September 28, 2011
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Iranian pastor faces death sentence for his faith in Jesus Christ
Three articles today, the first article the most important:
1. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/28/iranian-pastor-faces-execution-for-refusing-to-recant-christian-faith/ - Youcef Nadarkhani was today sentenced to death because he converted to Christianity from Islam. This "apostasy" death penalty will be the first in Iran since 1990. Excerpt below from the article:
When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"
"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied ....
"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.
Hooray to you, Youcef Nadarkhani!!! Thank you for the awesome example of holding to the truth about Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost! As Jesus Christ Himself promised in Revelation 2:10 - "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." May God bless you and your family.
2. http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2011/09/by-dan-phillips-from-2009-brian.html - Great article discussing the balance in "sanctification" (the process of becoming more holy, after having first been "justified" (legally reckoned righteous in God's sight) through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ) in the Christian life exemplified in this verse from Philippians 2:12-13 - "12So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
Some Christian groups tend to err more on the one side (focusing on the "work", forgetting that it is God living within us who is the only one powerful enough to change us) and some on the other side (saying "let go and let God", forgetting that there is still work involved on our part in the process of sanctification). Dan Phillips shows the error of those who go too far in the latter direction.
John Piper similarly summarizes it well, in his biography lecture on William Tyndale ( http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/always-singing-one-note-a-vernacular-bible ) - "How did William Tyndale accomplish this historic achievement? We can answer this in Tyndale’s case by remembering two ways that a pastor must die in the ministry. We must die to the notion that we do not have to think hard or work hard to achieve spiritual goals. And we must die to the notion that our thinking and our working is decisive in achieving spiritual goals."
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904563904576588583893732362.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_careerjournal - interview of Harvard's Nitin Nohria by Melissa Korn entitled "Dose of Humility With a Harvard MBA". Notice especially this excerpt:
"But there seems to be a big difference between people's understanding of their responsibilities as business leaders and their capacity to live up to those when faced with pressure or temptation."
That is to say, business executives usually KNOW the right thing to do, but for some reason, strangely enough, when major temptation comes along, they sometimes choose NOT to do it. Why ever could that be?
This is a perfect example of the limitations of secular ethics. Ethics courses can teach you various "systems of ethics", e.g. consequentialism, virtues ethics, deontological ethics, etc. But when "pressure or temptation" arises, people must decide whether it is "worth it" to them... Why should one choose to follow the particular system of ethics? At some level of pressure or temptation secular morality doesn't work any more - the rewards (in this earthly life) for doing the right thing are not as attractive as the relief or pleasure or gain offered from doing the unethical (/wrong) thing. But if God is watching, and if our actions have eternal consequences, we can have solid ground for rejecting the wrong thing, knowing that we will be fully repaid in the age to come.
Like Youcef Nadarkhani.
Comments (2)
I too admire the Nadarkhani family for the sacrifices they have made, and will likely have to make. Often I wonder if I could gracefully face such persecution and am not pleased with my own musings.
Why do you act as though only secular people are tempted to do bad things or be selfish? If that were true congress which is just under 2 tenths of a percent "secular" would be a paragon of virtue.
Secular people are just as capable of good (or bad) as anyone. It's really obnoxious to pretend you're in a higher moral category to everyone else.
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