{"id":1698,"date":"2023-07-24T13:00:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2024-01-16T18:50:41","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T18:50:41","slug":"a-great-article-by-dr-michael-brown-in-the-july-2023-issue-of-decision-magazine-about-the-bible-defines-reality-post-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/?p=1698","title":{"rendered":"A Great Article by Dr. Michael Brown in the July 2023 Issue of Decision Magazine about The Bible Defines REALITY \u2013 Post 1 of 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post, and the following post, will look at the substance of an excellent article in the July 2023 issue of Decision Magazine by Dr. Michael Brown entitled \u201cGod\u2019s Word Defines Reality.\u201d  The link is God\u2019s Word Defines Reality (decisionmagazine.com)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Brown begins with a discussion of society\u2019s redefining the concepts of \u201ctruth,\u201d \u201cmorality,\u201d and \u201creality.\u201d  Years ago, many Americans believed in the biblical truths of \u201cabsolute truth,\u201d \u201cabsolute morality,\u201d and \u201cabsolute reality.\u201d  This means that at one time, people believed notwithstanding one\u2019s belief system that some things were true and others were false.  There was a difference between \u201ctruth\u201d and \u201cerror\u201d no matter a person\u2019s worldview.  By its very nature that \u201csomething\u201d was true or false.  What a person thought did not make something true or false.  The phrase \u201cYou have your truth, and I have my truth\u201d doesn\u2019t make something right.  It is a phrase that is a lie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American\u2019s earlier beliefs also meant that some things were \u201cmoral\u201d and some things were \u201cimmoral.\u201d  Again, regardless of one\u2019s opinion, an action or other things were either \u201cmoral\u201d or \u201cimmoral.\u201d  A person\u2019s opinion had NO IMPACT on whether something was \u201cmoral\u201d or \u201cimmoral.\u201d  People doing right in their own eyes did justify their conduct and did not change the sin nature  of immoral conduct.  The expression \u201cIt may be wrong for you, but it\u2019s right for me\u201d doesn\u2019t make something moral.  Such a phrase expresses a lie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In days gone by Americans believed that some things were \u201creal\u201d and some things were \u201cimagined\u201d no matter one\u2019s belief system or worldview.  A person may believe the earth is flat, but that does not make the earth flat.  Reality remains constant no matter what a person thinks.  What a person believes does not make it true. The expression \u201cI am whatever I perceive myself to be\u201d does not make such a self-perception real. This phrase represents self-deception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Brown then points out that today’s society has redefined these absolute concepts as relative.  He writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Today we have relative truth (as in, \u201cYou have your truth, I have my truth\u201d), relative morality (\u201cIt may be wrong for you, but it\u2019s right for me\u201d), and relative reality (\u201cI am whatever I perceive myself to be\u201d).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Brown then moves into God\u2019s perspective.  Because God is the Creator of the universe and sovereign over it all, it only makes sense that God\u2019s perspective, as expressed in the Bible, controls.  We are to pay attention to God’s Word and not for what society cries out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s perspective has not changed.  See Malachi 3:6.  What this means is what the Bible taught years ago remains true today.  There is truth and there is falsehood.  There is morality and there is immorality.  There is reality and there is fantasy.  He quotes Hebrews 4:12-13, which reads in the NET translation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12<\/sup> For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13<\/sup> And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Brown then moves on to consider what God\u2019s Word says about \u201cthe controversial issues the media reports on.\u201d  These issues are abortion, homosexual practice, and \u201cbiological sex.\u201d  This post concerns abortion.  Post 2 considers homosexual practice and \u201cbiological sex,\u201d i.e., transgender issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About abortion, Dr. Brown cites some passages that present God\u2019s perspective of a baby in the womb.  A baby in the womb has personhood per:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genesis 25:21\u201323 (NET) – 21<\/sup> Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22<\/sup> But the children struggled inside her, and she said, \u201cIf it is going to be like this, I\u2019m not so sure I want to be pregnant!\u201d So she asked the Lord,23<\/sup> and the Lord said to her, \u201cTwo nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah 1:4\u20135 (NET) – 4<\/sup> The Lord said to me, 5<\/sup> \u201cBefore I formed you in your mother\u2019s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To characterize babies in the womb as \u201ctwo nations\u201d reveals their personhood.  To appoint Jeremiah a prophet before he was formed in the womb establishes personhood of a baby in the womb.  It doesn\u2019t take a lot of thought to to appreciate the extremely high value of a baby in the womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The passages that pertain to Mary\u2019s visit to Elizabeth show the personhood of a baby in the womb:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke 1:39\u201343 (NET) – 39<\/sup> In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah,40<\/sup> and entered Zechariah\u2019s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41<\/sup> When Elizabeth heard Mary\u2019s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.42<\/sup> She exclaimed with a loud voice, \u201cBlessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! 43<\/sup> And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that John the Baptist leaped in the womb upon the entrance of the baby Jesus in the womb demonstrates personhood of a baby in the womb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that John the Baptist would be filled by the Holy Spirit while still in the womb per Luke 1:15 (NET):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15<\/sup> for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The act of being filled with the Holy Spirit shows personhood of a baby in the womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 139:13\u201316 (NET) shows the love and care God has for the baby in the womb:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– 13<\/sup> Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother\u2019s womb. 14<\/sup> I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew me thoroughly; 15<\/sup> my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 16<\/sup> Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the above texts, God\u2019s care for a baby in the womb proves the personhood of a baby in the womb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Brown points out that some pro-abortion proponents cite Exodus 21:22-25 and Numbers 5:11-31 to support a pro-abortion position.  Exodus 21:22\u201325 (NET) reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22<\/sup> \u201cIf men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no serious injury, he will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman\u2019s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides.23<\/sup> But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life, 24<\/sup> eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25<\/sup> burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, this passage establishes the personhood of a baby in the womb if a murder is the penalty for the death of the baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reference to the Numbers passage, Dr. Brown writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The passage in Numbers says nothing about abortion at all. And even if it did (which, to repeat, it does not), it would be an act of divine judgment for adultery, not a woman\u2019s prerogative if the pregnancy was unwanted. No wonder, then, that the early church took such a strong stance on abortion.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the article, Dr. Brown gives out a strong call for Christian leaders, especially Pastors, to biblically treat those who have had abortions and to PROCLAIM TRUTH:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

As for women who have had abortions (or men who have participated in abortions), \u2026 Jesus shed the same blood for each of them as for each of us. All of us come to the cross as lost sinners, all of us need God\u2019s amazing grace, and all of us can be cleansed and forgiven and transformed. That is the power of the Gospel. That is the power of the blood of Jesus.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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**<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

It is imperative that Christian leaders, especially pastors, lay out the Biblical teaching on these critical subjects with both courage and compassion. As I have often said, we need hearts of compassion and backbones of steel. That\u2019s why it is crucial that parents and educators give their children and students clear Biblical foundations. And that\u2019s why, in all things, we need a fresh baptism of the love of God for those who differ with us.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

America can only be saved and changed by the Gospel, and as much as we must advocate for good laws to replace bad laws, our ultimate goal must be the changing of hearts and minds through the power of Christ. With God it is possible!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

America is at a crossroad about abortion.  The recent Dobbs decision by the SCOTUS permits states to determine the scope of abortion rights.  Sadly, many states permit or are on the road to permit abortion.  I agree with Dr. Brown that the ultimate goal is to proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are unsure about your salvation or are not a Christian, it is vital that you continue reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation<\/em> and Spiritual Growth<\/em> (book link at Xulon Press: https:\/\/www.xulonpress.com\/bookstore\/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638<\/a> ).  At Amazon the book link is  https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual\/dp\/1662828632<\/a> .  I also have a website in which I am updating the content in the book.  The link to my website for the book is https:\/\/thesalvationmeter.com<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 please (1) read through \u201cGod\u2019s Plan of Salvation\u201d so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the \u201cSinner\u2019s Prayer\u201d meaning every word.  If you do, you will be reconciled to God \u2013 saved – through Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s Plan of Salvation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe.  As a part of His creative actions, He made humans (male and female) in His image to know Him.  For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve.  But Adam and Eve sinned, whereby sin was passed down to all of humankind so that we became sinners separated from God.  Nothing we could do on our own could bridge that separation so that without God\u2019s intervention, hell would be our eternal destination.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy God provided humankind with the only means of salvation, which is through Jesus Christ who is God\u2019s only unique Son.  While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever repent and trust in Him for their salvation.  Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Christ\u2019s sacrifice and exhausted God\u2019s wrath against every believer.  He now calls all unbelievers to repent of their sins and trust alone in what Christ did to save them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we repent of our sins and completely trust in Christ alone that He died for our sins and rose to life from the dead, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 26, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7-25;  Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Matthew 1:18, 20, 24-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 2:17; 9:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cSinner\u2019s Prayer\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life.  I know I\u2019m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell.  But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven.  I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation.  Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior.  Thank You so much for saving me.  I am now Yours forever!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTICE OF PERMISSIONS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am mindful of and respect the rights other authors and\/or publishers possess in their works.  I thus try my best to not violate any copyright rights other authors and\/or publishers possess in their works.  The below copyright permission statement is the result of my best efforts to understand that limited usage or “fair use” is available and\/or to secure direct permission for specific works.  The quotations from commentaries are considered to be “fair use.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV\u00ae Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture marked \u201cNASB95\u201d are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE\u00ae, Copyright \u00a9 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.” Scripture marked “NCV” is taken from the New Century Version.  Copyright \u00a9 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post, and the following post, will look at the substance of an excellent article in the July 2023 issue of Decision Magazine by Dr. Michael Brown entitled \u201cGod\u2019s Word Defines Reality.\u201d  The link is God\u2019s Word Defines Reality (decisionmagazine.com). Let\u2019s look at the article. Dr. Brown begins with a discussion of society\u2019s redefining the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lgbtq"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1698"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1701,"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions\/1701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}