Moriel Archive » Blog Archive » Answering My Critics about Mel Gibson

FEBRUARY 4TH, 2008
This entry posted by MORIELCAROL

Answering My Critics about Mel Gibson

by Paul Proctor

While the majority of responses were favorable to my latest article entitled: Mel Gibson’s Problem Is Not Alcohol, I did take a lot of heat here on the feedback board of the Christian Worldview Network website. The majority of the criticism seemed to revolve around two comments I made early on in the piece:

1. “Mel’s problem is a life not surrendered to Jesus Christ.”

2. “Salvation is not found in wafers and wine…”

Infuriated Catholics, Lutherans and others who believe in the power of the Eucharist were offended by my “wafers and wine” remark, while others dismissed the entire piece altogether, saying I don’t know what is in Mel Gibson’s heart.

I’d like to take this opportunity to respond to those criticisms:

1. “Mel’s (Gibson) problem is a life not surrendered to Jesus Christ.”

In their misguided zeal, many responders, mostly of the Catholic and/or movie-worshipping persuasion, indignantly jumped to the conclusion that I had publicly condemned Mel Gibson to Hell for his wild night on the town. Once this was postulated, and passion replaced reason, it was pile on Paul time. The fact is, I never stated Mel’s eternal destiny. As of this writing, his life is not over, and until his heart stops, there is always time to repent, that is, if he has not already.

What I actually said was: Mel’s life was not surrendered.

Christians are essentially bond slaves, are they not? They are owned by Jesus Christ because He purchased them with His own shed blood on the Cross.

When a slave goes AWOL, he is on the run from his master and is no longer in a state of surrender, though He still belongs to his master.

“A life not surrendered” CAN simply refer to a disobedient Christian. It does not necessarily mean the currently un-surrendered person is and has always been un-surrendered and is going to Hell, because disobedience unfortunately is not limited to the lost. It only means that the person in question, slave or not, is at least presently doing as THEY please, instead of doing as the Lord commands; something that can be a daily struggle, even for the faithful.

As for matters of the heart:

Certainly we cannot look into someone’s heart like the Lord Jesus and see ALL that is there; and scripture briefly addresses that in 1st Samuel:

“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” – 1st Samuel 16:7b

But this is not a command to be silent about the evil that men speak and do, Christian or otherwise. In fact, there is a time to judge, especially those who claim to be Christians while giving evidence to the contrary.

Jesus addressed this very issue in John 7:24 when He said: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Judging righteously is letting the Word of God do the judging. This is but one of many reasons we should all know and correctly cite scripture when confronted with evil. It is the “Sword” we are to do battle with. All other weapons are inappropriate and worthless.

Moreover, Jesus went so far as to tell us HOW the lost and saved reveal themselves, how they can be “known,” and the importance of words:

“…for the tree is known by his fruit…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” – Matthew 12:33b, 34b-37

If someone is condemned, they are not condemned by you or me when we faithfully proclaim scripture; they condemn themselves by intellectually, physically and verbally rejecting and/or rebelling against God’s Word. Simply put: They do not believe God.

Does this mean there is no hope for those of us who have on occasion, thought, spoken or done evil ourselves?

Certainly not!

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1st John 1:9

Furthermore, there are many who have come and will come claiming to represent our Lord, offering us artificial wisdom, which is of the world; but the question is: Just what fruit does it produce?

Again, Jesus gives us the following warning, speaking about the importance of not only what we say, but also what we do, Who we claim, and the terrible consequences of a feigned faith in Christ:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 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.” – Matthew 7:15-23

It is that “fruit” that reveals who we are and to Whom we belong.

Now for the second objection:

2. “Salvation is not found in wafers and wine…”

For those who do not already know: In Catholicism, the priest prays over the bread and wine and allegedly turns them into very the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to be consumed by those seeking salvation. This act of eating and drinking supposedly confirms that you are His.

Erroneously using John 6:53 as justification for the Eucharist, several were offended by my saying such things would not save them from their sins. They made the same carnal error the Jews did who responded to Jesus about this matter in verse 52 of Chapter 6 asking: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Instead of understanding what Jesus meant, in their blindness, a religious ritual was contrived early on to, in effect, turn the powerful symbolism of the Lord’s Supper into the literal eating of Jesus’ flesh and drinking of His blood for one’s redemption – which would, by the way, condemn the crucified thief who was unable to do so himself; the one that hung on a cross alongside Jesus; the one who recognized and confessed that he was a sinner deserving of death and that Jesus was both innocent and Divine.

Even though the thief could not participate in what is now called the Eucharist, Jesus told him he would be with Him in Paradise. Or, due to the extenuating circumstances, are we to assume the thief took a special waiver instead of a special wafer? I think not…

To those who wrote me angrily trying to explain and justify the Eucharist I responded thusly:

“John 6:53-56 is symbolic, not literal. If it were literal, you and I would both be lost because, in spite of your priest’s blessing, they are still wafers and wine, not flesh and blood. Go to the grocery store and buy yourself a T-bone steak and eat it raw right out of the package. You’ll notice a distinctly different taste and texture from that which you consume at church.

It is not what goes into the mouth that determines the state of the soul, but rather what comes out of it.”

While rebuking certain Pharisees who chastised Him for his disciples not washing their hands before eating, Jesus had this to say:

“Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…” – Matthew 15:17-19

Finally, if the Eucharist were required for salvation, the following scriptures would be incomplete and therefore erroneous.

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” – John 11:25-26

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:16-18

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:12-13

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – John 6:14

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” – John 5:24

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13

In closing, let me also say this about Mel Gibson: I have prayed for him and will continue to pray that he would truly repent as Jesus commands us all to, if indeed he has not done so already. My article was not an opportunist’s condemnation of him or Catholicism, but merely a continuing effort to expose error and proclaim Truth under the Lord’s guidance and calling.