Understanding the Biblical Cycle of Creation, De-Creation, and New Creation

The biblical narrative unveils a profound and cyclical pattern of creation, de-creation, and new creation. This article explores and presents the significance of this cycle, its theological implications, and its relevance for believers. Understanding this pattern also has implications regarding God’s purpose in salvation history for both the nation of Israel and individual believers today.

The cycle of creation, de-creation, and new creation serves as a framework that shapes the grand narrative of God’s redemptive plan. It begins with the creation account found in Genesis 1:1, where God creates the heavens and the earth. However, chaos and darkness envelop the world immediately after creation, symbolized by the term “deep,” referring to the sea or ocean (Genesis 1:2). This chaos represents de-creation, a disruption of the initial order.

Yet, the narrative continues with the recreation of order. The Spirit of God hovers over the chaos, redesigning and bringing order out of disorder (Genesis 1:2). God speaks, and light emerges, followed by the creation of all animal and human life (Genesis 1:3). This recreation sets the stage for the subsequent events.

Moving forward, the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2 follows a similar pattern. God forms Adam from the dust of the ground, representing human creation (Genesis 2:7). However, God then puts Adam to sleep, symbolizing a form of de-creation or death, and takes a portion from his side to create Eve (Genesis 2:21). This re-creation introduces the concept of complementary genders and the attraction between masculine and feminine qualities.

The pattern of creation, de-creation, and new creation takes a dramatic shift with the entry of sin into the world. The fall of humanity into sin in Genesis 3 disrupts the perfect order established in creation. Sin introduces brokenness, suffering, and separation from God. This de-creation manifests in various ways throughout biblical history, such as the flood account, the exile of Israel, and the brokenness of human relationships.

Despite the devastating effects of sin, God’s redemptive plan continues, introducing the concept of new creation. In Genesis 12-17, God calls Abraham to start a new nation, eventually fulfilling this promise through Jacob’s twelve sons, who become the Israelite nation. However, they face de-creation as they become slaves in Egypt, experiencing the debasing of their humanity. Throughout Israel’s history, we witness the pattern of creation, de-creation, and rebirth illustrated in their national journey. Prosperity comes when they serve God; defeat and exile occur when they turn away from Him. God speaks through the prophets and describes the same pattern of creation, de-creation, with the restoration as His promised end (Isaiah 40:1-5, 45:11-13, Jeremiah 4:22-26). Even in the New Testament, the apostles wondered when God would restore the nation of Israel because of their oppression under Roman rule (Acts 1:6).

According to Isaiah, the culmination of this pattern occurs with the revelation of Christ to all nations, heralding the dawn of the new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1-3). Luke refers to this as the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21).

Therefore, the biblical cycle of creation, de-creation, and new creation provides a framework for understanding God’s redemptive plan. This pattern weaves through the fabric of Scripture, offering hope and insight into God’s purposes for both the nation of Israel and individual believers. By recognizing this cycle, we can grasp the significance of God’s work in history and find assurance in the ultimate restoration brought by Christ.

Creation, De-creation, Re-creation, and the Church

In the original creation, all of us were in Adam as his descendants and experienced de-creation or death when Adam sinned as our federal head (Romans 5:12). Even in our human cycle, infants are born innocent regarding personal, intentional sin (although they are born with a sin nature (Ephesians 2:1-3)). As time passes, these infants matriculate from toddlers into adulthood and experience brokenness through their sin, the sins of others, and the influence of the demonic world (1 John 5:19). However, when a person converts to Christ, they are said to be born again (John 3:1-8).

The same process of creation, de-creation, and re-creation is powerfully illustrated in one particular passage: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In summary, we are born physically, experience brokenness through sin; then through salvation, we become a new creation. This closely follows the pattern described previously and seen in Scripture, starting with Genesis 1.

The same pattern is observed again when a person is initiated into the church through water baptism. Paul describes it as a cycle of physical life, death, and spiritual rebirth: “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Theological Implications:

The cycle of creation, de-creation, and new creation holds significant theological implications. It highlights sin’s reality and destructive power, the consequences of human apostasy, and our need for redemption. Ultimately, this cycle underscores God’s faithfulness and the transformative power of His redemptive work, offering hope and a vision of a future renewed world. What God began by dwelling in a garden with two humans, He culminates with untold billions dwelling with Him in a cosmic temple city (Genesis 2, Revelation 21:1-8).

Conclusion:

The biblical cycle of creation, de-creation, and new creation provides a powerful framework for understanding how God operates in the world, His purpose, and His redemptive plan for humanity. This cycle reveals God’s response to the brokenness caused by sin and offers hope for renewal and restoration. By recognizing this pattern, believers can actively participate in God’s work of new creation and share in His redemptive mission to reconcile all things to Himself.

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

Why Love Is Not God

Today’s preaching from Christian pulpits is filled with compromise, often because of the wrong presentation of biblical love. Since love is a powerful motivating force that can drive people to the limits of their abilities and existence, it needs to be defined correctly in the Church lest believers fall into grave error regarding our teaching and ethical standards. (John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son.” This illustrates the power of divine love!) In this article, I will attempt to demonstrate why love does not define God, but God defines love. 

As background, some ancient writers identified various forms of love:

• Familial love (in Greek, Storge)
• Friendly or platonic love (Philia)
• Romantic or erotic love (Eros)
• Divine or unconditional love (Agape)

The contemporary world frequently reduces love to an erotic feeling between humans concerning selfish sexual fulfillment. This raw, erotic, transactional, sexual experience between two people (hookup) does not remotely resemble the biblical definition of love. Also, a feeling-centered understanding of love (Philia), whereby people connect emotionally, liking each other as friends, limits our understanding of this powerful word, Love. The apostle John says God is love. (1 John 4:8). 

Unfortunately, many interpret this verse to mean that God has no standards except an emotional feeling of love, compassion, and empathy (philia) toward the plight of others. However, our subjective, “feeling centered” understanding of the word does not fully comport with the biblical understanding of love. There is a reason why the scripture says “God is love” and not “love is God.” This is because God is the One who frames and defines love, derived from the character and holiness of His divine nature. Consequently, we cannot separate one attribute of God (love) from other significant attributes of God, such as righteousness and justice, which are the foundation of His throne. (Psalm 89:14) Love without holiness and righteousness has no real foundation. Conversely, without the framework of God’s character, love in and of itself is not anchored by any standard and is only defined by subjective, mercurial human feelings, personal desires, and opinions. 

The New Testament definition of love

The apostle Paul defines love as actions, not mere sentiments (1 Corinthians 13). 

What does the Old Testament law have to do with love? Everything! God gave Moses a template in the Old Testament that defined love in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Each commandment depicted love in action toward God or our neighbor. How do we know these commandments were about love? When questioned about the greatest commandment, Jesus said to love God fervently (with heart, soul, and mind). He concluded later by stating that all the law and the prophets hung on two commandments: loving God fervently and also loving one’s neighbor (Matt. 22:36-40). The apostle Paul summarized the ten commandments by writing, “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8). The apostle James also connected love and the law of God when he wrote in his letter: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well…” (James 2:8-9).

Unfortunately, some contemporary pastors ignore the law in their preaching, making it seem like Jesus inaugurated a new era of love (like 1960s-era hippies) and negated the Old Testament moral law. However, Jesus clarified that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).

Jesus further stated that the proof of someone loving Him was that they obeyed His commandments (John 14:15). Jesus even said: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). Thus, when we tell people that Jesus loves them just as they are, we also need to say to them that He expects them to repent (change their thinking), and to bring forth fruit that proves their repentance.

John the Baptist connected a lifestyle change (fruit) as proof of repentance, and so did Paul the Apostle (Matthew 3:7, Acts 26:20, Romans 6:21). Of course, we are not saved by works but through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). The first step is evangelism to promote an encounter with Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, and being born from above before we can expect people to change their lifestyle habits. It is impossible to serve God without the Spirit of God and Jesus living in us and through us. (Galatians 2:20; 5:16-17) 

However, the Spirit of God enables Christ’s followers to uphold the law, not negate it (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4). As a result, the proof that a person is truly saved is through their works which will be demonstrated over time, not by merely repeating a prayer for forgiveness (Ephesians 2:10; James 2:17). Indeed, the grace of God has appeared to empower believers to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions so we can be zealous to do good works (Titus 2:11-14; 3:8).

So, when pastors tell their congregation to disconnect from the Old Testament and to focus only on grace and the love of God, without framing it concomitantly with His holiness, righteousness, and justice, they fall into the heresy of Antinomianism. This gives people a license to sin, which scripture condemns (Romans 6:1-2; Jude 4). Antinomianism is a word in Greek which means anti, “against”; nomos, “law”; a doctrine that teaches Christians are freed from obeying God’s moral law due to the grace of Christ revealed in the gospel. The antinomians regarded the necessity of obedience as legalistic.

May the church define love through the character and holiness of God and no longer by the standards and definitions of the world. In so doing, may the church begin to experience a move away from the heresy of Antinomianism and hyper-grace and preach the whole counsel of God like Paul did (Acts 20:27).

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

7 Cultural Challenges to Biblical Discipleship

Every generation faces cultural challenges to biblical Christianity. Today’s generation has some of the most significant challenges to faith in human history. Christianity will not survive without a remnant of its adherents becoming disciples of Christ. Hence, the church must focus on biblical discipleship to continue as a positive force for the world until Christ returns. The following are seven cultural challenges to biblical discipleship:

1. Family fragmentation

Today’s society has been moving away from the nuclear family unit of having children supported by one man and one woman as parents committed together in a traditional marriage. The nuclear family has declined in prevalence since the late 20th century due to increased divorce rates, cohabitation, single-parent households, and same-sex marriage. Consequently, children raised in fragmented family structures may have a more challenging time viewing the church as a family of families. They may have difficulty relating to a male pastor (if a single mom raised them and vice versa). However, God is bigger than any nuclear structure, and many great leaders have been raised by heroic single parents who loved the Lord (2 Timothy 1:4). Also, in the context of the church family, we have spiritual leaders such as Paul, the apostle, who stepped in to give his spiritual son Timothy (raised in the faith by his mother and grandmother) what he was missing in his biological family and empowered him to be a great apostolic leader (2 Timothy 1:1-7-13).

2. Human sexuality frameworks

Now at least 47 terms categorically describe a person’s sexual attraction, behavior, and orientation. With all these extraneous categories, young people are confused regarding the biblical view of binary gender (there are only two biological genders according to Genesis 1:27) and human sexuality. Hence, to disciple a young person in today’s culture, it is not enough to get them to receive Christ and attend church; their worldview has to be totally reframed regarding identity, gender, and the biblical view and purpose of human families (Genesis 1:28).

3. Impersonal interface (social media)

Young people have been brought up spending hours daily interacting with others impersonally via text and social media. This is a social crisis, with many young people not understanding how to navigate through interpersonal relationships because of their physical detachment, isolation, and exaggerated ways people depict themselves on social media. This problem of social detachment and mental health challenges related to social media overuse make it even harder to connect and disciple this generation of Christians personally.

4. Ideological framing in public schools

The progressive state primarily uses many public schools as its public indoctrination center. Since most Christian parents send their children to public schools, it is harder to biblically influence their children, who spend 35-40 hours per week being inculcated with secular humanistic ideology. This makes it even harder for the Church to reach and discipline young people, as they only have these kids 2-3 hours per week between youth groups and congregational meetings.

5. Diluted pulpit preaching

Unfortunately, much of the preaching today in Evangelical churches reflects the American cultural dream of success; hence it is more like “Christianity lite” than the biblical gospel. It is usually a sermon meant to make people feel good, self-empowered, and self-actualized, with the name of Jesus and some biblical principles attached to the message. This lack of scripture-saturated, biblically dense preaching will leave believers in a continual state of immaturity. Most people cannot mature as Christ’s followers without a steady diet of sound biblical teaching. Those who depend merely upon “self-help” preachers to feed them the word will lack the understanding necessary to discern the difference between right and wrong, good and evil (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 5:12-6:3). Consequently, churches that only deliver this kind of preaching will fail to nurture biblical disciples. 

6. Attacks against executive authority

Since the 1960s “sexual revolution,” a spirit of rebellion against all forms of authority, has been pervasive in the USA and worldwide. With this mindset, people have lost trust in executive leadership, including political and spiritual leaders. The Vietnam War of the 60s and 70s, as well as the plethora of sex abuse scandals in the church in the past decade, has only worsened this lack of trust in leadership. Such mistrust also breeds contempt towards submission, making it challenging for the church to make disciples since submission to spiritual authority is necessary to grow in the Lord (Hebrews 13:7-17).

7. Institutional education instead of cultivating organic relational discipleship

Jesus’ way of making disciples was always informal and organic. This method is evident as we read the Gospels, in which men had to follow and live with Jesus to be His disciple. This is a far cry from the standard institutional method of discipleship that the body of Christ has attempted to utilize to nurture spiritual leadership for hundreds of years. While I am a proponent of formal, ordered learning of the Scriptures (whether through a seminar or local church), I have learned that nothing is as potent as mature Christians pouring into people consistently in the context of the local church via relationally-driven small groups.

For more on this, I invite you to read my book, The Jesus Principles.

In conclusion, may the Lord give wisdom and conviction to the body of Christ to prioritize making disciples more than any other program or method of the church. After all, if Jesus used discipleship to transform the world, why should we attempt another’s means to fulfill the Great Commission? (Matthew 28:19-20)

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

Averting the Revelation 13 Principle

In America, we should deeply consider the emergence and fallout of ESG, an acronym for Environmental Social Governance. ESG goals presented by government leaders include limiting carbon emissions, eradicating gas/fuel products and services (supported by hyper climate change advocates), and the social inclusivity agenda and policies. Although I agree that we need to properly steward the environment through creation care, some ESG policies can also be motivated by the desire for some special interest groups to wield more political power. 

New and tighter regulations and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in North America have already started negatively impacting many corporations and investors. Also, the recent NYC ban on gas use in new buildings (another example of ESG) threatens to strain the city’s electric grid tremendously. In addition, many companies are under pressure to promote and advertise to special interest groups using ESG guidelines or face consequences.

This ESG stranglehold on business, aligns with the concept of “social credit scoring,” which gives companies, banks, and governments the capacity to control buying and selling based on an individual’s score. 

A social credit system combines government and business surveillance tracking, giving citizens a “score” based on their social behavior and trustworthiness. This score may be used to restrict citizens’ actions, such as purchasing airline tickets, acquiring property, and accessing loans. Based on the response from several American companies, such a system may be embraced by our country soon. Coupled with self-generating artificial intelligence and its access to all websites, social media, Wikipedia, and all internet content, “social credit scores” may be used shortly to empower “the beast” to limit the ability to buy and sell. The USA may even do this to stop “domestic terrorism” (a term used to describe parents who protested the LGBT curriculum and agenda in their children’s kindergarten and grammar school during public hearings).     

(“The beast” mentioned in Revelation 13 refers to both a demonically inspired secular empire or the leader of such an empire. Although AI may not be a direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy, Revelation 13 can be illustrated in principle in the scenarios presented here.)

Revelation 13:15-17 states:

And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

This “beast” may be enhanced by an AI-generated “universal religion,” projecting a holographic image to any neighborhood, city, or region for population compliance. The possibility also exists for abuse of advanced AI chat systems in producing a holy book composed of a synthesis of the Holy Scriptures with ideological input from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, to support a one-world religion.

The following is a summary given to me by Elijah Low (an economic leader) regarding possible solutions to avert this Revelation 13 scenario: 

1. Systems are already in place in the USA for some form of “social credit scoring.” It is not one system, but rather the way classification works and information access to make it work. It is a form of narrow AI (classification) and is used in all industries.

(The nice defense for it is that the companies have “plausible deniability” because a deep learning algorithm is essentially a black box. The main issues are its application of it, the level of government intervention, and the defense from its oppression.)

2. I believe that in the political and economic system in which we live today, keeping options available is the only defense. Anti-trust legislation needs to play a more prominent role. Large companies should be labeled anti-competitive and should be broken up because competition is the best defense for freedom. 

3. With many different distributed currencies like crypto, it will be hard for the digital dollar to be oppressive.

4. Giving the states more power will provide a defense against possible oppression. The founding fathers got it right when they didn’t want the central government to be too strong.

5. “Some banking platforms (Citigroup, Inc., Apple Pay, Paypal, and others) already have announced a ban on certain legal purchases, such as firearms.” This action may be oppressive if all payments must go through the same banking platforms. However, when people have a choice of payment platforms, open-market competition and profitability will ensure our freedom to purchase firearms.

6. The Supreme Court must continue to uphold the sovereignty of states to ensure competition in the marketplace. Also, maybe it’s time we break up tech companies, like Facebook, that are creating a non-competitive environment. An indicator of possible oppression is when there is only one good option in a marketplace sector. Competition in the marketplace is essential to maintain balance and prevent abuses.  

7. Christian leaders need to equip and systematically discipline the next generation to serve within the federal government and courts with an understanding of their capacity to leverage their influence. The competition will be a sustainable form of long-term defense. These same leaders must be challenged and willing to raise “Daniels” capable of being educated in the elite and Ivy League schools of society, such as Harvard and Stanford.

8. The Church needs to understand the time and seasons. There are seasons where “Samuels” need to be raised and other seasons where “Daniels” are required. Many churches today have a culture set up to raise “Samuels” and not “Daniels” (especially in education). 

May the Church raise a new generation of “Daniels” poised to penetrate and influence AI and emerging technologies. (The purpose: promotion of proper guardrails & standards.)

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

Seven Main Cultural Drivers to Christianity

 In this article, the term “cultural drivers” means any societal factors that motivate people toward Christianity and a biblical ethos.

 The Twittersphere is filled with atheistic and progressive liberals now looking for a church to ground their children in moral values. The “far left” ideology and practice regarding children motivate many parents to long for moral stability for their offspring. The following points are the seven main “cultural drivers” of Christianity: 

1. Public schools are acting as indoctrination centers.

In many liberal enclaves of the USA, the public school system is more about ideological indoctrination than true education, as seen by the teaching of “far left” sex education. This is also in addition to the immense cost of education per child ($38,000 per child in NYC public schools).

Many parents would rather spend this tax money educating their children in a charter or private school with higher quality education. These same people are enraged that liberal, elite leaders, such as Randi Weingarten, oppose the distribution of school choice vouchers. In addition, the rabid “far left” ideology taught in these schools has motivated parents (even non-believers) to prefer to send their children to Christian schools where moral values are taught. 

2. Gender transition policies promoted by the left.

Many classical liberal, moderate, and conservative-leaning people are outraged at the Biden administration’s attempt to normalize gender transition surgeries for children. This policy position is backfiring and, in my opinion, will drive many people to look for a biblically based church to ground their children in a Christian ethos.

3. Men identified as women competing against women in sports.

There is a growing backlash against policies that allow men who identify as women to compete against biological females in sports. Even a historically liberal national newspaper (USA Today) has published opinion letters against men identifying as females, and competing against biological women in sports.

Former Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar said, “I can assure you that there was nothing fair about transgender woman, Lia Thomas, competing for the University of Pennsylvania in NCAA swimming.”

This unfair transgender policy in women’s sports will motivate people to investigate the biblical understanding of binary gender, as seen in Genesis 1:27 and affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 19:4. 

4. Bleak National Presidential options

Democrats and Republicans are alarmed at the possibility of another rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the Presidency. President Biden (far-left policies aside) seems to be in cognitive decline. Former President Trump is (in my opinion) a narcissist who would be willing to burn down the proverbial house to get re-elected. (Look no further than his words that incited the Capitol riot on January 6th, 2020, and his attacks against Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis). The lack of political solutions has caused people like Tucker Carlson to say we must pray for our country.

In the aftermath of 9/11/01, everyone prayed, and churches were filled. As things continue to collapse politically, those who formerly looked to elections to save their country, will begin to look to God as the only hope for the nation (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

5. Financial instability

With the rise of interest rates, many midsize and regional banks were destabilized, and now another one needed a bailout. Furthermore, in response to the USA weaponizing monetary power against other countries, many nations have formed an economic alliance as an alternative to US unipolar monetary status. This can have long-term implications for the economy of the United States.

“BRICS de-dollarizing represents a great threat to the Dollar. All the infrastructure is being built to de-dollarize the world economy. The Chinese Communist Party’s newspaper calls for pushback against the Dollar’s hegemony.”

I believe people will turn to God and Christian churches as the economy increasingly squeezes their budget and the global economy continues to transition and destabilize.

6. Totalitarian crackdown on free speech

The rise of so-called “cancel culture” and totalitarian thinking in America is causing many to run towards more conservative values related to the first amendment (freedom of religion and free speech). 

In my opinion, people will become more aware that the only way to limit the rise of any totalitarianism is the understanding that, ultimately-only, God can truly give us human rights, as is stated by our nation’s Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Preamble to the Declaration of Independence”)

Consequently, I believe an increasing number of people will look to biblical truth, which limits human government and can motivate them to seek Christian churches to find like-minded (concerned) people (1 Samuel 8:10-18). 

7. Ideological bias in advertisements and sports.

There is a significant increase in people getting fed up with the infusion of what they classify as “woke” ideology and politics being promoted in sports. Recently, sports network ESPN celebrated “Women’s History Month” by pushing an ideology that aims to erase women.

Furthermore, the recent 5 billion dollar decrease in income for Bud Light is the latest example of what happens when advertisers cross the line and promote a “far left” agenda.  

The folly of promulgating causes and lifestyles antithetical to biblical values will cause entities and people that promote them to collapse due to their own fruitless deeds (Proverbs 1:29-33). As the cords of sin get tighter around people, they will cry out to God as the only one who can give them true freedom. In the words of Jesus, “if the Son sets you free, you shall be free, indeed” (John 8:36).

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

Seven Reasons Why Genesis is Counter Cultural 

Several years ago, I wrote an article expressing my opinion that America was moving toward making the content of the bible illegal. Charisma magazine published this article, which may be accessed here.

Without a moral turn in our nation, the Scriptures may soon be targeted for banning or listed as “forbidden reading” because of their so-called “hateful content.” We don’t have to delve too far into the pages of the sacred writ to see that the Word of God directly contradicts prevailing groupthink in contemporary culture. For example, the first three chapters in Genesis (the book of beginnings) outline truth that conflicts with popular, secular thought. 

1. Genesis introduces God as the Creator of the universe.

The first words of the Bible present God as Creator: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This statement is counter-cultural because it flies in the face of the modern-day scientific view of the material origins of the universe. According to this view, all things came into existence by random chance through “matter in motion,” a naturalistic evolution process. 

Without elaborating on the mathematical impossibility that the complex cosmos, along with its acute symmetry, was formed by mere chance (demonstrated in natural laws such as gravity), this scientific theory is nothing more than a convenient excuse for rebellious humanity to embrace an autonomous life, void of accountability to the true and living God. The absurd notion of a non-existent God warrants only this response from Yahweh: “The fool has said in his heart there is no God” (Psalm 14).

2. Genesis reveals that time and space are in God, not vice versa.

The fact that God created the material, spatial universe also includes the time-space continuum as a by-product (Hebrews 11:3). Genesis details how God created luminaries in the heavens to govern time and the seasons (Genesis 1:17-18). This is why Scripture calls Yahweh “the alpha and the omega- the beginning and the end” (Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 46:10, Rev. 1:8; Rev. 22:13). This profound truth demolishes the concept of evolutionary pantheistic theologies or what is known as Process theology, which proposes that God and creation are one, and as such, God is continually growing and learning as the universe expands. This view attempts to justify the interpretation of Scripture via the lens of culture instead of the reverse.

The truth of God as the meticulous Creator also destroys so-called “Open or Neo Theism” (the notion that God doesn’t know all the future since some future events are unknowable, making God a responder to the free choice actions of humanity). One verse alone demolishes open theism. Revelation 13:8 says: “All who dwell on the earth will worship it, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” It reveals to us that the Lamb of God was slain BEFORE the foundation of the world! (This means that God did not just respond to the sin of Adam; He anticipated it and, with foresight, determined that God the Son (the Logos) would die on the cross to redeem believers even before the events of Genesis 1:1!) 

3. Genesis asserts that humanity started with two fully formed humans.

Genesis 1-2 gives us an abundantly clear description of the creation of Adam and Eve as fully-formed human beings. (Adam had no earthly mother and father and no umbilical cord. He was a son of God (Luke 3:38).) This account disrupts and destroys the erroneous theory that humans evolved from a subhuman lower species as modern science purports. 

4. Genesis presents marriage as one man and woman’s union.

Genesis 2:24 illustrates that the first act and exemplar of holy matrimony were between one man and one woman. Jesus cites this again in His detailed teaching on marriage and refers to Genesis (Matthew 19:1-6). The Scriptures present a counter-cultural view of marriage, opposed to popular culture’s promulgation of alternative forms of marriage outside of this “one man-one woman” construct. 

5. Genesis teaches only binary gender.

Genesis 1:27 describes that God created both male and female in His image and likeness. The Scripture here teaches binary gender and opposes any notion of non-binary gender fluidity.

6. Genesis unveils the forces of evil.

Genesis 2:9 depicts the existence of the knowledge of good and evil. The word “evil” is not merely something less than perfect, but instead, it means profoundly immoral and wicked, especially when provoked by an insidious supernatural force.  

Genesis 3:1-7 introduces a subtle, evil supernatural being known as the serpent, later identified in Scripture as Satan, the devil (Rev. 12:9). 

Atheistic secular humanists believe in a materialistic universe that denies the existence of a supernatural evil being (for the same reason, they deny the existence of a supernatural creator God). Scripture shows that good and evil (invisible) forces function as archetypes and work through willing humans in the visible material world (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-13; 1 John 5:19).

7. Genesis details how humankind became morally corrupt. 

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, cosmic consequences were initiated, resulting in death being passed onto all humanity (Genesis 3:1-19; Romans 5:12). Church tradition and history call this either “original or ancestral sin.” 

The scriptures indicate that every person is born with an inherent proclivity towards sin and evil (Jeremiah 17:9). This biblical view counters the secular, progressive, and humanistic ideology of all people’s “inherent goodness.” This humanistic ideology is antithetical to the Gospel of Christ since it implies that humankind does not need a savior to save them from their sins. 

As the ground and pillar of truth, the Church must arise and pray that this nation returns to the Scriptures as the foundation and bedrock for all truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

There has been much speculation on what Jesus would do if He were ministering in the flesh today. I think the greater question is: Would The Church receive Him if He were ministering and preaching today? Jesus was unique in that He did not fall for the “big three” sins found in 1 John 2:15-17 (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life). John 1:10 says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

The following seven points show why the world did not receive Jesus in His day:

1. He was not received because His physical appearance was not impressive (Isaiah 53:2, Matthew 23:27).

Human beings have always put style over substance. Many companies are rich because of savvy marketing rather than superior products. For example, McDonald’s hamburgers are no better than the local diners, yet they outsell all other hamburger establishments because of marketing.

Although we should endeavor to look nice and exhibit a spirit of excellence in our appearance, we must ensure that we put content and character before appearance. How would His ministry be received amid today’s church’s big media marketing schemes?

2. He was not received because He was a sober-minded man (Isaiah 53:3).

Although He walked in joy, the knowledge He had of human nature, sin, and the cross caused Him to be acquainted with grief for the world. Consequently, instead of denying reality by medicating Himself with pleasure, He faced it head-on and did something about the world’s problems. Thus, He was not the superficial party animal or irreligionist with whom people would want to hang out.

The Bible teaches us that funerals are better than parties because they cause the living to face mortality (Ecclesiastes 7:2-5). In light of this, how would He be received by you today?

3. He was not received because He spoke the truth and exposed religious hypocrisy (Mark 7:5-8; Matthew 23:3, 33; Luke 11:37-46).

The Bible teaches that we should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Many people only love and do not confront, while others confront without doing so in love. Jesus had the perfect balance. He dealt gently with hungry people but strongly with those who were religiously deceived and self-righteous. Essentially, scripture teaches us that we are hypocrites when we denounce a person we are unwilling to help. Before we speak against a person who has fallen into temptation, we need to ask ourselves what we would have done if we were faced with the same temptation. This alone will cause us to be careful about what we say and who and what we judge. 

4. He was not received because He would not allow men to make Him king and exalt Him (John 6:11-15).

Jesus was not a power grabber who was lustful for titles or positions (Luke 14:7-11). He knew that a position of power that the Father did not give Him would not last long (Psalm 75:5-7). Jesus was exalted because He was obedient and humble (Philippians 2:4-11). That which He walked away from, the Father was able to give Him anyway (Matthew 4:8-10). People who desire instant power would have rejected Christ. He also refused to use His power to win favor with non-believing leaders (Matthew 12:38-39).

5. He was not received because He spent His time with those hungry for God instead of power-hungry leaders (Luke 15:1-7).

He commended Mary and corrected Martha (Luke 10:38-42). He spent an afternoon with a woman at a well in the middle of nowhere (John 4). This demonstrated with whom He prioritized His time.

6. He was not received because His bottom line was not money (Luke 16:13-15; Luke 12:13-21).

Mammon is money personified as an object of worship. Jesus taught that the bottom line must be seeking first His kingdom before the Father can release wealth into our hands. This is the opposite of the pattern of the world of humanity.

7. He was not received because His standards were too high.

Jesus called on everyone to be more devoted to His kingdom than their physical families (Luke 14:26). He called on everyone to love Him more than their own lives (Luke 14:27). He called on everyone to surrender all their earthly possessions for His pleasure (Luke 14:33). He told everyone to live by Him and to be consumed with Him (John 6:51-58). He said the commitment below that mentioned above is only good for the manure pile. Paul said that He counted all things dung so that he could win Christ (Luke 14:34-35; Philippians 3:8). Today, some religious sociologists say that, despite the large size of the congregations, Western Christians are indistinguishable from the world regarding their lifestyle and values.

In conclusion, we all need to ask ourselves the question: If Jesus were to be born in our day instead of two thousand years ago, given our present priorities and lifestyle, would we have been one of His followers or one who would have rejected Him?

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

The Political, Social, and Personal Effects of the Incarnation of Christ

During this time of year, when we celebrate the advent and incarnation of Christ Jesus, we must think more broadly regarding the amazing ramifications of the incarnation for our personal lives and civil society. His incarnation provided individual salvation to His elect and was the impetus to vast political and sociological transformation over the past 2,000 years. In essence, this short article articulates the fourfold process of how theology gives birth to a philosophy of life which gives birth to political theory resulting in public policy. The following observations explore the positive political and social effects of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Political Theory

When we realize that God became a man, we understand the dignity He has bestowed upon humanity. This understanding of dignity has enormous consequences regarding how political systems affected by the Gospel have viewed the relationship between civic rulers and those they lead. Jesus said that He came not to be served but to serve and that, despite being God, He took upon Himself the form of a servant (Matthew 20:28, Philippians 2:5-11). Because of this, a slow revolution has taken place with the potential to displace the theory that certain special people are born with a divine right to lead over others instead of representing their needs.

This Jesus concept, foreign to how kings ruled during and prior to the time of Christ, resulted in the English Magna Carta. This was the first document forced onto an English king by a group of his subjects (the barons) in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. 

Years later, when the kings of England again became tyrannical, Samuel Rutherford wrote Lex, Rex which means “The Law is King.”. This book again stated that kings do not have a divine right to rule by birth, that they had to represent the people, and that they themselves were under the law. In addition, the lynchpin of the U.S. Declaration of Independence is the fact that humans have been “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”

Conversely, if Jesus were not God but merely a created being, then the biblical answer to the philosophical challenge of the “one and the many” as modeled by the Trinity (which alone gives us the societal underpinning of experiencing unity in diversity) would have been denied. Thus it would have been left up to the political state to force unity through laws based on humanism and political coercion. There would have forever been a great divide between God and man in which God would have remained a mystery and unknowable to humanity. Therefore it would have been left up to a humanistic political entity to attempt to grant their subjects significance, unity in community, true meaning, and coherence through a large central government controlling their lives.

Finally, if Jesus were merely a created being who attempted to attain godhood, this would leave the door open for other men to be considered greater in divine stature (e.g., future political kings who could rule as tyrants). Thus, the idea of a republic built upon transcendent law with a democratic process of electing civil magistrates to represent the needs of the people originally came from the Old Testament (Exodus 18:13-27) and was further developed by Christian leaders after the incarnation of Christ.

Social Ramifications

When God took upon Himself human flesh, He further elevated the unique dignity of humanity as the crown of His creation made in His image and likeness (Psalm 8:4; Genesis 1:26-27). This elevation of man resulted in Christians leading the way in standing against abortion and infanticide; abolishing slavery; caring for the sick, dying and poor among them; crafting child labor laws; leading the fight for civil rights and universal human rights; and elevating the respect of women, children, and families. (For more on this subject read Why You Think the Way You Do by Glenn Sunshine and the life stories of Christian reformers such as Dr. Martin Luther King, William Wilberforce, and Charles Simeon.)

Consequently, billions of people throughout the centuries owe the orthodox Christian view of Christ’s incarnation a huge debt for its philosophy of serving humanity through political leadership and human service organizations. 

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

Deconstructing Passages Used for Cultural Dominion

Genesis 1:28 and its New Testament counterpart, Matthew 28:19, have been used by some to justify Christians exerting top-down dominion over society. While a case can arguably be made for cultural influence, we need to interpret said passages properly to not justify erroneous methodologies.  

In Genesis 1:28, God blessed mankind and instructed them to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This dominion was to be exerted over the created order. Some understand this as a cultural mandate, while others interpret it as a dominion mandate. It is a mistake to call this a “dominion mandate” relative to the church today since God never commanded Adam to have dominion over fellow human beings. The directive to have dominion was given to them before the earth was populated. Hence, it referred to dominion over the ecosystem, animal, and plant life.

A case can also be made that this was a command to all humanity, not just Christians. Adam was the federal head of all humanity, not just believers (Psalm 8:4-8 gives clarity to Genesis 1:28 and its reference to all humanity). Consequently, throughout history, all human beings have exerted dominion over creation by cultivating the ground, building civilizations, and utilizing ecosystems and raw materials for their benefit.

Nevertheless, some Christians can also rightly argue that God never initially intended to give the earth to those outside His covenant. From this perspective, the primary people who are the recipients of this command to exert dominion over the created order would be Christians. This is especially so since Jesus is called the last Adam by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:45). While there may be a lot of truth to this last point, the fact remains that dominion was never meant to be dominion over people. We cannot utilize this verse to justify the advancement of Christianity by force or even by top-down political takeover. Voting and political influence remain a matter of Christian stewardship in democratic societies; these were never meant to be the only methods to influence culture.  

Jesus, as the last Adam, illustrated that the primary way to have kingdom influence was by washing the feet of others and being a servant-leader (John 13:34). He modeled for Christians, more than unbelievers, God’s mandate to cultivate the earth and serve humanity. He showed us how to become the greatest problem solvers and cultural creatives the world has ever seen. (In the past 2000 years since the birth of Christianity, especially in western civilization, the world experienced human flourishing as the Church developed hospitals, universities, classical music, and art and produced some of the world’s greatest scientists.) 

What about the call to disciple nations?

Many have interpreted Matthew 28:19 (to disciple all nations) to mean that the Church is called to use the Bible as a handbook to Christianize geopolitical nation-states. While there may be a ‘spillover effect’ after values derived from biblical ethics permeate every aspect of a society’s culture, this is not the primary meaning.

The word nation in the Greek language is “ethnē,” and in most places in the New Testament, it has been translated as Gentiles (Matthew 12:21, 25:32; Mark 13:10; Luke 12:30, 21:24, 24:47; Acts 4:25). This refers to non-Jewish people groups, not necessarily a geopolitical construct that we see in the modern day. The modern-day geopolitical construct of nation-states didn’t start until the “peace of Westphalia” in 1648. Thus, this political arrangement is less than 500 years old.

That Jesus wasn’t primarily giving a command for a top-down political takeover of a nation is made clear by the rest of the context in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age.” In this context, “discipling the nations” meant planting churches in a non-Jewish cultural context among Gentile (ethnic) people groups, thereby expanding the influence of God’s Kingdom on earth.

We know this because Jesus described the process of discipleship as “being baptized” (which is part of the integration of a believer into church life), followed by “teaching” what Jesus commanded them (which has to do with catechism and teaching new converts the “first principles” – Acts 2:42; Hebrews 5:12-6:3.)  

Consequently, according to Jesus, the only ways ethnic groups will be transformed are by joining the church and becoming disciples. Many people vying for cultural transformation today make no mention of the impact of the local church. They make it seem like cultural transformation only depends on national elections. Although it’s important to elect godly leaders, we cannot focus merely on politics because, in doing so, we overlook the power of the gospel and the Church.

History attests to how effective this biblical methodology can be. We have seen what happens when “a critical mass” of specific ethnic groups join the Church and are discipled. The evident changes to a community, city, and region’s culture are visible after-effects. This was observed in the Roman empire and many subsequent barbarian groups who experienced Christianization (in the Middle Ages). They adopted biblical law as a standard for cultural norms and ethics.

However, history also illustrates that a Christianized nation, without the strong thriving power of the Church, will eventually become as equally corrupt as any heathen nation. For example, a case can be made that the Church grew weaker after Rome was Christianized because it became politically advantageous for a Roman to become a Christian (in name only) and join the church. The result was that many became ‘minimalist Christians’, thereby compromising the power of the Church. Many committed saints felt they had to flee this carnality by secluding themselves, becoming hermits, and joining monasteries. As defined by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church was to be built by Him to create a penetrating and lasting impact against which the gates of hell would not prevail.

My conclusion is that the political Christianization of a nation is not the ultimate answer. In my opinion, we are to perpetuate strong local churches that nurture disciples, who, in turn, will positively influence communities for the glory of God. The result is civilization’s flourishing by the supernatural power of the gospel and its inherent wisdom and revelation. This is the only way communities can be transformed without the Church being compromised.

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!

Seven Ways We Neglect Our Salvation

The writer of Hebrews says, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation” (2:3, NKJV).

The Greek word for neglect, (“having neglected” in its original tense in Greek), is “amelēsantes.” This means to pay no attention to, to make light of, or to be negligent of. (See Matthew 22:5 for another instance when this word is used, i.e., “they paid no attention.” (ESV)

Many Christians, including Evangelicals, have made it a habit to neglect the basics of the faith, thus operating in a dangerous assumption that their salvation is always a settled fact despite how they live. However, this is not the teaching of the original apostles who wrote the sacred text. Even St. Peter admonished believers to ensure their calling and election (2 Peter 1:10).

The following are seven ways in which we can neglect our salvation:

1. Sporadic church attendance

When I first came to Christ in the late 1970s, committed Christians rarely missed Sunday services. Then about two decades ago, committed Christians came to church about three times per month. Then, around 14-15 years ago, so-called committed Christians started coming to church one to two times per month or less. Around 2008, our church attendance dropped by about 25%. I thought many people were leaving our church, but when I checked into it, I was shocked to find out that we were not losing members but that they were coming to church less frequently. 

The writer to the Hebrew Christians warned us not to neglect church assemblies but to exhort one another daily lest our hearts get hardened (Hebrews 3:12-13; Hebrews 10:25). The lack of frequent fellowship and mutual admonition is connected to the hardening of one’s heart resulting in the neglect of one’s salvation (Hebrews 10:26). 

2. No accountability in our life

Hebrews admonishes us to exhort one another daily which means believers cannot merely attend church on Sundays and think that is enough (Hebrews 3:13). The early church met daily in the temple as well as house to house (Acts 2:46).

Hence, we all need close relationships with mature Christians who will hold us accountable to biblical standards and encourage us to seek God and pursue our divine assignment. We neglect our salvation when we refuse to allow ourselves to be accountable to mature believers. 

3. Allowing ourselves to be led by every new trend

In the past several years, many sincere Christians have been distracted by conspiracy theories such as Q Anon, novel teachings, numerous failed prophetic declarations, and more. St. Peter instructed the church to crave pure spiritual milk so that they can grow (1 Peter 2:2). Satan tempts the saints by leading them astray from their sincere devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

When we stop feeding on God’s word, we hinder our spiritual growth. This is why St. Paul admonished Timothy to keep his faith sincere with a pure heart and to avoid speculations, conspiracy theories, myths, and anything that promotes questions rather than faith (2 Timothy 1:6). Unfortunately, many have wandered away from the truth because their focus was not on the gospel (1 Timothy 1:6).

I once spoke to a Christian who was obsessed with COVID-related conspiracy theories, and he wanted me to spend hours discussing this with him. After several minutes on the phone, I asked him, “how many people are you winning to Christ, and are you discipling anybody?” He was silent on the phone for a moment, then answered, “no.” I told him to focus on that and forget the conspiracy theories. 

We could be neglecting our salvation by continually chasing every conspiracy theory and the latest novel teachings. (By novel teaching, I am referring to that which has not been taught previously in the historic church or has been cited as heretical in one of the major ecumenical councils.) 

4. Not participating in church-based corporate exposition of scripture

The Bible teaches us the importance of consistently sitting under the preaching and teaching of the word of God. St. Paul said, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God,” meaning that our posture of continual learning under anointed teachers should never stop (Romans 10:17).

When a believer stops getting fed by mature, reliable shepherds called to feed the flock of God, they neglect their salvation. Also, Peter said that we should be fed by our shepherd (1 Peter 5:2). Hence, he is not referring to listening to random preachers but sitting under those called to disciple and speak into our life so we can align with our divine assignment. We neglect our salvation when we infrequently sit under our local church’s corporate teaching and preaching. 

5. Not pursuing biblical discipleship

Every person is called to be a disciple and to make disciples. St. Paul admonished Timothy to focus on pouring into faithful men who can teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2). Jesus laid out a process of discipleship that included initiation into the Body of Christ through water baptism followed by learning the teachings of the faith (catechism) (see Matthew 28:19-20). Every person who converted in the early church was instructed in the Apostles doctrine (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 5:12-6:3). By refusing biblical discipleship, we are neglecting our salvation. 

6. Not pursuing the Lord and seeking His kingdom first.

Saint Paul instructed Timothy to flee youthful lusts and to pursue faith, love, and peace with those who called upon the Lord with a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22). As a shepherd since the early 1980s, I have seen that not everybody who is a church member seeks first His kingdom with a pure heart. Jesus said the great commandment includes loving God with all the heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). When we refuse to seek His kingdom first, we neglect our salvation (Matthew 6:33). 

7. Hardening our hearts because of trials and tribulations

Scripture makes it clear that God allows trials to test our faith so it can come forth as pure gold (1 Peter 1:7). Trials and tests can either make us better or make us bitter. According to the teachings of Jesus, those who harden their hearts because of worldly difficulties and distractions didn’t receive the word with the right heart (Mark 4:13-20).

When we harden our hearts instead of seeking the Lord during challenging seasons of our life, we are neglecting our salvation.