“A man’s got to know his limitations.”
~ Detective Harry Callahan, Magnum Force (1973)
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Truer words have never been spoken.
And truer words have never been lost in the fog following a barrage of precisely placed rounds from a .44 Magnum.
But there they stand nonetheless, those powerfully humbling words, haunting and reminding us to this day.
“A man’s got to know his limitations.”
While few may regard “Dirty Harry” Callahan for his deep theological prowess, the good(?) detective here actually serves as a reminder of a handful of profound, unbreakable, and beautiful biblical truths:
- God owns everything – and everyone – in His creation. (See: Psalm 24:1 and Who owns America? (Hint: Not “We the People”.).)
., - God’s Nature defines everything and everyone in His creation. (See: Colossians 1:15-17 and Art, math, beauty, logic, law and economics…it’s all about Him.)
. - God perfectly uses His property (everyone and everything in His creation) to convey the unbreakable truths of His Nature as revealed in His creation. (See: Romans 8:28 and Would the Great Commission seem impossible if we believed in God?)
So it is that God owns even Dirty Harry and will use him perfectly to convey truth. Often times by way of contrast and freely chosen futile opposition. And at other times through “accidental” affirmation of the beautiful truths of Scripture, like…”A man’s got to know his limitations.”
Okay, so maybe this is more like “the unintentionally (and quite infrequently) awesome theology of Dirty Harry”, but you get the point. And it’s an important point to get.
Art, film, fiction, drama, science, technology, law, politics, guns, ammo and everything else belong to God. They are all His property.
His Nature as lovingly, perfectly, and sufficiently revealed in His Word is the binding reality throughout all of His creation.
His command to repent, believe, and submit to His Son as King in practice is something that must be embraced in order to find any true and lasting goodness in any realm of His creation.
Any time that “We the People” think we have a better way or a more “realistic” approach to anything in God’s creation than that which is lovingly and clearly prescribed in His Word, we are buying into the lie of pride. (See: Note to ‘Merica: There is no “God-given right” to worship false gods. Repent accordingly.)
A man’s got to know his limitations.
So let’s repent and believe accordingly.
Thanks for the reminder, Detective Callahan.
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You can also help support the Fire Breathing Christian mission by checking out these books:
Stupid Elephant Tricks – The Other Progressive Party’s War on Christianity takes a painful but much needed look at how Christ-less “conservatism” has captivated Christians and co-opted them into helping march the culture ever deeper into darkness:
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The Beginning of Knowledge: Christ as Truth in Apologetics is an approachable, easy to read introduction to Christ-centered apologetics:
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Apathetic Christianity: The Zombie Religion of American Churchianity explores the tragic true horror story of all-American dead religion masquerading as Christianity:
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On Education is a compilation of some of the most provocative and compelling Fire Breathing Christian articles on the subject of children’s education:
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There Is No “God-Given Right” To Worship False Gods is a compilation of some of the most provocative Fire Breathing Christian articles on the subject of America’s embrace of a satanic approach to religious liberty:
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Fire Breathing Christians – The Common Believer’s Call to Reformation, Revival, and Revolution is the book that first presented the FBC mission to apply the Gospel-fueled Great Commission in every realm of God’s creation:
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An alternate white cover version of Fire Breathing Christians is available:
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There is also an alternate black cover version of Fire Breathing Christians:
Finally, here are a few good intro/reminder links for those of you who are new to Fire Breathing Christian and curious about exactly what’s goin’ on ’round here:
What are you, some kind of [insert label here] or something?!
What’s with that shark-fishie graphic thing?
Intro to Fire: The Power and Purpose of the Common Believer
When the Bible gets hairy. (Or: Is it right for men to have long hair?)
And especially this one: Never forget that apart from God’s grace you and I are complete morons.
