Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, May 19, 2017

HILLARY'S BASKET OF DEPLORABLES

During the recent (and seemingly eternal) presidential campaign, one frustrated and possibly exhausted candidate called half of those voting for her opponent, "a basket of deplorables."

That remark will go down in history as one of the worst statements ever uttered by a politician, ranking right up there with, "But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it," and, "That all depends on what the meaning of 'is,' is," and, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

It's not a smooth move to call those who legitimately have a disagreement with you, "a basket of deplorables," when you're looking for votes. Millions of people saw that statement as a revelation of an arrogant and superior attitude, and, in a politician, or anyone else, that's a turn-off.

BUT YET WE . . .

But yet, haven't we been victimized by a misunderstanding of a text that causes us to reflect the same arrogant attitude as the doomed candidate? We're talking about a misunderstanding of Matthew 7:1-6:

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how [b]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

In the above text, the subject is misunderstood to be that of judging others. This misunderstanding leads us into the fallacy of multiculturalism and relativism in which no one is to think, say, or believe that there is right and there is wrong, that we aren't condemn any belief or practice as "wrong" because absolute right and wrong do not exist. That would be "judging."

Not only that, but the common misunderstanding of verse 6 leads us to violate the principle of grace and conflicts with the Parable of the Sower. Matthew 7:1-6 is erroneously presented as stating that there are those who are "dogs" and "swine," the deplorables who aren't worthy to hear the gospel ("that which is holy" and "your pearls") because they will attack, ridicule, and abuse the one who gives it to them, and should never have had it given to them in the first place. The result is, the misunderstanding says, that you've got to judge who's a dog and whose a swine before you speak to them about the gospel, lest they turn and attack you.

Back when John Wycliffe was translating the Bible into English, the Roman Catholic hierarchy condemned him by citing Matthew 7:6, declaring, "By this translation, the Scriptures have become vulgar, and they are more available to lay, and even to women who can read, than they were to learned scholars, who have a high intelligence. So the pearl of the gospel is scattered and trodden underfoot by swine."

Is that what Jesus is saying? The misconstruing of the text has it contradicting itself, that is, telling us not to judge, then telling us to decide who's a dog and who's a swine. That doesn't make sense, does it?

According to this misinterpretation, we're told to evaluate a person before we witness to him: is he a dog? is he a swine? If so, don't give "that which is holy, the pearls, to him."

ENTER THE SOWER

But this interpretation also has another problem: it contradicts the Parable of the Sower in which the Planter is generous with the seed (the gospel--Luke 8:12); he throws it everywhere--on the beaten path and on three other types of soil. And (very important!) the generous Sower doesn't evaluate the soils on which He throws the seed. He just throws it all over the place without discrimination. The Sower never considers who's worthy and who's not, the Sower never disqualifies anyone, to do so would violate grace.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON IN MATTHEW 7:1-6?

The misunderstanding occurs because verse 6 is ripped from verses 1-5. The context is that Jesus tells the disciples, "Judge not that you be not judged" (verse 1). Then, in verses 2-6, He explains the command.

We can't live without making judgments, scores of them everyday. We judge whether something is right or wrong. In John 7:24, Jesus commands the disciples to "judge a righteous judgment." In I Corinthians 14:29, the church is to judge whether a speaker has presented true or false doctrine.

Jesus isn't talking about "judging;" He's discussing a particular kind of judging--one that's hypocritical (remove the beam in your own eye) and judging someone over trivial matters (the splinter the other person's eye.)

SANCTIFIED SARCASM

To understand what He's teaching us is to realize that He's explaining why we shouldn't judge people over trivial matters and hypocritically. And, He uses sarcasm to do so.

Jesus is saying, "Don't judge hypocritically and over trivial matters. Don't give [what you consider to be] your "holy" advice, do not give what ]you consider to be] your "pearls," to [those you consider to be] dogs and swine, because they will turn on you and retaliate. Therefore, "judge not [hypocritically and over trivial matters] that you be not judged" [in the same way you're judging them.] Therefore, we see that verse 6 is tied directly back into verse 1. Verse 1 commands, "Don't judge so that you won't be judged." Verse summarizes, "lest they [those you are judging' turn on you and judge you in the same way."

BE GENEROUS

With that understanding, the Parable of the Sower isn't in conflict with Matthew 7. But, there's more: just as the Sower [Christ] is generous with the gospel, just as He doesn't prejudge the soils, so are we to be.

This parable forces us to examine ourselves, and is therefore convicting, isn't it? Am I generous with the gospel? Am I discriminating against someone because I've judged him to be in a basket of deplorables and therefore unworthy to hear it?" We're all unworthy to hear the gospel, but in grace the Sower casts it everywhere. We can easily fall into the trap of being selfish with the gospel by telling ourselves, "He's wouldn't be interested." "He'd just reject it."

Be generous.  Give a tract to the repairman who comes to your home, along with a "Thank you" for coming. Leave a tract for the waiter with a compliment for good service written on the back. Create opportunities to cast the seed everywhere like the Sower did.

Jesus cast the seed toward the immoral, the adulterer, the religious, those that society shunned, the rich, the poor, the hostile, the disinterested, the young and the old. He sat by their wells and at their dinner tables. He invited them to come to Him and He went to them.

He is THE generous Planter.




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