What Does the Bible Say About Cloning?

Written by: Mark Roberts

 

Genesis 11:1-9 records the sad story of the building of the tower of Babel. That project stands out as the first chapter in a story that continues to this day, and includes many similar kind of undertakings. As technology and ability increase so does man’s ability to do things that are ultimately not in his best interest.

Now we appear to be standing on the edge of yet another scientific marvel that causes us to wonder what will be next. On February 24, 1997 scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announced they had successfully cloned a sheep.(1) Given the name Dolly she set the scientific community on its ear, clearly demonstrating that what many had said was impossible was not. As believers in the Bible we certainly don’t want to decry all technology, like those who lamely say “If God had meant man to fly He’d given him wings.” But Dolly leaves us to wonder how long till someone clones a human being, and what the ramifications of that are, and whether such is even right. It is time we asked the most important question any one can ask about Dolly, cloning, or genetic engineering: What does the Bible say about it? What does the Bible say about cloning? This article explores the answers to that question.

Let’s just begin by candidly admitting the Bible says nothing directly about cloning. Genesis 1:26-28 fairly well covers human propagation from the scriptural viewpoint, and yet says nothing of molecular biology or DNA. Neither does any other verse of scripture. So instead of looking for a direct and specific statement from the Bible (“thou shalt not clone!”) we need to open our Bible to search for principles that will help us in the maze of questions that cloning poses for us.

 

How It Works and What They Did

To do that we will find it helpful to understand exactly what the scientists did who cloned Dolly, and how their process worked. Scientist Ian Wilmut led a team of researchers at the Roslin Institute in Scotland to see if they could be the first to clone a mammal. What they accomplished is to make, in effect, an exact duplicate of a sheep. Dolly is a “Xerox copy” of another sheep. In reality she has no mother. She is her “mother’s” identical twin, not her mother’s daughter.

To do this they used some processes that have been known and used for years, along with some new and revolutionary ideas of their own. Actually, cloning animals has been going on for a very long time. Ranchers have used an artificial twinning procedure with cows for quite some time, and frogs were cloned with limited success in the1960’s and 70’s. What was new, novel and different was that Wilmut and his team accomplished their clone from a cell that was not a reproductive cell.

Their basic procedure was to take an egg cell, remove its nucleus (containing its DNA), and then transplant the nucleus of another cell (with its DNA) into the egg cell. The transplanted DNA came from, in Dolly’s case, a mammary cell. That egg cell, with its “borrowed” DNA, then developed naturally into an embryo, was implanted into the womb of a sheep, and Dolly was born. If that doesn’t feel “Dr. Frankenstein” enough for you, you should know that the way they got the egg to accept the new DNA was with tiny pulses of electricity! “These pulses prompted the egg to accept the new nucleus — and all the DNA it contained—as though it were its own.”(2) That egg then grew into a full blown sheep much as every other sheep develops and grows. However, the key difference was the embryo didn’t have its own DNA. It had donated DNA from another sheep. Thus Dolly is an exact genetic replica of the donor sheep.

It is important to note here that science or scientists did not create life. Some in the media frenzy that surrounded Dolly went way overboard in their statements and reporting, making it sound almost as if the Roslin team grew Dolly in a petri dish out of modeling clay and pipe cleaners. This is simply not true. They grew a sheep in a sheep just like every other sheep has ever been grown. All they did was transplant some DNA, and then use the exact natural reproductive processes that God set in place at the beginning. It was a neat and revolutionary experiment, but let’s not get carried away and give Wilmut’s group more credit than they deserve. They rode, in effect, God’s coat tails!

Why then was the Dolly experiment so remarkable and revolutionary? To answer that you have to understand a little about DNA and how it does its job. In reproductive cells all of the DNA, the cell’s blueprint and “command center,” is operative and functional. However, once a cell begins to develop, its DNA tells it what function to assume. Heart cells become cardiac tissue, skin cells become skin, etc. Once that cell becomes a certain kind of tissue (scientists call this “specializing”), its DNA shuts down everything that doesn’t pertain to that function. So if you take the DNA out of a liver cell, and force it into another cell, it ought to just turn into a liver cell. That is all the DNA in donor cell does because it has specialized. The rest of the DNA’s functions are, in effect, turned off. But Wilmut and researchers figured out how to make all of the DNA “reactivate” so that all the functions of the sheep could develop. “Wilmut discovered not so much a technical trick as a new law of nature. We now know that an adult mammalian cell can fire up all the dormant genetic instructions that shut down as it divides and specializes and ages…”(3) That had never been done before, and that is why there are now so many questions and so many possibilities in cloning.

 

Questions and Answers About Cloning

Let’s take a moment to answer some of the most common questions about cloning. Many want to know “Can they clone people?” Many seem to think so. A similar success in Oregon with rhesus monkeys six weeks ago seems to convince many “that there are no insurmountable biological barriers to creating multiple copies of a human being.”(4) Time reports Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, predicts a human clone in the next seven years.(5) It is important to note here that this is not entirely certain, however. Attempts to do with mice what was done with Dolly have failed. It is believed that the process does not work because mice “call” their DNA to function very early in the cell division process. Sheep do not “activate” their genes as soon as mice do. Some believe Dolly worked only because the DNA had time to “make itself at home” before it was needed to function. Humans use their DNA in the same way as mice — thus cloning may be doomed to failure forever. Yet one is reluctant to say “can’t” to a scientific community that just produced Dolly. One professor, Dr. E.A. Carlson (UCLA), even says there may be enough DNA in King Tut’s mummy to make a “new Tut”!(6)

The next question Christians always have is “Would a cloned person have a soul?” The answer is undoubtedly “yes.” James 2:26 tells us that if you are alive you have a spirit, a soul: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Just because everything begins with one cell but then yields two persons doesn’t mean one of them does not have a soul. Identical twins, nature’s version of cloning, begin from one cell: “Multiple births in human beings arise either from the simultaneous impregnation of more than one ovum or from the impregnation of a single ovum that divides into two or more parts, each of which develops into a distinct embryo.(7) Is anyone going to realistically argue that one of the twins is short a soul? Let’s tell the truth: we don’t know everything about souls, how God puts it in there, and those kind of matters. But we are sure that God does that, and takes care of it. “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Others ask “How much alike would a clone be to its ‘clonee’?” Scientists agree that a clone would be some like his or her “clonee” but would not be absolutely identical in every way. Look at identical twins — they are not identical in every way even though their DNA is 100% identical. We need to understand that we are lot more than genes and DNA. Thomas Bouchard Jr., a leading expert on behavior in twins at the University of Minnesota, comments “From what we know, about 50 percent of a clone’s psychological traits would probably be influenced by its genetic makeup.”(8) A human clone would certainly look exactly like its “clonee” but would not necessarily act the same. Hence cloning Adolph Hitler or Saddam Hussein would not necessarily guarantee another madman. It takes more than just transferring DNA to make a Hitler. One would have to create the same social environment they grew up in. “As pundits point out, to groom another Adolph Hitler, social engineers would need to subject the clone to artistic failure, expose him to the horrors of trench warfare and have him mature in an environment uncannily like the chaos and decadence of post-World War I Germany.”(9) Interested in cloning Einstein? “A thousand track switches have to click in sequence for the child who starts out toward greatness to wind up there. If a single one clicks wrong, the high-speed rush toward a Nobel Prize can dead-end in a makeshift shack in the Montana woods [like it did with the Unabomber —MR].”(10) So even if we made a new Tut he wouldn’t be like Tut necessarily. A clone would be his or her own person, living and acting as that individual saw fit to do.

Finally, we would do well to ask “Are there legitimate uses for animal cloning?” Perhaps to the surprise of some, we have to say “yes.” We certainly don’t want to sound as if all scientists and doctors are evil. What Wilmut and his team did could have some very fine applications as long as it is restrained to the animal world. For example, if we could clone animals with some fairly high success rate than the best producing dairy cow, or woolliest sheep, could be cloned. In the lab, we could make genetic duplicates of a mouse, then not have to worry if differing test results come because the test mice are different genetically. This would speed drug testing and experimentation. It is important to realize that this is not necessarily a bad technology. Where the problems develop is when it is applied to humans.

 

Biblical Problems and Objections to Cloning Humans

So they did it, and truthfully, may very well be able to do a human clone. What does the Bible say about this? Is this a good thing, or another Tower of Babel? If we look carefully we will see that cloning humans is destined to be a disaster, both ethically and morally.

Our first objection is that cloning is not wise. Wisdom is knowing the end of a matter from the beginning. Proverbs 14:15 tells us “The naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.” It is sensible or prudent to think carefully about the path we are walking, and where it will lead us. Proverbs 22:3 reminds us “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.” We want to be the kind of people who are actively looking out for evil before we are involved in it so deeply that escaping it is hard and painful. In Luke 14:28ff Jesus urges this same kind of thinking when He talks about counting costs. In that context He is urging us to count the cost of serving Him, but the principle applies to all of life: we should count the cost before we do something, before we embark on a project.

Let’s think about nuclear weapons as an example of wisdom and counting costs. After using the atomic bomb in 1945 to end the war America let it be known that it was an atomic superpower. We had these weapons, and fully intended to keep developing them. But did anybody think about the cost of this decision? Did anyone imagine what would happen next? Almost immediately we found ourselves caught up in a massive and dangerous arms race because if we had the bomb the Russians felt compelled to have one too, and then we needed a bigger bomb, and then the Russians wanted a bomb bigger than our latest bomb and so on until the world was brought to the brink of nuclear destruction. It can be argued that America foisted an arms race off on the rest of the world by our lack of wisdom in the use and development of nuclear weaponry. How different would world history be if America had announced, immediately after World War II, that we were destroying the plans to atomic bombs, would never use or build them again, and immediately signed international treaties prohibiting them? Instead, scientists said “We can blow up this much with an atomic bomb, let’s see what a hydrogen bomb would do” and finally even the ghastly “neutron bomb” was proposed. To this day we live under the threat of imminent death that could come any time some madman pushes a button. How clearly was the decision to develop nuclear weapons thought out? Don’t we wish we could put the genie back in the bottle?

This is exactly where we are with cloning right now. We are at the place where wisdom says we need to stop for several reasons. First, no one really knows how it worked, if it will work again, or exactly why it worked. For certain, we know what they did, we know the procedure. But “Roslin scientists have said the cloning was the result of much hit-and-miss experimentation and needs to be refined through further research.”(11) “They just made a cloned sheep, and they don’t know why” says Scott Gilbert, developmental biologist as Swarthmore College.(12) The big key, many think, is that the cell they popped the adult DNA into had been forced into a resting state. However, others are not so certain: “They may have hit on something there that is important that was overlooked before,” says David Kirk, a developmental biologist as Washington University in St. Louis. On the other hand, he said, there’s no hard proof that the crucial cell was indeed resting.”(13) Second, no one knows if the procedure is safe. Dolly came from a six-year old cell. Does that cut six years off her life? Dolly may or may not be sterile. No one yet knows. Will Dolly prematurely age, or develop unheard of diseases? Again, we just don’t know. Cloning may be very dangerous: “In addition, as the high rate of spontaneous abortions suggests cloning sometimes damages DNA.”(14) It would be positively criminal to clone a human with such unknowns. However, the only way to know what would happen with human cloning is to do the experiment so it would have to be tried. Who wants to be the “guinea pig” (literally guinea human!) for that? What person should be brought into the world as nothing more than a scientific experiment that may or may not work? To top it all off, we have no idea where this will lead. The possibilities and problems that could come from human cloning have not been thoroughly mapped out by any means. Interestingly, very little is said about potential good this could bring. No one is saying “If we can clone humans we can cure cancer.” Science doesn’t seem to be asking “Should we” only “Can we?” Yet everyone admits “the potential for evil is infinitely greater”(15) than any good that might come of it. Think of some of the complications that may arise. What will we do with “bad copies” — malformed babies who are the results of failed cloning experiments. And what of the possibility that a person could be cloned without even knowing it? “It would be almost impossible to prevent someone from cloning you without your knowledge or permission, says Philip Bereano, professor of technology and public policy at the University of Washington. Everyone gives off cells all the time … visit the dentist — and those cells all contain one’s full complement of DNA.”(16) The mind reels with the possibilities for sin and iniquity that human cloning presents.

Cloning is just not wise. The folks at Babel ought to have asked “Should we?” before asking “Can we?” Are we wise enough to do better than they? The truth is that cloning is an attempt to control and choose who will be born. It is highly doubtful that we have the wisdom, moral sense, or moral fiber necessary to make good choices in that arena. Remember, what we value changes. If cloning had been invented a few centuries ago we would have cloned the men with strong backs and the women who easily bear children, while Einstein and Franklin would be left completely out.(17) We lack the wisdom to develop cloning properly, use it, or understand it. Why should we continue down such a path? How wise is it to board a train going where we don’t know, and traveling on untested tracks?

Our second objection to human cloning is that it can be outright sinful. This is true for several reasons. First, cloning results in abortions. Cloning is a complicated procedure that often does not work, so many, many cloned embryos must be made. In the Dolly experiment there were 277 cell fusions, resulting in 29 that began to grow and were implanted, 13 sheep became pregnant, but finally only 1 lamb.(18) As one ethicist said, “It took 277 trials and errors to produce Dolly the sheep, creating a cellular body count that would look like sheer carnage if the cells were human.”(19) While toying with (and destroying) sheep embryos is not troubling to anyone what if that were done with human embryos? This is not an article on abortion, but we must advance the principle here that life begins at conception (see Psalm 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5). It is not right for scientists to murder hundreds of lives (that is what embryos are) in their scientific experiments! The means is not ethical. 

Further, cloning could be used to have a child outside of the family unit. God’s order for the family is clearly set forth in Ephesians 6:1-4. Children need parents, both a mom and a dad. If you are not in a marriage where that home can be provided then the hard truth is God doesn’t want you to have kids. But who is it that is most thrilled with cloning? The homosexual community. Technology is trying to find yet another way to have children outside of the God-given pattern and plan. On the front page of a New York Times article a cell biologist from Washington University in St. Louis named Ursula Goodenough quipped that with cloning “there’d be no need for men.”(20) “A single woman might choose to clone herself rather than involve a man in any way.”(21) Are we constructing a technology to circumvent God’s moral and natural laws? “God forbid that we should design such technology in order to give homosexual couples an opportunity to produce a family, or even to allow the unmarried to reproduce outside of marriage.”(22)

Perhaps worst of all, cloning will inevitably result in exploited children. When the experts are pressed to explain what cloning could be used for what do they talk about? How about producing a child as “spare parts” for yourself or for another child that is sick? What if your three-year old has kidney disease, ultimately will have to be on dialysis? No problem. We’ll clone that kid, so that a new child will be an exact genetic match, then take one of those kidneys in 3-5 years. That would work as well for bone marrow transplants, and many other diseases. Yet we must ask if that is an appropriate reason to bring a child into this world? Yes, “spare parts” children are brought into this world (occasionally) already. But if doctors could guarantee a genetic match this will increase the practice dramatically. When we think about it one wonders how long it would be until someone clones a child for the clone’s heart? The child would be born, put on super growth stimulants, never cared for or loved, until he or she was big enough for the heart to be “harvested.” What a thought — we will just take what we want and leave the rest to die because we didn’t want you anyway. We just needed a part!

Psalms 127:3-5 says “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them…” Children are a gift from the Lord, not something to be exploited for our or another’s benefit!

Look at the other exploitive uses for cloning. What if your child dies — you could clone a “replacement” child. But what kind of pressure is that kid going to be under to be exactly the same as the one that died, instead of being his or her self? How would that child feel, knowing that he was not loved or wanted for who he is but only because he resembles another child? What of the opportunity to clone athletes, composers, other gifted people? The only way to ensure, however, that little Michael Jordan will grow up to be another great basketball player is to start training him early. We have long looked with horror and disdain at countries that take small children from their families and train them endlessly to be Olympians. That is exactly what will happen to cloned children. They will be trained from start to finish to be what they were designed to be — never given the opportunity to develop into their own person. That is pure exploitation, plain and simple. No child should be subjected to that.

 

Conclusion

The Bible does guide us, doesn’t it? Wisdom dictates that we stop cloning experimentation before the genie gets further out of the bottle, or more accurately, before Pandora’s box is open any wider. Scripture clearly shows us that the means to cloning is sinful, and will surely lead to more sin (exploited kids). It is very difficult to look at any of this and say “Yes, God is blessing this, this will help humanity, let’s go full speed ahead.” Human cloning looks more and more like our own Tower of Babel. Let’s be content to know that God made us, and that we did not make ourselves ( Psalm 100:3). May we use our minds and technology to draw closer to him rather than building monuments to human pride that will only harm and hurt us all.

 

Endnotes:

1. News Release, “Scientists at the Roslin Institute Publish Scientific Breakthrough,” 24 February 1997, Roslin Institute, page 1.
2. J. Madeline Nash, “The Age of Cloning,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
3. Charles Krauthammer, “A Special Report on Cloning,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/timeWhat Does the Bible Say About Cloning?
4. Washington Post, “Oregon scientists produce primates from cloned embryos,” The Dallas Morning News, March 2, 1997, page 7A.
5. Jeffrey Kluger, “Will We Follow the Sheep,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
6. Jack Cottrell, Tough Question, Biblical Answers, Part Two, College Press: Joplin, MO, 1986, page 95.
7. “Multiple Birth,” Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia. 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Funk & Wagnalls Corporation. All rights reserved.
8. Steve Kloehn and Paul Salopek, “A matter of identity,” March 9, 1997, Sunday Reader: The Dallas Morning News, page 10J.
9. Kloehn and Salopek.
10. Jeffrey Kluger, “Will We Follow the Sheep,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
11. AP, “Britain cuts money for cloning, citing research project’s success,” The Dallas Morning News, March2, 1997, page 19A.
12. Sue Goetinck, “Biological mysteries still surround cloning,” Discoveries: The Dallas Morning News, March 3, 1997, page 9D.
13. Sue Goetinck, “Biological mysteries still surround cloning,” Discoveries: The Dallas Morning News, March 3, 1997, page 9D.
14. J. Madeline Nash, “The Age of Cloning,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
15. Charles Krauthammer, “A Special Report on Cloning,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, page 2 of 3, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
16. Wray Herbert, Jeffery L. Sheler, and Traci Watson,, “The world after cloning,” U.S. News and World Report, March 10, 1997, web posted document, www.usnews.com/usnews/issue
17. Jeffrey Kluger, “Will We Follow the Sheep,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
18. Ray Bohlin, 1997, web document from Probe Ministries.
19. Jeffrey Kluger, “Will We Follow the Sheep,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
20. J. Madeline Nash, “The Age of Cloning,” Time, March 10, 1997, Vol. 149, No. 10, web posted document, www.pathfinder.com/time
21. Wray Herbert, Jeffery L. Sheler, and Traci Watson,, “The world after cloning,” U.S. News and World Report, March 10, 1997, web posted document, www.usnews.com/usnews/issue
22. Jerry King, “What about cloning?,” document posted to Gary’s List, garyslist@creature.tn.org, March 13, 1997.

Judgment Begins with the House of God

Author by James R. Davis

The judgment of God and the victory of the saints are the two major themes of Revelation. The theme runs throughout the book. It is in Revelation that John reminds us that the judgment of God begins with the house of God. To each of the seven churches of Asia, Jesus says, "I know your works . . ." and then he gives the proper commendation or rebuke.

Peter wrote, as he was preparing Christians for the suffering ahead: "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:16-19)

It seems the church today is being taken to the laundry by the godless.  We could shorten and simplify the process if we would judge ourselves. But if we don't, God will.

 

"I believe God is withdrawing His hand of protection from the church in judgment, but the church hasn't realized it yet.

It's a well-known fact that there are as many divorces today within the church as outside it. The pleasures and values of most people in the church are not much different from other people's, either.  The line that once distinguished Christians from nonChristians has become severely blurred.  Why has God not judged . . . ?

When God described in Deuteronomy the judgments He would bring if Israel disobeyed Him, the scattering of families was His final judgment. Because of America's high divorce rate--both inside and outside the church--children are being torn away from their families and being torn apart emotionally.  Yet the church seems to be mostly unaware that today's events may be part of God's judgment on the church in America.

The main problem is not so much secularism as it is the secularization of the church.  "The salt is losing its savor," he says. The purity of the church has been compromised, and we've lost sight of the value of a pure church. Persecution always cleanses and purifies the church wherever it occurs, but we don't have to wait for persecution.  We can repent now for violating God's Word, bringing the world's values into the church, and failing to obey God's voice."1

In our pluralistic society, which is willing to tolerate any philosophy, except one that claims to be exclusive truth, there is a strong tendency to dilute the proclamation of Christ as the only way to God.  This makes the message of Revelation especially relevant to the church's problems today. After each admonition to each of the seven churches John writes, " . . . Listen what the spirit says to the churches . . . (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22) Although a different message was given to each church, each message was also directed to all the churches in Asia Minor. This implies that each message is a message that applies to every congregation of God's people today. If we have any doubt about God's judgment of Christians, we need to fully understand these two chapters. They give us insight as to how God deals with churches today.

Of the seven churches discussed in Revelation, five needed renewal, and that was only 60 years into church history! To each church John writes, "He who has an ear, let him hear . . . John is asking them to stop, look and listen to what Jesus Christ is saying.

Judgment upon the Churches in Asia

Ephesus the hateful church. (2:1-7) In Acts 19 & 20 we see Ephesus' response to the truth. Paul warned the elders of the false teachers that would rise in their own ranks. He commended them to God and the Word of his grace would build them up and give them an inheritance among all the saints. (Acts 20:32) In the book of Ephesians we see the church in all its glory. Yet, by the end of the centruy the church had become so militant against false teachers that their own hearts had grown cold toward the truth of God's Word. Ther was probably an attitude of witch hunting among Christians. It is great that churches hate error, but when they lose their love for the lost something has gone wrong. It is great to hate the sin that nailed the reigning Christ to the cross, but we must retain our love for the one committing the sin. We are not out to get vengeance but to extend grace.

Today many faithful Christian teachers are endeavoring to move away from a cold callused way of proclaiming the Word of God. Too many times they are accused of not having any backbone for telling it the way it is. We fail to realize that it takes just as much backbone to take one position as it does another, whichever it is. But we need backbones that will bend over and touch the man dead in sin. It just has to be more flexible. A bridge builder told me that a bridge must be flexible or it would collapse and fall. A bridge must be designed to expand and contract with the heating and cooling of the atmosphere. It must also be flexible in high winds. The right kind of flexibility is a sign of strength not weakness. Especially if it is intent on bringing one to Jesus Christ the judge of all.

Congregations that lose their love for the lost must repent or else Christ will remove them from his presence. The amazing thing about this cold-hearted church is that Christ pleads with them to repent and do their first works. Christ even gave hateful dead cold churches the option of repentance. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." (2:7) They were encouraged to return to the first works. We can rest assured that if we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us today through the Spirit breathed word, God will make us more than conquerors through the blessing he bestows. (2:1-7)

Smyrna the poor but devoted church. (2:8-11) The congregation in Smyrna was poor in this worlds goods but rich in their devotion to God. It is no wonder that Satan's agents in that city were attacking them more fiercely. They were winning their battle over difficult circumstances. Jesus only encourages them and finds no criticism for them.

The city of Smyrna had a strong movement toward emperor cult worship. A temple was built to the emperor Tiberius. Later Domitian pressed emperor worship as a sign of loyality to Rome. Smyrna was placed in the forefront of this cult movement. This brought extreme pressure upon the Christians who practiced monotheism. There was also a large Jewish population that posed a threat to the church. The persecution was about to increase.

Jesus indicates that they will be persecuted for a period of time. He promises them that if they continue to listen  to what he has said,  they would not be hurt with the second death. Remember it is Jesus who has the keys to Hades and death. They need not worry. Jesus will give the crown of life.

Revelation 2:9-10

I know your afflictions and your poverty-- yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

 

Pergamos the persecuted church. (2:12-17) Pergamos was Hell's headquarters, Satan had set up his throne in this city. Pergamos was the center of emperor worship, a shrine for emperor worship was erected in this city. Jews were exempt from emperor worship because everyone knew they practiced monotheism. But this was not so with Christians and inevitable conflict was a reality. Since they were not Jews, they were expected to worship the emperor of Rome. Antipas had already been martyred therefore great persecution was at their doors. There were also false teachers in the church that were placing a stumbling block before God's children.  They were eating food sacrificed to idols, which indicates that they were partaking in the fellowship feast with the idolatrous. We are not absolutely sure what the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans were but we know it was the work of Satan.

Jesus warned them that he would come in judgment against them with sword of his mouth. Jesus coming is not just a foreboding reality, but it is also a message of encouragement to those who were endeavoring to remain faithful as martyrs are falling around them. He leaves no doubt that he is able to handle the situation.

Jesus promises them that if they remain faithful he will feed them with manna. That is he would sustain them just as he sustained the Israelites who were fed manna for forty years. He also promises them that he would give them a white stone with a new name written on it. A white stone in that era was given to a man who had been tried and acquitted of a crime. It was given to a slave who had been set free to be a citizen. It was given to the winner of a race. It was given to a warrior returning home victorious in battle. The sacred promise of Jesus Christ was one calculated to increase efforts of loyalty.2

Jesus promises them the sweet taste of victory. But they must remain faithful.

 

Thyatira the home of Jezebel. (2:18-29) In Acts 16, we see that Lydia was a seller of purple from Thyatira. Paul converted her as she visited the city. She perhaps, is the lady who started the church in Thyatira.

When Jesus comes to this church, he comes with eyes like a flame of fire and feet of burnished brass. This indicates that he comes searching the minds and hearts, but he comes with stern judgment to crush those who do wrong. Christ commends them in that their last works are greater than their first works. But there is a wicked Jezebel among them who is leading others astray. They have been tolerating her as she has led others to idolatry and fornication. Jesus warns that he will come in judgment on her children, that is, on those who follow her.

The faithful among them were doing a great work, in spite of the work of Jezebel. They had retained their love, service, faith and patience in difficult times. Their last works were greater than their first. So Jesus makes them a promise. "Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 2:24-29)

Sardis a church that was a living corpse. (3:1-6) The church at Sardis had a name for being alive, but Christ told them they were dead. Christ told them that they needed to resurrected. They needed to repent and remember what they had received and heard. You have heard of people sleeping through church, they were dead. Preaching to this church would be like a fellow holding a sunrise service in a graveyard and no one shows up. He goes ahead and preaches to the dead. There were a few in this dead church that had not soiled their garments and to them he promised victory.

There was a lot of activity in the Church at Sardis. The organization was oiled and running smoothly.  This would be the place you would want to go if you were looking for a church. But there was no real life. Have you ever noticed how well organized a graveyard is. Maybe it is like that because there is no one there with enough life to disorganize it. Maybe it was one of those churches that had no problems, because there was no one there that cared enough to cause a problem.

Richard Ganz and William Edgar in their book Sold Out! wrote, "Churches want to hear nice, optimistic messages, free of mention of sin or a call for repentance. Churches want nice, lean programs, directed at nice, clean families, leading to growth without sacrifice.  They want their organization to become bigger and bigger, even as their God becomes smaller and smaller." 3

But there were a few names there that had remained faithful even in that dead church. It must be extremely hard to worship in a dead church. The songs and prayers don't get above the rafters but the faithful hang on and the Lord reminds them of his faithfulness.

 

Revelation 3:4-5

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

Philadelphia the faithful church with an open door. (3:7-13) This was a weak church that was strong in faith. They had not denied Jesus Christ. Jesus sets before them an open door that no one could shut. It is a door of opportunity. He is going to make those who belong to the synagogue of Satan come and bow at their feet because they have kept his word. He only encourages them to hold fast so that no one can seize their crown. Hell itself will not prevail against them. Really that has been the promise to all the faithful in the churches thus far.

Jesus promised them that he would make them a pillar in the temple of God. Of all the churches of Asia, Philadelphia was the only one that survived through the centuries. It remained a column among the ruins. God and Christ engraved their names on them and they stood through the centuries.

Laodicea a church with closed doors. (3:14-22) Laodicea was a city of trade and commerce. This city was built at the intersection of three major roads. It was a city that was a great banking center where riches were gathered. They had gold and didn't need much of anything else. The church had adopted the same lifestyle. They were lukewarm. Jesus was on the outside knocking to get into this church. But when you are prosperous and need nothing, why get up and open the door. The city was rich, lethargic and complacent. Riches have a way of deadening many to the realities of life.

Laodicea was like many churches today that are not concerned about spirituality as long as the economy is fine. They are trusting in their bank accounts.

 

Revelation 3:17-22

You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Faith involves total commitment on a personal level, choosing to value the Lord Jesus above any other person.  In some ways persecution may be easier to handle than the materialism of our society that masks the issues.  Persecuted Christians have a clearer understanding of what is at stake, since they often have to risk their personal liberties or even their lives for the sake of their faith.  By comparison, we in the West have lost our first love. 4

Conclusion:

The judgment on the seven churches of Asia remind us of Jesus' teaching concerning the judgment.
 

Matthew 7:21-23

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
 

1. Ed Lewis,  The State of the Church  Pulpit Helps, Mar 1995 (Vol 20, No 3).  Pages 1-2 Via InfoSearch Database.

2. Ray Summers, Worthy Is The Lamb, Broadman Press, Nashville, TN. 1951. pg. 116.

3. Quoted in HELP for Christian Leaders,  Wint, 1992

4. Ross Paterson, Lessons from the Suffering Church. Charisma & Christian Life, May 1991. Pages 92-99.

What It Means To Be A Christian

Author: Jim Davis

Amidst our space age technology, millions are searching for meaning. Very few are finding it. Humanity has always sought fulfillment through knowledge, materialism, power and pleasure. Solomon explored these avenues and concluded, "All is vanity and a striving after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

This is not to say that there is not a certain amount of joy to be had through an accumulation of knowledge, wealth, pleasure and power. It is not to say that there is no pleasure in the physical world. But if one or more of these areas become the chief goal in life, one is destined for disappointment. There is a legitimate place for each, but not as the central focal point of our lives.

If one is to find meaning and direction for living, one must understand that a meaningful life is bound up in relationships. A relationship with God, with one's neighbor, a healthy relationship with self and the material world.

The primary focus of Christianity is relationships. It has to do with a relationship with God, with one's neighbor, and with God's creation.

 

Life Is Unavoidably Tied to God

Psalms 139:7-14

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV)

The Psalmist recognizes that there is no getting away from God. You could take a spaceship and travel 3 billion miles into outer space and God would be there.

It is when we lose sight of God that real trouble begins. This is seen as early as Eden. Notice the quality of relationship that Adam sustained with God, his wife, with the created physical world and ultimately with himself. They were both naked and knew it not, even as they walked and talked with God. When sin entered into the garden, flourishing relationships wilted through shame and pain.

Read Paul's description of the Gentile world, which had forgotten God.

 

Romans 1:20-32

It is little wonder that Jesus pointed out that a relationship with God was the first and greatest commandment.

 

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (NIV)

 

The word "salvation" in its broadest sense means to bring to wholeness. It's interchangeable with the word healing. We read, "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick." (James 5:15 KJV) The same Greek word rendered save here is translated heal elsewhere. The NIV says, "Will make the sick person well."

Jesus said, "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door . . . " (Revelation 3:20) When we open that door Jesus enters not as an intruder to an already ordered life, but as one who desires to help us bring about wholeness to our lives -- to our relationships -- to give meaning and wholeness to life.

 

In the word salvation, I see the word salvage. I see God salvaging Peter's life in order to bring about wholeness. Jesus told him "come and I will make you a fisher of men." (Luke 5:1-11) Peter started becoming what Jesus saw in him that day.

God wants us to become what he sees in us. I come to God just as I am. But I come for the purpose of becoming what God sees in me. There lies the secret to every meaningful relationship, and ultimately to a meaningful life.

 

The amazing thing is that God takes the initiative in the relationship by guaranteeing us that no matter what we have done his love is constant. When he forgives us, there will be no bitter taste left in his mouth. He promises us that we will be totally accepted without reservation. He guarantees us that no matter how miserably we fail or how blatantly we sin, unreserved forgiveness is ours for the asking.

The beauty of it all is that God has made us accepted in the beloved.

 

Ephesians 1:4-6

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (KJV)

 

Ephesians 2:4-9

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. (NIV)

 

A Relationship with God Affects All Our Personal Relationships

Once we have a relationship with God, there is no way that fellowship can be maintained apart from a relationship with our neighbors. If we breathe in air, we must exhale it in order to live. The same is true with our relationship with God. It is impossible to take God in without allowing him to affect every earthly relationship.

 

I John 3:16-17

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (NIV)

 

In John's passage above, we see a relationship with Christ affecting one's relationship with material possessions and one's fellowman.

 

Jesus demonstrated this principle in his own life. He took God in and manifested him to the world. Philip came to Jesus asking to see God. Jesus said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." (John 14:1-9) Christ demonstrated God's willingness to serve humanity. He came to serve, not to be served. (Matthew 20:28) That is why we see God on his knees in the upper room washing the disciples feet, even the feet of the one about to betray him. You see God talking to the Samaritan woman who had been married five times and is now shacked up the sixth man in her life. That is why you see God at the house of Levi, the publican. (Luke 5:27-31)

 

Luke 5:27-32

And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (KJV)

That is why you see God at the temple teaching the hypocrite.

This world leads us to love when we are loved. Even when we extend love, we expect it to be reciprocated. Too often, we look for what a relationship has to offer as we network our way through humanity. However, God's order of things is much different. God is focused on what he has to offer us. That was Jesus' mentality also. He is looking to help us reach our God-given potential. He wants to help us see what God sees in us, something of worth and value to a world which he created. God desires to enter our lives to make us whole.

God's kingdom love is much different from worldly love. It is something that operates independent of how we feel. In God's kingdom we first love. That love is the guiding force as we get acquainted. In the world, we first get acquainted and then decide if the person is worth loving. Most people have a few friends and many acquaintances but are starving for love.

When we have a relationship with God, our relationship with our fellowman takes on new meaning. We begin to look at others as God looks at us. It is then that we can begin to help others discover what God sees in them.

 

A Changed Relationship with Our World

Nothing changes our world view more dramatically than a relationship with God. It gives life a renewed meaning. Christianity does not isolate us from our world. Jesus said, " . . . I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them . . . my prayer is not that you would take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." (John 17:13,15)

Isolation is not the answer. It is making God the center of our universe that makes the difference. It is great that God has given us intelligence. Man is literally searching the far reaches of the universe for knowledge. But it is God that gives meaning to life. Jesus said, " . . . the only true knowledge is to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3 KJV)

 

Philosophers have sought to change our worldview. Yet, it is Christ revelation of God through himself that overshadowed all the sages of the past. Aristotle, Plato and Socrates pale into insignificance in shadow. The knowledge of God through his Son continues to overshadow all the philosophies since his coming.

We find ourselves studying psychology, monkeys, fish, reptiles, etc., in an effort to gain a better understanding of self. But the knowledge of God is the key to us understanding and knowing self and our world.

 

Philippians 3:7-11

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (NIV)

 

A Changed Relationship with Ourselves

God has placed within each of us something much like a homing device to direct our thoughts toward our creator. And from within us, he calls us to work with him in making our lives, our relationships and our world what he intended them to be.

But we must cooperate with God in establishing his kingdom within our hearts, in all of our affairs, all of our personal relationships and our society.

It really matters little how much we accomplish during the years of our existence, because unless we have a relationship with God through Christ nothing else really matters. We must seek to do his will in all of life and test everything according to his purpose, in order to find healing and fulfillment.

It is in forming a right relationship with God, our fellowman and our world that we discover a relationship with ourselves. There is really no way to know oneself apart from God. There is no other way to discovering spiritual healing.

Conclusion:

God is asking us to give him our lives, relinquish control of our possessions and seek his will in all things.

This is what it means to be a Christian.!