Category: Christianity

Tertullian, an early Church father, wrote:

In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our forehead with the sign of the cross.

Although not mentioned in the Bible, the sign of the cross is very ancient. There are stories in the Middle East that it was the Apostle Paul who first used the sign of the cross. This makes sense, since it symbolizes that one is “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:19). For the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus symbolizes that “our old self was crucified with him” (Rom. 6:6).

It might be good to explain this. Sin is selfishness, it is placing the good of self above the good of God and neighbor. In order to be united to God, the old self has to die, be buried, before one can be united with God.

The sign of the cross is actually a prayer. One begins their day and activities with the Sign of the Cross: “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen” (cf. Matt. 28:19). It is a dedication of one’s activity to the Source, the Teacher, and the Divine Energy to accomplish it for the highest good.

The Roman Catholic method of signing the cross with the open palm has special meaning. By using the open palm of five fingers, each finger represents one of the five parts of fallen human nature. Namely, the body, the soul, the mind, the heart, and the spirit. Signing the cross with them means putting to death the sin-sick members of our being. So as you’re doing the sign of the cross, think, “the selfish inclinations of my fivefold being must die.”

Dying to self may not be a popular teaching, but it is essential if one is to be united to God. As long as you cling to the illusion that you are an independent entity, you cannot be joined to God. And as long as you are not united to God, you will continue to suffer both in this life and the next. Eliminate the self, and you can no longer have selfish desires, and once you no longer have selfish desires, you will awaken to the fact that it is God in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

“The root of all sin is selfishness, separating first from God and then from man.” – Andrew Murray

“We hold the essential principle of sin to be selfishness.” – A. H. Strong

“We have also seen, that all sin is selfishness.” – Charles Finney

This agrees with the Bible. It says that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4 KJV). The law is love (Matt 22:37-40), that is why “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom 13:10 NKJV). And we know that “Love isn’t selfish” (1 Cor. 13:5 CEV), therefore sin is selfishness. It is refusing to love God will all our heart, but instead loving ourselves with all our heart.

Sin is a wrong aim. It is the aim or motive to look out for oneself first and foremost. It is making oneself the center of the universe, the supreme good, the most important person in the world.

In other words, everyone must bow to the whims and wishes of the self, whether by force, guilt, or playing the poor me card. “My way or the highway,” is the philosophy of selfishness. I must be the center of attention, whether by being good or by being bad. It is all about I, me, and mine.

People confuse sin with sins. Sin is the aim of the will, sins are the acts of the will. Sin deals with the motive, the root from which all actions flow. Sins deal with the motion of the will, the fruit of the root, seen in thoughts, words, and deeds.

Selfish acts reveal a selfish aim. Too many people try to stop the selfish acts without changing the selfish aim. You cannot serve self and please God. You cannot serve two masters. Either God sits on the throne of your heart, or self sits on the throne.

Repentance is about changing the aim of the will. It is not about being sorry, although that is a part of it. It is also not about doing better. Rather, it is about changing the aim, not just the acts. For if you change the aim of the will, you will automatically change the acts. A good tree will naturally produce good fruit. The tree is the aim of your will. The fruit are the acts that are thereby produced.

If you are repeatedly doing things that you know are wrong, it is because you have not put God first in your life. You have not died to self. You have not blown out your selfish desires. You are still attached to the illusion that you are an independent entity. You are still spiritually blind.

The Anglican middle way embraces Orthodox and Charismatic tendencies. But it is not Pentecostal. Let me explain.

Both Pentecostals and Charismatics believe in an infilling of the Holy Spirit that takes place sometime after conversion. This infilling is sometimes also called the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the enduement of power, and charismation (Acts 2:4). It is at the point of this infilling that one receives the spiritual gifts and anointing from God (Acts 1:8).

Many people mistakenly assume that Charismatics are Pentecostal. But there is historically a difference between these two labels.

Pentecostals insist that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. If you don’t speak in tongues, you don’t have the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Charismatics would say that such a requirement is unbiblical and that any spiritual gift may serve as evidence that one has been anointed and infilled by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:30).

Some may wonder if Charismatics would consider themselves Full Gospel. Most would consider themselves such, but still avoid the term. For some people, the term Full Gospel has an arrogant sound to it. It says we have the Full Gospel, while your Gospel is not full.

In fact, I would argue that many churches that call themselves Full Gospel are not full at all. I would like to believe that the Episcopal Church has all the truth, but I know better. No church has all the truth, truth is too big for any one church. This should keep us humble and teachable.

“Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10 NASB).

Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. It tells the story of a righteous man who loses everything in life. First, he loses his family, then his wealth, then his health, and finally his reputation. His wife advises him to curse God and die, while his best friends are sure Job has a secret sin.

But the book of Job lets us know what is going on behind the scenes. God’s bragging on Job, and pointing out to Satan how righteous Job is. Satan accuses Job of only serving God for the blessings. So God tells Satan that he has permission to take away all his blessings. Which Satan does.

That is when Job says, “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Job’s response to losing all the blessings in life is to worship God. Which reminds me of Hebrews 13:15, “let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Praise is only a “sacrifice” when it is given when we don’t feel like it.

Then Satan returns to the Lord, and God points out how well Job has responded. To which Satan accuses Job of only caring about himself (Job 2:4). So God lets Satan take Job’s health. After repeated rounds of his friends accusing him of sin, Job tells them concerning God, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. ” (Job 13:15 NKJV).

I am no Job. But recently, within a week, I was in an accident in which my car was totaled, my boss let me go because I didn’t have transportation, I had a cold, and I took a tumble in a Pizza place and landed on my face, breaking my glasses. I was reminded of the story of Job.

Eventually we all have Job moments, where we are tested to see if we follow God because we love him or because we love his blessings. I remember what the Lord Jesus said about the Apostle Paul, “I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16).

This has not been my first Job moment. I remember the last time, I lost my Job, my wife, by daughters, and my home. The difference is that this time it was near painless, because my “all on the altar” was laid. I have come a long way, but I have a long way to go. For I also remember, “if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). And, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).

You have longed for sweet peace,
And for faith to increase,
And have earnestly, fervently prayed.
But you cannot have rest,
Or be perfectly blest,
Until all on the altar is laid.
– E. A. Hoffman

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Prov. 23:7  NASB).

Imagine with me for a moment.

You’re in a grocery store, and there’s a bunch of rude people all around you. The store is busy, it’s hectic, and you just want to get out of there. All of a sudden, someone pushes you from behind. You’re angry, you’re frustrated. You are going to turn aground and confront that jerk.

But when you turn around, all you see is a blind man who accidentally bumped into you. Instantly, your anger and frustration go away, and you feel sympathy. What changed?

The event is the same. You were pushed. But your interpretation of the event has changed. And that changed of judgment is what has changed your emotional state. You think differently, so now you feel differently.

It was Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, who said, “It’s not things that upset us, but our judgments about things.” It is not people who upset us, but our judgments about them. The event of being pushed didn’t upset the shopper, it was his or her interpretation that it was intentionally done by a jerk. Once the interpretation changed, the feeling changed.

One of the great lessons in life is to realize that feelings follow our thoughts. We can change the way we feel by changing the way we think. This is a great help in times of stress and grief and loss. How we conceptualize and judge the event, produces the way that we feel.

This great truth, that our judgments about events and people create the way we feel, is the basis of cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is the most successful psychotherapy that’s currently available for mood disorders. You can take that element of truth and apply it to your own life.

Look at the way that you feel, and examine the way you’re thinking. See the connection between your thoughts and your feelings. So if you’re feeling depressed and sad and lonely, stop and look at the way that you’re thinking. Notice how your thoughts are negative, how your thoughts focus on loss, on the pain. Now try to change those thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts, realistic thoughts, thoughts that build you up and encourage you. As a wise man once said, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Prov. 23:7).