Tim's Theological Toolbox

"What this means to me"

2009-10-13T13:01:00.001-04:00

Two phrases I've encountered from fellow believers regarding the interpretation or evaluation of Scriptural doctrine are:

"What this means to me is...."

and

"What I feel about this is..."

I find this troubling, in that while personal opinion and feeling may be appropriate for deciding choices in entertainment, friends, and the like, this "me-centric" approach to evaluate doctrine are certain to get one in a lot of trouble.

Why?

Because one day, when you stand in front of your Maker at the end of all things, what you think, feel, or believe won't matter a hill of beans. He who made all things will also judge all things according to His law, not your thoughts or feelings.

So, instead of going by what "I" think or feel, one should always strive to know and understand God on His terms, and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and give you the right and true understanding of His Word, so that you may see and understand His ways and walk in them.

Heavenly vs Earthly Wisdom

2009-10-13T10:43:00.001-04:00

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:13-18

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Donating junk to the church

2009-05-31T17:31:00.004-04:00

Many's the time I've seen things that people donated to the church. A lot of times it's good stuff given by people who want to give the Lord their best, but I've also seen disturbing cases where the materials being donated is junk.

In this passage, it gives one cause to think what your Lord and Creator thinks of donating things to the church as an alternative to throwing it in the garbage.

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name.

But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil?

And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?

Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.

Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord.

Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished.

For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Malachi 1:6-14. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

What will you do?

2009-03-09T23:51:00.000-04:00

An appalling and horrible thing

has happened in the land:

the prophets prophesy falsely,

and the priests rule at their direction;

my people love to have it so,

but what will you do when the end comes?

Jeremiah 5:30

Why Bad Things Happen to "Good" People

2009-02-21T23:17:00.003-05:00

This is a devotions I delivered before choir recently.

One facet of our human existence is the notion of reward and punishment - ie, if you do good, good things will happen to you, and if you do bad, then bad things’ll happen to you. So, when bad things happen to apparently “good” people, the question naturally comes - why did this happen? Now, it’s not my intention to get into the detailed implications this issue, but I will relate a couple of examples in scripture which can help us gain a better understanding of the question.

The first example is from Leviticus, and records how Ezekiel, who was one of God’s prophets, was told by God that He was going to take Ezekiel’s wife away at a stroke, and that when it happened, Ezekiel wasn’t to mourn or to weep. Scripture then records that what was going to happen to Ezekiel, and Ezekiel’s response, was to then be a sign to the people of Israel, in that all that Ezekiel experienced and did, they would also experience and do. So, God subjected a faithful servant to an incredibly difficult experience in order to convey to the people of God the seriousness of the situation they were in. In short, God used this to convey an extremely strong message to the children Israel.

The second example is from Luke 13, where Christ is asked about the Galileans whose blood was mixed with their sacrifices by Pilate, or about the 18 men that were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them - did these “bad deaths” mean that they had committed some special sin, or were worse than other sinners?

Christ’s answer was telling:

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

In this case, Christ is, in essence, telling the disciples “you’re asking the wrong question”, that the way these people died isn’t nearly as important a concern as whether they or not they were ready to meet their maker in a state of repentance. This instruction dove-tails with other times where Christ instructed the people to always be ready.

So what should you the listener take away from this devotion? Namely that ‘bad’ things can happen to ‘good’ people for any a number of reasons that have nothing to do with whether they’d done something special to deserve punishment. It could happen as a way that God is working through your life to instruct others, or as an illustration to always be ready for whatever God allows to come your way.

In all these things we need to walk in faith, trusting and relying on His leading to follow the path He would have us to go, regardless of where it leads.

Grace Given to Me For You

2008-10-06T21:00:00.003-04:00

Here's some quotes where Paul talks about the grace that God has given to him. This is something to consider when thinking about how God works in and through such weak vessels to accomplish His work among us, and where a Pastor's ministry really comes from.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Romans 12:3ff

But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God - so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
Romans 15:15ff

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:10ff

And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
Galatians 2:6ff

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles - assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:1ff

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 3:7ff

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

God's Standards of Judgement

2008-08-31T17:06:00.002-04:00

This is another citation from Ezekiel, and this time God's talking about how He judges His people. I think this example can be considered as a foreshadowing of the precious gift of God that was to be worked in Christ.

And you, son of man, say to your people,

The righteousness of the righteous
shall not deliver him when he transgresses,

and as for

the wickedness of the wicked,
he shall not fall by it
when he turns from his wickedness,

and the

righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live,
yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice,
none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered,
but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.

Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’
yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge,
gives back what he has taken by robbery, and
walks in the statutes of life,
not doing injustice,
he shall surely live;
he shall not die.

None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him.
He has done what is just and right;
he shall surely live.

Ezekiel 33:12-15

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Eze 33:12). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

God Decides Between His Sheep

2008-08-31T08:11:00.005-04:00

Having declared how He would seek out and care for the sheep His faithless shepherds had neglected, if not outright persecuted and abused, God now declares what He'll do with the sheep within His flock:

“As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God:

Behold, I judge
between sheep and sheep,
between rams and male goats.

Is it not enough for you
to feed on the good pasture,
that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and

to drink of clear water,
that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet,
and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them:

Behold,

I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey.

And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David,
and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them.

I am the Lord;
I have spoken.

Ezekiel 34:17-24

Being a member of God's flock doesn't mean that one gets a "free pass" to behave however one sees fit - those sheep who mistreat their fellow sheep would face judgment, while God would rescue those who've been scattered across the lands as a result of their mistreatment.

Finally, the statement "I have spoken" has an air of finality and certainty about it, that there will be no further discussion or argument, and that He would do what He had declared. The notion that "there will be no arguing" is present elsewhere in Scripture, particularly when it comes to times of judgment.

But that's material for another post...

All citations The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

God Tends His Own Flock

2008-08-23T22:01:00.012-04:00

Since the shepherds who were supposed to take care of the sheep of God's flock failed to faithfully discharge their duty, and instead used it as a way to fatten themselves, God takes more direct action to care for His sheep.

I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.“For thus says the Lord God:

Behold,

I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.

As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and

I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land.

And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and
I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.
I will seek the lost, and
I will bring back the strayed, and
I will bind up the injured, and
I will strengthen the weak, and
the fat and the strong I will destroy.

I will feed them in justice.

Ezekiel 34:10-16

Repeating something was an Old Testament way to denote emphasis or certainty. When God states that He "will do" something, it has the absolute certainty of the sun rising tomorrow that it would take place. So, in this passage, when God says He "will" do something fourteen times in a single passage, one can can be absolutely assured that what He said would come to pass actually would.

This citation also hints at what's to come when He says "the fat and the strong I will destroy."

More on that with the next installment.

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

God addresses the Faithless Shepherds

2008-08-18T21:26:00.005-04:00

Having identified the problems with the faithless shepherds, and the consequences of the shepherds looking after their own interests rather than the sheeps', God pronounces judgment on them:

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because

because my sheep have become a prey, and
my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts,
since there was no shepherd, and
because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep,
but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

Thus says the Lord God, Behold,
I am against the shepherds, and
I will require my sheep at their hand and
put a stop to their feeding the sheep.

No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves.

Ezekiel 34:7-10

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Faithless Shepherds in the Old Testament

2008-08-14T09:52:00.004-04:00

This is a complaint God had against so-called "shepherds" in the Old Testament who weren't doing what they were supposed to do, and the dire implications it had for God's sheep:

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds,

Thus says the Lord God:

Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!
Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
You eat the fat,
you clothe yourselves with the wool,
you slaughter the fat ones,
but you do not feed the sheep.

The weak you have not strengthened,
the sick you have not healed,
the injured you have not bound up,
the strayed you have not brought back,
the lost you have not sought, and
with force and harshness you have ruled them.

So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered;
they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.

My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth,
with none to search or seek for them.

Ezekiel 34:1-6

All quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The Law, Gospel, and Feminization of the Church

2008-07-30T21:03:00.005-04:00

Recently Issues Etc had a radio program talking about how the church is becoming feminized, and how the Law had to be preached in all it's stern-ness, and the and Gospel in all it's sweetness.

Out of curiosity, I did a search of Scriptures, and couldn't find either the Law or the Gospel described that way. In fact, I would submit these rather relational terms are indicative of just how "feminized" the language of the church has become.

So I wrote them a letter to that effect, quotes of which I'm posting below. You can find the link here and the MP3 recording of the session here.

We'll see what happens. :)

Greetings Gentlemen -

I listened to your program on how the church has been feminized, and I think one of the more insidious ways it's been "feminized" is how the Law and Gospel have been stated in more or less relational terms - ie the law is "stern" while the Gospel is "sweet".

Unfortunately, I was completely unable to find any of this kind of language used in Scripture to describe either the Law or the Gospel. Specifically

The Gospel is described as being the power of God:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages. Romans 16:25

...because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
1 Thessalonians 1:5

As for the Law, Scripture says it's a good thing!

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:19

So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Matt 12:12

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:36

But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.'
John 15:25

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Romans 4:15

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."
Romans 7:7

So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Romans 7:12

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
Romans 7:14

Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
Romans 7:16

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:56

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:24

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
1 Timothy 1:8ff

I'd submit, if there's any "stern-ness", it's not from the Law itself, but from the knowledge that it's impossible to keep it. If there's any "sweetness" to the Gospel, I'd submit it's in the God-given knowledge through faith that all our sins are covered, that we're safe from the condemnation we deserve, and will be spending eternity with our Creator.

Thank you for your ongoing programming. I only listen to bits and pieces when I have time, if you respond to this on the air, I hope it'll be in the "talkback" segment or the segment's appropriately titled.

I also keep a blog, and I've posted my letter here:

Yours in Christ,

Why the Gospel is Veiled

2008-07-30T19:57:00.002-04:00

Here's another good explanation on why people don't understand the Gospel, much less believe it:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

"Christians" persecuting Christians

2008-07-21T23:23:00.003-04:00

This is an instructive little passage on why Christians are persecuted by supposed "members" of the body of Christ:

They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. (John 16:2-)

This teaching follows a similar thought which Scriptures discusses in the New Testament, namely that being a Christian means having the Spirit of God within you, to seal the faith that's been worked in the believer. It also shows that being a "member" of a church or synagogue is no guarantee that a person is a believer with the Father dwelling inside them.

So if a faithful believer - or pastor - is persecuted by members of his church, this is probably one of the reasons why.

All quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Race according to the rules

2008-07-07T23:25:00.002-04:00

I think this citation stands well all by itself:

An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
2 Timothy 2:5

This is something we all need to keep in mind when one is tempted to try and do God's work in a way other than He has instructed us to go.

Where True Unity is Found

2008-05-19T11:02:00.006-04:00

Now there are varieties of gifts,
but the same Spirit; and
there are varieties of service,
but the same Lord; and
there are varieties of activities,
but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and
to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
to another the working of miracles,
to another prophecy,
to another the ability to distinguish between spirits,
to another various kinds of tongues,
to another the interpretation of tongues.

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:4ff

I did nothing; the Word did everything

2008-05-17T09:42:00.002-04:00

I ran across this quote from Martin Luther which I thought to be a particularly strong contrast to the attempts people make in this day and age to try and accomplish the work of God using the power of man:

In short, I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything. Had I desired to foment trouble, I could have brought great bloodshed upon Germany; indeed, I could have started such a game that even the emperor would not have been safe. But what would it have been? Mere fool's play. I did nothing; I let the Word do its work.
--Martin Luther

Church Politics - Israel Style II

2008-05-10T20:21:00.006-04:00

As I discussed in the first part of this blog entry, Korah and his allies were swallowed up by the earth, and the 250 men who allied with him were consumed by fire from God, and Israel fled from these sinners in fear.

This fear didn't last very long, as we see in Numbers 16:41

But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.”

This really puzzles me - Korah's swallowed by the earth, 250 men were consumed by fire from God - and the people of Israel blame Moses and Aaron?

One can only shake one's head in wonder at this - but there's an important lesson to be learned from this. Israel had direct, visible evidence of the presence of their Lord and God through a cloud that led them by day, and a pillar of fire by night, manna to feed them every day - and still they did not believe it was God who was working in their midst and leading them. I can only surmise that - for some reason - they thought that Moses and Aaron had the power to command all these wonders which kept them alive while dealing with their opponents using earthquakes and fire from the sky.

This is an important lesson to remember in our present days when we wonder why more people do not believe - if Israel, whom God made His chosen people - repeatedly refused to believe, is it any wonder that people in our present day don't believe either?

Whatever the truth behind Israel's unbelief is, the events of the prior day repeat themselves again, but this time with much more dire results. After the congregation of Israel assembled against Moses and Aaron, a cloud covers the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord appears. And what does the Lord have to say this time?

“Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."

which is exactly what He said about Israel the day before. And just like the day before, Moses and Aaron have to stand in for the people. Moses can tell that wrath is proceeding from the Lord and tells Aaron to take a censer and make atonement for the congregation. This time, however, instead of three families, and 250 men being lost to the wrath of the Lord, the death count was significantly higher:

And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he [Aaron] put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.

Fourteen thousand, seven hundred people - dead. And why? Because they refused to have Moses and Aaron as their leaders? No, it's Israel's direct disobedience to God Himself. God named the people He wanted to lead Israel, He confirmed it with many mighty acts, and they still rebelled. This goes to show that the God with whom we have to do, while He is a loving and patient God, His patience only lasts so long, and when His patience runs out and He decides to act, justice is swift, certain, complete, and irresistible.

It makes you stop and think of what's in store for the people in our present day who mistreat and abuse the faithful ambassadors God has sent them to keep them safe and fed...

Church Politics - Israel Style

2008-05-02T11:29:00.024-04:00

Wherever there are people, there’ll be politics, and Israel was no exception.

After God had used Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, there was a rebellion against Moses’s leadership by a man named Korah. As Numbers 16 reports:

Now Korah ... , and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

Anyone who has been in a church with strife between the congregation's "leadership" and it's pastor probably recognizes what this looks like - namely the gathering of numbers against the man God has placed in their midst as His Ambassador, and asserting that since "all" are equal in the church - why does this person have any greater authority than anyone else?

Moses's first response is a bit atypical of what one generally sees in a congregational dispute:

When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one hom he chooses he will bring near to him.

In Israel's time God manifested Himself to Israel in a more directly apparent manner than He does in current days, so Moses could call on God to decide between people and get a decisive response in short order. In current "church politics" God shows a lot more patience and allows His servants to suffer, like the prophets in Israel's later years that He sent to call Israel back to Him when they strayed.

In the following passages, Moses has a few things to say to Korah and the Sons of Levi who aspire to a position of power and authority beyond where God placed them. His concluding remark is the most telling:

Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together.

So, the issue wasn't Korah et al's rebellion against Moses and Aaron per se, but that they were rebelling against God Himself.

Where did this rebellion come from? When Moses called to Datahn and Abiram, and they refused to respond and come talk to Moses, we see what the complaint is:

“We will not come up.Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us? Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”

In other words, they had a "cushy" life in Egypt, Moses hadn't delivered a "cushy" life yet, they're accusing Moses of trying to kill the people of Israel and setting himself as a prince over the people.

What's strange about this statement is that it shows a complete lack of appreciation for how it was God that brought all the plagues on Egypt, and it was God that brought them out of Egypt with His own right hand. Maybe they were asleep when God parted the Red Sea and Israel crossed on dry land. But here they are, instead of giving God the glory for what He'd already done, and trusting Him to continue to care and provide for them as His people, they're putting all their complaints about their current troubles and lack of a cushy life on Moses and Aaron!

It's amazing when you think about it, and shows how God can work all kinds of wonders and miracle, and people still will not believe.

The question then is - how to decide whom God had chosen to lead Israel. Numbers 16:16 details the test. Moses, Aaron, Korah, and the 250 leaders in Israel would all bring censors and stand before the Tent of Meeting to see who God would choose. Korah, however, brings some more support besides the 250...

Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

If this was a democratic gathering, then Korah and the 250 would certainly've come out on top. But Israel wasn't a democratically ruled body, any more than today's churches should be. The doctrine and rule of God in the church - both in Israel's and today's time - is based on what God wills, not what man wills. People who want something that's at variance with what God wants will find themselves in opposition to God Himself, as Korah and his friends soon discovered.

The stage is set. What happens next doesn't take very long.

Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them hin a moment.”

Uh-oh. Since Israel has rebelled as a body by backing Korah against Moses, God is about to wipe all of them off the face of the Earth. Despite the actions of the Israelites, Moses and Aaron, however, stand in for them and ask God to spare Israel for their foolishness.

And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

So while Israel is spared, this can't be good for Korah and his friends. Moses goes out to the people of Israel and tells them to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. So the people withdraw, while Korah and his allies, together with their wives and children stand at the door of their tents. Here are Moses's words to Israel about Korah et al.

And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

Moses states that it was God that sent Moses to do all the works that he did, he didn't send himself to get Israel out of Egypt and lead them. And if God was really the one who sent Moses, then He would confirm it by creating something new that the people of Israel had never seen before - Korah and all his allies would go down alive to Sheol.

But more than that - Korah and his allies - by their action - had shown that they despised God, and God would confirm that by His action.

What happens next is immediate and certain:

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

So complete was the fate of Korah and his allies that it was as if they never existed. None of their descendants would live on, nor would their names continue, which was a huge deal in Israel's time.

But this isn't the end of the matter:

And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

These men who joined Korah in his rebellion paid for their sin with their lives, but their families were spared. Beyond that, there's not much to say other than with what God follows this up with:

As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.”

So while thes 250 men sinned, and it cost them their lives, their action was still counted as having been offered to the Lord, and thus the censors became holy. The metal was then hammered and used as a covering on the altar, to remind Israel of what had happened for as long as the altar existed -

...so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.

The main lesson I would have people take from this is that today - just like in Israel's time - it's God who wills and does things, and it is God who enables us to do His will.

Any pastors that read this may want to consider how Moses and Aaron acted towards their opponents - as in this case it was God who acted on His own behalf for the people He placed in charge of Israel.

The story, however, doesn't stop there. You'd think the people of Israel would learn something from God's display of His power and authority, but such was not the case. Israel has this problem with "getting it", which they would repeat over and over again throughout history.But that's a topic for another blog entry, so stay tuned - or read Numbers 16:41ff for yourself. :)

All quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

With Fear and Trembling

2008-04-13T19:24:00.005-04:00

Scriptures tells us:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Php 2:12).

There's a good reason to be afraid - because our God is a God of justice and wrath, a God who will not let the unrepentant and unjust go unpunished - either in this life, or whatever comes after. While the Law testifies to the perfection of God and so convict us of our sin, it will be God Himself who will enforce it and render judgment. Nothing in all of creation can escape, and on the day of judgment, you will have to give account for all the words you speak:

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Mt 12:36

and

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:13

Imagine, for instance, being on trial where you had to testify against yourself, everything you said and did was on display, and you had to explain ever single thing you said and did for your entire life. Could you come out justified? I know I couldn't.

Consider the parable of the unforgiving servant - he's forgiven an un-imaginable debt, then goes out and shakes down his fellow servant for a trifle, and when the king hears about it, has him thrown in debtor's prison until the debt's completely paid.

And that's where people usually stop - right before the punchline.

So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Mt 18:35

When the Spirit opened my eyes to that particular passage, it was like a 2x4 upside the head. I kept on wondering why I'd never heard that before.

However, serious as all this is, there is still hope - to return to the passage I'd originally cited:

...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phillipians 2:12)

We as believers have not been left alone, God's right there, in each and every one us, helping us along to do what we cannot do on our power. So just as we should be scared out of our wits by the implications of what we're facing at Judgment, we can take even greater comfort and joy in the promised saving work Christ has done - and continues to do - in us. As it is written:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Lk 7:47

When we think about it, it's amazing what God has done for us given the how hopeless our situation was before the promise was made.

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The "Best" Pastors?

2008-03-29T16:18:00.019-04:00

Recently I've been seeing references to "best" pastors, which leads directly to the question - what exactly is a "best" pastor? Does such a creature exist, or is this notion that there are such things as a "best" or "greatest" pastor remarkably similar to controversy the apostles got into over which of them was the greatest. Mark 9:33 relates this discussion

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Here, Christ defines "greatness" in the kingdom of God as putting one's self last and serving others. But in today's church, the typical definition of a "best" pastor appears to be someone who is highly trained, are good speakers, able to spot heresies, and the like. But I can't say I've heard the term "servant of all" ever as part of the definition of "best" pastor.

Not only that, but allowing the idea that there are being "best" pastors also allows an opening for the inherent temptation to favor one pastor over against another. This kind of division is nothing new, and we read from 1 Corinthian 3:5ff:

For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

The Corinthians were divide as to who they were following - as if Paul or Apollos could save them. Paul makes it absolutely clear that the accomplishment of any growth in the kingdom of God was from God alone, not those who planted or watered as God assigned to each.

This problem is discussed again in 1 Corinthians 4:6ff:

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

There is nothing any Pastor has or does which is not from God, so the idea of there being a "best" pastor is like saying there's a "best" God. Since it's God which accomplishes His working through His ambassadors, all glory should go to Him alone for any good which is accomplished through His soldiers.

Were that more people instead took instruction from Luke 17:10ff:

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

Only God works faith in man, and brings about His will. Pastors serve as His ambassadors, through whom Christ makes His appeal (2 Corinthians 5:20), but they must never consider that the success of this appeal is due to anything other than the working of God Himself through them.

To God alone be the Glory!

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

A fate worse than Sodom and Gomorrah's

2008-01-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

In the previous blog entry I discussed why Sodom and Gomorrah was overthrown, but like any area of inquiry, answering one question often raises a multitude of new questions. In this case, while Sodom suffered it's well-known fate, Capernaum's eventual fate would be worse. Why? Because God had personally came to the city in the person of Jesus Christ, and performed many mighty works in their presence, which would've brought even wicked Sodom to repentance. But, they still rejected Him. Christ discusses the reason why Capernaum's eventual fate would be worse than Sodom's here:

"And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating." (Lk 12:47-48)

Sodom may've gravely sinned against God, but done it without knowledge and in accordance with their human nature. The residents of Capernaum would not have that excuse though, which is why their fate would be worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Capernaum would not be the only city to suffer this fate - elsewhere in His ministry, Jesus sent 72 of His disciples out ahead of Him to work in His harvest field. If a city accepted the disciples in their ministry, the peace Christ gave the disciples would rest on the household. But if a town rejected them, the peace that God had given them would return to them. Christ said about such towns:

"I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town ."
(Lk 10:12)

All citations The Holy Bible : English standard version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Why did Sodom and Gomorrah perish?

2008-01-05T16:22:00.001-05:00

One of the best-know stories from Scripture is that of Sodom and Gomorrah, where two cities were reduced a smoldering rubble by fire from heaven, and Lot's wife was turned to a pillar of salt after she looked back as her family was fleeing the city. The reason for their destruction was pretty simple - the depth and range of their sin against God had cried out to heavens, and God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family before they destroyed it (Gen 19:13).

The puzzle, though, comes from this citation:

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matt 11:23-24)

In other words, Sodom could've been saved if the works that had been done in Capernaum had been done in Sodom. But why didn't God do those works in Sodom's time? That's a to ask on the other side of eternity, but the following passage provides a clue:

"...if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly..." (2 Peter 2:6, see also Jude 7)

Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire valley they inhabited were overthrown because of their sin, but the manner in which they perished demonstrated to all the following generations of what will happen to those who die in their sins outside of faith in Christ.

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Ignorance is bliss...?

2007-12-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if it's a curse to know too much, and then I come across a passage like this:

"For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow."

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ecclesiastes 1:18).
Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The fallacy of "WWJD?"

2007-09-15T16:50:00.000-04:00

A common saying I've heard from a number of places is the phrase "What Would Jesus Do?", abbreviated WWJD. While it sounds pious and reasonable, it's a question that's fraught with problems.

What kind of problems?

Let's change the question a bit and see what kind of answer we get:

What would Mom do?
What Would Dad do?
What Would my spouse do?
What Would a Police Officer do?
What Would a CEO do?

Each and every one of these questions has the same problem - answering them requires one to know the person, how they act, how they react, and have all the information they have. I'll grant there are times when it's possible to predict someone's actions from their prior actions, but that presumes a lot of time spent with them and a knowledge of how they act and behave.

However, even with married couples who've known each other for years, there's still going to be surprises along the way. How many times have you been surprised by what friends and relatives have done along the way, or wondered about their behavior?

Given the trouble people have in knowing each other and predicting what they would do, how can one hope to answer the question of "WWJD?"

If one thinks about it for a bit, the question itself is rather audacious. Why? Because Jesus made all creation and still holds it together by His power. This is a creation that, for all the time and effort mankind's spent studying, hasn't been able to count all the species of life that He made in 6 days, much less figured out how it all works.

It may be possible to infer some of the things He'd do from an extensive study of Scripture, but how many people who ask WWJD spend the requisite amount of time in God's Word to get even a hint of an understanding of how Christ does things? Consider also that the religious authorities of Jesus's time spent their lives studying the Scriptures of their time, and they still got it wrong.

Why?

Because they did not have the Father in them. They didn't even recognize the Lord of Glory because their eyes were blinded to matters of faith and the spirit. So also with people today - studying without the direction of the Holy Spirit will not lead one down the road to understanding matters of the spirit and of faith.

Even the disciples who were walking along the road to Emmaus didn't "get" who they were talking to because Christ chose not to reveal it to them until He broke bread with them. A number of times Christ instructed the disciples, and the disciples didn't "get" what Christ was saying until Christ opened their eyes to understand the Scriptures.

Anther problem with WWJD is that Christ was here to do a specific job on which the destiny of all creation for all time was laid on His shoulders, a duty we not only could never understand, but could never carry out. He also had the Father telling Him everything to say and to do, which involves a level of communion with the Godhead that we do not share.

We do, however have the Holy Spirit within us. The Spirit, which the Father has placed within each and every believer, does have that communion with the Father, and has the responsibility to lead us and open our eyes to understand the Scriptures, even though our sinful nature gets in the way and clouds the message.

So rather than asking WWJD, I'd say look to the book of Ephesians where we're told that God has laid out a path for us to walk, and ask

"What would God have me to do now?"

It's not possible to answer the question "WWJD?", but with the help of the Holy Spirit within us we can work on answering the question of "What would God have me do?" This same Spirit will instruct and lead us in the way He would have us to go, and gives us the ability to will and to do God's will until we're called off this rock to our eternal home.

Who is qualified to speak for God?

2007-08-03T16:37:00.000-04:00

I've read in a number of places discussions about people being "qualified" to be pastors. To support their case, such people'll cite Scriptures such as 1 and 2 Timothy, or Titus.

But, are these really qualifications of the person, or qualities one can use to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit within a pastor? This question is important because if a man is "qualified" to be a pastor like he would be to be a carpenter, then it logically follows that the work he performs is not that of Christ working through him but something he does under his own power.

But how can a fallen, sinful, and limited person accomplish the work of a perfect, omnipotent, and righteous God? It's just not possible.

As 2 Corinthains 3:5 writes:

"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant..."

While many denominations require a person to undergo formal training in a seminary before being placed in an official pastoral position, it would be a mistake to think that scholarly training is what makes them pastors. As 2 Corinthains 3:3 relates:

"And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not with ink but written with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

It is rather that God has laid that Calling on them to perform, and given them the sufficiency to deliver His letters to His people, and do all the things His ambassadors are to do. He does this by the presence and working of the Holy Spirit within these men to accomplish His will.

Why is this important? Because without the Spirit working through a man, he's working under his own authority and thus is seeking his own glory, and not that of Christ. As Jesus states in John 7:18:

The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

This is important, because without God placing His Call on a man to perform His work, the man will not have the Holy Spirit working through him to accomplish His will. The end result is that all you have is a very educated man who'se seeking his own glory.

However, if the person is in the pastoral office by virtue of the Calling God has placed on him, then he has the Holy Spirit working through him to accomplish all that God would have him do.

So who is "qualified" to speak for God? On their own power - nobody is qualified. But with the Spirit within a man, and the Calling of God in His life, any man can serve in this post.

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Unity and Disagreements

2007-04-29T08:24:00.000-04:00

In my last post quoting Herman Sasse, a reader commented:

"Whether the doctrinal disagreement is hidden behind a pious lie or out in the open, the result is the same: a lack of unity."

I would expand this a bit - the result is not just about the lack of doctrinal unity, but whether the Spirit is present in such circumstances.

If two or more groups are open about their differences, then at least they're both being honest and telling the truth. Disagreements that are "out there" and are being worked on can hopefully be resolved in a way that's in harmony with the Word of God. During this time, the Holy Spirit may also use this to open their eyes to a multitude of things they might not've learned otherwise.

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness."
Galatians 6:1

However, if the dissenting groups instead choose to cover up their differences and pretend that all is well - then not only is there a lack of doctrinal unity, but they've added lying and possibly hypocrisy to their list of sins. If the disagreements are of a nature that that one or more people should be expelled from the church but are tolerated instead, the letters to the churches in Revelations 2ff shows what God has said about such things in the past, and how He promised to deal with not only those who refused to repent, but those who tolerated these sinners in their midst.

I would also note that "doctrinal unity" in and of itself isn't a desirable goal, it's how that unity is accomplished, and what you are in unity with that's important.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
John 17:20

If true unity is being one with the Godhead, then it can only be accomplished by the working of the Spirit in the people of God who believe in Him. "Visible" doctrinal unity means nothing when it's based on a unity with something other than God in the Spirit of truth. In such circumstances where people are lying to each other or themselves, the Spirit will be present as a convicting, not a unifying presence.

All quotes from the Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Hermann Sasse quote

2007-04-26T19:13:00.001-04:00

"The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, is never present where lies are told. There is actually more unity of the church present where Christians of differing confession honorably determine that they do not have the same understanding of the Gospel than where the painful fact of confessional splintering is hidden behind a pious lie."
-- Hermann Sasse, "Union and Confession"

Getting hit for the wierdest things...

2007-04-13T08:09:00.000-04:00

The hit counter on this blog keeps track people who've visited here, what they were searching for, what search engine they were using, and other pieces of useful information. I'll check it out once in a while, and have see how this blog's been found while people were looking for something else - such as "tim, toolbox" and other theologically-related terms.

But, a search on "pepto, bismol, commercial, gospel"? I'm not even sure what the connection of those four words could even be!

Just another mystery of the universe I suppose. :)

If They Will not Listen to Moses and the Prophets...

2007-04-07T19:39:00.000-04:00

In the previous blog I wrote about why Christ didn't say anything when He was in front of the Sanhedrin.

What Christ experienced there is remarkably similar to the parable of Lazarus and the rich man:

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16:19

This parable paralleled real life. John 11 records how Lazarus died while Christ was a ways away. When Christ arrived, He raised Lazarus from the dead, and many believed in Christ as a result.

But what did the religious authorities do?

"but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
John 11:46

Incredible as it may seem, even though Christ brought Lazarus back from the dead, the religious authorities were more concerned about their position than believing in Christ.

However, the results of their disbelief doesn't stop there:

"When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus."
John 12:9

As if it wasn't enough that Lazarus had died and been raised from the dead - now they wanted to kill him yet again!

The hardness of these people's hearts was incredible. No wonder Christ said they wouldn't believe anything He told them.

And so we see a example how, if people won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they believe even if someone came back from the dead.

All quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Why was Jesus Silent?

2007-04-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

On this Good Friday, I thought it would be instructive to look at what Christ said when He appeared before the Chief Priests and Scribes they asked Him if He was the Christ. Christ's response is telling -

"If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer." Luke 22:67

The religious authorities had an agenda when they called Christ in, and there was nothing Christ could've said which they would've believed, nor would they answer any of His questions. In short - they had the mindset of "my mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts."

This is the classical way an unbeliever manifests their lack of faith.

Why was this? Because they did not understand the wisdom of God:

"But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
1 Corinthians 2:7

Scriptures tells us that Christ would not be alone in this experience, that there will be others in positions of religious authority who abuse and mistreat the faithful, and it'll be for the same reason - because they do not have the Father - or Christ - in them:

"They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me." John 16:1

This isn't surprising considering that spiritual truths can only be understood by the working of the Spirit within a person. These religious pretenders can be found anywhere - including positions of authority in the church. While this can certainly be cause for concern, it's not reason to lose faith, indeed such challenges can be used by Christ to deepen one's faith when He works things out by the power of His Word.

In short, the people of God will share in the sufferings of Christ for the same reason He was mistreated and abused. In such situations, Christ shows us an example to follow, and the reason to follow it:

"When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:22

Some day the works of all people will be exposed for all to see, nothing will be hidden, and when a person is judged, the ruling will be complete, certain, and without possibility of appeal. It was for this reason that Christ asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him, because they didn't have a clue as to what the ultimate and eternal implications of their actions would be.

While it's hard to trust Him to do whatever needs to be done when things are falling down around your ears, and the ones pulling down the walls are wolves in sheep's clothing, one has to remember that the strength of our faith does not rest on the faithfulness of anyone other than the Living God Himself.

I know, it's one thing to say it, but another to practice it. God knows that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14), which is why Christ was sent to accomplish what we could never do on our own, and then why the Holy Spirit was sent to keep us safe until we're called to be home with Christ.

Thought for the Day

2007-03-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

And “ If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

1 Peter 4:12

All Scripture quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

A look at Matthew 18:15-17

2007-03-24T09:47:00.000-04:00

Matthew 18 is commonly thought of as the de-facto standard of how disputes between memmbers of the body of Christ are supposed to be handled. The passage itself goes like this:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Matthew 18:15-17

There are four distinct phases to this process:

1) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.

What Christ seems to be assuming is first, that an offense had actually occurred, and second, that the other person is completely in the wrong. In all of this one has to be aware of one's own sinful nature, take responsibility for whatever you did to contribute to the problem, and realize that in cases of disputes in the body of Christ it's rare that only one side is completely to blame for the ensuing mess.

In cases where one person has been sinned against by another person, it's clear how this is applied - you go to the other person and talk to them about it. By doing it just between the two of you, you're a lot more likely to have a receptive audience, avoid embarrassing the other person, or embarrassing yourself for jumping to a plausible, but unfounded conclusion. You also avoid the risk of offending the other person by accusing them of doing something they didn't do.

During this phase it's important to be open to the possibility the other person was doing the right thing and you didn't know something they did; that any offense you may've experienced was un-intentional; or they were not aware of the impact their actions had on you.

My post on "Combat Blogging" has some suggestions on how to approaching these kinds of issues.

What happens next?

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

This is the most ideal result - that things are worked out amicably and everyone goes away happy and reconciled, the air is cleared, and everyone can resume their normal business.

But this is not always the case - there will be times when the other person doesn't think they've done something wrong. Then we move to phase two:

2) But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

The situation has become more serious - the offender has refused to listen to your complaint, or the dispute hasn't been resolved, so the next step in this parade is to involve other people. Christ doesn't specify who the other one or two people should be, but 1 Corinthians has something to say on the subject:

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! ... Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers...
1 Corithians 6:2-3, 5

This suggests people who are wise and of good repute, who are able to help resolve if not outright settle disputes, aren't afraid to call a spade a spade, but won't let you get off the hook for your actions either. After all, if you've refused to listen to and accept your sibling's perfectly reasonable explanation for their action - then who'se the offender?

Unfortunately, there's always going to be cases where a sinner is sufficiently hard-hearted that even the counsel of two or three people will not move them. In such cases, we move to phase three...

3) If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church

By now the offender has refused to listen to the person they've offended, the counsel of the two or three other people you've brought in to help resolve the dispute, so now the church at large has to deal with the issue. If their collective counsel concludes that the offender is in the wrong, and the offender still refuses to repent of their sin, then the final phase of this process needs to be applied:

4) And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

By now the offender's refused all counsel and correction that the church has had to offer, and in so doing remains committed to beliefs that excludes them from the body of Christ.

As such, the only course left for the Church is to acknowledge that and physically exclude them from the fellowship of believers of which they're no longer a part (hence the stricture "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector").

Not only does excommunication publicly recognize the error of the impenitent's ways, it also separates them from other members of the body of Christ and possibly leading the weaker ones astray with their error.

This is another way to describe what's commonly called excommunication. It's an action taken by the body of Christ as a corporate entity after careful consideration, and is not something done by one person on their own recognizance. In fact, it's a responsibility assigned by God to the church as a whole, not to any single person or office-holder.

This leads to an interesting question - are Synodical or other church structures that allow a single person holding an office to exclude a member or church from the church body as opposed to the Church body as a whole - Scriptural?

How has this been done in the past?

As an example of how the early LCMS church dealt with an issue like this is described in the paper When is Enough Enough? by Daneil Preus. The paper discusse a number of cases, the best and most succinct dealt with the case of a pastor by the name of "Schieferdecker" who promoted a doctrine which the Synod deemed to be un-scriptural.

Over the course of things, the question of Pastor Schieferdecker's doctrine was closely investigated, his position clearly established by a council of faithful and wise men, he was given plenty of time to consider his position and his answers, and when he maintained his un-scriptural views, he was expelled from Synod by an act of the Church as expressed in it's convention. After he was expelled, he asked if Synod would consider reinstating him if he ever returned to the doctrinal position of the Synod. Synod assured him that such would be the case and indeed, eighteen years later, after he recognized and admitted his error, he was readmitted to the Synod in 1875.

All disputes are rooted in sin, and should be regarded as the expression of that sin. The objective in resolving our disputes should always to be reconciled - not necessarily to each other because two people agreeing to sin have still separated themselves from God - but to God who alone is perfect and holy. If both parties to a dispute humble themselves and are reconciled to Him, then they will be reconciled to each other, because God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

All Scripture quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God

2007-03-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened––not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 5:1-6

Nothing more I can think to add to this...

A Look at Galatians 2:11ff

2007-03-08T16:11:00.000-05:00

For today's post I've chosen to take a look at Galatians 2:11, which relates how Paul dealt with an incident where Peter (aka Cephas) really stepped in things and led a number of other believers into error.

Paul writes:

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

So what we have is Peter, a Jew, who ate with Gentiles, was being consistent with the fellowship all believers in Christ were supposed to have. Then there's the circumcision group who held that believers had to follow the laws laid down by Moses as well as have faith in Christ in order to be saved. This meant meant believers had to have a form of "works righteousness" (ie circumcision). Long story short, when the circumcision party arrived, Peter crumbled out of fear of what they might do. Rather than remaining where he was and so testify to the unity of all believers, he separated himself from the Gentiles instead, thus denying this unity. Such was Peter's position and influence that he also led a number of other believers in his error - including the apostle Barnabas!

Paul states "Cephas stood condemned." What this tells me is that Paul's reason for acting wasn't based on anything about Paul but out of concern for Peter and the people who were with him. Paul didn't use his position, authority, or any other "worldly" reason to abuse and condemn Peter for his action, nor did he whisper behind his back, hide the issue, talk to other people, etc. Paul discharged the responsibility that God had given him - he confronted Peter and everyone else involved in that mess face to face.

An important point to get here is that while Peter was the main offender due to his position of leadership, he wasn't the sole offender. The other Jews who were with Peter could've stayed where they were, but they didn't - they chose to join Peter in his hypocrisy and separate from the Gentiles. This was an offence committed by a group of people, not just one person. As such, it was right and appropriate for Paul to confront Peter in front of these other people, because they had sinned as well. Paul was addressing a number of people who had sinned, but Peter was probably focused out because he as an apostle should've known - and acted - better. Those who God places in positions of authority and responsibility will be judged more strictly than others (James 3:1).

Continuing on -

"But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?

See how Paul opens his confrontation - not with an accusation or condemnation, but with a question. A question that had what I would surmise to be a self-evident answer to Peter and the rest of the people with him.

"We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

And here's the whole crux of the situation - the circumcision party believed other works were required in addition to Christ's work of justification in order to be saved. Were this true, then Christ's death would be for nothing.

Peter, by separating from the Gentiles who didn't follow the Jewish traditions, implicitly agreed with the circumcision party. His example then led a number of other believers into hypocrisy, which is one of the most repeatedly condemned sins in Scripture - and why Peter "stood condemned."

Looking at this from another perspective - namely how to address a person that's in error - we see Paul addressing the issue, not the person. He starts out with a rhetorical question that Peter certainly would be able to answer, and then proceeds to gently but factually show how Peter's actions was actually a denial of Christ's death and resurrection.

This is something for all of us to consider the next time we find ourselves dealing with an erring sibling in Christ.

Greetings to South Africa!

2007-03-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

When I checked my site visits, I saw that this blog has been hit from the city of Kew, Gauteng, South Africa. It seems this particular visitor found my blog by doing a Google search on Tims Toolbox.

So I tried it myself - and found out that Googling for "Tims Toolbox" returns this blog as it's third hit.

Cool! I'm unique in the world of Tims blogging about Theology. :)

Combat Blogging

2007-02-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

While I'm relatively new to blogging, I've spent years on various mailing lists interacting and debating a number of topics with a wide variety of different people. A lot of these experiences were extremely challenging in a positive way, and I've learned a lot, and became a better person for the effort.

Other times, the experience hasn't been as positive.

This blog entry is a bit about a couple of behaviors I've learned over the years that can make debates and resolving differences on an issue a positive experience.

Always, always, always address the issue, not the person.

Otherwise known as the "no ad-hominem" (literally, not arguing to the man), this prevents discussions from getting personal, insulting, and hurtful. It's one thing to strongly challenge a position on a subject, it's quite another to challenge the person or group who holds that position.

Don't get your personal identity confused with a position on an issue

It's all too easy to so strongly identify with an understanding we've had all our lives and get deeply offended when another person either doesn't see the merit, or thinks it's completely wrong.

Don't confuse their opinion on the value of the position with how they value you. It's possible for two people to have completely different perspectives on an issue and still value and respect each other.

Make sure what you think someone else is saying is actually what they mean.

Communication is a multi-phase process, and in each of those phases error can easily creep in. I'm sure there's more, but for starters here's a few:

a) Forming the thought of what you want to say
b) Expressing that thought
c) How the medium transmits the message to the receiver
d) What the receiver hears / reads / experiences
e) How the receiver interprets the information they've gotten through the filter of their own experience.

Each of those phases could result in confusion during the transition from one phase to another. Properly communicating a concept to another person so they'll "get" what you're talking about is a skill that takes a lot of practice to get right.

One of the biggest challenges of communicating pertain to the "you had to've been there" kind of things. One of them is for a man to try and understand what it's like to be pregnant. I was at a practice dinner with two (married) pregnant brides-maids and asked them what it was like, and their answer was it was similar to the Pepto-Bismol commercial, which depicted a person whose stomach bloated out and then shrunk.

Since I've never used Pepto-Bismol, I was still in the dark.

Another example is a hobby of mine - namely motorcycle riding. While I can talk about what it's like to ride all over North America on my Valkyrie motorcycle, unless you've ridden a bike headed down the highway, there's no basis for comparison to any other experience.

Right now, a friend of mine is facing some pretty intensive surgery early next month. He was talking to a couple of women about how he's getting an epidural as part of the treatment. The ladies (who were both moms) both said epidurals were highly recommended and very good. Right now my friend doesn't really know what an epidural's like, but soon he'll have a better understanding what they were talking about.

In debates about theological or other issues - a lot of times supposed differences are actually matters of resolving a common term of reference. As such, the safest thing to assume is that - if someone can mis-understand you, they will, and work to keep that from happening.

One low-risk way to kill the birds of illusionary differences and mis-understanding with one stone is to use the next technique -

Form your opposition to a position as a question

Typically it'll be "how do you resolve..."

By asking questions, you
* demonstrate an interest in what the other person has to say,
* can raise a serious issue they may not've thought of,
* may be able to lead them to the conclusion you've already arrived at,
* have improved their thinking process and get them to ask the same question in the future,
* keep the conversation going in a friendly manner
* won't needlessly risk damaging your relationship.

The minimum objective for any debate should be for both sides to better understand each other.

Getting one's self out of the picture...

2007-02-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

In the entry "Why do we need anyone else to instruct us?" I wrote about the need to examine yourself, and look for biases and other influences when reading Scripture.

heh heh heh.

It's always fun to admonish others about something, and then find out you're doing the very same thing yourself.

When I’d written the original version and then put it "out" there, something didn’t seem right, so I “unposted” it and looked it over again.

And there - disguised as a series of rather craftily written of assertions - was the culprit. And the culprit’s name? Pride! “See how smart I am!”

Now, when something is written for publication in a professional publication, it’ll go by an editor who gives the material a critical review, suggests changes to make it better, and help keep the pride of the author from contaminating the piece.

With blogs, one has to edit their own posts, so you have to be completely and brutally honest with yourself about why you’ve included certain portions of text, why you’ve worded things the way you have, and ask the question “Does this really belong here?”

When all was said and done, a lot of the original post was edited out, the "how smart Tim is" material got plunked in the digital bit bucket, and what was left cleaned up so it was about how the Spirit works and not how smart Tim is.

I think this is an example about why we need others in our lives to share our thoughts and understandings about the Word of God with so it's about Him - rather than about about us, our pride, or what we want or think.

Why do we need anyone else to instruct us?

2007-02-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

A blogger-buddy of mine recently cautioned about using commentaries because of their biases, and asked why one would even need them if one had the Spirit within them. While I can appreciate what he’s saying, comments like this make me extremely nervous.

Why?

Because “why do I need a commentary” is far too close to “why do I need anyone to instruct me in the Word of God.”

But if we have the Holy Spirit - who is the author of all things within us, then where’s the danger? Why do we need anyone else to instruct us?

This question - “Why do we need anyone else to instruct us?” is what I’m going to address in this blog entry.

To start, if one doesn’t use any resources other than their own discernment because of concerns about the author of the resources, one also needs to look in the mirror and ask - “What biases do I have? Where do I walk astray?” One cannot assert that the counsel of others suffer from biases and yet maintain that their own personal, occasional studies of Scripture are without bias and error of their own.

And, as it turns out, there’s another danger we need to guard from.

Scripture repeatedly tells us that the things of God cannot be understood apart from the Spirit of God. So, it’s natural to assume that if we have the Spirit within us, then right understanding should follow.

However, the Spirit of God manifests Himself to different people differently with different measures. Part of that is due to the Spirit’s choice, but it’s also due to the “old Adam” each and every believer has within them on this side of eternity.

What is this “Old Adam”? None other than the sinful nature within each and every one of us. It manifests itself as a remarkable ability for even the greatest of believers to mess up, get things wrong, and fall prey to sin. As Paul writes about his own struggles:

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” Romans 7:14-19

As Paul writes about the Israelites:

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:1-4

This is similar to the concern recorded in Hebrews about fellow believers:

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:12

Why did the Israelites get it wrong? Because of unbelief.

Why will someone who walks their own path and relies on their private relationship with the Spirit get things wrong? Because of unbelief.

This old-Adam blindness of unbelief in non-believers shows itself in believers as a lack of faith - a condition Christ upbraided His disciples for time and time again, a problem that has plagued all believers over all time, and results in all manner of heresy and false doctrine that leads people away from Christ, not to Him. If the disciples of Christ could fall prey to unbelief, there’s no way anyone else can think they’re immune from unbelief either.

Now Christ, being part of the Godhead, and so being all-knowing, knew this would happen, and made provision to take care of this problem even before He took on human form. What was that provision? None other than for the Father to send another member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Comforter, to look out for and care for the flock Christ had laid His life down for.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:25-25

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” John 15:26

Now how the Holy Spirit does His work differs from the nature and manner of how Christ worked. The Spirit hasn’t come in bodily form, but lives in each believer, and works through different believers in different ways in a manner and nature of His choosing. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the Spirit does not bestow the gifts He has to give equally to all people.

For instance, just as the Old Testament Levitical tribe was established to care for Israel’s religious needs, the Holy Spirit has established a distinct calling for people who He works through for the care-taking of the people of God. These people went by a number of different titles in New Testament times - among which were overseers, apostles and elders.

Today we generally call them “pastors.”

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

“Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ [...] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Eph 4:8,11-16

(As a brief aside, this illustrates the timeless nature of God - because Ephesians 4:8 is actually a quotation of Psalm 68:18 - which was written generations before during the time of David.)

From this passage we can see that not only are Pastors a visible manifestation of the Spirit working among the people of God, but also that faithful pastors are to be considered gifts from God. Not only that, but if one considers Paul to be a prototype of what a pastor’s supposed to be, then they are Christ’s ambassadors to His people, through whom He makes His appeal (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Therefore, if pastors are one of God’s chosen means of caring for His flock in this world, we as believers walk a dangerous path if we choose to ignore them and presume to interpret the things of God for ourselves in isolation from how the Spirit provides for and protects us during our walk on this earth.

So in summary -

First, if one doesn’t use any resources because of the potential biases of their author(s), one needs to look in the mirror and make sure there’s no error in the person looking back at you.

Second, the Holy Spirit has provided for pastors to look out for and care for the members of His flock, and keep them walking in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, and provide discernment for the members of his flock. These pastors are a means the Spirit has provided for believers to consult about matters of faith, and can be relied on to tell you what are good resources to read and what should be avoided.

Finally, a good commentary - or any other resource - written by a faithful servant of God in accordance with the leading of the Spirit, can be extremely useful for instruction and further understanding God’s Word. Bad commentaries, like any other resource that points other than to Christ, are to be avoided.

Understanding a Centurion’s Faith

2007-02-22T23:36:00.000-05:00

Here’s another passage that had puzzled me for quite a while:

Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them.

When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. Lk 7:2-10

The centurion sends elders of the Jews to ask Christ to heal his servant, but as Christ approaches, the centurion sends his friends to tell Christ He doesn’t need to come to the centurion’s house, only say the word and the servant to be healed, and how the centurion has authority, and how he can order his soldiers around and they do what they’re told.

So what’s the connection? Why does Christ say that the centurion has such great faith?

The connection is that as the centurion had authority over the soldiers under his command, and they had to do what he ordered them to do, Christ had authority over all creation, and creation had to do what Christ commanded it to do. Hence, the centurion - by faith - knew that Christ only needed to say the word, and the centurion’s servant would be healed, because all creation was under His authority.

That he had this faith and acted on it was what Christ marveled at. That this show of faith was made by someone who wasn’t one of the children of Israel made it even more remarkable.

Understanding the Things of God

2007-02-19T20:18:00.000-05:00

Something unique about the study of the Scriptures is how one’s knowledge and understanding evolves over the years. For instance, one little gem the Spirit showed me came from being puzzled by Matt 13:13

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving....’”

What had confused me about this passage was - how could one see without seeing, or hear without hearing? It didn’t make sense. At least, not until God gave me a better understanding of how discernment and the understanding of spiritual truths works.

What surprised me the most in this is that it’s not an intellectual process, so it’s not a matter of how “smart” one is. Point in fact, people who are “smarter” can have a harder time “getting” scripture compared to those who been gifted with greater faith. I'll explore this in a later blog.

The root problem is that man, by nature, will always be at odds with God on this side of eternity. This is the “old Adam” that lives within us, which gets in the way of our relationship with God, and blinds us to spiritual truths. As 1 Corinthians 2:14 states:

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

The latter part of this sentence is the key here - what it’s saying is that the things of God cannot be comprehended by normal human beings. Going back a little in 1 Corinthians to 2:1, we see this elaborated on -

“...no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual’”

It’s amazing how a short little passage like this can put it all together -

1) Nobody understands the God except the Spirit of God. This means neither the angels of heaven, satan, demons, or any human being can understand God.
2) Only the Spirit of God understands the things of God.
3) Believers have received this Spirit of God within them
4) It is this indwelling Spirit that enables believers to understand the things of God
5) Right instruction in the things of God isn’t a matter of human wisdom or intellect, but of teaching by Spirit.

So then, “getting” the Word of God is not a matter of smarts, but of the working of the Spirit within us to open our eyes to understand the things of God.

One consequence of this is that the Spirit reveals the things of God to the believer at a time of His own choosing. For instance, when Jesus was walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, the very fact of who He was was hidden from the disciples until Christ opened their eyes to recognize Him (Luke 24:31). Later on Christ appeared to the disciples, and opened their eyes to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24: 45). When this happen, did their intellectual understanding of Scriptures change? I think not, but that the spiritual dimension of understanding Scriptures was added by that act of God.

This may be why believers can read the same portion of Scripture over and over again, and then one day see something totally new. That’s the working of the Holy Spirit within them to open their eyes at the time of His own choosing.

And so we come full circle to making sense of Matt 13:13. People can “see” without “seeing” because they don’t have the Spirit within them to make the connection between what they’re seeing and the things of God. Ditto for “hearing but not hearing” - as far as the things of God, an unbeliever can listen to and read the Word of God, but without the Spirit of God to interpret for them, it might as well be a totally foreign and un-intelligible language.

Can you perform this small feat?

2007-02-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

This passage hit me between the eyes during one of my studies:

"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?" Lk 12:25

In this part of Scripture, Jesus is talking about the normal cares of the world everyone has like food and shelter. But in the middle of this, He says that adding a single hour to one's life is a small feat!

Think about this for a minute. Over the years, mankind's put in innumerable years of work, study, and other resources into the medical arts, and yet with all that ongoing effort the best they've accomplished is a myriad of ways to help the body heal itself or provide aids to help it function properly. It has yet to figure out how to extend a person's life past the time when the body finally breaks down and stops working.

Yet here Jesus calls adding an hour to one's life a "small" thing.

I imagine if I was the author of all creation, of all the plants, animals, and people in it, then adding an hour to someone's life would be a small thing for me as well.

Submission in the Church

2007-02-17T16:25:00.000-05:00

One thread I've repeatedly run into in Scripture is that of submission, and one of the most familiar examples of submission in Christendom is that of wives submitting to their husbands. (Col 3:18, Eph 5:22f).

What one doesn't hear too often is that wives aren't the only ones who are instructed to be submissive. 1 Corinthians 11:3 puts it well:

But I want you to understand that
the head of every man is Christ,
the head of a wife is her husband, and
the head of Christ is God.

If one changes this around a bit and assume that "headship" on one person's part is reason for submission on another person's part, then what you have is:

Wives submit to their husbands ,
Husbands submit to Christ,
Christ submits Himself to God (presumably the Father part of the Godhead).

So both husbands and Christ Himself are to be submissive to the one who has headship over them. Ephesians 5:22f expands on this a bit further:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Now, headship over another person isn't a matter of the submitting person being a slave or give the person in the position authority cause to abuse the one they have authority over. Quite to the contrary, if one looks at the relationship between a husband and wife, you see direct parallels to the relationship of Christ to His Church.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.Eph 5:25

In short, rightly done, the submission of a wife to her husband is the wife helping him love her, take care of her, and - if need be - lay down his life for her protection and defense. This is the same as the Church submitting to Christ, who cleans the people of the church by the washing of water with the word, so that she - the church - may be holy and blameless.

In this way, both the husband and Christ - by caring for their brides - are loving themselves.

2007-02-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, this feels really weird.

I'm a computing / information-services type professional who'se been on the Internet since the days when 1200 baud was considered fast, and the common "high-speed" services that I not only take for granted, but have come to depend on wasn't even a dream. During this time I've participated in innumerable discussions, debates, and the like that've been seen all over the world by innumerable people.

But until now, I haven't had a real, live, actually hosted by me, blog.

About anything.

LOL....

So why the change?

I guess this momentous event can be "blamed" on Philip Meade of "The Beast's Lair." I've been lurking in the comments section of his blog for a while, and he finally suggested I write a blog of my own.

And here we are.

The purpose of this blog is to explore topics pertaining to the Christian faith as revealed by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God as found in Sacred Scriptures. It is my intention to look into and investigate a wealth of material and topics that are a bit "out of the way" for most believers, and isn't heard from too often in Christendom.

So without any more ado, let us begin!