The Two Dangerous Sins which a Reformed Christian can Face

All Christians are sinners. Bible says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1Jo 1:8)”. Yet there are two particular sins which are notoriously common with people adherent to ‘Doctrines of Grace’ which is also called ‘Calvinism’. Though these sins can be there among Christians belonging to other denominations, yet a wrong understanding of Calvinistic theology can make these sins very obvious.  I will address both of these and write a rebuttal for the same from Scripture. I am not writing this with a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, but I know these things because I have also committed these sins after starting to believe in Calvinism. So let me address these primarily as a means to admonish Calvinistic believers:

1)      Pride of  our Theological knowledge:

Honestly speaking, of all the denominations in protestant Christianity, most number of Christian works are written by Calvinistic preachers and teachers. People like John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards and other puritans have written so many great works in Christian faith which is a treasure house and a shining gem of Christianity. When a Christian discovers these great truths of Calvinism from Scripture, he would be overjoyed and glad about the greatness and magnificence of God’s wisdom. But sometimes, these ‘new’ Calvinists, tend to compare their theological knowledge with believers who are theologically naïve and develop a sense of superiority complex, thinking that they know so much from Scripture. This would manifest in two ways:

a)      Not willing to learn further from Scripture or from other Christian works.

b)      Having ‘holier than thou’ attitude with Christians who are not as theologically mature as them.

I want to share two verses for these people.

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (Jam 4:6)

Bible says it is God who reveals all the truths of Scripture to man, since naturally man is blind (Eph 1:4). When God is revealing to us more from Scripture, a true Calvinist would be more and more humble about the magnificence and greatness of God’s wisdom and knowledge rather than being proud of his theological superiority. A consistent reformed Christian would exclaim with Paul in pure humility:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. 

(Rom 11:33-36)

If you think you are rich in theology, consider again: God can take away all the theological knowledge from you anytime if you are proud since it is God who has given you wisdom to understand this and you did not 'choose' on your own.

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Rev 3:16-17)

I want to clarify another important thing with regard to this. I am not in anyway encouraging theological ignorance and this should not be taken as an excuse to not to learn theology at all. A Christian should always be ready to listen to what God is speaking to us through Scripture and through the work of Godly teachers and preachers with an attitude which Samuel had to listen to Lord’s voice(1 Sam 3:10)

2)      Prayerlessness:

      It is one of the duties of a Christian to watch and pray daily. Prayer is a means of communication of our thankfulness and petition to God. When we are newly into reformed faith, sometime, we undermine the importance of prayer. We think, “Since God has predestined everything in my life, why should I have to pray? Anyway irrespective of whether I pray or not, God is not going to change what he has destined. So why should I pray?”

To answer this question simply:  “We have to pray because, God has commanded us to do so”.  Let me explain to you in detail. The duty of a Christian is to obey God and enjoy Him forever. One of the means of obedience is through pray. Bible gives ample amount of instructions for a Christian to pray. Our Lord taught us how to pray in Matthew 6. Yet if we are not praying, it means we are disobeying God. And Bible says that God hears our prayers and acts accordingly. Let me explain to you with this following verse:

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--

(Col 4:3)

Paul asks the believers to pray for his work. He says that God will hear their prayer to open the door for the word. Many Arminians think that God doesn’t know our future and only by our prayer that we can ‘remind’ God to act. But Paul knows that God has ordained everything what is going to happen in future. Paul would have known this verse: Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' (Isa 46:9-10)”. Yet he is asking the believers to pray because:

a)      It is a commandment of God for Christians to pray.

b)      God chooses to act providentially through the means of our prayer. In that way, we are not believing in a fatalistic gods of Islam and Hinduism but to the God who listens to our prayer and rewards our efforts by His action, though all these are ordained already before the foundation of this world.

That was the reason why Paul is asking all the believers to pray regularly. Therefore let us all be living a prayerful life, consistent with what is taught in Scripture. I humbly write all these for the edification of fellow warriors of Christian faith so that we would be more and more sanctified in Christlikeness.

If you have liked this, you can also read Why I am not an Arminian?

Overcoming Habitual Sins

The word ‘sin’ when loosely defined from Scripture means ‘Transgression of God’s laws’. Though man was created in the image of God, yet because of his fall, sin came into this world. And all men are dead in their sins (Rom 3:10). Even after being regenerated by God, Christians commit sin. But we know that God is infinitely Holy and righteous. Even the least of the sins which we do, is considered as a serious violation in God’s laws. Yet there is a particular type of sin which is more dangerous than the rest of them. That is habitual sins. Habitual sins are the type of sins where we tend to do a sinful activity regularly without any willingness to come out of it. These sins can be anything like occasional lying, getting angry for no reason, lustful eyes, drunkenness or love of money. C H Spurgeon once said regarding Habitual sins like this: 

“Habitual sins are like holes in a ship. Even the small holes can sink a giant ship”.

Habitual sins are dangerous because,

1)     One may not think that he is sinning in the first place. He may become too hardened to repent and may not be quickened by the Spirit.

2)      Even if he realises that he is sinning, still he would be indulging in that because he would be under the deception that he will get the ultimate satisfaction only through that sin. For example, Alcoholic addicts most often would know the harmful effects of it, yet they sin because of this deception.

What are the biblical ways of overcoming habitual sins?

1)      Repentance and Godly Sorrow:

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2Co 7:10)

Both believers and unbelievers commit sin. But the only difference between them is the genuine grief and sorrow which a believer will have for the sins which he has committed. This may look too basic for a believer. You could have been in the Lord for a long time. Still this is the primary step in overcoming habitual sin. Bible says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psa 51:17)”. So first we need to repent of the sins which we are committing habitually.

2)      Prayer:

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. (Mat 26:41)          

We cannot overcome habitual sins without prayer. Only by the power of God, we can overcome. Prayer is a means in which we can communicate to God our inability to be holy and blameless by ourselves. It is the way to show that we are only dependant on God for our salvation and our sanctification and denying of our own self. And Jesus promised this: And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." (Mat 21:22). God will teach us specific ways to overcome these sins.

3)      Meditation of God’s word:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psa 1:1-2)

The only way we can overcome sin is to think of whatever things which are praiseworthy and honourable (Phi 4:8). We can be victorious over our sins only if we know the precepts of God. Bible says “God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos 4:6)”. If we read Proverbs, the wise men are differentiated from foolish people not because of their IQ but because of their righteousness. So we need to think biblically all the time to overcome sins. Apart from our daily meditation of Scripture, we should be reading the word of God during our leisure time too. I find listening to audio Bible while having dinner very edifying instead of watch TV or a movie. Likewise each of us can find a way in which we can meditate Scripture.

4)      Fear of God:

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (Deu 10:12)

The main reason why we sin is because we don’t have the fear of God. We don’t understand His attributes. We tend to take him for granted. We are not victims of habitual addictions but rather we are sinning because of our own wickedness. We forget that, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. “(Heb 4:13). If we truly remember God as he is, then we would never do those ‘trivial’ sins which can cost our eternity. We should actively strive to think more about God’s character and His Holiness so that we would truly fear him and obey his commands.

5)      Discipline:

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1Co 9:25-27)

We may have to redefine our lives to overcome habitual sins. We should make changes in such a way that the sin which we do regularly, should be made difficult to commit. If you expose your sin to light, then it would not do that again. If you are addicted to alcohol, you can start by doing simple things like not going through the street where they sell liquor. If internet is distracting you to commit lust, then it is better to cancel your internet connection or keep your computer in a common place. We should remember that it is better to enter into heaven without having used internet in our life, rather than going to hell because of it.

6)      Pleasure of doing God’s will:

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psa 16:11)

The reason why habitual sins thrive in our lives is because we tend to believe the time-tested lie of Satan that obedience to God will not satisfy our soul. But Bible says in so many places that only if we seek to obey God’s will, we would have ultimate happiness. John Piper puts that beautifully here: “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him”.  We should learn to trust more in God and be content in the pleasure which He gives us willingly if we obey His will.

7)      Love thy Neighbour:

Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mar 12:29-31)

When we are sinning, we are actually not loving God and also our neighbour. If you are habitually angry with your wife, the reason is because you are not loving your wife and you are not honouring God. If we love God and love others, we can truly overcome sin.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1Pe 4:8)

8)      Accountability partner:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! (Ecc 4:9-10)

It is always good if you can have an accountability partner, who can help us in overcoming the sins we are struggling with. It should be preferably a mature believer who can be trustworthy and who truly cares for your wellbeing.

Finally let us remember that the Blood of Christ is sufficient to overcome all sins. Even though we may fall now, God is gracious and merciful because if He has regenerated you, He has promised that we would be sanctified and glorified to become like Christ.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order 

that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Rom 8:29-30)

So if God has chosen us for eternity, “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. “(Rom 8:33). Thus let us trust in God for doing His work of salvation in our lives since the God whom we believe in is faithful and mighty to save.

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What is Freedom?

India celebrated its Independence this week. 67 years ago, India got her freedom from the British Empire to be an independent Sovereign Republican State. From the national parade in the Red Fort to the Prime Minister’s speech, most of us in the most populous nation would have remembered something about what exactly the term ‘Freedom’ means. Just like the millions of gods in our nation, there are millions of definitions of ‘Freedom’ among our people. I read some articles in Internet as in how our nation thinks of ‘Freedom’. I found an interesting article in ‘The Times of India’ where some youngsters defined what Freedom is by holding a placard in their hands like in the picturehere. Here are some of them in their words. 

“#Freedom is:

Wearing what I want and not being called a slut.

Being able to choose my own sexual preferences.

Equal rights for LGBT

Not being looked up to as the ‘Breadwinner’ of the Family

Choosing to not to have kids”

These are just some of the many definitions which can be found among our people. Some of which are thought provoking. But there is still one question it begs: How can all of them have a totally different meaning of freedom? Say let us take the reasoning of a pro LGBT person. For him, Freedom is ‘not to be told that homosexuality is wrong’. There are two problems with these kind of reasoning. First, if telling a person that he is wrong is slavery, then ISIS militants and Nazi Germans would also say that they are denied of freedom to kill the minorities and Jews, since most of the world are criticising for their actions. Second, he is not practicing what he preaches. If a homosexual wants no one to tell that his lifestyle is wrong, then he has no right to say that people who are opposing his lifestyle is wrong. Conservatives can also cry like him saying: “Freedom is not being labelled as bigot by a homosexual”

This is the problem of our Post-Modern society. Our society is crumbling in front of our eyes without our notice. Each one has a meaning of freedom. Freedom for one can be a slavery to another. Nazi’s definition of freedom would have been slavery for the Jews. This brings us the necessity to have objective morality. Now you would ask me a question. So what about the objective moral laws like the Sharia law of Islam or Communist manifesto? Yes. They are objective but they were framed by evil sinful men. So though they are objective, they are far from Justice. So the laws should be given by a Just and a Righteous person. Who is the righteous person in this universe?

1.      Only God is good:

"The Rock, his (God) work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. (Deu 32:4)

Only God is Holy and blameless. There is no one in this universe who is blameless, who is just. Bible says, "None is righteous, no, not one; (Rom 3:10)”. So whether it is the homosexual liberal agnostic or a conservative Muslim or a moralistic Hindu, all human beings are sinners by default.

2. Only good God can define what freedom is and what is good for us:

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?

(Deu 10:12-13)

God created this universe. God created us in His image for His glory. Since only God is good, only He knows what is right and what is good for us. No human can define what is good because he himself is evil. How can evil produce any good? Rather like how this verse above says, God has given his commands and morality which is the only objective righteous truth. Only if we obey the laws, like the above verse says, we would have real freedom. These laws are not considered to be a bondage but rather as a fence to prevent us from falling down the cliff of slavery. And all these laws are given in Scripture (2Tim 3:16,17)

3.  Only God can give true freedom:

As I have shown you from above, all of us are evil. Evil is opposite to what the commands and precepts of God. So since we all have disobeyed his commands, all of us are under the slavery of sin. And since God is just and holy, He will punish us because justice requires punishment of evil doers. Since He is infinitely Holy and Just, our punishment will also be infinitely severe. But God in His mercy, He gave us His only Son, the Lord God Jesus Christ to become a man in earth, just like us and came to take the punishment we justly deserve. He took the punishment of those who would believe in Him and died, 2000 years ago, on a cross so that the justice of God and His wrath would satisfied. And God raised Him on the third day from the Dead to prove that He had succeeded in taking the punishment of His children and now He is lifted up in Heaven. Only Jesus can give us true freedom. So if you repent and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin, you would be truly free indeed and you will have eternal life.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (Joh 8:36)

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Rom 6:22)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1)

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Medical Missions – My thoughts (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my previous article. I was not able to address all the issues related to medical missions in my previous article. Also I had seen many comments regarding what I had said previously. I will try to address those and also give more clarification regarding my position on medical missions. This is a long article. Kindly do bear with me.

Role of Mission hospitals and Church:

A lot of doctors working in mission hospitals in this era are of the opinion that mission hospitals should be independent of Church. The reason why they claim to do so is because of all the corruption which is present in the mainline churches and its influence is felt even in mission hospitals. Some doctors say mission hospitals should be the first to be established in an area where Christ is not heard so that it would facilitate the missionaries to preach the gospel without the opposition because the locals would be impressed by the good works of mission hospitals and thus be more willing to listen to the gospel which is preached.

I agree that our good works would give a positive influence on those to whom we preach the gospel. But Bible says in Romans 1:16 that gospel itself is a power for those who are destined to be saved. We don’t do all the good works and charity to facilitate the preaching of the gospel but out of good will to fulfil the second greatest command of God, “Love thy neighbour”.

And Biblically it is Church which should lead in doing missions, not the mission hospitals. If you read Acts 6:1-6, Church in Jerusalem actually was overburdened with both teaching and doing charity (which at that time was to serve their poor widows). So the Church actually set apart some of its leaders to do the act of charity while others can do the act of preaching and teaching. This was the basis in which many of the mission hospitals were established in India. Mission hospitals should be under the authority of the church. This does not mean that Church has to influence the mission hospitals in all the decision which it takes but mission hospitals should be in a way doing the work of a charity in the area where church needs, to help the poor brethren who are sick.

Now you would ask me why all the mission hospitals under the church are very badly affected by politics? The answer is because the Church is sick now. The church in India is really sick and dead. The leaders of our mainline churches are not regenerate. They don’t fear the Lord. They are not loving him. They are not afraid of his holiness and righteousness. They fear men. And these men dominate the governing board and they all want to 'eat' whatever property church owns and thus our mission hospitals are dead. So the politics of mission hospitals under churches is a symptom of the greater disease, which is dead Church.

Can the good deeds done by the mission hospitals like CFH, Oddanchatram justify its existence without the authority of Church?

A Christian should base his actions on how Bible instructs. As I have said before, a Christian charity hospital should be a helping arm of the local Church in that locality of need. Mission hospitals like CFH and current Christian Medical College, Vellore are not under the authority of Church at least in practice nor do they directly help the church in that locality. I am not saying what they are doing is of no use for Christ. They are very charitable and I commend their efforts to be straight forward and ethical in their practice. But we cannot call them as Mission hospitals in biblical terms. They are at the maximum doing charity to poor people and there are not actively involved in helping the Church in preaching the gospel.

For a Christian, end does not justify the means. So just because good deeds are done by these hospitals, does not necessarily mean they are established by Biblical means. For example, Aravind eye hospitals, Ramakrishna Mission hospitals etc, are also established with charity as a motive. And they do a really good job in treating poor patients. But that does not mean that they are established according to God’s will nor their belief is right.

Can mission doctors propagate good deeds done in the mission hospitals to inspire people and to gather funds for their hospital?

A Christian should be inspired to do good deeds out of love for God not out of compulsion or persuasion of others. And a Christian should depend on God first for all the provisions. George Muller is a good example of that. He ran orphanages without asking anyone for help because he trusted that God would provide for the functioning of his orphanage. Likewise, doctors working in the area of need should be primarily dependent on God for their help. And Church should actively address the needs of the hospital. If you read Acts, the Christians of Antioch helped the saints of Jerusalem spontaneously without anyone prompting them to help (Acts 11:28-30). So we should also have faith in God for our physical needs to be fulfilled in our mission hospitals in need.

A Case study of the mission hospital where I am working now (and I am not a medical missionary just because I am working in mission hospital!)

Most of my readers will know that I am also a medical doctor. I am currently working in Danish Mission Hospital, in a small town in Tamil Nadu, India called Tirukkovilur. This hospital is also a mission hospital. Our hospital was established in 1911. Before that Lutheran missionaries from Denmark Missionary Society came to India to this locality to preach the gospel and they established churches here. In those days, infectious diseases were quite rampant and both missionaries and the locals were dying because of that. So believing doctors from Denmark, under the guidance of our Church, Denmark Lutheran Church, established our hospital in this place. It served it's purpose at that time. After 100 years, the scenario is completely different. Tamil Nadu is one of the most developed parts of India. And this town has all the basic facilities with good government secondary hospital along with many private hospitals. And because of better sanitation and education, most of the endemic diseases of the past are controlled now. And people here also are well off than the past. So technically, the existence of my hospital in this locality does not serve the purpose of why it was established, 100 years back.

So does that mean that mission hospitals are not relevant now? Absolutely not. Like I said in my previous article, mission hospitals are still in need in parts of our country where there are missionaries who are planting churches, where the health care is poor and endemic diseases are common. For example, the tribal villages in Chattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh. The doctors who are doing charity in such mission hospitals are the ones who are doing medical missions, in historical point of view.

So the point is this: Just because a doctor is working in a mission hospital now situated in a fairly developed part of India, does not make him or her, a Medical Missionary. Medical Missionary is one, who is actually helping the Church of a primitive place with poor health facilities primarily through his charitable good deeds for preventing the locals and Christian missionaries dying of endemic diseases.

Please read my previous article Medical Missions- My thoughts (Part 1) also

Medical Missions - My thoughts (Part 1)

Historically, the medical missionary concept or mission doctors were sent to help the missionaries who are preaching the gospel with the health needs of the society, because of two reasons. One, the missionaries themselves were dying. Two, as an act of benevolence as a Christian charity. David Livingstone, Hudson taylor went out with this motive as a medical missionary. But slowly for the past 70 years, medical missionaries have become a separate entity by themselves. Atleast now, most of them go with helping the sick and poor in that area as the primary motive and gospel as a secondary motive. I am not categorizing all medical missionaries like this, but now almost most of them have this as a motive or ‘calling’. Is it biblical?

The medical missionaries reason out like this:

1) Jesus and Apostles did healing ministry:

But it was done by the power of Holy Spirit

As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
(Act 10:36-38)

It was done to authenticate the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:22, 2 Cor 12:12).

It was always accompanied by preaching and teaching (Mat 4:23).

It was instantaneous healing. (Mat 9:6-8; Acts 3:7-8; Acts 14:1-8,10; Acts 19:11,12; and many more)

2. Healing a person as a whole:

Bible always gives importance to Spiritual healing than physical healing.

1Ti 4:7-8  Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

So if medical missionaries are healing physically the patients who are coming to them, are they also spiritually healing them by preaching the gospel? Most often they give an excuse that they are busy. Yes that is true. But some of them, who don’t want to accept this truth, preach something else to their patients, which is not a gospel and think that they are preaching the gospel. For example ‘Jesus loves you’ is the most common ‘gospel’ of everyone.

I agree that this statement is true and biblical. But it is not the gospel. The gospel is summarised in following verses:

1Co 15:1-4 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Are the current medical missionaries truly healing a person as a whole?

3. Luke was a doctor:

Bible mentions Luke as having a profession as a doctor, just like how Peter as a fisherman, Matthew as a tax-collector. Nothing more than this. There is no description of his profession mentioned in the Bible. Just because Luke was a Christian, does that mean he should be called medical missionary? Then Peter should start fishing mission, Paul should start tent-making mission, isn’t it?

4. Showing the love of Christ by the compassionate touch of a doctor:

But as a Christian, whether we are doctors of plumbers, we ought to show the love of Christ by our actions. 

This is not something limited only for Christian doctors.

5. Medicine paves a path for the gospel to ease the opposition:

If that's the case, we would be relying on human effort rather than the power of God. It is not only dishonouring God but also exalts our profession to such an extent that God, who is all powerful, Sovereign, who has all authorities under Him, for whom the earth is just like a drop of dew, should stoop down to a Christian doctor’s help to work on people's heart? Isn’t that sinful? That is a manifestation of pride.

Rather we should need the power of Holy Spirit to work on the people to listen the gospel.

For gospel “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” (Rom 1:16).

6. We are doing good deeds for God:

That's a noble motive. But we should remember that while we are practicing medicine for helping the poor, we should do it in such a way how Jesus commanded us to do good deeds.

Mat 6:3-4 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

But very often, medical missionaries talk so much about what they are doing in the mission hospitals, how many patients are healed, how many free surgeries they have done, how many villages they have reached as community work, etc.. about themselves to others. Jesus said this is not a sign of a Christian but a Pharisee.

Mat 6:2  "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward

So these are my thoughts regarding what a ‘typical medical missionary’ is doing. I understand that most of them are doing this out of ignorance of the Word. But as Proverbs 19:2 says, even if we have zeal, if we don’t do what we are supposed to do, as revealed as in accordance to Scripture, then we are not honouring God.

Yet I still think that even now doctors are needed in mission fields, where there are no health facilities, where missionaries and patients are dying of endemic diseases there. So I would name such doctors as mission doctors, or medical missionaries, whose primary goal is to help the health needs of the missionaries in preaching the gospel. That was how many medical missionaries of past came. I will give some more thoughts in my coming article.

This article is continued in Medical Missions - My thoughts (Part 2)

Can a Christian practice Yoga?

Yoga, which once used to be a phenomenon of Eastern religions, has become an universal lifestyle. Studies have shown that even in a predominantly Christian population like that of the U.S, about 20% of people regularly practice Yoga and other versions of it. In many schools in the U.S, practice of Yoga have become very common. Doctors also recommend them as an ‘alternative’ therapy for many illnesses like schizophrenia, heart diseases etc.

Many of the yoga practitioners claim it to be a ‘science’ just like physics or mathematics. Most of them say it is nothing religious and just an exercise. But there are New Age Movements like Transcendental Meditation etc., which claims Yoga to be a spiritual exercise.

So what exactly is Yoga? Is it just an exercise for relaxing our body or a spiritual worship of a deity? So before I talk about the Christian view of Yoga, I would like to say a few things about Yoga.

What is Yoga?

The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from a Sanskrit vedic text which means, ‘to add’, ‘to join’ or ‘to attach’. According to ‘Art of Living’, Yoga is ‘a complete way of living which includes philosophy, path of devotional bliss, path of blissful action, path of mind control which is called ‘asanas’. Let me explain to you the background of Yoga in Hindu philosophy. Hinduism is a pantheistic religion according to which everyone and everything is god. In Hindu traditions, man can become god if he is able to attain the higher wisdom or ‘spirituality’ to unite with ‘Brahma’ which is the greatest manifestation of god likeness. This Brahma is not a person but just a phenomenon or power. To become a god, man has to activate his ‘chakras’ to attain highest form of life in the next incarnation. This can be done through various ‘means’ also called as ‘karma’. For example, some attain through worship of various gods in the temples also called ‘Bhakt’, some through doing social service called ‘dharma’ etc. One of the means to attain the higher spirituality is ‘Yoga’. If you do various yoga ‘asanas’ or ‘postures’, you would be more and more closer to the higher spirituality which would enable you to ‘improve’ your karma thereby attaining higher ‘god’ likeness. These postures are designed in such a way that they represent the form of worship to various Hindu gods.

Is Yoga and Christianity compatible?

Though science has shown some health benefits in doing yoga, it is still a mystery as in how those benefits happen. For example, there are proven scientific principle on how weight reduction will reduce the incidence of heart attacks. There are no such scientific principle in Yoga. With this in mind, let us see the problems of Yoga:

1) Inherent goodness of man:

Since Yoga is derived from Hindu philosophy, it is based on a worldview which believes that man is inherently ‘good’. But Bible
clearly says that men are all sinful.

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. (Rom 3:10-11)”

From the sages of the Ganges to the celebrities in Hollywood, all human beings are sinners and all are bad people. This truth is denied in yoga.

2) Our ‘self’ is the ultimate end of the universe:

Yoga also claims that man can find answers by himself from within his mind. He is not dependent on others and he is not accountable to God. All he needs to do is to improve his spirituality. But Bible says that man has been made for the glory of God and he is absolutely dependent on God for his living.

"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." (Rev 4:11)

'In him (God) we live and move and have our being'(Act 17:28)

This is in contrast to the claims of yoga, where they teach us that we ourselves are gods. Even Satan tempted Eve saying the same thing. Listen to the words of Satan:

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3:5)

So yoga involves the idolatry of self.

3) Emptying our thoughts:

Yogic meditation emphases in making our minds empty without thinking anything. This is exactly opposite to what Bible teaches. Jesus makes his disciples to think by giving questions and parables to understand the kingdom of God. Biblical meditation means to think about what God has told us through Scriptures. Listen to what Paul says on Christian meditation:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phi 4:8)

And God also warns us not to keep our mind empty which would make us even more evil and destroy our soul (Luke 11:26)

4) Asanas or ‘postures’ give peace of mind:

Yoga asanas are done to unite the mind and soul with the Brahma, which would give peace to that person who is doing it. This ‘peace’ is different from the peace which Bible promises for a Christian. For us, peace means ‘salvation’. It means that once we were enemies of God and because of the reconciliation of Christ for our sins with the Father, we have peace with God and we are now treated as children of God.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1)

Since these principles of yoga are in inherent contradiction with what Scripture teaches, a Bible believing Christian should not practice yoga. If he does so, then it means he is disobeying Christ and he is worshipping another god.

Can a Christian then do only the physical exercise part of Yoga and not get involved in Spiritual aspect of it?

Many well-known yoga gurus have clearly said that the physical and the mental part of yoga cannot be separated. There are two reasons why a Christian should not do the ‘stretching’ and physical exercise part of yoga without the spiritual part:

1) Yogic asanas and postures are based on Hindu Philosophy. These postures are designed not based on scientific reasons but based on the forms of worship of Hindu deities. So even if there is health benefits in it, it can be mostly due to demonic influence.

2) Since the theory behind these physical exercises is based on a pagan worship, Scripture forbids such actions.

"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. (Deu 18:9)

3) Doing physical yoga alone is logically not possible. If a scientist says that he believes in Creation but he would do his biological research based on evolution, then it means he is actually not believing in creation since his actions are not in accordance to what he believes in.  A Christian should love the Lord with the renewing of mind and his faith should be shown in actions.

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (Jam 2:17)

Thus if a person claims to be a Christian, he should not practice yoga. Yoga cannot give the peace and satisfaction which God has promised us to give through the Scriptures. Let us not walk in darkness as the unbelievers do by doing yoga but rather walk in Christ.

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
(Eph 5:8)

If you have liked this, you may also read Is it Ethical to practice Euthanasia?

Is it Ethical to practice Euthanasia?

Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to alleviate pain and suffering. It has been made legal in some countries like Belgium and Netherlands. Do we have the right to take another man’s life just to reduce pain?

There are many congenital and chromosomal anomalies which can result in Fetal malformations. Some diseases like anencephaly are too complicated that there is almost 0% chance that they would survive after birth. In such case, is it ethical to terminate such pregnancy before the heart stops beating?

Before we go on to the answer, let us remember that only through Scripture can we derive biblical ethics. And Scripture is sufficient for all the answers related to life and morality (2Tim 3:16,17)

According to Scripture, life of man starts at conception (Psa 139:13, Jer 1:5). So a fertilised ovum is fully human with a distinct body and soul, made in the image of God just like anyone else. Since the fall, all mankind has been suffering with disease and sickness. Even all these congenital malformations are all due to that. So a malformed fetus is no less human than a normal fetus.

And in Gen 9:4, God says, “"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” Only God can take a man’s life because God created man in His image. 

And only in case of capital punishment (Rom 13:1-5), God has given men who are governing, the permission to take another man’s life.

With this in mind, let us look at another passage and compare with our present scenario:

David said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." And David said to him, "How did it go? Tell me." And he answered, "The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead." Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?" And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' And he said to me 'Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord." Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man who told him, "Where do you come from?" And he answered, "I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite." David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go, execute him." And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, "Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD's anointed.'"
(2Sa 1:3-16)

If you look at the previous chapter, Saul was mortally wounded and he committed suicide. Though the 

incident which was told by Amalekite was a made-up story, let us look at verse 9,10: And he said to me 

'Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord." (2Sa 1:9-10)

He ‘took’ the life of Saul to alleviate his sufferings. He would have been the first to give euthanasia if this story were true. But David punished him with capital punishment because he killed a man who was made in the image of God, who was also anointed by God.

So it is unethical to take another man’s life even if he is suffering from pain because God has not given us authority to take another man’s life to relieve his pain. Even if the patient willingly gives permission to take his life, doctors have no authority to take his life, because God created man and only God has the right to take his life. So euthanasia is unethical. In case of fetal malformations also, the same principle applies. We can terminate the pregnancy only if the fetal heartbeat stops spontaneously, because if we do so before that, then it is murder no matter how noble our intentions are.

If you have liked this, you can also read Can a Christian practice Yoga?