suddenly feel hollow. We are no longer slaves to sin but are free to live in ways that honor our Maker.
This is the journey of dying to sin so we can be set free from sin. When we were “baptized into Christ Jesus” we were also “baptized into his death” (v. 3). The death and resurrection of Jesus — the sacrifice for our sins that we have accepted — have broken the bonds that once held us. Our part now is to receive the help of the Holy Spirit and reject the enticements of the enemy. We can say no to sin. We can reject past patterns of compromise. We are empowered to live a new kind of life.
Raised With Christ
Paul says we were “buried with [Jesus]” so that “just as Christ was raised from the dead … we too may live a new life” (v. 4). Jesus, though sinless, took on flesh to identify with us. He was subject to the power of sin and “tempted in every way, just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV). In this sense, Jesus, too, needed to die to sin’s power. He accomplished this when he rose on the third day, breaking the power of sin, hell, and death.
Spiritual life is the result of identifying with Jesus’ resurrection and likewise putting sin to death. Jesus’ victory over the grave means he now lives in a state in which “death no longer has mastery over him” (Romans 6:9). Jesus has conquered death and, Paul implies, those who belong to him also have the assurance of conquering death. The risen Christ is alive and dwells in us. Sin no longer has mastery over us. We are spiritually alive and can walk in the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
A common pattern that Paul employs in his letters is to first tell his readers about a spiritual truth and then relate how they should respond to it. We would expect this same pattern to follow here. However, what we find in verse 11 is more of an intermediate step — a way for readers to come to grips with what Paul has been teaching. Only by continually (the Greek verb is in the present tense) looking at ourselves as people who have truly died to sin and been made alive in Christ will we be able to live out the new status that God has given us.
Paul then moves into the realm of action in verses 12–13. Because of our new state in Christ, we are to not allow sin to “reign” or “obey its evil desires.” In other words, we take possession of the victory that Jesus has won for us over sin. We no longer allow sin to use our various capacities and abilities as an “instrument of wickedness” but willingly place those things at the disposal of God, our new master, to make into an “instrument of righteousness.”
Paul concludes with one more reminder of how we should respond to the new life we have been given in Christ: “Sin shall no longer be [our] master” (v. 14). Paul then emphasizes that our freedom from sin’s power is a continuing state we can look forward to enjoying forever, because we are “not under the law, but under grace.” We now stand under the new covenant of grace, and the law of the old covenant no longer has direct control over us. God’s grace dominates the new regime in our lives that was inaugurated by Jesus.
Past to Present
Living in Freedom
People who have been put in jail for committing a misdemeanor look forward to the day when they will be released. The days and weeks they spend separated from their loved ones — and from society at large — give them time to ponder the mistakes they have made. Those who are wise also consider what changes they need to make to ensure they will not end up in jail again. After all, living in freedom requires following certain rules that society puts in place.
Paul writes that Jesus has set us free from the “jail” of our past lives when sin was our master. Now, we “are not under the law, but under grace” (v. 14). Jesus has effectively opened the door of our cell and guided us to the front entrance so we can live in freedom. However, maintaining that freedom requires us to not allow sin to “reign in [our] mortal body” (v. 12). Just as a person freed from jail must “put to death” past behaviors that led to them getting locked up, so we must put to death any behaviors that led to us being slaves to sin.
Role of Baptism
Paul refers to water baptism as representing the point at which a person is joined with Christ. We are “baptized into Christ” (v. 3) and “buried with him through baptism” (v. 4), which enables us to count ourselves “dead to sin” (v. 11). Given this, it is important to consider the role that water baptism plays in our faith.
Baptism is public declaration of our faith in Christ. It identifies us as “Christians” to others and indicates our intent to follow Jesus. While baptism does not symbolize our being buried with Christ, it is the means through which we were identified with him. The New Testament writers present water baptism as one component of a larger experience of “conversion-initiation” — with the others being faith, repentance, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This broader New Testament context helps us conclude that when Paul refers to baptism in Romans 6, he intends to include faith, repentance, and the gift of the Spirit.
Baptism is an important part of our conversion experience. It sets a “seal” on our experience. Paul is clear that a person becomes a Christian by believing in the Lord Jesus. However, were we to ask him about an “unbaptized believer,” he would likely respond, “Yes, such a person is saved. But why in the world isn’t that person baptized?”
Paul began Romans 6 with a key question for his readers: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (v. 1). He now returns to that theme, asking his readers, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?” (v. 15). Once again, his answer to his own question is the same: “By no means!” (vv. 2, 15).
Paul understands his claim that believers have been transferred from the regime of the Mosaic law to the regime of grace could lead some to think that sin does not matter. He refutes this idea by employing “an example from everyday life” (v. 19) — slavery — to show the fallacy of such thinking. His contention is that we become slaves to whatever we obey. If we obey sin, we become “slaves to sin” — and the result is death. If we obey God, we become slaves “to obedience” — which leads to righteousness (v. 16). As followers of Jesus, Paul asserts, we have made the choice to “become slaves to righteousness” (v. 18).
In our former state, we had a false sense of “freedom” in that we were free to sin but not to lead a righteous life. This kind of freedom only resulted in behavior that ends in death. But in our new state in Christ, we have the freedom to lead a righteous life — which leads to holiness and eternal life. Paul sums up these ideas with another common illustration of his day: earnings. He writes, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 23).
Past to Present
Slaves to Sin
In 1979, Bob Dylan released a song titled “Gotta Serve Somebody.” In the opening lines of the song, Dylan describes people from different walks of life: ambassadors, gamblers, dancers, heavyweight boxing champions, and wealthy socialites. He then introduces the theme that runs throughout it: “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Dylan states who you serve “may be the devil” or “may be the Lord.” But, no matter who you are, you will serve somebody.
Dylan was captivated by the idea that everyone is a servant (or slave) to something (or someone). This message resonates with what Paul is expressing in this section of Romans. He states there are two options for us as human beings. We can choose to be either a slave to sin or a bondservant of Jesus and his righteousness. For this reason, we are wise to ask, “Am I living as a person surrendered to the will of Jesus or to the enticements of this world?”
Slaves to Holiness
The 1998 movie The Truman Show provides an illustration of some peoples’ lives. In the film, Truman Burbank believed he was living a free life, but in reality every situation he faced was carefully scripted and broadcast to the world. Truman thought his choices were his own, but his every move was manipulated by the show’s producer.
Those who choose not to follow Christ often pride themselves on being “free.” Paul agrees they do have a freedom — the freedom not to be able to lead righteous lives. These individuals, by determining not to follow Jesus, are being manipulated by the enemy and are in bondage to sin, with the result of such freedom being death. However, those who follow Jesus experience a freedom that leads to holiness, “and the result is eternal life” (v. 22).
Closing Prayer
Lord God, please remind me, each day, that I am free from the bondage of sin and am called to a life of surrender to your will. Thank you for destroying the power of sin and the grip of the enemy. I bow my knees to you and long to be fully yielded to what is good, beautiful, and honoring to you. Help me to choose to pursue your righteousness. Amen.
From Biblical History to Modern Times
Explore the rest of Romans in the Romans Bible Study, based on the bestselling NIV Application Commentary series. Each study in the series employs a three-step process to help you understand both the historical meaning of a biblical text and its relevance in modern times:
The original meaning section reveals the questions and concerns the author was addressing.
The past to present section then explains what significance the original audience would have found in the passage and what significance you can find in it today.
Finally, thequestionsthat accompany each section will help you apply the author’s words and teachings to your own life and find meaning in them for what you are facing.
October 31, 2017 marked the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and commemorated the date in 1517 when Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 theses – a list of grievances against the Catholic church for unbiblical doctrines and practices – to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
Luther’s calls for reform spread quickly throughout Europe, inspiring the likes of church fathers Ulrich Zwingli (Zurich), John Calvin (Geneva), and John Knox (Scotland) to join the effort in their own locales. As they worked to address the issues raised in Luther’s document, these men codified what we know today as the “Five Solas of the Reformation,” the basis of Protestant church doctrine. The five solas are:
1. Sola Scriptura– Scripture alone is the basis for all church doctrine, belief, and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
2. Sola Gratia– Salvation is by grace alone. It is an unmerited gift of God based solely on His goodness, not our own (because we don’t have any). (Ephesians 2:8-9)
3. Sola Fide– Salvation is through faith alone. Faith is a gift bestowed by God. We are saved only by placing that faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, not by doing good works or by any other attempts to earn salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
4. Solus Christus– Salvation is found in Christ alone. As Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
5. Soli Deo Gloria– God saves man for God’s glory alone, and Believers are to live our lives to glorify Him alone. (Romans 11:36)
The five solas should be the foundation of the church’s orthodoxy (beliefs or doctrine) and our orthopraxy (church practices). But over the past five centuries there’s been a declension. A downgrade. The church has become deformed from the beautiful biblical portrait of a bride “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” because we’ve functionally replaced the Five Solas of the Reformation with pragmatic, and often idolatrous, solas of our own making…
No longer is Christian doctrine and practice governed strictly by sola Scriptura, especially among Christian women. Now it’s all about our own personal feelings, opinions, and life experiences. Won’t go to a church that preaches sin and repentance because it offends your sensibilities? You’ve become accepting of homosexual “marriage” because someone you love dearly has adopted that lifestyle? Believe God is in the habit of talking to people because you’ve “heard His voice”? Then you’re basing your doctrine and practices on your own feelings and experiences rather than on what the Bible says.
The Christian’s instructions for life and godliness are found in only one place: the Bible. We do not squish Christianity into the mold of what makes us happy, what we agree with, our relationships with others, or the things we’ve experienced. We start with the Bible and we bring everything else in our lives – everything we think, feel, believe, say, and do – into submission to it. If a personal feeling, opinion, or experience conflicts with Scripture, it is wrong. We don’t change Scripture to fit our perspective, we change our perspective to fit Scripture.
We don’t change Scripture to fit our perspective, we change our perspective to fit Scripture.Tweet
If you want to know what road the modern church is headed down simply pick up your Bible and turn to… the Old Testament. Especially the verses that say “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Jesus said the way to greatness was humility, servanthood, and anonymity. We want glory, recognition, and applause. God says, “walk in My ways.” We say, “I’ll consider that if it fits in with my plans, is agreeable to me, and makes me look good to others.” We “welcome” the Holy Spirit into His own church as though we own the place. We are so used to being on the throne of our own lives that we use words like “letting” or “allowing” God to do something without even realizing it. We don’t ask, “Is it pleasing to God?”, we say, “If it’s pleasing to me, it must be pleasing to God.” Goodbye soli Deo gloria. Hello soli ego gloria.
Instead of asking, “Is it pleasing to God?”, we say, “If it’s pleasing to me, it must be pleasing to God.”Tweet
More and more, “Christians” are driven by the selfish greed of “What can God do for me?” rather than the pursuit of holiness. So-called Christian teachers who will scratch itching ears are sought out, and an abundance of hucksters are at the ready, eager to “give the people what they want” in order to make a fast buck.
These people who claim the name of Christ care nothing about following in His footsteps – or even knowing what those footsteps are – craving instead the temporal creature comforts of wealth, success, popularity, health, self esteem, and influence. They want to be told what their flesh wants to hear, and they want to believe that’s Christianity. Share in Christ’s sufferings? Never. Away with the Via Dolorosa. Lead us down the primrose path.
Share in Christ’s sufferings? Never. Away with the Via Dolorosa. Lead us down the primrose path.Tweet
Spotlights. Merch. Audiences of thousands. Agents. Entourages. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the Christian celebrities from the secular. The star-struck church has created its own caste system in which biblical fidelity is measured by how many books you’ve sold, the number of attendees at your megachurch or conferences, and the size of your audience on social media. That many followers? That number of bestsellers at the Christian retail chain? She must know what she’s talking about. We’ll use her books for our women’s “Bible” study – no vetting necessary! But that 85 year old pastor who’s been faithfully expositing the Word to his rural congregation of twenty for the better part of his life? No kudos. No esteem for honorable servants of the Lord such as he. We want glitz and glam and hype and bling. We want to be cutting edge, relevant, and attractional. Because maybe – just maybe – some of that glory will rub off on us. And so it goes – we follow the latest and greatest Christian authors, bands and personalities, attracted more to their pretty faces, stylish clothes, and charisma than to sound doctrine, while Christ’s sheep, relegated to a dark corner of the sanctuary, bleat to simply be fed the Bread of Life and the Living Water.
The star-struck church has created its own caste system in which biblical fidelity is measured by how many books you’ve sold, the number of attendees at your megachurch or conferences, and the size of your audience on social media.Tweet
What’s hot rightthisminute? What’s the current style, the latest trend, the fad du jour? The Church of What’s Happening Now wants to know. Whether it’s today’s Christian bestseller that simply every small group is using now, dahling, or caving to whichever way the wind is blowing today when it comes to the world’s sexual morality, if we can just ride the viral wave of the immediate we can get people in the doors, money in the offering plate, and souls into Heaven. Maybe.
Vox populi, vox Dei? Have we forgotten how uncool it was to be the only one building an ark before rain was invented? That idol worship was the latest thing going in Jeremiah’s day? That it was the crowds who cried “Crucify Him!”?
The God of the Bible is not hip and groovy. He’s seen as hopelessly out of touch with current morals and values. A doddering old fool who just can’t seem to get with the times. His holy ways are antiquated and obsolete. We’re modern and educated and wise to the ways of the world. We know better how His church and our lives should run.
Just what is it we’re building our Christian doctrine and practices on these days? ‘Cause it sure isn’t the unadulterated written Word of God and the original five solas. Maybe it’s time we took a good hard look at how far we’ve slidden in the last five hundred years. How far we’ve strayed from the purity of Scripture and doctrine the Reformers worked so hard for, were imprisoned and persecuted for, were martyred for.
For that same eternal God and Father, who of mere grace elected us in Christ Jesus His Son before the foundation of the world was laid a, appointed Him to be our Head, our brother b, our pastor, and great bishop of our souls c. But because the enmity betwixt the justice of God and our sins was such that no flesh by itself could or might have attained unto God, it behooved that the Son of God should descend unto us and take Himself a body of our body, flesh of our flesh, and bones of our bones: and so become the perfect mediator betwixt God and man, giving power to so many as believe in Him to be the sons of God d. As He Himself does witness, “I pass up to my Father and unto your Father, to my God and unto your God” e. By which most holy fraternity, whatsoever we have lost in Adam is restored to us again. And for this cause are we not afraid to call God our Father, not so much that He has created us (which we have common with the reprobate) as for that, that He has given to us His only Son, to be our brother, and given unto us grace to acknowledge and embrace Him for our only mediator, as before was said. It behooved further the Messiah and Redeemer to be very God and very man because He was to undergo the punishment due for our transgressions f, and to present Himself in the presence of His Father’s judgment as in our person to suffer for our transgression and disobedience by death, to overcome him that was author of death. But because the only Godhead could not suffer death, neither yet could the only manhood overcome the same, He joined both together in one person that the weakness of the one should suffer and be subject to death (which we had deserved), and the infinite and invincible power of the other, to wit, of the Godhead, should triumph and purchase to us life, liberty, and perpetual victory. And so we confess and most undoubtedly believe.
And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (8:26–27)
In the same way refers back to the groans of the creation and of believers for redemption from the corruption and defilement of sin. Here Paul reveals the immeasurably comforting truth that the Holy Spirit comes alongside us and all creation in groaning for God’s ultimate day of restoration and His eternal reign of righteousness. Because of our remaining humanness and susceptibility to sin and doubt, the Holy Spirit also helps us in our weakness. In this context, weakness doubtless refers to our human condition in general, not to specific weaknesses. The point is that, even after salvation, we are characterized by spiritual weakness. Acting morally, speaking the truth, witnessing for the Lord, or doing any other good thing happens only by the power of the Spirit working in and through us despite our human limitations. Several times in his letter to the Philippians Paul beautifully pictures that divine-human relationship. Speaking of his own needs, he said, “I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:19). The Spirit supplies us with all we need to be faithful, effective, and protected children of God. In the following chapter he admonishes, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13). The Spirit of God works unrelentingly in us to do what we could never do alone—bring about the perfect will of God. To make clear how the Spirit works, Paul turns to the subject of prayer. Although we are redeemed and absolutely secure in our adoption as God’s children, nevertheless we do not know how to pray as we should. Paul does not elaborate on our inability to pray as we ought, but his statement is all-encompassing. Because of our imperfect perspectives, finite minds, human frailties, and spiritual limitations, we are not able to pray in absolute consistency with God’s will. Many times we are not even aware that spiritual needs exist, much less know how best they should be met. Even the Christian who prays sincerely, faithfully, and regularly cannot possibly know God’s purposes concerning all of his own needs or the needs of others for whom he prays. Jesus told Peter, “Behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Fortunately for Peter, Jesus kept His word despite the apostle’s foolish bravado. Not only was Peter no match for Satan but he soon proved that his devotion to Christ could not even withstand the taunts of a few strangers (vv. 54–60). How glorious that our spiritual security rests in the Lord’s faithfulness rather than in our vacillating commitment. Even the apostle Paul, who lived so near to God and so faithfully and sacrificially proclaimed His gospel, did not always know how best to pray. He knew, for example, that God had allowed Satan to inflict him with an unspecified “thorn in the flesh.” That affliction guarded Paul against pride over being “caught up into Paradise.” But after a while Paul became weary of the infirmity, which doubtless was severe, and he prayed earnestly that it might be removed. After three entreaties, the Lord told Paul that he should be satisfied with the abundance of divine grace by which he was already sustained in the trial (see 2 Cor. 12:3–9). Paul’s request did not correspond to the Lord’s will for him at that time. Even when we do not know what God wants, the indwelling Spirit Himself intercedes for us, bringing our needs before God even when we do not know what they are or when we pray about them unwisely. Paul emphasizes that our help is from the Spirit Himself. His divine help not only is personal but direct. The Spirit does not simply provide our security but is Himself our security. The Spirit intercedes on our behalf in a way, Paul says, that is totally beyond human comprehension, with groanings too deep for words. The Holy Spirit unites with us in our desire to be freed from our corrupted earthly bodies and to be with God forever in our glorified heavenly bodies. Contrary to the interpretation of most charismatics, the groanings of the Spirit are not utterances in unknown tongues, much less ecstatic gibberish that has no rational content. As Paul says explicitly, the groans are not even audible and are inexpressible in words. Yet those groans carry profound content, namely divine appeals for the spiritual welfare of each believer. In a way infinitely beyond our understanding, these groanings represent what might be called intertrinitarian communication, divine articulations by the Holy Spirit to the Father. Paul affirmed this truth to the Corinthians when he declared, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). We remain justified and righteous before God the Father only because the Son and the Holy Spirit, as our constant advocates and intercessors, represent us before Him. It is only because of that joint and unceasing divine work on our behalf that we will enter heaven. Christ “is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Jesus’ divine work of redemption in a believer’s heart begins at the time of conversion, but it does not end until that saint is in heaven, glorified and made as righteous as God is righteous, because he possesses the full righteousness of Christ. That is guaranteed by the heavenly high priestly work of our Lord and by the earthly indwelling Holy Spirit, which also make secure the divine adoption and heavenly destiny of every believer. If it were not for the sustaining power of the Spirit within us and Christ’s continual mediation for us as High Priest (Heb. 7:25–26), our remaining humanness would have immediately engulfed us again in sin the moment after we were justified. If for an instant Christ and the Holy Spirit were to stop their sustaining intercession for us, we would, in that instant, fall back into our sinful, damnable state of separation from God. If such a falling away could happen, faith in Christ would give us only temporary spiritual life, subject at any moment to loss. But Jesus offers no life but eternal life, which, by definition, cannot be lost. To those who believe, Jesus said, “I give eternal life … and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28; cf. 17:2–3; Acts 13:48). To have faith in Jesus Christ and to have eternal life are scripturally synonymous. Were it not for the sustaining and intercessory work of the Son and the Spirit on behalf of believers, Satan and his false teachers could easily deceive God’s elect (see Matt. 24:24) and could undermine the completion of their salvation. But if such a thing were possible, God’s election would be meaningless. Satan knows that believers would be helpless apart from the sustaining work of the Son and the Spirit, and in his arrogant pride he vainly wars against those two divine persons of the Godhead. He knows that if somehow he could interrupt that divine protection, once-saved souls would fall from grace and again belong to him. But the never-ending work of Christ and the Holy Spirit make that impossible. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, Paul continues. He refers to God the Father, who searches the hearts of men. In the process of selecting a successor to King Saul, the Lord told Samuel, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed, “Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest, for Thou alone dost know the hearts of all the sons of men” (1 Kings 8:39; cf. 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 139:1–2; Prov. 15:11). When they were choosing between Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias as a successor for Judas, the eleven apostles prayed, “Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen” (Acts 1:24; cf. 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:13). If the Father knows the hearts of men, how much more does He know the mind of the Spirit. The Father understands exactly what the Spirit is thinking because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Because the Spirit’s will and the Father’s will are identical, and because God is one, Paul’s statement seems unnecessary. But he is pointing up the truth in order to give encouragement to believers. Because the three persons of the Godhead have always been one in essence and will, the very idea of communication among them seems superfluous to us. It is a great mystery to our finite minds, but it is a divine reality that God expects His children to acknowledge by faith. In this passage Paul emphasizes the divine intercession that is necessary for the preservation of believers to their eternal hope. We can no more fathom that marvelous truth than we can fathom any other aspect of God’s plan of redemption. But we know that, were not Christ and the Holy Spirit continually on guard in our behalf, our inheritance in heaven would be reserved for us in vain.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Vol. 1, pp. 465–469). Moody Press.
The Holy Spirit’s Help in Prayer
Romans 8:26–27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
I do not know of any subject that has caused more perplexity for more Christians than the subject of prayer, unless perhaps it is the matter of knowing God’s will. And, of course, the two are related. They are related in this text as well as in other places, for the verses we are now studying speak of the Holy Spirit’s help in prayer, concluding that “he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (v. 27, emphasis added). Christians who want to pray in accordance with God’s will find themselves asking: What should I pray for? How should I pray? Can I pray with confidence, “claiming” things by faith? Or do I have to make my prayers tentative, adding always, “If it be your will”? What happens if I pray wrongly? Can prayer do harm? Does prayer get God to change his mind? Can it change God’s plans? If not, does it even matter if I pray? As I say, I do not know any subject that has caused more perplexity and been more of a continuing problem for more believers than this one. But we have help in this area, the help of the Holy Spirit, which is great indeed. It is what Romans 8:26 and 27 are about.
“In the Same Way”
These verses begin with the phrase “in the same way.” So we first need to ask what this refers to. It is a connecting phrase, of course, and most of the commentators link it to what immediately precedes. That is, they link it to the Christian’s hope. The idea seems to be that we endure sufferings in this life but that we are able to handle them in two ways: first, by hope, that is, by a sure and patient looking forward to the final redemption of our bodies; and second, by the help of the Holy Spirit in prayer. That is a valid connection, of course. But I think that D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is right when he links the apostle’s teaching about prayer in verses 26–27 to his teaching about prayer in verses 15–17. The earlier passage taught that the Holy Spirit enables us to pray, assuring us that we truly are God’s children and encouraging us to cry out “Abba, Father.” That teaching was followed by an extensive digression dealing with the sufferings endured in this life before we come into God’s presence. But then, having dealt with sufferings, Paul returns once more to the Spirit’s work in enabling us to pray, adding that the Spirit also “helps us in our weakness” (v. 26). In other words, Paul returns to the subject of assurance, which is the chapter’s main theme. The point of these two verses is that the Holy Spirit’s help in prayer is another way we can know that we are God’s children and that nothing will ever separate us from his love.
Is Prayer a Problem?
A number of years ago the Bible Study Hour, on which I am the speaker, offered a small booklet containing several messages by another writer and myself and entitled “Is Prayer a Problem?” For most people it obviously is, as I suggested above. So the most important question is not the one in the title of that booklet but rather: Why is prayer a problem? Furthermore, what’s to be done about it? At this point our text is extremely helpful. Let’s take the first question—Why is prayer a problem?—and deal with that. Paul answers that it is because of “our weakness.” When Paul speaks of our weakness, it is important to realize that he is not speaking of sin. Weakness is not sin. It is true that we are sinners and often sin and that sin is a barrier to communication with God. David said of his prayer life, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened” (Ps. 66:18). Isaiah told the Israelites, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isa. 59:2a). But that is not what is being spoken of here. The problem Paul is concerned with is weakness, and this is not sin but rather is grounded in our frailty as human beings. What kinds of weakness are there? Physical weakness is one kind. The story of the disciples who were left by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray provides one illustration. They kept falling asleep even though Jesus had instructed them to stay awake and pray with him. But in Romans 8 the weakness Paul has in mind is ignorance or a lack of understanding. It is expressed in the fact that “we do not know what we ought to pray for.” This is not a question of how to pray but of what to pray. Paul means that we do not know what we should ask of God. What is God’s will for us or others? In our human limitations we simply do not know and therefore do not know how to pray rightly. Notice that when Paul writes the word weakness he adds the word our, thereby putting himself in an identical position. In other words, the weakness that makes prayer difficult is not something that only new, baby, or immature Christians have. It is part of our common human condition. Even the greatest saints have had this difficulty. Let me offer four illustrations. First, there is the case of Job. I pick Job because he had the testimony of God that he was a righteous man: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). There was no outstanding sin in Job that might have been a barrier between him and God. Yet, because of the things that happened to him, Job was a confused man. He did not know why he was suffering as he was. His comforters thought they knew. They would not have had any difficulty praying, at least about Job. They had it all figured out—incorrectly. Job, who knew his heart, had no answers. He prayed, “Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?…” (Job. 7:20b–21). Elijah is another example. This great prophet was a courageous man, having stood against the powerful prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and by God’s provision having won a great victory. Yet after the battle he was so emotionally and physically drained that he retreated to the desert fearing Jezebel, who had threatened to kill him. What did he pray? He asked to die, arguing, “I have had enough, LORD. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4). That much was true; he was no better. But it was still a confused and foolish prayer, since God had more for him to do. Job teaches that a man can be righteous and still not know what to pray. Elijah teaches that a person can be courageous and have the same problem. A third example is Mary Magdalene. Her chief characteristic was love. She loved Jesus greatly. Still, love was no defense against ignorance or a lack of understanding. She had not the faintest idea what God was doing in the death and resurrection of Jesus. So when she met Jesus in the garden after the resurrection, thinking him to be the gardener, she asked, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him” (John 20:15). She was deeply devout, yet confused nonetheless. And what about Jesus himself? This is a bold example; we have to be cautious how we use it. But we remember that in his flesh Jesus was subject to physical limitations, as we are. He grew hungry and tired as we do. He does not seem to have known everything (see Matt. 24:36). As for his praying, we know that in the garden he prayed for up to three hours that the cup of the wrath of God poured out against sin might be taken from him if it was God’s will (Matt. 26:36–46). Jesus came to a position of quiet trust and confidence as a result of that prayer time. Still, we might say that he was praying for a while at least for something that turned out not to be God’s will for him. Is it any wonder that we have problems knowing what to pray for?
The “Burden Bearer”
But enough of the problem. We know it all too well. The point of the passage is that the Spirit “helps us” in the weaknesses I have been describing and, though we do not know what we should pray, he “intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” We are weakness itself, but the Holy Spirit is all-powerful. The first Greek word Paul uses for the Spirit’s role in prayer is a long one, and the simple English translation “helps” does not even come close to doing it justice. The word is sunantilambanetai. Like many long Greek words it is put together from a few shorter ones, in this case three. The first is sun. It means “with,” “along with,” or “together with.” The second word is anti. It means “for” or “in the place of.” The main word, the verb, is lambanō. It means “to take,” “take hold of,” “remove,” or “bear.” All together the word refers to a person coming alongside another to take part of a heavy load and help him bear it. This reminds us of the word Jesus used to describe the Spirit when he prophesied his coming to the disciples just before his crucifixion. He called him a paraklētos, which literally means “one called alongside of another” to help. It is sometimes translated “advocate” (which also means “to call alongside of”), or “comforter.” The idea of the Holy Spirit coming alongside a Christian to help is the same in both cases. But the special meaning in the word used here in Romans is to help by bearing the Christian’s burden. It pictures our ignorance of what to pray for as a heavy load. We are struggling along under it, as it were. But the Holy Spirit comes alongside and helps us shoulder the load. He identifies with us in our weakness, as Jesus did by his incarnation, and he labors with us. The second word Paul uses is intercession, saying that “the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” An intercessor is a person who pleads one’s case. So the meaning is that the way the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to help and shoulder our burden is by pleading our case with God when we do not know how to do it. We do not know what to pray for, but the Holy Spirit does. So he prays for us, and God “who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit” and answers his very correct and powerful prayers wisely. Jesus did that for Peter in one of the best illustrations of intercession in the Bible. He told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat. Then he said, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). Peter did not know what to pray. In fact, he probably wasn’t praying at all. Later that evening he even fell asleep while praying. But Jesus prayed for him, and Jesus’ prayers were answered, as a result of which Peter was strengthened and went on to many years of useful service. But none of this is meant to suggest that we have nothing to do in prayer or have no responsibility to pray. We do have responsibility in prayer, which is made quite clear by the word helps. The apostle says that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” He does not eliminate our need to pray regularly and fervently. What about the word groan? This has been a problem among commentators since they cannot agree on who does the groaning. Is it the Spirit? The text seems to say that. Yet the majority feel that the Spirit, being God, does not groan, indeed cannot groan. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is emphatic on this point: “The Godhead does not groan; it is inconceivable for every reason.” However, if it is not the Holy Spirit who groans, it must be the Christian himself. Is this the correct interpretation? I think the context is a help here and that it is no accident that the word groan or groanings occurs three times in verses 22–27. The first occurrence refers to the inanimate creation, Paul writing that “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (v. 22). The second instance is ourselves. “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly …” (v. 23). Since the word occurs a third time in reference to the Holy Spirit (“the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans …”), there seems to be a meaningful progression from inanimate nature to the redeemed to the third person of the Godhead. It is a bold progression, but it appears to be deliberate. What does it mean? Obviously it does not mean that the Holy Spirit is unable to articulate his concerns. Yet, if the idea of bearing a heavy burden is still in view, it may be that this is what is governing the apostle’s thought. A groan is appropriate to burden bearing. Suppose you are helping someone carry a very heavy load. What is more expressive: a groan as you stagger along beneath it or a great deal of articulate chatter? Suppose your helper is saying, “My, this piano is heavy. They certainly do make pianos heavy, and awkward, too. Probably we should have spent the money and gone ahead and hired professional piano movers. I don’t think I want to do this very often. Have you ever moved a piano before?” If you are struggling with the heavy load, too, that is probably the last thing you want to hear. If someone is chattering away like that, you would probably just want to tell this so-called helper to shut up and lift the piano. A real burden-bearer groans with you. I suggest that this is the image Paul is using. The bearing of our prayer burdens does not have to be in words because, as the passage goes on to say, God “who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit” and answers accordingly. I think F. Godet has the right progression when he summarizes the three groaning agents in this way:
What a statement of the unutterable disorder which reigns throughout all creation.… Nature throughout all her bounds has a confused feeling of it, and from her bosom there rises a continual lament claiming a renovation from heaven. The redeemed themselves are not exempt from this groaning, and wait for their own renewal which shall be the signal of universal restoration; and finally, the Spirit, who is intimate with the plans of God for our glory (1 Cor. 2:7) and who distinctly beholds the ideal of which we have but glimpses, pursues its realization with ardour.
The last words refer to passion that goes beyond mere words.
A First Prayer Primer
Romans 8:26 and 27 imply or explicitly teach so many lessons about prayer that a number of them can be listed as a summary of what we have been learning. They constitute something of a prayer primer for Christians.
We are supposed to pray. Regardless of the problems we may have with prayer—and we are reminded that the saints have all had problems with prayer at times—we are nevertheless supposed to pray. In fact, the Word of God commands us to pray. Indeed, we are told to “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17). Anything God tells us to do is for our good, and we are poorer if we fail to do it. Prayer is one of the great spiritual disciplines.
Do not expect prayer to be easy. Why should it be? Nothing else in the Christian life is easy. Why should prayer be any different? When we were studying the last half of Romans 7, I pointed out that the Christian life is a struggle and that we should not expect simple or quick-fix solutions. Our contemporary American culture has conditioned us to want easy cure-alls. In the area of our sanctification we expect immediate victories either by a formula or spiritual experience. But God does not work that way. We are called to a struggle, and our perseverance in that struggle is itself a victory, even if the results are not visible or spectacular. And the Holy Spirit will help us bear our burden. So also in prayer. You do not have to feel good about it, though you will in most cases. You do not even have to see results. What is important is that you keep on, and keep on keeping on. One bit of verse puts it like this: We are not here to play, to dream, to drift; We have hard work to do and loads to lift. Shun not the struggle; face it; ’tis God’s gift.
Realize what you are doing when you pray. Although the discipline of prayer is itself a struggle and more often than not we do not know what we should be praying for, we nevertheless can know and need to know what we are doing. We are addressing ourselves to the great sovereign God of the universe and are presenting our adoration, confessions, thanksgivings and supplications to him. He is hearing these prayers and responding to them consistently, perfectly, and wisely out of his own inexhaustible abundance. Does prayer get God to change his mind? Of course not! No reasonable person would want that—because if God’s way is perfect, as it is, to get him to change it would be to get him to become imperfect. If that ever happened, the universe would fall into disorder! Any thinking person wants God always to run things according to his own perfect will, not ours. But here is a parallel question: Does prayer change things? The answer to that is Yes—because God who ordains the ends also ordains the means, and he has made prayer a means to those ends. He has promised us that prayer is effective. Notice the difference between the two questions. Does prayer get God to change his mind? No. It does not. Does prayer change things? Yes, because God has ordained that it should be this way. Jesus has told us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7–8). James wrote, “… You do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2), adding, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b). Remember, too, that when we are talking about change the chief thing that happens in prayer is that prayer changes us.
Be encouraged by these verses. It is true that “we do not know what we ought to pray for.” But the Holy Spirit does, and the Holy Spirit has been given to us by God to assist precisely in this area, as well as in other ways. With his help we will make progress. One commentator has compared learning to pray to a man learning to play the violin. At first he is not very good. But he gets the schedule of the classical music broadcasts in his area, buys the violin parts to the music that he knows will be played, and then tunes in the radio each afternoon and plays along as best he can. His mistakes do not change what is coming in over the radio in the slightest. The concertos continue to roll on in perfect harmony and tempo. But the struggling violinist changes. He gets better week by week and year by year, and the time eventually comes when he can play along with the orchestra broadcasts pretty well. Prayer is like that. There are plenty of mistaken notes, and groans, too. But there is also progress and joy and encouragement, since God is continuing to conduct the perfect heavenly symphony, and the Holy Spirit is continuing to prepare us for the day when we will be able to take our place in the divine orchestra. In the meantime we can know that the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, like a wise and faithful teacher, is by our side.
Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: The Reign of Grace (Vol. 2, pp. 885–892). Baker Book House.
“I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.” —John Adams (1800)
Schumer Shutdown update: A vote to approve the House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government through November 21 failed to pass the Senate for the 12th time on Wednesday. The vote came after a baffling non-filibuster from Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley. His 23-hour speech was a protest of Donald Trump’s first nine months in office, though, like Sen. Cory Booker’s marathon speech earlier this year, it proved only that some Democrats can avoid going to the bathroom for a very long time. The government shutdown has now become the second-longest in U.S. history, with no end in sight, prompting Republicans to consider passing a new CR through the House that would continue funding the government through January or even until December 2026. As it stands, even if the Senate relents and passes the current CR, funding would expire in just under a month.
Dem lawmakers snitching on ICE: Attacks and assaults against ICE agents have risen by 1,000% this year, but evidently, that’s not high enough for some Democrats. On Tuesday, House Dems on the Oversight Committee introduced a plan to create what they’ve dubbed a “Master ICE Tracker” with the aim of “tracking every single instance” of ICE activity. While a program that would warn lawbreakers of ICE activity is problematic enough, the bigger issue is that this tracker effectively paints targets on ICE agents. Of course, these lawmakers couch their ICE tracker as merely a means of conducting oversight, but that claim is belied by the fact that Democrats have not only repeatedly objected to ICE raids but have smeared these federal law enforcement agents as the Gestapo. Apparently, Democrats don’t want criminal illegal aliens removed from the country.
U.S. imposes sanctions on Russian oil: After canceling his summit meeting with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, President Trump on Wednesday announced that his administration is raising sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies, Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil and Lukoil OAO. “These are tremendous sanctions,” Trump explained. “These are against their two big oil companies, and we hope they won’t be on for long. We hope that the war will be settled.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that “a substantial pickup in Russia sanctions” was on the table. “Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war,” he said. “We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.” This action is a severe hit to Russia’s economy. It also shows that Trump’s patience with Putin is wearing thin.
Senator Marsha Blackburn to sue Biden DOJ officials: Tennessee Senator and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn has announced that she will sue Biden DOJ officials, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, and the now-disbanded FBI CR-15 team that violated her and other senators’ rights by tracking their phone calls. “It’s the First and the Fourth amendment that was violated,” Blackburn explained, “plus our Speech and Debate Clause, our separation of powers, and the Stored Communications Act.” She also pointed out that the subpoena of her phone records occurred earlier than previously believed — in May, rather than September 2023 — putting it before the Democrat indictment of Donald Trump. Her wireless carrier, Verizon, also drew her ire for never questioning the subpoena that required it to hand over the records of sitting members of Congress.
Special prosecutor appointed to investigate Jay Jones’s reckless driving conviction: Jay Jones is the Virginia attorney general candidate who wants his coworkers’ children to die in their arms, but he’s also the man convicted of driving 116 MPH in a 70 MPH zone in 2022. The reckless driving case has now had a special prosecutor appointed to it after the county’s attorney recused himself. It is unclear why this seemingly settled legal matter is coming under renewed investigation. Jones paid a $1,500 fine and was ordered to serve 1,000 hours of community service, which was reported as complete by January 2024. Jones reported serving 500 hours with his own political action committee, MOM PAC, and 500 hours with the Virginia NAACP. Perhaps it’s the self-serving community service being investigated, or perhaps it’s the astonishing claim that Jones served 20 hours every week despite working full-time and campaigning for fellow Democrats.
Pentagon announces more than 60 journalists have signed new rules: The old Pentagon press corps walked out of the building last week over new restrictions on access and a new policy requiring them to acknowledge that soliciting unauthorized information could be considered a security threat. The near-universal walkout, including such organizations as Fox News and The Washington Times, has not deterred War Secretary Pete Hegseth from moving forward with the new policies. Indeed, on Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that more than 60 journalists, including 26 from 18 outlets in the previous press corps, have agreed to the new policy. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Pentagon is eager to work with this new pool of journalists.
Dems warn Trump against weaponizing IRS: One of the most blatant examples of the weaponization of a federal agency against political opponents occurred under Barack Obama with the IRS targeting of Tea Party and other patriot groups. Yesterday, Senate Democrats sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and senior IRS official Gary Shapley, demanding that planned changes at the IRS be dropped. Ironically, Democrats warned that these changes are an effort to “weaponize the IRS against President Trump’s perceived enemies,” which “is against the law, an abuse of power, and a threat to the integrity of our democratic institutions.” The Trump administration wants to make changes to the IRS that would make it easier to pursue criminal investigations into leftist groups. Some of the changes at the agency’s criminal investigative division would entail removing so-called independent career officials, who have made it difficult and tedious to investigate leftist groups.
Hunter blames his pardon on Trump: Hunter Biden says his pardon last fall is Donald Trump’s fault. The son of former President Joe Biden spoke with Mediaite editor Tommy Christopher this week regarding the recent batch of federal indictments against those who weaponized the justice system against Trump. “My dad would not have pardoned me if President Trump had not won,” Hunter asserted. The younger Biden said his father was forced to pardon him because he didn’t believe he would have had a normal appeals process under a Trump presidency, saying, “Donald Trump went and changed everything.” Hunter indicated that if he had not been pardoned, it would have made him an easier target for the Trump administration, which would have impacted his whole family. He acknowledged how privileged he is, but then added that Trump isn’t “even close to being finished with … his revenge tour and his absolute obsession with my dad.”
Trump’s H-1B visa fee pushing companies to hire Americans: Last month, President Trump issued an executive order that instituted a $100,000 application fee for an H-1B visa. Trump’s aim was to encourage companies to prioritize hiring American workers over foreign workers. It appears that Trump is getting the desired results, as a number of U.S. employers are stopping their sponsorship programs for H-1B visas for non-technical positions. Indeed, two of the nation’s largest H-1B visa mills, Cognizant and Tata Consulting Services, are distancing themselves from relying on cheaper foreign workers. Cognizant, an IT consulting firm, states on its recent new job postings that it will “only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship.”
Headlines
NBA’s Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested in FBI gambling probe with alleged ties to Italian mafia (OutKick)
U.S. strikes drug boat in Pacific for first time (Newsweek)
Trump counterterrorism program kills 370 jihadists in nine months (Just the News)
Annual family premiums for employer coverage rise 6% in 2025, nearing $27,000 (KFF)
Luigi Mangione got beat up by seven “ladyboys” in Thailand shortly before killing healthcare CEO (Not the Bee)
Humor: Next “No Kings” protest to end by 4 PM so everyone can get home in time for “Matlock” (Babylon Bee)
As is the case with anything related to Donald Trump, leftists lose their minds. Whether he’s building a big, beautiful ballroom or seeking damages from the Justice Department for its campaign of unjust lawfare against him, in the Left’s irrational minds, it’s all bad because Orange Man equals evil.
Everyone knows that if a Democrat president were making renovations to the East Wing, they would be praising it. Or if a Democrat president had filed claims against the government, the Left would be justifying it. Probably the thing that makes them the most mad is that they can’t claim corruption in either case.
On Tuesday, Trump confirmed that his legal team is pursuing a $230 million settlement from the DOJ. The president acknowledged the conflict of interest in the situation, stating yesterday, “That decision would have to go across my desk, and it’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself. In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you’re paying yourself in damages? But I was damaged very greatly, and any money that I would get, I would give to charity.” Trump added that he wasn’t looking for money, and we certainly know he doesn’t need it.
Both cases at issue were filed in 2023 and 2024, while he was a private citizen, setting in motion the process that would eventually lead to a lawsuit. Thousands of such claims are filed every year. The first complaint was filed in response to the FBI’s illegal investigation into his 2016 campaign and a special counsel investigation into supposed ties between candidate Trump and Russia. The second complaint was filed in relation to the Justice Department’s investigation into his handling of classified documents, which involved an FBI raid on Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
The DOJ typically decides whether to pay a claim against the government. “To date, Trump has not taken any public step to enforce his claim,” The Washington Post admits. “Under the law, if the government does not pay a claim within six months, the claimant has the right to sue in court. Trump hasn’t done so.”
A possible scenario is that Trump reaches a settlement with the DOJ, but Trump did not say that any negotiations were underway. This is where it gets thorny. Some of the defense attorneys who represented Trump in filing his claims are now top Justice Department officials with whom he would be negotiating. When asked about this last week, Trump openly confessed, “I don’t know, how do you settle the lawsuit? I’ll say, ‘Give me X dollars,’ and I don’t know what to do with the lawsuit.” Trump added, “It sort of looks bad, I’m suing myself, right? So I don’t know. But that was a lawsuit that was very strong, very powerful.”
This all came to the forefront at the same time as construction began on the new East Wing ballroom, and left-wingers are crying foul. The announcement for the much-needed ballroom came back in July when Trump declared, “The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits. The East Wing was constructed in 1902 and has been renovated and changed many times, with a second story added in 1942.”
Once the demolition started on Monday, the lamentations and gnashing of teeth began pouring in. Minnesota Democrat Senator Tina Smith posted on X, “Seeing the White House torn apart is really emblematic of the times we’re in.” Maria Shriver posted a picture and cried, “This breaks my heart and it infuriates me. Hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new ballroom.”
They forgot to mention that the $250 million came from donors; no taxpayer dollars will be used to construct the new ballroom. Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, “The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!”
This private funding is also the reason why the construction project can proceed despite the government shutdown.
Others contend that the ballroom is unnecessary and that it’s destroying historic parts of the White House complex, though they specifically omit the parts of history that undermine their claim.
National Review’s Jim Geraghty illustrates: “Presidents have broad latitude for making changes to the White House grounds. Theodore Roosevelt added a tennis court, George H.W. Bush had a half-court basketball court built on the White House grounds in 1991, and Obama had the half-court adapted to a full-size court.” Those changes arguably enhanced the practicality and purpose of the diplomatic government residence for the president of the most powerful nation on earth. Critics also overlook the fact that Harry Truman oversaw extensive renovations during his presidency, completely gutting and rebuilding the interior of the White House, which was in disrepair.
Some suggest that the Trump admin didn’t follow a rigorous enough review process and bypassed the National Capital Planning Commission, an agency with broad regulatory power over construction projects in the DC area.
In keeping with the law, Trump appointed three new members to the NCPC. William Scharf, one of the three appointees, refuted the claim: “This commission does not have jurisdiction. It has long denied that it has jurisdiction over demolition and site preparation work for federal buildings on federal property. … Any assertion that this commission should have been consulted earlier than it has been, or than it will be, is simply false and represents a misunderstanding of this commission’s role in that project.”
The best by far, though, was when Hillary Clinton decided to get in on the action. She took to X on Tuesday, joining the mob, “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
Oh boy, did she get roasted. “Yes, between selling nights in the Lincoln bedroom to donors and her husband’s tutelage of the interns in the Oval Office, if anyone treated the WH as sacred it was the Clintons,” writer Mark Hemingway mocked on X. Alex Pfeiffer, a former White House staffer, quipped, “A Clinton would never defile the White House.” The lampooning got even better when more historical facts were brought into the spotlight: “I remember when the Clintons stole the people’s furniture and tableware,” conservative columnist David Harsanyi tweeted, alluding to the fact that the Clintons took $28,000 in furnishings that belonged to the White House’s permanent collection and hundreds of thousands of dollars in flatware when Bill left office in 2001.
It just doesn’t get any better than an ex-first lady who stole and made millions from her time in the White House attempting to demean a president who doesn’t take a paycheck, who paid out of his own pocket for the new flagpoles and the Rose Garden overhaul, who is privately funding the ballroom project, and who will donate any money he receives from a settlement with the DOJ to charity. This is certainly an upgrade.
Trump has done more to restore the White House to its proper glory, both literally and figuratively, and bring pride to the American people. And it’s not even close.
Nate Jackson: Biden’s Weaponized FEMA — This is not just a widespread problem within one agency; it’s a cancer that has spread throughout the federal government thanks to activist leftists in career bureaucratic positions.
Thomas Gallatin: The GOP Strategy for ObamaCare and the Shutdown — Are Republicans going to cave to Democrat demands on extending expiring ObamaCare subsidies? The answer is a likely nuanced yes and no.
Samantha Koch: Policing Erika Kirk’s Grief Is Heartless and Hypocritical — The internet busybodies who’ve made it their business to decide how a widow grieves are not truly showing compassion or curiosity. Instead, they’re just mean.
Emmy Griffin: Left-Wing Radicalism: What’s Wrong With the Education System — The Oxford Union president-elect who debated Charlie Kirk and celebrated his attack was voted out, while two school teachers mocked Kirk’s death at “No Kings” protests.
Caleb Nunes: Making Extremists Through Marginalization — Being a young white man living in the United States entails routine denigration by the media, teachers, and peers.
Patrick Hampton: Make Memphis Safe Again — The truth is that everyday citizens in urban and suburban areas throughout Shelby County firmly support the efforts of Trump, Gov. Lee, and the Memphis Safe Task Force.
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Latest PodcastPopCon #119: ‘Tron: Ares’ Brings the Tron Universe Into RealityIn the newest “Tron” edition, viewers are taken inside a digital world inhabited by computer programs, digital cities, Light Cycles, and a totally epic Nine Inch Nails soundtrack.
BEST OF VIDEOS
Trump Destroying the White House, or Building It Back Better? — Announced in July and now under active construction, the project marks the most significant expansion of the People’s House since President Harry Truman’s gut renovation in the late 1940s.
Police Are Protecting Antifa Now? — Portland has had anti-ICE protests for a while, but it never seemed like the Portland PD had directly protected the rioters — until now.
“You could almost make a case that the true inheritor of the Sanders revolution is Trump. He’s the most socialist president of my lifetime.” —Jon Stewart
Braying Jenny
“JD Vance wants to be president more than anything else. I always wonder what’s going on in the mind of his wife. Like, are you OK? Please blink four times. We’ll come over here. We’ll save you.” —former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
“He’s scarier in certain ways [than Trump] … and he’s young and ambitious and agile in the sense that he is a chameleon.” —Jen Psaki on JD Vance
Non Compos Mentis
“The fact that I have to spend even a moment’s time talking about somebody else’s text messages from years ago … is something that I am deeply unhappy about.” —Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger on AG candidate Jay Jones’s call for the deaths of Republicans
“There’s a lot of people who’ve never met a trans person. … And so there’s a real effort to engage in some level of fearmongering.” —Abigail Spanberger
Godwin’s Law
“This is what happened. People’s rights started getting taken away. People got accused of being ‘immigrants.’ This is before the Holocaust really took place. … This is how authoritarian regimes do it.” —Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
The BIG Lie
“Democrats are not for open border[s].” —Gov. JB Pritzker
Straight From the Horse’s Mouth
“This does suck, and I’m sorry that we’re actually putting you in this situation.” —Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) admitting that Democrats are harming their constituents
A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut
“You’re blaming the Republicans for the shutdown. But in point of fact, it’s the Democrats in the Senate who are refusing to vote for the clean continuing resolution to fund the government for seven weeks.” —CNN’s Jake Tapper to House Minority Whip Katherine Clark
Truth Bomb
“What the Democrats have accomplished in nine and a half months is a government shutdown. … They have made a lot of TikTok videos — we’ll give them credit for that. They’ve also assaulted law enforcement officers. … They’ve openly embraced and rallied with communists and socialists. … They voted to raise taxes on millions of hardworking Americans at the worst possible time. They have voted against reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in government.” —House Speaker Mike Johnson
Political Futures
“If Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor and implements the changes he is promising, expect the city’s financial condition and public safety to deteriorate rapidly. … In such a crisis, desperate New Yorkers will look to Albany, where the governor has virtually unlimited power to curb the mayor’s authority or remove him, even if no crime has been committed.” —Betsy McCaughey
For the Record
“An overwhelming majority of IVF-created human lives are put on ice or destroyed as a result of the process. … Millions of unborn human lives that are (at best) put on ice or (at worst) destroyed, far outpacing the number of abortions performed in the United States every year. The issue with IVF is not IVF itself, but the embryos that are created and never implanted as a direct consequence of IVF.” —Ian Haworth
And Last…
“The ballroom is going to be glorious. It’s gonna be used for everybody. And by the way, hey, Democrats, if you win the White House back, you get to use it too.” —Speaker Mike Johnson
ON THIS DAY in 1983, Hezbollah jihadists murdered 241 American servicemen by using a suicide truck bombing at the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic’s Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
US and Israel working out key elements of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan as Vice-President Vance wraps up his visit to Israel and Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives; one key sticking point: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes having troops from Turkey as part of a multinational peacekeeping force in Gaza (Turkish President Erdogan supports the Muslim Brotherhood, which led to Hamas); Israeli analyst tells CBN News Israel will take action if its national security is threatened by Turkey or Qatar; Chris Mitchell talks about the Knesset vote to extend Israeli sovereignty over its communities in the Biblical lands of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank, the Trump Administration’s goals in Gaza, the possibility of Turkish troops in Gaza, Netanyahu’s priorities for the peace deal, and how US-Israeli disagreements can be worked out; Gregg Roman of the Middle East Forum talks to CBN’s The Global Lane about the possibility the peace plan could collapse before Phase Two begins and the Trump team’s negotiating strategy; and a preview of this weekend’s World Harvest ministry Gospel outreach in Columbia, South Carolina, as the ministry brings the Gospel to cities in the northern part of the state.
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is trolling Democrats over their objection to President Donald Trump‘s White House ballroom construction, launching an official timeline of the White House’s history that includes top scandals that plagued former Democratic presidents’ administrations.
The White House website as of Thursday includes a “major events timeline” of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. stretching back to 1791, when plans for the iconic building were first mapped out. The timeline includes a series of benchmarks such as the addition of the north portico from 1829 to 1830, and the addition of the Oval Office in 1909 under the Taft administration and the “total reconstruction” of the White House interior under the Truman administration.
The timeline also includes a handful of high-profile scandals that rocked previous Democratic administrations.
“2023: Cocaine Discovered,” one slide on the White House’s website reads. “During Biden’s administration, a U.S. Secret Service agent discovered a small, zippered plastic bag containing cocaine in the West Wing entrance lobby.”
“Speculation has pointed to Hunter Biden, an admitted drug user,” the slide continued. “Additional evidence includes a laptop, seized in 2019, which contains photos of frequent drug use alongside emails about foreign business dealings (Ukraine, China) involving his father, Joe, while he was Vice President.”
Former President Bill Clinton’s 1998 sex scandal with intern Monica Lewinsky and former President Barack Obama inviting a delegation of the Muslim Brotherhood to the White House in 2012 also were included on the official timeline.
“1998: Bill Clinton Scandal,” one slide reads. “President Bill Clinton’s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky was exposed, leading to White House perjury investigations. The Oval Office trysts fueled impeachment for obstruction.”
“2012: Muslim Brotherhood Visit,” another slide reads. “Obama host member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that promotes Islamist extremism and has ties to Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood is a designated terrorist organization by nearly a dozen nations.”
Another slide took issue with former President Joe Biden’s administration recognizing International Transgender Day of Visibility on the same day as Easter in 2023. International Transgender Day of Visibility was created by activists more than 10 years ago and is celebrated each year on March 31, with the Biden administration acknowledging both holidays in 2024.
“2023-2024: The Biden/Harris administration hosts transexuals at the White House in 2023, and goes on to establish the ‘The Transgender Day of Visibility’ on the same day as Easter Sunday in 2024,” the slide reads.
The White House’s historical timeline was launched as Democrats, from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, criticized Trump for constructing a ballroom at the White House. The 90,000-square-foot project is privately funded and will accommodate an estimated 650 seated guests, according to the White House.
“It’s not his house,” Clinton wrote on X Tuesday morning. “It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
“Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,” Warren added in her own criticism.
“I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump,” New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X Monday. “We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing.”
The Trump administration has, meanwhile, celebrated that the new addition of the White House does not cost taxpayers, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt adding that presidents have long complained that the historic residence lacks a space to entertain large groups.
“Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,” Leavitt said on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” Tuesday. “In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.”
“President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.”
“It’s sickening and stunning to watch all of this play out. This isn’t some leader of a violent radical group who’s aiding and abetting criminals while ginning up hatred for law enforcement; it’s a sitting member of the United States House of Representatives. He did it while standing alongside the mayor of the second-largest city in the country.”
(Stephen Kruiser – PJ Media) Here we are again, another discussion about how far off the reservation the Democrats have gone when it comes to their everyday approach to politics. I mean, it’s really Cuckoo Land over there….
I know that things started to get squirrely when His High Holiness the Lightbringer Barack Obama became president, but the combination of knowing that they had to throw in with the addled puppet Joe Biden, all the while worrying about the return of President Donald Trump, broke them in ways that I’m sure can’t be healed.
Put more succinctly: there won’t be a Kumbaya grand unity moment for the United States of America. Heck, if the ChiComs invaded tomorrow, my money’s on the Dems all starting Duolingo Mandarin streaks rather than working with Republicans to save the country. View article →
Gambling is among behaviors that is “rarely viewed as sinful” according to a new report. MountainDweller at Pixabay
Americans are changing their understanding and definition of “sin,” according to the latest Barna research.
A press release on Oct. 21 by the Cultural Research Center reported that most Americans now say that they only consider half of 12 specific behaviors presented to them and traditionally considered sinful, as actually sinful.
The new data from the second part of the American Worldview Inventory national survey of 2,000 adults arranged by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University signals a dramatic shift in the nation’s moral compass and builds on earlier reports documenting widespread confusion about the existence and nature of sin, according to the press release.
Some behaviors, such as drinking, gambling, and working on the Sabbath, are “rarely viewed as sinful,” according to the research. Others such as abortion, sexual fantasies, and cheating on taxes split public opinion.
Only six of the 12 behaviors were still widely regarded as sinful, mainly those related to speech, sexuality, faith, and drug use.
Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, commented that there was a difference in attitudes to sin depending on the age group.
“Unfortunately, parallel long-term tracking data related to the behaviors that people consider to be sinful does not exist,” the ACU professor and bestselling author lamented. “However, there appears to be a clear and moderately strong link between generational differences of opinion related to sin and the ongoing redefinition of morality in American society.”
Previous reports from the American Worldview Inventory 2025 reported a widespread “confusion and controversy” about the definition and attributes of sin. Less than one out of five adults from that study maintain a consistently biblical perspective on sin.
Barna believed the current data patterns reflect social turbulence during the past decade in the U.S. in the areas of significant changes in family structure, personal relationships, integrity and ethics, faith practices, and lifestyle choices. These can be traced directly to shifts away from traditional biblical views on sin, according to the press release citing Barna’s thoughts.
“If you follow the response patterns of the groups that are increasingly influential in American society, you can see the moral redefinition unfolding,” said Barna.
“The adult portion of Gen Z is currently less than 10% of the adult population, but when all of the members of that generation are 18 or older, that group will be nearly four times their current proportion of the total adult population.
“Add to that the fact that the atheist and agnostic percentage of the nation’s population today is about one-quarter of all adults, and remains one of the fastest growing religious segments in the United States, and one that will likely continue to grow in the next decade or two.
“A third piece of the cultural puzzle is the Asian-American population, which has also been a rapidly growing segment, and will continue to grow steadily in the coming years.”
Some major growth drivers of the American population are people groups that reject biblical morality, explained Barna.
“As we seek to understand why America is being transformed from a Bible-honoring, traditional morality population to one that is more laissez-faire or even aggressively secular in its views of right and wrong or sin and virtue, the demographic curves provide important insights,” he added.
“Three influential subgroups are moving the culture toward their preferred worldview, which is at odds with biblical morality. And those subgroups have cultural momentum on their side.”
The most widely regarded sin, of the dozen behaviours, is intentionally lying, deceiving, or manipulating others for personal benefit. Almost three-quarters of adults (73%) labeled such action as sinful.
For Christians, that figure is higher with 99% of adults presenting a biblical worldview on deception as sinful and 96% of theologically-identified born-again Christians, compared to 81% of Catholics.
Only 44% of atheists and agnostics agreed on that point with nearly half denying the existence of sin in the first place. Younger adults and Asians were also “significantly less likely than older or other racial groups to label deception as sinful.”
With blasphemy, six out of 10 adults believed it a sin with most Christian traditions affirdming that perspective, compared to a quarter of atheists and agnostics.
“Similarly, 59% of adults said worshiping a spirit or person other than the God of the Bible is sinful,” stated the press release. “Again, Gen Z and Asians were least likely to accept that view, while Catholics were less convinced than other Christian groups.”
A split opinion showed with sexual behaviours. More than half (55% ) of adults deemed sex outside of marriage as sin. Yet support for this view was lower with young adults, Asians and those without a religious faith.
However, 72% of Protestants agreed with this view, compared to 60% of Catholics.
“Intentional exposure to pornography was also considered sinful by a slight majority (55%), with the strongest rejection found among Protestants and women,” added the press release.
Most (54%) people, especially Christians saw illegal drugs for recreation as sinful although the study said Asians and the non-religious were less inclined to share this perspective.
Three behaviors divided the public evenly on the question of their sinful attributes: abortion (half of all adults) with 93% of adults holding that view (79% of born again Christians and 19% of atheists and agnostics). Sexual fantasies with someone outside of marriage (half of all adults) and cheating on taxes (47%).
In comparison, three behaviors were rejected by a majority as not sinful: drunkenness (42%), gambling (40%), and working on the Sabbath (23%).
Barna, who has been studying the intersection of culture and faith since the 1980s, connected these findings to larger cultural shifts.
“Together, a majority of those groups approve of lying for personal benefit, sex on demand, abortion, idolatry, and various lifestyle vices. Their will is not monolithic—there are other population segments larger in size, or which possess considerable counter-balancing influence. However, the trajectory of the three segments indicates they have considerable favor and impact within today’s society. Those who ignore the cultural influence they wield do so at their own peril.”
The national moral code of the U.S. is increasingly being shaped by cultural rather than spiritual forces, according to the veteran researcher.
“If Christians in America want a nation based on biblical morality, they must be clearer and more assertive in teaching, evaluating, and modeling of the biblical worldview and its resultant lifestyle choices. As matters stand now, the biblical worldview is poised to lose what little ground it currently occupies in America, including an increased loss of influence related to our national morality.”
This is what we expected from every appointee in the Trump Administration. Lindsey Halligan is SUPERB.
Lindsey Halligan came into DOJ’s broken and corrupt Eastern District of Virginia on September 22. She replaced the crooked interim US Attorney in the District and immediately got to work.
The former DOJ US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia was involved in the drafting of the Mueller reports. He also is the son-in-law of the man who is the godfather of Comey’s daughter. No wonder slimeball Erik Siebert was working on a 50 page document claiming Comey’s innocence. He had to go. He is the Deep State.
Not only that, but Jim Comey’s son-in-law worked in this district and he was under Siebert. We reported on him being there and he was gone days after Halligan stepped in.
Next Halligan indicted corrupt former FBI Director Jim Comey who leaked classified information to his friends in the media to keep the coup of the Trump Administration alive and to tarnish President Trump in the media as much as he could. It should have been done years ago. It took Halligan a week or less to do it once she got the Comey allies out of the DOJ.
It didn’t take Halligan long and Halligan next indicted the corrupt AG in New York, Letitia James for committing mortgage fraud. This too should have been done months ago when James crimes were first reported. Halligan did this in a couple of weeks. The Gateway Pundit was all over this story of massive mortgage fraud and corruption. It took Halligan to bring the indictment which also should have been done months ago.
On Monday US Attorney Halligan officially ended the Mueller exam. There was one case outstanding that the corrupt actors in the DOJ before her left open – the Mueller exam. This diabolical investigation which was a big part of the attempted coup of the first Trump Administration was still open. Halligan closed it. Here’s a report on what she did on Monday:
Today it finally happened. Something I thought might never come, but I never quite gave up hope. The Mueller witch hunt has officially ended with the dismissal of the final indictment (setting aside the meaningless, for-show charges against a bunch of random Russians no one has ever heard of and no one will ever see anyway).
I’ve followed this case closely since 2018 because, even among all the injustices carried out by Mueller’s thugs, this one stood out as particularly grotesque. I’ll write more about it later, but in short: Mueller’s team went through General Flynn’s old client list and targeted one of his former clients on a matter that had nothing to do with Trump or Russia, purely to pressure him into saying something damaging about Flynn and by extension, Trump.
That client, @ekimalptekin, refused to lie. So Mueller’s team hit him with completely fabricated FARA charges. He couldn’t see his family or children for many years, fearing extradition to the United States. He spent millions on legal fees. His business, his life, everything was wrecked.
So I couldn’t be happier that Ekim’s long nightmare has finally ended. A huge thank you to everyone here who kept this injustice alive in the public eye all these years, especially my friend @FOOL_NELSON and everyone else in the Russiagate research community.
But most of all, thank you to Lindsey Halligan. What an absolute legend for getting this done in a matter of a few days after seven long years of despair. Having followed this case and the people involved extremely closely, I can say with absolute certainty that without Lindsey Halligan, this would not have happened. We all owe her a great debt of gratitude for finally, formally ending the Russiagate witch hunt.
Today it finally happened. Something I thought might never come, but I never quite gave up hope. The Mueller witch hunt has officially ended with the dismissal of the final indictment (setting aside the meaningless, for-show charges against a bunch of random Russians no one has… pic.twitter.com/EtraoSUNCM
America wants more fearless DOJ US Attorneys to do the same as Ms. Halligan. Her accomplishments in a month are more than most Trump US Attorneys have done to date.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is scheduled to hold a press briefing at 1:00 pm ET. Tune in for more from the White House! Join us LIVE at 12:00 pm ET on October 23, 2025
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