Should an increasing Muslim population cause concern?

As the result of a sermon preached by Pastor James McConnell the Northern Ireland headlines over the last couple of weeks have been dominated by the issue of Islam. In the sermon preached at Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle Pastor McConnell described Islam as heathen, satanic and 'a doctrine spawned in hell'. Pastor McConnell also made the comment that he did not trust Muslims because of their devotion to Sharia Law. Many hours of news, television and radio debate have focused on this controversy, with politicians and church leaders giving views both for and against Pastor McConnell's statements, some defending the right to free speech and the exposure of false doctrine, others denouncing it as a hate crime. The greatest debate and outcry has been caused by the references to whether Muslims can be trusted, comments which some have construed as inciting religious and racial hatred. 

Ignorance is no defence

Ignorantia legis neminem excusat

Translated from the Latin this phrase states that 'ignorance of the law excuses no-one'. It is the legal principle that simply because a person is unaware of a particular law, this does not excuse them from the penalty of breaking that law. You cannot hope to be escape punishment by claiming that you were not aware that your actions were illegal. Even if you find yourself in a foreign country, with unfamiliar laws, to be ignorant of those laws will not be sufficient for you to escape punishment for the crime. The rationale behind this principle is clear, for if ignorance were an excuse, then a person charged with a crime could simply claim that they were unaware of the law in order to avoid liability, even though in truth that were not the case.

A pivotal verse for a pivotal day

31st October 1517 was a pivotal day in the history of the church of Jesus Christ. The nailing of Martin Luther's 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral has been seen as the spark which lit the fires of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. Whilst earlier men such as Wycliffe and Hus had also rejected the teachings of Rome and sought to turn the church back to the teachings of the bible it has been the actions of Martin Luther which have been traditionally viewed as the start of the Reformation. So significant were his actions on 31st October 1517 that this date has become known as Reformation Day, although sadly that fact has been forgotten by many Protestants. What better verse then to consider on this day but the words with which Luther had struggled, yet were also the means of converting that great Reformer, and bringing him out of the darkness of Romanism into the glorious light of the gospel:

'For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith'. (Romans 1:17)

For a long time Luther had struggled with a sense of guilt of his sin. Although he had lived the life of a monk, and been devout in doing so, he knew that was still unrighteous in the sight of God. The demands of the law were such that all his prayers, penance and pilgrimage had not given him peace, either within himself or with God. When he considered the justice and righteousness of God, he could not understand how a man could possibly be justified in the light of God's holy justice. Luther's own words describe how he felt:

No beauty contest

Today's Northern Ireland news has featured the fact that Parliament Buildings in Stormont will host the Miss Ulster beauty pageant at the weekend. The news has caused significant debate, particularly because of the entry requirements for the competition. The news that entrants must be aged 18 - 24, be at least 5ft 7ins tall and must be between a size eight and twelve has caused two of the judges to withdraw from the event, stating that they had been unaware of these restrictions. It is not our intention to comment of the rights or wrong of such an event, but simply to use it to as an illustration of an important truth; how will be be judged when we meet God?

1st Samuel 16:7 says that 'man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart'. Whilst the Miss Ulster competition will be concerned mainly with the outward appearance, it is our spiritual condition that will be important when we stand before God on the great day of judgement. Your size, age and looks will matter not, nor will many or those things which people often rely on for acceptance with God. The church you have attended, your baptism, your membership of various religious institutions will count for nothing. You will not be asked about your contribution to the social needs of society, nor how much you have given to charity, nor the list of good works you have done. The only question which will matter on that day is what have you done with Jesus which is called Christ. Social standing, wealth and popularity will mean nothing.

Perhaps you look like a Christian, you act like a Christian and you talk like a Christian. If lined up alongside other people you would be picked out as the one who must be a Christian. You would win the contest. But have you ever been born again? If not then you are disqualified and when you stand before God you will hear those awful words 'I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity'. You have the perfect outward appearance, yet inwardly it is a different matter. Perhaps it is now time to concern yourself with the soul which will live forever rather than the body which will die and corrupt in the grave. 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God'.

Repentance unto life

What is repentance? We could answer the question cynically by saying that repentance is something which is rarely mentioned, for in many churches today it is no longer preached upon, the truth of the gospel being watered down so much that sin and repentance are absent from most sermons. The seeker sensitive method of preaching is employed instead, leading men to preach only upon that which the people wish to hear. The need for sinners to repent is not popular, therefore it is disregarded and left out of the message. Yet however unpopular and unpalatable the doctrine of repentance many be to sinful man, it is a necessary part of true conversion and something which needs to be repeatedly brought to the attention of those who are outside of Christ. Question number 87 of the Shorter Catechism describes repentance unto life as 'a saving grace, whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience'. This statement gives a very clear description of what true repentance is, identifying five distinctive characteristics:

Was Christ really punished for our sin?

The Presbyterian Church (USA) recently created controversy with its decision to drop the hymn 'In Christ Alone' by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend from its new hymnal. The reason for this decision centred around some of the lyrics found in verse two which stated 'on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied'. The presbytery committee in charge of the new hymnal had wanted to substitute 'the wrath of God was satisfied' with 'the love of God was magnified'. When the authors refused their permission for this change, the committee then took the decision to drop the hymn rather than include it with the original words. The reason for their taking issue with the words of that line centred around the word 'satisfied' and its link with the doctrine of penal substitution; that Christ as our substitute bore the wrath of God on the cross which we deserved and so satisfied the divine law. So are the PCUSA right in their view that the cross is not an instrument of God's wrath or did God really punish Christ on the cross?

A Royal Birth

The media frenzy surrounding the pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge came to a height on Monday with the news that she had been taken to St Mary's Hospital in labour. The press reporters who had been encamped outside the hospital for the last week were finally rewarded with the news that the Duchess had delivered a baby boy at 16:24pm. Understandably the nation's, and indeed the world's attention has been focused on this happy occasion and we would also congratulate the royal couple at this time, but it also causes our thoughts to turn to another birth spoken of in the Bible; that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The exclusivity of heaven

There is a very prominent view in Northern Ireland society today that everything we do must be inclusive. Catholic and Protestant must be brought together in education and social venture. Every event organised by local councils must be branded as being inclusive, no-one should be left out. Right across the United Kingdom and indeed across the world, the message that is promoted is that all religions are to considered of equal value, each offering its own way to God. To suggest that there is only one way to God, that certain lifestyles are incompatible with Christianity, and that not all are worthy of heaven is to be a bigot, to be narrow minded. Or so we are told.

Although this view is prominent in society, and even in many Christian circles today, such a teaching is contrary to scripture. That there are many ways to heaven and that we should be inclusive is our views is politically correct and popular, yet it is not the view of the bible. Jesus Christ said in John 14:6 that ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me’. Heaven is not inclusive but exclusive, it is not open to those professing all faiths or none, but to one faith alone; that which is founded in Jesus Christ and his all sufficient sacrifice for sin.

The way of life is narrow, not broad, for Revelation 21:27 makes it very clear that there is a great restriction on entrance into the kingdom of God; ‘And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life'. Only those who ‘are written in the Lamb’s book of life’ will be admitted, but all others will be excluded from the presence of the Lord forever, not because of class or race or creed, but because of their sin. All of mankind, without the cleansing blood of Christ, is defiled in the sight of God, working iniquity, and bringing upon themselves the judgement of God. Such a condition leaves them outside of the kingdom of heaven, and there are no exceptions. There is no salvation  or forgiveness of sin to be found in the religions of Islam and Buddhism or any other of the worlds religions, nor in the nominal observance of Christianity. Whilst heaven is not exclusive to a particular denomination it is still exclusive to those who have been washed in the blood of Christ, those ‘whose hope is in the Lord his God’.

The question for you then is will you gain access to the kingdom of God? Have you been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ or will you be counted among those who shall ‘in no wise enter into it'? The rules concerning our entrance into God’s kingdom are not flexible but the same for all men. You cannot barter your way into heaven, there is but one way, through God’s own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you trust in him today then you will be brought into that family of God, and partake of all the benefits which are exclusively bestowed upon his children. If not, then you will be barred from heaven and the presence of God for all eternity.

The greatest question of all

Almost 2000 years have passed since the question was put to the Jewish people by Pontius Pilate; ‘What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?’ It was a question which at that time brought a vociferous response from the crowd, for there were none gathered in Jerusalem who had not some opinion on Jesus Christ. Persuaded by the chief priests and scribes, the answer which came from the gathered mob that day was one of rejection, for they cried ‘Let him be crucified’. When given the choice of whom they would have Pilate release they chose Barabbas, a murderer, over the Son of God. For those in Israel 2000 years ago it was a question of great importance yet their answer was one that brought with it great and terrible consequences, for in rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ they rejected the long awaited Messiah and only begotten Son of God.

The Sinfulness of Sin

Sin, the Plague of Plagues. Such was the title give to a work published by the English Puritan Ralph Venning in 1669, shortly after the Great Plague of London had killed an estimated 20% of the city’s population. This horrific event would have been fresh in the minds of his readers, and for them the comparisons were easy to make between those two fatal epidemics; each bringing widespread death and destruction, one physical, the other spiritual. Today it is rare for us to see firsthand death and disease on such a vast scale, yet sin, that plague of plagues is still with us. Bringing death and destruction with it sin saturates our modern, advanced society, infects every respectable home and drags the prospering multitudes of this world down into the depths of hell. 

The Importance of Flying the Flag

On 3rd December 2012 the decision was taken by Belfast City Council that the Union Flag would no longer fly from City Hall 365 days a year, but only on a small number of designated days. This decision has understandably been met with anger by many in the Loyalist and Unionist community who have seen it as a further erosion of their British culture and identity. For the last month street protests and rallies have been held across the province in opposition to the Council's decision. Sadly on some occasions legitimate protest has also been accompanied by violence and intimidation.

Many people have claimed that it is 'only a flag', yet the flying of a flag is an important issue because of what a flag represents. It is not simply a piece of cloth but is an important symbol to people of who they are. For any countries flag to be removed will naturally be met with a hostile reception by those loyal to it, as it will be viewed as an act of surrender and retreat. There are 5 things symbolised by the flying of a flag which show why it is so important: