There is a miss-characterization of Christianity, promulgated by some atheists, that we substitute prayer for action. This misrepresentation is seen on the atheist monument that was erected in front of a Florida courthouse, which claims atheists believe an action should be taken instead of a prayer said. However, the Scriptures do not teach that prayer is a substitute for righteous action, nor do obedient and faithful Christians think that it is. In fact, James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, reprimanded the so-called "faith" of those who do not show their faith by taking righteous action in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ (James 2:15-17).
Prayer has a couple of purposes in the Christian life, but replacing righteous action is not one of them. We do know that our Creator God is the One from whom all blessings, power, and strength originate; and that without Him, no one can do anything. So prayer is a humble acknowledgement of our complete reliance on God for the strength of spirit and body to do what we need to do. Without God's providence, we would all just keel over dead in our tracks. Actually, we couldn't even do that, because we wouldn't even exist in the first place, had we not been created by God.
And indeed, there are wicked people who use their God-given gifts to do evil, an act of defiance toward God. But their inevitable destination is everlasting ruin unless they repent and reconcile with our Maker (Luke 13:1-5, 2 Corinthians 5:20). And God who is love, in His grace and mercy, patiently allows for everyone to have ample opportunity to seek after Him and find Him. He personally came into the world and taught us about His kingdom; and then He gave His human life on a Roman cross to pay for our sins so that we can be reconciled to Him. And everyone who, in their heart, has heard and learned from God will trust in Jesus Christ for salvation; knowing that we all need to turn from our sin and be reconciled to the heavenly Father by faith in His Son (John 6:45, Romans 3:23-24).
This, too, is why we pray; because we are talking to our heavenly Father. You see, righteousness has never been just about doing good deeds; it's about living in harmony with our good God who is love, (1 John 4:8) and who made humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27) for the purpose of love (Matthew 22:37-40). And a big part of having a relationship with anyone is to spend time talking to the person. And His Spirit speaks to us through His word, the Bible, as we prayerfully read and study it, and contemplate it in all its context.
And through this holy conversation He teaches us. And as He teaches us, we learn to love the things that God loves; that which is good and right and pure and holy. And so we learn which actions are good and right for us to take. As the Scriptures say, "for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:9-10). This is more than just an outward change in our behavior. It is an inward change of our hearts and minds as we become harmonized with our heavenly Father.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
The Patience of God
Why does God allow evil to take place in the world? That question has been asked innumerable times, and has led some to disbelief in an all righteous, all loving, and all powerful God. It is a question that used to rankle even my faith in God who is love. Asaph questioned God because He allows some wicked people to prosper for the moment (Psalm 73). But the psalmist came to grips with that when he remembered that, in the end, the wicked are cut off and brought to nothing. But I have also learned to see that God's patience with the wicked is a testament to His love, His mercy, and kindness.
As C.S. Lewis pointed out in his book, The Problem of Pain,, most of the suffering in the world is caused by human wickedness. And God in His love created humans with the ability to choose between good, (faithfulness to Him) and evil (unfaithfulness to Him). Otherwise we would be like robots, incapable of genuinely receiving and giving love, which only exists between persons; such as the Persons of the eternal, holy Trinity, or between God and His people.
God is love (1 John 4:8). And He created humanity in His perfect image, before the fall; (Genesis 1:26-27) for the purpose of loving and being loved by Him and each other in perfect unity (Matthew 22:37-40). But sin entered the world through one man; and death, and suffering, and disease came through sin (Romans 5:12). And so human nature became corrupt with sin. So really all suffering, not just most of it, is caused by human wickedness.
But God remains love. And though He must judge sin, yet He holds back His righteous anger for now; because as the apostle Peter, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, pointed out, God is longsuffering. That means "patient". He is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). As the apostle Paul, by the same Spirit, says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4). In fact, Paul is a prime example of one who violently opposed Christ and His followers; but who, by the grace of God, received forgiveness, repented, and was reconciled with God through Christ.
But God in His righteousness will judge the world. The Day of the Judgement will indeed come, in due time. And when it does, the kingdom of God, which is already at work in the world through Christ's followers, will be brought to complete fulfillment. Jesus spoke of this in His parable about the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). The sower (God) sowed good seeds (His people) in his field (the world), and his enemy (the devil) sowed weeds (his workers) during the night. But the sower instructed his servants (the angels) to let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest time to avoid destroying the wheat. He instructed them to wait till then to uproot and burn the weeds.
Of course, the workers of the devil are people whom God created, and who are in rebellion. They belong to God by creation. But they choose to follow after the rebellion of the devil so that, in that sense, they are "sons of the wicked one", just as those who trust in Christ for salvation are born-again; born of God (1 John 3:1-12). In fact, all of us are born with a fallen, sinful nature that is in rebellion against our Creator. But God in His patience is willing to hold back His righteous judgement in order to give everyone ample opportunity to repent, and be reconciled to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-9).
If God judged the wicked immediately, we would all be ruined, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In our fallen nature, we don't even realize just how rancid our sin is to our immaculately holy God. And so it is only by His grace and mercy that anyone can be saved from the judgement that, in due time, will come.
As C.S. Lewis pointed out in his book, The Problem of Pain,, most of the suffering in the world is caused by human wickedness. And God in His love created humans with the ability to choose between good, (faithfulness to Him) and evil (unfaithfulness to Him). Otherwise we would be like robots, incapable of genuinely receiving and giving love, which only exists between persons; such as the Persons of the eternal, holy Trinity, or between God and His people.
God is love (1 John 4:8). And He created humanity in His perfect image, before the fall; (Genesis 1:26-27) for the purpose of loving and being loved by Him and each other in perfect unity (Matthew 22:37-40). But sin entered the world through one man; and death, and suffering, and disease came through sin (Romans 5:12). And so human nature became corrupt with sin. So really all suffering, not just most of it, is caused by human wickedness.
But God remains love. And though He must judge sin, yet He holds back His righteous anger for now; because as the apostle Peter, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, pointed out, God is longsuffering. That means "patient". He is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). As the apostle Paul, by the same Spirit, says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4). In fact, Paul is a prime example of one who violently opposed Christ and His followers; but who, by the grace of God, received forgiveness, repented, and was reconciled with God through Christ.
But God in His righteousness will judge the world. The Day of the Judgement will indeed come, in due time. And when it does, the kingdom of God, which is already at work in the world through Christ's followers, will be brought to complete fulfillment. Jesus spoke of this in His parable about the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). The sower (God) sowed good seeds (His people) in his field (the world), and his enemy (the devil) sowed weeds (his workers) during the night. But the sower instructed his servants (the angels) to let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest time to avoid destroying the wheat. He instructed them to wait till then to uproot and burn the weeds.
Of course, the workers of the devil are people whom God created, and who are in rebellion. They belong to God by creation. But they choose to follow after the rebellion of the devil so that, in that sense, they are "sons of the wicked one", just as those who trust in Christ for salvation are born-again; born of God (1 John 3:1-12). In fact, all of us are born with a fallen, sinful nature that is in rebellion against our Creator. But God in His patience is willing to hold back His righteous judgement in order to give everyone ample opportunity to repent, and be reconciled to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-9).
If God judged the wicked immediately, we would all be ruined, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In our fallen nature, we don't even realize just how rancid our sin is to our immaculately holy God. And so it is only by His grace and mercy that anyone can be saved from the judgement that, in due time, will come.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
The Absolute Value
As humans, we place value on various things. And in doing so, we take after our Creator God who places various levels of value on the things which He has created. And God, who is love, has placed great value upon humanity, whom He created in His own image. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, showed the high value He places on us when He bled and died for us on the cross.
The difference between God and us is that He is the infinite Creator of everything that exists. He is the Maker and Owner of the universe. And so only He has the authority to determine the absolute value of anything. In fact, apart from God, nothing has any real value. He Himself is the Absolute Value, from which all real value is derived. And here, I am using the term "Absolute Value" in a slightly different way than it is used in algebra. I mean that the Creator is the Fountain from which all real value springs. He is the One who is infinitely valuable above all things. If it were not for God, nothing would exist. And without Him, there can be no real value in anything.
"Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."
(Psalm 100:3; emphasis added).
But because of our fallen, sinful nature, we humans often place false value on things, or we value things more than they should be valued. And it is a great sin to value anything more than God Himself, the Absolute Value from which all true value is derived. "Idolatry" is what we call the sin of valuing anything over, or in place of, the one true and living God. And the object of such false value is called an "idol".
Writing to the church at Philippi, the apostle Paul describe how he used to value his accomplishments and his position as a Pharisee. He followed all the dos and don'ts of the religious law; but he didn't know that true righteousness comes from being reconciled with God by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. The whole reason that we, as human beings, even have such concepts as those of right and wrong, and love and goodness, is that we are created by, and in the image of our holy God who is love. If we are not at peace with our Creator, everything else is meaningless.
But when Paul was confronted by the Person of Jesus, he became reconciled to God through Christ, and learned to honestly say "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the Law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." (Philippians 3:8-9).
What is it that we value? Fun times? Euphoria? Sweet music? Power? Prestige? Those things may not be bad, in and of themselves. But when we place a higher value on them than on being in harmony with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are sinning. In fact, having a relationship with Christ in this fallen, sinful world may cost us the comforts, and pleasures of this world.
In fact Christ calls His followers to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). And it is by God's grace, through Jesus Christ, that we are able to do that; turning away from our fallen, sinful nature in order to live in harmony with the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). And like the apostles and many other followers of Christ, we learn to value our Creator and Savior above everything else; even our mortal lives in this world.
In fact Christ calls His followers to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). And it is by God's grace, through Jesus Christ, that we are able to do that; turning away from our fallen, sinful nature in order to live in harmony with the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). And like the apostles and many other followers of Christ, we learn to value our Creator and Savior above everything else; even our mortal lives in this world.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Creation
The creation of the universe was an event that took place over the course of six days, approximately six thousand years ago. It was an act of God, by which He spoke all things into existence; along with laws to govern matter, space, and time. Currently, no new matter is being created. All matter was spoken into existence during the creation week, in the beginning. The term "creation" is used to refer God's act of creating, which occurred over those six days, as well as to the actually things that God made (i.e. the universe).
We are given the choice to do good or evil. And God, the Creator/Owner of the universe, is the Absolute Decider/Standard of what is good. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And He said that the second greatest commandment is that we should love each other as much as we each love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). You see, the Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). So being made in His image also means that we are capable of receiving and giving love. This is the purpose for which God, who is love, made us in His image.
Love is more than a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions in the human brain are the physical expression of what is happening in the human soul, mind, and spirit. But love is more than an emotion. It is even more than an action. Love has always existed, without beginning and without end. God is love. Love is personal. That is to say, love exists between people, just as it exists between the three Persons of the Trinity. If there were no persons, there could be no love. If there were only one person, than love could not be given or received.
But God has always existed, from eternal (infinite) past as three distinct Persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - yet He remains one Being or Entity. And so we use the word "Trinity" or "Triune" to describe Him, because though He is three Persons, He is one Being - one God. And this is how God is love. As C.S. Lewis put it, "the living, dynamic activity of love has been going on in God forever and has created everything else".
God is self existent, from eternity to eternity. His existence is without beginning and without end; independent from, and sovereign over, everything that exists. Without God, nothing would exist. If God had not made us, we would not exist. We exist because God, who is love, exists and made us. We are in the likeness of love because God who is love made us in His likeness. Our existence had a beginning, and is dependent, from beginning to forever, on God.
But because of sin, which entered the world through Adam, humanity became estranged from God. All of us have sinned, because we are born with a fallen sinful nature which we have inherited from Adam. God is holy, and so our fallen nature alienates us from Him. And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is not a cessation of existence, it is separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of the human soul and spirit from God.
Nevertheless, God is still love; and He still loves us. And so He paid the full penalty of our sin on the cross. Jesus Christ took our sin upon Himself and died for us. Now, by faith in Him, we can be reconciled to the heavenly Father by grace. And by grace we can partake and grow in the divine nature, being made perfect and holy, having our sin taken away from us.
On the third, fifth, and sixth, days of creation; God made plants, flying creatures, aquatic creatures, land animals, and the first man and woman. God created all of these, each according to their own kind. He made them of living cells which He encoded with genetic information that determines the diverse, and unique characteristics that each kind has and is able to pass on in reproduction.
Each kind was encoded from the beginning with an abundance of dominant and recessive genetic information, allowing each kind to have diversity within itself. In this way, God made all creatures to be able to adapt to various types of environments; yet each kind remains itself. That means that felines always produce felines, canines always produce canines, bovine animals always produce bovine animals, and so forth.
Human beings are unique among all of God's creatures. Unlike all the flying creatures, aquatic creatures, and land animals; human beings are created in the image or likeness of God Himself (Genesis 1:26-27). This means that we are able to think and to reason. We are able to be imaginative and creative, just like our Creator.
Our physical bodies, composed of cells, tissues, organs, and systems, along with all the chemicals, and neurons, and electrons and so forth, are God's creations. Human souls are also God's creations. Our physical forms are merely the vehicle of our souls - our minds and spirits. The human brain is the physical vehicle of the human mind and spirit. And we use our bodies to physically carry out the actions which we choose, in our minds and spirits, to carry out.
Our physical bodies, composed of cells, tissues, organs, and systems, along with all the chemicals, and neurons, and electrons and so forth, are God's creations. Human souls are also God's creations. Our physical forms are merely the vehicle of our souls - our minds and spirits. The human brain is the physical vehicle of the human mind and spirit. And we use our bodies to physically carry out the actions which we choose, in our minds and spirits, to carry out.
We are given the choice to do good or evil. And God, the Creator/Owner of the universe, is the Absolute Decider/Standard of what is good. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And He said that the second greatest commandment is that we should love each other as much as we each love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). You see, the Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). So being made in His image also means that we are capable of receiving and giving love. This is the purpose for which God, who is love, made us in His image.
Love is more than a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions in the human brain are the physical expression of what is happening in the human soul, mind, and spirit. But love is more than an emotion. It is even more than an action. Love has always existed, without beginning and without end. God is love. Love is personal. That is to say, love exists between people, just as it exists between the three Persons of the Trinity. If there were no persons, there could be no love. If there were only one person, than love could not be given or received.
But God has always existed, from eternal (infinite) past as three distinct Persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - yet He remains one Being or Entity. And so we use the word "Trinity" or "Triune" to describe Him, because though He is three Persons, He is one Being - one God. And this is how God is love. As C.S. Lewis put it, "the living, dynamic activity of love has been going on in God forever and has created everything else".
God is self existent, from eternity to eternity. His existence is without beginning and without end; independent from, and sovereign over, everything that exists. Without God, nothing would exist. If God had not made us, we would not exist. We exist because God, who is love, exists and made us. We are in the likeness of love because God who is love made us in His likeness. Our existence had a beginning, and is dependent, from beginning to forever, on God.
But because of sin, which entered the world through Adam, humanity became estranged from God. All of us have sinned, because we are born with a fallen sinful nature which we have inherited from Adam. God is holy, and so our fallen nature alienates us from Him. And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is not a cessation of existence, it is separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of the human soul and spirit from God.
Nevertheless, God is still love; and He still loves us. And so He paid the full penalty of our sin on the cross. Jesus Christ took our sin upon Himself and died for us. Now, by faith in Him, we can be reconciled to the heavenly Father by grace. And by grace we can partake and grow in the divine nature, being made perfect and holy, having our sin taken away from us.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Why We Use the Bible to Defend the Bible
Although Christians may point to historical and scientific evidence, as well as arguments from logic to defend the faith, it is still imperative that we defend God's word with God's word; just as we must interpret Scripture with Scripture. Ignorant mockers will scoff at us for doing so, but there are a couple of reasons for using the Bible to defend the Bible.
For one thing, how can one defend a position if they do not know what the position is? One can not. One must know what the Bible actually says and teaches; one must have a firm understanding of biblical teaching and context, context, context in order to be an effective defender of God's honest, gospel truth. The apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, refers to "rightly dividing the word of truth", being diligent to learn from the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). I hear and read comments from foolish scoffers all the time, misrepresenting the Scriptures which they so vehemently oppose. They take passages out of context and twist them like pretzels. Or they attribute words to the Bible which are not even found anywhere in the Bible. It's disgusting. At the same time, there are people who genuinely don't know what the Scriptures teach and honestly want to learn. So those of use who have poured over the God's word are responsible to answer the questions that they ask.
Yet there are even people in the Church who do not rightly divide the word of truth, but misrepresent what the Bible teaches as well. At times, I post things that are geared toward theistic evolutionists in the Church, to confirm Genesis as a literal historical narrative. Some atheists are unable to understand this and they will mock me for using the Bible to defend the Bible, but I wasn't even talking to the atheists. I was talking to the theistic evolutionists who already claim that they believe in Christianity.
Another reason for using the Scriptures to defend the Scriptures is because they have been given to us by the Holy Spirit; and it is the work of the Spirit to bring conviction of the truth into a sinner's heart and mind. God's word is mighty to speak from the mind and Spirit of God to the mind and spirits of human beings. And Jesus said, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." (John 6:45).
God is not desperate to convince anyone of the truth. His word is truth, and He has sent it forth into the world. And we become His servants when we speak His word from our hearts, where we have laid it up as a priceless treasure. And whoever is taught by God will hear and believe the truth. Our living Friend, Jesus Christ, says all the time; "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 13:43, Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22).
As the Spirit says through Paul, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). By the hearing of the word of God, sinners believe and repent; and are reconciled to God who is love, and who created humanity in His own image for the purpose of loving and being loved by Him and each other (2 Corinthians 5:20, Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 4:8, Matthew 22:37-40).
For one thing, how can one defend a position if they do not know what the position is? One can not. One must know what the Bible actually says and teaches; one must have a firm understanding of biblical teaching and context, context, context in order to be an effective defender of God's honest, gospel truth. The apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, refers to "rightly dividing the word of truth", being diligent to learn from the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). I hear and read comments from foolish scoffers all the time, misrepresenting the Scriptures which they so vehemently oppose. They take passages out of context and twist them like pretzels. Or they attribute words to the Bible which are not even found anywhere in the Bible. It's disgusting. At the same time, there are people who genuinely don't know what the Scriptures teach and honestly want to learn. So those of use who have poured over the God's word are responsible to answer the questions that they ask.
Yet there are even people in the Church who do not rightly divide the word of truth, but misrepresent what the Bible teaches as well. At times, I post things that are geared toward theistic evolutionists in the Church, to confirm Genesis as a literal historical narrative. Some atheists are unable to understand this and they will mock me for using the Bible to defend the Bible, but I wasn't even talking to the atheists. I was talking to the theistic evolutionists who already claim that they believe in Christianity.
Another reason for using the Scriptures to defend the Scriptures is because they have been given to us by the Holy Spirit; and it is the work of the Spirit to bring conviction of the truth into a sinner's heart and mind. God's word is mighty to speak from the mind and Spirit of God to the mind and spirits of human beings. And Jesus said, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." (John 6:45).
God is not desperate to convince anyone of the truth. His word is truth, and He has sent it forth into the world. And we become His servants when we speak His word from our hearts, where we have laid it up as a priceless treasure. And whoever is taught by God will hear and believe the truth. Our living Friend, Jesus Christ, says all the time; "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 13:43, Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22).
As the Spirit says through Paul, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). By the hearing of the word of God, sinners believe and repent; and are reconciled to God who is love, and who created humanity in His own image for the purpose of loving and being loved by Him and each other (2 Corinthians 5:20, Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 4:8, Matthew 22:37-40).
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Tolerance or Repentance?
Jesus Christ is popularly portrayed as a preacher of tolerance and acceptance; but in reality, that is not what He was. In reality, Jesus Christ came into our world and preached repentance and reconciliation with God. That means the cessation of sin. Jesus said "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). He said that if we do not repent, we will perish for our sin (Luke 13:1-5).
After miraculously healing a certain man, Jesus told him "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14). After showing mercy to the adulterous woman, He said to her "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). It is true that Jesus did seek out, and come into contact with sinners; but only for the purpose of teaching them about the heavenly Father and His righteous love that invites them to turn away from their sin and be reconciled to Him. The thing is, those people knew that they were sinners; and they knew that Jesus was a teacher of repentance and reconciliation with God. And they wanted to listen to Him and do just that - repent and be reconciled with God.
The message that Jesus brought to us is not "I accept you and you don't need to change". His message is "You're invited to the kingdom, but your sin can't come". Jesus called Himself the door through which to enter the kingdom of everlasting life (John 10:9-10). His message is that we must check our sin at the door. We can come to Him as we are, but only for the purpose of having our fallen, sinful nature taken away from us, so that we can be reconciled with the heavenly Father. There is no sin allowed in the kingdom of God.
The purpose of God's forgiveness is to make reconciliation with Him possible (Psalm 130:4). Jesus paid for our sin on the cross; not so that we could keep sinning, but so that we can turn away from our sin and be reconciled with Him. Becoming a Christian means that we are entering through Jesus Christ, into the kingdom of God. Our Christian life in this world is the process of going through the Door, which is the Person of Jesus Christ. And that process entails a departure from sin.
We must leave our sin nailed to the cross. The further we go into Christ - the deeper our relationship with Him grows - the less sinful and more righteous we will become. And when we stand before Him, in Paradise, we will have been perfected. Jesus did not preach tolerance at all. He preached a message of repentance and reconciliation with God.
After miraculously healing a certain man, Jesus told him "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14). After showing mercy to the adulterous woman, He said to her "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). It is true that Jesus did seek out, and come into contact with sinners; but only for the purpose of teaching them about the heavenly Father and His righteous love that invites them to turn away from their sin and be reconciled to Him. The thing is, those people knew that they were sinners; and they knew that Jesus was a teacher of repentance and reconciliation with God. And they wanted to listen to Him and do just that - repent and be reconciled with God.
The message that Jesus brought to us is not "I accept you and you don't need to change". His message is "You're invited to the kingdom, but your sin can't come". Jesus called Himself the door through which to enter the kingdom of everlasting life (John 10:9-10). His message is that we must check our sin at the door. We can come to Him as we are, but only for the purpose of having our fallen, sinful nature taken away from us, so that we can be reconciled with the heavenly Father. There is no sin allowed in the kingdom of God.
The purpose of God's forgiveness is to make reconciliation with Him possible (Psalm 130:4). Jesus paid for our sin on the cross; not so that we could keep sinning, but so that we can turn away from our sin and be reconciled with Him. Becoming a Christian means that we are entering through Jesus Christ, into the kingdom of God. Our Christian life in this world is the process of going through the Door, which is the Person of Jesus Christ. And that process entails a departure from sin.
We must leave our sin nailed to the cross. The further we go into Christ - the deeper our relationship with Him grows - the less sinful and more righteous we will become. And when we stand before Him, in Paradise, we will have been perfected. Jesus did not preach tolerance at all. He preached a message of repentance and reconciliation with God.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
The Beauty of the Psalms
A favorite portion of the Scriptures, the book of Psalms is a collection of 150 sacred poems, (that is what a psalm is; psalm-definition-www.merriam-webster.com) written by David and others. One of the characteristics of these ancient Hebrew poems is the repetition of idea instead of the repetition of sound (rhyme). For example:
Examples of figurative language can be found in Psalm 91 were the psalmist refers to God as a Fortress to describe His strength and power to protect those who trust in Him. In the same poem, the wicked one is referred to as a fowler (bird trapper) to describe those who seek to ensnare others, especially believers, in sin and trouble. Then God is described figuratively as having wings, bringing to mind God's ability to protect and deliver His people, like a mother eagle protecting her little ones. And His truth is described as being a shield and buckler against evil deceptions.
The psalmists employed poetry to express the overflow of their hearts to God in worship. They poured out in words and music their adoration for God, their sorrows in troublesome times, their joys, their petitions, thanksgivings, repentance, and righteous indignation toward wickedness in the world. At times, tucked in among the psalmists praises, pleas, and sorrows, the Holy Spirit gives prophetic glimpses of Christ's own experiences, sorrows, and pains in His earthly life and sacrificial death on the cross for our sin, as well as the glory that, before and forever after, Christ shares with the Father.
The 22nd Psalm is a prime example of this. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He spoke to the heavenly Father, "with a loud voice, saying 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" (Mark 15:34; also see Matthew 27:46). He was quoting Psalm 22:1.
He felt our estrangement from the Father as He bore our sin upon Himself; as He took our blame. As the poem continues, David described his own troubles with his enemies. And the double meaning - the parallel between David's sufferings and those of Christ becomes even more apparent. There comes a point in the psalm where it says,
Nowhere in the historical account of David's life (found in 1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 2:11, and 1 Chronicles 11-29) did anyone ever pierce the hands and feet of the shepherd-turned-king. Nor did anyone divide his garments among them or gamble for his clothes. But when Jesus the Messiah hung on the cross, His hands and feet were pieced, and the Roman soldiers did divide and gamble for His clothes (John 19:23-24; also see Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23-34).
The psalmist, David, quotes the enemy as saying,
Compare this to what Jesus' enemies were saying when He was being crucified (Matthew 27:39-44, Mark 15:29-32, Luke 23:35-39).
As a whole, the 22nd Psalm is comparable to Isaiah 53, where the prophet vividly and poetically foretells the rejection of the Messiah by His people, His suffering, death, and resurrection. From Psalm 22:19 through the rest of the poem, David looks forward to being delivered by God from his enemies, as he has prayed; and he expresses hope for the future, and praise to God his Savior. Like Isaiah 53:10-12, this passage also provides a prophetic view of Christ being delivered by the Father who has now raised Him from the dead. And it is a look forward to the salvation that Christ's death and resurrection makes available to all who trust in Christ.
In the book of Psalms, the believer finds a treasure trove of poetry to which he or she can relate personally, through the conflicts - both triumphs and defeats - of life. In these poems we too can find expressions of our own joys, sorrows, hopes in the face of fear, prayers and praises. And in so doing, we can even share spiritually and emotionally in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We come to realize that our living Friend, Jesus Christ, has been through, and knows, and understands what we go through in this fallen, broken world. And we have hope, knowing that just as He was delivered by the Father from death, so we too will be saved; and we will share in His glory, His peace, His joy, and His everlasting life in Paradise (Luke 23:43).
"Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy
(Psalm 33:1-3).
Or:
"Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth"
(Psalm 2:10).
While these psalms sometimes make references to literal events, which are recorded in the historical narrative portions of Scripture (i.e. Genesis-Esther and Matthew-Acts; see Psalm 136), the psalmists also made use of figurative language to paint evocative pictures of God's love, mercy, providence, protection, justice, sovereignty, splendor, majesty, power, eternal nature, and goodness; as well as humanity's complete dependence on Him for life, sustenance, forgiveness, salvation and everything.
Examples of figurative language can be found in Psalm 91 were the psalmist refers to God as a Fortress to describe His strength and power to protect those who trust in Him. In the same poem, the wicked one is referred to as a fowler (bird trapper) to describe those who seek to ensnare others, especially believers, in sin and trouble. Then God is described figuratively as having wings, bringing to mind God's ability to protect and deliver His people, like a mother eagle protecting her little ones. And His truth is described as being a shield and buckler against evil deceptions.
The psalmists employed poetry to express the overflow of their hearts to God in worship. They poured out in words and music their adoration for God, their sorrows in troublesome times, their joys, their petitions, thanksgivings, repentance, and righteous indignation toward wickedness in the world. At times, tucked in among the psalmists praises, pleas, and sorrows, the Holy Spirit gives prophetic glimpses of Christ's own experiences, sorrows, and pains in His earthly life and sacrificial death on the cross for our sin, as well as the glory that, before and forever after, Christ shares with the Father.
The 22nd Psalm is a prime example of this. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He spoke to the heavenly Father, "with a loud voice, saying 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" (Mark 15:34; also see Matthew 27:46). He was quoting Psalm 22:1.
He felt our estrangement from the Father as He bore our sin upon Himself; as He took our blame. As the poem continues, David described his own troubles with his enemies. And the double meaning - the parallel between David's sufferings and those of Christ becomes even more apparent. There comes a point in the psalm where it says,
"For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots
(Psalm 22:16-18).
The psalmist, David, quotes the enemy as saying,
He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him
(Psalm 22:8).
As a whole, the 22nd Psalm is comparable to Isaiah 53, where the prophet vividly and poetically foretells the rejection of the Messiah by His people, His suffering, death, and resurrection. From Psalm 22:19 through the rest of the poem, David looks forward to being delivered by God from his enemies, as he has prayed; and he expresses hope for the future, and praise to God his Savior. Like Isaiah 53:10-12, this passage also provides a prophetic view of Christ being delivered by the Father who has now raised Him from the dead. And it is a look forward to the salvation that Christ's death and resurrection makes available to all who trust in Christ.
In the book of Psalms, the believer finds a treasure trove of poetry to which he or she can relate personally, through the conflicts - both triumphs and defeats - of life. In these poems we too can find expressions of our own joys, sorrows, hopes in the face of fear, prayers and praises. And in so doing, we can even share spiritually and emotionally in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We come to realize that our living Friend, Jesus Christ, has been through, and knows, and understands what we go through in this fallen, broken world. And we have hope, knowing that just as He was delivered by the Father from death, so we too will be saved; and we will share in His glory, His peace, His joy, and His everlasting life in Paradise (Luke 23:43).
The Lord is our reason to make melody;
It is He who gives us breath to sing.
Without Him we would have nothing;
Had He not made us, we would have no voice,
Nor could we live,
Or even exist at all
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