Monthly Archives: July 2026

SALVATION

“ONE SIZE FITS ALL” — BOB PRICHARD

The multitude at Pentecost cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we we do?“ Peter responded, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38).

Some  clothing is “one size fits all.” If we are extra large or extra small, we may question if this is true. But Peter said repentance and baptism was for everyone.

At Pentecost, Jews came from around the world. They heard the disciples speak “the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:7-11). Others were there: priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, Levites, religious people. Probably some pick-pockets and thieves took advantage of the occasion. No matter how religious or irreligious, the message that day was a “one size fits all.” Since God is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), all had the same opportunity and obligation to repent and be baptized.  God’s promise was for those people, their descendants, the Gentiles (“those afar off”), and us (Acts 2:39). None then or today could receive the remission of sins without this obedience.

All, no matter how unworthy, can receive God’s blessings because the simple gospel “fits all.” 

Blog, CHRISTIAN LIVING, NUMBERS

GOOD DECISION MAKING — BOB PRICHARD

Malcolm Gladwell, one of my favorite authors, makes this pertinent observation: “The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are lacking in the latter.” Think how often this has led to wrong decisions!

The twelve spies had a glowing report of what Canaan offered. “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it” (Numbers 13:27). But there were also problems and a negative report.

“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:32–33).

To use Gladwell’s analogy, they were swimming in information, but lacked understanding of the consequences of refusing to trust God and conquer the Promised Land on God’s schedule. Because of their lack of action a generation died in the wilderness.

“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it” (Numbers 14:22–24).

We have the knowledge of the seriousness of sin. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And as we see the consequences of a life of sin around  us, but our lack of understanding allows us to make wrong choices too often.

The 119th psalm includes pleas for understanding as well as recognition of the true source of wisdom: God’s word.

“O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: For thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, That I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: For thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:97-104).

Seek knowledge, but don’t stop there. Seek the understanding that will allow you to make good, God pleasing decisions.

CHRISTIAN LIVING, GOD

THE ANNA KARENINA PRINCIPLE — BOB PRICHARD

Pulitzer Prize winning author Jared Diamond cites the “Anna Karenina Principle” in explaining why early man was able to domesticate some wild animals (dogs, cats, etc.) but not others (like foxes). Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy begins his classic Anna Karenina with this sentence: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” 

Tolstoy meant that happiness in a family comes when many different aspects such as sexual attraction, agreement about money and child rearing and other vital issues all work out. But even if many of these aspects are good, the family will be unhappy if any one of the key aspects is missing. In similar fashion, Diamond says that many factors of geography, climate, culture, etc., had to work out perfectly to allow man to domesticate animals (Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, New York: Norton, 1999, p. 157).

Diamond is an evolutionary biologist, and has some interesting insights into micro-evolution. Micro-evolution is the evolution we see within a species, such as the various breeds of dogs, derived from ancient dogs, or the domesticated sheep, cattle and horses, from ancient sheep, cattle and horses. Through processes over time, usually aided or planned by man, these changes have happened. But there is no evidence, of course, for macro-evolution, the change of one species or biblical “kind” into another.

Consider how the Anna Karenina Principle applies to our earth. How is it possible that our planet is just the right distance from the sun, just the right tilt and orbit around the sun, with just the right atmosphere, and so many other factors, so that life came about? Without this perfect planned combination, life as we know it could not exist on earth. With the domestication of animals, many factors have to be in place, but most important is human intelligence which makes it happen. The psalmist reminds us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). God the Creator put everything in place for His creation. Evidence of design and a Designer is everywhere in our earth!

CHRISTIAN LIVING

SHEILAISM — BOB PRICHARD

Cathy Lynn Grossman reviewed some of the prevailing trends in religion as revealed in the research by George Barna in his book Futurecast. Barna found that earlier trends for personal customization of religion have increased over time, with the percentage of the “unchurched” growing from 24% to 37% from 1991 to 2011. There was a decline in the percentage who believed the Bible as “totally  accurate” and in those who defined God as an all knowing, all powerful ruler. Today, 57% of Americans seldom or never attend religious services, with 34-37% saying they never walk through the door of a church building, synagogue, or mosque.

More and more are like Sheila, profiled in Robert Bellah’s 1985 book, Habits of the Heart. Sheila said of her religious beliefs: “My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just  my own little voice. … It’s just try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself.” Barna suggested that our “designer society ” makes America headed for a nation of “310 million people with 310 million religions” (More Americans customize religion to fit their personal needs, USA TODAY, September 13, 2011 2A).

While it is disheartening to realize that fewer and fewer of our neighbors believe the Bible to be totally accurate, it should not surprise us. People see that their denominations are deviating from the Bible, as well as what hey believed in the past. A corrupt system must ultimately fall from its own internal contradictions.

This trend toward individual, customized religion may make it more difficult to convince people of the objective truth found in the Bible, but it opens doors for the truth of the gospel, because a man-made religion cannot ultimately satisfy the yearning of the heart. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:2-3).

G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) asserted, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried” (What’s Wrong With the World, I, 5). Perhaps that is why so many have turned to their own form of “Sheilaism.” “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15).