4June2019

Don’t Talk with Your Mouth Open

Written By robfaircloth

Jealousy and strife are two of the “social sins” that Paul mentions in Galatians 5:19-21 — enmity (hostility), strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy. These deeds of the flesh are in direct opposition to the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). In fact, Paul says that the two are “against” each other (Gal 5:17).

This is relevant to the Corinthian church because they claimed to be “spiritual” people: believers who had progressed in wisdom and maturity such that they could challenge even Paul. He affirmed that they were believers, calling them “saints” and “brothers” and acknowledging that the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them due to the gospel coming in a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”

But Paul says that their claims are inherently contradictory. Something that they were doing was so contrary to the gospel, so contrary to the Spirit, so contrary to the cross of Christ, that he could not consider them “spiritual” in his instructions to them, but instead had to treat them as “fleshly” and “infants” in Christ. He says that they are being “merely human.”

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6June2017

What Does the Gospel Say About Sanctification

Written By robfaircloth

As a test, I frequently ask people “What does the Gospel say to that?”

For example, if the topic is gender confusion, I try to help people formulate a broader response in light of the Gospel. But people typically respond with law of some kind:

  • Genesis says God created man male and female
  • You should not lie with a man as you would lie with a woman
  • They exchanged the glory of God for a creature

All of these are some form of “just stop it.” They are true, and are legitimate expressions of God’s will for us in the area of gender identity. But they don’t get to the heart. The Gospel provides a more comprehensive response — including law — that addresses what has happened to distort the heart’s desires.

But in the last few years I noticed that in relation to a believer’s sanctification, not only in the area of mortifying certain sin but also in general spiritual growth, there is an increasingly tendency to tell people things like “just remember the Gospel.”

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2June2017

Wich Stayts Nede Speling Hellp

Written By robfaircloth

For years I have warned that permitting retail establishments to intentionally misspell words would have dire consequences.

Schoolkids with minds full of mush would grow up confused about what to do with the letter Q. Adults learning English would face difficulties discerning how to spell certain breakfast pastries. Fans of beef and fowl alike would forget how to spell chicken. General havoc and mayhem would ensue.

A recent report by Google about which states need help spelling which words proves my fears were well-founded.

Google is a great help in research, such as “how to spell prestidigitation.” One of the drawbacks, however, is that Google records such things, and now everyone knows what your state’s citizens can’t spell.

Another drawback is the inability to use a dictionary, because, well, you have to have some skill in spelling to find the word you need to spell properly. And, because, well, you have to properly identify a book.

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26May2017

Summer Weather Blockbusters

Written By robfaircloth

I’ve noticed that things tend to run in cycles. I know; I display an amazing perspicuity. But the cyclical nature of things is even reflected in motion pictures, where it can become quite the aggravation.

Note, by the way, that I said “motion pictures” instead of “movie.” The highbrow types refer to motion pictures as “films” and refer to themselves as “film critics.” The Film crowd considers “movie” intolerably lowbrow and pedestrian, but when was the last time you heard anyone say “I saw a film today?”

Other than x-ray technicians (Man, today I saw some exciting film of the third lumbar region!), my guess is that it must have been after high school biology class: Whoa! Dude, what a hip film about the mating habits of earthworms!

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23May2017

What to do when God leaves out the instructions

Written By robfaircloth

Believers sometimes look around for specific instructions from God, and find nothing we like. Sometimes it seems that God has forgotten to give us enough instruction, so we end up taking the wrong steps or even refusing to take any steps to follow Christ.

But are we as direction-less as we suppose?

A curious thing happens when Joshua is finally able to lead the people into the promised land. We’re probably familiar with Joshua 1:8 (ESV):

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

This passage is cited frequently as an encouragement to pay diligent, consistent attention to the word of God. It’s used to encourage Bible reading, memorization, and meditation. And, less legitimately, to lay claim to a broad promise of “prosperity” and “success” for every believer, no matter the endeavor, leading the hapless five footer to claim the ability to dunk a basketball while muttering I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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19May2017

Diversionary Tactics for Toddlers and Other Aliens

Written By robfaircloth

Children are not right.

The way their little brains function, the undecipherable languages in which they speak to us and to each other (which to them, apparently, is quite understandable – I’ve seen two of the extra-terrestrials speaking to each other in alien-speak, with appropriate hand gestures, and apparently resolve some dispute over the order in which they were to play with a tire swing), and their unearthly energy levels proves to me that they were dropped here by Martians.

The robotic rovers now searching the red planet for signs of water will not discover the tell-tale signs of intelligent life – they will, however, find three-year-olds.

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16May2017

4 Signs that Your Money has become Filthy Lucre

Written By robfaircloth

One of my former law partners relayed the story of once accepting chickens and cabbages as remuneration for legal services rendered. He was trying to encourage me early in my career about the meager income I was making.

I appreciated the gesture, but remember being much more thankful, in view of the prospect of being paid in poultry given my complete lack of familiarity with fowl, that we no longer live in a barter economy.

Whether we are paid in chickens, or cabbages, or U.S. dollars (I seem to recall “cabbage” being a slang term for money), it all represents wealth.

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