"If you drink one drink..."

“If you drink one drink, then you’re one drink drunk.” That was what the preacher said, and as a naïve teen, I accepted it at face value.

The preacher was warning us kids about drinking alcoholic beverages and his reasoning seemed to make sense. After all, if you drop just one drop of swamp-water into a glass of pure water, the water is no longer pure. It seemed to make sense (and it was clever)...until college.

In my college freshman biology class I learned that the liver filters out impurities, such as alcohol, so that they do not reach the blood stream. Yet, the liver has limitations. After a point, the liver is overwhelmed and alcohol gets into the blood stream and begins to affect the brain.

I looked back on the logic applied by the preacher and I changed my view. His logic did not take into account the marvelous structure of the human body. It made logical sense, but it was not accurately applied.

My church friends who had had a similar learning experience were quick to comment that “We know that drunkenness is wrong, but you cannot prove from the Bible that drinking is wrong as long as you avoid drunkenness.”

They made a good legal point, and that is what this is all about, thinking about the Bible only in terms of law. It is called legalism, and a person could be very strict in their legal thinking or very liberal. The 'conservative' preacher and my 'liberal-thinking' fiends were all legalists because they treated the Bible as a law code and interpreted it in terms of legal commands of legal restrictions and legal liberties.

That was one of the problems with the Pharisees. When they saw the disciples of Jesus walking through a wheat field and taking some grain to eat, they accused them of violating the Sabbath. The disciples were not out in the field working. Yet, on a technical point, it could be argued that by taking grain from a standing wheat stalk they had harvested. Therefore, they were judged to be guilty! Legalism.

Jesus did not argue with the Pharisees on a legal point but responded, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)The Sabbath was never meant to be a point of legal contention, but a day that God assigned for man to rest from his work. Yet, some had taken the Sabbath command and made it into an elaborate legal system full of restrictions.

Peter did the same thing when he posed a question to Jesus about forgiveness. He asked if he should forgive his brother seven times. (The general teaching of the Jews set a limit at three.) Peter probably thought he was being quite generous. However, though liberal in his thinking, he was still placing a restriction on forgiveness, a (generous) legal restriction. Jesus responded by telling Peter that there is no restriction on forgiveness.

God’s word is not a legal document, but rather, a revelation of His divine character. If you want to understand the prohibition of drunkenness, consider the character of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) If you want to know what the Sabbath is all about and how to apply that in your own life, ponder the activity of God during creation week. (Genesis 1 & 2.) If you want to fully understand Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness, open your eyes to the nature of God. (Exodus 34:6-7; Matthew 23:37; Luke 23:33-49)

It ought to awaken our minds when we realize that the Law of Christ, the Law of Liberty, and the Royal Law are all in reference to “love your neighbor as yourself.” God created us in His own image, and the way we respond to his instruction reflects our relationship with Him.

Are you a conservative legalist? A liberal legalist? A mainline legalist?

Or, stepping away from the legalism pendulum, are you being transformed into the image of Christ?

Mark Stinnett

November 27, 2022

Why Is It So Hard To Choose?

One of the most brutal and paralyzing realities of life is that of choices.

Yes, we make all kinds of choices every day. Many are natural: I’m thirsty, so I choose to drink a cup of coffee, a soft drink, a glass of water. I’m getting a bit drowsy at my desk, so I take a brisk five-minute walk, or I take 20 minutes for a power nap. I choose to bring my lunch, or instead grab a quick indigestible fast food snack, or eat with a friend, or just have another glass of water.

Those are all easy choices. They each have consequences, but not especially harmful. So, we generally do not consider the consequences for these things. We choose. We go on with life.

Some choices are much more serious and require forethought or careful research. Examples might include making a major purchase such as a refrigerator or oven, a car or a house. With sufficient research we feel confident that our choice has minimized the risk of future disappointment and needless costs.

Still, other choices are quite daunting. It’s just not possible to be a doctor and a fireman and a baseball pitcher all at the same time. There has to be a career choice. While many people change careers, they choose one at a time. And each potential career comes with risks. At the very start there is the uncertainty of making it onto a chosen career path. The required intelligence or skill or creativity might be more than a person possesses or can reasonably develop.

Making a career choice also comes with the risk of failure. We all know that failure in one’s career is far more serious than ordering the wrong meal at the drive-thru. A failed career will most likely have long-lasting consequences, not to mention the emotional stress of failure.

A choice to go down one path means that other paths are not chosen. Our mind tells us that we will miss out on some things because of the paths we did not choose. “Would I have been a better dentist than a fireman?!”

The same fears enter into choosing a mate. A young adult thinks, “What if I choose the wrong person to marry?” Remember this: God rules, not destiny and He allows you to choose. Do you know why your choice for a mate will work? You choose faithfulness! Then, you apply genuine love with all the choices in marriage.

Every time we stand at a ‘Y’ in the road to make a choice, we decided to go down one path and not all the others. In doing so we accept one set of unknowns over others.

I find it completely mystifying that some people do not choose Jesus? Yet, for those who are in Christ Jesus there are promises from our Creator.

• Provisions in this life (Matthew 6:33)
• A new start (Romans 6:4; John 3:3)
• Adoption as sons of God (Romans 8:16)
• God’s Spirit to intercede for us and help us (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:26; John 14:16)
• A direct line to God (Jeremiah 33:3)
• Purification from sin (2 Peter 1:9)
• Partaking in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)
• Protection from Satan (1 Corinthians 10:13)
• Forgiveness if there is sin (1 John 1:9)
• Resurrection from the dead (Romans 6:5; 1 Corinthians 15)
• Eternal life (John 3:36; 11:35)

Faith in self comes without promise, but only uncertainties. Self-love gives me comfort only in knowing that I am in the majority. Yet, for the few who choose Jesus, there is great confidence in God’s promises. And there is life...eternal!


Mark Stinnett

November 20, 2022

Salting the Oats

You’ve heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” (Chuckle) Someone added, “But you CAN salt the oats.” (Hahaha!) Applied to people the saying suggests that a person might be presented a good choice, yet refuse it. And yet, there are ways to help them make that choice (salting the oats).

Many churches have used this strategy to draw people in. They recognize the declining interest in church and respond by adding salt to the oats. In other words, they manipulate people by attempting to create a thirst for church. That thirst is created through playful preaching, music ministries, service programs, children’s programs, pageants, plays, block parties, family activities and all kinds of feedings.

The salt in the oats creates thirst in the horse, but it is manufactured. The horse is manipulated in a way that will produce a desired behavior. Take away the salt and you’re back where you started...a horse that won’t drink, not because he’s stubborn, but because he not thirsty.

Applied to churches, it is a kind of bait-and-switch manipulation. It is as if a small committee met in a dimly lit room and worked out an ingenious plan: “We’ll offer them all the things that appeal to them. Then, when we’ve got them all together, we’ll give them Jesus!” It is a manipulation, false advertising.

Jesus rebuked a crowd of people who were following Him for food (John 6). He knew that they were following their stomachs. They stopped following Jesus when the gravy train stopped. Why? Because there was no genuine love for Jesus; no genuine faith in Him and His word. Jesus showed that by removing false incentives a person’s faith would be revealed.

In and of themselves, made-up ministries and programs and activities are fine. Yet, Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (John 12:32) Made-up ministries and programs and activities do not produce faith. Remove the incentive and people return to the way they were.

My mind keeps returning to the crowd of followers in John 6. Jesus taught the people and, out of compassion he fed the people. Yet, Jesus knew their hearts. So, through His teaching He placed them at a figurative “Y” in the road. He confronted them with the truth of their desire by placing in front of them true food, His body, and true drink, His blood. He was using a figure of speech to refer to spiritual food, but the people did not understand and were repulsed.

Jesus offered true spiritual food. 

The crowd was only interested in belly-food.

Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Jesus was not good at marketing. He practically invited them to leave! And yet, He forced His disciples to face the same “Y” in the road. His question was a faith question: “Are you hungry like all the rest? Will you follow only if I keep providing belly-food? Or, are you spiritually hungry?”

Will you follow only if…

• ...there is a youth/women’s/men’s ministry?
• ...there is a Christmas/Easter extravaganza?
• ...there is an exciting music ministry (band)?
• ...there is an eloquent, humorous speaker?

We are not in the business of filling our church pews just to create the illusion of faith. Rather, we must lift up Jesus, our crucified Christ, our risen Savior, our King eternal.

Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

Reflecting on your life, what are you lifting up???

Mark Stinnett

November 13, 2022

Exception-Based Christianity

One year, after introducing the concept of probability to my junior high math class, students began quizzing me about the lottery. We first calculated the astronomically small probability of winning with one ticket. The next idea was that of purchasing enough tickets to insure a win. After two days of exploring the investment in time, labor and money to pull off such a feat, we all agreed that it was next to impossible. And yet, we all marveled that local and national lotteries announced winners. In each case, the winner appeared to be an exception.

The big take-away for my students was that if you really expect to win the lottery, you are boldly (or foolishly) asserting that you think you will be the exception to the huge improbability.
(I don’t think my mathematical proof for the foolishness of speeding was as great a success.)

Young people often live as if they will be the exception. They will not be the one to...

• Get caught (shoplifting/speeding);
• Get hurt (diving into dark water);
• Lose money (on risky investments); or
• Fail (at an unlikely endeavor).

Life seems to be full of exceptions. Just look! People are winning the lottery all the time.

Let me insert here that the marketing of the exception (intentionally or otherwise) can easily skew one’s sense of reality. So, a person’s keen skills of observation might be based on incomplete or inaccurate information.

So, what does all this have to do with Christianity? Some people carry over into Christianity the same exceptional mentality. In other words, some Christians live as if they will be the exception to the clear teachings found in Scripture.

Let me continue with an example…

Have you ever read Bible verses about lying?

• Is lying ever approved? Is lying good?
• A lying tongue is found on a list of things that God hates. (Proverbs 6:17)
• “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” (Proverbs 12:22)
• “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will perish.” (Proverbs 19:9)
• God’s people believed the false prophets but called Jeremiah a liar when he spoke God’s word. (Jeremiah 27, 28, 29, 43) God held them accountable for their foolishness.
• Jesus referred to the devil as the father of lies. (John 8:44)
• Lying is explicitly condemned three times in the book of Revelation (21:8, 27; 22:15).
• It is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18); it is against His nature.

So, how strong is a defense for lying by pointing to Rahab the harlot who lied about hiding the Israelite spies at the time of Joshua? (See Joshua 2:1-7) Does Rahab the exception teach us that there are times when lying is justified?

Even if we think we can justify Rahab’s lie, it does not justify your lie. Lying is sin. That is the consistent teaching in Scripture.

To teach our children that it’s ok to lie (even sometimes) would be no different than teaching that there is no right and wrong, that life is full of moral exceptions. An exception-based approach to Scripture would inevitably call for a whole new branch of moral instruction on how and when to apply exceptions.

We must not go beyond what is written in scripture. 

Would you risk your soul on a perceived exception???

Think...In what other areas would this kind of reasoning apply?


Mark Stinnett

November 6, 2022