What Are We Arguing About?

Then this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, the scattered remnants of Israel living among the ruined cities keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he gained possession of the entire land. We are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’ So tell these people, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You eat meat with blood in it, you worship idols, and you murder the innocent. Do you really think the land should be yours? Murderers! Idolaters! Adulterers! Should the land belong to you?’ [Ezekiel 33.23-26]

I think this speaks directly to the Church today.

There are two general camps of Christians today: those who believe in miracles and those who believe miracles have "passed away" (Cessationism). Both are wrong and the following will explain why.

First, Cessationism is willful blindness and ignorance of the Bible as it reveals God's Character in the Old Testament and further confirms it in the New Testament by Jesus Christ. Every attempt of this group to disprove miracles is only a proud defense of their lack of faith (or worse). This is evident in the repeated claims regarding "people who they claim believed God and suffered sickness anyway." The problem with such a claim is that only God knows the human heart, and what He knows of it is that it is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." Cessationism interprets God's Word based on man's experience of it rather than interpreting man's experience based on God's Word (which calls man to repentance for faithlessness).

Then, those who claim "miracles" very similarly, proudly and arrogantly insist on "making faith confessions" over every problem of man, giving no consideration whatsoever that curses are the result of sin and require repentance. They frivolously claim "Jesus" but deny any real responsibility to repent ignoring the Gospel account that Jesus' ministry was based on this phrase, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" This group's "miracle" success rate is dismal and yet its proponents see no sign that maybe something else is wrong besides just a lack of faith. Plus, this group is so focused on self-gratification that little of their effort actually reaches "the streets" in any noteworthy fashion like Jesus.

All the while, both groups are guilty of the three things Ezekiel pointed out in the passage above.

First, both groups are guilty of eating meat with blood in it. While the act of "eating meat with the blood in it" was forbidden in Old Testament Law, the overriding meaning of the act is to understand the importance of the blood - that life and forgiveness are in the blood. The general idea among all Christians today regarding blood is that it is something that just needs to be cleaned up with no pause or recognition of the life and forgiveness that blood represents. Every true Christian should immediately think of the Cross when they encounter blood. They should consider God's incomprehensible love and the eternity-changing power of the atoning blood of Jesus. The blood speaks of forgiveness. Christ specifically warned that unforgiveness prevents God's power from working. Why are not both groups addressing this reality?

Then, both groups are guilty of idolatry. Few, if any, in either camp, will agree that debt, insurance, medicine and technology have become deeply-rooted idols of our day and age. And yet, these four things promise benefits that God said He would provide thus setting themselves between God and man at very least, or worse, as outright alternatives to God. Yet, neither camp - for or against miracles, wants to discuss the reality of this gross idolatry! Why are both groups content to have other gods?

Finally, both groups are guilty of murder. For either group to think they have "done enough" in the prevention of pandemic genocide of unborn children is ludicrous. The murders go on unchecked and these two groups of Christians can only argue about whether or not God will heal diabetes or provide a new car. Why are both groups justifying their stances while innocent lives are being snuffed out under their watch?

God's Word in Ezekiel 33.23-26 spoke to Israel and God's Word in Ezekiel 33.23-26 speaks to us! With these gross and flagrant offenses against God, should either group of people discussed here expect any good thing from God?

Father, may Your people unite in rightly dividing the blood of Jesus, ridding ourselves of idols, and preventing murder. Forgive us for being so distracted with ourselves that we have missed the big stuff. Confirm to us the error of our ways and confirm to us our need to repent! So be it.