How the Tiger Woods Saga Is An Opportunity to Share Your Faith

There has been much focus in the media since Thanksgiving with Tiger Woods and the stories that continue to come out concerning his affairs with other women. Many have had their opinions about him being a terrible person, that he needs help, that he needs to focus on his family, that he needs to get back out on the golf course, etc.

One thing it is very easy for us to do, even as Christians, is to sit in judgment over Tiger Woods. Especially when there is a pattern of behavior, even we wonder how one could act that way and treat his family in such a manner; or that all the people around him would allow him to "go down that road."

The thing that we forget, however, is that we are no different than Tiger Woods. Yes, I said it. Read it again. We are no different, in that we are sinners that fall short of a God that is infinitely good, just and glorious. Apart from the grace we have in Christ, we too would do such things. The restraining power of the Holy Spirit (if obeyed, of course), is an amazing thing--but it is a function of the new creation that we are in Christ. But even then temptation will continue to beckon us to sin, and we often give into these desires.

So what does this situation have to do with our witness? Well, people are very quick to take a loftier position over someone else when they falter, regardless if they harbor the same types of desires or sins in their own hearts (or even if they are practicing it in their own lives). This is why Jesus in the Gospels extended the law to include thoughts that were sinful. The law only addressed actions; the Gospel addressed actions PLUS our desires and thoughts. So when someone says to you, "Tiger should know better" or "Tiger is an awful person" turn to them and say, "you know, I've struggled with some things in my life." Sure, we're not all adulterers; but men, can you say you've never looked longer than just a simple glance at a woman passing by and taken those thoughts where they lead? When we look down on a murderer, have we ever hated someone so much that we, in passing, would wish to see them harmed or even dead? Have we not all lied to someone at some point or played fast and loose with the truth? Human nature is to ignore that we are at our base a sinful creature but instead to think we are basically good; the populace is therefore shocked at others who act sinfully. However, we are sinful and our souls are black if we were to look at them as God could see them.

Tiger Woods ultimately needs Christ, as we all do. He can surely go into rehab for any addictions that he may have to address behaviors, but at the root of addictions is a need that is not fulfilled. This can ultimately be a blessing for Tiger and his family if it ultimately leads him to Christ. We must pray for him that the grace of Christ would take hold in his heart and the Gospel would take root in his life. He is one of the most powerful and influential people in the world, but he is human and fallen just as the rest of us. But the hope is Christ. Praise be to God!

Obedience of Faith

Pastor David had a great sermon yesterday on the obedience of faith. The main text came from Hebrews 11, where we are talking about the subject of Noah building the ark, condemning the world and becoming an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Pastor David spent some time in Romans 1, where Paul speaks of preaching the Gospel so as to bring about the obedience of faith. It is something that I honestly have not thought much about, in the sense that the Gospel is a command. When Jesus (and the apostles that followed) preached the Gospel, the words given to repent and believe was not just a statement but a command.

If we are obedient, we are granted faith, but even faith is something that is granted to us as a gift. We must be obedient to the command of the Gospel to repent and believe in order to live eternally (it is a hard thing to sometimes swallow, that being man's responsibility coupled with God's sovereignty in salvation, but that is another post). The Gospel is God's answer to our rebellion because the Father's ordaining that His only begotten Son should die on our behalf and thus bear the wrath of the Father relieves us of our role in the very rebellion which separated us from the Father when Adam fell.

What some in past times (and even now--as Solomon says, "There is nothing new under the sun") is that the Gospel is not here to "fix" our temporal, earthly problems, even to bring the world into harmony or some inner peace. On the contrary, Christ himself said in the Gospels that he came to divide with the Truth He delivered. Father from daughter, mother from son--He acknowledged there would be those who would believe, and those who would not. He was not calling people to a better life--He was calling them to lay their lives down. He was giving them a hard teaching, one which required them to set aside their very SELVES and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

And yet, in this obedience of faith, some may feel doubts of abandonment; will God forsake me? This is what the audiences were likely thinking in hearing the Gospel, since throughout the Old Testament, they were so quick to forget the Lord's faithfulness! Also imagine Noah, surrounded by wickedness, no one else righteous, but God calls on him to build an ark, to set apart from the rest of the world, and he did so, in reverent fear of the Lord. One might have felt abandoned, but his faith (as was Abraham's) made him an heir of righteousness because he stepped out in obedience to the command that the Lord gave.

So too we must answer the call and command of the Gospel in our repentance and belief in Christ. Paul's drive to preach to the Gentiles was to spread the Word to them, to bring them to obedience of faith. This is likely why Paul in 1 Corinthians 2 speaks of knowing nothing but Christ and Him crucified; he endeavored to keep Christ the central part of the Gospel. Many can debate about what is like, but in one thing it can be sure, it is separation from God and the only thing that keeps one from that damnation is repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our obedience in sanctification is quite another thing, but bringing someone to the obedience of faith (with the obvious help of the Holy Spirit) must be done first. If we have truly repented and believed, we will not be abandoned and He will not let us go.