by John Stonestreet and G. Shane Morris, BreakPoint.org

Most of us are familiar with the Nicene Creed, the statement of faith adopted in 325 A.D. to unite Christians against the Arian heresy. It is, to this day, the most widely-used summary of Christian orthodoxy.

Lately, "orthodoxy" has become stickier to define. In the wake of the sexual revolution, some who call themselves Christians and would affirm the Nicene Creed, also accept unions between members of the same sex.

We believe, as the Christian Church has taught for two millennia, that any sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman runs contrary to God's design. It is serious sin, condemned in no uncertain terms in both the Old and New Testaments. So to justify homosexual behavior, or any other expression of sexual deviance, one must do imaginative hermeneutic gymnastics.

Recently, Christian philosopher James K. A. Smith, whose work I've benefited from immensely, wrote that while he cannot question the historic stance of the church on homosexual behavior and understands it to be sinful, he disagrees with elevating this issue to the level of the o-word. "Orthodoxy," he writes, refers only to the creed and the doctrines it affirms, like the creator-hood of God, the divinity and humanity of Jesus, and the Trinity.

Adding traditional marriage to the Nicene list of non-negotiable Christian doctrines, he worries, distracts from the life and work of Jesus and reduces Christianity to a set of morals. Evangelicals and Catholics who use the categories of orthodoxy and heresy to talk about sex, he suggests, are being selective and maybe even a little obsessive. After all, there's never been a marriage council in church history, right?

Now, Smith isn't saying that he agrees with so called same-sex "marriage" or that it's no big deal. He's simply worried that we're muddying the meaning of "orthodoxy." And that is a valid concern.

But as theologian Alastair Roberts points out, Smith has forgotten that the very first council in church history, the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15, did take up the issue of sexuality. Gentile Christians were told to "abstain from sexual immorality," which for the Jewish apostles would mean the list of practices condemned in Leviticus 18, including homosexual behavior.

Second, the Nicene Creed was never meant to be the exhaustive description of the Christian faith. Rather, the creed functions as a summary of God's full revelation—one specifically tailored to address a destructive heresy.

All the councils and creeds were, in fact, responses to particular heresies. I'd suggest it's quite telling that sex and marriage were never considered "up in the air" for the Church since the Jerusalem Council until now.

And when the Nicene Creed uses words like "almighty," "judge," "holy," and "sins," we're not free, writes Roberts, to plug in our preferred definitions. The creed's words are defined by God in Scripture.

And that's ultimately why theology that accepts homosexuality is outside of Christian orthodoxy. When the writers of the creed spoke of "sin," they assumed God's definition. In the same way, when they spoke of God as Creator, they assumed His design for the world, including the creation of male and female, which Jesus Himself considered authoritative when He talked about marriage.

By responding to the homosexual error some Christians have embraced, evangelicals and Catholics aren't being selective or obsessive at all. We're doing precisely what the authors of the church's creeds were doing when they defended truth against the popular errors of their day.

The Church of today must stand firm on sex and marriage, just as the Church of yesterday stood firm on the deity of Christ at the Council of Nicaea. After all, He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

About The Author:

John Stonestreet, the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

[Editor's Note: Opinions expressed here are those of the authors of the article and not necessarily reflect this publication or Syriac Orthodox Church.]

A pediatrician received a telephone call from the anxious mother of a six-month-old baby. "I think he has a fever," she said nervously. "Well," the doctor replied, "did you take his temperature?" "No," she said. "He won't let me insert the thermometer."

Isn't it amazing that a child, who only a few months ago was helpless and dependent, is capable of defying the big adults who would try to control him? The truth is, we human beings are born with a rebellious nature. Babies are not innately "good," as some believe. Those who support this theory say that bad experiences alone are responsible for bad behavior. Scripture indicates otherwise. King David said, "In sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5, kjv). Paul tells us that sin has infected every person who ever lived: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Even from birth we are naturally inclined toward rebellion, selfishness, dishonesty, and the like, with or without bad associations.

For this reason, we urge you to grab the reins of authority early in your child's life. You must train, mold, correct, guide, punish, reward, instruct, warn, teach, and love your kids during the formative years. Your purpose is to help shape and develop their inner nature, and especially in the case of strong-willed kids, to keep it from tyrannizing the entire family. Do your best; then trust that your children will turn over their souls to Jesus to cleanse them and make them "wholly acceptable" to the Master.

Before you say good night…

Do you expect your kids to learn responsible behavior on their own?

How can you help each other to properly use parental authority?

Father, help us to mold those aspects of ourselves and our children that make us more like You. Show us how to choose the right response to each family situation, ultimately preparing our children to turn their lives over to You. Amen.

by Msgr. Charles Pope

This week we feature passages from the pastoral guide of St. Gregory the Great. In the opening line, Gregory reminds us: "A spiritual guide should be silent when discretion requires and speak when words are of service."

This is not easy. Indeed, self-mastery in speech is among the rarer gifts and usually comes later in life!

Some of the most common sins we commit are related to speech: gossip, idle chatter, lies, exaggerations, harsh attacks, and uncharitable remarks. With our tongue we can spread hatred, incite fear and maliciousness, spread misinformation, cause temptation, discourage, teach error, and ruin reputations. With a gift capable of bringing such good, we can surely cause great harm!

The Book of James says this:

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what he says is perfect, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, and thus we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.

Consider how a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be (James 3:2-18).

Yes, though by God's grace one may conquer many sins, those associated with speech are usually among the last to be overcome. It almost seems as if there is a separate, baser part of our brain that controls our speech. We can be halfway through saying something before we even realize how stupid and sinful we are being. Scripture speaks very artistically of the sinful tongue. Here is a list of ten sins of the tongue from James Melton [1]. Although the list is his, the commentary is mine. Beware of these!

The Lying Tongue – speaking false things with the intention to mislead

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy (Proverbs 12:22).

The Flattering Tongue – exaggerating the good qualities of others in order to ingratiate ourselves to them, a form of lying

May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue (Psalm 12:4).

The Proud Tongue – There is a saying that a proud tongue comes with two closed ears. The proud tongue is boastful and overly certain of what it says. Those of proud tongue are not easily corrected and do not qualify or distinguish their remarks as they should.

Those who say, By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us - who can lord it over us? (Psalm 12:5) are condemned.

The Overused Tongue – saying far too much, especially concerning things about which we know little … a fool's voice [comes] along with a multitude of words (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

The Swift Tongue – speaking before we should, before we even have all of the information

Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter anything before God (Ecclesiastes 5:1).

Everyone should be swift to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19).

The Backbiting Tongue – talking about others behind their backs, the secretive injuring of a person's good name. Calumny is outright lying about another person. Detraction is calling unnecessary attention to the faults of others so as to harm their reputations.

As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger (Proverbs 25:23).

The Tale-bearing Tongue – spreading unnecessary (often hurtful) information about others. Tale-bearers spread personal information about others that should not be shared.

He that goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets, therefore keep no company with one who opens his lips (Proverbs 20:19).

Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people (Leviticus 19:16).

The Cursing Tongue – wishing that harm come to others, usually that they be damned

He loved to pronounce a curse - may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing - may it be far from him (Psalm 109:17).

The Piercing Tongue – speaking with unnecessary harshness and severity

Proclaim the message; persist in it in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2).

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (1 Tim 5:1-2).

The Silent Tongue – not speaking up when we ought to warn people of sin, call them to the Kingdom, and announce the Truth of Jesus Christ. In our age, the triumph of evil and bad behavior has been assisted by our silence as a Christian people. Prophets are to speak God's Word.

Israel's watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (Isaiah 56:10).

So our speech is riddled with what it should not have and devoid of what it should. How wretched indeed is our condition! Well, James did say, Anyone who is never at fault in what he says is perfect!

There are many cautions to be guided by when it comes to speech. Here is another list of Scripture passages concerning speech, most of them taken from the Wisdom Tradition. Read and heed!

• Be swift to hear, but slow to answer. If you have the knowledge, answer your neighbor; if not, put your hand over your mouth. Honor and dishonor through talking! A man's tongue can be his downfall. Be not called a detractor; use not your tongue for calumny (Sirach 5:13-16).
• He who repeats an evil report has no sense. Never repeat gossip, and you will not be reviled. … Let anything you hear die within you; be assured it will not make you burst. But when a fool hears something, he is in labor, like a woman giving birth to a child. … Like an arrow lodged in a man's thigh is gossip in the breast of a fool … every story you must not believe … who has not sinned with his tongue? (Sirach 19:5-14 varia)
• Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. … Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. … Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God (Eccles 5:1-6).
• In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery (Proverbs 28:23 NLT).
• Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Prov 27:6).
• He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (Prov 21:23).
• He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin (Prov 13:3).
• A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much (Prov 20:19).
• A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish (Prov 19:9).
• A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free (Prov 19:5).
• A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue (Prov 17:27-28).
• When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise (Prov 10:19).
• Fools' words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating (Prov 18:6).
• Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended (Prov 22:10).
• The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly (Prov 12:22-23).
• The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly (Prov 15:2).
• The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit (Prov 15:4).
• A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions (Prov 18:2).
• Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing (Prov 12:18).
• A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret (Prov 11:12-13).
• The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse (Prov 10:32).
• The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil (Prov 15:28).
• The prudent man does not make a show of his knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness (Prov 12:23).
• Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3).
• Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies (Psalm 34:13).

Help me, Lord. Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth! Put your Word in my heart so that when I do speak, it's really you speaking.

Video: https://youtu.be/mvhFs2bdRpE

By Dr. Tim Clinton

One minute we experience a victorious spiritual breakthrough and are on top of the world.

The next minute the raw realities of life assault the very core of our faith.

As if that isn't enough the enemy loves to then whisper in our ears… "What a loser"… "You really can't do anything right can you?"… "God isn't listening"… "You will never be used"… "You'd better run for your life"… "God isn't really there for you"…

And too often we believe him.

Elijah understood this. Under the rule of King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, the children of Israel had turned their back on God and worshipped Baal. In a bold attempt to turn the people's hearts back to God, Elijah calls the prophets of Baal to a contest. A sacrifice was prepared and Elijah challenges, "And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." (1 Kings 18:24 ESV)

The deceived prophets cried out to Baal all day and no fire fell. Elijah then takes his turn. He prays to the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel…then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, and when all of the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord He is God; the Lord He is God.'" (1 Kings 18:36-39 ESV)

Elijah experiences a stunning victory.

A short six verses later, Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah "by this time tomorrow" (1 Kings 19:2 ESV). Then "he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life." (1 Kings 19:3 ESV) Elijah sits down under a tree and asks to die–"O Lord, take away my life…" (1 Kings 19:4ESV) and then falls asleep.

His triumph turned to discouragement–discouragement to depression–and depression to despair. What a turn of events.

But just when we think God isn't there–that He's abandoned us–that the whole world would be better off without us–God is ready to meet us at each point of need.

Consider what happens next. An angel of the Lord wakes Elijah up, and gives him this simple instruction–"Arise and eat." Elijah looked and there was "a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he "arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God." (1 Kings 19:5-8 ESV)

If you're in a pit it just might be that you need real food and sleep.

Then notice vs. 12–God lovingly reaches out to His servant. He doesn't leave him hopeless–He speaks in the "sound of a low whisper" reassuring him of his presence, power and provision. "And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."

Author Richard Exley wrote,

"God began the restoration process by giving Elijah a spiritual experience based on intimacy rather than power, a gentle whisper rather than a roaring wind. Why? Because power is seldom what we need when we have come to the end of ourselves. At those times, we need relationship–a gentle whisper assuring us of our value."[http://www.godreports.com/testimony-view/1249]

God knows your name. He is all powerful but also intensely personal. He is speaking to you. Chances are it's just beneath the clutter and commotion, a low whisper. In times of despair we must slow the process and lean into his voice–listening and obeying as He conforms our will to His.

Source: Hunger and Thirst Devotional by Dr. Tim Clinton

About The Author:

Tim Clinton, Ed. D., LPC, LMFT (The College of William and Mary) is President of the nearly 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. He is Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care, and Executive Director of the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University. Licensed in Virginia as both a Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist, Tim now spends a majority of his time working with Christian leaders and professional athletes. ....