With Fear and Trembling

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?

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

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?

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...?

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?"

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?

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.