Smoky Mirrors

James 1:23-24 states, “If any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” The implication seems to be a man with apparent blemishes looks in a mirror, has no problem with what he sees, and thus contentedly walks away with no intention of addressing the blemishes. How can he be so comfortable with himself looking like that?

The value of a mirror is simply in showing us what we look like; it does not at all show us what we should look like. The value of a model, pattern, or standard, on the other hand, is to show us what something should look like (which is why the term “supermodel” is a lie); but a model does not show us what we actually look like. Scriptural preaching should involve both.

The evangelical preacher should hold up the standard for the church to see. Good exegesis should help Christ’s Bride to see precisely what the Groom desires regarding the Bride’s physical appearance, wedding gown style, jewelry, health, manner, disposition, and lifestyle. The preacher should hold up a mirror almost simultaneously, very graciously pointing out the areas which are inconsistent with the standard. In practical terms, the preacher should combine exposition of what God’s law has required for thousands of years with a competent understanding of the church’s state and condition today, especially as distinguished from contemporary culture.

Many preachers can be found who do a bit of one or the other, but less common are those who do both simultaneously and do it well. Some complain about how bad things are and give us many statistics from George Barna’s polling research, but they provide us with poor instruction as to what we should effectively do about it. Others love to openly share their perspectives in a Bible study, where “what it means to you is good for you. Just don’t try to tell me what to do.” No wonder a hearer of the Word can go away and easily forget what he looks like. Perhaps no one has told him what he should look like.

On the Sabbath...

If you believe that Jesus violated the Sabbath, then with what company does that put you? Didn't the Pharisees also vehemently make this claim? ... Hhmmm ....

Lawlessness -- Good or Bad?

“City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style, –
In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas –
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner, you hear … Silver Bells….”

It’s a Currier-&-Ives or Thomas Kinkade sort of town. Not a Norman Rockwell sort of town – no cops, no stop signs, no lists of rules anywhere, no law books, … because there’s no need of them. Everybody does what they’re supposed to do. Everything’s beautiful… until …

One day, a guy takes a cobblestone from Kinkade’s cottage, takes his brother into a field, and bashes his head. The snow of perfect texture and temperature is now blood-red around the fallen body. This throws the town for a loop. Nothing is done to the murderer … because there is no precedent, no law, no authority with which the townsfolk might bring about justice. The murderer still enjoys his wonderful life in this wonderful community.

But obviously something must be done to discourage such behavior. So the townsfolk come up with their first law: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” (Gen. 9:6) Of course, many of the folk don’t need the law written on paper because it is already written on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34). It is a part of their divine nature, you might say; goodness just flows out of them, that is, out of their hearts where the good, divine law resides. As Christ put it, “from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,” desires, and actions: “All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” (Mark 7:21-23). The law written on paper or stone then serves as a witness against the defiled ones, showing them the nature of God, “so that they are without excuse” when they do “that which is against nature” (Romans 1:20, 26).

Perhaps this will help us begin to understand how “that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers …, whoremongers, …, menstealers, liars, …” and so on – I Timothy 1:8-11.

Teach Them to Teach

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!

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.”