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theology and the Christian life

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Mike McGarry

Mike is the Founder/Director of Youth Pastor Theologian, where he currently writes and speaks to serve youth pastors. Visit youthpastortheologian.com to learn more about YPT and read his blogs and books, or to learn more about bringing Mike to speak at your church, retreat, or conference.

Who Loves Self-Righteousness (hint: we all do)

Self Righteousness… does anyone like it? You know the type… those who walk around like they’re holier than thou, judging everyone else for not being as godly as they are.

And yet, if we’re honest with ourselves, we all love self-righteousness. We believe that we are better than others. If I think ABC is right, and you think ABC is wrong, then I’m probably not changing my mind anytime soon. Why is that? Because our default setting is self-righteousness. We are the kings and queens of our kingdoms, and what we desire is almost always viewed as good and right and beautiful. Those who oppose us are grabbing for power, judgmental, or they’re just plain wrong.

But here’s the thing… you can’t be a Christian and be self-righteous. Christianity looks to the righteousness of another. The gospel calls us to confess our unrighteousness and to trust fully in the righteousness of Christ. The Christian is fully dependent on Christ’s righteousness.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Continue reading “Who Loves Self-Righteousness (hint: we all do)” →

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What is God’s “Steadfast Love?”

What if God was fickle? Imagine if God’s love had limits, and came to an end. Would there be good news to proclaim; or would we be given the law, and only those who kept it perfectly (no one!) would be free from judgment.

We would be under judgment, not grace.

חֶסֶד (hesed) is translated as “steadfast love” in most English translations of the Old Testament and is one of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible. It is his steadfast love which motivated the Son to become a man: the atoning sacrifice for the sin of his rebellious image-bearers, so they could be reconciled and free from guilt and shame. But how often do we read about his steadfast love without pausing to truly reflect on what it means?

A photo by Justin Luebke. unsplash.com/photos/9njCyLeVrwY Continue reading “What is God’s “Steadfast Love?”” →

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Is “Forgive and Forget” Biblical?

We’ve all been hurt. We’ve all been forgiven. We’ve all needed to be forgiven. But some hurts are simply too difficult to truly forget.

“Forgive and forget” sounds good advice until you’re the one hearing it. Then, when it’s personal and when the hurt is deep, it seems like you’re expected to do something impossible. And for the Christian, it begs the question: Is “forgive and forget” biblical?

cloud-over-mountains
Continue reading “Is “Forgive and Forget” Biblical?” →

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Weird Bible Stories: When God Sent the Bears

bear

The Bible has some really strange stories in it. There are some that you read and think, “Wait a minute. What?!” Yesterday at church I told a friend I had just written a post about this story and he said, “I have that story highlighted in my Bible. I have no idea what it means though!” Let’s explore one of the weirdest stories in the Bible.

He (Elisha) went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 2:23-25, ESV

I remember reading this as a teenager and thinking, “What in the world is going on here! God had a bear eat 42 kids because they called someone bald?!” As always, reading this story in light of what came before and what comes after is the key to understanding what happened. We also need to know something about Bethel’s relationships with the prophets of God.  Continue reading “Weird Bible Stories: When God Sent the Bears” →

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Living an Undivided Life

A photo by Dietmar Becker. unsplash.com/photos/8Zt0xOOK4nI

It’s easy for people to pick on teenagers for having such a clear distinction between who they are with their different friendship groups. We all know someone who is totally different person depending on who else is around.

While it might be most obvious with teenagers, aren’t we all like that to some degree? Think about it…

  • If your church friends saw you at work/school, what would they think?
  • If your work/school friends heard you at church, would they be surprised?

God calls us to whole-hearted and undivided people who love and honor him. If that’s what we want, then it’s good to take a moment from time to time and recalibrate.

We can easily allow our “Christian life” to be expressed here and our “normal life” to be lived over there. Instead, what would it look like for us to live one faithful life?  Continue reading “Living an Undivided Life” →

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Christian Views on Creation: A Short Summary

Time for another reader question. You can submit your question HERE:

Hi Mike! I have always struggled with the topic of creationism, as I know there are many different types. I don’t know were to start with researching them, but I feel like I should know a lot more about it than I do (especially where I’m taking lots of science classes at college). Any suggestions on what to do? I’m a little lost.

earth

Thanks for your question, it’s an important (and common) one. As we consider the glory of creation and the complexity of understanding HOW God created, I want us to keep a few things in mind:

  1. Science is Good: Unfortunately, the stereotype of religious folk is that we are unscientific. Most of Western history’s greatest scientists were faithful Christians who practiced science as a way to explore God’s good creation. Many of these people were actually funded and sponsored by the Church. Today, however, people have replaced faith in God with naturalism, which says, “If I can’t physically and scientifically prove it, then it isn’t real.” Science is good, Naturalism is not. The scientific method is the creed of the naturalist, just as the Bible is the authority for the Christian.
  2. Multiple Interpretations: Scientific data is often debated. There isn’t always one clear and obvious conclusion. Multiple scientists often draw different interpretations and conclusions from the same information. The popular voice isn’t always correct. Without room to debate interpretations, the best-funded voice will always prevail. This cuts both ways, and we need to be willing to learn from those with whom we disagree.
  3. Science is Limited: Obviously, a Naturalist will disagree with this statement, but it’s important to put up front. If you believe there’s more to reality than what we can empirically test, then you will draw different conclusions from the scientist who believes “it’s only true if you can scientifically prove it.” We will never understand everything. We aren’t supposed to. However, that’s not an excuse to disregard science. Science teaches us amazing things about our world, so take it seriously, but remember it cannot answer all questions.
  4. Adaption & Evolution: No one denies adaptation. Even the most literal 24-hour day creationist confidently agrees with significant amounts of adaptation within species (see HERE for an example). Adaptation and evolution within species makes good scientific sense to everyone. The debate revolves around whether or not one species can evolve into a new species, especially regarding the origin of humanity.

Continue reading “Christian Views on Creation: A Short Summary” →

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When Doubt is Good for You

I vividly recall looking at my hand and bending my fingers, and being amazed at the simplicity and complexity of that movement. All the bones, joints, muscles, nerves, etc. working together to do what my brain was telling them to do. Amazing.

As a teenager I wrestled with doubt.

What if we did “just happen” and if we evolved from primordial ooze?
What if Jesus didn’t really say or do the things the Bible says he did?
How do I know God is even real? 

Thankfully, I was free to embrace my doubt and to ask my hard questions. Many teenagers who grow up in the church feel the pressure to keep their questions to themselves. If they do ask hard questions, they feel looked down on.

An increasing amount of books are recognizing the good things that come from allowing ourselves (and others) to doubt. Teenagers who grow up in Christian families often report a lack of freedom to voice their doubts. Instead, I try to encourage people (especially younger people) to ask their hard questions and to wrestle with their doubts.

One of my favorite stories in the Gospel comes when Jesus interacts with a man whose son is demon-possessed. Here’s the key interaction. We need to encourage this kind of honesty in the church.

But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out[a] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
(Mark 9:22-24, ESV)

compass-in-hand

Continue reading “When Doubt is Good for You” →

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What is “Sin that Leads to Death” in 1 John 5:16-17?

question mark on sticky noteOne of my favorite features on this site
is the reader questions, because I want this site to serve you. If there is something you’ve been wondering, please submit your questions HERE. You can search some of the other reader questions.

I would like to hear your insightful comment on 1 John 5:16 – 17 regarding sin that does not bring death and sin that does bring death. I welcome your perspective and clarification.

“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.” (1 John 5:16-17, ESV)

Context is King
As always, the best way to interpret Scripture is through understanding the context where the confusing passage occurs.

General Context: Faithfulness in the life of the Believer
Throughout the entire book of 1 John there is a strong emphasis on sin, confession, and faithfulness of believers. Over and over again Christians are described as those who do not sin. It’s important to realize in original languages, these verses use a grammatical structure which clearly implies a continual, ongoing habit of sinning. Some of these passages emphasizing the faithful Christian life are listed below.

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1:5)

Everyone who make a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness…. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (3:4 & 6)

If anyone says, ‘I love god,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (4:20)

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. (5:18)

Upon reading through 1 John it should be clear that it was written to a church who enduring conflict and division. The members are wandering away and arguing with each other. The fellowship is broken. John is encouraging the believers to walk in the truth by loving one another as an expression of their love for God. True Christians endure – they don’t walk in habitual sinfulness, and they don’t abandon the family of God. This is a clear and consistent call throughout the book of 1 John, and this sets the context for 1 John 5:16-17.

A photo by Cristian Newman. unsplash.com/photos/zFnk_bTLApo

Continue reading “What is “Sin that Leads to Death” in 1 John 5:16-17?” →

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How You Say It Matters: Thoughts on Form & Function

There was competition for my kids’ attention as we were reading the Bible last night. But I couldn’t get rid of the competition. Instead, I needed to embrace it. Because the competition came from the Bible App for Kids… the very app we were using to read the Bible in the first place!

You see, the Bible App for Kids takes the Bible stories and animates into interactive stories for your kids as the story is read out loud to them. My kids love it. I’m a little torn… because they half listen and half play.

They love the many Bible stories to choose from, the animation is great, and they especially enjoy touching the screen to see what the characters are going to do next. But are they listening to the story? Are they actually learning what the Bible says? To me… that’s not totally clear. There have been moments when the form (making the Bible stories fun and interactive) has overshadowed the function (teaching the Bible stories to children).

 

potters-wheel

Why the Church Must Prioritize Function Over Form 
It raises the question of which matters most: Form or Function?

  • Form is the shape of what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
  • Function is what you’re trying to accomplish.

Form and Function should never compete. When they do, you lose. Without good For
m, the Function isn’t accomplished. The mission fails. The message was sent, but no one was paying attention. And without prioritizing Function, the Form received more attention than the thing it was trying to accomplish. For this reason, Function needs to have priority while valuing Form enough to give it the skill and attention necessary that the mission is accomplished.

Continue reading “How You Say It Matters: Thoughts on Form & Function” →

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