Email between a Teenage Girl and a Youth Pastor

Or,

Is Modern Christianity Teaching the Doctrine of Balaam–that Sins such as Fornication are a Normal Part of the Godly Life?

Please carefully read the following communication. See if you can see what I saw. At the end, I will repeat the communication with a proposed answer to this youth pastor.

***

I went to church one wednesday night with a friend who had been begging me to go, and i was completely horrified. (I had forgotten how ridiculous I thought church was, so I guess a refreshment was necessary.) So, the youth pastor said loads of things that I question, so I wrote him this one day.

Hi P,

I had a few questions about the wednesday night service a couple weeks ago.

First, I don’t understand why jews aren’t ever mentioned. I mean, you kept saying “christians this and christians that” but what happened to the jews? Even Jeshua was a jew.
And second, why don’t you think that we are supposed to try to be perfect? Don’t you remember Jehovah telling Abraham, “go forth and be ye perfect.” didn’t that mean anything? Don’t you think that we’re supposed to be true saints? Without sin? Wht is it taught that that’s impossible? Every day, every single day we make the decision to sin. We make the decision to lie, to cheat, to talk about people. We make the choices to commit fornication, to be homosexual, things that are abominations. We choose to do those things, yet we consider ouraelves christians? What does that show the rest of the world?

He wrote back:

It’s awesome to hear from you. I am glad that you felt comfortable enough to come to [our church] and ask a question. I admire your faith, and your boldness.

People who were followers of Jesus in the New Testament were called Christians. We are called Christians because we follow the Jesus of the New Testament. We don’t have anything against Jewish people, or Judaism itself, but it’s just the name of people who believe like we do.

Jesus was a Jew, but more importantly, He was the Christ — the One who came to seek and save the lost.

The New Testament book of Galatians, chapter 3 and verses 26-29 says, 26″You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Regardless of whether we’re Jewish, Gentile, slave, free, we’re all one if we belong to Christ.

The second question about perfection…Jesus echoes the Torah when he said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your father is perfect.” But it’s like saying, “I will love my neighbor today,” only to have the neighbor do something very irritating to me, and I momentarily lose my resolve to love them. It’s when we fail to turn the other cheek or give up our cloaks or go the second mile that we understand our own sinful natures and our need for God’s grace. Our aim is to become sinless beings, but I find that awfully hard even on my best and most charitable days.

Even more than the willful act of committing fornication, what about the days when we fail to stand up for the poor or the oppressed, or become prideful, or don’t give alms in secret, or lose our tempers, or any other number of small sins — small, but equally sinful as committing fornication. When we realize the impossibility of the command to live a sinless life, then we understand our need for a Savior.

Through Christ, we see what Paul means when he said that he forgets what is behind, and constantly looks forward to the finish line. He did not mean that he was sinless. But those sins, in light of Christ and our ultimate destination as sinless beings, are only part of an imperfect history.

What are your thoughts?

I look forward to seeing you again, Y, at [our church].

Your biggest fan,

______________________

The following is a proposed answer to this youth pastor. I will repeat her email, then give his answer with the proposed response to him.

***

Hi P,

I had a few questions about the wednesday night service a couple weeks ago.

He wrote back:

It’s awesome to hear from you. I am glad that you felt comfortable enough to come to [our church] and ask a question. I admire your faith, and your boldness.

I am glad to hear that you don’t have anything against Jewish people. That doesn’t mean that you see them as being special or important in the view of the God of the Bible. Jesus didn’t come except to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. You knew that, didn’t you? Salvation is only of the Jews. Doesn’t that make them rather special? There won’t even be a resurrection of the dead until Jews in Jerusalem call for Yeshua. You knew that, didn’t you? They are very special, and are mentioned in most of the books of the Bible. Shouldn’t that be spoken openly in church?

Jesus was a Jew, but more importantly, He was the Christ — the One who came to seek and save the lost.

Yes, Yeshua was a Jew. I agree that more importantly, He was and is the Messiah. But even more importantly, He is the Jewish Messiah–the anointed One of Israel. He came to seek and save the lost, specifically the lost sheep of the House of Israel. (He said so, and said it that bluntly.) I know that His blood was shed for the sin of the world, and that all may freely take advantage of His Salvation. But I get the impression that your church believes in a Gentile Jesus who can be disconnected from Israel without there being any problem, and that His Jewishness is, like, gone. I see that the Bible teaches that He will return to Israel, not to France; to Israel, not to Belgium; to Israel, not to Rome; to Israel, not to New York City.

Yes, it says something like that. (I don’t like translations that are sloppy. That shows me that the translators didn’t fear God.)

Regardless of whether we’re Jewish, Gentile, slave, free, we’re all one if we belong to Christ.

I agree with this, but the Bible always keeps the distinctions between Jews and Gentiles even in the Book of Revelation. There is a difference between all who are born of God being sons of God, and everyone being the same. Even churches still have a men’s room and a ladies’ room. If the churches really believed that there was no difference, the churches would have unisex bathrooms.

I know that Israel is important from Romans 11! That isn’t a “we are all one” chapter; it is telling Gentiles not to be arrogant over the Jews, because the entire Hope of real Christianity is in the restoration of Israel, entirely.

Let me understand what you are saying. You are saying that Jesus did say, “Be perfect as your Father is perfect.” But you are also saying that this command is of no use while we are still alive, because we won’t be able to do it. You are saying that the grace of God is there for us when we disobey God’s commands. So, what shall we say? Shall we continue to sin so that the grace of God will be all the more? You are saying, amen to that?

What good is understanding our own sinful natures if the power of God is so weak that it can’t even give us the power to walk normally without sinning? I don’t want a powerless God who commands what He knows we can’t do. If that is the God your church is offering, I have better ways to waste my time. I want a God who commands, and who also makes sure that those He commands are able to do what He says (even when He has to supply the power). Your church’s God doesn’t even have the power to give a person normal self-control! Is this what you are saying? That is what I am hearing.

Our aim is to become sinless beings, but I find that awfully hard even on my best and most charitable days.

I know that sinners have a hard time refusing to sin when they get itches and urges, but I don’t find in the Bible that all Saints are accused of sinning. Several were declared perfect. Now, your translation is weak, so it might not say that. But I know that the Hebrew language says that about Noah, Job, Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Daniel.

Well, now, if losing our tempers is equally as sinful as fornicating, you have just given me the best excuse to bed with any guys I think are cute! Since both are equal sins, I want one that gives me a real zing! I just know that this doesn’t make sense. I also know that it shouldn’t make sense to you. I don’t see where the Bible commands me to stand up for the poor or oppressed unless I am there and seeing it, and I know that this command was given to the Israelis among themselves. I agree that pride is wrong. As for giving alms in secret, I say that this is pretty easy to do right. I think you don’t really know what sin is. I think you think that thoughts are sins, right? There is a difference between plotting to sin and thinking about it, then refusing to do wrong.

When we realize the impossibility of the command to live a sinless life, then we understand our need for a Savior.

From what does the Savior save us? If sin kills, and I get saved from sin, and I continue to sin, but just less, doesn’t some text, like in Hebrews, warn against this, something about re-crucifying Jesus all over again? It sounds like AA has a better program, because they at least tell folks that they have to never drink again. Your faith already recognizes that even folks who have been saved from sin will still sin. That ruins Romans 6. But then, Christianity doesn’t have power. That is why many my age turn to Islam. At least it has guts (even if it blows them all over the street).

If it is impossible to live a sinless life, Jesus was a failure, since He is an example. If it is impossible, God is weaker than an earthworm.

Through Christ, we see what Paul means when he said that he forgets what is behind, and constantly looks forward to the finish line. He did not mean that he was sinless. But those sins, in light of Christ and our ultimate destination as sinless beings, are only part of an imperfect history.

That doesn’t make sense to me, and I think that it also doesn’t make sense to you. I think you know that this is terribly flawed. That is the easiest believism I have heard, a faith with no heroes, no backbone. Is that why there is no difference in the amounts of sin of church goers and non-churchgoers? Is it because they believed you? Your faith is as weak as Reform Judaism, which is about as liberal as it can be. Is that how you want me to see your faith? Because I don’t see how I can see it in any other way.

What are your thoughts?

I hope that you didn’t mind my giving you my thoughts. I just see your faith as useless. I would do better to go to the unisex restroom and sit it out during the service. At least I could think, and plot to refuse to sin. Do you see what I mean?

I look forward to seeing you again, Y, at [our church].

Thank you. But if I come, I am coming for the social part, though I do fear those of my age who believe this way. I think a motorcycle gang has a far higher ethic of right and wrong even if they are selling illegal drugs. They can show self-control regarding the leader’s girlfriend.

Your biggest fan,

You are very kind.