Thirty-three years ago, on May 2, 1987, Larry Bird made one of the greatest, if not the greatest, plays of his basketball career. In game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics were down by one point to the Detroit Pistons. With five seconds to go, the Pistons had the ball at their end of the court and it looked like things were all over for the Celtics. Yet if Pistons fans had started cheering then, they would have been extremely premature, as Larry Bird then made an outstanding play by stealing the inbounding pass from Isiah Thomas and got the ball to Dennis Johnson, who made the game-winning layup!
Just as it is dangerous to be full of yourself and be calling the game too early in sports, it is infinitely more dangerous to do so in the spiritual realm. Nineveh is a city that had been very wicked, but God had pity on them and sent Jonah to warn them. Half-hearted though it was, Jonah's message of warning got through (eventually- after a stay in an underwater motel inside a big fish) and the people repented and God stayed His hand. Unfortunately, the people of Nineveh in later years reverted to their former wicked ways and then God sent Nahum to let them know that His judgment was coming- and it wasn't going to be stopped this time. God always carries out justice. He is certainly long-suffering and wanting to extend grace, but when people reject His kind offer, there is no recourse left. Only those who take refuge in Him are safe. Learn from Nineveh's example and repent now while there is time. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
"Nahum's Woe"
(parody of "Sussudio" by Phil Collins; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/7/2019)
(book of Nahum [particularly Nahum 1:7], also see book of Jonah, 2 Corinthians 6:2)
There's this book that's been on my mind
Read its lines- Na- Na- Nahum, oh! oh! oh!
Now you know me from Jonah's fame
(It's) No Disney sequel- read just the same
Na- Na- Nahum, yo! oh! oh!
Well, God- He called me to go share
Destruction's coming- Nineveh, beware!
Last century- all was right
Appealed to God- now Nineveh reverts!
Na- Na- Nahum's woes! Just read The Word!
They're do- do- doomed, you know!
God knows those (who) take refuge in Him
With (a) flood brings foes to an end
Na- Na- Nahum 1:7
God's given command- 'cause you are vile
No more will Nineveh
Pass through Judah though- oh! oh!
Ah, get dressed- battle's here from scatterer
The chariots close in as they go through town
And race Ben-Hur rush style- faces grow pale
And they'll feel who don't listen- just take The word-
2:2 Nahum- Yo! Thus saith The Lord
No game like on Yu-Gi-Oh! Whoa!
Woe (to) city bloody- all full of lies
The wheels roll on of God's justice (in) The Word!
Read 3 in Nahum- Go!
The just prey unfurls
Oh - 3:1 Nahum - Woe!
They'll just say the words, "Oh, who- who- who will grieve for her?"
All stay away
3:7 Nahum- Woe! Oh, oh, oh!
Nineveh's burned!
God's justice undeterred- uh!
Just what's deserved
For Nin- Nin- Nineveh (oh, oh, oh)
So Na- Na- Nahum- go! (Go, go, go!)
Review with Nineveh (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
Your sins have doomed you all! (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
No soothing woes! (Oh, oh, oh)
All who hear news- woe! (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
Can't ease your hurt
Wish you had boohooed and turned! (Oh, oh, oh)
Prayed to The Lord, oh
"Please save us, Lord"
But must just say the word!
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Friday, June 5, 2020
What Not to Flare Up About- and Righteous Anger
Ephesians 4:26 "Don't become so angry that you sin." Interesting translation. I wonder if that's the NLT maybe? Other translations render it as "In your anger do not sin." Great Bible verse to remember (As they all are. ;-))
I suppose either way though there is an implication that there is an acceptable level of anger to have at times. It is entirely possible to be rightfully angry and not sin. Surely Jesus demonstrated that when He turned over the moneychangers' tables, made a whip and chased them out of the temple. He was angry that God's temple was being defiled, which was a righteous anger.
By comparison, we also read about Jonah's anger at God's choice to have mercy upon Nineveh and relent from the calamity He had promised to send. Jonah is also angry and frustrated about the death of the plant that had provided him shade from the sun. God questions him about this in chapter 4 and asks him if he has any right to be angry. Jonah says he does and that he's angry enough to die. God then points out his sinful anger and selfishness at mourning the death of a plant that sprung up overnight and then died but having such indifference about 120,000 people who don't know their left from their right who were perishing in their sin. Surely God should be concerned about them as should Jonah!
We should not get angry out of selfishness based on our own prejudices. Instead, we should be angry at injustice and sin.
And as this same passage in Ephesians 4 says, when we are angry with others, we need to find a good way to resolve it while it is still called today. Don't let it fester into a root of bitterness and don't let the sun go down on our anger.
Reconciliation is reflective of God's heart and it's what we should strive towards as well.
I suppose either way though there is an implication that there is an acceptable level of anger to have at times. It is entirely possible to be rightfully angry and not sin. Surely Jesus demonstrated that when He turned over the moneychangers' tables, made a whip and chased them out of the temple. He was angry that God's temple was being defiled, which was a righteous anger.
By comparison, we also read about Jonah's anger at God's choice to have mercy upon Nineveh and relent from the calamity He had promised to send. Jonah is also angry and frustrated about the death of the plant that had provided him shade from the sun. God questions him about this in chapter 4 and asks him if he has any right to be angry. Jonah says he does and that he's angry enough to die. God then points out his sinful anger and selfishness at mourning the death of a plant that sprung up overnight and then died but having such indifference about 120,000 people who don't know their left from their right who were perishing in their sin. Surely God should be concerned about them as should Jonah!
We should not get angry out of selfishness based on our own prejudices. Instead, we should be angry at injustice and sin.
And as this same passage in Ephesians 4 says, when we are angry with others, we need to find a good way to resolve it while it is still called today. Don't let it fester into a root of bitterness and don't let the sun go down on our anger.
Reconciliation is reflective of God's heart and it's what we should strive towards as well.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Racism, Hatred, Multiculturalism and God's Love
(Note: This is a collection of three pieces I wrote in response to the tragic murder of Ahmaud Arbery, which happened in February 2020 but was not widely reported to the public until May 2020. I have included links in some places where I was writing in direct response to that. These are my observations on the racism still rampant in the world since sin is still rampant in the world and a Biblical response to it.)
I have been at least an occasional runner since first competing in cross country and track and field in high school. I have been running again more regularly lately since the weather got warmer. Thus, I would likely have gone for a run or walk today anyway.
In light of Ahmaud Arbery's birthday today (May 8), I thought it was only fitting to go for a run/walk in his honour and memory today. (As you can see in the link below, a lot of folks have also done just that.) I have read so many stories like his in recent years that have come to light (I'm sure there are many more that don't) and it is incredibly sad and disgusting and infuriating all at once. It reviled me to see the evil that sin brings about.
I find it crazy to think that while I as a white man have not ever had a random person stop me while I'm about and confront me with a gun because they suspected me of burglary- African-American citizens have had similar experiences far too often. (And once is one too many.) As I've said before, leave the law to law officers. If you have credible suspicions, report them. Don't make baseless accusations and don't confront and retain people against their will because you have no authority to do so. It's one thing to risk your life in trying to stop a crime or stop the perpetrators when you have concrete proof of both the crime and the lawbreakers. There is something to be said for selflessness and trying to help those in need- but that also constitutes vigilantism and one must be aware of the horrible consequences it can bring- which is why it's best to leave such matters to the police when it's a legitimate matter worthy of their attention. (Note: Running, playing golf, waiting for friends at a coffee shop, walking home at night, selling water as a fundraiser, falling asleep in your own commons room, babysitting kids, selling houses as a realtor, having a barbecue at a park, mowing lawns, and just going about daily life in general are not matters that need police intervention.) Take the time to lovingly and kindly talk with people and assume the best about them rather than assuming the worst. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
While I was out and about in the neighbourhood, I took time to pray for Mr. Arbery's family and for the McMichaels as well, that God would bring justice and comfort for the former and repentance for the latter. I also prayed that God would open our eyes to acknowledge the sin of hatred that continues to rear its ugly head so often in the form of racism- and to help us repent of it and truly show Jesus' love to all.
This is a Gospel issue. Jesus died and rose to pay for all our sins- and we are all equally guilty before Him. His intervention on our behalf is the grace and mercy of God that longs to not see us punished and eternally separated from Him, but forgiven and eternally reconciled to Him.
1 John 4:20 says we cannot love God Whom we haven't seen when we hate our brother whom we have seen. When we see injustice in the world, we are called to speak out against it. (Isaiah 1:17, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8) Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4:16-21 speaks to this as well. He came to free the oppressed spiritually- and He uses us to help do that physically as well. The world will know we are Christians by our love. (John 13:35)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/05/08/world/ahmaud-arbery-support-run-trnd/index.html
...................................................................................
https://www.augustachronicle.com/opinion/20200511/letter-black-racism-murdered-arbery?fbclid=IwAR1vkdUg1eCkX3XvET39sK1J9uxovZbKHJ150Ty5AHjYbv1rYj8RNxWWjvk
This letter was quite disturbing to read as well as very saddening. :-(
The takeaway I got from this is that, in the writer's point of view, apparently Mr. Arbery was "asking for it" because he and other African-Americans were getting too "uppity".
I'm glad he at least noted that it's unfortunate when any American citizen, whether white or black (by the way, there are more than two races in the US and the world but the distinction is understandable for the context of this letter), is murdered unnecessarily. (Evidently, there are times he deems murder to be necessary. Perhaps he meant to say "killed unnecessarily" here.)
It's ironic he mentions the existence of predominantly black colleges without acknowledging that segregation and racism against African-American people are largely the reasons why they exist.
Perhaps some overt racism on the part of the government has declined since the 1960s but that does not mean that more subtle systemic forms don't exist. And obviously overt racism on the part of individuals still exists. That was one of the biggest culture shocks for me coming from the country where I grew up as a minority among for the most part very loving and open people to coming to the Southern USA in a small town where I encountered a number of close-minded racist people.(Which is certainly not descriptive of everyone in that town or in the South or USA in general.) Sin still plagues our world and it continues to fill hearts with hate, sadly. That will continue as long as earth endures until Christ's return.
And I would ask this gentleman what he would do in regards to one of Christ's most famous commands. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)
If you and your family were dark-skinned of African descent and you couldn't even trace all your ancestry back past a few generations because your ancestors were not considered to even be full human beings and thus records were not kept for them- and your ancestors had been kidnapped and brutally enslaved in horrific conditions at the hands of white colonialists- and then even after the country your family was brought to nearly split apart fighting a war largely for the right to own your great, great, great grandparents as property- and then after that, your ancestors endured substandard housing and schooling and economic job opportunities, along with a denial by the government of basic rights like voting- and continued to endure numerous taunts and being made to feel as second class citizens and suffered numerous acts of violence and murders at the hands of cowardly bullies who hid their faces behind sheets and twisted The Bible to somehow claim God was on their side- and to this day, you yourself continue to see those deleterious effects of this cumulative history along with the racist attitudes still prevalent in society, often fueled by the President himself, who seems to hold and enable many racist, sexist and xenophobic views and actions- how would you feel if a non-black person, particularly a white one, told you that you should quit whining about it and stop claiming that people are racist when evil acts of cruelty up to and including murder are performed against people of your skin colour, along with other non-white skin tones, still on an all-too-regular basis?
What would be the most loving thing to do for someone in that position? Instead of denying the reality of racism, we need to repent from it and let God change our hearts. That's precisely why Jesus came to die and rise- so all sins would be paid for and we could be restored by faith in Him to the loving people who He made us to be, who love God with their all and love their neighbours as themselves. You cannot say you love God, Whom you haven't seen, if you hate your brother whom you have seen. (1 John 4:20)
Remember too, if one is a follower of Christ, that Philippians 2 commands that we think of others before ourselves and as better than ourselves. That is the example Jesus gave when He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. That's why God raised Him up and gave Him the Name above all names that at His Name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I have no idea about where this letter writer stands in relation to Christ but I thought it particularly worth noting for one thing because so many have claimed Christ's Name, yet betrayed Him through hateful words and actions that do not reflect His heart in any way at all.
As Rev. Dr. King, Jr. said, hate cannot drive out hate- only love can do that. I pray God's Love will transform this man's heart and all those in need of His Love that makes enemies to be friends and brothers.
...................................................................................
I just wanted to offer this bit of insight as a white man who grew up as a minority in a country where the white population was about 0.5% who then came to live in the American South.
I have never thought of any neighbourhood as "belonging" to a particular race. I grew up in a multi-racial neighbourhood. My next door neighbours were of African descent. The neighbours across the street were of Indian descent. The neighbours down the street were of Chinese descent. I remember regularly going by their houses as a kid. All the neighbourhood kids got together on Saturdays for games of tag and "Police and tief". (The Trinidadian equivalent of "cops and robbers". :-))
Those adult neighbours were as aunty and uncle to me. In fact, that is what we called them, as that was the social, respectful custom there.
Imagine the culture shock of coming from growing up 10 years there to living in a largely white neighborhood in a small Southern town that unfortunately harbored a lot of racist, redneck attitudes. (No, that's not to say everyone was like that, of course. However, the grand dragon of the KKK did live in that town, so there's that.)
I have seen and heard a lot of racist attitudes and actions even from and sometimes especially from people in the church who claimed to love The Lord Jesus Whom they haven't seen yet hated their brother whom they have seen. (Check 1 John 4:20. That just doesn't work.)
I have seen NUMEROUS comments from people online who hold some very racist and xenophobic ideas about non-white people who are not from America originally.
I am so glad to have been able to serve in rural school districts serving some of the poorer people of the state, with a mixture of racial demographics. I have worked at a predominantly African-American populated school, both in students and faculty and staff. I have a similar balance at my current work place. I live in an apartment complex with many African-American and Indian neighbours, which feels like home to me. (Especially as I can often smell curry in the air in my building! :-))
Of course there are people who hold hateful views of others based on race, nationality, religion, sex and so forth. It sickens me to see it in the church as that flies in the face of The Gospel! The Bible says that God made all people in His image! Male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
Philippians 2 says I am to follow the example of Jesus Who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross to pay for our sins and then rose again. That passage says I am to think of others as better than myself and to be concerned about their needs above my own!
I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself. I am to do unto others as I would have them do unto me.
The church should be doing all these things and reaching out in love to all people. The church should also be standing against injustice! That's what Love does and it's what we are commanded to do too. (1 Corinthians 13:6, John 13:35, Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24)
In doing these things, we must also recognize the history of racism and pride and hatred and greed that has shaped America's history, along with so many other countries affected by colonialism. To point out the ways racism sure seems to be ingrained in the system of doing things is an acknowledgement of history and the sins of our forefathers.
We can't change what has been done but we can repent of any sin we have done and any sin of racist attitudes that still linger and lament over them.
If we as Christians are not loving all people of all races, we are not comporting to God's Word. It's fitting that I am scheduled to read Numbers 12 today in my daily quiet time with God, a passage where God punished Miriam and Aaron for defying Moses' authority and particularly for decrying his Cushite wife (i.e. darker skinned)
We better learn to love seeing a variety of skin colours because Revelation 5:9 says there will be some from every tribe, tongue and nation in Heaven all praising Jesus as one. Racial unity in the body of Christ is the model of Heaven. In fact, as Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 tell us, there's no Jew or Greek, slave or free, nor male or female- we're all one in Christ Jesus.
May God truly help us live out that truth.
I have been at least an occasional runner since first competing in cross country and track and field in high school. I have been running again more regularly lately since the weather got warmer. Thus, I would likely have gone for a run or walk today anyway.
In light of Ahmaud Arbery's birthday today (May 8), I thought it was only fitting to go for a run/walk in his honour and memory today. (As you can see in the link below, a lot of folks have also done just that.) I have read so many stories like his in recent years that have come to light (I'm sure there are many more that don't) and it is incredibly sad and disgusting and infuriating all at once. It reviled me to see the evil that sin brings about.
I find it crazy to think that while I as a white man have not ever had a random person stop me while I'm about and confront me with a gun because they suspected me of burglary- African-American citizens have had similar experiences far too often. (And once is one too many.) As I've said before, leave the law to law officers. If you have credible suspicions, report them. Don't make baseless accusations and don't confront and retain people against their will because you have no authority to do so. It's one thing to risk your life in trying to stop a crime or stop the perpetrators when you have concrete proof of both the crime and the lawbreakers. There is something to be said for selflessness and trying to help those in need- but that also constitutes vigilantism and one must be aware of the horrible consequences it can bring- which is why it's best to leave such matters to the police when it's a legitimate matter worthy of their attention. (Note: Running, playing golf, waiting for friends at a coffee shop, walking home at night, selling water as a fundraiser, falling asleep in your own commons room, babysitting kids, selling houses as a realtor, having a barbecue at a park, mowing lawns, and just going about daily life in general are not matters that need police intervention.) Take the time to lovingly and kindly talk with people and assume the best about them rather than assuming the worst. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
While I was out and about in the neighbourhood, I took time to pray for Mr. Arbery's family and for the McMichaels as well, that God would bring justice and comfort for the former and repentance for the latter. I also prayed that God would open our eyes to acknowledge the sin of hatred that continues to rear its ugly head so often in the form of racism- and to help us repent of it and truly show Jesus' love to all.
This is a Gospel issue. Jesus died and rose to pay for all our sins- and we are all equally guilty before Him. His intervention on our behalf is the grace and mercy of God that longs to not see us punished and eternally separated from Him, but forgiven and eternally reconciled to Him.
1 John 4:20 says we cannot love God Whom we haven't seen when we hate our brother whom we have seen. When we see injustice in the world, we are called to speak out against it. (Isaiah 1:17, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8) Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4:16-21 speaks to this as well. He came to free the oppressed spiritually- and He uses us to help do that physically as well. The world will know we are Christians by our love. (John 13:35)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/05/08/world/ahmaud-arbery-support-run-trnd/index.html
...................................................................................
https://www.augustachronicle.com/opinion/20200511/letter-black-racism-murdered-arbery?fbclid=IwAR1vkdUg1eCkX3XvET39sK1J9uxovZbKHJ150Ty5AHjYbv1rYj8RNxWWjvk
This letter was quite disturbing to read as well as very saddening. :-(
The takeaway I got from this is that, in the writer's point of view, apparently Mr. Arbery was "asking for it" because he and other African-Americans were getting too "uppity".
I'm glad he at least noted that it's unfortunate when any American citizen, whether white or black (by the way, there are more than two races in the US and the world but the distinction is understandable for the context of this letter), is murdered unnecessarily. (Evidently, there are times he deems murder to be necessary. Perhaps he meant to say "killed unnecessarily" here.)
It's ironic he mentions the existence of predominantly black colleges without acknowledging that segregation and racism against African-American people are largely the reasons why they exist.
Perhaps some overt racism on the part of the government has declined since the 1960s but that does not mean that more subtle systemic forms don't exist. And obviously overt racism on the part of individuals still exists. That was one of the biggest culture shocks for me coming from the country where I grew up as a minority among for the most part very loving and open people to coming to the Southern USA in a small town where I encountered a number of close-minded racist people.(Which is certainly not descriptive of everyone in that town or in the South or USA in general.) Sin still plagues our world and it continues to fill hearts with hate, sadly. That will continue as long as earth endures until Christ's return.
And I would ask this gentleman what he would do in regards to one of Christ's most famous commands. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)
If you and your family were dark-skinned of African descent and you couldn't even trace all your ancestry back past a few generations because your ancestors were not considered to even be full human beings and thus records were not kept for them- and your ancestors had been kidnapped and brutally enslaved in horrific conditions at the hands of white colonialists- and then even after the country your family was brought to nearly split apart fighting a war largely for the right to own your great, great, great grandparents as property- and then after that, your ancestors endured substandard housing and schooling and economic job opportunities, along with a denial by the government of basic rights like voting- and continued to endure numerous taunts and being made to feel as second class citizens and suffered numerous acts of violence and murders at the hands of cowardly bullies who hid their faces behind sheets and twisted The Bible to somehow claim God was on their side- and to this day, you yourself continue to see those deleterious effects of this cumulative history along with the racist attitudes still prevalent in society, often fueled by the President himself, who seems to hold and enable many racist, sexist and xenophobic views and actions- how would you feel if a non-black person, particularly a white one, told you that you should quit whining about it and stop claiming that people are racist when evil acts of cruelty up to and including murder are performed against people of your skin colour, along with other non-white skin tones, still on an all-too-regular basis?
What would be the most loving thing to do for someone in that position? Instead of denying the reality of racism, we need to repent from it and let God change our hearts. That's precisely why Jesus came to die and rise- so all sins would be paid for and we could be restored by faith in Him to the loving people who He made us to be, who love God with their all and love their neighbours as themselves. You cannot say you love God, Whom you haven't seen, if you hate your brother whom you have seen. (1 John 4:20)
Remember too, if one is a follower of Christ, that Philippians 2 commands that we think of others before ourselves and as better than ourselves. That is the example Jesus gave when He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. That's why God raised Him up and gave Him the Name above all names that at His Name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I have no idea about where this letter writer stands in relation to Christ but I thought it particularly worth noting for one thing because so many have claimed Christ's Name, yet betrayed Him through hateful words and actions that do not reflect His heart in any way at all.
As Rev. Dr. King, Jr. said, hate cannot drive out hate- only love can do that. I pray God's Love will transform this man's heart and all those in need of His Love that makes enemies to be friends and brothers.
...................................................................................
I just wanted to offer this bit of insight as a white man who grew up as a minority in a country where the white population was about 0.5% who then came to live in the American South.
I have never thought of any neighbourhood as "belonging" to a particular race. I grew up in a multi-racial neighbourhood. My next door neighbours were of African descent. The neighbours across the street were of Indian descent. The neighbours down the street were of Chinese descent. I remember regularly going by their houses as a kid. All the neighbourhood kids got together on Saturdays for games of tag and "Police and tief". (The Trinidadian equivalent of "cops and robbers". :-))
Those adult neighbours were as aunty and uncle to me. In fact, that is what we called them, as that was the social, respectful custom there.
Imagine the culture shock of coming from growing up 10 years there to living in a largely white neighborhood in a small Southern town that unfortunately harbored a lot of racist, redneck attitudes. (No, that's not to say everyone was like that, of course. However, the grand dragon of the KKK did live in that town, so there's that.)
I have seen and heard a lot of racist attitudes and actions even from and sometimes especially from people in the church who claimed to love The Lord Jesus Whom they haven't seen yet hated their brother whom they have seen. (Check 1 John 4:20. That just doesn't work.)
I have seen NUMEROUS comments from people online who hold some very racist and xenophobic ideas about non-white people who are not from America originally.
I am so glad to have been able to serve in rural school districts serving some of the poorer people of the state, with a mixture of racial demographics. I have worked at a predominantly African-American populated school, both in students and faculty and staff. I have a similar balance at my current work place. I live in an apartment complex with many African-American and Indian neighbours, which feels like home to me. (Especially as I can often smell curry in the air in my building! :-))
Of course there are people who hold hateful views of others based on race, nationality, religion, sex and so forth. It sickens me to see it in the church as that flies in the face of The Gospel! The Bible says that God made all people in His image! Male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
Philippians 2 says I am to follow the example of Jesus Who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross to pay for our sins and then rose again. That passage says I am to think of others as better than myself and to be concerned about their needs above my own!
I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself. I am to do unto others as I would have them do unto me.
The church should be doing all these things and reaching out in love to all people. The church should also be standing against injustice! That's what Love does and it's what we are commanded to do too. (1 Corinthians 13:6, John 13:35, Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24)
In doing these things, we must also recognize the history of racism and pride and hatred and greed that has shaped America's history, along with so many other countries affected by colonialism. To point out the ways racism sure seems to be ingrained in the system of doing things is an acknowledgement of history and the sins of our forefathers.
We can't change what has been done but we can repent of any sin we have done and any sin of racist attitudes that still linger and lament over them.
If we as Christians are not loving all people of all races, we are not comporting to God's Word. It's fitting that I am scheduled to read Numbers 12 today in my daily quiet time with God, a passage where God punished Miriam and Aaron for defying Moses' authority and particularly for decrying his Cushite wife (i.e. darker skinned)
We better learn to love seeing a variety of skin colours because Revelation 5:9 says there will be some from every tribe, tongue and nation in Heaven all praising Jesus as one. Racial unity in the body of Christ is the model of Heaven. In fact, as Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 tell us, there's no Jew or Greek, slave or free, nor male or female- we're all one in Christ Jesus.
May God truly help us live out that truth.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
The Truth's Lying in Plain Sight
As a precursor, I want to note that I generally strive to avoid
political posts and this one is no different. I don't hold to any
particular party (just Jesus above all)- and this is not about parties
and politics- it's about purity.
I was thinking earlier today about the truth and how it has so many interesting manipulations, particularly by American presidents in recent memory. President Nixon- "Tricky Dick"- claimed boldly, "I am not a crook." Maybe not, but he was unfortunately a liar. (He was smart enough to resign before he got impeached.) President Clinton- "Slick Willy"- needed clarification on the meaning of the word "is" during his impeachment hearings. (He was eventually acquitted, as there were not enough votes for the perjury and obstruction of justice charges to stick.) Of course, President Bush (I'm not aware of pejorative nicknames for him, though I'm sure people assigned him some) sold the whole Iraq war on what was shown to be a false presumption about the presence of weapons of mass destruction there. Numerous charges of questioned truth claims were leveled at President Obama and I suppose his biggest faux pas would be the whole debacle over the handling of the healthcare bill. President Trump's administration talks about the plethora of "fake news" floating around, but also talks about the existence of "alternative facts". How does that even work?
In years past, we had President "Honest Abe" Abraham Lincoln and President George Washington, who had the famous story about cutting down cherry trees- "I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree." Of course, I'm sure one could find untruths true of all political leaders and people in general at some point or another. The point here is that we are all sinners and all in need of The Truth. Romans 1:25 says that we exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. That is indeed the problem- we've moved from a picture of grace and nature being held as the ideas guiding our society to non-rationality and rationality being the two guiding ideas- and we escape from reason as the basis for truth to embracing feelings as the basis for truth instead. [Note: I've been reading Francis Schaeffer lately. ;-) I have to credit him for a lot of this post, and ultimately to God for inspiration for both of us.]
As Relient K said, "Sometimes when you're trying to sleep and all your doubts and your faith don't agree, it's cause sometimes the hardest thing to believe is the truth."
It's important to note that Jesus identifies Himself not only as The Way and The Life (in John 14:6) but also The Truth. When we come into relationship with Him through faith in His death and Resurrection, we find ourselves in The Truth and come to understand that our identity in Christ is our true selves that the Fall has driven us away from. We live now as shells- men with hollow chests as T.S. Eliot said and C.S. Lewis alluded to as well. Colossians 3:1-4 says that when we come to Christ, we die and our true life is then hidden with Christ in God. His Way of Life really is the only Life- living in line with the design God had for us all along- to be loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Romans 2:9-18 makes it abundantly clear that none of us are righteous- none of us are pure. Yet it's the pure in heart who shall see God, according to Jesus in Matthew 5:8.
That's exactly why Jesus, the pure and spotless Lamb of God, had to intervene and live out the requirements of the Law that we could never keep. And when we put all our faith into Christ's righteousness and completed work, our falsehoods are recognized for what they are and our eyes are unveiled and we can see the Truth of Jesus for Who He is- and know The Truth who sets us free. (John 8:32-36) "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4)
I was thinking earlier today about the truth and how it has so many interesting manipulations, particularly by American presidents in recent memory. President Nixon- "Tricky Dick"- claimed boldly, "I am not a crook." Maybe not, but he was unfortunately a liar. (He was smart enough to resign before he got impeached.) President Clinton- "Slick Willy"- needed clarification on the meaning of the word "is" during his impeachment hearings. (He was eventually acquitted, as there were not enough votes for the perjury and obstruction of justice charges to stick.) Of course, President Bush (I'm not aware of pejorative nicknames for him, though I'm sure people assigned him some) sold the whole Iraq war on what was shown to be a false presumption about the presence of weapons of mass destruction there. Numerous charges of questioned truth claims were leveled at President Obama and I suppose his biggest faux pas would be the whole debacle over the handling of the healthcare bill. President Trump's administration talks about the plethora of "fake news" floating around, but also talks about the existence of "alternative facts". How does that even work?
In years past, we had President "Honest Abe" Abraham Lincoln and President George Washington, who had the famous story about cutting down cherry trees- "I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree." Of course, I'm sure one could find untruths true of all political leaders and people in general at some point or another. The point here is that we are all sinners and all in need of The Truth. Romans 1:25 says that we exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. That is indeed the problem- we've moved from a picture of grace and nature being held as the ideas guiding our society to non-rationality and rationality being the two guiding ideas- and we escape from reason as the basis for truth to embracing feelings as the basis for truth instead. [Note: I've been reading Francis Schaeffer lately. ;-) I have to credit him for a lot of this post, and ultimately to God for inspiration for both of us.]
As Relient K said, "Sometimes when you're trying to sleep and all your doubts and your faith don't agree, it's cause sometimes the hardest thing to believe is the truth."
It's important to note that Jesus identifies Himself not only as The Way and The Life (in John 14:6) but also The Truth. When we come into relationship with Him through faith in His death and Resurrection, we find ourselves in The Truth and come to understand that our identity in Christ is our true selves that the Fall has driven us away from. We live now as shells- men with hollow chests as T.S. Eliot said and C.S. Lewis alluded to as well. Colossians 3:1-4 says that when we come to Christ, we die and our true life is then hidden with Christ in God. His Way of Life really is the only Life- living in line with the design God had for us all along- to be loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Romans 2:9-18 makes it abundantly clear that none of us are righteous- none of us are pure. Yet it's the pure in heart who shall see God, according to Jesus in Matthew 5:8.
That's exactly why Jesus, the pure and spotless Lamb of God, had to intervene and live out the requirements of the Law that we could never keep. And when we put all our faith into Christ's righteousness and completed work, our falsehoods are recognized for what they are and our eyes are unveiled and we can see the Truth of Jesus for Who He is- and know The Truth who sets us free. (John 8:32-36) "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4)
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Season for the Reason: Picking Jesus, Not Cherries
Note: This is the first in what I hope will be a series of blog posts dealing with some common objections that are raised against Christianity, some of which even Christians get confused on at times. (I certainly get confused on them too.) However, I firmly believe, as Chris Rice once wrote, that God has "an exclamation point for every question mark." And I believe The Bible addresses every issue we face, whether directly or indirectly. While this certainly isn't comprehensive and won't be definitive, I hope these posts will be helpful in explaining why Christians believe some of the things that we do and that they will do so in a loving way that does not seek to denigrate other beliefs, put merely present the teaching of Christ in His Word. These are based on questions that have been personally raised to me and I thought it might be helpful to talk about these topics here, as they reflect concerns and questions that many seekers and agnostics as well as skeptics share. [And as I said earlier, Christians also wonder on these things at times too, I do believe. Or at least this Christian has at times.] Let me also state that I do not believe in arguing or convincing anyone into Heaven; only the Holy Spirit can change someone's heart and bring them saving faith in Jesus. So I don't expect to convince anyone with any brilliant logic here, especially since I know that I don't have that much of that. ;-) (If there is anything brilliant or good in here, it's from Jesus, not me.) But 2 Timothy 4:2 commands us to be prepared in season and out of season in preaching the Word and to correct, rebuke encourage- with great patience and careful instruction. And I do want to do that, as I seek to always have an answer for the reason that I have hope, as 1 Peter 3:15 says. :-)
For the first point raised, this is a common question that comes up that even many
Christians get confused about as well, but it is one that is well addressed by
The Bible. I will talk about ye olde problem of the seeming disconnect between Old Testament law and New Testament law and why it seems that Christians seem to cherry-pick which rules to follow at times. Since this objection is often raised as a counterpoint when the topic of homosexuality comes up and The Bible's prohibition against it, please note that this piece will focus on that topic as a backdrop for this question regarding the Old Testament and New Testament. I will include a link for further reading if you’re interested, but
I never like just posting a link without at least trying to address the issue
some myself. (Otherwise I just feel like I’m shuttling people off because I
don’t want to confront the topic myself and I never want to do that.) [Here is
said link- http://thecripplegate.com/shellfish-mixed-fabrics-and-homosexuality-picking-and-choosing/]
Jesus states in Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV)- “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 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. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus states in Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV)- “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 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. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
This is an important point
here. It cannot be emphasized enough that Jesus upheld the Old Testament. What
I should have explained further is the reason why Jesus upheld the Old
Testament and its laws. The key word in verse 17 is “fulfill”. Jesus Christ
fulfilled all the demands of the Old Testament laws. This gets to the crux of
the matter of salvation in Christianity. It is coming to the point of realizing
that we have done wrong and can never live up to God’s standard for living.
(Which is absolute perfection- Leviticus 11:45- God states it here and Jesus
reiterates this in Matthew 5:48- “Be perfect therefore as your Heavenly Father
is perfect.”) Of course, as Psalms 14:1 and Romans 3:23 and a number of other
verses state, there is none righteous. There is no one who has perfectly kept
all of the law. Thus, we are all imperfect sinners and wrongdoers who fail to
meet God’s standard. God says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death-
both physical death and spiritual death. (i.e. eternal punishment in hell.)
However, the same verse also says that the free gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. God knows that no human being can meet His
standard. And He also knows the consequence of this. And as one of the most
famous verses in The Bible tells us- God loves us so much that He intervened
and sent His Son Jesus to rescue us. “For God so loved the world that He gave
His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in
order that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17) And Romans 5:8
confirms that God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. The very thing that I most celebrate as a follower of Christ- Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday- this is
where the literal crux of Christianity lies- in Easter. Because Jesus died to
pay for all the sins ever committed in the world and He rose again- He paid
once for all the payment for sin- and in the process, He defeated death, sin,
the devil and hell- and our sinful nature that we are all born with.
When we put our faith in Christ to forgive us of our sins and to submit to following Him as Lord and
Savior, a metaphysical, supernatural transaction takes place. God The Father
sees our plea for Jesus’ forgiveness and credits us with Christ’s
righteousness. Though we ourselves are spiritually and morally bankrupt as
Romans 5:12-14 states (the sin of Adam and Eve tainted the entire world), Jesus
is perfect and He imputes that righteousness to us at the moment of conversion.
Romans 5:15-21 goes on to talk further about this- how just as one man’s
trespass led to condemnation for all men, one Man’s righteousness leads to
justification and life for all men. As Romans 6:14 states, once we have
received Jesus as Savior and Lord, we are no longer under the Law system
anymore- but we are now under the New Covenant Jesus came to establish through
His blood (as Christ mentions during The Lord’s Supper to His disciples)- and
that is the New Covenant of grace. In the Old Covenant of the Law, the
Israelites followed God by endeavoring to obey all the commandments- including
the dietary laws and other ceremonial laws that were aimed specifically at
them. However, there are other moral laws (which is where the prohibition
against homosexuality falls) that were given to them and that are still in
place in the New Covenant of grace.
Galatians 3 puts it this way-
(starting in verse 19)- “Why then the law? It was added because of
transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been
made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an
intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to
the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give
life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture
imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ
might be given to those who believe.
Now before faith came, we were
held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be
revealed.” (That was verses 19-23). [My parenthetical here- indeed, as The
Bible notes elsewhere, the law is what shows us just how much in the wrong we
really are and how much we need a Savior because we can’t keep all of the law
perfectly ourselves.]
(resuming in verse 24)- “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
The point I am trying to make here is that the Old Testament law served as our guardian until Jesus came. When He came and fulfilled the Law, we were no longer bound by the Law. We trust that He fulfilled all of the Law and put our faith in His righteousness to forgive us our sins and to make us presentable before God in Heaven. No one enters Heaven but by the righteousness of Christ, for as Isaiah 64:6 makes painfully clear- even the righteousness we think we have of our own account is nothing but filthy rags in comparison to the supreme holiness and righteousness of God Almighty.
(resuming in verse 24)- “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
The point I am trying to make here is that the Old Testament law served as our guardian until Jesus came. When He came and fulfilled the Law, we were no longer bound by the Law. We trust that He fulfilled all of the Law and put our faith in His righteousness to forgive us our sins and to make us presentable before God in Heaven. No one enters Heaven but by the righteousness of Christ, for as Isaiah 64:6 makes painfully clear- even the righteousness we think we have of our own account is nothing but filthy rags in comparison to the supreme holiness and righteousness of God Almighty.
Galatians 3:1-6 is also important
to note in understanding this point. Here Paul, under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, berates the Galatians for abandoning their walk of faith by the
power of the Holy Spirit and instead looking again to their own righteousness
(i.e. the flesh) for perfection. The whole point of the Law is to show us just
how futile our own efforts are and to show us our need for the Savior. Thus, in
the Christian faith, we must always lean wholly on Jesus for all our
righteousness.
Hebrews 8 explains this point quite well. It calls Jesus the High Priest of a better Covenant- the New Covenant, which Jeremiah 31:31-34 prophesied would come. Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy. (See also Hebrews 9:11-14, which emphasizes the ceremonial system of sacrificing animals that the Israelites did is no longer necessary- this includes the prohibitions against eating shellfish and mixing fabrics, etc. However, the blood of Christ purifies our conscience from dead works (i.e. the flesh) to serve the living God. Again, we rely on Christ’s completed work and not any of our own.) (The whole book of Hebrews is an excellent New Testament companion book to read alongside Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It gives a lot of insight to how the Old Testament covenant of the Law compares to the New Testament covenant of grace in Jesus Christ- and it explains how we are no longer under the law, but under grace instead.) In fact, on this point, I have read Tim Keller has said that for a Christian to try to live out all of the Old Testament law is an insult to Jesus and a demonstration of a lack of faith. Because I have faith that Jesus has completed all that is necessary for salvation through His death and Resurrection and perfect upholding and completion of the law, I know that I don't have to try to keep all the Old Testament law- and in fact, I cannot. Jesus has done it for me and I trust His completed work for salvation. Of course, as James 2 points out, true saving faith is always accompanied by works AFTER faith has been put in Christ's redeeming work. And as Ephesians 2:8-10 makes clear, God intended for me to do good works all along anyway. After having been saved by grace through faith, I strive to do the good things that Jesus commands me to do out of love and gratitude and obedience to Him- not out of a misguided attempt to pay Him back or somehow earn something that has already been given to me for free. I can never earn it- I must only freely accept it. But when I do, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, it makes me a new person in Christ and God transforms me to be the person He made to be all along.
Hebrews 8 explains this point quite well. It calls Jesus the High Priest of a better Covenant- the New Covenant, which Jeremiah 31:31-34 prophesied would come. Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy. (See also Hebrews 9:11-14, which emphasizes the ceremonial system of sacrificing animals that the Israelites did is no longer necessary- this includes the prohibitions against eating shellfish and mixing fabrics, etc. However, the blood of Christ purifies our conscience from dead works (i.e. the flesh) to serve the living God. Again, we rely on Christ’s completed work and not any of our own.) (The whole book of Hebrews is an excellent New Testament companion book to read alongside Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It gives a lot of insight to how the Old Testament covenant of the Law compares to the New Testament covenant of grace in Jesus Christ- and it explains how we are no longer under the law, but under grace instead.) In fact, on this point, I have read Tim Keller has said that for a Christian to try to live out all of the Old Testament law is an insult to Jesus and a demonstration of a lack of faith. Because I have faith that Jesus has completed all that is necessary for salvation through His death and Resurrection and perfect upholding and completion of the law, I know that I don't have to try to keep all the Old Testament law- and in fact, I cannot. Jesus has done it for me and I trust His completed work for salvation. Of course, as James 2 points out, true saving faith is always accompanied by works AFTER faith has been put in Christ's redeeming work. And as Ephesians 2:8-10 makes clear, God intended for me to do good works all along anyway. After having been saved by grace through faith, I strive to do the good things that Jesus commands me to do out of love and gratitude and obedience to Him- not out of a misguided attempt to pay Him back or somehow earn something that has already been given to me for free. I can never earn it- I must only freely accept it. But when I do, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, it makes me a new person in Christ and God transforms me to be the person He made to be all along.
Now here is the caveat I want to make sure is clear. Part of following Christ is being molded more and
more to His character. The Bible uses the image of a potter and clay many
times, with God as the Potter and us as the clay. We are made in God’s image
(Genesis 1:26-27)- and of course, Adam and Eve’s sin tainted that image. God
has provided for the restoration of that through Christ’s death and
Resurrection. Through putting our faith in Jesus, we begin undergoing the
process of sanctification, being made like Christ (the personification of perfection.)
Romans 8:4 instructs us that now we must walk according to the Spirit (i.e. God
the Holy Spirit) and no longer to the flesh. (i.e. our own sinful nature.)
Romans 12:1-2 calls for us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God,
which is our spiritual worship. We are to no longer be conformed to this world,
but instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that by testing we may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Again- we are reminded that God’s will for us is to be like Him- perfect.
(Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:48). However, even as Christians we still fail and
fall back into sin at times. And God promises in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess
our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. Thus for Christians, it’s an ongoing process of being made
more holy each day- a process that ultimately reaches its culmination when we
enter Heaven. (Philippians 1:6)
While the ceremonial laws of the Israelites no longer apply to us, the moral laws most certainly do. In the
case of homosexuality, even if we were to put aside the prohibitions in
Leviticus for the moment, we still have the prohibitions in Romans 1, 1
Corinthians 6:9-11 and 1 Timothy 1:10. And those commands are all part of the
New Testament covenant of grace that we are under- and that we are expected and
commanded to follow. Part of the reason homosexual acts of any kind (no matter
what the relationship status is) are condemned is because they fall outside of
God’s revealed character. God is the One who created marriage and ordained it
as an institution. This is a point where Jesus spoke to the issue of
homosexuality in Matthew 19 when He upheld God’s standard for marriage- the
union of one man and one woman for life. God has designed men and women to
relate to each other in the context of marriage, which is symbolic of the
relationship He desires to have with us. Just as the husband and wife become
one flesh and become united, God desires to be united with us and indeed-
Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 3:1-4 speak to this exact unity that we have with
Christ- where I no longer live [my old life centered on just myself is dead]-
my new life centered on Christ is my real life now. We ultimately enjoy that
full unity with God when we are back in His presence again- in Heaven. And as I
said before, God’s standard for entry into Heaven is absolute perfection- a
standard only met by Jesus Christ. We can gain entry into Heaven (and thus an
escape from our default sentence of punishment in hell because of the
separation that comes with our sin) only through faith in Jesus. As Jesus
Himself said in John 14:6 “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes
to The Father but by Me.” It is also worth noting that God uses the picture of
marriage specifically to speak to His relationship with us- He extensively used
this as an object lesson in the book of Hosea with Hosea and Gomer representing
Himself and Israel (Hosea 2 is a beautiful picture of the love God has for us
and His plan to redeem us and take us back as His own, even though we have
rebelled against Him)- and the picture is also used in Revelation 21, which
describes Christ as the bridegroom and His church as His bride.
I know that was a rather lengthy explanation and even after typing it, I feel I still could say much more on it, but I hope that helps with the first point.
A good example occurred to me that may help illustrate the point about the Israelites having ceremonial and dietary laws that pertained only to them that modern-day Christians no longer follow, though we do still hold up the moral laws as Israel did as well. Why is it that we restrict the sale of alcohol in America? It almost seems rather discriminatory that we forbid persons younger than 21 from consuming or purchasing alcohol. Society as a whole frowns upon it in general and we have a law on the books for that purpose. However, this seems a mere compromise in comparison to previous laws. Why is that we as Americans pick and choose when it comes to upholding the laws on our books? Doesn’t the 18th. Amendment, ratified on January 16, 1919, prohibit the manufacture, sale, transportation within, importation or exportation of alcohol? Why do we not hold to that law anymore? Why is that we freely allow the manufacture, sale, transportation within, importation and exportation of alcohol now? Aren’t we picking and choosing which laws to follow? Of course, the answer to that is that we are not picking and choosing. We uphold all of the laws on the books- including the 21st. Amendment (ratified December 5, 1933) which repealed the 18th. Amendment. Thus, we are no longer bound by the 18th. Amendment. However, even so, we still hold to a remnant of that law to some degree. We still hold to some of the spirit of the law in that we restrict the sale of alcohol to only those who are 21 and older.
In the same manner, Christians are no longer bound to the Israelites’ dietary and ceremonial laws because the New Covenant of Grace repealed the Old Covenant of The Law. (See 2 Corinthians 3 for a great discussion of this point. The New Covenant is WAY, WAY better, by the way.) Thus, Christians are not bound to the dietary and ceremonial laws, even though there are still some general moral principles that the laws are based on that we do uphold. And we still strive to maintain the moral laws, but now it is not out of guilt or our own self-effort as a means of salvation- it is out of love and gratitude to our Savior Jesus Christ, as He works in us to shape more into His image of perfection. He has fulfilled all the laws for us and we rely on His perfection to get us into Heaven- not our own. We rely on the perfect completion He brought when He died and rose again to seal the deal for us. And that is why it is not a matter of picking and choosing. I pick and choose Christ and He picked all my sins off of me and chose to bear them on Calvary. Christ has set me free from the law and free to be a slave of grace.
I know that was a rather lengthy explanation and even after typing it, I feel I still could say much more on it, but I hope that helps with the first point.
A good example occurred to me that may help illustrate the point about the Israelites having ceremonial and dietary laws that pertained only to them that modern-day Christians no longer follow, though we do still hold up the moral laws as Israel did as well. Why is it that we restrict the sale of alcohol in America? It almost seems rather discriminatory that we forbid persons younger than 21 from consuming or purchasing alcohol. Society as a whole frowns upon it in general and we have a law on the books for that purpose. However, this seems a mere compromise in comparison to previous laws. Why is that we as Americans pick and choose when it comes to upholding the laws on our books? Doesn’t the 18th. Amendment, ratified on January 16, 1919, prohibit the manufacture, sale, transportation within, importation or exportation of alcohol? Why do we not hold to that law anymore? Why is that we freely allow the manufacture, sale, transportation within, importation and exportation of alcohol now? Aren’t we picking and choosing which laws to follow? Of course, the answer to that is that we are not picking and choosing. We uphold all of the laws on the books- including the 21st. Amendment (ratified December 5, 1933) which repealed the 18th. Amendment. Thus, we are no longer bound by the 18th. Amendment. However, even so, we still hold to a remnant of that law to some degree. We still hold to some of the spirit of the law in that we restrict the sale of alcohol to only those who are 21 and older.
In the same manner, Christians are no longer bound to the Israelites’ dietary and ceremonial laws because the New Covenant of Grace repealed the Old Covenant of The Law. (See 2 Corinthians 3 for a great discussion of this point. The New Covenant is WAY, WAY better, by the way.) Thus, Christians are not bound to the dietary and ceremonial laws, even though there are still some general moral principles that the laws are based on that we do uphold. And we still strive to maintain the moral laws, but now it is not out of guilt or our own self-effort as a means of salvation- it is out of love and gratitude to our Savior Jesus Christ, as He works in us to shape more into His image of perfection. He has fulfilled all the laws for us and we rely on His perfection to get us into Heaven- not our own. We rely on the perfect completion He brought when He died and rose again to seal the deal for us. And that is why it is not a matter of picking and choosing. I pick and choose Christ and He picked all my sins off of me and chose to bear them on Calvary. Christ has set me free from the law and free to be a slave of grace.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
The Gospel Blimp and Other Modern Parables by Joseph Bayly (Book Review)
Here is something different for the new year. If you are looking for a book to read this year, here is an excellent one worth reading. Of course, if you want the best Book ever to read- read The Holy Bible before anything. :-) It's God's Book and it's the best Book ever because it gets better and better with every read- no matter how many times you read it! It's living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword (like Hebrews 4:12-13 talks about)- so it always cuts to the quick and cuts to the heart and cuts to the point- but it's a good kind of cut, like getting a thorn out, that leads to healing. :-)
And if you read another book after that, then check out this one, which also can cut to the quick at times and get to the heart because it draws on Biblical points and points us back to Jesus and His standards. :-) It's an older book, but its message is still powerful and very relevant for today. It's actually a collection of short stories- modern parables, as the title declares. It's much in keeping with Jesus' style of teaching. (see Matthew 13:34-35) And it's really good. So then, here is my review of "The Gospel Blimp and Other Modern Parables" by Joseph Bayly.
(Note: I believe there are different variations out there that may or may not contain all the stories I have reviewed here. I am reviewing a 1983 compilation publication from LifeJourney Books from David C. Cook Publishing in Elgin, IL. ISBN: 0-7814-0935-7)
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Okay then- on to the stories. I don't know if you have the same version I do or not, but the book I have is a collection of modern parables by Joseph Bayly.
The first in the collection was "The Gospel Blimp", which I greatly enjoyed for its message- as I did all the stories in the book. I particularly loved the core message of the story that it was more important to show the love of Christ to people rather than just preach at them. Now I want to carefully note- it is vitally important to share The Truth of The Bible with people. But we must remember Ephesians 4:15 and "speak The Truth in Love". In recent years, I have slowly been learning that and trying to remember that even if I know all the right things and am trying to be obedient and share Christ and His Word with people, if I don't do it in love- I am but a sounding gong or cymbal. (as 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about.) And Jesus Himself said that all people will know we are His disciples by the love we have for one another. (John 13:35) So that story resonated with me.
Next up in the book was a section called "Gooley and Friends", which contained two stories about Herb Gooley and then three others that seemed to be unrelated to Gooley, but also had some great points. As to the Gooley stories themselves, I will offer my interpretations, though I am not sure that I totally got everything right, of course. From what I can tell, the "I Saw Gooley Fly" story seems to be making an analogy between a living faith in Jesus and the ability to fly. Herb Gooley is evidently a Christian in a world of non-Christians and he is willing to admit to being a Christ-follower (and non-believers are interested in knowing how to have the peace in life he has with Jesus)- yet he doesn't seem to be willing to share this information with others. It's a sad commentary on the church today where, according to statistics, some 90% of Christians never or will never share their faith with others. (Which, of course, is in direct disobedience to Jesus' command in The Great Commission, in Matthew 28:18-20). That one definitely hits close to home. I struggled with this a lot when I was younger. Though I tried to be faithful in sharing Jesus to some degree, I always felt like I wasn't doing enough and God worked in me to make me bolder in sharing His Word and my faith in Jesus. I am thankful to Him for His answer to prayer.
However, I also feel now that perhaps for a while I went too far in one direction where I was boldly preaching God's Word at people- but not remembering to do it as lovingly as I should. So that is something that I feel God has been working on me in recent years as well. And of course, I'm still not perfect at either area, but I'm always seeking God's help in getting better each day. (as Philippians 1:6 promises.)
For the "Ceiling Zero" story, this seems to be Gooley retreating to the "Christian world". (i.e. Secluded in church and surrounded with Christian friends- both very good things in themselves- but perhaps to the extent of shutting out the world- which is not good, as we must be reaching out to the world in order to be the salt and light that Christ called us to be.) But I feel that by the end of the story, Gooley realizes this point and is seeking to be out in the world and practically showing Jesus' love to people, whereas his classmates all still seem to be stuck in this safe little "Christian world" where they just go through the routines of going to church, reading The Bible and praying (out of duty and tradition), but not really experiencing the full joy of The Lord and sharing Jesus with others as they should.
"Mayday" seemed to be reemphasizing this idea of Christians not wanting to venture from that safe "Christian world" again and moving on to reach out to the rest of the world. "Rehoboam's Gold Shields" seemed to be showing the way that fervor for The Lord tends to wane off as the cares of this world crowd out God from our lives, as well as talking about Rehoboam's shame of bearing the cross of Christ. I really liked some of the stories that talked about having the braveness to speak out for what's right that God clearly tells us in The Bible- even if the rest of the world doesn't agree. "Protest Until Pizza" seemed to directly address this, as did "The Saving Message".
The last part of the book I have has a section called "Meek Souls and Phonies" and includes "The Saving Message" story, along with others. "How Silently, How Silently" was a great Christmas story that really got to the real meaning of Christmas- reconciliation with God through Jesus. (This story reminded me some of Jesus' own parable regarding the great banquet that people missed out on and thus, the messengers went to the highways and byways to compel people to come in instead- in Luke 14:12-24).
As a technology fan (particularly older technology as well as newer technology), I really enjoyed the story called "Does Man Exist? (By ENIAC II)"- a great analogy emphasizing how it's only logical that the created beings must have a Creator- a great response to the evolution/Creation debates that go on.
"A Small Happening at Andover" seemed to be another story talking about the need to move beyond religious (Pharisaical) dogmatism [like Jesus talked about in Matthew 23] and really showing true love to others- and when Christ is lifted up, He draws all men to Himself. "Black Gold" was an interesting story about how Christians can get sucked in to con artists, even those claiming to do God's work, and serves as a good warning to be careful who we trust and to look to The Lord for guidance in how we use the money He allots us. "Still Small Roar" is an absolutely beautiful allegory based on John 1:1-14, speaking of how Jesus has forever changed our world by bringing us salvation through His death and Resurrection. "How Shall We Remember John?" offered an interesting look at mourning and perhaps it's meant as a reminder that for Christians, we mourn with hope because we know we will be reunited forever with Jesus in Heaven.
Well, there you go- there's my rundown of the book. I also liked the author's afterword as he gave a great word about the power of parables and how they expose us and force us to really consider the point of the message with a good story. He also mentions a powerful experience in a village in Gruyon, Switzerland- looking out one summer morning at the eternal Alps. :-) The Swiss Alps inspired another famous Christian writer, Hannah Hurnard. (Whose "Hinds Feet on High Places" book is another great allegory too.) God must have just really blessed Switzerland with breathtaking beauty. (Both in its land and its people.) :-)
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And if you read another book after that, then check out this one, which also can cut to the quick at times and get to the heart because it draws on Biblical points and points us back to Jesus and His standards. :-) It's an older book, but its message is still powerful and very relevant for today. It's actually a collection of short stories- modern parables, as the title declares. It's much in keeping with Jesus' style of teaching. (see Matthew 13:34-35) And it's really good. So then, here is my review of "The Gospel Blimp and Other Modern Parables" by Joseph Bayly.
(Note: I believe there are different variations out there that may or may not contain all the stories I have reviewed here. I am reviewing a 1983 compilation publication from LifeJourney Books from David C. Cook Publishing in Elgin, IL. ISBN: 0-7814-0935-7)
..........................................................................................................
Okay then- on to the stories. I don't know if you have the same version I do or not, but the book I have is a collection of modern parables by Joseph Bayly.
The first in the collection was "The Gospel Blimp", which I greatly enjoyed for its message- as I did all the stories in the book. I particularly loved the core message of the story that it was more important to show the love of Christ to people rather than just preach at them. Now I want to carefully note- it is vitally important to share The Truth of The Bible with people. But we must remember Ephesians 4:15 and "speak The Truth in Love". In recent years, I have slowly been learning that and trying to remember that even if I know all the right things and am trying to be obedient and share Christ and His Word with people, if I don't do it in love- I am but a sounding gong or cymbal. (as 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about.) And Jesus Himself said that all people will know we are His disciples by the love we have for one another. (John 13:35) So that story resonated with me.
Next up in the book was a section called "Gooley and Friends", which contained two stories about Herb Gooley and then three others that seemed to be unrelated to Gooley, but also had some great points. As to the Gooley stories themselves, I will offer my interpretations, though I am not sure that I totally got everything right, of course. From what I can tell, the "I Saw Gooley Fly" story seems to be making an analogy between a living faith in Jesus and the ability to fly. Herb Gooley is evidently a Christian in a world of non-Christians and he is willing to admit to being a Christ-follower (and non-believers are interested in knowing how to have the peace in life he has with Jesus)- yet he doesn't seem to be willing to share this information with others. It's a sad commentary on the church today where, according to statistics, some 90% of Christians never or will never share their faith with others. (Which, of course, is in direct disobedience to Jesus' command in The Great Commission, in Matthew 28:18-20). That one definitely hits close to home. I struggled with this a lot when I was younger. Though I tried to be faithful in sharing Jesus to some degree, I always felt like I wasn't doing enough and God worked in me to make me bolder in sharing His Word and my faith in Jesus. I am thankful to Him for His answer to prayer.
However, I also feel now that perhaps for a while I went too far in one direction where I was boldly preaching God's Word at people- but not remembering to do it as lovingly as I should. So that is something that I feel God has been working on me in recent years as well. And of course, I'm still not perfect at either area, but I'm always seeking God's help in getting better each day. (as Philippians 1:6 promises.)
For the "Ceiling Zero" story, this seems to be Gooley retreating to the "Christian world". (i.e. Secluded in church and surrounded with Christian friends- both very good things in themselves- but perhaps to the extent of shutting out the world- which is not good, as we must be reaching out to the world in order to be the salt and light that Christ called us to be.) But I feel that by the end of the story, Gooley realizes this point and is seeking to be out in the world and practically showing Jesus' love to people, whereas his classmates all still seem to be stuck in this safe little "Christian world" where they just go through the routines of going to church, reading The Bible and praying (out of duty and tradition), but not really experiencing the full joy of The Lord and sharing Jesus with others as they should.
"Mayday" seemed to be reemphasizing this idea of Christians not wanting to venture from that safe "Christian world" again and moving on to reach out to the rest of the world. "Rehoboam's Gold Shields" seemed to be showing the way that fervor for The Lord tends to wane off as the cares of this world crowd out God from our lives, as well as talking about Rehoboam's shame of bearing the cross of Christ. I really liked some of the stories that talked about having the braveness to speak out for what's right that God clearly tells us in The Bible- even if the rest of the world doesn't agree. "Protest Until Pizza" seemed to directly address this, as did "The Saving Message".
The last part of the book I have has a section called "Meek Souls and Phonies" and includes "The Saving Message" story, along with others. "How Silently, How Silently" was a great Christmas story that really got to the real meaning of Christmas- reconciliation with God through Jesus. (This story reminded me some of Jesus' own parable regarding the great banquet that people missed out on and thus, the messengers went to the highways and byways to compel people to come in instead- in Luke 14:12-24).
As a technology fan (particularly older technology as well as newer technology), I really enjoyed the story called "Does Man Exist? (By ENIAC II)"- a great analogy emphasizing how it's only logical that the created beings must have a Creator- a great response to the evolution/Creation debates that go on.
"A Small Happening at Andover" seemed to be another story talking about the need to move beyond religious (Pharisaical) dogmatism [like Jesus talked about in Matthew 23] and really showing true love to others- and when Christ is lifted up, He draws all men to Himself. "Black Gold" was an interesting story about how Christians can get sucked in to con artists, even those claiming to do God's work, and serves as a good warning to be careful who we trust and to look to The Lord for guidance in how we use the money He allots us. "Still Small Roar" is an absolutely beautiful allegory based on John 1:1-14, speaking of how Jesus has forever changed our world by bringing us salvation through His death and Resurrection. "How Shall We Remember John?" offered an interesting look at mourning and perhaps it's meant as a reminder that for Christians, we mourn with hope because we know we will be reunited forever with Jesus in Heaven.
Well, there you go- there's my rundown of the book. I also liked the author's afterword as he gave a great word about the power of parables and how they expose us and force us to really consider the point of the message with a good story. He also mentions a powerful experience in a village in Gruyon, Switzerland- looking out one summer morning at the eternal Alps. :-) The Swiss Alps inspired another famous Christian writer, Hannah Hurnard. (Whose "Hinds Feet on High Places" book is another great allegory too.) God must have just really blessed Switzerland with breathtaking beauty. (Both in its land and its people.) :-)
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