I am increasingly becoming aware of how important it is for
people to know history. I am persuaded by my faith, that if people do not know
certain parts of history they will be both unable to distinguish truth and more
importantly left without hope of eternal life with God. The apostle Paul,
through the guidance of the Holy Spirit says in Romans 9:10
“Because, if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.”
When Jesus Christ died on the cross 2,000
years ago, that was as much an event in history as the American Revolution was.
There is enough evidence from the Bible and outside sources for the life, death
and resurrection of Jesus that it makes believing in him as Lord, Savior and
Judge—both rational and reasonable. As those who are “In Christ,” we stand for
truth in a world which loves darkness. We live in a world which loves to hear
about God’s love but doesn’t like to be told they are in rebellion against the
God of the universe. The world loves to boast and believe it knows better than
God but it only is fooling itself.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and
anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. Luke
11:23
But God shows his anger from heaven
against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They
know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was
created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they
can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So
they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t
worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish
ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming
to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the
glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people
and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever
shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading
things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie…
You may think you can condemn such
people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are
wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge
others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does
such things. Since you
judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s
judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is
with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is
intended to turn you from your sin?
But because you are stubborn and
refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for
yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be
revealed. Romans 1:18-2:5Therefore God is revealed in both his special revelation (bible) and general revelation (history, world and universe). If people do not know who God is, how will they be able to discern right and wrong and obey the truth? Pilate declared “what is truth?” and so does the world when faced with the truth, because it would rather do what it wants rather than acknowledge, know and believe that the Truth (Jesus) is Lord. Satan knows exactly who is Jesus Christ (Truth), he knows the bible better than anyone and yet he is still in eternal rebellion against God. The Devil hates the truth and would rather serve himself then follow it.
History includes both the bible and everything else that has
ever happened or wrote down.
History is awesome and it is important! The reason people do
not like history anymore, is because over 50 years ago, we changed the way we
teach history. People like stories, David and Goliath, George Washington
crossing the Delaware or George Washington surviving as hundreds of his fellow
soldiers die all around him. What an epic story is that of David and Goliath
and Washington crossing the Delaware or how miraculous is it for Washington to
have survived the battle of Monongahela, while hundreds died right next to him
and how did he survive without a scratch?
History used to be taught by:
·
Biographical
·
Stories and consequences
·
Having a purpose
Today we teach dry uninteresting, sterile history by trying
to remember names, dates and places. There is no purpose to history anymore. We
are afraid of making any judgments made about the choices people make or
considering the values which are upheld in our learning of history. This is why
history is considered dull, while stories like Harry Potter, Twilight and other
books are considered interesting. We have remembered the wrong things and for
the wrong motives. You don’t remember history to remember history. You remember
history to discern right course of action and right motives and to learn the
true, beautiful and lovely things which can be learned from things and events
which are relevant, real and much larger then ourselves. History is made real when people are
highlighted, rather than dates, names and places—especially when Providence is
seen and God is made known. Purposeful history is when we find the point of it
all, look at what it led to and examine the consequences and what is the
result.
History is boring today because:
·
We don’t have stories
·
We don’t have purpose
·
We don’t have consequences
Jebediah Morris, founding father, one of top three educators
in founding era and he described the office of a historian…
He said--a historian is supposed to do
three things:
1.
He’s to record the progress of human affairs as
directed by the providence of God
2.
He’s to exhibit the connection of events showing
how an immense series has produced a cause and effect
3.
He’s to
display the character of man and the character of God.
In people like Fredrick Douglas, Reverend Martin Luther King
Jr and the vast majority of Western Civilization, their faith made up their
purpose in life—in all the things they wanted to do in their life, faith was
the driving force and reason. When history removes how someone’s faith impacted
their life to please people that don’t like faith, they immediately tell a lie
and make history dull and its purpose irrelevant--by not telling the truth.
So if Jesus transforms us and the Truth in history gives
rational thought to people, then how should they then live? We should live a
life centered on the Word of God and thus from that develop a worldview
centered on the bible. The bible should
instruct us in how we live, beliefs, decisions and everything in our lives. The founding fathers of America believed in
this biblical worldview and they lived in a time when pastors taught a very
practical Christianity from the pulpit. It was the pastors who taught the
founding fathers to value freedom, liberty and that rebellion against tyrants
is obedience to God.
When Moses broke off from Pharaoh, he, along with his
people, with the help of God rebelled against Egypt. Likewise, when the apostles
were brought before the high priests, they obeyed God:
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God
rather than men. Acts 5:29
Politics was practiced by the Reverend Martin Luther King
Jr. to help bring about civil rights for blacks in America. It was practiced
when William Wilberforce worked to end the slave trade in England. It was also
practiced when America adopted the Constitution as its supreme law of the land.
The Constitution and the Declaration are biblical documents which reference the
bible numerous times and the rights we derive through laws and our liberty is
based upon biblical verses.
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who
fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the
people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Exodus
18:21 – This is one of the verses which we should give thanks for our
Republican form of government.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you
have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you
have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6
The whole counsel of God is left out of modern Christianity,
because it has been forgotten. Like the reading of the Book of the Law of Moses
in Ezra and Nehemiah we need to teach what was lost and proclaim from the roof
tops that everything that Christ taught. For he says in Matthew 28 “Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you.” Christ didn’t want us to just evangelize, he wanted us
to teach all that he commanded (the whole bible) to those who are both of the
Kingdom of God and those who are not. That is, Jesus wanted us to teach the
whole counsel of God, not just give salvation speeches. It must not be
forgotten that salvation is most important but that isn’t all that Christ
taught. He taught about how to live among fellow believers and those who weren’t,
how to humble yourself and how the greatest of you will serve and how we are
saved by grace—through the gift of God and created to do good works. He taught
about what types of taxes are bad (such as a tax which is partial to one group
of people over another). He taught about the importance of family, love and
life (traditional family, marriage and anti-abortion). He taught about how he
created everything and how we were made in his image (anti-evolution,
anti-materialism, anti-communism).
These beliefs and ideas are just a small
part of what it means to have a world view which is shaped by God and his Word,
rather than the “philosophies of men.” Therefore God reveals his wisdom through
a biblical worldview to a people that doesn’t lack “knowledge” of his historical
death upon the Cross and believes in the Truth—that the Word of God was made
flesh and dwelt among us as Jesus Christ; God, Savior and Judge.
