So, I know it has been a while since I've written anything, most of that is just because I haven't really felt like writing anything. But, I wanted to share something I was talking about with my father. In reading back through Genesis and considering how I would approach different passages to preach about them, I began to consider Genesis 3:17-19. I thought about the curse that God placed on man, that the ground would only yield to hard labor. And I thought about how that passage should be understood in relation to the Christ event.
While perhaps there is some modification of this passage in Genesis 8 where God says he will no longer curse the ground for man's evil disposition, yet we never see anything that indicates that the curse of work has been done away with. (Here I wish to make some distinction between the curse of work and the blessing of work. What I mean by the curse of work is not just that we must work for our food, man was always supposed to be a creature of work, but the fact that work would be toilsome, would require difficulty, and would be painful. Work itself is a blessing from God, but the hardness of work, the pain that comes with work, these are aspects of the curse.) So, throughout the rest of Scripture we see men who work the land, from planting fields to caring for flocks. Jacob, in his reasons for leaving Laban, discusses the hardships of being a shepherd, and those who have worked the ground for farming or gardening know that while there can be joy in the results, the work is also hard and can be painful. So, while God may not curse the ground (more likely he is discussing cataclysmic judgments like the flood) he has not rescinded the curse of labor.
Man must work for his food, and man only eats his food by the sweat of his brow. So even Paul says that if a man will not work, then he shouldn't eat. 2 Thes. 3:10 Our command remains that we are to work to have something to give to others, and we are to work so we can eat with a clear conscience. Even if we are not working, or cannot work, we are to be willing to work, if able.
But, what are we working for? We work for food, with which we nourish our bodies, satisfy our appetites, and have energy to do more work. We work so that we do not go hungry, so that we can be happy. But all we can nourish with the results of our work is the flesh and blood body that breaks down with age and injury, and will not last long. Beauty fades, strength passes, and health gives way to sickness in time. Death is inevitable.
Yet, while we work for our bodies, consider what we read in Matthew 26, "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.'" (Matt 26:26-29) Here Jesus and his disciples had gathered to partake of a meal, they had gathered to partake of the work of the sweat of their brows, and Jesus invites his disciples to go deeper. Not only does Jesus want his disciples to partake of a meal, he wants them to partake of a meal that he will share with them again in heaven, a meal that celebrates the redemption of sins that he will purchase through his blood. So the eating of bread becomes more than simply the reward for hard work, it becomes symbolic of the redemption that is offered through Jesus.
Here we see a beautiful contrast begin to develop. Where the meal we are invited to partake of reminds us of the curse of work, the meaning of the meal points us to the grace of God. What Paul says to us in Ephesians should be noted here: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) So Jesus invites us to partake of bread, a reminder of the curse of work, but as he does so he changes the interpretation of the event, so that the bread becomes his body, and the wine becomes his blood, bringing to mind the salvation we have received, for which we have not worked. So our labor becomes a reminder of that for which we have not labored.
Here I wish to spell out, in part, a way we might see this contrast: We have worked for our meal, but we have not worked for our salvation. We come, reading in Genesis that by the sweat of our brow we will eat our bread, but finding that Jesus has invited us to a meal that we have not worked for at all. Christ has done the work, being perfect in accordance with the Law of Moses, and now we are invited to eat at his table, where he will celebrate with us one day in Heaven. Though we eat of earthly bread, we are brought to fellowship with heavenly hosts. The contrast could not be more beautiful, or more meaningful: We come sweaty, we come exhausted, we come having labored for our bodies, and we find that Christ has labored for our souls.
While we have fed our bodies with the sweat of our brows, we need spiritual food for our souls. And how can we labor for spiritual food? God fed the Israelites with manna, but even that did not satisfy their souls, as they regularly failed to obey the Word of the Lord. If manna from heaven is not sufficient to satisfy our souls, then what earthly food might we find that will accomplish this task? Christ answers this for us as he reveals that only he is sufficient for our hunger. We who were dead in sin desire the food of life, and his body is that food. Yet we cannot labor for this food, because we can never do enough to deserve to draw near to that which is perfect, being imperfect ourselves, and so we become dependent on him to give us what we could not take for ourselves.
So, Genesis 3:17-19 becomes a passage that leads us to Christ by way of contrast. We see in Genesis 3 why we need Christ. We come from the dirt, and we labor in the dirt. We feed ourselves through our labor, and when we eat our bread we should be reminded of the hardships of life. Yet, earthly bread does not address spiritual concerns, and cannot satisfy the longings of the soul. For this we need spiritual bread, and in Christ alone do we find that bread offered. In Christ alone do we find that we are invited to a meal for which we have not labored, a meal which maybe we never even wanted, but a meal that is more important than any other we will ever eat: a meal prepared for those who have not labored but have found rest in the Son of God.
Showing posts with label Bible Study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible Study. Show all posts
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A Lack of Sufficiency
A recent conversation in the comments with my dear reader, "Anonymous" got me thinking about matters of sufficiency. Really, Anonymous got me thinking about experience, but experience then lead me to sufficiency because of the questions I had in regards to experience. Simply put, my question was this, "When is experience sufficient?" Obviously that question will have different answers for different people, and for different situations. But, there is a legitimate question with why we place "experience" as a qualification, and why certain amounts of experience are seen as sufficient, whereas other amounts of experience are not.
Admittedly, I have a dog in this game. For the cause of full disclosure: I'm looking for work in a field in which I cannot claim to have direct experience. Yes, I have experience serving in a church and working with pastors. I have been in charge of a ministry and have been involved in multiple ministries over the last 3 years. But, I have never been a pastor, I've never been an associate pastor, and I've never been in a paid position with any church.
So, for me, the idea of experience being a necessary qualification for any position seems rather difficult, philosophically speaking. But, I have to admit that there is a good rationale behind the idea. I mean, I'd rather have a doctor who has done 20 surgeries operating on me, not the just out of medical school intern who has never operated on a live patient before. Yet, that young surgeon has to begin somewhere, and it is the responsibility of those who have placed me in the care of that surgeon to know that he is ready and qualified to actually do the surgery. The idea of experience is important, because experience can demonstrate competence in a field, and almost all of us would rather have someone competent than someone untried in important positions in our lives.
But, not every job is the same. For instance, would anyone say that a mathematician shouldn't be trusted because he does not have the experience of years behind his work? Or would we dismiss the work of a physicist or a chemist, because of a lack of experience? Hard sciences, or purely logical pursuits do not require high levels of experience. Thus, we must recognize that there is a limit to what experience means, and whether or not it is important.
The challenge is to determine where a given job falls in the continuity of experience. For those jobs which are learned skills, jobs that require quick decisions and have very flexible situations, experience becomes more important. For those jobs that have rigid rules, that require the exact performance of a set duty, experience becomes less important (generally speaking). A man working on an assembly line does not need to have a great deal of experience to do his job well, so long as his job is simple and repetitious. A bank president who must deal with multiple people and multiple emergencies in a given day should probably have significant experience so that he is not quickly overwhelmed.
Yet, even in the case of someone who has significant experience and high qualifications, there is a warning. Do not begin to think that your experience, your ability, and your persistence are the reasons you are successful. Remember that success is a gift from God. (Deuteronomy 18:17-18) Give thanks to God for the good things you have received, be humble and remember that your experiences have been good because of God's blessing. Do not boast in your own might, for Scripture is clear that the power of men is fleeting, and the one who does not give thanks to God stores up wealth for others whom they do not know.
At the same time, there is the reverse fact, that sometimes it is the one without experience who has been given the blessing of wisdom. Look at the example of Elihu in the book of Job. He says,
"I am young in years,
and you are aged;
therefore I was timid and afraid
to declare my opinion to you.
I said, 'Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom.'
But it is the spirit in man,
the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
It is not the old who are wise,
nor the aged who understand what is right.
Therefore I say, 'Listen to me;
let me also declare my opinion.'" (Job 32:6-10)
So it is important that we remember, that sometimes it is not a matter of age and experience. Sometimes the one God has gifted to do a certain job, or fill a position, is the one who is young and un-experienced, because it is that person who will most demonstrate the glory of God.
We could note any number of examples in Scripture of the foolish, the inexperienced, and the weak being used by God for the sake of his glory. Likewise there are multiple examples of God using experience, age, and wisdom for the purpose of bringing glory to himself. God is able to bring himself glory through whatever means he chooses, and it is not for us to say that one is too young or too old to be used by God. Thus Paul gives Timothy his famous charge, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12) We must also embrace this word from Paul, as a guide for our own thoughts, and make a point of not despising those who are young and those who do not have great experience, but must inquire of God to see if he is seeking to use "the foolish" for the sake of his glory.
Paul understood well the reality that it was not his experience and his work that made him anything special. He says in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God." He understood that it was God who made him a minister of the gospel, not his own works. Even in something as theoretically simple as sharing the Gospel of Christ, Paul did not take credit, but acknowledged that God was the one who empowered him. So we, in whatever we do, whether seeking to fill a position, or seeking to find someone to fill a position, should be more interested in glorifying God than in worrying about matters of experience.
In trying to get the best possible person for a position, and in striving to be the best possible person for a position, let us avoid making experience into an idol. Give experience its due, admit that those with experience and demonstrated ability are the ones most likely to succeed in the future. But also recognize the limits of experience, and that sometimes God desires to work through the less renowned for his renown. In success, be humble, and do not scorn meager beginnings. Bow the knee to God, and let him glorify himself as he desires.
Admittedly, I have a dog in this game. For the cause of full disclosure: I'm looking for work in a field in which I cannot claim to have direct experience. Yes, I have experience serving in a church and working with pastors. I have been in charge of a ministry and have been involved in multiple ministries over the last 3 years. But, I have never been a pastor, I've never been an associate pastor, and I've never been in a paid position with any church.
So, for me, the idea of experience being a necessary qualification for any position seems rather difficult, philosophically speaking. But, I have to admit that there is a good rationale behind the idea. I mean, I'd rather have a doctor who has done 20 surgeries operating on me, not the just out of medical school intern who has never operated on a live patient before. Yet, that young surgeon has to begin somewhere, and it is the responsibility of those who have placed me in the care of that surgeon to know that he is ready and qualified to actually do the surgery. The idea of experience is important, because experience can demonstrate competence in a field, and almost all of us would rather have someone competent than someone untried in important positions in our lives.
But, not every job is the same. For instance, would anyone say that a mathematician shouldn't be trusted because he does not have the experience of years behind his work? Or would we dismiss the work of a physicist or a chemist, because of a lack of experience? Hard sciences, or purely logical pursuits do not require high levels of experience. Thus, we must recognize that there is a limit to what experience means, and whether or not it is important.
The challenge is to determine where a given job falls in the continuity of experience. For those jobs which are learned skills, jobs that require quick decisions and have very flexible situations, experience becomes more important. For those jobs that have rigid rules, that require the exact performance of a set duty, experience becomes less important (generally speaking). A man working on an assembly line does not need to have a great deal of experience to do his job well, so long as his job is simple and repetitious. A bank president who must deal with multiple people and multiple emergencies in a given day should probably have significant experience so that he is not quickly overwhelmed.
Yet, even in the case of someone who has significant experience and high qualifications, there is a warning. Do not begin to think that your experience, your ability, and your persistence are the reasons you are successful. Remember that success is a gift from God. (Deuteronomy 18:17-18) Give thanks to God for the good things you have received, be humble and remember that your experiences have been good because of God's blessing. Do not boast in your own might, for Scripture is clear that the power of men is fleeting, and the one who does not give thanks to God stores up wealth for others whom they do not know.
At the same time, there is the reverse fact, that sometimes it is the one without experience who has been given the blessing of wisdom. Look at the example of Elihu in the book of Job. He says,
"I am young in years,
and you are aged;
therefore I was timid and afraid
to declare my opinion to you.
I said, 'Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom.'
But it is the spirit in man,
the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
It is not the old who are wise,
nor the aged who understand what is right.
Therefore I say, 'Listen to me;
let me also declare my opinion.'" (Job 32:6-10)
So it is important that we remember, that sometimes it is not a matter of age and experience. Sometimes the one God has gifted to do a certain job, or fill a position, is the one who is young and un-experienced, because it is that person who will most demonstrate the glory of God.
We could note any number of examples in Scripture of the foolish, the inexperienced, and the weak being used by God for the sake of his glory. Likewise there are multiple examples of God using experience, age, and wisdom for the purpose of bringing glory to himself. God is able to bring himself glory through whatever means he chooses, and it is not for us to say that one is too young or too old to be used by God. Thus Paul gives Timothy his famous charge, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12) We must also embrace this word from Paul, as a guide for our own thoughts, and make a point of not despising those who are young and those who do not have great experience, but must inquire of God to see if he is seeking to use "the foolish" for the sake of his glory.
Paul understood well the reality that it was not his experience and his work that made him anything special. He says in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God." He understood that it was God who made him a minister of the gospel, not his own works. Even in something as theoretically simple as sharing the Gospel of Christ, Paul did not take credit, but acknowledged that God was the one who empowered him. So we, in whatever we do, whether seeking to fill a position, or seeking to find someone to fill a position, should be more interested in glorifying God than in worrying about matters of experience.
In trying to get the best possible person for a position, and in striving to be the best possible person for a position, let us avoid making experience into an idol. Give experience its due, admit that those with experience and demonstrated ability are the ones most likely to succeed in the future. But also recognize the limits of experience, and that sometimes God desires to work through the less renowned for his renown. In success, be humble, and do not scorn meager beginnings. Bow the knee to God, and let him glorify himself as he desires.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Re-reading
Today I spoke with my pastor, Robert Keats, about Genesis 1 and the book of John. I told him I was re-reading Genesis and John and trying to ask myself questions to get more from the text. In view of how John presents Christ, as the Light of the World, as the life that is the light of men, and as the incarnate Word of God, I told him I think there is more to the narrative of Genesis than I have been reading. So my questions of the text were these: What connection do the first words of creation have with what John tells us about Christ? How does, "Let there be light" relate to the Christ event?
As I began to re-read and think about Genesis, I then found yet another question that grabbed my attention: why doesn't God say anything was "good" on day two of the creation account? On the first day we see that God calls the light good. On day three, God says both the dry land and the plant life created are good. On days four, five, and six God says that the various acts of creation are each "good." And finally, on day six, after God has created everything else, he says that all he created is "very good." But, on day two, there is no statement that anything was good.
There may be nothing to this omission. It may very well be that there is nothing to be learned from the simple omission of calling anything good on day two. After all, on day six God calls everything, "very good" thus indicating that creation was exactly according to his plan and purpose. And if everything was created according to God's purpose, then obviously, what happened on day two had to a good thing. In any case, Scripture does not give a clear or definitive answer to this question.
If you choose to do a quick search on Google, you can find various answers that people have to why God didn't call the second day of creation good. Answers range from the idea that the waters above the firmament were set in the sky as a punishment for men (the flood of Noah) and therefore it was not pleasing to God to have this punishment prepared, to the idea that the creation of the firmament and the setting up of the heavens created the realm that Satan would claim as his own. Unfortunately none of the answers I read really took into account the testimony of Scripture. For instance there is nothing saying that the waters in the flood came from the water above the "firmament." Likewise, there is nothing saying that Satan had already taken his domain in the heavens being that as of Genesis 2 he had not yet tempted Eve and Adam had not yet allowed sin into the world.
I have my own theory on why God does not call day two of creation good. My theory is that day two tells us about God separating creation from himself, setting up the firmament as that which separates creation (the waters below) from the throne room of God (the waters above). Thus when we see in Revelation 4:6 that there is what appears to be a sea of glass in front of the throne of God, we are taken back to the primordial waters that covered the world, and we are reminded that God is enthroned above the heavens. God is separated from creation, because of his own design, but he does not intend for things to remain that way. By the end of Revelation, in chapter 21 we see that God intends to make a new creation, one that will not be separate from himself. God does not call the second day of creation good because it represents an imperfect idea of what God will one day do, when he will join himself to creation, when there will be nothing that separates him from what his hands have made. (I do not mean this in a pantheistic or panentheistic sense.)
Obviously, my theory is just that, a theory. I can't prove my idea is correct. If I am right, then what that shows us is that God intended, from the very beginning of creation, to bring all things into fellowship with himself. Thus when we read about the separation of day two we read about an event that was necessary according to God's divine plan, but one which would one day be undone. This tells us that it should be our aspiration to be brought back to God. And it tells us that reconciliation with God goes beyond ourselves, it involves all of creation coming into fellowship with God.
But, my point is not to attempt to prove my interpretation of Genesis. Instead, my point is that it is only through re-reading Scripture that we notice things like the second day not being called good. We only notice the connections between the waters above and the glassy sea around the throne of God when we read through both Genesis and Revelation enough times that the ideas in each of them take root in our minds. Yes, reading what others think about Scripture, or hearing someone else point out connections we may not notice in Scripture is useful. But, we will only begin to see connections ourselves when we become devoted the text of Scripture, in whatever way we have access to that text.
Re-reading Scripture has great value, because it helps us to see connections we might otherwise never notice. It also encourages us to ask questions, which can be useful to us and help us to get more out of Scripture, even if we cannot definitively answer the questions we ask. If our goal is to become more like Christ, even as Peter says we are being transformed, and Paul says we ought to live, then there is no better method to becoming like Christ than to dive into his word. There is no other way to know the mind of God than to give heed to what he has said. While there may be times we feel as though we are gleaning nothing more from what we are reading, we must remember that God can use those moments to plant something in our minds that will help us later. Re-reading Scripture is incredibly important to the Christian, and its values cannot be overstated.
As I began to re-read and think about Genesis, I then found yet another question that grabbed my attention: why doesn't God say anything was "good" on day two of the creation account? On the first day we see that God calls the light good. On day three, God says both the dry land and the plant life created are good. On days four, five, and six God says that the various acts of creation are each "good." And finally, on day six, after God has created everything else, he says that all he created is "very good." But, on day two, there is no statement that anything was good.
There may be nothing to this omission. It may very well be that there is nothing to be learned from the simple omission of calling anything good on day two. After all, on day six God calls everything, "very good" thus indicating that creation was exactly according to his plan and purpose. And if everything was created according to God's purpose, then obviously, what happened on day two had to a good thing. In any case, Scripture does not give a clear or definitive answer to this question.
If you choose to do a quick search on Google, you can find various answers that people have to why God didn't call the second day of creation good. Answers range from the idea that the waters above the firmament were set in the sky as a punishment for men (the flood of Noah) and therefore it was not pleasing to God to have this punishment prepared, to the idea that the creation of the firmament and the setting up of the heavens created the realm that Satan would claim as his own. Unfortunately none of the answers I read really took into account the testimony of Scripture. For instance there is nothing saying that the waters in the flood came from the water above the "firmament." Likewise, there is nothing saying that Satan had already taken his domain in the heavens being that as of Genesis 2 he had not yet tempted Eve and Adam had not yet allowed sin into the world.
I have my own theory on why God does not call day two of creation good. My theory is that day two tells us about God separating creation from himself, setting up the firmament as that which separates creation (the waters below) from the throne room of God (the waters above). Thus when we see in Revelation 4:6 that there is what appears to be a sea of glass in front of the throne of God, we are taken back to the primordial waters that covered the world, and we are reminded that God is enthroned above the heavens. God is separated from creation, because of his own design, but he does not intend for things to remain that way. By the end of Revelation, in chapter 21 we see that God intends to make a new creation, one that will not be separate from himself. God does not call the second day of creation good because it represents an imperfect idea of what God will one day do, when he will join himself to creation, when there will be nothing that separates him from what his hands have made. (I do not mean this in a pantheistic or panentheistic sense.)
Obviously, my theory is just that, a theory. I can't prove my idea is correct. If I am right, then what that shows us is that God intended, from the very beginning of creation, to bring all things into fellowship with himself. Thus when we read about the separation of day two we read about an event that was necessary according to God's divine plan, but one which would one day be undone. This tells us that it should be our aspiration to be brought back to God. And it tells us that reconciliation with God goes beyond ourselves, it involves all of creation coming into fellowship with God.
But, my point is not to attempt to prove my interpretation of Genesis. Instead, my point is that it is only through re-reading Scripture that we notice things like the second day not being called good. We only notice the connections between the waters above and the glassy sea around the throne of God when we read through both Genesis and Revelation enough times that the ideas in each of them take root in our minds. Yes, reading what others think about Scripture, or hearing someone else point out connections we may not notice in Scripture is useful. But, we will only begin to see connections ourselves when we become devoted the text of Scripture, in whatever way we have access to that text.
Re-reading Scripture has great value, because it helps us to see connections we might otherwise never notice. It also encourages us to ask questions, which can be useful to us and help us to get more out of Scripture, even if we cannot definitively answer the questions we ask. If our goal is to become more like Christ, even as Peter says we are being transformed, and Paul says we ought to live, then there is no better method to becoming like Christ than to dive into his word. There is no other way to know the mind of God than to give heed to what he has said. While there may be times we feel as though we are gleaning nothing more from what we are reading, we must remember that God can use those moments to plant something in our minds that will help us later. Re-reading Scripture is incredibly important to the Christian, and its values cannot be overstated.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Isaiah 6:1-8
Recently (a couple of weeks ago) my pastor asked me to read this section of Scripture and lead the congregation in prayer as part of our worship service. Reading this passage, and the sermon of that day, both changed the way I have looked at sin since. I wanted to address this passage of Scripture and share a few of the things that really impacted me. A couple of the points come from the Hebrew in this passage, so I beg your leave to discuss those, and I ask that you trust what I'm going to say. Alternatively, I hope that my reading of this passage might encourage you to do some research on the passage yourself, that you may be challenged and transformed by the Word of God.
First, the English of this passage:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
The first thing that struck me was the declaration made by the Seraphim: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" (A better rendition might note that he is called the Lord of armies, but that's a secondary point.) The reason this declaration struck me is because of the triple repeated, "Holy!" In the original Hebrew and Greek there was no punctuation. No exclamation marks, no periods, no commas, no way to separate or accentuate a word other than either its placement in the idea, or a play on its form, or a repetition of the word itself. Thus, when we see a repeated word or term it is there for one specific reason: emphasis.
For the Seraphim to call God "holy" three times indicates a serious emphatic statement. It would be like standing in the midst of a courtroom and suddenly the bailiff picks up a bull horn and screams as loud as he can that the judge is honorable and just. If you miss the implication, it is because you choose to ignore that which has been screamed at you.
God is holy! He is utterly, indescribably holy! His holiness is to be shouted, it is declared by those beings which are in his presence day and night. This is the first and most important descriptor of God. His holiness defines his other attributes, because it puts them in proper perspective.
God's holiness is his transcendence above and beyond this world. He is like nothing in this world, utterly distinct and incomparable. It is for this reason that Scripture says of God, "Who is like the Lord?" (Psalm 40:5; Psalm 89:6; Isaiah 40:18, 25; 46:5) And here, you have heavenly beings, flying above the throne of God, which is itself a high and loft throne, and they are declaring this holiness, over and over again, yelling it loudly to one another. That's how important it is that we get that God is holy, the seraphim yell not to creation, but to one another, even though they dwell in the presence of God.
This point only began to really come home to me when I began to consider the rest of God's attributes in relation to this holiness. Think about it this way: God demonstrates his power so that we can understand that his power is beyond what we can comprehend, it is holy. God works great and wondrous miracles so that we can understand that if God is able to do things which amaze us, how much greater are his works which we can not fathom! His holiness, his indescribable nature, is declared by comparison with that which we can understand. Likewise of any of God's attributes, his anger, his patience, his justice, and particularly his love. We cannot really comprehend any of these attributes of God, because his holiness puts them beyond our grasp. We can witness a declaration of his love or justice, but that only gives us a glimpse into the reality that we cannot fully grasp, because God is beyond us.
But, here's what blows me away more than anything else, what made me really begin to consider the beauty of God's holiness: he does not do his great works for himself! What I mean is that God is holy, by his very nature, and there is nothing that adds to or takes away from this holiness. Thus, when God shows his glory through his great works, he does not add anything to himself, but simply shows us, mere humans, how wonderful he is, out of a great love for us. Remember, God has seraphim declaring his holiness, he already knows his holiness, he does not need us to praise him, but he gives us the opportunity to praise him for our good, because he loves us.
God is the only being who deserves this praise, because his beauty is perfect. So, for us to be able to praise God is a gift to us, because being able to praise God means that we are getting some glimpse of perfection, some participation in the amazing glory of the one who defines everything good and beautiful. It's like getting an invite into the most amazing art gallery ever. God is not changed or made more amazing by our worship, but we who witness his holiness are changed, because we experience that which is truly beautiful. This is the situation Isaiah found himself in: ushered into the presence of glory, confronted with that which left him dumbfounded (literally) because of how wondrous it was.
God is holy, he is awesome, and he shows his holiness to us because of his love for us, but this is only the beginning of this passage. Add to that the very beings who are declaring this: seraphim. (In the Hebrew the "im" ending is simply a plural ending, hence some translations read "seraphs" as a valid plural form of the term, since the Hebrew "seraph" is the singular form.) The word itself means "burning ones". Thus, here are "burning ones," or beings whose own glory makes them appear to be on fire (or who really are made of fire), who are declaring how holy God is. His glory is made manifest through comparison with their glory, because they are declaring his holiness, and not their own.
Then, Isaiah gives utterance to words that simply do not translate into the English with the same nuance which they have in Hebrew. Isaiah looks to the Lord and says, "Woe is me! For I am [compelled to be silent, brought to silence, made silent, or undone, ruined, destroyed]." (Everything within the brackets could be viable interpretations of this passage.) Thus, when we read from Isaiah, "I am undone" what he is saying is, "I am brought to silence." Here the idiom of silence represents the idea of death or total destruction. This ties the statement in with the rest of what Isaiah says, "For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips."
The idea of unclean lips goes far and beyond simply the words of the people, it goes to their lives, their very being. Thus, as Christ declared, "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34) For Isaiah, for his mouth to be silenced was a condemnation of his very life. So, likewise, when Isaiah complains of the uncleanness of the lips of the people, he is condemning the way they live. They are unclean in word and deed. And he is one of those people, he is not innocent, he is not holy, he is not good. I realized as I read those words what a condemnation that should be to me: though I might know how to say the right things, though I might appear to be a "good Christian" to the world, my heart ought to be condemned before God because of my sinfulness. I am in the position of Isaiah, and I need to declare, "Woe is me! I am compelled to be silent, I should be destroyed before my holy God!"
Yet Isaiah was not left there. Here the Hebrew again plays on words and imagery: one of the burning ones takes a "glowing coal" and touches Isaiah's mouth with it. One of those who is on fire takes a coal of fire and touches that which symbolizes Isaiah's wickedness, his lips, and declared Isaiah to be clean. Imagine that scene for a minute, a flying being of fire holding a burning coal in his hand reaches out to you and touches your lips with a searing fire, and declares you to be clean.
Here the full imagery of the situation is brought out: Isaiah is not simply standing in the temple, he is standing in the middle of a sacrifice. Remember, the temple was filled with smoke after God's holiness was declared. Why would the temple be filled with smoke? Because a sacrifice was taking place. We know this because the smoke is not merely from the altar of incense, but there is a burning coal, which came from the altar, which means that a sacrifice was burning on the altar of God.
Here we tie into the imagery of Christ, because he is the lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. (1 Peter 1:19-21) He is the sacrifice that God accepted to quench his anger, which allows a guilty people to approach a holy God. Isaiah was standing in the presence of the God who makes redemption for his saints, offering up a sacrifice to himself which we could not offer up. And Isaiah was made a participant of that sacrifice. A coal from the fire of God's sacrifice was taken and placed upon Isaiah's lips, so that he became a participant in this symbolic sacrifice that would one day be fulfilled in the death and suffering of the Messiah.
And look what happens to Isaiah because of his exposure to the sacrifice of Christ: the man who was brought to silence, who was compelled to recognize the sinfulness of his life before the holy God of the universe, suddenly has the courage to speak up and say to God, "Here I am, send me!" Because Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he was brought low, he considered himself already dead. But, because Christ died on his behalf and he was able to participate in that sacrifice, his words, the actions of his life, were made acceptable before God. Isaiah was given a boldness to go from laying on his face to standing before the awesome God of all creation, all because of the sacrifice that God prepared for himself.
The more I studied this passage, just in preparation to read it at church, the more I was faced with the reality that I had lost sight of the holiness of God. I had forgotten his glory, and I had forgotten that when I sin I am transgressing that holiness, that glory, that awesome and amazing attribute of God that cannot be fully understood here on earth, because it is the reflection of how utterly incomprehensible and beyond us God really is. But, in addition to that, my sins made light of the sacrifice God prepared for himself. Instead of allowing the coal from the altar of God to touch my lips, I would draw near to it, I would feign to touch it, and then I would go back again into the secret realms of my heart, and I would not let myself be singed by the purifying fire of God.
For this reason, for the last two weeks, I have been continually thinking to myself, "Would it glorify God for me to do that? Would it glorify God for me to go there? Would it glorify God for me to watch that, think that, or listen to that?" The seraphim constantly declare God is holy, so how could I, who have enjoyed the benefits of the death of Christ, do anything less in my own life? Do I really think God is that holy? In being confronted with these questions I was forced to reconsider how I was living, so that I could be like Isaiah, transformed by my experience of seeing the holiness of God.
To be honest, for those who have read this far, I can only apologize. There is something about being exposed to an experience that cannot quite be captured by simply writing about it. Particularly when it is the Word of God that we are confronted with, there is an intrinsic and personal challenge that is hard to express to others. I can only hope that you will be challenged by this section of Scripture as I was. I can only hope that as you have read of my experience of going through this passage, you will be able to appreciate the imagery, the nuances, and the power of this passage more. I hope you are challenged to think about the awesome holiness of God a little bit more, so that you can too can live a life changed by meeting the God of Isaiah, the God of the universe.
First, the English of this passage:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
The first thing that struck me was the declaration made by the Seraphim: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" (A better rendition might note that he is called the Lord of armies, but that's a secondary point.) The reason this declaration struck me is because of the triple repeated, "Holy!" In the original Hebrew and Greek there was no punctuation. No exclamation marks, no periods, no commas, no way to separate or accentuate a word other than either its placement in the idea, or a play on its form, or a repetition of the word itself. Thus, when we see a repeated word or term it is there for one specific reason: emphasis.
For the Seraphim to call God "holy" three times indicates a serious emphatic statement. It would be like standing in the midst of a courtroom and suddenly the bailiff picks up a bull horn and screams as loud as he can that the judge is honorable and just. If you miss the implication, it is because you choose to ignore that which has been screamed at you.
God is holy! He is utterly, indescribably holy! His holiness is to be shouted, it is declared by those beings which are in his presence day and night. This is the first and most important descriptor of God. His holiness defines his other attributes, because it puts them in proper perspective.
God's holiness is his transcendence above and beyond this world. He is like nothing in this world, utterly distinct and incomparable. It is for this reason that Scripture says of God, "Who is like the Lord?" (Psalm 40:5; Psalm 89:6; Isaiah 40:18, 25; 46:5) And here, you have heavenly beings, flying above the throne of God, which is itself a high and loft throne, and they are declaring this holiness, over and over again, yelling it loudly to one another. That's how important it is that we get that God is holy, the seraphim yell not to creation, but to one another, even though they dwell in the presence of God.
This point only began to really come home to me when I began to consider the rest of God's attributes in relation to this holiness. Think about it this way: God demonstrates his power so that we can understand that his power is beyond what we can comprehend, it is holy. God works great and wondrous miracles so that we can understand that if God is able to do things which amaze us, how much greater are his works which we can not fathom! His holiness, his indescribable nature, is declared by comparison with that which we can understand. Likewise of any of God's attributes, his anger, his patience, his justice, and particularly his love. We cannot really comprehend any of these attributes of God, because his holiness puts them beyond our grasp. We can witness a declaration of his love or justice, but that only gives us a glimpse into the reality that we cannot fully grasp, because God is beyond us.
But, here's what blows me away more than anything else, what made me really begin to consider the beauty of God's holiness: he does not do his great works for himself! What I mean is that God is holy, by his very nature, and there is nothing that adds to or takes away from this holiness. Thus, when God shows his glory through his great works, he does not add anything to himself, but simply shows us, mere humans, how wonderful he is, out of a great love for us. Remember, God has seraphim declaring his holiness, he already knows his holiness, he does not need us to praise him, but he gives us the opportunity to praise him for our good, because he loves us.
God is the only being who deserves this praise, because his beauty is perfect. So, for us to be able to praise God is a gift to us, because being able to praise God means that we are getting some glimpse of perfection, some participation in the amazing glory of the one who defines everything good and beautiful. It's like getting an invite into the most amazing art gallery ever. God is not changed or made more amazing by our worship, but we who witness his holiness are changed, because we experience that which is truly beautiful. This is the situation Isaiah found himself in: ushered into the presence of glory, confronted with that which left him dumbfounded (literally) because of how wondrous it was.
God is holy, he is awesome, and he shows his holiness to us because of his love for us, but this is only the beginning of this passage. Add to that the very beings who are declaring this: seraphim. (In the Hebrew the "im" ending is simply a plural ending, hence some translations read "seraphs" as a valid plural form of the term, since the Hebrew "seraph" is the singular form.) The word itself means "burning ones". Thus, here are "burning ones," or beings whose own glory makes them appear to be on fire (or who really are made of fire), who are declaring how holy God is. His glory is made manifest through comparison with their glory, because they are declaring his holiness, and not their own.
Then, Isaiah gives utterance to words that simply do not translate into the English with the same nuance which they have in Hebrew. Isaiah looks to the Lord and says, "Woe is me! For I am [compelled to be silent, brought to silence, made silent, or undone, ruined, destroyed]." (Everything within the brackets could be viable interpretations of this passage.) Thus, when we read from Isaiah, "I am undone" what he is saying is, "I am brought to silence." Here the idiom of silence represents the idea of death or total destruction. This ties the statement in with the rest of what Isaiah says, "For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips."
The idea of unclean lips goes far and beyond simply the words of the people, it goes to their lives, their very being. Thus, as Christ declared, "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34) For Isaiah, for his mouth to be silenced was a condemnation of his very life. So, likewise, when Isaiah complains of the uncleanness of the lips of the people, he is condemning the way they live. They are unclean in word and deed. And he is one of those people, he is not innocent, he is not holy, he is not good. I realized as I read those words what a condemnation that should be to me: though I might know how to say the right things, though I might appear to be a "good Christian" to the world, my heart ought to be condemned before God because of my sinfulness. I am in the position of Isaiah, and I need to declare, "Woe is me! I am compelled to be silent, I should be destroyed before my holy God!"
Yet Isaiah was not left there. Here the Hebrew again plays on words and imagery: one of the burning ones takes a "glowing coal" and touches Isaiah's mouth with it. One of those who is on fire takes a coal of fire and touches that which symbolizes Isaiah's wickedness, his lips, and declared Isaiah to be clean. Imagine that scene for a minute, a flying being of fire holding a burning coal in his hand reaches out to you and touches your lips with a searing fire, and declares you to be clean.
Here the full imagery of the situation is brought out: Isaiah is not simply standing in the temple, he is standing in the middle of a sacrifice. Remember, the temple was filled with smoke after God's holiness was declared. Why would the temple be filled with smoke? Because a sacrifice was taking place. We know this because the smoke is not merely from the altar of incense, but there is a burning coal, which came from the altar, which means that a sacrifice was burning on the altar of God.
Here we tie into the imagery of Christ, because he is the lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. (1 Peter 1:19-21) He is the sacrifice that God accepted to quench his anger, which allows a guilty people to approach a holy God. Isaiah was standing in the presence of the God who makes redemption for his saints, offering up a sacrifice to himself which we could not offer up. And Isaiah was made a participant of that sacrifice. A coal from the fire of God's sacrifice was taken and placed upon Isaiah's lips, so that he became a participant in this symbolic sacrifice that would one day be fulfilled in the death and suffering of the Messiah.
And look what happens to Isaiah because of his exposure to the sacrifice of Christ: the man who was brought to silence, who was compelled to recognize the sinfulness of his life before the holy God of the universe, suddenly has the courage to speak up and say to God, "Here I am, send me!" Because Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he was brought low, he considered himself already dead. But, because Christ died on his behalf and he was able to participate in that sacrifice, his words, the actions of his life, were made acceptable before God. Isaiah was given a boldness to go from laying on his face to standing before the awesome God of all creation, all because of the sacrifice that God prepared for himself.
The more I studied this passage, just in preparation to read it at church, the more I was faced with the reality that I had lost sight of the holiness of God. I had forgotten his glory, and I had forgotten that when I sin I am transgressing that holiness, that glory, that awesome and amazing attribute of God that cannot be fully understood here on earth, because it is the reflection of how utterly incomprehensible and beyond us God really is. But, in addition to that, my sins made light of the sacrifice God prepared for himself. Instead of allowing the coal from the altar of God to touch my lips, I would draw near to it, I would feign to touch it, and then I would go back again into the secret realms of my heart, and I would not let myself be singed by the purifying fire of God.
For this reason, for the last two weeks, I have been continually thinking to myself, "Would it glorify God for me to do that? Would it glorify God for me to go there? Would it glorify God for me to watch that, think that, or listen to that?" The seraphim constantly declare God is holy, so how could I, who have enjoyed the benefits of the death of Christ, do anything less in my own life? Do I really think God is that holy? In being confronted with these questions I was forced to reconsider how I was living, so that I could be like Isaiah, transformed by my experience of seeing the holiness of God.
To be honest, for those who have read this far, I can only apologize. There is something about being exposed to an experience that cannot quite be captured by simply writing about it. Particularly when it is the Word of God that we are confronted with, there is an intrinsic and personal challenge that is hard to express to others. I can only hope that you will be challenged by this section of Scripture as I was. I can only hope that as you have read of my experience of going through this passage, you will be able to appreciate the imagery, the nuances, and the power of this passage more. I hope you are challenged to think about the awesome holiness of God a little bit more, so that you can too can live a life changed by meeting the God of Isaiah, the God of the universe.
Friday, September 24, 2010
More Than Bread
While wondering through the desert Satan tempted Christ by appealing to his hunger. Satan said to the Lord, "Turn these stones into bread and so you do not have to go hungry!" It may not sound like much of a temptation, but the real point was to get Christ to rely upon himself, instead of trusting that the Father would provide for him what he needed. Christ responded by quoting Scripture and standing against Satan saying, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." We have to eat to live, but if all we take in is bread, then while we may continue to exist, we are far from having full lives.
This was part of the problem that the church in Corinth dealt with. Instead of taking in the Word of God, they were more concerned with the bread and wine of the Lord's table. Paul condemns the church noting that some come and feast, and others are left to starve. Instead of sharing love and compassion for one another they became selfish gluttons. To partake of the Lord's supper is to share in Christ, to eat and drink of his memory and in obedience to his words, it is not just to fill our stomachs, but to live on the Word of God.
Christ promised his presence always, and proclaimed of himself that he is the bread of life. Obviously there is metaphor involved in that statement. Christ is not literally made of bread. Likewise, as much as I respect those Catholics who take seriously the traditions that have been handed down, as a protestant and one who adheres to solo scriptura, I find nothing in Scripture that makes me think that the bread literally becomes the body of Christ and the wine becomes his blood in some metaphysical way. But, despite the fact that the bread is not literally Christ, when we partake of the bread and the wine, we are joined to Christ in his presence, as we partake of the feast that he is preparing for us in heaven.
To eat of the Lord's Table is to partake of a heavenly feast. Consider this: Christ began and ended his ministry with food and wine. When his mother asked him to help with the situation at the wedding feast, Christ turned the water into wine. When Christ gave his last instructions, before his death, to his apostles, he did it over a feast including bread and wine. And, when Christ brings all things to completion, we will once again sit down to a feast with him, at the wedding supper of the Lamb. When we eat of the bread and drink of the wine of the Lord's Table, we are participating in feasting with Christ, joining with him in faith to the Father, believing that one day we will eat at the wedding supper of his Son.
This is why Paul was so severe with the church in Corinth, and why he says that when we eat of the Lord's Table and fail to recognize the body of Christ, we eat and drink judgment on ourselves. When we partake of the Lord's Table, if we do not recognize that we are eating a fellowship meal, a celebration of Christ and the feast that will join all believers together, then we are not acting in faith, but faithlessly. We turn the admonition of Christ on its head: instead of living on the Word of God, we begin to treat the feast of Christ as nothing more than bread and wine. Any church that treats the Lord's Supper lightly, not realizing the significance of what it means to partake of the body of Christ is asking for the same judgment that Paul says was already being poured out on the church at Corinth: weakness, sickness, and premature death.
It ought to be born in mind that death, weakness, and sickness, do not necessarily have to be upon individuals. Those who sit in the congregation, who are ignorant of the reality of the Lord's Supper, while certainly responsible for failing to take seriously the Word of God, are not as accountable as those who teach them. Thus as James says, "Not many of you should desire to be teachers, knowing that we who teach will be judged more strictly." In this way, because those who teach from the pulpit have failed to properly teach the Word of God, and because those who sit in the congregation have failed to hold them accountable to what has been taught, everyone brings judgment upon themselves for their faithless living before God. So, particularly in congregational churches, no one has excuse, and no individual can claim innocence if they have not been faithfully warning their brothers and sisters of the coming wrath of God.
Because Churches do not take seriously the Word of God in what it teaches about why we should do the things we do, the churches get weak. The churches grow sick. Eventually, those churches who fail to be faithful to God, who no longer reflect a healthy image of his body, die. And no amount of man made emotion and passion can change what God has already said will be the judgment of those who take the Lord's Supper lightly. But it does not have to be this way.
Our God is a God who forgives, who restores, who wounds and heals. If we will turn back to him and seek him, then he has promised us blessing in Christ. We, who are in Christ, do not need to fear that God will hold our sins against us, for we are already forgiven, covered by the blood of Christ. If we seek to partake of the blood of Christ at his table, then we must be sure that we are covered in the blood when we are away from the table.
God is faithful to himself, and he will exalt himself through judgment, and through mercy. Thus, we have great reason to pray to God for revival, if we are willing to embrace the discipline of God in our lives. We do not need to continue to eat and drink judgment to ourselves. If we will learn from the Word of God, and understand what it means to be a part of the body of God, then we have great reason to hope in God. Our God is full of grace, and he speaks to us if we will be listen to his admonitions.
Let us eat of the Lord's Table with joy and with sobriety. Let us recognize that what we do here prepares us for a feast we will share there. But, let us also remember that when we eat and drink of the elements of the table, Christ is present with us, partaking with us as we are his body. We eat and drink not simply in his memory, but also in his presence. There is great reason to rejoice for those of us who rightly recognize the body of Christ when we come to the Lord's Table, so let us rejoice!
This was part of the problem that the church in Corinth dealt with. Instead of taking in the Word of God, they were more concerned with the bread and wine of the Lord's table. Paul condemns the church noting that some come and feast, and others are left to starve. Instead of sharing love and compassion for one another they became selfish gluttons. To partake of the Lord's supper is to share in Christ, to eat and drink of his memory and in obedience to his words, it is not just to fill our stomachs, but to live on the Word of God.
Christ promised his presence always, and proclaimed of himself that he is the bread of life. Obviously there is metaphor involved in that statement. Christ is not literally made of bread. Likewise, as much as I respect those Catholics who take seriously the traditions that have been handed down, as a protestant and one who adheres to solo scriptura, I find nothing in Scripture that makes me think that the bread literally becomes the body of Christ and the wine becomes his blood in some metaphysical way. But, despite the fact that the bread is not literally Christ, when we partake of the bread and the wine, we are joined to Christ in his presence, as we partake of the feast that he is preparing for us in heaven.
To eat of the Lord's Table is to partake of a heavenly feast. Consider this: Christ began and ended his ministry with food and wine. When his mother asked him to help with the situation at the wedding feast, Christ turned the water into wine. When Christ gave his last instructions, before his death, to his apostles, he did it over a feast including bread and wine. And, when Christ brings all things to completion, we will once again sit down to a feast with him, at the wedding supper of the Lamb. When we eat of the bread and drink of the wine of the Lord's Table, we are participating in feasting with Christ, joining with him in faith to the Father, believing that one day we will eat at the wedding supper of his Son.
This is why Paul was so severe with the church in Corinth, and why he says that when we eat of the Lord's Table and fail to recognize the body of Christ, we eat and drink judgment on ourselves. When we partake of the Lord's Table, if we do not recognize that we are eating a fellowship meal, a celebration of Christ and the feast that will join all believers together, then we are not acting in faith, but faithlessly. We turn the admonition of Christ on its head: instead of living on the Word of God, we begin to treat the feast of Christ as nothing more than bread and wine. Any church that treats the Lord's Supper lightly, not realizing the significance of what it means to partake of the body of Christ is asking for the same judgment that Paul says was already being poured out on the church at Corinth: weakness, sickness, and premature death.
It ought to be born in mind that death, weakness, and sickness, do not necessarily have to be upon individuals. Those who sit in the congregation, who are ignorant of the reality of the Lord's Supper, while certainly responsible for failing to take seriously the Word of God, are not as accountable as those who teach them. Thus as James says, "Not many of you should desire to be teachers, knowing that we who teach will be judged more strictly." In this way, because those who teach from the pulpit have failed to properly teach the Word of God, and because those who sit in the congregation have failed to hold them accountable to what has been taught, everyone brings judgment upon themselves for their faithless living before God. So, particularly in congregational churches, no one has excuse, and no individual can claim innocence if they have not been faithfully warning their brothers and sisters of the coming wrath of God.
Because Churches do not take seriously the Word of God in what it teaches about why we should do the things we do, the churches get weak. The churches grow sick. Eventually, those churches who fail to be faithful to God, who no longer reflect a healthy image of his body, die. And no amount of man made emotion and passion can change what God has already said will be the judgment of those who take the Lord's Supper lightly. But it does not have to be this way.
Our God is a God who forgives, who restores, who wounds and heals. If we will turn back to him and seek him, then he has promised us blessing in Christ. We, who are in Christ, do not need to fear that God will hold our sins against us, for we are already forgiven, covered by the blood of Christ. If we seek to partake of the blood of Christ at his table, then we must be sure that we are covered in the blood when we are away from the table.
God is faithful to himself, and he will exalt himself through judgment, and through mercy. Thus, we have great reason to pray to God for revival, if we are willing to embrace the discipline of God in our lives. We do not need to continue to eat and drink judgment to ourselves. If we will learn from the Word of God, and understand what it means to be a part of the body of God, then we have great reason to hope in God. Our God is full of grace, and he speaks to us if we will be listen to his admonitions.
Let us eat of the Lord's Table with joy and with sobriety. Let us recognize that what we do here prepares us for a feast we will share there. But, let us also remember that when we eat and drink of the elements of the table, Christ is present with us, partaking with us as we are his body. We eat and drink not simply in his memory, but also in his presence. There is great reason to rejoice for those of us who rightly recognize the body of Christ when we come to the Lord's Table, so let us rejoice!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wash and Wear Christians
One of the oldest arguments that baptists of all kinds have engaged in is the importance of believers' baptism. If you are not from a baptist tradition, I'll try to explain the idea quickly, and then address the argument itself. Basically the baptist tradition is that baptism is only for believers. That means that baptists do not baptize infants, and, historically, have not accepted those who were baptized as infants as members of baptist churches. Only those who are believers can submit to baptism, and therefore if someone was "baptized" as an infant, unless they undergo a real baptism, as a believer, they are not generally granted membership in baptist congregations.
There are exceptions to the statement that baptists do not allow membership to those who received only infant baptism (paedobaptists). John Bunyan, for instance, advocated that paedobaptists should be allowed church membership, and that they should be allowed to come to the Lord's Table. However, even in his day, there were those who argued against him. More recently John Piper and Mark Dever argued about this point, with Piper taking Bunyan's side, and Dever taking what I am calling the historical baptist side.
I would like to make a point of clarification though. I am not calling Dever's position the historical position because it predates the position of Piper, but only because it has been the position accepted by most baptists throughout history. This is why most baptist ministers, at least until modern times, would "fence the table" when inviting people to participate in the Lord's Supper. The "fence" could be put up with a statement as simple as, "We invite those of like faith and practice who are in good standing in their church..." wherein the "faith" is the Christian faith, and the "practice" is those who had received believer's baptism. The "good standing in their church" indicated that the person was not under discipline, and therefore there was no question of that individuals standing before Christ.
This last point could be broken into a whole essay of its own, and I intend to address the point eventually, but for now it is sufficient to note that most early baptist churches (and most baptist churches up to the 1950's at least) practiced church discipline and took it very seriously. It was in fact because of church discipline that this whole issue arose.
Why would church discipline cause baptist churches to need to discuss the question of membership of paedobaptists? In part it was because of the Lord's Supper. Most baptist churches held that there were effectively two (or three) ordinances of the church. In the three ordinance division you have foot washing, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. In the two ordinance division you can remove foot washing. Most baptists today do not practice foot washing, nor was it ever the majority of baptists position that it should be practiced.
Ordinances for baptists are not a means of grace. The acts of baptism and the Lord's Supper are spiritually significant and symbolic events. In the case of baptism the believer is joined to the death of Christ, and his resurrection through baptism. But, what baptists mean by that is that the believer who has been baptized has made a public demonstration of their need for cleansing, of which the baptism is only a symbolic demonstration. The actual salvation of the individual happens at conversion, in which the person is sealed by the Holy Spirit and joined to Christ eternally. Thus baptism (as commonly expressed and understood) is an outward sign of an internal reality, and an act of obedience to what Christ has commanded.
For baptists historically then the argument has been that those who refuse to be baptized after coming to faith are living in disobedience to Christ. Because the individuals are living in disobedience to Christ they cannot be given church membership, nor should they be invited to the Lord's Table. To invite someone who is living in disobedience to the Lord's Table to is make light of their sin, which is wrong. Moreover, to invite someone to the Lord's Table who has refused to participate in one ordinance of the church then includes that person in another ordinance of the church, and thus would be to treat the person as a member, even though they do not meet the qualifications of membership. Thus, those who cannot be members of the church, for a refusal to participate in the ordinances of the church, ought not to come to participate in that ordinance which is restricted to only members of the church.
To explain this position from Scripture, baptists take seriously the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11. In verse 18 he says, "For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part." This indicates that what Paul is about to say he says to the church, not individuals. Thus when he says in verse 26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes," this is not a command to individuals, but to the church. Therefore it is those who are in the church who should eat the bread and drink from the cup.
Further, we read, "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:29) This passage is not telling people that they must simply examine themselves, but that they must understand who they are in Christ. Yes, an individual ought to examine himself to see if there is any unrepentant sin in his life, but what Paul calls us to here is a consideration of who the body of Christ is. The body of Christ is to partake of the Lord's Table, and the body of Christ is the regenerate church here on earth. The question then, for who can partake of the Lord's Supper, is one of who is a member of the regenerate church on earth.
This is where baptism enters the issue. We have already seen that the Lord's Table is to be open to all members of the church. But, baptism is generally recognized (by baptists) as the means by which one enters into the church. Thus, if one has not been baptized, then they are not to be considered members of the church. If they are not to be considered members of the church, then they are not to take of the Lord's Supper, and they are not subject to church discipline.
But, why should baptism be a required ordinance for church membership? If, as baptists have historically professed, faith alone is the means of salvation, shouldn't the church accept all of those who profess faith in Christ, regardless of whether they have been baptized? The answer to that question must be answered "no" if the historic argument is to stand. But is the answer no?
Yes, the answer to the question is no. Yes, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) And yes, all those who are saved are part of the regenerate church here on earth. But, no, the church should not simply accept those who profess faith in Christ as members with no reservations.
The reason for this is what James says, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18) The fact is that we, as humans, cannot judge perfectly the salvation of any person. It may be that someone has been genuinely saved, though we cannot discern such from their lives. But, we are called to judge the works of one another (ourselves included) and determine if those works line up with that which Scripture commands us. Therefore, while we may wrongly exclude some from membership with the church because we cannot discern their salvation, we must labor to rightly discern the body, that we may know, as far as possible, that those who are members of the church do appear to be Christians.
Once again, this is where baptism enters the equation. If baptism is a command of Christ (and baptists hold that it is, based on: Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:47, Romans 6:3, and many more passages besides) then those who refuse to be baptized are not simply refusing to undergo some specific event, they are refusing to submit in obedience to God. Therefore, while these people may evidence many other signs of salvation, the fact that they persist in refusing to be baptized causes the baptist to look at them with some reservation, recognizing that the church should be wholly obedient to Christ, and not only obedient in some, or most ways. Therefore, baptism becomes a necessary step for anyone to enter into church membership, because it is the sign that demonstrates that the person has indeed entered into the death of Christ, and risen with him.
The reason I have attempted to lay out this discussion is because unfortunately many baptists are losing their distinctiveness. Most baptist churches have failed to seriously educate their members as to what the significance of baptism is, and why the Lord's Table is so important. Most baptists would probably still say that they do not want to allow paedobaptists as members, but would they know why, from a biblical perspective? Whether you agree with the argument or not, I hope that you understand now that baptism is not just a matter of one becoming a "wash and wear Christian" but it really is important. Because it is so important we ought not neglect the discussion of baptism in our churches.
If you aren't aware, I am a historic baptist. I was raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, and I have come to embrace that tradition as I think it is the most orthodox biblical position. That does not mean that there aren't skeletons in the closet of Southern Baptists. Our racial divisions and the long standing issue of slavery that lead to the formation of the Southern Baptist convention need to be dealt with. The last generation of Southern Baptists made apology for how our tradition assisted in perpetuating slavery, but they were not able to overcome the racial divisions that still exist in most Southern Baptist churches. But, despite the problems that exist within the Southern Baptist tradition, we must continue to hold to the importance of believers' baptism, and in order to do so we must understand the importance of the Lord's Table and church discipline, understanding which has been lacking in the last 50-60 years.
There are exceptions to the statement that baptists do not allow membership to those who received only infant baptism (paedobaptists). John Bunyan, for instance, advocated that paedobaptists should be allowed church membership, and that they should be allowed to come to the Lord's Table. However, even in his day, there were those who argued against him. More recently John Piper and Mark Dever argued about this point, with Piper taking Bunyan's side, and Dever taking what I am calling the historical baptist side.
I would like to make a point of clarification though. I am not calling Dever's position the historical position because it predates the position of Piper, but only because it has been the position accepted by most baptists throughout history. This is why most baptist ministers, at least until modern times, would "fence the table" when inviting people to participate in the Lord's Supper. The "fence" could be put up with a statement as simple as, "We invite those of like faith and practice who are in good standing in their church..." wherein the "faith" is the Christian faith, and the "practice" is those who had received believer's baptism. The "good standing in their church" indicated that the person was not under discipline, and therefore there was no question of that individuals standing before Christ.
This last point could be broken into a whole essay of its own, and I intend to address the point eventually, but for now it is sufficient to note that most early baptist churches (and most baptist churches up to the 1950's at least) practiced church discipline and took it very seriously. It was in fact because of church discipline that this whole issue arose.
Why would church discipline cause baptist churches to need to discuss the question of membership of paedobaptists? In part it was because of the Lord's Supper. Most baptist churches held that there were effectively two (or three) ordinances of the church. In the three ordinance division you have foot washing, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. In the two ordinance division you can remove foot washing. Most baptists today do not practice foot washing, nor was it ever the majority of baptists position that it should be practiced.
Ordinances for baptists are not a means of grace. The acts of baptism and the Lord's Supper are spiritually significant and symbolic events. In the case of baptism the believer is joined to the death of Christ, and his resurrection through baptism. But, what baptists mean by that is that the believer who has been baptized has made a public demonstration of their need for cleansing, of which the baptism is only a symbolic demonstration. The actual salvation of the individual happens at conversion, in which the person is sealed by the Holy Spirit and joined to Christ eternally. Thus baptism (as commonly expressed and understood) is an outward sign of an internal reality, and an act of obedience to what Christ has commanded.
For baptists historically then the argument has been that those who refuse to be baptized after coming to faith are living in disobedience to Christ. Because the individuals are living in disobedience to Christ they cannot be given church membership, nor should they be invited to the Lord's Table. To invite someone who is living in disobedience to the Lord's Table to is make light of their sin, which is wrong. Moreover, to invite someone to the Lord's Table who has refused to participate in one ordinance of the church then includes that person in another ordinance of the church, and thus would be to treat the person as a member, even though they do not meet the qualifications of membership. Thus, those who cannot be members of the church, for a refusal to participate in the ordinances of the church, ought not to come to participate in that ordinance which is restricted to only members of the church.
To explain this position from Scripture, baptists take seriously the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11. In verse 18 he says, "For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part." This indicates that what Paul is about to say he says to the church, not individuals. Thus when he says in verse 26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes," this is not a command to individuals, but to the church. Therefore it is those who are in the church who should eat the bread and drink from the cup.
Further, we read, "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:29) This passage is not telling people that they must simply examine themselves, but that they must understand who they are in Christ. Yes, an individual ought to examine himself to see if there is any unrepentant sin in his life, but what Paul calls us to here is a consideration of who the body of Christ is. The body of Christ is to partake of the Lord's Table, and the body of Christ is the regenerate church here on earth. The question then, for who can partake of the Lord's Supper, is one of who is a member of the regenerate church on earth.
This is where baptism enters the issue. We have already seen that the Lord's Table is to be open to all members of the church. But, baptism is generally recognized (by baptists) as the means by which one enters into the church. Thus, if one has not been baptized, then they are not to be considered members of the church. If they are not to be considered members of the church, then they are not to take of the Lord's Supper, and they are not subject to church discipline.
But, why should baptism be a required ordinance for church membership? If, as baptists have historically professed, faith alone is the means of salvation, shouldn't the church accept all of those who profess faith in Christ, regardless of whether they have been baptized? The answer to that question must be answered "no" if the historic argument is to stand. But is the answer no?
Yes, the answer to the question is no. Yes, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) And yes, all those who are saved are part of the regenerate church here on earth. But, no, the church should not simply accept those who profess faith in Christ as members with no reservations.
The reason for this is what James says, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18) The fact is that we, as humans, cannot judge perfectly the salvation of any person. It may be that someone has been genuinely saved, though we cannot discern such from their lives. But, we are called to judge the works of one another (ourselves included) and determine if those works line up with that which Scripture commands us. Therefore, while we may wrongly exclude some from membership with the church because we cannot discern their salvation, we must labor to rightly discern the body, that we may know, as far as possible, that those who are members of the church do appear to be Christians.
Once again, this is where baptism enters the equation. If baptism is a command of Christ (and baptists hold that it is, based on: Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:47, Romans 6:3, and many more passages besides) then those who refuse to be baptized are not simply refusing to undergo some specific event, they are refusing to submit in obedience to God. Therefore, while these people may evidence many other signs of salvation, the fact that they persist in refusing to be baptized causes the baptist to look at them with some reservation, recognizing that the church should be wholly obedient to Christ, and not only obedient in some, or most ways. Therefore, baptism becomes a necessary step for anyone to enter into church membership, because it is the sign that demonstrates that the person has indeed entered into the death of Christ, and risen with him.
The reason I have attempted to lay out this discussion is because unfortunately many baptists are losing their distinctiveness. Most baptist churches have failed to seriously educate their members as to what the significance of baptism is, and why the Lord's Table is so important. Most baptists would probably still say that they do not want to allow paedobaptists as members, but would they know why, from a biblical perspective? Whether you agree with the argument or not, I hope that you understand now that baptism is not just a matter of one becoming a "wash and wear Christian" but it really is important. Because it is so important we ought not neglect the discussion of baptism in our churches.
If you aren't aware, I am a historic baptist. I was raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, and I have come to embrace that tradition as I think it is the most orthodox biblical position. That does not mean that there aren't skeletons in the closet of Southern Baptists. Our racial divisions and the long standing issue of slavery that lead to the formation of the Southern Baptist convention need to be dealt with. The last generation of Southern Baptists made apology for how our tradition assisted in perpetuating slavery, but they were not able to overcome the racial divisions that still exist in most Southern Baptist churches. But, despite the problems that exist within the Southern Baptist tradition, we must continue to hold to the importance of believers' baptism, and in order to do so we must understand the importance of the Lord's Table and church discipline, understanding which has been lacking in the last 50-60 years.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Perfect Inheritance (part 3)
This is the last post on the topic of our perfect inheritance, based off of the sermon I preached on Sunday, 9/19/10. In the last two posts I have attempted to demonstrate that Ephesians 1:3-14 calls us to praise God for all he has done, and has called us to recognize that we are adopted as sons of God, and so we should live according to this truth. In this post I want to talk about one final aspect of our perfect inheritance, and that is the work of the Holy Spirit. There is so much more that can be said about Ephesians 1:3-14. The fact is this is an incredibly rich section of Scripture, but lest I tire you too much, or myself, this will be final post on it for now.
This post really is to make two points, those points have to do with what we read in Ephesians 1:13-14. Paul writes, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." The two points I want to address deal with the fact that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is not a future tense promise of sealing, it is a present reality: we have already been sealed.
In the first and second posts I continually made the point that we are saved according to God's will. Our salvation is not dependent on us and our continued work. This final section proves that point concretely. We have been sealed, and that which is sealed, according to what Paul says, is guaranteed. How can that guarantee be violated then unless God himself is a liar about what he has sealed? Basically, either God must be a liar, or he must be weak.
Certainly we would be complete fools to argue that God is a liar. If God were a liar (such a blasphemous idea ought to be repugnant to our thoughts) then there would be no point in believing anything in Scripture. What would be the point of trying to do anything to please God? If God were a liar then everything we know of his character in Scripture and everything he tells us to do as pleasing to him could potentially be a lie. In such a situation we may as well throw the bible away, because it would be useless to us.
But, God is not a liar. Therefore Scripture is trustworthy, because it comes from him. So, if God says we are sealed, then we are sealed. If God says that our salvation is guaranteed, then it is guaranteed, there is no need to doubt that. But, is God strong enough to make good on his guarantee? That is, what if God has guaranteed our salvation, but he can't really secure it against our strength, or the strength of sin or whatever else?
If that were the case then we would be back to the first point, believing that God is a liar. If God has said we have a guarantee of salvation, and we say, "But I could walk away from God! His guarantee could become void!" then we are arguing the idea that God is in fact wrong in saying that our salvation is guaranteed. In such a situation, God is once again a liar. Therefore, because God has said we are sealed, and our salvation is guaranteed, it must be so.
Therefore we are sealed, and there is no disputing this is what Scripture says. We accept this by faith then, and we ask the question, "What does our sealing mean?" It means that we will one day receive our inheritance. All of creation will one day be given over to Christ, and we will reign over it with him. We will have perfect relationship and harmony with God, even as we are already perfect before him. This inheritance will be ours, unquestionably.
But, it also means that one day we will be given to God. The fact is that we are God's possession. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says we were bought with a price. That which is bought is owned by the one who bought it. We are God's and one day God will take full possession of us.
It is hard to explain why this is such a wonderful fact, but I'll endeavor to do so. Because we have been bought by God, we are not slaves to anyone or anything else. According to what Paul commands us in 1 Corinthians 7:23, we are not to become slaves, which means that we are not slaves now. We were redeemed, purchased by God for himself, and that means we were set free from all our sinful limitations that at one time held us down.
We are possessed by God, so we are free to hope, free to rejoice, free to give him the glory for all that he has done. We are promised that he will have us, and that reassures us that we will also receive all that he has promised us. The promises given us belong to us because we belong to God. And because we know that God will assuredly take possession of us, we do not have to fear that somehow we will lose that which he has promised us.
We are sealed to receive and inheritance, and as an inheritance to be received by God. Our God, the maker of the heavens and the earth will not lose that of which he has taken possession. There is nothing stronger than God, nothing that can from his hand that which he has grasped. There is no one who can stand before God or be victorious over God. And that means that we do not have to fear that we will ever lose that which has been given to us, we can praise God in good times and bad, knowing that our hope is sure, because of the awesome might of our God who holds us, even if we should fail to hold to him.
Give God the glory, praise him for his might. Realize that you have been sealed, and what has been promised will be accomplished. Let this sink into your life and change you. Do not be afraid that you are going to go the wrong way, but remember, God will accomplish what he wants for you, because you are his possession. Do this, as Paul says, "to the praise of his glory."
This post really is to make two points, those points have to do with what we read in Ephesians 1:13-14. Paul writes, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." The two points I want to address deal with the fact that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is not a future tense promise of sealing, it is a present reality: we have already been sealed.
In the first and second posts I continually made the point that we are saved according to God's will. Our salvation is not dependent on us and our continued work. This final section proves that point concretely. We have been sealed, and that which is sealed, according to what Paul says, is guaranteed. How can that guarantee be violated then unless God himself is a liar about what he has sealed? Basically, either God must be a liar, or he must be weak.
Certainly we would be complete fools to argue that God is a liar. If God were a liar (such a blasphemous idea ought to be repugnant to our thoughts) then there would be no point in believing anything in Scripture. What would be the point of trying to do anything to please God? If God were a liar then everything we know of his character in Scripture and everything he tells us to do as pleasing to him could potentially be a lie. In such a situation we may as well throw the bible away, because it would be useless to us.
But, God is not a liar. Therefore Scripture is trustworthy, because it comes from him. So, if God says we are sealed, then we are sealed. If God says that our salvation is guaranteed, then it is guaranteed, there is no need to doubt that. But, is God strong enough to make good on his guarantee? That is, what if God has guaranteed our salvation, but he can't really secure it against our strength, or the strength of sin or whatever else?
If that were the case then we would be back to the first point, believing that God is a liar. If God has said we have a guarantee of salvation, and we say, "But I could walk away from God! His guarantee could become void!" then we are arguing the idea that God is in fact wrong in saying that our salvation is guaranteed. In such a situation, God is once again a liar. Therefore, because God has said we are sealed, and our salvation is guaranteed, it must be so.
Therefore we are sealed, and there is no disputing this is what Scripture says. We accept this by faith then, and we ask the question, "What does our sealing mean?" It means that we will one day receive our inheritance. All of creation will one day be given over to Christ, and we will reign over it with him. We will have perfect relationship and harmony with God, even as we are already perfect before him. This inheritance will be ours, unquestionably.
But, it also means that one day we will be given to God. The fact is that we are God's possession. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says we were bought with a price. That which is bought is owned by the one who bought it. We are God's and one day God will take full possession of us.
It is hard to explain why this is such a wonderful fact, but I'll endeavor to do so. Because we have been bought by God, we are not slaves to anyone or anything else. According to what Paul commands us in 1 Corinthians 7:23, we are not to become slaves, which means that we are not slaves now. We were redeemed, purchased by God for himself, and that means we were set free from all our sinful limitations that at one time held us down.
We are possessed by God, so we are free to hope, free to rejoice, free to give him the glory for all that he has done. We are promised that he will have us, and that reassures us that we will also receive all that he has promised us. The promises given us belong to us because we belong to God. And because we know that God will assuredly take possession of us, we do not have to fear that somehow we will lose that which he has promised us.
We are sealed to receive and inheritance, and as an inheritance to be received by God. Our God, the maker of the heavens and the earth will not lose that of which he has taken possession. There is nothing stronger than God, nothing that can from his hand that which he has grasped. There is no one who can stand before God or be victorious over God. And that means that we do not have to fear that we will ever lose that which has been given to us, we can praise God in good times and bad, knowing that our hope is sure, because of the awesome might of our God who holds us, even if we should fail to hold to him.
Give God the glory, praise him for his might. Realize that you have been sealed, and what has been promised will be accomplished. Let this sink into your life and change you. Do not be afraid that you are going to go the wrong way, but remember, God will accomplish what he wants for you, because you are his possession. Do this, as Paul says, "to the praise of his glory."
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Perfect Inheritance (Part 2)
I noted yesterday that God has provided a perfect inheritance for us in Christ. Today I'd like to develop that a little more. Not only has God provided a perfect inheritance for us, he has provided us with a means to receive that inheritance. God has given us Christ, he has provided us with a perfect savior, redeeming us from the curse of the fall. He has also given us sonship through Christ, providing the means by which we are able to receive that which he has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world.
In Ephesians 1:5 we read, "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Our position before God is not dependent on our prayers or our works or our thoughts, they are dependent on God's determination.
Yes, we who are sons will pray to God, because we will want to speak with our Father, and to tell him of our troubles and ask him for his help. Yes, we who are sons will seek to do the will of our Father, not because of our great debt to God, which we can never repay, but because we desire to please our Father and show him our love for him. And yes, our thoughts will be upon the mercy of God, the goodness of God, everything good and noble and worthy of the Lord, because it is only normal and natural to think about that which is most important to us, which ought to be, and will be, God. But, none of these things makes us sons of God through Christ, instead it is the will of God that brings us to himself through Christ that makes us his sons. The Lord is responsible for our position before him, so that we cannot take credit for that which he has done.
But, consider that our position before God, being dependent on God, will never falter if we fail or fall. God has already ordained that we are his sons through Christ, if we are indeed in Christ, so that it does not matter if we stumble and fall, he still calls us sons. This is what Ephesians 1:4 & 7 tells us: "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him," and, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses." We have this forgiveness now, not that we shall have it, but that already it is done. Already we are holy and blameless before God, and continually so, because God's word does not change. We are not now holy only to be unholy tomorrow, we are not now forgiven so that tomorrow we will be condemned. Our holiness and righteousness is not dependent on us, it is dependent on God alone, because it is what he has proclaimed.
Consider how this works in contrast with the choices of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 11:26 we read Moses words to the People of Israel that he was setting before them blessing and curse. In Deuteronomy 30 we can read how this blessing and curse would work out. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us that the blessing and curse can also be called life and death. Moses tells the people to choose life that they and their children might live. But, here, in Ephesians, notice that Paul does not call us to a choice, instead he tells us of the choice that God has made for us.
We are not a people who have to choose blessing or curse, our choice has been made for us. If we are in Christ, if we are those whom God has called to him, predestining us to receive his Son, then blessing has been chosen for us. It is not a matter of our will, so that our positions as sons before God depends on our continuous choosing. God has spoken, he has declared what will be, so that our adoption is sure, our redemption is promised and is ours now, and will be ours eternally. How wonderful it is to know that we can relax, we can trust in God, we can have faith in him, and we can enter into his rest, no longer striving but knowing that God holds us in his hands eternally.
Once we stop striving to save ourselves something more amazing comes into view. We who have been adopted and have been forgiven also have been told what God wants. We who have received the adoption of God through Christ have been told of God's amazing plan, to bring all things together in Christ at the end of all things. This is a wonderful blessing because it means that we don't have to wonder at what God wants of us. We don't have to worry about whether we will choose wrongly, because we know that our goal ought to be God's goal, and God will accomplish his goal, even if it seems we have butchered it.
What I mean is that we who have been redeemed and forgiven do not need to worry that we are not going to accomplish what God wants. We ought not be lazy, because laziness is not pleasing to our Father. We ought not be paralyzed by fear of making the wrong choice, because such a fear betrays a mistrust of the Lord. We ought to be busy doing the work of him who sent us, even as he sent Christ, because it is wonderful and good work, and it is this work which provides us with fulfillment in life. God's purpose for all of creation is to bring all things together under Christ, so what more meaningful lives can we live than lives that seek to bring everything we do under Christ today?
God has given us redemption through his Son, and he has given us purpose through Christ. We know that what we do in this life, done with the purpose of bringing all things, our money, our thoughts, our work, our culture, and our friends and neighbors, all under Christ, will prove of eternal worth. We may never see an ounce of movement, but we do not need to be discouraged, because the work is not ours, it is God's. This is not the plan of men, it is the plan of God, and it will be accomplished. The God we serve made the universe, saved us according to his will, and arranged all of history to his purposes; how then can history not end up where he has directed it, so that Christ is glorified and the Father receives all glory through him?
Because of all this there is one more thing we are able to rejoice in, and that is spoken of throughout this passage: we have an inheritance. If all things will eventually be united in Christ, and we are now in Christ, then eventually all things will be united with us in him as well. That means we who are in Christ will eventually receive all things. I'm not speaking out of line here, I assure you.
Consider the promises made to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will be made pillars in the temple of God, in the new Jerusalem. And we will sit down with Christ on his throne, even as he sat down with his Father on his throne. When you consider that there is no temple in the new Jerusalem, for God himself will be our temple, then the promise takes on its full import. We will be joined to God in a way that will be like being pillars in the midst of him, we will never leave from him or go out from him. And we will reign with Christ over all creation.
Paul says that we will judge angels! What is there left that is outside of our authority if we are in Christ then? We will reign with him, we will dwell in the presence of God eternally, and even angels will be under our authority and judgment. We who are in Christ, who stand forgiven and redeemed before God, who know the will of our Father, also have a great and wonderful (consider the real meaning of this word: full of wonder) inheritance in that we shall receive everything through Christ.
What do we have left that we should need then? You do not have a place to rest your head tonight? Don't worry, the whole of creation will be given to you, if you are faithful in Christ. Do you hunger, are you thirsty? Do what you can to eat what you need and drink so that you can be healthy, but remember, the point of life is not fine dining and expensive wine, it is to bring all things together under Christ, so that one day all things will be yours in Christ. Look forward to your inheritance, not for your physical appetites and the satisfying of your lusts, but because God has given you his own presence, he has given you Christ, he has given you a perfect inheritance, and this is your hope.
Live a life worthy of this, seek wisdom now that you will know how to rightly administer the inheritance that is to come. Give God the glory, praise him for all he has done. And share the good news of what you have, so that your rejoicing may cause others to rejoice and add again to your joy in Christ. What do you lack dear Christian? This world is not your home, do not fall in love with it, because you have a better home coming, a better inheritance than you can even imagine.
In Ephesians 1:5 we read, "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Our position before God is not dependent on our prayers or our works or our thoughts, they are dependent on God's determination.
Yes, we who are sons will pray to God, because we will want to speak with our Father, and to tell him of our troubles and ask him for his help. Yes, we who are sons will seek to do the will of our Father, not because of our great debt to God, which we can never repay, but because we desire to please our Father and show him our love for him. And yes, our thoughts will be upon the mercy of God, the goodness of God, everything good and noble and worthy of the Lord, because it is only normal and natural to think about that which is most important to us, which ought to be, and will be, God. But, none of these things makes us sons of God through Christ, instead it is the will of God that brings us to himself through Christ that makes us his sons. The Lord is responsible for our position before him, so that we cannot take credit for that which he has done.
But, consider that our position before God, being dependent on God, will never falter if we fail or fall. God has already ordained that we are his sons through Christ, if we are indeed in Christ, so that it does not matter if we stumble and fall, he still calls us sons. This is what Ephesians 1:4 & 7 tells us: "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him," and, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses." We have this forgiveness now, not that we shall have it, but that already it is done. Already we are holy and blameless before God, and continually so, because God's word does not change. We are not now holy only to be unholy tomorrow, we are not now forgiven so that tomorrow we will be condemned. Our holiness and righteousness is not dependent on us, it is dependent on God alone, because it is what he has proclaimed.
Consider how this works in contrast with the choices of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 11:26 we read Moses words to the People of Israel that he was setting before them blessing and curse. In Deuteronomy 30 we can read how this blessing and curse would work out. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us that the blessing and curse can also be called life and death. Moses tells the people to choose life that they and their children might live. But, here, in Ephesians, notice that Paul does not call us to a choice, instead he tells us of the choice that God has made for us.
We are not a people who have to choose blessing or curse, our choice has been made for us. If we are in Christ, if we are those whom God has called to him, predestining us to receive his Son, then blessing has been chosen for us. It is not a matter of our will, so that our positions as sons before God depends on our continuous choosing. God has spoken, he has declared what will be, so that our adoption is sure, our redemption is promised and is ours now, and will be ours eternally. How wonderful it is to know that we can relax, we can trust in God, we can have faith in him, and we can enter into his rest, no longer striving but knowing that God holds us in his hands eternally.
Once we stop striving to save ourselves something more amazing comes into view. We who have been adopted and have been forgiven also have been told what God wants. We who have received the adoption of God through Christ have been told of God's amazing plan, to bring all things together in Christ at the end of all things. This is a wonderful blessing because it means that we don't have to wonder at what God wants of us. We don't have to worry about whether we will choose wrongly, because we know that our goal ought to be God's goal, and God will accomplish his goal, even if it seems we have butchered it.
What I mean is that we who have been redeemed and forgiven do not need to worry that we are not going to accomplish what God wants. We ought not be lazy, because laziness is not pleasing to our Father. We ought not be paralyzed by fear of making the wrong choice, because such a fear betrays a mistrust of the Lord. We ought to be busy doing the work of him who sent us, even as he sent Christ, because it is wonderful and good work, and it is this work which provides us with fulfillment in life. God's purpose for all of creation is to bring all things together under Christ, so what more meaningful lives can we live than lives that seek to bring everything we do under Christ today?
God has given us redemption through his Son, and he has given us purpose through Christ. We know that what we do in this life, done with the purpose of bringing all things, our money, our thoughts, our work, our culture, and our friends and neighbors, all under Christ, will prove of eternal worth. We may never see an ounce of movement, but we do not need to be discouraged, because the work is not ours, it is God's. This is not the plan of men, it is the plan of God, and it will be accomplished. The God we serve made the universe, saved us according to his will, and arranged all of history to his purposes; how then can history not end up where he has directed it, so that Christ is glorified and the Father receives all glory through him?
Because of all this there is one more thing we are able to rejoice in, and that is spoken of throughout this passage: we have an inheritance. If all things will eventually be united in Christ, and we are now in Christ, then eventually all things will be united with us in him as well. That means we who are in Christ will eventually receive all things. I'm not speaking out of line here, I assure you.
Consider the promises made to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will be made pillars in the temple of God, in the new Jerusalem. And we will sit down with Christ on his throne, even as he sat down with his Father on his throne. When you consider that there is no temple in the new Jerusalem, for God himself will be our temple, then the promise takes on its full import. We will be joined to God in a way that will be like being pillars in the midst of him, we will never leave from him or go out from him. And we will reign with Christ over all creation.
Paul says that we will judge angels! What is there left that is outside of our authority if we are in Christ then? We will reign with him, we will dwell in the presence of God eternally, and even angels will be under our authority and judgment. We who are in Christ, who stand forgiven and redeemed before God, who know the will of our Father, also have a great and wonderful (consider the real meaning of this word: full of wonder) inheritance in that we shall receive everything through Christ.
What do we have left that we should need then? You do not have a place to rest your head tonight? Don't worry, the whole of creation will be given to you, if you are faithful in Christ. Do you hunger, are you thirsty? Do what you can to eat what you need and drink so that you can be healthy, but remember, the point of life is not fine dining and expensive wine, it is to bring all things together under Christ, so that one day all things will be yours in Christ. Look forward to your inheritance, not for your physical appetites and the satisfying of your lusts, but because God has given you his own presence, he has given you Christ, he has given you a perfect inheritance, and this is your hope.
Live a life worthy of this, seek wisdom now that you will know how to rightly administer the inheritance that is to come. Give God the glory, praise him for all he has done. And share the good news of what you have, so that your rejoicing may cause others to rejoice and add again to your joy in Christ. What do you lack dear Christian? This world is not your home, do not fall in love with it, because you have a better home coming, a better inheritance than you can even imagine.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Marking Bibles
Okay, this post is a radical change from what I would normally do. I don't know how many people actually like to mark in their bibles, I do. I like to take notes, write observations, put cross references, and otherwise mark in my bible to make study easier or to remember what I noticed at some point. I'm assuming that most of those who are reading this think of Scripture as worth studying and worth learning. However, even if you do not normally mark in your bible, this post may be of use to you if you are a student, or you mark in books for whatever reason.
I'm way behind the times on this, and wasn't even aware that people had done research on what the best pens for writing in bibles was. But, I did some research yesterday, and I didn't bother to actually favorite the blog post I found on marking in your bible, but I found a blog post that recommended specific pens and tools for writing in bibles. Today I went out with my beloved wife and purchased one of those pens and tried it out, I have to admit, I'm liking what I've found so far.
The pens recommended were Pigma Micron pens. These are archival quality pens, which means they are non-acidic, non-bleed, and do not smear. Add to this that they are not ballpoint pens, which means that they do not dig into the page the same way ballpoint pens do. They also are pigment based (if you could tell from the name) so they have minimal fading and once set are waterproof. If you want more information, here is a link to their website: Sakura of America.
So, I bought one of the black 005 pens (a .2mm line) and I have found that it seems instant drying, does not bleed through the pages, and does not leave telltale indentations that can be felt on the back of the page or even on the next page of my bible. All of this is a big deal to me as a lefty since it means I don't have to worry about ink transfer onto my hand, and smudging the line if I cross my hand over it during writing. As far as taking notes in my bible, the writing is smooth, the lines are crisp, and with there being no indentations I don't have anything preventing me from doing underlining without worrying about damaging the page I'm working on.
I intend to take the advice of the pages I was able to read yesterday and purchase additional sizes and colors for different uses. There is a local hobby store that sells six packs of the pens in 005 size and other sizes. The reason for the different sizes is to have a larger size for underlining and a smaller size just for taking notes. (The 005 is the smallest size. The websites I read recommended using a 01 or an 03 for underlining.)
The only down side (for me) is that these are not the cheapest pens I could buy. I can't buy a pack of pens for $1.50 like I could with cheap disposable ballpoint pens. These are $2.99 at the local store, and the cheapest I could find them online were around $2.00. A pack of six costs $15.99 here in Carrollton, GA. It may not seem like a lot to most people, but we are on a tight budget. However, the cost will be more than worth it if these pens live up to my expectations.
One last point: why these as opposed to regular pens and highlighters? Well, highlighters have a tendency to bleed through, and they are not good for note taking. Ballpoint pens are not the best for taking notes in a bible due to the indentations they tend to leave in the page, along with the propensity of most to bleed through at least a little. Gel pens are better than ballpoint pens, but they also leave indentations, and the ink can degrade the already thin pages of most bibles (this is true of ballpoint pens also). Archival quality pens are non-acidic, so they don't degrade the pages, the other benefits I mentioned a bit earlier.
To me all of this matters because I want to have a good quality note taking pen so I can write in my bible to minimize the notes I need to carry with me when I'm preaching. By being able to take notes directly in my bible I do not need to worry about losing my outline, or having papers fall out of my bible if I move it while preaching. In addition, taking notes in my bible lets me do more intensive bible studies without worrying about keeping a specific notebook.
This post may not be of use to you, in fact you may be thinking this is a waste of time for you, if so, my apologies. I do hope that you will at least consider how you might continue to develop your own time in bible study so that you can get more from the time you spend in the Word of God. If you aren't doing regular bible study, then maybe this is a good time to start. Set a schedule, get organized, and find a method that works for you. I like to write, so I even write in my bible, but more important than the pen you choose is that you take the time to study in the first place.
I'm way behind the times on this, and wasn't even aware that people had done research on what the best pens for writing in bibles was. But, I did some research yesterday, and I didn't bother to actually favorite the blog post I found on marking in your bible, but I found a blog post that recommended specific pens and tools for writing in bibles. Today I went out with my beloved wife and purchased one of those pens and tried it out, I have to admit, I'm liking what I've found so far.
The pens recommended were Pigma Micron pens. These are archival quality pens, which means they are non-acidic, non-bleed, and do not smear. Add to this that they are not ballpoint pens, which means that they do not dig into the page the same way ballpoint pens do. They also are pigment based (if you could tell from the name) so they have minimal fading and once set are waterproof. If you want more information, here is a link to their website: Sakura of America.
So, I bought one of the black 005 pens (a .2mm line) and I have found that it seems instant drying, does not bleed through the pages, and does not leave telltale indentations that can be felt on the back of the page or even on the next page of my bible. All of this is a big deal to me as a lefty since it means I don't have to worry about ink transfer onto my hand, and smudging the line if I cross my hand over it during writing. As far as taking notes in my bible, the writing is smooth, the lines are crisp, and with there being no indentations I don't have anything preventing me from doing underlining without worrying about damaging the page I'm working on.
I intend to take the advice of the pages I was able to read yesterday and purchase additional sizes and colors for different uses. There is a local hobby store that sells six packs of the pens in 005 size and other sizes. The reason for the different sizes is to have a larger size for underlining and a smaller size just for taking notes. (The 005 is the smallest size. The websites I read recommended using a 01 or an 03 for underlining.)
The only down side (for me) is that these are not the cheapest pens I could buy. I can't buy a pack of pens for $1.50 like I could with cheap disposable ballpoint pens. These are $2.99 at the local store, and the cheapest I could find them online were around $2.00. A pack of six costs $15.99 here in Carrollton, GA. It may not seem like a lot to most people, but we are on a tight budget. However, the cost will be more than worth it if these pens live up to my expectations.
One last point: why these as opposed to regular pens and highlighters? Well, highlighters have a tendency to bleed through, and they are not good for note taking. Ballpoint pens are not the best for taking notes in a bible due to the indentations they tend to leave in the page, along with the propensity of most to bleed through at least a little. Gel pens are better than ballpoint pens, but they also leave indentations, and the ink can degrade the already thin pages of most bibles (this is true of ballpoint pens also). Archival quality pens are non-acidic, so they don't degrade the pages, the other benefits I mentioned a bit earlier.
To me all of this matters because I want to have a good quality note taking pen so I can write in my bible to minimize the notes I need to carry with me when I'm preaching. By being able to take notes directly in my bible I do not need to worry about losing my outline, or having papers fall out of my bible if I move it while preaching. In addition, taking notes in my bible lets me do more intensive bible studies without worrying about keeping a specific notebook.
This post may not be of use to you, in fact you may be thinking this is a waste of time for you, if so, my apologies. I do hope that you will at least consider how you might continue to develop your own time in bible study so that you can get more from the time you spend in the Word of God. If you aren't doing regular bible study, then maybe this is a good time to start. Set a schedule, get organized, and find a method that works for you. I like to write, so I even write in my bible, but more important than the pen you choose is that you take the time to study in the first place.
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