Abortion Speech

Hey brothers and sisters, this is a speech I wrote for competition in NCFCA platform speech competition on abortion.

What if they ARE alive, and what if they ARE people? That should be the question in every person’s mind. The topic of abortion is often such a political and emotional issue that most people are prone to avoid it altogether. Despite the controversy, however, the topic is the most important one facing the world today; if the unborn are indeed human beings, then the governments of the world are even today supporting the largest mass murder in human history.

The first argument to be brought up in an abortion debate is “choice.” That is, a woman’s right to choose when she can have children, to the point that she may seek an abortion to dispose of an unwanted pregnancy. In the United States, the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade declared the right to an abortion to be protected under an individual’s right to privacy, as a case-by-case decision between a woman and her doctor.

However, on the scientific and admittedly more pro-life side of the issue, by the time a woman knows she is pregnant and can act on that knowledge by seeking abortion, all the signs of an individual life are present with the child. The child cannot be considered as an unformed clump of cells, or even worse, a tumor; every child is unique, with their own DNA and circulatory system. The scientific reasoning is perhaps one of the best reasons to condemn abortion as immoral.

This is a crucial issue, and is why today, I will be digging deeper into both of the arguments I have presented. I will be looking at both sides of the argument and show why the unborn children of the world deserve protection from termination, regardless the reasons and justifications behind the procedure, from both an outsider, large-scale point of view, and my own personal experiences as a sidewalk abortion clinic counselor. First, I will look at the most powerful and common reasons to defend the right to an abortion, and examine the reasoning behind them. I will be spending most of my time on this section, to pick the arguments apart and reveal their problems. Second, I will look at the cold science behind an abortion. Facts are devoid of any bias, and I will use this section as a transition into my third and final point, which is the moral and ethical reasons to consider each and every unborn baby as a human, fully deserving the same rights their older brothers and sisters enjoy.

I briefly touched upon the choice argument in my introduction, but now I will deepen the discussion further. One can easily see why the choice defense is so powerful for abortion. America is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave; liberty is our number one value as Americans, and the rest of the world envies our prosperity and freedom. At first glance, abortion appears to be just another procedure fulfilling those values of freedom and liberty. By numbers, children are expensive and require time and effort to raise properly; the national average cost of raising a child in America is almost $15,000 every year, and raising a child from birth until 18 years old is quite a commitment, and one that many are not willing to take on. The freedom to choose when and how to conceive would, indeed, seem to be an ideal option to have.

A real-life example of this convenience problem is found in a woman I met as she walked into an abortion clinic in Orlando. I will name her “Emma” for this discussion. Emma was a single mother with one child, who ran a mostly successful lawn business she had created and developed single-handedly. The father of her first child had left her, and is now in prison for various crimes. She got pregnant by another man, who also left her and was in trouble with the law. Emma felt that she could not keep up her business which was already struggling in a bad economy, and raise a newborn child at the same time, and was seeking an abortion to lighten the load. She said she wanted to keep the baby, but thought there was no one to help her through it, and was resorting to abortion out of supposed necessity. After some talking with sidewalk ministers, however, Emma decided to keep the child with our promises to run her business and pay her expenses while going through the last few months of pregnancy and first months after birth. This is a great example of the mindset of most abortion-seeking women; the new child poses an obstruction in their own life goals, and an abortion easily and quickly removes the obstacle, and the woman can continue her life. That is the essence of the American Dream, right?

The thing is, with so many government-aid programs such as Medicare and Medicaid or unemployment benefits, the cost of down-time while having a baby are almost non-existent. The number of willing and able adoptive families in the United States far outweighs the number of abortions every year: with over 2 million adoptive families and almost 1.5 million abortions every year, every one of those “unwanted” children could have been placed in a loving home, with room to spare, rather than being callously terminated. There is no reason to believe that no one will help a woman going through an “unplanned” pregnancy; adoption alone makes abortion for convenience sake indefensible.

Another consideration that, in part, goes hand-in-hand with convenient abortions, is the health of the mother, or even the baby. Pregnancies can be dangerous, and some people have health considerations that pose a threat to the woman. Some medications for illnesses the mother is suffering can harm the unborn baby, leaving permanent mental and physical damage, and the baby is born deformed. In other cases, the pregnancy itself poses a threat to the mother’s well-being.

For being such a large part of the abortion debate, however, there is little to suggest health problems figure into most abortions. According to the Central Illinois Right to Life organization, only 3% of abortions in America are due to health problems to the mother, and 1% are due to fetal abnormalities. This number is perhaps even smaller when doctor malpractice and dishonesty is taken into account. Some gynecologists, when presented with a pregnant woman who might face a difficulty in their pregnancy, advise an abortion immediately. The reasons could be many, but the two basic reasons are, 1, they do not want to risk their own malpractice insurance in case something goes wrong with the woman, and 2, the responsibility of the woman’s safety is shifted from the gynecologist to the abortion clinic owner and doctor. This affects many women, and they incorrectly believe that their lives are in danger unless they seek an abortion.

Finally, and perhaps the most mentioned reasons for an abortion, are the cases of rape and incest. And for good reason; what could be more horrific to a woman or teen girl than being raped  by a stranger, and after the fact discovering she is carrying the monster’s offspring? No one would want to live with, nurture, and raise the living memory of the tragedy. An abortion, in this case at least, seems to be excusable, and perhaps even advisable. However, there are a few major concerns with this mode of thinking.

When I minister in front of abortion clinics pleading for the lives of the unborn, the number one argument that is spat in my face is, “What would you do if you had a 13 year old daughter, and she was brutally raped by her uncle and got pregnant? What would you say, huh?” Rape and incest are the two greatest “what-if” scenarios offered by pro-choice advocates, but is it indeed legitimate? Here’s the thing: according to Planned Parenthood itself, the largest abortion provider in the world, less than 1% of all abortions are due to rape and/or incest. This leaves the remaining near-97% of abortions due to pure financial or situational convenience, and almost 3 percent due to health problems. Do you see the discrepancy? Although health problems and rape are the first things to come up in an abortion argument, together they account for less than 4% of the total 1.5 million abortions every year.

On top of this, the life of the innocent child needs to be taken into consideration, even in the event of conception by rape. The child did not hurt the mother in any way; the evil man that raped her was the villain in this story. The child did nothing but be biologically conceived, as babies have been since time began. The child should not have to suffer for the sin of the father, and should be spared as a simple spectator of a horrible crime, innocent of any wrongdoing.

In all three of these main arguments I have discussed, none give a legitimate reason why children, who are nothing but bystanders to men’s (and women’s) actions, should have to pay the ultimate price for the well-being of their parents. They are mostly composed of appeals to emotion, a type of logical fallacy that reaches out to the audience’s emotions by telling them tearful stories, some true and some hypothetical, and attempts to win their approval through their upset emotions. What matters isn’t what we feel about something, though. What matters is the truth.

I’m now going to somewhat change gears here, and switch over to the cold science of the matter; however, as we will see in a minute, it isn’t so cold after all. It almost seems to have an opinion of its own.

What most people don’t know is how soon after conception a baby’s vital life signs are visible. At 18 days after conception, a baby’s heart begins to beat, spreading his own unique life blood to his new and developing organs and brain. At 6 weeks, measurable brainwaves are present, and the nervous system, with pain- and heat-sensing nerve endings, is complete.

Why is this important? See, almost all pregnant women discover they are pregnant after the heart is already beating, and most abortions, about 88%, occur in 12 weeks after conception. By the time most women have an abortion, the baby already has everything any biologist would classify as human life: unique DNA, blood system, heartbeat, and brainwaves. This means that almost all abortions occur AFTER those vital systems are in place, and it is terminating a scientifically classified human life.

Why do these individual life signs matter? They prove that an abortion is not, after all, “her body, her choice.” They show that, although the child is being carried inside the mother until the end of the pregnancy, the child cannot be considered as a part of the mother. These facts alone should dramatically shift the tone in any abortion debate.

Finally, I want to look at the moral implications of supporting or having an abortion, and because the Bible is our definition of morality, I will allow the Word to speak for itself.

Abortion has been a big issue since Bible times. In Exodus 1:9-10 says, “And [Pharaoh] said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’” The Israelites had been living in Egypt for some time now, and the new Pharaoh was fearful that God’s people would continue to grow and eventually overthrow the Egyptians. So he developed a plan to halt their growth, by killing their children. In verse 16, he tells the Hebrew midwives, “‘When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birth-stool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.’” Pharaoh took matters into his own hands and used murder as a way to stop the Hebrews from supposedly usurping his power.

The first verse any pro-lifer will bring up is the sixth of the Ten Commandments, given in Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder.” Some people condemn its use as inappropriate for the discussion; they say there is no way the “innocent” woman having an abortion can be considered a murderer. Yet, after all the scientific proofs for the individuality and life of that little baby, what other conclusion can we come to? The premeditated ending of another human life is called murder, and if abortion kills an unborn child that is a human life, that too is murder. There can be no other conclusion.

What’s even more convincing is the fact that the Bible addresses the abortion issue itself, and condemns it as first-degree murder. In Exodus 21, the very next chapter to where the Ten Commandments were given, God gave us examples of breaches in His commandments, so that we would know a sin when we see it. When he got to murder, he uses a very interesting example. Of all the scenarios He could have used, ie, hitting a man with a rock or weapon, he uses an abortion. Exodus 21:22-23 says,

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life.”

This verse alone ends the discussion, and here’s why. Here we have a fight between two or more men, and a pregnant bystander is hit. If her child is born prematurely, yet both the child and mother are safe, then the man who struck her would be fined for any inconvenience on the family’s part. However, if the child is born dead, then God called for capital punishment, the death sentence, on that man for killing an unborn life. This is how seriously God views an unborn child’s life; He does not view them any more or any less that human, deserving all the rights and privileges we enjoy.

Remember the Golden Rule Jesus Christ gave us: Matthew 7:12, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” What we need to remember is that we too were once unborn and growing in our mothers’ wombs. It’s a simple statement, but it is nonetheless true. We enjoy our lives; people may claim they wouldn’t mind if they were aborted when yet unborn, yet they don’t jump off bridges or walk into the street without looking both ways. As humans capable of compassion and love for one another, we need to show the same love for the unborn as we show to their born and visible relatives outside the womb.

By now, the answer to my question has been answered time and time again. The unborn is proven by science to be an alive and individual human, and the Bible, our basis for morality and ethics, bears out that they should be treated as people. Although abortion will always be a heavily emotional issue, the least we can do as intelligent human beings is bring science and basic human ethics to the table and consider what is true rather than what feels right. Today I have done just that, and have shown why the unborn child deserves precisely the same rights and protections guaranteed to other people, as individual humans, not as someone else’s property.

Contentment

Contentment is derived from Content, which means in Webster’s dictionary, “Rest or quietness of the mind in the present condition; satisfaction which holds the mind in peace, restraining complaint, opposition, or further desire, and often implying a moderate degree of happiness”.

I have struggled with contentment immensely after moving up to IN, and leaving everyone I know. I have often wondered, “What if…?” or I’ve asked God on many an occasion, “Why? What good could come of moving away from most everyone I love?!”
Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

I came to realize about a year into being up here, that it really comes down to whether I truly believe that God is Sovereign (Supreme in power; possessing supreme dominion; as a sovereign ruler of the universe.) or not.

Matthew 10:29-30  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  (30)  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

God IS Sovereign! After being up here for two years, I realized one of the many reasons God had me come up here. To draw me closer to Him, and trust in Him! Also, He put in my life some Mennonites, who caused me to really search the scriptures, and to learn what I really believe, which I don’t think would have happened if I were around like-minded believers, because I would not have been challenged. God provided friends up here too, by having a couple families move up here as well.

God has his reasons, I have learned by experience. Who am I to questions his designs and purposes?

Romans 9:20-23  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?"

We must be content, for God has put us where we are for a reason, but by being discontent, we rebel against God.

Soli deo Gloria!

Thanksgiving

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples." -Psalm 105:1

Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. In this simple action you have taken oxygen out of the air, used it in your blood and all of your organ. Then you released carbon dioxide which was made by your body but not good for it. Dwell on this amazing process and the God who created it. We have so much to be thankful for! I think at our age we miss it a lot. Teens the world over are known for for always wanting more, for always being discontent, for being unthankful. Look around, why aren't we thankful?!
Deuteronomy 26:11 says "And you shall rejoice in all the good the Lord has given to you and your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you." When was the last time you rejoiced in ALL the good God has given you? Tonight, if you are able, go outside and look at the moon and stars. Look at the grass. Put your hand in cool water. These graces are everywhere! Think about all the people in your life: parents, siblings, extended family, friends, teachers, and leaders. The blessings are innumerable! Where did these blessings come from? In his all encompassing mercy, God gave us life. And not only life, but new life if you are a Christian! Oh the great goodness and mercy shown us! We deserve eternal punishment for the sins against God and he gives us pardon through the blood of his Son. "Praise is due to you O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed."-Psalm 65:1
Sometimes though, it doesn't seem like he's being very gracious. When we're going through struggles it seems like God is ignoring us. Or just not hearing us. Psalm 31:1 says "How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" the psalmist David is crying out to the Lord desiring a response, and then he goes back to Gods character and says in verses 5-6 "But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." When times are tough we need to remember the same God who blesses us with sunlight and laughter also gives us storms and tears. James 1:17 says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no shadow due to change." Sometimes the best gifts God could give us are trials. We are sanctified through trials.
Sanctification is growing more like Christ and that should be what we desire! James 1:2-4 says "Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have it's full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." So not only should we be thankful when everything is going our way, but we should also be exceedingly thankful that God is helping us to grow more like him through difficulties.
In the flesh, we are by nature, unthankful. Being unthankful breeds so many sins! Sins of coveting, jealousy, stealing, anger, strife, murder, lust, adultery. This disgusting list shows our depravity. We need ask Christ to make us a thankful people! Some practical ways to remind yourself to be thankful are to have a Thank You Journal. I dare you to write down ten things every day that you are thankful for. On a day when you feel especially unthankful, write down twenty! Another way is to have a Blessings Jar. This is a large glass jar that you fill with small slips of paper. On each one write down a specific answer to prayer. On December 31st opening the jar and reading through all the answered prayers has become a tradition at our home. Recording what God has done is a way that really makes you thankful! Psalm 102:18 says "Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:..." In conclusion, be thankful ye saints, for the Lord has bountifully blessed us.

'"Say also, Save us O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!" Then all the people said "Amen!" and praised the Lord' 1 Chronicles 16:35-36

The Crimson Gate to Eternal Bliss

Hello guys! This is my essay for the Reformation day celebration contest.

So they found him guilty, according to their laws. And after endless indignities, they burned him at the stake. Thus Faithful met his end. But I saw in my dream that, behind the crowds, there stood a chariot and horses waiting for Faithful, who (as soon as his enemies had done with him) was taken up into it, and wafted through the clouds to the sound of trumpets. So, in truth, he fared better than his friend Christian. He would arrive first at the Celestial City, and, having been faithful unto death, the King would give him a crown of life.

Martyr means witness or testimony. When John Bunyan penned these words in his Pilgrims Progress, he was in prison. He was willing to be a faithful, unwavering witness even when everything was stacked against him. Saints in times past have been ready to face death or torture for the gospel of Christ. Saints today face the same fate. They stand bold, firm, and true. This scene in Vanity Fair illustrates a painful yet glorious reality that saints past, present, and future have been and must be faithful unto death, receiving as their reward eternal rest with their beloved King.
In the story Bunyan says, “Faithful met his end” but it clearly isn’t the end of his story. The finale of his story is exiting this fallen world and being brought into the Celestial City. Through this bloody murder, eternal life was ushered in. Proceeding his death, he was a pilgrim. He had come to follow Christian on his quest for the Celestial City. As they traveled, they came to a town called Vanity, where a fair is held year round. After much mockery, the townspeople had Christian and Faithful arrested and later brought to court. In court, Faithful was accused ferociously. After the accusations had stopped the judge gave Faithful a chance to speak in his own defense. He proudly and gloriously proclaimed his King and Sovereign. This meant death and he knew it. But that fact did not alter his message nor discourage it. He was found guilty according to their laws and sentenced to death. Before death he was tortured and suffered greatly. When these had ceased he was burned at the stake. Due to his faithfulness unto death he would receive a crown of life.
The high and worthy calling of martyrdom is not for the faint of heart. Martyrs have been giving their lives for the sake of Christ and his gospel for centuries, Jesus himself said, “...if they persecute me, they will also persecute you...”
Not very long after Christ arose the first martyr died for him. Stephen was a deacon, a servant of the church. He is described as being filled with the Holy Spirit. Because of his witness he was brought before many leaders in Jerusalem. Like Faithful he was given a chance to defend himself. The sermon he preached was one of the best preached in history. Infuriated by his words, they sentenced him to death and stoned him. As he was about to enter his blessed rest he said “Behold! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Polycarp lived in first century Rome and was a student of the apostles. He was also a minister to the churches planted by them. He traveled to the sites of churches all over the known world to preach the gospel and encourage the brothers. During one of these trips he was arrested and brought before a tribunal. When he did not recant he was brought to the arena and told to swear by the fortunes of Caesar. ‘He replied, “Since you are vainly urgent that, as you say, I should swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretend not to know who or what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian.” His testimony condemned him and he was burned at the stake. Painful as it was, he met Christ that very instant and was rewarded for his faithfulness.
John Huss was a Bohemian priest in 1415. He preached boldly from God’s Word and was a great threat to the church leaders of is day. Because of his beliefs he was arrested and thrown into prison. After nineteen months, he was told he would be executed. He was given a last chance to recant. As he was tied to the stake where he would be burned, he said, “What error should I renounce? I am guilty of no wrong. I taught all men repentance and remission of sins, according to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that gospel I am here, with cheerful mind and courage, ready to suffer death. What I taught with my lips I now seal with my blood.” Huss died that day, he “met his end”, but oh the crown that awaited him.
Gao Zhisheng is a Christian Activist in China. He supported Christians and helped get legal help for those who needed it. The Chinese government arrested him and he was held in a secluded place. After a few months he was returned to his family with stories of endless torture, and a warning not to continue his work. Being faithful to his calling, he continued. He was again arrested and has not been seen by his family for many months now.
Asia Bibi is a mother of two living in Pakistan. She was arrested in June 2009 on blasphemy charges because co-workers said she told them about Christ being the true prophet of God. Those women she worked with beat her before turning her over to the police. On November of 2010 she was sentenced to death. Recently Asia found that one of her captors is a Christian and he has allowed her to have her Bible in her cell. She has not recanted and is being faithful with death looming. A joyous rest will be found on the day she enters heaven.
Martyrs are a large part of God’s plan for this world. In fact, one of the signs of the end of the world shall be that all martyrs have died according to his plan. “When he opened th fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”-Revelation 6:9-11
Christians of all time have been, and are, willing to die for the gospel. The allegory of Faithful is a reminder that should bring us to our knees. Are we willing to suffer even a little discomfort for Christ’s sake? We should be asking God to give us boldness and courage. Are we bold enough to face a court full of men like Lord Hate-Good, Mr. No Good, Mr. Heady, and Mr. Cruelty among others? What would we say if faced with the same fate? I hope and pray that given the opportunity, we would give Christ all the honor and glory he deserves. All of the honor whatever the expense to us. The reward in heaven would make whatever suffering void. The pain and hurt would pale in comparison to the glory and joy we would find when entering Eternal Bliss.

Reformation Day Essay: "Religion Went in Silver Slippers"

Here's an essay I wrote for this year's Reformation Day essay contest at my church. Savannah's essay won, and she will post hers soon, too.

Their way took them near the City of Fair Speech. Four of its untrustworthy citizens came out to salute them, bowing very low.

“We too are going to the Celestial City,” they said. “We shall be glad of your company.”

Hopeful was for joining them. But Christian had heard of their city - that it was a place where Money ruled, and where Religion went in silver slippers. He also recognized one of them as Mr. By-ends, who had many rich relations; his wife was Lady Feigning’s daughter, and he was a friend to Mr. Facing-both-ways, and to Mr. Money-love. So Christian whispered in Hopeful’s ear: “I like them not as our companions. For they are very knaves.”

In his classic theological book, Pilgrim’s Progress, reformer John Bunyan recorded a dream he experienced while imprisoned in England for his faith. The book follows the quest of a man named Christian to reach the Celestial City, a place of freedom and salvation from the City of Destruction. Along the way Christian meets few friends and many foes, and even loses his friend Faithful, who is martyred in Vanity Fair.

After he escapes the city with his new ally Hopeful, Christian meets four men from a nearby city who seem eager to join them in their quest. Bunyan’s description of them is cautionary, calling them “untrustworthy” and implies they are false and over-flattering by “bowing very low.” Hopeful, a recent convert and new pilgrim, is caught off guard and wishes to take these counterfeits along as fellow travelers. Christian knows better, however; he recognized them as citizens of the City of Fair Speech, “...a place where Money ruled, and where Religion went in silver slippers.” When the reader first reads this description, he might be taken aback; why is Religion implied as evil? Why is Religion’s place of honor in the city compared to Money’s rule? This is an example of the difference between works-righteous religious practice, and “religion that is pure and undefiled before God,” described in James 1:27 (ESV). In this essay, I will examine three examples of how man-made religions counterfeit true faith, and why this facade does not stand up before God’s standards.

Man has had “religion” problems since the Fall of Man, when Adam made the fatal decision to take his relationship with God into his own hands and ate the forbidden fruit. All have tried to take salvation into their own hands before Christ took His elect as His own, and the lost continue to believe they will “win” heaven by their good works on Judgment Day. In Genesis 11, all the men of the earth gathered to build a tower, named Babel, to reach heaven, so they could reach God and their descendants would remember them for their work. Genesis 11:4 says, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’” God looked down on their feeble attempts to reach His throne, and confused their language to foil their plan and dispersed them to populate the earth. God doesn’t share His glory in our salvation, and any attempt to save ourselves is condemned by God as a form of idolatry.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day are perhaps the clearest picture of self-righteous religion than any other. They had invented their own code of Judaism by extending God’s law, weighing men down with man-made laws, while making loopholes for themselves in the original law. Because of their seemingly strict moral system and haughty appearance, the rest of Israel and Judah held them in the highest esteem, until Christ unmasked their hypocrisy and showed them who they really were. In Matthew 23:4, He accuses the Pharisees, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” Later in the same chapter, in verses 25 and 26, our Lord says,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Jesus knew their problem; they were striving to keep up good appearances before fellow men, were caring more about pleasing men than pleasing God, and were relying on their “good” works and sonship of Abraham to earn their seat in God’s kingdom. Because of these evil motives they had Jesus tried for blasphemy and crucified Him on the cross at Calvary. In His divine plan, God used Christ’s sacrifice for our own redemption.

In more recent times, the Roman Catholic Church imposes a works-based religious system that resembles true Christianity, but relies heavily on works and appearances, as did the Pharisees before them. Although they claim to believe in Christ’s atoning work on the cross as all-sufficient for our salvation, they believe that their “good works” complement His atoning work, and reduces the time they must spend in Purgatory, an imaginary place they have created to fill this gap in their theology. Basically, Purgatory is a reformatory type of hell, where all men must spend some amount time to pay their sentence for their sins. This notion, that we can pay for our sins without needing Christ’s gift of repentance and faith in Himself, blatantly contradicts Scripture. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” If we claim to have any hand in our own salvation, or even our sanctification as believers, we take credit for what God has freely given us, and the Lord considers that glory stolen. It is a serious matter to take the glory of perfect God, and ascribe it to fallible men.

In the passage I quoted above from Pilgrims Progress, it says, “He [Christian] also recognized one of them as Mr. By-ends, who had many rich relations; his wife was Lady Feigning’s daughter, and he was a friend to Mr. Facing-both-ways, and to Mr. Money-love.” Lady Feigning is a picture of this kind of false religion and piety; Mr. Facing-both-ways and Mr. Money-love illustrate the attitude of keeping one’s foot in the world, while pretending to be striving after the things of God. God knows our inward thoughts and motives, however, and He is not fooled as fallible men as to outward appearance. Acts 15:8-9 says, “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.” Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our atonement is to His own glory, and His glory in this divine act is not to be shared with imperfect men’s pitiful acts of “religion.” John Bunyan was a great man of faith, and his insight into Man’s self-saving efforts is just a small sliver taken out of his theological masterpiece, Pilgrim’s Progress.

Introduction

Hello Readers!
My name is Savannah Brenyo and I have been invited to be a co-moderator with Daniel and Matthew. I am 16 years old and am the oldest of eight children. My dad is the pastor of Covenant Reformed Baptist Church and has been since it started more than six years ago.
When I was very young I began imploring Christ for salvation. My parents taught me that the only worker in salvation is the Savior and this led to my fear of calling myself saved. I didn't want to say I was saved if I wasn't. However, God's grace was showered on me and when I was 11 I was able to say with all thankfulness that I was his child.
I've been raised in the reformed tradition my whole life. Being reformed means I believe in God's sovereignty over all things. I believe he's sovereign over where I live. I've moved fourteen times. I believe he is sovereign over the health of my family. Six of my seven siblings have had blood complications when they were born. One stayed in the hospital for seventeen days. I believe he's sovereign over my life. I was conceived with a twin. During the pregnancy my parents only knew about the other baby. That baby died and my mom was rushed into surgery. After the surgery my mom was told she might never have children. Six weeks later she felt sick. She called her doctor and went into the office and he told her she was pregnant. The next day my mom had an ultrasound and instead of finding a very little baby they found a fourteen-week old healthy baby (Me!). My life was preserved through the death of my sibling, through the surgery, and through the countless medications used during and after the procedure. I am a firm believer in and a defender of God's sovereignty and grace.
I met Matthew and Daniel about six years ago through church and am continually blessed by their godly example. I hope that you are as blessed by their friendship as I have been. My prayer for this blog is that we all grow in grace and glorify our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

Always in Christ,
Savannah Brenyo

Can Man Be Right with God by Obeying the Ten Commandments?

This is an apologetics speech I wrote for my NCFCA Christian speech and debate club I’m in. Apologetics speeches are limited preparation speeches that give you 2 minutes to prepare a 7 minute speech based on one of three random questions pertaining to the Christian faith. The question I got was "Can Man be right with God by obeying the Ten Commandments," and I gave this speech to my leader and group. After my speech, another student went up and gave his speech on the exact same topic, and pretty much contradicted everything I said. He said that God made the Commandments as “guidelines” that were not meant to be followed to the letter, and that Man is made right with God by “doing his best.” Jesus, our Savior, never came up ONCE in the entire speech! My speech, unwittingly, addressed every point he brought up, and I thought it was interesting, yet sad, that my apologetics speech was actually defending the faith against a fellow student.

Can Man be right with God by obeying the Ten Commandments?

Man has tried to invent ways to get closer to God, or even to become a god in some religions, since the beginning of time. Usually this entails moral requirements; you must do this and you cannot do that. God’s Law, the Ten Commandments, are God’s standards of perfection, and breaking any of these is deserving of God’s eternal punishment in Hell. Today’s question, “Can Man be right with God by obeying the Ten Commandments,” is important because the answer will determine if Man even needs Christ’s atoning work on the cross for our sin. First, we will look at Man’s innate, natural depravity, and second, why God’s Law is impossible to keep perfectly, and why we need Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Scripture is full of references to Man’s imperfection, and failure to keep God’s Law. Psalm 14:1-3 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who is good, not even one.” Each and every one of us has broken God’s Law; Romans 3:22b-23 says, “For there is no distinction: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” because of this, we are deserving of God’s just and eternal punishment, and it is impossible to pay our sentence by our works. 2 Peter 2:9 says, “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement.” This verse mentions the “godly,” but how are we sinners made godly, righteous, before God? This brings me to my second point: why we need Christ as our Lord and Savior.

God is omniscient; He knows all things. He knows all too well we are depraved lawbreakers. Although we justly deserve God’s wrath, He provided a holy representative for us, His only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a holy, perfect, sinless life as a human being, fully God and fully man; He never once broke God’s Law. He laid down His life at the cross to be the unblemished Sacrifice, covering our innumerable sins with His own righteousness. This is why we cannot “work” our way to heaven by doing good things or keeping the Ten Commandments. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Even if a man was able to obey God’s Law the rest of his life and do enough good works for God, this would take Christ’s glory. Galatians 2:16 says, “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” The only way to be reconciled with God is by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; as the above verse plainly states, He is the only way to be justified before God. This is why the answer to today’s question is No, Man cannot be right with God by simply obeying the Ten Commandments, and is why every person is in dire need of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord of their lives.

Obedience

Ephesians 6:1  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

What does obey mean? Why should we? For how long? Why is this right in the sight of God? Is this a guideline, or command? What happens if we don’t?

The word ‘obey’ is not passive, it requires action. Obey (verb) means to carry out, comply with, submit to, be ruled by, or serve. Jesus showed us perfect obedience while on earth, to his earthly parents, and to God the Father by dying on the cross.

John 2:1-5  On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  (2)  Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.  (3)  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."  (4)  And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."  (5)  His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

He then goes on to comply with his mother’s request. Now why did Jesus obey Mary here? His time had not yet come, as he said, so he had a legitimate reason not to do so.

Colossians 3:20  Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

The question really isn’t, “Will you obey you parents” But, “Will you obey your parents, for God’s sake?” For it pleases the Lord! That is why Jesus obeyed. Jesus did not obey Mary with just eye-service, He obeyed completely. Jesus is our example in all things. His entire life  was an act of obedience towards God the Father!

Now, back to Ephesians 6:1. The first word in this verse, is children. When the Bible refers to children, it means those who under the authority, and care, financially, of their parents. But when are you not a child?

Genesis 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

We see here, that when you leave your parents, when you are no longer under the care of your parents, that you are no longer a child. So once you are an adult, your parents no longer have the authority over you that they once had. You no longer have to obey, because you are your own family now. BUT, that does not mean you can dishonor your parents!

Exodus 20:12  "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

1Timothy 5:4  But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

We see in these verses, that there is no age limit for when we can stop honoring our parents.

God was so serious about honoring and obeying parents, that in the Old Testament the children who disobeyed, and were dishonoring, were put to death in order to keep the other children from doing the same.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21  "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them,  (19)  then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,  (20)  and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.'  (21)  Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Leviticus 20:9  For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

Exodus 21:17  "Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

So please, it is a command from God! Obey your parents!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Gossip

This is an article from our new author for the blog, Savannah Brenyo. Her internet isn't working right now, so I'm posting it for her. As soon as she can she will post an introduction for herself. Here's her post:


"Gossip hurts. It hurts you, it hurts others, and it grieves our Lord. When we talk to one another our conversations must be edifying; Philippians 4:8 says, "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, anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Our words reflect what we think about. 
   When someone in your circle of friends starts to gossip you need to tell them to stop, and if they don't, you need to leave. Never approve or allow gossip in your hearing. Romans 1:29-32 says, "They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know Gods decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." "They are gossips" is put in with "full of murder" and "haters of God." It's a really big deal. We can't become complacent. We can't be okay when someone starts to say things about someone else that is unprofitable. Giving approval of someone else doing it is just as bad as doing it yourself. Gossip happens before you know it and I have found myself hurt and hurting because of it. We have to guard our words, we have to guard our mouths, and we have to guard our hearts. I have hurt friends of mine and it grieves me to a point of tears. I never want to do it again and I pray that God would help me to watch what I say. 
    No person is perfect, but as Christian teens, we need to be striving after being like the One who is. We are Christ's, and because we are His we must crush the sin in our lives. In all areas. Gossip breaks the bond of unity between brethren in the church. That is horrible. We are the Bride of Christ! We should never ever break the bonds of unity to spread just one "juicy tidbit." What can you do to spur your friends away from gossip? Stand tall for Jesus. It may mean, in fact it probably will mean, standing alone. But with Him at our side, "though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." (Psalm 27:3) Standing up to gossip is conquering sin. Let us use our words to heal and to help, not to hurt."

The Necessity of Witnessing

Witnessing to others of Christ’s Gospel has always been a foundational element of Christianity; Jesus’ last words of His ministry on earth were “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). This was Jesus’ final mission to His eleven remaining disciples, and they passed it on to each new convert they brought to Christ. This mission is still the same throughout the millennia, and is why it is so necessary for Christians to regularly witness and share their faith in Jesus Christ with others.

Paul writes in Romans 1:16a, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” He wasn’t kidding; Paul risked his life preaching the Gospel he loved on a daily basis in cities hostile to God’s Word, both Jewish and Gentile. He made three missionary journeys, all the while writing most of the New Testament. He was imprisoned many times, appealed to Caesar for judgement on his “crimes” (Acts 25:10), stoned in Damascus (Acts 9:23-25), and eventually suffered martyrdom in Rome in A.D. 65. Paul saw this mission as serious, worthy of sacrificing his very life for. Can we say we do the same?

Although this responsibility falls on all Christians, most of the responsibility falls on parents of Christian families. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old we will not depart from it.” Parents, are you leading your children, not only in family devotions and sitting in church on Sunday, but out onto the streets of your hometown, sharing with others the hope that is within you? Are you training up your children to be godly warriors, with the knowledge of God’s Word and experience of evangelism, to fight back against ungodly influences ravaging the world?

Every one of Christ’s apostles except John sacrificed everything they had, including themselves, to further His Good News. Presumably near the end of his life, Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Think about your day-to-day life, brethren. If you had 10 minutes to live, would you be able to say as Paul said, “I have fought the good fight”? Will you be able to say “I have finished the race”? The walk isn’t meant to be easy; Paul uses the analogies of a “good fight” and “race” for a good reason. The apostles and early Christians lived in a time when sharing your faith was illegal and deserving of death; today, such blessings as first-amendment rights of free speech and assembly protect us. Let us not waste such an opportunity as this. Love the lost enough that you would be willing to stand up and preach in their face the cure for their disease, even when they don’t want to hear it.

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog, Reformed Christian Teens! Anyone who would like to post, may. As long as he/she does not post about anything frivolous and/or wasteful. Please go to the 'About Us' page to see our mission statement, and how this blog is to work.


Sincerely,
Matthew Carmichael

Hey readers, I'm Daniel Risler, co-owner on this new blog, Reformed Christian Teens. My buddy Matthew threw this idea at me about a couple weeks ago, asking if I'd help him out, and I said sure! ;) I figured my first post would be a little about Matthew and myself.

I'm 16 years old, and a soon-to-be member of Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Apopka, FL. I've lived in Florida most my life, although I have lived for a while in North Carolina, Maryland, and Texas as well. My parents, brother Joseph, and I have been involved in prolife and evangelistic ministry for over 6 years now, and we offer assistance and the Gospel to couples going into Orlando Women's Center for abortions at least twice a week. I've been Christ's since I was 6, and rededicated my life to His service at 13.

I've known Matthew for a little over a year now, although we knew each other as friends-of-a-friend for a while before that. We enjoy having theological discussions together and with fellow Christians, especially teens. A couple weeks ago Matthew created this blog in order to spread around a short article he wrote, "Is Teasing Harmless, or Not?" in which he discussed whether teenagers, especially Christians, teasing each other about boy/girl relationships was appropriate. When many of our fellow Christian teens in our circle accepted his post positively, he decided to take the blog a step forward and use it to post more articles and verses from us for the edification to you, the readers.

All that to say, thanks for finding this blog in the first place, and please, keep checking for updates! We pray God will take this quick idea of a blog further than we thought possible, to His glory.

-Daniel Risler

Is teasing harmless, or not?

Specifically about guy/girl relationships.

This question has been laid upon my heart for quite some time now. I have often thought that nothing can come from, or prove harmful, from teasing as long as you are joking. But upon recent discoveries and realizations, I have come to the knowledge that this is not the case. Please listen to me, and search the Scriptures like the Bereans in Acts 17:11.

First off, ask yourself this question, what is marriage? Is it something in order to give yourself gratification? Is it something to be taken lightly? Is marriage something legal only, with no other meanings annexed to it? The answers to those questions can easily be found in this following passage.

Ephesians 5:22-33

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,

because we are members of his body.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

We see in this passage that Marriage is something sacred, and should not be something trifled with. In Marriage, according to this passage, we are to present our Marriage as representing what Christ has done, and is doing with His Church. What a massive responsibility and duty this is!

You may be wondering what this has to do with teasing... Well by teasing someone about a person, or “pairing people up” Causes that person(s) being teased to have romantic thoughts, whether they want to or not. No big deal, right? Wrong.

Keep that in mind while I ask you another question. When is the right time to marry? To answer this question, you must also have an understanding of why you want to marry. Is it for gratification? Is it for companionship? Is it for the romance? Or is it to give glory to God through the marriage? Now don’t get me wrong here, those first things aren’t bad in-and-of themselves. In fact, God says in Genesis 2:18, “And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”” But, what comes first in your desire for marriage is the question here. So to answer the question before, it is when the man is ready, financially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Now I may be getting a little off track, but why did I say “Man”? I will answer that with a passage.

Genesis 2:24

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

So what does all of this have to do with teasing? Well by constantly ‘liking’ someone, or ‘considering’ someone, you are not training for marriage! You are also not content with where God has put you in life. God has put you where you are for a purpose; whether it is to learn from your parents as to how marriage is to be, or to prepare for marriage.

In addition to all that, it causes guys and girls to get emotionally entangled, feelings when nothing comes of it, and practically trains you for divorce.

Now I have done all this before, and I ask for all of your forgiveness for teasing you just for fun. I pray that I will no longer be a stumbling block to others, and instead would uplift them, and encourage them to follow Christ.

I hope that this did not offend anyone, I didn’t mean any of this in a harmful way, I was just speaking from my heart. After reading all of this, I hope you understand why I now have zero tolerance for teasing.

Blessed be our God and Savior!

Your Brother in Christ,

Matthew Carmichael