Two old warriors. Brothers. Scars from many battles – some they fought together, some not; but often on the side of victory in either case. They each have wisdom to share and swords which have become most precious to them.
One warrior’s advice to his son amounts to little more than “I’ve fought and won many battles. I hope you’ve learned something from me. With God’s help, I made it and you can, too.” Then he mounts his sword on the wall as a trophy.
The other warrior says, “Son, ‘I’ve fought a good fight; I’ve finished my course.’ Now take this sword. Remember how I’ve trained you with it. Keep it always with you. – Never, for even a moment, put it aside. – Continue practicing with it daily. It may look dull and feel clumsy to you now, but with much use, it will shine brighter and it will make you stronger, faster, smarter.” Then the warrior adds this very important final instruction: “Be also sure to pass this sword on to your own son, teaching and training him to use it skillfully. And when you’ve come to the end of your course, tell your son all that I’ve just told you.”
* * * * *
I suppose many have been tempted to place a favorite Biblical instruction of theirs under the label of The Eleventh Commandment. If I were to yield to such a temptation, I’d want to cast my vote for those words from the passage in Deuteronomy 6: “Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” And I think I’d have a good argument, too. It’s written in the form of a commandment (“Thou shalt teach …thy children”). Better yet, this mandate is given very shortly after the second generation out of Egypt have just been reminded of the first Ten Commandments. It is preceded even more immediately by the first and greatest commandment; and it is being told to the generation whose parents did not keep the commandments. Then we soon discover in Judges what happens when, after Joshua’s generation, this commandment is not heeded “and there [arises] another generation after them, which [knows] not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)
In short, “Here are the commandments; do them, and teach them to your children. – Then teach your children to teach the commandments to their children. Teach them to teach.” – The Eleventh Commandment? Maybe not, but you’d better do it!
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Saturday, December 08, 2007
Placing Second in Your Own Look-Alike Contest
Christopher Witmer said, “You don’t resemble my caricature of you because you’re lying.” That may help explain the following, or vice versa: I once heard that Groucho Marx won second prize in a Groucho Marx Look-Alike Contest; and I have no trouble believing it. Without having investigated the truth or the background of this story, I would like to make some conjectures about it because I think it provides a useful illustration. 1) I have also heard and even observed in pictures that Groucho sometimes wore a painted-on mustache, which could offer one plausible explanation for why he placed second. The first prize winner may have had a real mustache. 2) Groucho was also an actor and television celebrity. Perhaps his behavior was somewhat different in person and off camera. But logic still demands that there is no way that a person should place second in his own look-alike or act-alike contest. The first prize winner should have had a painted-on mustache, acted witty on camera but somewhat different off camera, and even had an identical … well, everything that Groucho had.
Are we frustrated that Christ does not always live up to our caricature of Him? It seems that, if many churches today were on the panel of judges, Christ & His Bride themselves would not win First Prize if they were to enter their own look-alike contest. Under cultural influence, we have created our own list of criteria, instead of using the age-old List given to us by the Spirit of Christ Himself – the Holy Scriptures. Many Christians and churches today actually have the audacity to think that we may decide where, when, how, and even why we will worship; but by so doing, we are – without realizing it – even deciding what we will worship. Someone said, “God made man in His image, then man returned the favor.” But, in case you didn’t catch it, that’s a violation of the second commandment.
Are we frustrated that Christ does not always live up to our caricature of Him? It seems that, if many churches today were on the panel of judges, Christ & His Bride themselves would not win First Prize if they were to enter their own look-alike contest. Under cultural influence, we have created our own list of criteria, instead of using the age-old List given to us by the Spirit of Christ Himself – the Holy Scriptures. Many Christians and churches today actually have the audacity to think that we may decide where, when, how, and even why we will worship; but by so doing, we are – without realizing it – even deciding what we will worship. Someone said, “God made man in His image, then man returned the favor.” But, in case you didn’t catch it, that’s a violation of the second commandment.
It's Not Just the Heart That Matters
If you want to commit sin and still be a Christian, then you might like the modern evangelical Church of God. There, in the modern church, if you can only become accustomed to and comfortable with the convicting of the Holy Spirit, you can likely enjoy your sin for quite some time without much interruption. For should anyone else dare to take upon himself that which “belongs to the Holy Spirit,” all you need do is remind such a person of the following presuppositions espoused by the modern church: “Don’t judge,” and “It’s the heart that matters.” In other words, just tell ‘em, “No matter what you might claim about me, with your very limited perspective about me, you obviously cannot see my pure heart; therefore, you have no right, against my wishes, to hold me accountable in my private faith and personal relationship with God. – Mind your own business.” It’s also a nice touch to throw in a little “Biblical” reminder that “Christ reserved his harshest criticisms for the Pharisees, whom He called ‘hypocrites,’ because, even though they did all the right works, their heart was far from God.”
Fortunately for you – unfortunately, really, – a typical individual within the modern church won’t recognize, let alone correct the various fallacies in your theology, including even your misperception about Christ’s diagnosis of the Pharisees. Christ did not disunite a man’s works from his heart. You likely already know and perhaps are uncomfortable with the implications of the passage which says, “By their fruits, you will know them” (Matt. 7:16, 20 – the same chapter where He said, “Judge not,” by the way). But Christ also applies Isaiah’s prophecy to the scribes and Pharisees when He quotes, “‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, …; but their heart is far from me,’” and then explains, “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: These are the things which defile a man” (Matt. 15:8, 18-20, italics mine). Finally, you should realize that Matthew 23, where we read at least seven “woes” pronounced against the “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” for their various correlating teachings and works, begins with Jesus Christ “saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not’” (Matt. 23:2-3, italics mine).
Fortunately for you – unfortunately, really, – a typical individual within the modern church won’t recognize, let alone correct the various fallacies in your theology, including even your misperception about Christ’s diagnosis of the Pharisees. Christ did not disunite a man’s works from his heart. You likely already know and perhaps are uncomfortable with the implications of the passage which says, “By their fruits, you will know them” (Matt. 7:16, 20 – the same chapter where He said, “Judge not,” by the way). But Christ also applies Isaiah’s prophecy to the scribes and Pharisees when He quotes, “‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, …; but their heart is far from me,’” and then explains, “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: These are the things which defile a man” (Matt. 15:8, 18-20, italics mine). Finally, you should realize that Matthew 23, where we read at least seven “woes” pronounced against the “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” for their various correlating teachings and works, begins with Jesus Christ “saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not’” (Matt. 23:2-3, italics mine).
Sin Is Disobeying God
Sin can be defined in two words: disobeying God. Included in the teaching of our children to confess their wrongdoing immediately following correction is the proper phrasing of the confession. “I’m sorry for standing on the table” is not necessarily a confession of sin. Those words may come out of the mouth, but the heart might be saying, “I know you don’t like for me to stand on the table, so I’m sorry that I did it … while you were watching … because I don’t like spankings.”
So I will often ask, “Is standing on the table a sin? Does the Bible say, ‘You shall not stand on tables’?”
The child says, “No,” even though he has never read the entire Bible, let alone, memorized it. But I think God has given my child enough grace to recognize the answer to my question.
“What was your sin then?” I ask.
“Disobeying my parents.”
“Is disobeying your parents a sin?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because God says, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord.’”
“That’s right. So when you disobey your parents, then you are also …”
“… disobeying God. – I’m sorry, Dad, for disobeying you by standing on the table.”
“Now, Son, you need to tell Someone else ….”
“I’m sorry, God, for disobeying you.”
* * * * *
Throughout the Scriptures, beginning with Cain and Abel, we see God accepting some sacrifices and rejecting others. He is the One Who required sacrifices with multiple parameters, but then later (in Isaiah 1) He asked, “Who has required all these sacrifices at your hand?”
As the Hebrews writer explains, Christ knew that doing God’s will – obedience – took priority over sacrifice; but then, in doing God’s will, Christ offered Himself as the sinless, atoning sacrifice. Hebrews 10:8-10 – “First He said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them’ (although the law required them to be made). Then He said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
So I will often ask, “Is standing on the table a sin? Does the Bible say, ‘You shall not stand on tables’?”
The child says, “No,” even though he has never read the entire Bible, let alone, memorized it. But I think God has given my child enough grace to recognize the answer to my question.
“What was your sin then?” I ask.
“Disobeying my parents.”
“Is disobeying your parents a sin?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because God says, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord.’”
“That’s right. So when you disobey your parents, then you are also …”
“… disobeying God. – I’m sorry, Dad, for disobeying you by standing on the table.”
“Now, Son, you need to tell Someone else ….”
“I’m sorry, God, for disobeying you.”
* * * * *
Throughout the Scriptures, beginning with Cain and Abel, we see God accepting some sacrifices and rejecting others. He is the One Who required sacrifices with multiple parameters, but then later (in Isaiah 1) He asked, “Who has required all these sacrifices at your hand?”
As the Hebrews writer explains, Christ knew that doing God’s will – obedience – took priority over sacrifice; but then, in doing God’s will, Christ offered Himself as the sinless, atoning sacrifice. Hebrews 10:8-10 – “First He said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them’ (although the law required them to be made). Then He said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Wash One Another's Feet
John 13:12-17 – “So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
If pride was involved with the very first sin and with the beginnings of every sin thereafter – as the Proverb writer states, “An haughty spirit [goes] before a fall,” (Proverbs 16:18), – then perhaps it is also involved in the arguments against and resistances to the practice of Christians washing one another’s feet in modern times. Interestingly and, I think, not coincidentally, pride is one of those very sins which this practice is meant to shame; thus, it is the first to protest even the suggestion of the practice.
“It’s just weird,” someone might say. But such was not the case in Biblical culture, unless, of course, a master would happen to wash his servants’ feet. But then to say such a thing would be to declare the actions of Christ Himself as weird. And although the practice was somewhat common in Biblical times, one should not assume that pride therefore never got in the way back then. Why did Peter at first recoil at his Master’s actions? Why did not the hosting Pharisee wash Jesus’ feet?
At the time of writing this exhortation, I have yet to observe or recall a persuasive argument against feet washing, … at least, not one as clear and precise as the Lord’s own words in saying, “Ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. Ye should do as I have done to you.”
If pride was involved with the very first sin and with the beginnings of every sin thereafter – as the Proverb writer states, “An haughty spirit [goes] before a fall,” (Proverbs 16:18), – then perhaps it is also involved in the arguments against and resistances to the practice of Christians washing one another’s feet in modern times. Interestingly and, I think, not coincidentally, pride is one of those very sins which this practice is meant to shame; thus, it is the first to protest even the suggestion of the practice.
“It’s just weird,” someone might say. But such was not the case in Biblical culture, unless, of course, a master would happen to wash his servants’ feet. But then to say such a thing would be to declare the actions of Christ Himself as weird. And although the practice was somewhat common in Biblical times, one should not assume that pride therefore never got in the way back then. Why did Peter at first recoil at his Master’s actions? Why did not the hosting Pharisee wash Jesus’ feet?
At the time of writing this exhortation, I have yet to observe or recall a persuasive argument against feet washing, … at least, not one as clear and precise as the Lord’s own words in saying, “Ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. Ye should do as I have done to you.”
Merry Thanksgiving
Within the Proverbs, the Holy Spirit establishes an antithesis between a merry heart and a sorrowful heart. Proverbs 15:13 – “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” A chapter earlier (14:13), we find that “even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.” Still another Proverb (16:23) explains that “the heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.” The mouth does not teach the heart; the heart teaches the mouth. So a cheerful countenance from a merry heart is telling the truth, but laughter from a sorrowful heart is lying. But that is not the only entailment of such laughter.
It is also momentary (short-lived). Antithetically, “he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast” – Proverbs 15:15. Thus, we conclude that the merry-hearted men and women of God are the only ones who can truly celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
Just as the triumphal exultation of a heart surgeon much challenged by a recent operation is far better appreciated by his colleagues than by the actors who only play doctors on TV, so too may holy people relate with the Pilgrims far better than heathen people. For we, like the Pilgrims, acknowledge the Great Heart Surgeon Who “brings forth food out of the earth.” It is His “bread which strengthens man’s heart” and His “wine that makes glad the heart of man.” (Psalm 104:14b-15)
The heathen’s laughter comes on Turkey Thursday and is gone by Monday, but he whose face God’s oil has made to shine keeps on feasting. So “eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with [you] in [your] labor all the days of [your] life which God gives [you] under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” (Eccl. 8:15 NKJV; Eccl. 9:7; & Psalm 100:4)
It is also momentary (short-lived). Antithetically, “he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast” – Proverbs 15:15. Thus, we conclude that the merry-hearted men and women of God are the only ones who can truly celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
Just as the triumphal exultation of a heart surgeon much challenged by a recent operation is far better appreciated by his colleagues than by the actors who only play doctors on TV, so too may holy people relate with the Pilgrims far better than heathen people. For we, like the Pilgrims, acknowledge the Great Heart Surgeon Who “brings forth food out of the earth.” It is His “bread which strengthens man’s heart” and His “wine that makes glad the heart of man.” (Psalm 104:14b-15)
The heathen’s laughter comes on Turkey Thursday and is gone by Monday, but he whose face God’s oil has made to shine keeps on feasting. So “eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with [you] in [your] labor all the days of [your] life which God gives [you] under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” (Eccl. 8:15 NKJV; Eccl. 9:7; & Psalm 100:4)
Creedless Religion?
There is no such thing as a creedless religion. A creedless religion is one which makes no statement about its particular set or system of beliefs, except the particularly assertive statement that “we assert no particular statement of beliefs.” If, after I challenge your affirmation that your religion has no creed, you assume a fighting stance, you’ve just illustrated my point. While your religion is a shambles, you and your colleagues at least can get together under the guise that you all share the common belief that you affirm no other particular beliefs; after that, you just have to shut up and stare at each other.
To get around this, the denominational Church of God (the one which has declared that “we are non-denominational”) adds an important qualifier – “we have no written creed but the Holy Bible.” But this has it problems, too, especially if what is meant is that neither an organization nor an individual should paraphrase what it believes but should only quote the Scriptures. If this is the case, then preaching from the pulpit should be nothing more than reading, reciting, or possibly rearranging the Holy Scriptures. For as soon as you open your mouth to expound a particular passage, you are differing little from those who declare a creed.
Another important qualifier for the Church of God Reformation Movement is, I suppose, the word written; because it can, for a moment, appear that we do have an unwritten creed. And what’s more, you have to line up with it if you’re going to be ordained within the Church of God. Ironic, however, is the fact that if you do pursue such ordination, you are required to write out your personal creed and you must do so without quoting Scripture. This more easily enables the Board of Pastoral and Church Relations (BPCR) to compare your creed with the Movement’s “unwritten” creed and thereby determine your level of qualification for ordination.
When presenting my personal statement of beliefs, perhaps I should have provided the following: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. … On the third day, He rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
“I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Of course, these words are not original with me; it is known as The Apostles’ Creed, with a couple minor revisions. It’s been around for quite some time, as I understand, – centuries – even longer than the Church of God Reformation Movement. Does the Church of God or its BPCR have any problems with the Creed’s content? If so, then I have a problem with the Church of God, its BPCR, or both.
To get around this, the denominational Church of God (the one which has declared that “we are non-denominational”) adds an important qualifier – “we have no written creed but the Holy Bible.” But this has it problems, too, especially if what is meant is that neither an organization nor an individual should paraphrase what it believes but should only quote the Scriptures. If this is the case, then preaching from the pulpit should be nothing more than reading, reciting, or possibly rearranging the Holy Scriptures. For as soon as you open your mouth to expound a particular passage, you are differing little from those who declare a creed.
Another important qualifier for the Church of God Reformation Movement is, I suppose, the word written; because it can, for a moment, appear that we do have an unwritten creed. And what’s more, you have to line up with it if you’re going to be ordained within the Church of God. Ironic, however, is the fact that if you do pursue such ordination, you are required to write out your personal creed and you must do so without quoting Scripture. This more easily enables the Board of Pastoral and Church Relations (BPCR) to compare your creed with the Movement’s “unwritten” creed and thereby determine your level of qualification for ordination.
When presenting my personal statement of beliefs, perhaps I should have provided the following: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. … On the third day, He rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
“I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Of course, these words are not original with me; it is known as The Apostles’ Creed, with a couple minor revisions. It’s been around for quite some time, as I understand, – centuries – even longer than the Church of God Reformation Movement. Does the Church of God or its BPCR have any problems with the Creed’s content? If so, then I have a problem with the Church of God, its BPCR, or both.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
God Gives the Increase
Deuteronomy 28:4-5 – “Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.”
Deuteronomy 28:38-42 – “Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.”
So what makes the difference? How do we ensure the blessings and avoid the curses? Is it the amount of sweat put into the sowing, planting, and begetting? Is it the number of waking hours devoted to such tasks? Is it the magnitude of sacrifice or self-suffering that we offer? No. It’s obedience. It’s faith in God’s commandments. It’s faith in God’s promises. He promises blessings for obedience (to the commandments); He promises curses for disobedience.
It’s not the stone that kills the giant. It’s not the loud horns and shouting, the shattering pitchers, and the bright torches around the camp that cause the enemies to destroy themselves. It’s not the harmonic frequency of marching feet that makes thick walls fall down. It’s obedience. Faith-full obedience.
So do we then just lie back and refrain from idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, and dishonesty? Is that the only obedience required for the blessings to come rolling in? No. Because It also says, “Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work” (Deut. 5:13), and “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thes. 3:10).
But again, Men, Pastors, Elders, Deacons, & Ministers in training, successful ministry does not depend on your spending 14 out of 18 waking hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, serving the church. It’s not your sweating, it’s not your planting, it’s not your watering, it’s not your fertilizing, it’s not even your “passion and heart” for those many sowing and harvesting ministries to which “so few others seem committed” that pulls the tree out of the acorn. God calls you to be obedient. Your wife, your children, your family need you to be obedient. Your church needs you to be obedient. Your community, your culture needs you to be obedient.
“So then neither is he that plants any thing, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.” – 1 Corinthians 3:7
Deuteronomy 28:38-42 – “Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.”
So what makes the difference? How do we ensure the blessings and avoid the curses? Is it the amount of sweat put into the sowing, planting, and begetting? Is it the number of waking hours devoted to such tasks? Is it the magnitude of sacrifice or self-suffering that we offer? No. It’s obedience. It’s faith in God’s commandments. It’s faith in God’s promises. He promises blessings for obedience (to the commandments); He promises curses for disobedience.
It’s not the stone that kills the giant. It’s not the loud horns and shouting, the shattering pitchers, and the bright torches around the camp that cause the enemies to destroy themselves. It’s not the harmonic frequency of marching feet that makes thick walls fall down. It’s obedience. Faith-full obedience.
So do we then just lie back and refrain from idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, and dishonesty? Is that the only obedience required for the blessings to come rolling in? No. Because It also says, “Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work” (Deut. 5:13), and “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thes. 3:10).
But again, Men, Pastors, Elders, Deacons, & Ministers in training, successful ministry does not depend on your spending 14 out of 18 waking hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, serving the church. It’s not your sweating, it’s not your planting, it’s not your watering, it’s not your fertilizing, it’s not even your “passion and heart” for those many sowing and harvesting ministries to which “so few others seem committed” that pulls the tree out of the acorn. God calls you to be obedient. Your wife, your children, your family need you to be obedient. Your church needs you to be obedient. Your community, your culture needs you to be obedient.
“So then neither is he that plants any thing, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.” – 1 Corinthians 3:7
Symbolism
May it not be said, especially of us ministers, “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things? … I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” – John 3:10, 12
What’s more important: the symbol or the thing symbolized? the image or the real? the wedding ring or the marriage? the photograph or the wife? man or God? The answers are obvious.
Symbols are not unimportant, however. Disrespect for the symbol translates as disrespect for the thing symbolized. Spitting on my wife’s picture insults my wife’s person. Murder defaces the image of God and thus expresses disdain for God Himself. Disregard for your spouse, i.e. for your marriage, reflects your perspective of Christ’s relationship with His Church. To shun participation in water baptism and the Lord’s supper is to shun the Lord Himself.
Symbols are important. However, it is possible to idolize a symbol while still scorning the thing symbolized, which is why Hezekiah destroyed the brass serpent. It is also possible to overreact to such idolatry with a total disregard for the symbol while claiming an emphasis on “what’s really important.” But both extremes are likely the result from failing to appropriately connect the type with the antitype.
A fuller understanding of the greater real often results in a deeper appreciation for and participation with the symbol. Those who deeply love God are more inclined to evidently love their neighbor, the image of God.
They appreciate the symbol, but they also remember its place. The sewer guy who lost his wedding ring at work will not assume that, when he gets home, his wife will be missing. Solomon spent 7 years building a temple for the LORD that was likely the grandest of his day, yet he recognized its inadequacy. I Kings 8:12-13, 27 – “Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. … But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built?”
Though not insignificant, symbols can eventually become unnecessary; but until the reality becomes full and complete, the symbol remains important and appropriate. Symbols abound in the Holy Scriptures and in our lives. Symbols speak. – Indeed, they cannot be silent. – What are they saying about God? What are we saying about God? -- Read, observe, study, learn, grow, explore, and discover.
I Corinthians 9:9-10a – “For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely He says this for us, doesn’t He? Yes, this was written for us, ….” (See also reference from Deut. 25:4)
What’s more important: the symbol or the thing symbolized? the image or the real? the wedding ring or the marriage? the photograph or the wife? man or God? The answers are obvious.
Symbols are not unimportant, however. Disrespect for the symbol translates as disrespect for the thing symbolized. Spitting on my wife’s picture insults my wife’s person. Murder defaces the image of God and thus expresses disdain for God Himself. Disregard for your spouse, i.e. for your marriage, reflects your perspective of Christ’s relationship with His Church. To shun participation in water baptism and the Lord’s supper is to shun the Lord Himself.
Symbols are important. However, it is possible to idolize a symbol while still scorning the thing symbolized, which is why Hezekiah destroyed the brass serpent. It is also possible to overreact to such idolatry with a total disregard for the symbol while claiming an emphasis on “what’s really important.” But both extremes are likely the result from failing to appropriately connect the type with the antitype.
A fuller understanding of the greater real often results in a deeper appreciation for and participation with the symbol. Those who deeply love God are more inclined to evidently love their neighbor, the image of God.
They appreciate the symbol, but they also remember its place. The sewer guy who lost his wedding ring at work will not assume that, when he gets home, his wife will be missing. Solomon spent 7 years building a temple for the LORD that was likely the grandest of his day, yet he recognized its inadequacy. I Kings 8:12-13, 27 – “Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. … But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built?”
Though not insignificant, symbols can eventually become unnecessary; but until the reality becomes full and complete, the symbol remains important and appropriate. Symbols abound in the Holy Scriptures and in our lives. Symbols speak. – Indeed, they cannot be silent. – What are they saying about God? What are we saying about God? -- Read, observe, study, learn, grow, explore, and discover.
I Corinthians 9:9-10a – “For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely He says this for us, doesn’t He? Yes, this was written for us, ….” (See also reference from Deut. 25:4)
Confess Your Sin
When Israel was defeated in battle by the small town of Ai, Joshua fell on his face before the LORD and basically asked, “Why did this happen to us?” (Joshua 7:6-9) “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! Why are you lying on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, ….’” (Joshua 7:10-11) Was this new news to Joshua? It shouldn’t have been. Before the conquest of Jericho, Joshua himself had warned the Israelites not to take from the spoils that which was to be consecrated to the LORD. Joshua should have immediately suspected sin in the camp. He didn’t know where the sin was, but he could have at least recognized its presence.
In Luke 13:4-5, Jesus says, “Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, No! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
We in the church of God do not always know where the sin is; and, like Joshua, we hardly seem to recognize its presence. Even worse, we are unlike Joshua in that we fail to at least fall on our faces before God and ask, “Why?” We ought to have some suspicions. Somebody needs to ask the church, “Do we think that when the towers fell in New York, or when a hurricane ruined a big party town in Louisiana, or when wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes in the western United States, that these things happened because they were sinners more than us all? Why are these things happening to us?”
The answer is something like the following: God is grabbing us by the scruff of the neck and saying, “Confess your sin!”
In Luke 13:4-5, Jesus says, “Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, No! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
We in the church of God do not always know where the sin is; and, like Joshua, we hardly seem to recognize its presence. Even worse, we are unlike Joshua in that we fail to at least fall on our faces before God and ask, “Why?” We ought to have some suspicions. Somebody needs to ask the church, “Do we think that when the towers fell in New York, or when a hurricane ruined a big party town in Louisiana, or when wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes in the western United States, that these things happened because they were sinners more than us all? Why are these things happening to us?”
The answer is something like the following: God is grabbing us by the scruff of the neck and saying, “Confess your sin!”
Truth in a Contradiction
There is hardly a sane man, I should hope, who considers himself to possess all knowledge. There are, however, only a few more men who concede the likelihood of inherent contradiction within the knowledge they think they do have. That is, people think that all their beliefs are consistent and in agreement with one another. For probably a number of reasons, into which I do not wish to go just now, they fail to acknowledge the incompatible underpinnings of their ideas. This is why the same woman can hug a tree and murder her unborn child.
But a contradiction implies an acceptance of, at least, some truth. For a contradiction is created by affirming each of two opposing ideas or statements as true, while both, in reality, fall under the same category of discussion. For example, given identical contexts, the following statements are contradictory: To live, food is necessary. To live, food is not necessary. Given identical contexts, both statements cannot be true. One is; one isn’t. Thus, when you meet a person who believes and affirms both, you walk away scratching your head and wondering, “That person is goofed up! How do they function in the world? More curiously, how do they approach mealtimes on a daily basis without going crazy?”
Therefore, when you discourse with someone whose contradictions you’ve identified, start with that part of their contradiction which is on the side of truth and, working from there, lead them to the Source of that truth – JEHOVAH, the triune God. “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (italics mine).
But a contradiction implies an acceptance of, at least, some truth. For a contradiction is created by affirming each of two opposing ideas or statements as true, while both, in reality, fall under the same category of discussion. For example, given identical contexts, the following statements are contradictory: To live, food is necessary. To live, food is not necessary. Given identical contexts, both statements cannot be true. One is; one isn’t. Thus, when you meet a person who believes and affirms both, you walk away scratching your head and wondering, “That person is goofed up! How do they function in the world? More curiously, how do they approach mealtimes on a daily basis without going crazy?”
Therefore, when you discourse with someone whose contradictions you’ve identified, start with that part of their contradiction which is on the side of truth and, working from there, lead them to the Source of that truth – JEHOVAH, the triune God. “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (italics mine).
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Reformation of the Home
This is it! – what I believe the church has needed to hear for a long while now. This is a single summary paragraph from a book by Douglas Wilson entitled Standing on the Promises.* I hope every Christian pastor in America (and beyond) will soon grasp this truth and practice corresponding faithfulness in Christ. (Notice the italicized portions are my emphases.)
“The first place where this reformation must come is in the area of the requirements the church places upon her elders and deacons. The Scripture requires that church officers manage their homes well, and requires that the children of church officers be believers. The officers of the church are placed by God in a position to be examples to the congregation. The members of the church are commanded to imitate them, carefully considering the outcome of their way of life. This way of life includes the very important matter of how they bring up their children. There will be no reformation and no revival until those pastors who do not meet the child-rearing qualifications of their office step down, in repentance, from their office. Men who have a household in disarray are just as unqualified for church office as a lesbian is. It is way past time for conservative Christians to cease being outraged with the disobedience of others. Why do we remove the beam from their radical eye when we have a telephone pole in our own conservative eye? If the church permitted polygamy among the elders, then the households of the membership would be in shambles as well. Such disobedience cannot produce good fruit. We are guilty of such disobedience, and we must not be astonished at the results. There are, of course, other areas of childrearing which must be addressed as well. But unless this happens within the leadership of the church, all other efforts are futile. And when it happens, as it will, all other reforms will follow.”
* - Standing on the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing, by Douglas Wilson. (Canon Press, PO Box 8741, Moscow, Idaho 83843, USA; copyright, 1997 by Douglas Wilson; pg. 167.)
“The first place where this reformation must come is in the area of the requirements the church places upon her elders and deacons. The Scripture requires that church officers manage their homes well, and requires that the children of church officers be believers. The officers of the church are placed by God in a position to be examples to the congregation. The members of the church are commanded to imitate them, carefully considering the outcome of their way of life. This way of life includes the very important matter of how they bring up their children. There will be no reformation and no revival until those pastors who do not meet the child-rearing qualifications of their office step down, in repentance, from their office. Men who have a household in disarray are just as unqualified for church office as a lesbian is. It is way past time for conservative Christians to cease being outraged with the disobedience of others. Why do we remove the beam from their radical eye when we have a telephone pole in our own conservative eye? If the church permitted polygamy among the elders, then the households of the membership would be in shambles as well. Such disobedience cannot produce good fruit. We are guilty of such disobedience, and we must not be astonished at the results. There are, of course, other areas of childrearing which must be addressed as well. But unless this happens within the leadership of the church, all other efforts are futile. And when it happens, as it will, all other reforms will follow.”
* - Standing on the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing, by Douglas Wilson. (Canon Press, PO Box 8741, Moscow, Idaho 83843, USA; copyright, 1997 by Douglas Wilson; pg. 167.)
Liberal Legalism
There is a particular group of Christians who call themselves “the true church, … of pure religion, … presenting the pure, unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. All others are Babylon, false religion, apostate, reprobate, and deceived.” I used to belong to such a fellowship, and it was quite legalistic.
Another group encourages themselves to “stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) They run after their hearts’ desires, claiming that the Lord wants them to be happy. I have been around such as these as well, and I think many are just practicing another form of legalism.
One side of legalism says, “If you don’t have ‘chapter-&-verse,’ then you’re not allowed to do it.” The other side of legalism says, “If you can’t show me ‘chapter-&-verse,’ then I’m allowed to do it.” But both sides fail to see the greater principle.
Because the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, some question even the principle. But neither of the words in the phrase “personal relationship” appear in the Scriptures either (at least, not in the King James Version). Yet who would deny that such a principle is interwoven throughout the entire history of God’s interactions with His people?
John Calvin provides a good reminder in his Institutes of the Christian Religion:* When God says, “You shall not kill,” this is not just a command to refrain from murdering your neighbor. Of course, Christ clarifies that the principle also includes the prohibition of hating your neighbor, wishing him hardship, and rejoicing when it comes; but the principle does not stop there either. God’s will is not satisfied if you simply go and dig in the earth and hide yourself (Matt. 25:18) in an attempt to abstain from all evil. Rather the principle – God’s reason for the commandment – is to proactively serve your neighbor as you would like to be served, loving him as yourself.
Of course, there is an exact verse for this, as there ought to be, since it is one of the two greatest commandments upon which “hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:40 & 7:12). What law? The law that includes, “Thou shalt not kill.” It hangs on – and points to – a greater law (or principle). And this is only one of many such Biblical testimonies against legalism, no matter in what form it comes.
* – The Library of Christian Classics, Volume XX – Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion I, by John Calvin. (Editor: John T. McNeill; Translator: Ford Lewis Battles; Publisher: The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and the S. C. M. Press, Ltd., London, England, Great Britain; copyright, MCMLX by W. L. Jenkins.)
Another group encourages themselves to “stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) They run after their hearts’ desires, claiming that the Lord wants them to be happy. I have been around such as these as well, and I think many are just practicing another form of legalism.
One side of legalism says, “If you don’t have ‘chapter-&-verse,’ then you’re not allowed to do it.” The other side of legalism says, “If you can’t show me ‘chapter-&-verse,’ then I’m allowed to do it.” But both sides fail to see the greater principle.
Because the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, some question even the principle. But neither of the words in the phrase “personal relationship” appear in the Scriptures either (at least, not in the King James Version). Yet who would deny that such a principle is interwoven throughout the entire history of God’s interactions with His people?
John Calvin provides a good reminder in his Institutes of the Christian Religion:* When God says, “You shall not kill,” this is not just a command to refrain from murdering your neighbor. Of course, Christ clarifies that the principle also includes the prohibition of hating your neighbor, wishing him hardship, and rejoicing when it comes; but the principle does not stop there either. God’s will is not satisfied if you simply go and dig in the earth and hide yourself (Matt. 25:18) in an attempt to abstain from all evil. Rather the principle – God’s reason for the commandment – is to proactively serve your neighbor as you would like to be served, loving him as yourself.
Of course, there is an exact verse for this, as there ought to be, since it is one of the two greatest commandments upon which “hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:40 & 7:12). What law? The law that includes, “Thou shalt not kill.” It hangs on – and points to – a greater law (or principle). And this is only one of many such Biblical testimonies against legalism, no matter in what form it comes.
* – The Library of Christian Classics, Volume XX – Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion I, by John Calvin. (Editor: John T. McNeill; Translator: Ford Lewis Battles; Publisher: The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and the S. C. M. Press, Ltd., London, England, Great Britain; copyright, MCMLX by W. L. Jenkins.)
Saturday, March 31, 2007
To Obey Is Better Than Individually Customized Worship
Sam was the deacon of a church somewhere in the US. He had been a part of that church all his life and had seen a number of changes over the years. One of these changes included an increase in the number of exhortations offered by the music minister for the individual audience members to offer up a sacrifice of praise, each in his own way. Also offered was a reminder that we are not to judge another because “God knows that person’s heart, which is more important to Him than that person’s manner or quality of worship. If your brother across the aisle prefers hymns over praise choruses, fine. If he likes to close his eyes and meditate, let him. If you feel like lifting your hands, go for it. You worship the Lord the way you want, and let him worship the way he wants.” But Sam couldn’t help but wonder if God Himself had not specified in His Word the manner or quality of worship that was acceptable and pleasing to Him.
Sam was also the father of a 6-year-old boy named Saul. One day at home, Sam said, “Saul, I have to run some errands in town. I’ll be back shortly. Please have your room cleaned, including your bed made, by the time I get back. Okay? I love you.” And off Sam went.
He returned a couple hours later to discover Saul’s room untouched, but there was a fairly impressive oil painting (on canvas) setting on a three-legged easel in the corner of the living room. Running in from the kitchen came Saul and saying, “Hey, Dad! Since you like pictures of Old Testament things, I painted this picture for you while you were gone.”
“But, Saul,” Sam said, “you did not clean your room as you were told.”
“But look, Dad.” Saul explained, “It’s a picture of a fat ram and some sticks being consumed in flame atop some blood-stained stones and smoke ascending into a deep blue sky. I sacrificed my time and energy and paint materials to paint this picture just for you. Certainly you can see that my intentions were good.”
“And Samuel said, ‘Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’” – I Samuel 15:22
Sam was also the father of a 6-year-old boy named Saul. One day at home, Sam said, “Saul, I have to run some errands in town. I’ll be back shortly. Please have your room cleaned, including your bed made, by the time I get back. Okay? I love you.” And off Sam went.
He returned a couple hours later to discover Saul’s room untouched, but there was a fairly impressive oil painting (on canvas) setting on a three-legged easel in the corner of the living room. Running in from the kitchen came Saul and saying, “Hey, Dad! Since you like pictures of Old Testament things, I painted this picture for you while you were gone.”
“But, Saul,” Sam said, “you did not clean your room as you were told.”
“But look, Dad.” Saul explained, “It’s a picture of a fat ram and some sticks being consumed in flame atop some blood-stained stones and smoke ascending into a deep blue sky. I sacrificed my time and energy and paint materials to paint this picture just for you. Certainly you can see that my intentions were good.”
“And Samuel said, ‘Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’” – I Samuel 15:22
My Absent Son
2005, May 7th, Saturday evening, around 8:24 pm: The heart that took my son's life also claimed a part of mine. For our family, it seemed that a part of the sun had become darkened; but it was only an eclipse – it soon shall pass! “What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” “... The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” – Job 2:10, 1:21
Such an event has drained me of many tears, but it has not erased my memories nor destroyed my affection. So please, ask me about my absent son. I love him.
If you were to ask me right now about my Dad, I might say, “Well, I suppose he’s doing well. You see, he’s not with us now.”
Then you might say, “Oh, … huh …. How long has he been gone?”
“Well, the last time I saw him alive was October 1st of last year.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” you say.
“Why are you sorry? I didn’t say he was dead. He lives somewhere in south-central Ohio. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He’s just absent from our presence right now. I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.”
And I expect the same of my son, Elisha Malachi Rauch. Actually, I expect it of the Lord, because I “judge Him faithful Who promised” (Heb. 11:11) that “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).
So ask me about my son. I am very fond of him, and I like to talk about the people and things about which I am fond. Don’t you? He lives with the Lord. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He may be absent from our presence right now, but I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.
If it were up to you, he’d be “gone and forgotten.” But I do not want to forget him. In truth, he is not “gone and forgotten;” he is only gone and for-a-little-while. “But now he is dead,” as King David said, “wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (II Samuel 12:23).
The Psalmist also wrote, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). So wherefore should I mourn? Wherefore should we avoid discussion about those who have “fallen asleep in Christ”?
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. … The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain …: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Such an event has drained me of many tears, but it has not erased my memories nor destroyed my affection. So please, ask me about my absent son. I love him.
If you were to ask me right now about my Dad, I might say, “Well, I suppose he’s doing well. You see, he’s not with us now.”
Then you might say, “Oh, … huh …. How long has he been gone?”
“Well, the last time I saw him alive was October 1st of last year.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” you say.
“Why are you sorry? I didn’t say he was dead. He lives somewhere in south-central Ohio. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He’s just absent from our presence right now. I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.”
And I expect the same of my son, Elisha Malachi Rauch. Actually, I expect it of the Lord, because I “judge Him faithful Who promised” (Heb. 11:11) that “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).
So ask me about my son. I am very fond of him, and I like to talk about the people and things about which I am fond. Don’t you? He lives with the Lord. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He may be absent from our presence right now, but I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.
If it were up to you, he’d be “gone and forgotten.” But I do not want to forget him. In truth, he is not “gone and forgotten;” he is only gone and for-a-little-while. “But now he is dead,” as King David said, “wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (II Samuel 12:23).
The Psalmist also wrote, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). So wherefore should I mourn? Wherefore should we avoid discussion about those who have “fallen asleep in Christ”?
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. … The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain …: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Deceiving Is Believing
James 1:22, 26 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. … If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
Everybody believes something. Even those who say, “Trust no one,” apparently believe that no one can be trusted; and they who claim that all religion is phony probably believe that life is little more than a pile of manure. Similarly, deception, especially self-deception, is a belief. Probably not as much a denial of a truth, self-deception is likely more an affirmation of a lie, a falsehood, an untruth.
In the passage read from James, the Holy Spirit cautions us against only hearing and talking about the Word of God but not doing It. “Hearers only” are “deceiving [their] own selves.” Someone who “seems to be religious,” who always talks about religious things “and bridleth not his tongue, … deceiveth his own heart,” and “this man’s religion is vain,” worthless, and without profit. Deception comes not from hearing, but from hearing only. Both the doers and the deceived hear, but the deceived stop right there.
Perhaps you have met people like this. You might even have some enjoyable, agreeable conversations; but afterward, you walk away, shaking your head because you know about them and their disobedient lifestyle. Often among the Scriptural passages they have heard are the ones about faithful participation in church.
“But why do I need church when, as I can show you, I’m learning quite well on my own at home? After all, we are ‘saved through faith’ and ‘faith cometh by hearing,’ right? And I hear the Bible on the radio and television, and I read books about it, etc., etc. So I’m saved because I’ve heard and believed.”
“Yeah, but what about ‘Not forsaking the assembling of – ’”?
“Yeah, yeah, I know: Forsake not ‘the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ – Hebrews 10:25 See? I knew that! And I believe it, too.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?”
“Well, first of all, you shouldn’t be judging me, especially since you don’t know that I blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, ….”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I think I see now: You’re someone who doesn’t believe in the Trinity, huh? You’re someone who doesn’t really get the significance of covenants, or of marriage, or of family, or of baptism, or of the Lord’s supper, huh? You’re someone who believes that a finger can successfully amputate itself from the body and still continue to function just fine on its own, huh? You’re probably someone who doesn’t like four-part harmony or orchestral music either? And I suppose, in a battle, you’d prefer to face the opposing army on your own, wouldn’t you? Or you’d be the type to build a skyscraper all by yourself, huh? Or wait! No, you wouldn’t build the skyscraper, because all you need to do is believe that you can build it all by yourself. If you believe, that’s all that matters, right?... because then the skyscraper will automatically appear on its own if you just believe, right?”
Everybody believes something. Even those who say, “Trust no one,” apparently believe that no one can be trusted; and they who claim that all religion is phony probably believe that life is little more than a pile of manure. Similarly, deception, especially self-deception, is a belief. Probably not as much a denial of a truth, self-deception is likely more an affirmation of a lie, a falsehood, an untruth.
In the passage read from James, the Holy Spirit cautions us against only hearing and talking about the Word of God but not doing It. “Hearers only” are “deceiving [their] own selves.” Someone who “seems to be religious,” who always talks about religious things “and bridleth not his tongue, … deceiveth his own heart,” and “this man’s religion is vain,” worthless, and without profit. Deception comes not from hearing, but from hearing only. Both the doers and the deceived hear, but the deceived stop right there.
Perhaps you have met people like this. You might even have some enjoyable, agreeable conversations; but afterward, you walk away, shaking your head because you know about them and their disobedient lifestyle. Often among the Scriptural passages they have heard are the ones about faithful participation in church.
“But why do I need church when, as I can show you, I’m learning quite well on my own at home? After all, we are ‘saved through faith’ and ‘faith cometh by hearing,’ right? And I hear the Bible on the radio and television, and I read books about it, etc., etc. So I’m saved because I’ve heard and believed.”
“Yeah, but what about ‘Not forsaking the assembling of – ’”?
“Yeah, yeah, I know: Forsake not ‘the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ – Hebrews 10:25 See? I knew that! And I believe it, too.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?”
“Well, first of all, you shouldn’t be judging me, especially since you don’t know that I blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, ….”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I think I see now: You’re someone who doesn’t believe in the Trinity, huh? You’re someone who doesn’t really get the significance of covenants, or of marriage, or of family, or of baptism, or of the Lord’s supper, huh? You’re someone who believes that a finger can successfully amputate itself from the body and still continue to function just fine on its own, huh? You’re probably someone who doesn’t like four-part harmony or orchestral music either? And I suppose, in a battle, you’d prefer to face the opposing army on your own, wouldn’t you? Or you’d be the type to build a skyscraper all by yourself, huh? Or wait! No, you wouldn’t build the skyscraper, because all you need to do is believe that you can build it all by yourself. If you believe, that’s all that matters, right?... because then the skyscraper will automatically appear on its own if you just believe, right?”
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Honor Your Mother
In our egalitarian culture, how is it that many in the church still do not recognize a mother’s authority that they verbally acknowledge as belonging to the father?
I know a man who is very faithful to his family. He loves his wife sacrificially. He is a very generous provider and a rather zealous protector. He knows how to be perfectly balanced in disciplining his children, which brings us to our story.
One day, while the man was out, one of the children began to become restless. The mother quietly cautioned the child about the direction into which his behavior seemed to be heading. This apparently had no effect as the child quickly crossed the line into disobedience. After waiting a couple moments to see if the boy would correct his own misbehavior and settle down, his mother again offered a mild reprimand. She was also just beginning to explain that the other children were also becoming offended, when suddenly the disobedient child put his fingers in his ears, stuck out his tongue, turned around and walked away, all the while yelling, “La-la-la-la-la…!” After fifteen minutes or so of this, the child finally tired of yelling but still continued to antagonize those around him in not-so-subtle ways.
A half hour later, the husband and father walked through the front door, unnoticed by the rebellious child. The father quickly observed that all was not right and wasted no time chastising his son with a firm spanking and a clear reminder as to the respect and honor that the son must exercise toward his mother and the type of home that must be maintained. Immediately after this father corrected the chaos that had been growing, he called his wife aside into a private place. He then reminded her of the oneness between them in marriage, of the authority which he held, of the expectations that she exercise much of that same authority including the authority to maintain discipline, with firmness when necessary, and of the promise he’d made to be ever-present in his support of her maintaining a Godly home.
Actually, I believe his words were “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:18-20).
I know a man who is very faithful to his family. He loves his wife sacrificially. He is a very generous provider and a rather zealous protector. He knows how to be perfectly balanced in disciplining his children, which brings us to our story.
One day, while the man was out, one of the children began to become restless. The mother quietly cautioned the child about the direction into which his behavior seemed to be heading. This apparently had no effect as the child quickly crossed the line into disobedience. After waiting a couple moments to see if the boy would correct his own misbehavior and settle down, his mother again offered a mild reprimand. She was also just beginning to explain that the other children were also becoming offended, when suddenly the disobedient child put his fingers in his ears, stuck out his tongue, turned around and walked away, all the while yelling, “La-la-la-la-la…!” After fifteen minutes or so of this, the child finally tired of yelling but still continued to antagonize those around him in not-so-subtle ways.
A half hour later, the husband and father walked through the front door, unnoticed by the rebellious child. The father quickly observed that all was not right and wasted no time chastising his son with a firm spanking and a clear reminder as to the respect and honor that the son must exercise toward his mother and the type of home that must be maintained. Immediately after this father corrected the chaos that had been growing, he called his wife aside into a private place. He then reminded her of the oneness between them in marriage, of the authority which he held, of the expectations that she exercise much of that same authority including the authority to maintain discipline, with firmness when necessary, and of the promise he’d made to be ever-present in his support of her maintaining a Godly home.
Actually, I believe his words were “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:18-20).
Change Change
“It’s all about change.” “A church that refuses to change is a church that refuses to grow;” at least, that’s what we have been told by many minister’s in the national Christian community today. “You’d better jump on the bandwagon of Change if you expect your church to go anywhere.” Well, here I go …. I certainly don’t want to be one who hinders the church from going where God wants it to go.
I’m all for change. There are some significant changes that are in order if many churches are going to get back to being the “city that is set on an hill [which] cannot be hid. … [Letting our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14b & 16)
I agree that the decline in church attendance is unacceptable. I think that we should not hold onto every tradition passed down to us without a first or second thought about it. I agree that children and young people ought to be permitted opportunity to participate in regular, corporate worship. Hell’s Angels, prostitutes, drug dealers, dead-beat dads, alcoholics, and smokers should be invited to church and into the kingdom of Christ.
Yep, I’m all for change, except that I’d like to use a more Biblical term, if you don’t mind (or even if you do). Jesus preached about “change.” John the Baptist did, too; and so did Peter. … except they all called it something else – repentance!
“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and” would just learn how to change … er, I mean, … “turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14
(See? I do want change. We could maybe start with replacing our Dictionary of Popular Culture with one known as the Holy Bible. But this would simply be a change back to the way things were meant to be from the beginning. And, of course, this is just a side-note, so please don’t get distracted from the main principle mentioned above, of which this is just one application.)
I’m all for change. There are some significant changes that are in order if many churches are going to get back to being the “city that is set on an hill [which] cannot be hid. … [Letting our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14b & 16)
I agree that the decline in church attendance is unacceptable. I think that we should not hold onto every tradition passed down to us without a first or second thought about it. I agree that children and young people ought to be permitted opportunity to participate in regular, corporate worship. Hell’s Angels, prostitutes, drug dealers, dead-beat dads, alcoholics, and smokers should be invited to church and into the kingdom of Christ.
Yep, I’m all for change, except that I’d like to use a more Biblical term, if you don’t mind (or even if you do). Jesus preached about “change.” John the Baptist did, too; and so did Peter. … except they all called it something else – repentance!
“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and” would just learn how to change … er, I mean, … “turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14
(See? I do want change. We could maybe start with replacing our Dictionary of Popular Culture with one known as the Holy Bible. But this would simply be a change back to the way things were meant to be from the beginning. And, of course, this is just a side-note, so please don’t get distracted from the main principle mentioned above, of which this is just one application.)
A Generation of Mules
One spring day, a young stallion went exploring and soon found himself in the northern pasture, about where his dad had once cautioned him. The wild animals did not roam there, the terrain was not uneven, and the grass was plentiful – indeed, these only added to the danger of the place. For it was on this north end of the pasture where They were corralled and fed. Who were They? – The Donkeys!
The stallion had previously noticed from a distance that they didn’t look so different from donkeys, and at moments, the grass appeared to be greener on their side of the fence. His glance lingered a little longer than he knew his father would like, and he was about to turn and run away when he saw her. A beautiful donkey with big, dark eyes and the prettiest coat of fur he’d ever seen. They soon began walking along the fence and talking about how they might get together. She reminded him that the fence was too high for the donkeys to jump over, but horses had hurdled it on several occasions. But the stallion loved his parents, his pasture, and his way of life too much to leave it all, even for her; so he searched along the fence until he found a hole in it just large enough that a donkey might squeeze through. The donkey agreed to come, marry the stallion, and live like a horse from now on.
Some eleven months later, a baby equine was delivered by the donkey. It had its father’s strength and its mother’s good looks. It grew to be a hard worker and stubbornly resistant to evil. – As a matter of fact, this entire scenario began to be quite typical of many other equines in that area of the pasture until, before long, mules were running around everywhere.
There’s a problem with mules, though: they cannot effectively carry out the Great Commission over the long term. Neither can we succeed across the street, across the state, across the nation, or across the seas until we succeed across the living room.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
The stallion had previously noticed from a distance that they didn’t look so different from donkeys, and at moments, the grass appeared to be greener on their side of the fence. His glance lingered a little longer than he knew his father would like, and he was about to turn and run away when he saw her. A beautiful donkey with big, dark eyes and the prettiest coat of fur he’d ever seen. They soon began walking along the fence and talking about how they might get together. She reminded him that the fence was too high for the donkeys to jump over, but horses had hurdled it on several occasions. But the stallion loved his parents, his pasture, and his way of life too much to leave it all, even for her; so he searched along the fence until he found a hole in it just large enough that a donkey might squeeze through. The donkey agreed to come, marry the stallion, and live like a horse from now on.
Some eleven months later, a baby equine was delivered by the donkey. It had its father’s strength and its mother’s good looks. It grew to be a hard worker and stubbornly resistant to evil. – As a matter of fact, this entire scenario began to be quite typical of many other equines in that area of the pasture until, before long, mules were running around everywhere.
There’s a problem with mules, though: they cannot effectively carry out the Great Commission over the long term. Neither can we succeed across the street, across the state, across the nation, or across the seas until we succeed across the living room.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
If You Won't Baptize Babies, Then Stop Having Church
Not too long ago, I heard a Bible teacher basically say that one of the arguments against baptizing babies (and thus, why the church where he serves does not teach or practice it as Biblical faithfulness) is that people have relied upon that one act as their ticket to Heaven; those same people, otherwise, are unfaithful to Christ and His Bride. – Granted: such a perspective of infant baptism is unacceptable within the church of God. But please, let’s be consistent!
What if a 50-year-old woman began relying upon that single act alone for her salvation? What if she trusted in the sign and not in the thing signified? What if some think that simple church attendance will save them? Will that teacher then discourage people from coming? … because “we don’t want you to mistake your attendance for an automatic transfer through the pearly gates.” What if some rely upon their financial giving? Should we then preach against any further giving and receiving of offerings? What if some weirdo thought that drinking water would get him into Heaven? Would all Christians be condemned for drinking water then? Of course, you can begin to see that this sort of thinking could not only put the preacher out of a job, but it could also become quite fatal, literally.
The problem is not with the baptism, just as it is not with the church attendance, the offering, or the drinking water. The problem is with the perspective. Does God only require you to be baptized as an infant but then expects nothing further by way of faithfulness to the covenant into which you’ve been baptized? Of course, this is not the case. But let’s not “throw the baby out with the [baptismal] water.” Perhaps we should not even throw out the baptismal water. – What is the right perspective on all this? Well, I’m glad I asked. Let’s discuss this further …. (to be continued ... maybe)
What if a 50-year-old woman began relying upon that single act alone for her salvation? What if she trusted in the sign and not in the thing signified? What if some think that simple church attendance will save them? Will that teacher then discourage people from coming? … because “we don’t want you to mistake your attendance for an automatic transfer through the pearly gates.” What if some rely upon their financial giving? Should we then preach against any further giving and receiving of offerings? What if some weirdo thought that drinking water would get him into Heaven? Would all Christians be condemned for drinking water then? Of course, you can begin to see that this sort of thinking could not only put the preacher out of a job, but it could also become quite fatal, literally.
The problem is not with the baptism, just as it is not with the church attendance, the offering, or the drinking water. The problem is with the perspective. Does God only require you to be baptized as an infant but then expects nothing further by way of faithfulness to the covenant into which you’ve been baptized? Of course, this is not the case. But let’s not “throw the baby out with the [baptismal] water.” Perhaps we should not even throw out the baptismal water. – What is the right perspective on all this? Well, I’m glad I asked. Let’s discuss this further …. (to be continued ... maybe)
Foreknowledge of God
Have you ever heard this from a believing Christian? “I believe God has foreknowledge, but I think He may choose to not tap into it all the time.” What is that all about? What motivates such a statement? I think that it likely stems from the great difficulty in our minds to accept the fact that God has always known the depths to which evil would sink and still does not do anything to stop it within the timeframe that we think He should.
To help you understand this struggle, let me just ask you a few, potentially disturbing questions.
– Before He created the world and Adam, was God thinking about all the terrible abductions, physical abuses, torturous murders, cannibalistic mutilations, and ridiculous wars that would occur after the Fall?
– Before God said, “Let there be light,” did He realize all that His Son would have to experience at the time of His crucifixion?
– How far in advance did God know that I would have a son who would have a big hole in his heart, scores of needles poked in his body, a ventilator tube shoved down his throat several times, medicines and blood transfusions pumped into his body, a feeding tube inserted through his nostrils and then through his belly, and a surgeon’s knife across his chest, only to die 102 days after his birth?
He is supposed to be a God of love, right? What kind of love is it that allows all this, especially if He knows about it long before it ever occurs? So it seems that some have concluded that God apparently doesn’t think about it unless He wants to.
But have we not read the Holy Bible, the very Word of God? Or have we forgotten what God says of Himself in the writings of Isaiah? “I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:6-7). “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Have we not read the first couple chapters of Job, where God initiates the discussion with Satan that would lead to Job’s great trials? Have we not read of the Holy Spirit’s prophecy concerning Judas hundreds of years before Christ (Psalms 69:25, 109:8; Acts 1:15-26), and that “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64)? Have we not noticed that the Lord says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8)? Have we not read? Have we forgotten? Or do we just refuse to believe?
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
To help you understand this struggle, let me just ask you a few, potentially disturbing questions.
– Before He created the world and Adam, was God thinking about all the terrible abductions, physical abuses, torturous murders, cannibalistic mutilations, and ridiculous wars that would occur after the Fall?
– Before God said, “Let there be light,” did He realize all that His Son would have to experience at the time of His crucifixion?
– How far in advance did God know that I would have a son who would have a big hole in his heart, scores of needles poked in his body, a ventilator tube shoved down his throat several times, medicines and blood transfusions pumped into his body, a feeding tube inserted through his nostrils and then through his belly, and a surgeon’s knife across his chest, only to die 102 days after his birth?
He is supposed to be a God of love, right? What kind of love is it that allows all this, especially if He knows about it long before it ever occurs? So it seems that some have concluded that God apparently doesn’t think about it unless He wants to.
But have we not read the Holy Bible, the very Word of God? Or have we forgotten what God says of Himself in the writings of Isaiah? “I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:6-7). “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Have we not read the first couple chapters of Job, where God initiates the discussion with Satan that would lead to Job’s great trials? Have we not read of the Holy Spirit’s prophecy concerning Judas hundreds of years before Christ (Psalms 69:25, 109:8; Acts 1:15-26), and that “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64)? Have we not noticed that the Lord says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8)? Have we not read? Have we forgotten? Or do we just refuse to believe?
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
Deeper Than Deep
Rich Mullins once recorded a song entitled “If I Stand” (on his album entitled Stuff of Earth), which included these words:
“There’s more that dances on the prairie than the wind
And more that pulses in the oceans than the tide.
There’s a love that is fiercer than the love between friends,
More gentle than a mother’s, when a baby’s at her side.
There’s a loyalty that’s deeper than mere sentiment
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing.
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
That I owe only to the Giver of all good things.”
We work and sweat to get lots of money; but what we really want is security. We pursue pleasures; but what we really want is joy. We become activists; but what we really want is purpose. We pop in a CD, sit cross-legged on the floor in a room surrounded by large windows, close our eyes, inhale deeply, and find ourselves in some enchanted sunny, flowery meadow where birds sing sweetly and butterflies smile at us; but what we really want is peace. We strategize and entice for intimacy; but what we really want is love.
Thus, we begin to understand the love and grace of the Holy Spirit when He teaches us in Philippians 4:6-7 to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Notice that when you “let your requests be made known unto God,” He does not promise here to grant your every request; but He does promise a peace, “which passes all understanding.”
“Be not ye therefore like unto [the heathen]: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8); and “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). So take comfort, because “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“There’s more that dances on the prairie than the wind
And more that pulses in the oceans than the tide.
There’s a love that is fiercer than the love between friends,
More gentle than a mother’s, when a baby’s at her side.
There’s a loyalty that’s deeper than mere sentiment
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing.
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
That I owe only to the Giver of all good things.”
We work and sweat to get lots of money; but what we really want is security. We pursue pleasures; but what we really want is joy. We become activists; but what we really want is purpose. We pop in a CD, sit cross-legged on the floor in a room surrounded by large windows, close our eyes, inhale deeply, and find ourselves in some enchanted sunny, flowery meadow where birds sing sweetly and butterflies smile at us; but what we really want is peace. We strategize and entice for intimacy; but what we really want is love.
Thus, we begin to understand the love and grace of the Holy Spirit when He teaches us in Philippians 4:6-7 to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Notice that when you “let your requests be made known unto God,” He does not promise here to grant your every request; but He does promise a peace, “which passes all understanding.”
“Be not ye therefore like unto [the heathen]: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8); and “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). So take comfort, because “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Exercise Faith, & You Won't Believe Your Eyes!
The Holy Spirit tells us, in Hebrews 11:27, that “by faith, [Moses] … endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible.” Now how do you see Someone Who is invisible?
The preceding verses imply that Moses could have had “pleasures” and “treasures” – those things which appeal to the lust of the eyes and flesh – but instead he chose affliction and reproach. He chose rather to exercise faith in Someone Whom he could not see Who promised to lead him to a land he had not seen.
Could Abraham not see his wrinkled, gray-haired wife? Did Moses not understand the strength of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots? Did Joshua not see that big wall surrounding Jericho? Didn’t David hear King Saul say that that 9.5-foot tall giant out there, who’s carrying over 140 pounds of armor and weapons, has been “a man of war from his youth” (I Samuel 17:33)? Didn’t the 3 Hebrew boys realize that King Nebuchadnezzar could demand the fire be made much hotter? Did Daniel not know how big and hungry the lions were? Of course, they saw the challenge before them. But they also saw “Him Who is invisible,” with His mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deut. 26:8) poised to crush any who would dare to touch His anointed.
Yet the enemy, from the beginning, tempts us to trust our physical eyes. He wants us to put our faith in that which we can observe, handle, and experience. He showed Eve “that the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). He showed Christ the stones which could “be made bread” and then showed “Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:3, 8). Then Satan shows us the harlot (as mentioned in Revelation). – Our eyes see the “gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, … and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;” our skin feels the “fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet;” our noses smell the “cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense;” our tongues taste the “wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep;” and our ears hear “the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, … and the sound of a millstone … and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride ….” – He tempts us through all of our senses toward “the fruits that [our] soul[s] lusted after …, and all things which were dainty and goodly …” (Revelation 18:12-14, 22-23).
But “faith is … the evidence of things not seen,” without which “it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:1, 6). Therefore, exercise faith in God and His Word, and you will not believe your eyes!
The preceding verses imply that Moses could have had “pleasures” and “treasures” – those things which appeal to the lust of the eyes and flesh – but instead he chose affliction and reproach. He chose rather to exercise faith in Someone Whom he could not see Who promised to lead him to a land he had not seen.
Could Abraham not see his wrinkled, gray-haired wife? Did Moses not understand the strength of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots? Did Joshua not see that big wall surrounding Jericho? Didn’t David hear King Saul say that that 9.5-foot tall giant out there, who’s carrying over 140 pounds of armor and weapons, has been “a man of war from his youth” (I Samuel 17:33)? Didn’t the 3 Hebrew boys realize that King Nebuchadnezzar could demand the fire be made much hotter? Did Daniel not know how big and hungry the lions were? Of course, they saw the challenge before them. But they also saw “Him Who is invisible,” with His mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deut. 26:8) poised to crush any who would dare to touch His anointed.
Yet the enemy, from the beginning, tempts us to trust our physical eyes. He wants us to put our faith in that which we can observe, handle, and experience. He showed Eve “that the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). He showed Christ the stones which could “be made bread” and then showed “Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:3, 8). Then Satan shows us the harlot (as mentioned in Revelation). – Our eyes see the “gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, … and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;” our skin feels the “fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet;” our noses smell the “cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense;” our tongues taste the “wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep;” and our ears hear “the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, … and the sound of a millstone … and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride ….” – He tempts us through all of our senses toward “the fruits that [our] soul[s] lusted after …, and all things which were dainty and goodly …” (Revelation 18:12-14, 22-23).
But “faith is … the evidence of things not seen,” without which “it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:1, 6). Therefore, exercise faith in God and His Word, and you will not believe your eyes!
Attack Lust with the Sword of the Spirit
Before I present today’s challenge, let me first remind you that one of the primary goals to which God’s people are always being called is to believe God and His Word. Adam and Eve were presented with this test, and they failed. The people of Israel failed it many times as well. Finally, the Second Adam, the True Israel, our Example passed the test, showing us the power of the written Word of God, our “Sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17).
Men, are you greatly tempted and perhaps even often defeated by the lust of the eyes? Then I would like to encourage you to pick up your Sword, and accept this challenge with me:
“As of this ____ day of the ____ month in the year of our Lord ____, by the grace of God and the power of His Holy Spirit, I hereby declare that,
– since I am not my own, but I have been bought with a price and therefore must glorify God in my body and in my spirit which belong to God (I Cor. 6:20), I will henceforth love God with all of my being, including my mind (Mark 12:30), and
– since my body also belongs to my wife (I Cor. 7:4), I will love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), and
– since I am not to lust after a woman’s beauty in my heart (Prov. 6:25) but rather to abstain from fornication (I Thess. 4:3), I will mortify my members on the earth, including lust and fornication (Col. 3:5), and
– since Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2), I will walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4) and in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), and
– since I have made a covenant with my eyes (Job 31:1), I will henceforth set no wicked thing before my eyes (Psalm 101:3). Amen.”
Men, are you greatly tempted and perhaps even often defeated by the lust of the eyes? Then I would like to encourage you to pick up your Sword, and accept this challenge with me:
“As of this ____ day of the ____ month in the year of our Lord ____, by the grace of God and the power of His Holy Spirit, I hereby declare that,
– since I am not my own, but I have been bought with a price and therefore must glorify God in my body and in my spirit which belong to God (I Cor. 6:20), I will henceforth love God with all of my being, including my mind (Mark 12:30), and
– since my body also belongs to my wife (I Cor. 7:4), I will love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), and
– since I am not to lust after a woman’s beauty in my heart (Prov. 6:25) but rather to abstain from fornication (I Thess. 4:3), I will mortify my members on the earth, including lust and fornication (Col. 3:5), and
– since Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2), I will walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4) and in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), and
– since I have made a covenant with my eyes (Job 31:1), I will henceforth set no wicked thing before my eyes (Psalm 101:3). Amen.”
Godly Guardrails & Freedom Fences
Have you ever heard someone speak of God’s law as freeing? The Holy Spirit Himself, through James’ epistle, speaks of “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25). Or perhaps someone would say something like, “A home or society without law is a home or society of slavery. But one built upon Biblical principles is one that’s free.” – What in the world does that mean? How do laws make one free?
Does a dog inside his master’s fenced yard of 3 acres feel free compared to his canine neighbors inside their master’s 20 acres? Well, if the former is a single German Schnauzer and the neighbors are a couple German Shepherds, the 3 acres suddenly become quite spacious as opposed to 2 cubic feet inside of a box that is a few feet under the dirt. The fence is not keeping the good dog from getting out and being free as much as it is keeping the bad dogs from getting in and being destructive.
Another thing that laws do is provide a distinct boundary between those areas that are safe and those that are not. When driving along the road on the side of a steep mountain, I do not view the guardrail as restrictive. I am very glad it’s there. I do not fear for my life as long as I stay on the mountain-side of the guardrail. On the other side of the guardrail, driving and even living likely become much more difficult. I recently rammed into a guardrail when I lost control of my pickup truck on an icy road. The truck was somewhat damaged and a couple passengers bruised, but generally, by God’s grace, our lives and health were spared. The guardrail served its purpose.
God’s laws are meant for a similar purpose. When we are headed in the wrong direction, God’s laws smack us in the face and say, “Where do you think you’re going? There’s nothing but danger, death, and destruction outside of faith in Christ and faithfulness to His commandments.”
So God’s laws are a matter of protection from that which would harm and destroy, and they are a call back to faithfully abiding in Christ – and that is freeing! – Romans 8:2 states, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Does a dog inside his master’s fenced yard of 3 acres feel free compared to his canine neighbors inside their master’s 20 acres? Well, if the former is a single German Schnauzer and the neighbors are a couple German Shepherds, the 3 acres suddenly become quite spacious as opposed to 2 cubic feet inside of a box that is a few feet under the dirt. The fence is not keeping the good dog from getting out and being free as much as it is keeping the bad dogs from getting in and being destructive.
Another thing that laws do is provide a distinct boundary between those areas that are safe and those that are not. When driving along the road on the side of a steep mountain, I do not view the guardrail as restrictive. I am very glad it’s there. I do not fear for my life as long as I stay on the mountain-side of the guardrail. On the other side of the guardrail, driving and even living likely become much more difficult. I recently rammed into a guardrail when I lost control of my pickup truck on an icy road. The truck was somewhat damaged and a couple passengers bruised, but generally, by God’s grace, our lives and health were spared. The guardrail served its purpose.
God’s laws are meant for a similar purpose. When we are headed in the wrong direction, God’s laws smack us in the face and say, “Where do you think you’re going? There’s nothing but danger, death, and destruction outside of faith in Christ and faithfulness to His commandments.”
So God’s laws are a matter of protection from that which would harm and destroy, and they are a call back to faithfully abiding in Christ – and that is freeing! – Romans 8:2 states, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Friday, March 09, 2007
How To Be a Christian and Still Do What You Want
1) Ignore all how-to’s (including this one), especially those within the Holy Scriptures.
2) Teach that God cares more about the why than He does the what, and don’t even mention the how. That is, God cares more about why we do what we do than He does about what we do or how we do it.
Another way of saying this is that the attitude of the heart is more important than the action of the hands. God cares more about your motivation than He does about your effectiveness. Regardless of how pathetic the results of your beliefs and behaviors, “the intentions of your heart were good, and that’s what really matters.”
You might even throw in a quote from someone like Ravi Zacharias (I think) who said, “Intent is prior to content.” Of course, in all this, there is some obvious truth; you just want to avoid pointing out that it’s twisted. (I.e., you don’t want to say, “Notice that Ravi says, ‘is prior to’ rather than ‘is more important than.’ It would be better to say that the locomotive engine comes before the boxcar and not to say that the engine is more important than the boxcar. What good is an engine going back and forth on the track with only empty freight cars? Or how desirable would it be to have passengers loaded up with no power to get them to their destination? Both are important, and generally the engine comes ahead of the freight cars.” – But remember: don’t say that.)
3) Since this next one is so difficult (impossible really) to prove, you should likely be practicing it before stating it directly (if ever). – Establish the following presupposition: “God cares about the ends, not the means. The end justifies the means.” Of course, you must also avoid any and all arguments like the following:
a. If God just wants billions of people to praise Him for eternity, then why all this mess with the universe: creation, crucifixion, stuff like that? Why not just create people who will praise You all the time?
b. Why did God spend 6 days creating, when He could have done it all in an instant?
c. Why did He wait 4,000 years before bringing Christ to center-stage? Why another 2,000 years, at least, before the final judgment day?
d. Why all the cruelty leading up to and including the crucifixion? Why not just have the Christ die in His sleep?
You might say (although it wouldn’t be wise to do so) that “God would not make the best movie-maker. You’ve seen the kind … where there’s a lot of action, close calls, suspense, a long building up of the plot, a cliff-hanging climax, and then all of a sudden, something quite unpredictable occurs, which solves all the problems within a matter of 5 minutes or so, and the hero and his girl drive off into the sunset to live happily ever after. As if the movie-makers were running out of time, so they threw some far-fetched factor into the story to bring it to a satisfactory end for the viewer. God is the same way. – He has a particular end in mind. So no matter how messy things may look now, He will bring it all to a satisfactory end; … no need to worry about how.”
4) Once the presupposition of point #3 has been established, it becomes a rather simple task to preach that “the end which most concerns God is that of evangelism, the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” Evangelism for the modern church and its individualistic Christians is the wonderful justifier of all our compromises. It’s the perfect skin-color-matching cover-up for all our blemishes, the cure-all drug for all our symptomatic side-effects of some serious illness. For some examples, consider the following: A heart for evangelism means …
a. a Christian man can go into a strip-club and witness to the performers,
b. a Christian man can, in order to better communicate in the language of his culture, purchase a subscription to Rolling Stones magazine (including that one with a topless Britney Spears on the front cover),
c. a Christian man can grow long hair and get a tattoo because a Hell’s Angel will more likely be converted by someone who looks like him (the same reason that Jesus removed His clothes, cut Himself with stones, and lived in a tomb so that He might better witness to Legion),
d. a Christian can marry a non-Christian,
e. Christian parents can send their children to public schools,
f. Christians can skip church to be with the unsaved, especially if those unsaved are relatives,
g. Christian churches can determine their own style of worship,
h. a Christian can recommend any version of the Bible that might appeal to the (especially unsaved) reader,
i. a Christian can come up with his own interpretation of a Scriptural passage,
j. a Christian can come up with his own definition of God (“That’s the kind of God I serve.” – Isn’t that what used to be called “making an idol”?).
To summarize, you want to cultivate a mindset that God does not care about the process, that He is not a God of the means. This will aid the seering (er, did I say that? I meant the relieving) of the consciences of pastors and churches who want to circumvent messy disciplinary issues, Christian men who want to replace their spiritual provision in the home (via family worship) with material provisions (via consistent overtime work), Christian women who want to play masculine roles (working outside the home, teaching and leading in the church, etc.), and Christian people who want to divorce with other than Biblical support.
2) Teach that God cares more about the why than He does the what, and don’t even mention the how. That is, God cares more about why we do what we do than He does about what we do or how we do it.
Another way of saying this is that the attitude of the heart is more important than the action of the hands. God cares more about your motivation than He does about your effectiveness. Regardless of how pathetic the results of your beliefs and behaviors, “the intentions of your heart were good, and that’s what really matters.”
You might even throw in a quote from someone like Ravi Zacharias (I think) who said, “Intent is prior to content.” Of course, in all this, there is some obvious truth; you just want to avoid pointing out that it’s twisted. (I.e., you don’t want to say, “Notice that Ravi says, ‘is prior to’ rather than ‘is more important than.’ It would be better to say that the locomotive engine comes before the boxcar and not to say that the engine is more important than the boxcar. What good is an engine going back and forth on the track with only empty freight cars? Or how desirable would it be to have passengers loaded up with no power to get them to their destination? Both are important, and generally the engine comes ahead of the freight cars.” – But remember: don’t say that.)
3) Since this next one is so difficult (impossible really) to prove, you should likely be practicing it before stating it directly (if ever). – Establish the following presupposition: “God cares about the ends, not the means. The end justifies the means.” Of course, you must also avoid any and all arguments like the following:
a. If God just wants billions of people to praise Him for eternity, then why all this mess with the universe: creation, crucifixion, stuff like that? Why not just create people who will praise You all the time?
b. Why did God spend 6 days creating, when He could have done it all in an instant?
c. Why did He wait 4,000 years before bringing Christ to center-stage? Why another 2,000 years, at least, before the final judgment day?
d. Why all the cruelty leading up to and including the crucifixion? Why not just have the Christ die in His sleep?
You might say (although it wouldn’t be wise to do so) that “God would not make the best movie-maker. You’ve seen the kind … where there’s a lot of action, close calls, suspense, a long building up of the plot, a cliff-hanging climax, and then all of a sudden, something quite unpredictable occurs, which solves all the problems within a matter of 5 minutes or so, and the hero and his girl drive off into the sunset to live happily ever after. As if the movie-makers were running out of time, so they threw some far-fetched factor into the story to bring it to a satisfactory end for the viewer. God is the same way. – He has a particular end in mind. So no matter how messy things may look now, He will bring it all to a satisfactory end; … no need to worry about how.”
4) Once the presupposition of point #3 has been established, it becomes a rather simple task to preach that “the end which most concerns God is that of evangelism, the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” Evangelism for the modern church and its individualistic Christians is the wonderful justifier of all our compromises. It’s the perfect skin-color-matching cover-up for all our blemishes, the cure-all drug for all our symptomatic side-effects of some serious illness. For some examples, consider the following: A heart for evangelism means …
a. a Christian man can go into a strip-club and witness to the performers,
b. a Christian man can, in order to better communicate in the language of his culture, purchase a subscription to Rolling Stones magazine (including that one with a topless Britney Spears on the front cover),
c. a Christian man can grow long hair and get a tattoo because a Hell’s Angel will more likely be converted by someone who looks like him (the same reason that Jesus removed His clothes, cut Himself with stones, and lived in a tomb so that He might better witness to Legion),
d. a Christian can marry a non-Christian,
e. Christian parents can send their children to public schools,
f. Christians can skip church to be with the unsaved, especially if those unsaved are relatives,
g. Christian churches can determine their own style of worship,
h. a Christian can recommend any version of the Bible that might appeal to the (especially unsaved) reader,
i. a Christian can come up with his own interpretation of a Scriptural passage,
j. a Christian can come up with his own definition of God (“That’s the kind of God I serve.” – Isn’t that what used to be called “making an idol”?).
To summarize, you want to cultivate a mindset that God does not care about the process, that He is not a God of the means. This will aid the seering (er, did I say that? I meant the relieving) of the consciences of pastors and churches who want to circumvent messy disciplinary issues, Christian men who want to replace their spiritual provision in the home (via family worship) with material provisions (via consistent overtime work), Christian women who want to play masculine roles (working outside the home, teaching and leading in the church, etc.), and Christian people who want to divorce with other than Biblical support.
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