Last night at Bible study we began looking at the book of Revelation. Typically this immediately draws attention from many, because Revelation is interesting to so many people. It's polarizing--many love the book because of it's imagery and mystery, while others hate it because it calls for repentance and reveals a God who--surprise surprise--actually IS sovereign and powerful.
While we studied the first chapter last night, a few things jumped out:
1. First, the first words of the book are "the revelation of Jesus Christ..." So often we come to Scripture to hear what it has to say, without considering for more than a second who it is that's talking to us. When opinions about what the Bible says are flying from left to right and vice-versa, it becomes painfully obvious that those speaking are considering the words being spoken (and rightly so), but aren't considering who it is speaking them. If the Bible is true (and I know that this is the biggest "if" in all of creation), then Jesus is God and He has the ultimate authority in all things at all times in all matters (see Matt. 11:27, 28:18; John 3:35, 17:2; Eph. 1:22-23; Heb. 2:58; several others similar). What if the Jesus who rose from the dead, actually is God? The writers of the Bible seem to be pretty clear that He is (see esp. John 1:1-3, Col. 1:15-18, Heb 1:2-3). If He is, then we shouldn't just consider what's being said, but we should consider all that is said in light of His Person and work (Lordship, Messiahship, cross/resurrection, etc.), and humble ourselves in complete subjection to Him.
We remember God's words in Isaiah 55:10-11, "my Word that goes out from my mouth does not return to me void, but accomplishes all that I plan for it to accomplish". That means that Jesus' words are effective and true and powerful. How would that change your Bible reading? That's what He starts Revelation off with.
1:5 calls Jesus "the ruler of the kings of the earth". That means that there's not a king, president, ruler, emperor, czar, dictator who has ever lived that wasn't under Jesus' Kingship. Even the worst ones were--we could easily assume that because of their capability, they could have been even worse, but Jesus restrained them sovereignly. He's the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. And He's the one whom this Revelation is about and from.
2. Second, vv 5-6 speak of Jesus as "him who...has freed us from our sins by his blood...to him be glory and dominion forever". Not only is He the sovereign God of all who is glorified, lifted high, and speaks to us and isn't silent. But He, against whom all sins are against, has justified us by His own blood! What kind of a Gospel is this that Christians preach? It's nothing like anything that's ever been heard before--that a sovereign God is perfectly holy (from this attribute of Him we derive our sense of right and wrong), and those who receive the news in faith, though they be wretched and evil sinners in His eyes, are immediately justified by His grace as a gift (see Acts 20:28, Rom. 3:23-26). No other message ever preached is as scandalous (and true) as this one. If only more Christian church pulpits preached this with clear-headed and humble conviction.
3. Thirdly, the rest of ch. 1 deals with Jesus' identity and His beginning this book with letters to seven churches in Asia minor (chs. 2-3 contain the letters). Why would Jesus, who is God, and who is revealing "what will soon take place" (1:1) with all of the imagery and power in the rest of the book consider it important to begin the whole thing with letters to churches? It's because Jesus loves His Church, and He builds His Church and cares for His Church. It's because, more important to Him than what and how the end of the world will happen, is His Church knowing Him in His power, and His knowledge of their acts/practices. If they know this, and that He's still sovereign God who knows all things, they'll listen to the rest of what He's about to say. Jesus loves His Church, and always has the Church on His mind.
In Matt. 16:17, Peter had given "the good confession" calling Jesus "the Christ, the Son of the Living God", and Jesus said "on this rock I will build my Church, and hell won't be able to stop it". What "the rock" is, is a point of disagreement among Catholics and Protestants (Catholics think the rock is Peter, Protestants think it's Peter's confession), but if "the rock" means Peter (the Catholic view), Peter himself would even say the point of all this is Jesus, "for there is no name under heaven by which man must be saved" (Peter in Acts 4:12). Since all of Peter's sermons and epistles are about Jesus' authority and Lordship, it's clear what Jesus is talking about here in Matt. 16.
In Matt. 7:24-27, nine chapters before the previous passage, Jesus had closed his famous "Sermon on the Mount" by giving the well-known parable that "whoever listens to my words and puts them into practice will be like a man who built his house upon the rock", and when the storms came, the house stood. Jesus then says that whoever DOESN'T believe His words will have their house built on sand, and the storms will come and wash it away. It's no coincidence that this close to each other in Matthew's gospel account is Jesus talking about His authoritative words in terms of "a rock" that can be depended upon...so strong that neither storms OR hell are powerful enough to destroy!
The point is that the Church...the true Church...is built on Christ's words, because His words aren't just words: they're God's Word. His teaching is the Scripture. The Church believes the Bible, builds on it, and stands firm. And if John 1 teaches us anything, it's that the Word is Christ.
Ephesians has all sorts of teaching on Jesus' authority in growing His Church. 2:18-22 says we Christians are God's house being built together "into a dwelling place for the Lord by His Spirit...with Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone." Christ and His Word is the cornerstone. 4:8-16 gives all the teaching of how Jesus gives gifts to the Church for the sake of growing it up into maturity in Him, and finally, 5:22-30, the famous section on marriage between a man and his wife, perhaps more importantly, shows how Christ saves His Church, sanctifies His Church, and cherishes and nourishes His Church. He loves His Church enough to make it pure and holy with His powerful and more-often-than-not convicting Word.
Far more important than Christians knowing how and what will happen at the end of the world is them knowing the truths of Christ's Lordship, their sin, and their need for repentance.
That brings us finally to His teaching in John 16: v8 has Jesus saying that He's going to send His Holy Spirit into the world to "convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment"; then 13-14 has Jesus saying the Spirit will only speak what Jesus tells Him to speak. The convicting will come by the Spirit, but it will originate with Jesus.
This is why every letter in Rev. 2-3 (all 7 of them!) has Jesus starting each one off with some sort of variation of "the words of Him who..." and then something about Jesus' character, and closes with some variation of "he with ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Staggering! The Spirit speaks because Jesus speaks! And when Jesus speaks, He speaks to His Church! He reveals Himself in His authority, reveals the churches in their sin, and then powerfully calls them to repentance, where His Word is powerful enough to bring it about in them. This is because Jesus loves His Church enough to convict it when it needs convicted, and in this He builds it into Himself.
What if this was our attitude every time we came to the Scriptures?--if we understood that this Word being spoken to us was the Word of Him who died and rose again and is Lord of all; Him who doesn't owe anything to anyone alive on earth, and yet has graciously loved us His Church enough to convict us about the delusion of sin and the truth of Himself.
Would that change how you read the Bible? My prayer is that you will understand every word of Scripture in light of Christ's authority as the One who is God in all his holiness and fullness. To Him be glory forever and ever amen!
Scott Stine - PhD, Pastor of Darlington Congregational Church, Pawtucket, RI. Follower of Jesus; husband, daddy, distracted by basketball. "Christ and Theology" (Wipf&Stock) is available most places. "To Give Christ What Is His" (Advantage) out soon.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
true religion: Christ's work in us
God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to the nation of Judah in Isaiah 1 and gives a clear summation of the difference between false religion and true religion: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?...I've had enough of your burnt offerings...the fat of well-fed beasts...I do not delight in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats...Bring no more vain offerings...Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates...they have become a burden to me" (1:11-14). This would appear to be harsh from a God who so clearly appointed Israel to practice said sacrifices and feasts. Why have these practices become such an abomination? Because of 1:16-17: "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Apparently in the midst of all of the above (former) "worshipful" acts Judah is practicing, they are neglecting those (latter) obvious social needs, and in turn leaving many people unprovided for, and in need. This is why God says to take care of THESE things first, before they come back for sacrifice and feasts (Isaiah will conclude this argument in ch 58).
The clear teaching is that Judah had come to the point of letting their worship be done in ritual, outwardly, while inside their hearts are far from God. This is why God says in 29:13 "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me," which is cited by Jesus in speaking to Pharisees who are exalting their social rules above God's Word (cf. Matt 15, Mark 7). It's important to remember that God sees people's hearts (see 1 Sam 16:7, Rom 8:27, Heb 4:12-13, among others). The failure to realize this is the cause for many Christians' misunderstandings about what true worship is, as Judah in Isaiah 1 had misunderstood. It's not that the worshipful practices (sacrifice, feasts, etc.) are bad--the practices are good...the problem is that that's all they are: practices; but they're not worshipful anymore (if they ever were).
Inevitably, if left up to their self, every single person on planet Earth will come to the Lord cheaply, in practice, but not in worship. I believe "these people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me" is a summary statement of the Bible's teaching on the state of humanity. I also believe it's an accurate summary statement for much of the 21st century American Church: people who honor the Lord with their lips, but have hearts that are far from Him--they're deceived into thinking that their practices make them Christian; but the nature of deception is that many who think they're not deceived actually are still, and God, who sees hearts, is aware of it and isn't deceived (see Matt 7:21-23, John 9:39-41). We must "examine ourselves, to see if we're in the faith" (2 Cor. 13:5).
This is why the work of the Beloved Son, our Lord, is so important to our state before a holy God. We could never trick God since He already knows our hearts, and good works never outweigh a bad heart. Further, we couldn't disappoint Him because to be disappointed is to be let down--God is never let down, because He gains nothing from us. All of our worship doesn't gain Him--He is exalted ABOVE all of our praise (Nehemiah 9:5).
The work of Christ is to purify our hearts, and create in us a desire for the glory of the Living God. The prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi...especially Mal 3:1-4) bear witness that the Christ's work will be to purify and sanctify the "offerings" given unto the Lord in His Temple. In Christ, God's people are the Temple (1 Cor. 3:16, 2 Cor. 6:16, Heb 3:6, among others). Whereas with Israel, worship was something you went to the temple to do, with Christians, worship is something that continually is happening all of the time. The reason for this is that in Christ, God has "changed our hearts" and "written his law on our hearts" (see Ezek 36 and Jerem 31). In this way, God is purifying the sacrifices of worship by changing people's hearts. (Is your heart any different than it was before you were a Christian? It's not a question of "do you go to church or not?" or "do you know you're going to heaven?", but rather "are you any different?")
By condemning sin in Christ's body, God has "done what the law, weakened by the flesh could not do...in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3-4). Paul is telling us that in Christ's work, God has ensured followers in this world. Whereas He initially gave the Law, since man's heart was the problem, Israel couldn't keep up to it. So in Christ, God MAKES followers who will obey Him and love Him. We're reminded of John the Baptizer's sobering and humbling words in Luke 3:8, "God is able to raise from these very stones children of Abraham." God can do what God wants. He knows more than we know, is more powerful than we are, is more in control than our control is...this is God's world and God can do what God wants, which includes causing people to follow Him in such a way that they won't stop. And how is this the case?--that He unites them with His eternal Son who has been giving Him glory and honor since the very beginning of time...this Son even prayed that the new worshipers would be united with Him IN eternity, to share the glory that has been between the Father and Son since the beginning (see Jn 17:20-24). And the world has never seen a more sure-fire pray-er than Christ Himself.
Whereas Israel had failed to obtain "the promise" because of their disobedience and laxness of religion (as spoken of in Isaiah 1), Romans 9 has Paul telling us that this new work enacted in Christ is work that is received by Gentiles (non-Israelites) because Israel has "failed to reach that law...because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works" (9:32).
And this is exactly what Isaiah wrote of: coming to the Temple with polluted offerings, with comatose half-asleep deadness, because they don't love God, but love themselves and their lives more than anything else. Even their love of God is love of self, because they only seek to get from Him what will benefit themselves (in their own eyes) the most. And since they don't love God, their temple practices are their own way to seek to justify themselves, while God stays at a distance and then owes them heaven after they die. This is why they couldn't "obtain the promise."
But in Christ, God (again) has "done what the law, weakened by the flesh couldn't do...in order that (we)...walk according to the Spirit." The very Spirit of the Living God has been placed inside of us--there is a "secret and hidden wisdom of God" which consists of "what God has prepared for those who love him", and "these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:7,9-10). What is this wisdom that is given to us? It is that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God", as Peter said, to which Jesus responded, "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matt 16:16-17).
When you are crushed under the weight of a holy and sovereign God who alone is good (Mk 10:18), who does all things well and right (Deut. 32:4, Dan 4:37), who is in sovereign control of everything (Deut. 32:39, Job 23:13), who sustains everything and holds it together (Job 34:14-15, Heb 1:3) and who has eyes inside your heart (1 Sam. 16:7, Heb 4:12-13) and is able to make a person into a Christian (Lk 3:8, Jn 6:63-70), any pride or arrogance or even laziness that you harbor is crushed as well. You throw yourself on the mercy and grace that are in Christ Jesus because you love him and hate yourself; you repent of all of your works because all they are is bad and if there are any good, you know it was God's goodness in providence; you call out on the name of the Lord and are saved, because ALL who call on the name of the Lord are saved. Easily we're reminded of the sinful tax collector from Luke 18 who was in the Temple and only knew one thing to do: put his head down, beat his breast, and cry out "have mercy on me, a sinner". It's in that place that he (without following any rules) "went down to his house justified" (Lk 18:13-14).
This is because, again, God doesn't delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices. At least, He doesn't delight in them near as much as "a broken spirit, (and) a broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17), for these are "the sacrifices of God".
And it is from this place that Paul gives the summary challenge in Romans 12:1: after all of the theology of salvation, with emphases in a) God's absolute sovereignty, b) man's fallenness, and c) Christ's work's sufficiency in justifying them before Him, Paul concludes with, "therefore..by the mercies of God..present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." To those who are in Christ, this is the only option. And those who do this are those who are in Christ. Wherever Christ is, there is the Spirit; wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom; and wherever freedom is, there is Christ, because if the Son sets you free, "you'll be free indeed".
This is true religion.
The clear teaching is that Judah had come to the point of letting their worship be done in ritual, outwardly, while inside their hearts are far from God. This is why God says in 29:13 "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me," which is cited by Jesus in speaking to Pharisees who are exalting their social rules above God's Word (cf. Matt 15, Mark 7). It's important to remember that God sees people's hearts (see 1 Sam 16:7, Rom 8:27, Heb 4:12-13, among others). The failure to realize this is the cause for many Christians' misunderstandings about what true worship is, as Judah in Isaiah 1 had misunderstood. It's not that the worshipful practices (sacrifice, feasts, etc.) are bad--the practices are good...the problem is that that's all they are: practices; but they're not worshipful anymore (if they ever were).
Inevitably, if left up to their self, every single person on planet Earth will come to the Lord cheaply, in practice, but not in worship. I believe "these people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me" is a summary statement of the Bible's teaching on the state of humanity. I also believe it's an accurate summary statement for much of the 21st century American Church: people who honor the Lord with their lips, but have hearts that are far from Him--they're deceived into thinking that their practices make them Christian; but the nature of deception is that many who think they're not deceived actually are still, and God, who sees hearts, is aware of it and isn't deceived (see Matt 7:21-23, John 9:39-41). We must "examine ourselves, to see if we're in the faith" (2 Cor. 13:5).
This is why the work of the Beloved Son, our Lord, is so important to our state before a holy God. We could never trick God since He already knows our hearts, and good works never outweigh a bad heart. Further, we couldn't disappoint Him because to be disappointed is to be let down--God is never let down, because He gains nothing from us. All of our worship doesn't gain Him--He is exalted ABOVE all of our praise (Nehemiah 9:5).
The work of Christ is to purify our hearts, and create in us a desire for the glory of the Living God. The prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi...especially Mal 3:1-4) bear witness that the Christ's work will be to purify and sanctify the "offerings" given unto the Lord in His Temple. In Christ, God's people are the Temple (1 Cor. 3:16, 2 Cor. 6:16, Heb 3:6, among others). Whereas with Israel, worship was something you went to the temple to do, with Christians, worship is something that continually is happening all of the time. The reason for this is that in Christ, God has "changed our hearts" and "written his law on our hearts" (see Ezek 36 and Jerem 31). In this way, God is purifying the sacrifices of worship by changing people's hearts. (Is your heart any different than it was before you were a Christian? It's not a question of "do you go to church or not?" or "do you know you're going to heaven?", but rather "are you any different?")
By condemning sin in Christ's body, God has "done what the law, weakened by the flesh could not do...in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3-4). Paul is telling us that in Christ's work, God has ensured followers in this world. Whereas He initially gave the Law, since man's heart was the problem, Israel couldn't keep up to it. So in Christ, God MAKES followers who will obey Him and love Him. We're reminded of John the Baptizer's sobering and humbling words in Luke 3:8, "God is able to raise from these very stones children of Abraham." God can do what God wants. He knows more than we know, is more powerful than we are, is more in control than our control is...this is God's world and God can do what God wants, which includes causing people to follow Him in such a way that they won't stop. And how is this the case?--that He unites them with His eternal Son who has been giving Him glory and honor since the very beginning of time...this Son even prayed that the new worshipers would be united with Him IN eternity, to share the glory that has been between the Father and Son since the beginning (see Jn 17:20-24). And the world has never seen a more sure-fire pray-er than Christ Himself.
Whereas Israel had failed to obtain "the promise" because of their disobedience and laxness of religion (as spoken of in Isaiah 1), Romans 9 has Paul telling us that this new work enacted in Christ is work that is received by Gentiles (non-Israelites) because Israel has "failed to reach that law...because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works" (9:32).
And this is exactly what Isaiah wrote of: coming to the Temple with polluted offerings, with comatose half-asleep deadness, because they don't love God, but love themselves and their lives more than anything else. Even their love of God is love of self, because they only seek to get from Him what will benefit themselves (in their own eyes) the most. And since they don't love God, their temple practices are their own way to seek to justify themselves, while God stays at a distance and then owes them heaven after they die. This is why they couldn't "obtain the promise."
But in Christ, God (again) has "done what the law, weakened by the flesh couldn't do...in order that (we)...walk according to the Spirit." The very Spirit of the Living God has been placed inside of us--there is a "secret and hidden wisdom of God" which consists of "what God has prepared for those who love him", and "these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:7,9-10). What is this wisdom that is given to us? It is that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God", as Peter said, to which Jesus responded, "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matt 16:16-17).
When you are crushed under the weight of a holy and sovereign God who alone is good (Mk 10:18), who does all things well and right (Deut. 32:4, Dan 4:37), who is in sovereign control of everything (Deut. 32:39, Job 23:13), who sustains everything and holds it together (Job 34:14-15, Heb 1:3) and who has eyes inside your heart (1 Sam. 16:7, Heb 4:12-13) and is able to make a person into a Christian (Lk 3:8, Jn 6:63-70), any pride or arrogance or even laziness that you harbor is crushed as well. You throw yourself on the mercy and grace that are in Christ Jesus because you love him and hate yourself; you repent of all of your works because all they are is bad and if there are any good, you know it was God's goodness in providence; you call out on the name of the Lord and are saved, because ALL who call on the name of the Lord are saved. Easily we're reminded of the sinful tax collector from Luke 18 who was in the Temple and only knew one thing to do: put his head down, beat his breast, and cry out "have mercy on me, a sinner". It's in that place that he (without following any rules) "went down to his house justified" (Lk 18:13-14).
This is because, again, God doesn't delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices. At least, He doesn't delight in them near as much as "a broken spirit, (and) a broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17), for these are "the sacrifices of God".
And it is from this place that Paul gives the summary challenge in Romans 12:1: after all of the theology of salvation, with emphases in a) God's absolute sovereignty, b) man's fallenness, and c) Christ's work's sufficiency in justifying them before Him, Paul concludes with, "therefore..by the mercies of God..present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." To those who are in Christ, this is the only option. And those who do this are those who are in Christ. Wherever Christ is, there is the Spirit; wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom; and wherever freedom is, there is Christ, because if the Son sets you free, "you'll be free indeed".
This is true religion.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Depressed Christian, and True Joy
"'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.' Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you?'...'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.'"
--John 6:68-70, 16:33
Any internet report or medical journal will tell you that depression is a major problem in our society. From the multi-billion dollar industry that is depression medications, to the frustration over the fact that said medications usually don't actually help, this is a problem that isn't very easily solved. Countless doctors come into work every day, taking new patients who are specifically sitting in their office seeking help for "this dark feeling I always have over me". The doctor will prescribe a medication, refer the patient to a therapist or counselor, and since the doctor has many other patients, that's all he can do. As the patient takes their new medication, the excitement that "this could be the one" overtakes them, and the easy conclusion is that "this IS the one" because they temporarily feel better. But give it a few weeks, the excitement wears off, and the darkness creeps back in, accompanied by (seemingly) an even deeper sense of hopelessness. "Nothing will ever help." The only thing that usually does help is going to the counselor--thus the reports that psychotherapy is the best way of dealing with depression. But it shouldn't take a doctor or "experts" to conclude that the most helpful ways for one in despair is to talk about it--that's easy. But again, the good feeling after talking about it usually wears off within a few hours.
In my experience with depression (formerly diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, now skeptical of this diagnoses and more in favor of I-Need-Jesus-Disorder; also, over the years dealing with depressed people in my ministries), I've noticed there are the smaller ingredients, which flow out of principal ingredients. The smaller include the daily and easily discernible symptoms: Sadness (over...everything, and not just one thing), Worry/anxiety (over "the worst" happening; more on that shortly), Disillusionment (a feeling that "the world isn't as it seems, and nothing/no one can be trusted...even myself"), Loneliness ("no one understands, and what works for others' happiness doesn't work for me, so I'm the freak"), Confusion ("nothing seems to make sense, and I can't remember anything anymore"), and Racing Thoughts (mind runs a million miles a minute, and can't help it). While calling these "the smaller" runs the risk of making it sound like they're less important, all I mean is that they fit under the umbrella of the two "principals". These Principals include: Loss of Control (I've lost control of where my mind goes, how I think, how I act, everything), and Fear (whatever bad can happen probably will, since self-control appears to be lost; "if I was to walk into the middle of a crowded room, I'd probably collapse and fall down in the middle of everyone and have an anxiety attack, embarrassing myself, because what if I lose control of my legs and my thoughts at the same time?" is a common thought).
It's the loss of control and fear (the principals) that govern the first-mentioned symptoms (smaller). The sadness is over the fear that governs the person's life, worry is comorbid with fear anyways, disillusionment is over the fact that the world looks darker than it used to ("whether it's the world's fault, or my own doesn't matter"), loneliness is over the fact that everyone else looks "fine" while the person is afraid and out of control, and confusion and racing thoughts run how the mind works. Furthermore, one feels they can't concentrate on any external task because they're just trying to keep check on their internal thought process (which they can't control, but can't help but try to).
This is the problem that baffles doctors and scientists. They have no idea how to fix this, but the medical field rakes in shiploads of money each month on medications being bought by people just hoping for some relief.
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Statistics show that this is as much of a problem among Christians as it is among non-Christians. Christians have the feeling that, as Christians, they're supposed to be happier and more joyful than others, and when they look at themselves and realize they aren't, their depression is perhaps even worse than it could be, because this is yet another thing that doesn't make sense and another way they feel like a freak who is alone in this world (and when they attend church, everyone else appears happy, and since no one in church ever talks of bearing each other's burdens like the Bible does--see Rom. 15:1, Gal. 6:2, 1 Thes. 5:14--these problems people struggle with are never brought out into the open of the fellowship where they should be safest!)
When the depressed person reads Jesus' words in John 10:10, "I've come that (my sheep) might have life, and have it to the fullest", they 'amen' it in church, but in their hearts, "Yeah right...THIS isn't life to the fullest." Perhaps their depression seemed to intensify as they got more serious in their walk with Christ--as they began learning the truths about Jesus and His Word, they noticed a break with their old self--and they don't like it, because "I lost control, and now my life is marked by fear!" So add to their fears and anxieties the feeling their Christianity is to blame. To those reading that don't understand this line of thinking, don't judge without understanding. This is the way a depressed mind works, and if the depressed person could change it, they would.
Perhaps the achilles heel of the depression epidemic is the fact that it's being worked on by people in the medical and science fields who don't really understand it. And this isn't their fault--for one to understand it, they have to experience it, and depression is a deep and dark place that should never be wished on anyone. But it is still true that those working on it are those that look at the problem in purely objective terms. And depression isn't objective--it is not just a character flaw in a person, but it encompasses entirely the whole person. The person doesn't say, "My name is Phil, and I struggle with depression". If they're honest, it's "My name is Phil, and I am depressed." In the former, Phil calls it a part of him--but the latter is more accurate, because if Phil struggles with it, he probably is owned by it. A doctor/scientist can't understand this unless they understand this. This is why they can only speculate how these medications work without knowing for sure, with inconsistent results across the board.
----------------------------
When Peter says in John 6 that Jesus has "the words of eternal life", do you think this is Peter's way of saying, "I know that for me to live for forever, I must stay in you, so here I am"? Of course he IS saying this, but I think he's saying much more. Peter is telling Jesus, in effect, "I find my life in the words that you speak". In other words, "Jesus, I'm encompassed by your words. They're not just part of me...they ARE me. So where else would we go?" This is why Peter later describes the Christian life in terms of "for (we) were straying life sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of (our) souls" (1 Pet. 2:25). In essence, "once we were lost, but when Christ spoke the true Word of eternal life, it gave us life...now we're owned by it".
This is consistent with what Jesus had later said in the John 16 passage: "I've said these things to you, that in me you may have peace." His words are spoken by him so that we would have peace. Coming to Him, listening to Him, subjecting ourselves to Him (and realizing that He DID choose us, as the Jn 6 passage states), we are coming to the source of peace. More, it is the only source of true peace. "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life...if the Son sets you free, you'll be free indeed" (Jn 6:63, 8:36). Jesus is saying that the one who comes to Him (is drawn to Him) will listen to the words of spirit and life, and be set free. In this, they will have peace. Being in Christ and united with Christ (Col. 3:1-3), there is true peace.
The depressed mind really struggles with this. This is because the depressed mind is skeptical of everything, and since it's only concern is to maintain control of the only thing it can control (the feeling of at least monitoring these thoughts), the only thing that would be believable is that which would effectively bring an immediate freedom/healing. Whereas Christianity (if it be true Christianity) is concerned with good news of something that has already happened (Christ's cross, Christ's resurrection), and must be received in faith (Rom. 4:22-5:1), the depressed mind can only yield faith if the work of Christ appears to be more trustworthy than the work of the world and even the work of the depressed person.
In this sense, the depressed person may be at an advantage over the "normal person" (a horrible way to describe non-depressed, but it's how depressed people view others) with regard to Christian faith. The advantage is in that the depressed person already is disillusioned with the world--they realize there isn't a whole lot that they can trust in, so they don't trust. The problem is that the depressed person is so turned in on their self that the only thing they do trust in is their obsessive thinking. But if the person would come to Christ, they must understand that their obsessive thinking is a subconscious sin, so it isn't trustworthy either! And yet even with this, based on the work of Christ, God adopts you and calls you a child even WITH your obsessive thinking, with the promise that He'll help you and change you.
The depressed Christian may say "I don't feel any different--I don't feel like a child of God; I thought Jesus said He'd set me free". But again, Christian faith is based on a proclamation--the Word of Christ--and not feeling or emotion. The Word comes first, and the feelings and emotions are taken care of over time, as your life is built on the rock of this Word (Matt. 7:24-29; Jude 20-21, 24-25). When Romans 13:14 tells us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh", it doesn't mean "put on the peace and happiness contained in Christ", as though we could force that--it means "come to Christ and listen to His Word--and the peace will come as He works his word into your bones; put on Him, and He'll put on His peace in you".
What makes "Christ and Him crucified" a "stumbling block...and foolishness" to many people (1 Cor. 1:23) is the fact that people only will buy into something which appears to be immediately helpful. The word of the cross where Christ is crucified subjects the one who hears it and says, "Even if you don't think you need this--you're dependent upon it for life." Peter realized this.
Perhaps the depressed person, with the obsessive thoughts, hopelessness, sadness, etc. could take inventory of the truth that it appears there isn't anything to lean on anymore, and throw themselves on the mercy that is in Christ. The only way to change bad thought habits based on falsity is to continually keep coming to the foot of truth. God's Word is truth (Jn 17:17), and God's Word is Christ (1:1). It won't be easy, or instant--but it'll be true, and over time, it will be effective.
Jesus said that if one would come to Him they must "deny themselves" (Mark 8:34). I've dealt with depressive thoughts and tendencies for about 6 years now (and I think longer than that--but they intensified 6 years ago). But the difference between now and a few years ago is found in that statement: they're becoming just thoughts and tendencies--they don't own me anymore. Why is this? Because Christ owns me. It hasn't been quick--it's taken time. But it's the truth. God prophesied before Jesus came that when He came, "the nations will know that I'm the Lord" (Ezek. 36:23), and there are many such statements in Ezekiel and Isaiah. Friend, Christ has come to reveal that He is Lord. And when we turn to Him, despite all of our assumptions and thoughts and obsessions and problems...and most importantly, our sin...He shows us that He's Lord, and then He gives us His peace. But His peace only comes through His Word. Just ask Peter! The answer is not "have more faith"--the answer is "put on Christ, and be patient".
So I'll close with 5 quick points of take-away--a few thoughts from one pilgrim on the way to another:
1. Don't listen to yourself. The enemy the Devil seeks to devour you (1 Pet 5:8), and he'll do it through accusations and lies (Gen 3:1-2, John 8:44). One of the greatest ways this happens is through his convincing you that you're standard of truth (especially regarding yourself) is better than God's. Don't listen to yourself. Listen to Christ and His Word--HE'S the truth (Jn 14:6, Eph. 4:21). Even preach the gospel to yourself (out loud...speaking), for then you'll hear yourself, and you'll have faith (Rom. 10:17).
2. Don't think you're alone. In the same 1 Peter passage quoted in the above point, after speaking of the devil, Peter adds, "Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world" (5:9). Furthermore, your Savior was full of anxiety at one time as well, "to the point of death"--He knows what you're going through (Matt 26:37-39, Luke 22:44). He was betrayed by a good friend, and even knows what it's like to pray a prayer to God that doesn't get answered ("Let this cup pass from me..." after which he drank the cup fully).
3. Don't look inside--look outside. You will never be saved by "finding yourself" or "understanding yourself". The only way to be saved is to look OUT to Christ and find peace at the throne of grace which you approach through Him (Hebrews 4:15-16).
4. Believe what Jesus says regardless of how hard it is to believe. He's Lord, He's resurrected, if He says you're His, you are, even if you don't feel like it necessarily.
5. Allow this depression to swing the door open to the renewing of your mind that happens in Christ. Rom 12:2 calls you to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you can discern what the will of the Lord is". A similar statement is made by Paul in Eph. 4:22-24: "Put off your old self...and be renewed in the spirit of your minds...put on your new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Though it may not seem like it, this depression is (not "might be", but IS) God's gracious way of sovereignly changing/shaping/molding you into the likeness of Himself in Christ--and to get to Christ's resurrection, you have to take up the cross and die to your sin with Him. But there WILL be resurrection!
"So take heart, for I have overcome the world."
--John 6:68-70, 16:33
Any internet report or medical journal will tell you that depression is a major problem in our society. From the multi-billion dollar industry that is depression medications, to the frustration over the fact that said medications usually don't actually help, this is a problem that isn't very easily solved. Countless doctors come into work every day, taking new patients who are specifically sitting in their office seeking help for "this dark feeling I always have over me". The doctor will prescribe a medication, refer the patient to a therapist or counselor, and since the doctor has many other patients, that's all he can do. As the patient takes their new medication, the excitement that "this could be the one" overtakes them, and the easy conclusion is that "this IS the one" because they temporarily feel better. But give it a few weeks, the excitement wears off, and the darkness creeps back in, accompanied by (seemingly) an even deeper sense of hopelessness. "Nothing will ever help." The only thing that usually does help is going to the counselor--thus the reports that psychotherapy is the best way of dealing with depression. But it shouldn't take a doctor or "experts" to conclude that the most helpful ways for one in despair is to talk about it--that's easy. But again, the good feeling after talking about it usually wears off within a few hours.
In my experience with depression (formerly diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, now skeptical of this diagnoses and more in favor of I-Need-Jesus-Disorder; also, over the years dealing with depressed people in my ministries), I've noticed there are the smaller ingredients, which flow out of principal ingredients. The smaller include the daily and easily discernible symptoms: Sadness (over...everything, and not just one thing), Worry/anxiety (over "the worst" happening; more on that shortly), Disillusionment (a feeling that "the world isn't as it seems, and nothing/no one can be trusted...even myself"), Loneliness ("no one understands, and what works for others' happiness doesn't work for me, so I'm the freak"), Confusion ("nothing seems to make sense, and I can't remember anything anymore"), and Racing Thoughts (mind runs a million miles a minute, and can't help it). While calling these "the smaller" runs the risk of making it sound like they're less important, all I mean is that they fit under the umbrella of the two "principals". These Principals include: Loss of Control (I've lost control of where my mind goes, how I think, how I act, everything), and Fear (whatever bad can happen probably will, since self-control appears to be lost; "if I was to walk into the middle of a crowded room, I'd probably collapse and fall down in the middle of everyone and have an anxiety attack, embarrassing myself, because what if I lose control of my legs and my thoughts at the same time?" is a common thought).
It's the loss of control and fear (the principals) that govern the first-mentioned symptoms (smaller). The sadness is over the fear that governs the person's life, worry is comorbid with fear anyways, disillusionment is over the fact that the world looks darker than it used to ("whether it's the world's fault, or my own doesn't matter"), loneliness is over the fact that everyone else looks "fine" while the person is afraid and out of control, and confusion and racing thoughts run how the mind works. Furthermore, one feels they can't concentrate on any external task because they're just trying to keep check on their internal thought process (which they can't control, but can't help but try to).
This is the problem that baffles doctors and scientists. They have no idea how to fix this, but the medical field rakes in shiploads of money each month on medications being bought by people just hoping for some relief.
-------------------------------
Statistics show that this is as much of a problem among Christians as it is among non-Christians. Christians have the feeling that, as Christians, they're supposed to be happier and more joyful than others, and when they look at themselves and realize they aren't, their depression is perhaps even worse than it could be, because this is yet another thing that doesn't make sense and another way they feel like a freak who is alone in this world (and when they attend church, everyone else appears happy, and since no one in church ever talks of bearing each other's burdens like the Bible does--see Rom. 15:1, Gal. 6:2, 1 Thes. 5:14--these problems people struggle with are never brought out into the open of the fellowship where they should be safest!)
When the depressed person reads Jesus' words in John 10:10, "I've come that (my sheep) might have life, and have it to the fullest", they 'amen' it in church, but in their hearts, "Yeah right...THIS isn't life to the fullest." Perhaps their depression seemed to intensify as they got more serious in their walk with Christ--as they began learning the truths about Jesus and His Word, they noticed a break with their old self--and they don't like it, because "I lost control, and now my life is marked by fear!" So add to their fears and anxieties the feeling their Christianity is to blame. To those reading that don't understand this line of thinking, don't judge without understanding. This is the way a depressed mind works, and if the depressed person could change it, they would.
Perhaps the achilles heel of the depression epidemic is the fact that it's being worked on by people in the medical and science fields who don't really understand it. And this isn't their fault--for one to understand it, they have to experience it, and depression is a deep and dark place that should never be wished on anyone. But it is still true that those working on it are those that look at the problem in purely objective terms. And depression isn't objective--it is not just a character flaw in a person, but it encompasses entirely the whole person. The person doesn't say, "My name is Phil, and I struggle with depression". If they're honest, it's "My name is Phil, and I am depressed." In the former, Phil calls it a part of him--but the latter is more accurate, because if Phil struggles with it, he probably is owned by it. A doctor/scientist can't understand this unless they understand this. This is why they can only speculate how these medications work without knowing for sure, with inconsistent results across the board.
----------------------------
When Peter says in John 6 that Jesus has "the words of eternal life", do you think this is Peter's way of saying, "I know that for me to live for forever, I must stay in you, so here I am"? Of course he IS saying this, but I think he's saying much more. Peter is telling Jesus, in effect, "I find my life in the words that you speak". In other words, "Jesus, I'm encompassed by your words. They're not just part of me...they ARE me. So where else would we go?" This is why Peter later describes the Christian life in terms of "for (we) were straying life sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of (our) souls" (1 Pet. 2:25). In essence, "once we were lost, but when Christ spoke the true Word of eternal life, it gave us life...now we're owned by it".
This is consistent with what Jesus had later said in the John 16 passage: "I've said these things to you, that in me you may have peace." His words are spoken by him so that we would have peace. Coming to Him, listening to Him, subjecting ourselves to Him (and realizing that He DID choose us, as the Jn 6 passage states), we are coming to the source of peace. More, it is the only source of true peace. "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life...if the Son sets you free, you'll be free indeed" (Jn 6:63, 8:36). Jesus is saying that the one who comes to Him (is drawn to Him) will listen to the words of spirit and life, and be set free. In this, they will have peace. Being in Christ and united with Christ (Col. 3:1-3), there is true peace.
The depressed mind really struggles with this. This is because the depressed mind is skeptical of everything, and since it's only concern is to maintain control of the only thing it can control (the feeling of at least monitoring these thoughts), the only thing that would be believable is that which would effectively bring an immediate freedom/healing. Whereas Christianity (if it be true Christianity) is concerned with good news of something that has already happened (Christ's cross, Christ's resurrection), and must be received in faith (Rom. 4:22-5:1), the depressed mind can only yield faith if the work of Christ appears to be more trustworthy than the work of the world and even the work of the depressed person.
In this sense, the depressed person may be at an advantage over the "normal person" (a horrible way to describe non-depressed, but it's how depressed people view others) with regard to Christian faith. The advantage is in that the depressed person already is disillusioned with the world--they realize there isn't a whole lot that they can trust in, so they don't trust. The problem is that the depressed person is so turned in on their self that the only thing they do trust in is their obsessive thinking. But if the person would come to Christ, they must understand that their obsessive thinking is a subconscious sin, so it isn't trustworthy either! And yet even with this, based on the work of Christ, God adopts you and calls you a child even WITH your obsessive thinking, with the promise that He'll help you and change you.
The depressed Christian may say "I don't feel any different--I don't feel like a child of God; I thought Jesus said He'd set me free". But again, Christian faith is based on a proclamation--the Word of Christ--and not feeling or emotion. The Word comes first, and the feelings and emotions are taken care of over time, as your life is built on the rock of this Word (Matt. 7:24-29; Jude 20-21, 24-25). When Romans 13:14 tells us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh", it doesn't mean "put on the peace and happiness contained in Christ", as though we could force that--it means "come to Christ and listen to His Word--and the peace will come as He works his word into your bones; put on Him, and He'll put on His peace in you".
What makes "Christ and Him crucified" a "stumbling block...and foolishness" to many people (1 Cor. 1:23) is the fact that people only will buy into something which appears to be immediately helpful. The word of the cross where Christ is crucified subjects the one who hears it and says, "Even if you don't think you need this--you're dependent upon it for life." Peter realized this.
Perhaps the depressed person, with the obsessive thoughts, hopelessness, sadness, etc. could take inventory of the truth that it appears there isn't anything to lean on anymore, and throw themselves on the mercy that is in Christ. The only way to change bad thought habits based on falsity is to continually keep coming to the foot of truth. God's Word is truth (Jn 17:17), and God's Word is Christ (1:1). It won't be easy, or instant--but it'll be true, and over time, it will be effective.
Jesus said that if one would come to Him they must "deny themselves" (Mark 8:34). I've dealt with depressive thoughts and tendencies for about 6 years now (and I think longer than that--but they intensified 6 years ago). But the difference between now and a few years ago is found in that statement: they're becoming just thoughts and tendencies--they don't own me anymore. Why is this? Because Christ owns me. It hasn't been quick--it's taken time. But it's the truth. God prophesied before Jesus came that when He came, "the nations will know that I'm the Lord" (Ezek. 36:23), and there are many such statements in Ezekiel and Isaiah. Friend, Christ has come to reveal that He is Lord. And when we turn to Him, despite all of our assumptions and thoughts and obsessions and problems...and most importantly, our sin...He shows us that He's Lord, and then He gives us His peace. But His peace only comes through His Word. Just ask Peter! The answer is not "have more faith"--the answer is "put on Christ, and be patient".
So I'll close with 5 quick points of take-away--a few thoughts from one pilgrim on the way to another:
1. Don't listen to yourself. The enemy the Devil seeks to devour you (1 Pet 5:8), and he'll do it through accusations and lies (Gen 3:1-2, John 8:44). One of the greatest ways this happens is through his convincing you that you're standard of truth (especially regarding yourself) is better than God's. Don't listen to yourself. Listen to Christ and His Word--HE'S the truth (Jn 14:6, Eph. 4:21). Even preach the gospel to yourself (out loud...speaking), for then you'll hear yourself, and you'll have faith (Rom. 10:17).
2. Don't think you're alone. In the same 1 Peter passage quoted in the above point, after speaking of the devil, Peter adds, "Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world" (5:9). Furthermore, your Savior was full of anxiety at one time as well, "to the point of death"--He knows what you're going through (Matt 26:37-39, Luke 22:44). He was betrayed by a good friend, and even knows what it's like to pray a prayer to God that doesn't get answered ("Let this cup pass from me..." after which he drank the cup fully).
3. Don't look inside--look outside. You will never be saved by "finding yourself" or "understanding yourself". The only way to be saved is to look OUT to Christ and find peace at the throne of grace which you approach through Him (Hebrews 4:15-16).
4. Believe what Jesus says regardless of how hard it is to believe. He's Lord, He's resurrected, if He says you're His, you are, even if you don't feel like it necessarily.
5. Allow this depression to swing the door open to the renewing of your mind that happens in Christ. Rom 12:2 calls you to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you can discern what the will of the Lord is". A similar statement is made by Paul in Eph. 4:22-24: "Put off your old self...and be renewed in the spirit of your minds...put on your new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Though it may not seem like it, this depression is (not "might be", but IS) God's gracious way of sovereignly changing/shaping/molding you into the likeness of Himself in Christ--and to get to Christ's resurrection, you have to take up the cross and die to your sin with Him. But there WILL be resurrection!
"So take heart, for I have overcome the world."
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Marks of a Christian
Typically my posts are several paragraphs unpacking a Bible passage or some Christian topic. I thought that for this week I'd do something different. I was in prayer for my congregation this morning (as I am every day), as well as some other congregations I'm familiar with around my area, and I had a couple of thoughts: 1.) In a lot of congregations, the gospel is so assumed that no one really even knows what it is anymore, and 2.) I'm very blessed in that I have a church that hungers and thirsts to know the gospel better.
So whereas I usually am writing posts that are (hopefully) gospel-centered (meaning that they focus on Christ's person and work as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, etc.), I thought I'd make a list of how the gospel bears fruit in a Christian's life.
My assumption is that in seeing the fruit, we can understand more clearly the Source of the fruit. And here, we're at the heart of the gospel, because the Source is Christ, who is Himself the Gospel!
So I jotted down in my journal some different passages that speak to to the "Marks of a Christian". I'd encourage you to (along with myself) use this post as a reference to specific Bible passages that speak to each "fruit", and perhaps pray over and meditate on it in your prayer time. Allow the Word to examine you and question you (Hebrews 4:12-13), to see whether or not you bear this fruit--and if not, repent and bring it to Jesus in humble subjection, where you can be sure you'll be helped by Him who is our High Priest (4:14-16).
The Marks of a Christian
A Christian....
--Loves Jesus, and keeps His commands (John 14:15, 23)
--Loves God with heart, soul, mind and strength, which quickens loving their neighbors (Matt. 22:36-40)
--Is humble and lowly (Matt. 5:3,5; Luke 18:10-14)
--Doesn't worry (Matt. 6:25-34)
--Prays earnestly, in submission to God's will and Kingdom (Matt. 6:9-10)
--Has a solid prayer life, marked by humble quietness (Ps. 46:10, Isaiah 30:15, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Matt. 6:5-8)
--Lives as "shining light" in the world, for the sake of their Father alone (Matt. 5:14-16)
--Doesn't judge rashly, but with humble and correct judgment (Matt. 7:1-5, cf. John 7:24)
--Hungers and thirsts for Christ's righteousness and holiness (Matt. 5:6, Philippians 3:8-11, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Pet. 1:14-16)
--Loves even their enemies (Matt. 5:44-47)
--Watches their anger and doesn't hold grudges (Matt. 5:22-24)
--Gives generously to those in need, because their treasure is in Christ alone (Matt. 6:2-4, 19-21; Luke 10:30-37)
--Bears good fruit, which also bears good fruit (John 15:5-8, Galatians 5:22-24, Ephesians 2:10, James 2:14-26)
--Is willing to suffer for Christ (because He did it for them) (Matt. 5:39, 10:16-22; John 15:18-25; Romans 8:16-17, 35; 1 Peter 1:6-7, 3:9-17, 4:12-19; James 1:2-4)
--Lives a life of repentance (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38, 3:19, 11:18; Rom. 6:1-4, 15-16)
--Hates their sin (Rom. 7:14-25) and continually puts it to death (8:13)
--Perseveres until the end (John 10:27-30; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; Hebrews 3:6,14, 6:9)
--Honors those in authority and prays for them (Mark 12:15-17, Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Tim. 2:1-4)
--Sticks with their commitments (Matt. 5:33-37, Mark 10:1-7)
--Loves God's Word (Psalm 119, Matt. 4:4, cf. Deuteronomy 8:3)
--Counts others better than their self (Matt. 7:12, Philippians 2:3-4)
--Cares about doctrine and theology (1 Timothy 4:15-16, 6:2-4; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Titus 2)
--Is different than the world, and different than they used to be (Luke 19:9-10, Rom. 12:1-2, Eph. 4:17-25; 1 Pet. 1:16-17)
--Has faith (Rom. 3:26-4:22, Gal. 3:7-14)
--Has the Trinitarian God living inside of them (John 14:16-23, Gal. 2:20)
--Is a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer (James 1:22-24)
--Husband loves and serves his wife; wife loves and submits to her husband; parent raises their children in the Lord (Deut. 6:20-25, Eph. 5:22-6:4, 1 Pet. 3:1-7)
--Talks a lot about Jesus (Acts 1-28(!))
--Knows that Jesus sustains them as a Christian (Matt. 28:20, John 6:39-40, 10:27-30, 15:5, 17:14-18; 2 Tim. 1:12, Jude 24)
--Takes rebuke/discipline, and comes to Jesus (Hebrews 12:5-11, Revelation 3:15-21)
In Christ, and to Him be glory,
Scott
So whereas I usually am writing posts that are (hopefully) gospel-centered (meaning that they focus on Christ's person and work as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, etc.), I thought I'd make a list of how the gospel bears fruit in a Christian's life.
My assumption is that in seeing the fruit, we can understand more clearly the Source of the fruit. And here, we're at the heart of the gospel, because the Source is Christ, who is Himself the Gospel!
So I jotted down in my journal some different passages that speak to to the "Marks of a Christian". I'd encourage you to (along with myself) use this post as a reference to specific Bible passages that speak to each "fruit", and perhaps pray over and meditate on it in your prayer time. Allow the Word to examine you and question you (Hebrews 4:12-13), to see whether or not you bear this fruit--and if not, repent and bring it to Jesus in humble subjection, where you can be sure you'll be helped by Him who is our High Priest (4:14-16).
The Marks of a Christian
A Christian....
--Loves Jesus, and keeps His commands (John 14:15, 23)
--Loves God with heart, soul, mind and strength, which quickens loving their neighbors (Matt. 22:36-40)
--Is humble and lowly (Matt. 5:3,5; Luke 18:10-14)
--Doesn't worry (Matt. 6:25-34)
--Prays earnestly, in submission to God's will and Kingdom (Matt. 6:9-10)
--Has a solid prayer life, marked by humble quietness (Ps. 46:10, Isaiah 30:15, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Matt. 6:5-8)
--Lives as "shining light" in the world, for the sake of their Father alone (Matt. 5:14-16)
--Doesn't judge rashly, but with humble and correct judgment (Matt. 7:1-5, cf. John 7:24)
--Hungers and thirsts for Christ's righteousness and holiness (Matt. 5:6, Philippians 3:8-11, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Pet. 1:14-16)
--Loves even their enemies (Matt. 5:44-47)
--Watches their anger and doesn't hold grudges (Matt. 5:22-24)
--Gives generously to those in need, because their treasure is in Christ alone (Matt. 6:2-4, 19-21; Luke 10:30-37)
--Bears good fruit, which also bears good fruit (John 15:5-8, Galatians 5:22-24, Ephesians 2:10, James 2:14-26)
--Is willing to suffer for Christ (because He did it for them) (Matt. 5:39, 10:16-22; John 15:18-25; Romans 8:16-17, 35; 1 Peter 1:6-7, 3:9-17, 4:12-19; James 1:2-4)
--Lives a life of repentance (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38, 3:19, 11:18; Rom. 6:1-4, 15-16)
--Hates their sin (Rom. 7:14-25) and continually puts it to death (8:13)
--Perseveres until the end (John 10:27-30; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; Hebrews 3:6,14, 6:9)
--Honors those in authority and prays for them (Mark 12:15-17, Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Tim. 2:1-4)
--Sticks with their commitments (Matt. 5:33-37, Mark 10:1-7)
--Loves God's Word (Psalm 119, Matt. 4:4, cf. Deuteronomy 8:3)
--Counts others better than their self (Matt. 7:12, Philippians 2:3-4)
--Cares about doctrine and theology (1 Timothy 4:15-16, 6:2-4; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Titus 2)
--Is different than the world, and different than they used to be (Luke 19:9-10, Rom. 12:1-2, Eph. 4:17-25; 1 Pet. 1:16-17)
--Has faith (Rom. 3:26-4:22, Gal. 3:7-14)
--Has the Trinitarian God living inside of them (John 14:16-23, Gal. 2:20)
--Is a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer (James 1:22-24)
--Husband loves and serves his wife; wife loves and submits to her husband; parent raises their children in the Lord (Deut. 6:20-25, Eph. 5:22-6:4, 1 Pet. 3:1-7)
--Talks a lot about Jesus (Acts 1-28(!))
--Knows that Jesus sustains them as a Christian (Matt. 28:20, John 6:39-40, 10:27-30, 15:5, 17:14-18; 2 Tim. 1:12, Jude 24)
--Takes rebuke/discipline, and comes to Jesus (Hebrews 12:5-11, Revelation 3:15-21)
In Christ, and to Him be glory,
Scott
Friday, July 13, 2012
Far From Me
"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
--Isaiah 29:13
These words are said by God in response to Israel's idolatry and sinfulness--both of which were problems all the way from their first leaving Egypt to being in the promised land as God had promised they would be. We always read the stories of Israel throughout the Old Testament and conclude, "Israel...idiots. Why are they doing this? Why are they so idolatrous? Why do they worship other gods?" But in responding to the text this way, there are a few things we need to remember.
First, the Bible is God's story from God's perspective. Think for a minute about what it means to be deceived. It means to not only be lied to, but to have been lied to in such a way that one buys into the lie, believing it, and so acting accordingly. In Genesis 3, Eve was deceived by the serpent who is Satan, which means she didn't just stupidly make a non-sensical decision based on no thought. She chose to listen to the serpent because she believed what he said--she believed that he was telling the truth. She was deceived by he whom Jesus later called 'the father of lies' (Jn. 8:44).
As God tells us the story of Israel from His perspective, would we be stupid enough to think that Israel non-sensically and without any thought just bowed down and worshiped golden calves and idols because they had amnesia or because they were spiritually retarded? Of course not--each instance of sin is a case of deception. They've been deceived to believe that what they're doing is the correct course of action, and they acted accordingly. This is not a justification on my part for Israel's sin; I merely am attempting to give an honest assessment of what really is going on in God's story of God's people. They're deceived, and they act accordingly.
So when God tells us of their sin, He tells us how silly and non-sensical their sin and idolatry is, because it IS. We should assume that the same rule which applied to Eve applies to them as well. Why would it be any different? They were deceived like she was. Does this mean God is unfair in His assessment? Of course not--what He tells is the truth; His Word is always truth (see John 17:17). And being the honest diagnosis, the cause is deception.
Secondly, Israel's worship of the golden calf (as told in Exodus 32) deserves a further look than what most people will afford it. To most, it appears a story where Israel just randomly decides to worship an object, preposterously calling the newly created object "your gods...who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (32:4), as though they seriously thought this little object they'd just created are THE gods (notice Aaron makes one object, and they refer to it in the plural as 'the gods').
But on further investigation we realize a few things.
1. The second commandment (Ex. 20:4) is a prohibition of 'carved images'. Whereas most think this refers to worshiping idols, God had already covered that in commandment one "you shall not worship any other gods beside (or before) me." Instead, with the Second Com. God is more likely speaking of attaching an image to Himself. He speaks, in essence, of their giving a visible image to the invisible God. Apparently God hates this so much that it's the second commandment, right after "worship only me". Apparently it would become an issue.
2. If #1 (above) is true, it would make the golden calf incident more likely to be a case of Israel worshiping the golden calf because to them it was a visible image of the invisible God. Instead of them worshiping another god (which is common thought), they were worshiping God, but through the medium of a golden calf as his image. This is an explicit breaking of commandment two, and it's so grievous that God tells Moses "My wrath (will) burn hot against them and I (will) consume them" (32:10). In giving God an image, they've sacrificed God's invisibility in their hearts, and, since we all know how much easier it is to believe in something we see, now they worship the image instead of God. In this way, they're not worshiping God anymore, but a false god.
3. This also makes sense in light of a couple of other passages. In Deuteronomy 4, Moses, preaching his last sermon to Israel, remembering both God's revealing Himself to Israel and their subsequent golden calf incident, tells them, "Watch yourselves carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure" (4:15-16). "Since you saw no form..." refers to God, meaning that the subsequent warning (not to make an image) refers to making an image of God. Apparently this is an issue. In Isaiah 40, Isaiah says, "To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it..." (40:18-19). Apparently, that's what's been going on--people giving the invisible God "who sits above the circle of the earth" (40:22) a likeness, like God said not to in Commandment Two, like Israel did in the golden calf incident, like Moses warned not to do again in his final sermon, and like Isaiah here preaches against.
When this becomes the common practice in a society (ie. Old Testament Israel), it loses its sting as something that should be held in contempt. Sin that one generation deems as "not a big deal", the next generation accepts as common and necessary without even a thought. We see this in our society--conservative evangelical denominations which began to make theological compromises 100 years ago are beginning to reap the bad fruit of theological relativity in all matters. "If this isn't necessarily what it means, then maybe the same principle applies to that as well." And the rest is history--if we don't have to believe one particular Biblical teaching, can we trust any of it? Of course the only reason why there are these questions in the first place is because of man's sinfully and stupidly thinking he's the standard of judgment, and that God's truth is only really truth if it fits into man's understanding and man's culture's understanding. And in God telling us Israel's story, their folly and rebellion is man's continued folly and rebellion--which takes us back to the original passage, which is also the third thing we need to remember in considering sin.
Thirdly, the reason Israel worshiped idols and wouldn't keep God's commands isn't because they were stupid (though they were), nor was it because God's Word coming to them had failed (see Isaiah 55:10-11; God's Word never fails). The reason they weren't obedient and were rebellious is that their hearts were far from Him. In short, they didn't love Him. They didn't appreciate Him; they didn't believe and accept that their life, calling, security, etc. all came from the God who loved them enough to give them breath in their lungs and favor over their lives.
Later, Paul is pretty explicit with this when he writes, "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:21-23). Surely we can see that Israel's idolatry wasn't because of stupidity--it was because of hearts that weren't near God, because they didn't thank God or honor Him as God, because they didn't love Him, and so in turn they attached images to God and in doing so they brought stupidity on themselves.
But it all starts with a) a heart that isn't bowed to God, and b) a belief in one's own understanding before God's sovereignty and goodness. And in the end, trusting in one's own understanding over God's leads to one having no understanding.
I'm convinced that this has become the case with much of Christianity...if it can even be called that in some circles. Jesus came to make peace between us and God, through uniting us with Himself in His death and resurrection, so that we'd be new creations who live in the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus, being conformed into His image ever more as time passes by (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 3:1-10). When He left His disciples He told them that they'd "be (His) witnesses to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8), meaning that the whole of their ministry will be to make much of Jesus and His person and work and glory. Truly, a Christian is one who, being bought by Christ's blood, and united with Christ's righteousness, wants with everything they have to bear His image and preach His glory.
And yet, why is it that there are so many Christians who will talk about "love" or "tolerance" or "self-esteem" or even God, but won't ever speak of the Jesus who bought them with His blood and is the only reason they HAVE God in the first place? Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through Him--notice He told the disciples they'd be HIS witnesses (meaning that in preaching Christ, they'll preach God's character--but they must be preaching Christ to do this; read the rest of Acts to see this in action, and try not to weep at the disparity between the Acts Church and the Church now).
It appears that today has many Christians in ministry (or Christians in general) who appear to operate from humanity first, tying God and His Word to what they say at the very end (as though God's Word answers to man), instead of operating from God's Word first. Why do Christians hate God's Word and not love Jesus either?
It's because they still "honor (Him) with their lips, but their hearts are far from (Him)". Jesus controversially applied this passage to pharisees in Mark 6, WAY after it was written. I wonder if He wouldn't go farther in applying it to many of us. My prayer is that I wouldn't be one of them. The glorious and risen Son Jesus Christ is all-sufficient, all-powerful, and holy. He deserves praise, worship, adoration, thanksgiving, and everything. He WILL get all of those for all time--may we be a part of the chorus who is singing it to Him today.
Where's your heart?
--Isaiah 29:13
These words are said by God in response to Israel's idolatry and sinfulness--both of which were problems all the way from their first leaving Egypt to being in the promised land as God had promised they would be. We always read the stories of Israel throughout the Old Testament and conclude, "Israel...idiots. Why are they doing this? Why are they so idolatrous? Why do they worship other gods?" But in responding to the text this way, there are a few things we need to remember.
First, the Bible is God's story from God's perspective. Think for a minute about what it means to be deceived. It means to not only be lied to, but to have been lied to in such a way that one buys into the lie, believing it, and so acting accordingly. In Genesis 3, Eve was deceived by the serpent who is Satan, which means she didn't just stupidly make a non-sensical decision based on no thought. She chose to listen to the serpent because she believed what he said--she believed that he was telling the truth. She was deceived by he whom Jesus later called 'the father of lies' (Jn. 8:44).
As God tells us the story of Israel from His perspective, would we be stupid enough to think that Israel non-sensically and without any thought just bowed down and worshiped golden calves and idols because they had amnesia or because they were spiritually retarded? Of course not--each instance of sin is a case of deception. They've been deceived to believe that what they're doing is the correct course of action, and they acted accordingly. This is not a justification on my part for Israel's sin; I merely am attempting to give an honest assessment of what really is going on in God's story of God's people. They're deceived, and they act accordingly.
So when God tells us of their sin, He tells us how silly and non-sensical their sin and idolatry is, because it IS. We should assume that the same rule which applied to Eve applies to them as well. Why would it be any different? They were deceived like she was. Does this mean God is unfair in His assessment? Of course not--what He tells is the truth; His Word is always truth (see John 17:17). And being the honest diagnosis, the cause is deception.
Secondly, Israel's worship of the golden calf (as told in Exodus 32) deserves a further look than what most people will afford it. To most, it appears a story where Israel just randomly decides to worship an object, preposterously calling the newly created object "your gods...who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (32:4), as though they seriously thought this little object they'd just created are THE gods (notice Aaron makes one object, and they refer to it in the plural as 'the gods').
But on further investigation we realize a few things.
1. The second commandment (Ex. 20:4) is a prohibition of 'carved images'. Whereas most think this refers to worshiping idols, God had already covered that in commandment one "you shall not worship any other gods beside (or before) me." Instead, with the Second Com. God is more likely speaking of attaching an image to Himself. He speaks, in essence, of their giving a visible image to the invisible God. Apparently God hates this so much that it's the second commandment, right after "worship only me". Apparently it would become an issue.
2. If #1 (above) is true, it would make the golden calf incident more likely to be a case of Israel worshiping the golden calf because to them it was a visible image of the invisible God. Instead of them worshiping another god (which is common thought), they were worshiping God, but through the medium of a golden calf as his image. This is an explicit breaking of commandment two, and it's so grievous that God tells Moses "My wrath (will) burn hot against them and I (will) consume them" (32:10). In giving God an image, they've sacrificed God's invisibility in their hearts, and, since we all know how much easier it is to believe in something we see, now they worship the image instead of God. In this way, they're not worshiping God anymore, but a false god.
3. This also makes sense in light of a couple of other passages. In Deuteronomy 4, Moses, preaching his last sermon to Israel, remembering both God's revealing Himself to Israel and their subsequent golden calf incident, tells them, "Watch yourselves carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure" (4:15-16). "Since you saw no form..." refers to God, meaning that the subsequent warning (not to make an image) refers to making an image of God. Apparently this is an issue. In Isaiah 40, Isaiah says, "To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it..." (40:18-19). Apparently, that's what's been going on--people giving the invisible God "who sits above the circle of the earth" (40:22) a likeness, like God said not to in Commandment Two, like Israel did in the golden calf incident, like Moses warned not to do again in his final sermon, and like Isaiah here preaches against.
When this becomes the common practice in a society (ie. Old Testament Israel), it loses its sting as something that should be held in contempt. Sin that one generation deems as "not a big deal", the next generation accepts as common and necessary without even a thought. We see this in our society--conservative evangelical denominations which began to make theological compromises 100 years ago are beginning to reap the bad fruit of theological relativity in all matters. "If this isn't necessarily what it means, then maybe the same principle applies to that as well." And the rest is history--if we don't have to believe one particular Biblical teaching, can we trust any of it? Of course the only reason why there are these questions in the first place is because of man's sinfully and stupidly thinking he's the standard of judgment, and that God's truth is only really truth if it fits into man's understanding and man's culture's understanding. And in God telling us Israel's story, their folly and rebellion is man's continued folly and rebellion--which takes us back to the original passage, which is also the third thing we need to remember in considering sin.
Thirdly, the reason Israel worshiped idols and wouldn't keep God's commands isn't because they were stupid (though they were), nor was it because God's Word coming to them had failed (see Isaiah 55:10-11; God's Word never fails). The reason they weren't obedient and were rebellious is that their hearts were far from Him. In short, they didn't love Him. They didn't appreciate Him; they didn't believe and accept that their life, calling, security, etc. all came from the God who loved them enough to give them breath in their lungs and favor over their lives.
Later, Paul is pretty explicit with this when he writes, "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:21-23). Surely we can see that Israel's idolatry wasn't because of stupidity--it was because of hearts that weren't near God, because they didn't thank God or honor Him as God, because they didn't love Him, and so in turn they attached images to God and in doing so they brought stupidity on themselves.
But it all starts with a) a heart that isn't bowed to God, and b) a belief in one's own understanding before God's sovereignty and goodness. And in the end, trusting in one's own understanding over God's leads to one having no understanding.
I'm convinced that this has become the case with much of Christianity...if it can even be called that in some circles. Jesus came to make peace between us and God, through uniting us with Himself in His death and resurrection, so that we'd be new creations who live in the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus, being conformed into His image ever more as time passes by (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 3:1-10). When He left His disciples He told them that they'd "be (His) witnesses to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8), meaning that the whole of their ministry will be to make much of Jesus and His person and work and glory. Truly, a Christian is one who, being bought by Christ's blood, and united with Christ's righteousness, wants with everything they have to bear His image and preach His glory.
And yet, why is it that there are so many Christians who will talk about "love" or "tolerance" or "self-esteem" or even God, but won't ever speak of the Jesus who bought them with His blood and is the only reason they HAVE God in the first place? Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through Him--notice He told the disciples they'd be HIS witnesses (meaning that in preaching Christ, they'll preach God's character--but they must be preaching Christ to do this; read the rest of Acts to see this in action, and try not to weep at the disparity between the Acts Church and the Church now).
It appears that today has many Christians in ministry (or Christians in general) who appear to operate from humanity first, tying God and His Word to what they say at the very end (as though God's Word answers to man), instead of operating from God's Word first. Why do Christians hate God's Word and not love Jesus either?
It's because they still "honor (Him) with their lips, but their hearts are far from (Him)". Jesus controversially applied this passage to pharisees in Mark 6, WAY after it was written. I wonder if He wouldn't go farther in applying it to many of us. My prayer is that I wouldn't be one of them. The glorious and risen Son Jesus Christ is all-sufficient, all-powerful, and holy. He deserves praise, worship, adoration, thanksgiving, and everything. He WILL get all of those for all time--may we be a part of the chorus who is singing it to Him today.
Where's your heart?
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Freed By the Truth
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:31-32
In a world where "truth" is becoming more and more abstract as time goes by, it is freeing itself to know that there is such a thing as truth, and that it's solid. To Jesus, whereas everyone is influenced by their surroundings, upbringing, thought processes, etc., there is such a thing as truth. It's a real thing that exists, is foundational, and is the standard by which all other understandings and thought will be (and already are) judged. Most people think they know 'the truth', but when they come across someone else who thinks differently than they, their defenses show that they understand how unstable their stance actually might be. Further, many people believe a certain thing, but when presented with an appropriate opposing argument ("appropriate" meaning 'strong enough to trump their original stance'), they'll change their mind easily. I recently was in a conversation with another Christian about the Bible's stance on a certain 'lifestyle', and when it came up that I believe the Bible clearly condemns said lifestyle, he got defensive and told me I needed to watch a Lifetime movie that changed his mind about the whole thing, in hopes that it would also change my mind. Apparently to him Hollywood understands humanity better than the God who created humanity.
But here Jesus tells us that there is such a thing as "truth", and that regardless of our leanings, biases, and influences, it exists.
And He tells us three more things about "the truth":
1. It's knowable.
2. It's realized by abiding in his word and being his disciple.
3. It's freeing.
1. First, it's knowable. This thing called "truth" can be known. To "know" something means to be so well acquainted with said thing, one can refer to it with a certain advanced level of intimacy. "I know the back of my hand" means that I see the back of my hand more than anyone else does, so I know it better than anyone else. I know it's texture, color, etc. well enough that if blindfolded and held down and asked "What's the back of your hand like?" I could easily give a sufficient answer. On the other hand, I've met a couple of famous people, but it would be unfair to say "I know them", because I've really only met them. Mat Kearney the singer (whom I've met a couple of times, for example) is only an acquaintance. I know the back of my hand.
Jesus says that those who follow him and abide in his word will know the truth. This is a major statement, especially in our world where it appears that truth, as mentioned earlier, is appearing to become a more and more abstract concept. Jesus is making an authoritative statement by saying that truth can certainly be known. Whereas some think they know it, others think the first group is wrong and that they themselves are right in their understanding of truth, and there are still others who think the first two groups are idiots because THEY know the truth and the others don't--in the midst of this, Jesus is saying THE truth is knowable.
So the obvious question is this: "How can we know what this truth...THE truth...is?"
2. It's realized by abiding in his word and being his disciple. As though it wasn't an authoritative enough statement for Jesus to say a) there IS a truth, and b) it IS knowable, this statement is even more authoritative. Jesus says you will know this truth by abiding in Him and being His disciple. What a promise! As in many other places, here Jesus is as cut-and-dry as can be. If you'd like to know the foundational truth that is back of and underneath all the universe and humanity and thought and logic, you must come to Jesus. John 1:1 calls Jesus 'the Word', which in Greek is 'logos' from which we derive english "logic". 'Logic' is defined by dictionary.com as "the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference", with another definition being "inexorable truth or persuasiveness". In essence, 'logic' can be summarized as bare understanding itself. Perhaps, the ability to think--thought itself. John tells us that this is Jesus. Since all things are created through Jesus (John 1:3, 1 Cor. 8:6, Col. 1:16, Heb. 1:2-3), He Himself is foundational not just to the material of creation, but to the thought and understanding present in creation. This is why He can say "I am the truth" (Jn. 14:6)--in essence, "without me, you're left up to yourself, your understanding, and your experience...and good luck with that!"
Jesus had also said, "Come and learn from me" (Matt. 11:29)--though He is the foundation for all things seen and unseen, he's invited all who would come, to come to him, with assurance that he's a teacher and a good teacher at that.
Learning from him who IS the truth, one learns the truth. But why would one want to?
3. It's freeing. As Bonhoeffer used to put it, "the truth" is much less an 'it' and much more a 'who'-->it's Jesus. And knowing Him--He who is the standard by which the world is judged (see Acts 17:31)--is the most freeing and liberating 'knowledge' there is. Notice there in John 8, later in the conversation after "the truth will set you free" Jesus says "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed".
How is it freeing to know Jesus who is the truth, as he teaches us and guides us into understanding truth in our world? There are many ways, but I'll just hit one for now: It's freeing to come to Jesus for the truth, because we know that we're starting in the right place. Whereas most worry and anxiety arises out of our outward circumstances appearing bigger than the unseen God we believe in, the claim that Jesus is preeminent and sovereign can shut up our worries and anxieties because, being united with him, we have nothing to fear. Our greatest fears are still underneath the banner of his Lordship, so whereas right now we are not completely free of worry, it's nice to know that He who is our Lord is also Lord over our situations--and this is the beginning of freedom. Whereas Christians hate their own sin and despise themselves for their constantly returning to it even though they really do love Jesus and strive for repentance (see Rom. 7:11-25), in Christ-the-Truth the Christian finds the kindness of pardon and forgiveness (see 1 John 2:1), the assurance that Jesus has already begun working on this sin to bring us to victory (John 8:36, Heb. 9:13-14), and the power to overcome it (Rom. 7:24, 8:9-11)--(and truly our hate for our sin comes from our being united with Christ in the first place, as well). Perhaps the greatest of all is the freedom in knowing that even though the world (and sometimes, the Church) compromises so much that it appears there is no standard anymore whatsoever by which to work from and infer that which is right/wrong, true/false, good/evil, Jesus being the truth and THE standard lets us know that no matter what others will say or what direction the world will move in, He's the Logos that is foundational to our and their very existence. And it is He who claims us as His own.
As Paul rightly said, "The natural person can not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). What we are claiming to believe about Jesus is completely unacceptable to those who judge without God Himself as the starting point. But if we begin with God--the Holy God of the Bible--we realize how insignificant we are and yet how great our sin is. And this humbles us by putting the greatest fear there is, IN us. But then we hear the invitation from Jesus who claims to be THE Truth, "Come and learn from me." And as we learn from him we learn that we MUST be taken into one-ness with He and His Father, and we gladly accept the gift of adoption that is in him, because we can honestly say "What other choice do I have? Who else am I going to trust in? Mankind, government, sports, MYSELF? What else do I have but Christ who has availed Himself to me?" And coming to him finally, He who is truth, He who frees, He who loves, and He who is knowable, we can learn the truth, know the truth, and finally be free.
John 8:31-32
In a world where "truth" is becoming more and more abstract as time goes by, it is freeing itself to know that there is such a thing as truth, and that it's solid. To Jesus, whereas everyone is influenced by their surroundings, upbringing, thought processes, etc., there is such a thing as truth. It's a real thing that exists, is foundational, and is the standard by which all other understandings and thought will be (and already are) judged. Most people think they know 'the truth', but when they come across someone else who thinks differently than they, their defenses show that they understand how unstable their stance actually might be. Further, many people believe a certain thing, but when presented with an appropriate opposing argument ("appropriate" meaning 'strong enough to trump their original stance'), they'll change their mind easily. I recently was in a conversation with another Christian about the Bible's stance on a certain 'lifestyle', and when it came up that I believe the Bible clearly condemns said lifestyle, he got defensive and told me I needed to watch a Lifetime movie that changed his mind about the whole thing, in hopes that it would also change my mind. Apparently to him Hollywood understands humanity better than the God who created humanity.
But here Jesus tells us that there is such a thing as "truth", and that regardless of our leanings, biases, and influences, it exists.
And He tells us three more things about "the truth":
1. It's knowable.
2. It's realized by abiding in his word and being his disciple.
3. It's freeing.
1. First, it's knowable. This thing called "truth" can be known. To "know" something means to be so well acquainted with said thing, one can refer to it with a certain advanced level of intimacy. "I know the back of my hand" means that I see the back of my hand more than anyone else does, so I know it better than anyone else. I know it's texture, color, etc. well enough that if blindfolded and held down and asked "What's the back of your hand like?" I could easily give a sufficient answer. On the other hand, I've met a couple of famous people, but it would be unfair to say "I know them", because I've really only met them. Mat Kearney the singer (whom I've met a couple of times, for example) is only an acquaintance. I know the back of my hand.
Jesus says that those who follow him and abide in his word will know the truth. This is a major statement, especially in our world where it appears that truth, as mentioned earlier, is appearing to become a more and more abstract concept. Jesus is making an authoritative statement by saying that truth can certainly be known. Whereas some think they know it, others think the first group is wrong and that they themselves are right in their understanding of truth, and there are still others who think the first two groups are idiots because THEY know the truth and the others don't--in the midst of this, Jesus is saying THE truth is knowable.
So the obvious question is this: "How can we know what this truth...THE truth...is?"
2. It's realized by abiding in his word and being his disciple. As though it wasn't an authoritative enough statement for Jesus to say a) there IS a truth, and b) it IS knowable, this statement is even more authoritative. Jesus says you will know this truth by abiding in Him and being His disciple. What a promise! As in many other places, here Jesus is as cut-and-dry as can be. If you'd like to know the foundational truth that is back of and underneath all the universe and humanity and thought and logic, you must come to Jesus. John 1:1 calls Jesus 'the Word', which in Greek is 'logos' from which we derive english "logic". 'Logic' is defined by dictionary.com as "the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference", with another definition being "inexorable truth or persuasiveness". In essence, 'logic' can be summarized as bare understanding itself. Perhaps, the ability to think--thought itself. John tells us that this is Jesus. Since all things are created through Jesus (John 1:3, 1 Cor. 8:6, Col. 1:16, Heb. 1:2-3), He Himself is foundational not just to the material of creation, but to the thought and understanding present in creation. This is why He can say "I am the truth" (Jn. 14:6)--in essence, "without me, you're left up to yourself, your understanding, and your experience...and good luck with that!"
Jesus had also said, "Come and learn from me" (Matt. 11:29)--though He is the foundation for all things seen and unseen, he's invited all who would come, to come to him, with assurance that he's a teacher and a good teacher at that.
Learning from him who IS the truth, one learns the truth. But why would one want to?
3. It's freeing. As Bonhoeffer used to put it, "the truth" is much less an 'it' and much more a 'who'-->it's Jesus. And knowing Him--He who is the standard by which the world is judged (see Acts 17:31)--is the most freeing and liberating 'knowledge' there is. Notice there in John 8, later in the conversation after "the truth will set you free" Jesus says "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed".
How is it freeing to know Jesus who is the truth, as he teaches us and guides us into understanding truth in our world? There are many ways, but I'll just hit one for now: It's freeing to come to Jesus for the truth, because we know that we're starting in the right place. Whereas most worry and anxiety arises out of our outward circumstances appearing bigger than the unseen God we believe in, the claim that Jesus is preeminent and sovereign can shut up our worries and anxieties because, being united with him, we have nothing to fear. Our greatest fears are still underneath the banner of his Lordship, so whereas right now we are not completely free of worry, it's nice to know that He who is our Lord is also Lord over our situations--and this is the beginning of freedom. Whereas Christians hate their own sin and despise themselves for their constantly returning to it even though they really do love Jesus and strive for repentance (see Rom. 7:11-25), in Christ-the-Truth the Christian finds the kindness of pardon and forgiveness (see 1 John 2:1), the assurance that Jesus has already begun working on this sin to bring us to victory (John 8:36, Heb. 9:13-14), and the power to overcome it (Rom. 7:24, 8:9-11)--(and truly our hate for our sin comes from our being united with Christ in the first place, as well). Perhaps the greatest of all is the freedom in knowing that even though the world (and sometimes, the Church) compromises so much that it appears there is no standard anymore whatsoever by which to work from and infer that which is right/wrong, true/false, good/evil, Jesus being the truth and THE standard lets us know that no matter what others will say or what direction the world will move in, He's the Logos that is foundational to our and their very existence. And it is He who claims us as His own.
As Paul rightly said, "The natural person can not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). What we are claiming to believe about Jesus is completely unacceptable to those who judge without God Himself as the starting point. But if we begin with God--the Holy God of the Bible--we realize how insignificant we are and yet how great our sin is. And this humbles us by putting the greatest fear there is, IN us. But then we hear the invitation from Jesus who claims to be THE Truth, "Come and learn from me." And as we learn from him we learn that we MUST be taken into one-ness with He and His Father, and we gladly accept the gift of adoption that is in him, because we can honestly say "What other choice do I have? Who else am I going to trust in? Mankind, government, sports, MYSELF? What else do I have but Christ who has availed Himself to me?" And coming to him finally, He who is truth, He who frees, He who loves, and He who is knowable, we can learn the truth, know the truth, and finally be free.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The Bread of Life
"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:35-40
From the beginning of time, God has been transcendent over everything else. When it was dark, his words were more powerful than the darkness, and when he commanded light to shine forth, it happened. When there was increasing evil on the earth, he was powerful enough to send enough water down to flood the earth and bring the destruction he meant to. When he told Moses to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery and follow him to where he would take them, he was powerful enough to defy physics and gravity and make water stand on end. Before this, he was powerful enough to "harden Pharaoh's heart", and make him hard-hearted enough to refuse Moses' request so that God would show His glory over even humanity's arrogance and pride (and regardless of what you may say, God does harden Pharaoh's heart, and we're living in a fantasy world if we attempt to refuse this). He's powerful enough to rain down food from heaven when Israel is in the wilderness, along with water from a rock. We could continue on with all that the Bible tells us about God's power over his creation.
But in the Prophets, God begins to speak of a new display of power that he will perform--in this display He will "put (his) law within them and write it on their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33) and He will "put the fear of (him) in their hearts, that they may not turn from (him)" (32:40). He also says He will "remove (hearts) of stone and give (hearts) of flesh...and will put (his) Spirit within you and cause you to obey (his) rules" (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Whereas since the beginning all of God's works...even the ones involving people...have been outward, this new work is going to be inward. In this work, He will change people's hearts...even going so far as to say that He will cause them to obey Him. In this work, He will bind up people's wills by making them realize "what other option do I have, and why would I want to go down that road?"
And this is exactly what Jesus is referring to in John 6. Jesus says that whereas before, when all of God's provisions have been outward (ie. providing bread from heaven to feed people's stomachs), Jesus has come down from heaven to be the Bread which will change people's hearts. In 6:29-33, He's speaking of His importance, and the people doubt and question, reminding Him that Moses gave Israel bread in the wilderness proving why they should trust him. To this, in 32-33, Jesus tells them, "It was not Moses who gave you bread...but my Father...for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
Did you get that? Jesus said not only that God's bread is a He, but that this bread gives life. He is different (and better) than an it (which is what physical bread would be), and life is different (and better) than a full stomach.
Of course, this is a tough teaching, especially for people (like them, and us) who have been so stupefied over the years by the thought that our physical (and more recently, emotional) needs are the only needs we have, and if those are met, we're satisfied. These are scraps off the table, but we're satisfied with them.
But Jesus is saying that there's more. To Jesus, man is meant to live, and this life will only be given by partaking in the "bread which comes down from heaven"--this bread that is a He. And the bread is Christ Himself. Any who turn to receive this bread are promised to "never hunger...and never thirst". What a wonderful promise!
And yet, Jesus takes it a step further--a step into more uncomfortable territory (at least for us). He says "All that the Father has given me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out". Jesus is saying that whereas in the wilderness wanderings the purpose of the bread coming from heaven was to feed man, now, with this Bread, the purpose of the Bread coming down is for man to come to Him. The focus isn't man--the focus is the Bread. It's not about man--it's about the Bread.
This is because of what God earlier spoke in the Prophets--He said that He will change people's hearts and that He will save many by putting His own Spirit inside of them. Jesus later on (three chapters prior to the Bread discourse) told a religious leader "Unless one is born of...the Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (3:5), and then a little after the Bread discourse He said "It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is no help at all" (6:63). What is the point? The point is that the Sovereign and Holy and Transcendent God of all things is going to save people by changing people by His powerful Spirit. And He'll do this by a) drawing them to His Son the Bread, and b) feeding them with His Son the Bread. This means that regardless of (and in spite of) these people's wanderings and mistakes and sins, those who have truly fed on Christ Jesus who is the Bread, will be changed, and will continually be changed until God takes them home.
This is why Jesus said, "This is the will of my Father, that I should lose nothing of all that He's given me...that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" (6:39-40). To Jesus and His Father, this salvation is one that will be secure, if it's a true salvation. This is why He calls the person's new life eternal, because it IS eternal, and won't end.
Of course, we all will throw up red flags and say "Oh no, I've known many who have come to Jesus and have fallen away!" and truly we all have people in our lives who appear to have been on the right track and have went off the track, and it breaks our hearts because we love them.
But according to Jesus, those who have truly come to Him and partaken of Him the Bread will continue to come to Him and partake of Him. "I will never cast them out." He later says, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of his hand" (10:27-29). True sheep hear Jesus' voice and come to Him, feed off of Him, love Him, and continue to love Him. Again Jesus says that they have "eternal life", and says that their remaining Christians is because of the fact that His Father, "who's given them to me", is 'greater than all'.**
This is the whole nature of being united with Christ--later on Paul said that God, "rich in mercy...even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...and raised us with (Him) and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6). To Paul, God did this, just like the Prophets said He would.
So we're back to the beginning of this blog: the God who is transcendent over all things. If He really is (which we'd almost all agree He is), wouldn't it stand to reason that He could transform someone's heart and make them into a faithful disciple? It appeared in the Prophets that He said He could, and Jesus testified to this by saying that this Bread that they eat from will give them eternal life...couldn't God do it?
I'll leave you with that question. It's not that man is not responsible to repent and live a life of obedience (Paul speaks pretty clearly to that in Romans 6-8)--it's just that if this does happen, it's because Jesus the Bread of Life is empowering this and causing obedience like God said He would.
Look at yourself...with all of your unfaith and unbelief and unrepentant sin and pride and self-righteousness, has the God of grace continually and patiently worked on your heart and not given up on you? Do YOU feel like you could walk away? "Yes I could, but I don't want to, and I won't," is the typical response. And you're right--you won't. But why won't you? It's because you've partaken of the Bread, and you know that He's good. You've been changed, and you've seen His power in your life (truly, His power has given you life). So why not accept Jesus' words for what He says and accept that He's the author of salvation and will continue to shepherd you and any who come to Him like only the Good Shepherd can?
Couldn't God do it?
**"No one will snatch them out of my hand" is usually responded to with "But someone could jump out of His hand!" But this isn't a well-thought out retort--when Jesus said "no one", doesn't that mean the sheep themselves, too? Otherwise, Jesus would have said, "No one can snatch them out...accept for they them self". But He didn't say that.
John 6:35-40
From the beginning of time, God has been transcendent over everything else. When it was dark, his words were more powerful than the darkness, and when he commanded light to shine forth, it happened. When there was increasing evil on the earth, he was powerful enough to send enough water down to flood the earth and bring the destruction he meant to. When he told Moses to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery and follow him to where he would take them, he was powerful enough to defy physics and gravity and make water stand on end. Before this, he was powerful enough to "harden Pharaoh's heart", and make him hard-hearted enough to refuse Moses' request so that God would show His glory over even humanity's arrogance and pride (and regardless of what you may say, God does harden Pharaoh's heart, and we're living in a fantasy world if we attempt to refuse this). He's powerful enough to rain down food from heaven when Israel is in the wilderness, along with water from a rock. We could continue on with all that the Bible tells us about God's power over his creation.
But in the Prophets, God begins to speak of a new display of power that he will perform--in this display He will "put (his) law within them and write it on their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33) and He will "put the fear of (him) in their hearts, that they may not turn from (him)" (32:40). He also says He will "remove (hearts) of stone and give (hearts) of flesh...and will put (his) Spirit within you and cause you to obey (his) rules" (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Whereas since the beginning all of God's works...even the ones involving people...have been outward, this new work is going to be inward. In this work, He will change people's hearts...even going so far as to say that He will cause them to obey Him. In this work, He will bind up people's wills by making them realize "what other option do I have, and why would I want to go down that road?"
And this is exactly what Jesus is referring to in John 6. Jesus says that whereas before, when all of God's provisions have been outward (ie. providing bread from heaven to feed people's stomachs), Jesus has come down from heaven to be the Bread which will change people's hearts. In 6:29-33, He's speaking of His importance, and the people doubt and question, reminding Him that Moses gave Israel bread in the wilderness proving why they should trust him. To this, in 32-33, Jesus tells them, "It was not Moses who gave you bread...but my Father...for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
Did you get that? Jesus said not only that God's bread is a He, but that this bread gives life. He is different (and better) than an it (which is what physical bread would be), and life is different (and better) than a full stomach.
Of course, this is a tough teaching, especially for people (like them, and us) who have been so stupefied over the years by the thought that our physical (and more recently, emotional) needs are the only needs we have, and if those are met, we're satisfied. These are scraps off the table, but we're satisfied with them.
But Jesus is saying that there's more. To Jesus, man is meant to live, and this life will only be given by partaking in the "bread which comes down from heaven"--this bread that is a He. And the bread is Christ Himself. Any who turn to receive this bread are promised to "never hunger...and never thirst". What a wonderful promise!
And yet, Jesus takes it a step further--a step into more uncomfortable territory (at least for us). He says "All that the Father has given me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out". Jesus is saying that whereas in the wilderness wanderings the purpose of the bread coming from heaven was to feed man, now, with this Bread, the purpose of the Bread coming down is for man to come to Him. The focus isn't man--the focus is the Bread. It's not about man--it's about the Bread.
This is because of what God earlier spoke in the Prophets--He said that He will change people's hearts and that He will save many by putting His own Spirit inside of them. Jesus later on (three chapters prior to the Bread discourse) told a religious leader "Unless one is born of...the Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (3:5), and then a little after the Bread discourse He said "It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is no help at all" (6:63). What is the point? The point is that the Sovereign and Holy and Transcendent God of all things is going to save people by changing people by His powerful Spirit. And He'll do this by a) drawing them to His Son the Bread, and b) feeding them with His Son the Bread. This means that regardless of (and in spite of) these people's wanderings and mistakes and sins, those who have truly fed on Christ Jesus who is the Bread, will be changed, and will continually be changed until God takes them home.
This is why Jesus said, "This is the will of my Father, that I should lose nothing of all that He's given me...that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" (6:39-40). To Jesus and His Father, this salvation is one that will be secure, if it's a true salvation. This is why He calls the person's new life eternal, because it IS eternal, and won't end.
Of course, we all will throw up red flags and say "Oh no, I've known many who have come to Jesus and have fallen away!" and truly we all have people in our lives who appear to have been on the right track and have went off the track, and it breaks our hearts because we love them.
But according to Jesus, those who have truly come to Him and partaken of Him the Bread will continue to come to Him and partake of Him. "I will never cast them out." He later says, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of his hand" (10:27-29). True sheep hear Jesus' voice and come to Him, feed off of Him, love Him, and continue to love Him. Again Jesus says that they have "eternal life", and says that their remaining Christians is because of the fact that His Father, "who's given them to me", is 'greater than all'.**
This is the whole nature of being united with Christ--later on Paul said that God, "rich in mercy...even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...and raised us with (Him) and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6). To Paul, God did this, just like the Prophets said He would.
So we're back to the beginning of this blog: the God who is transcendent over all things. If He really is (which we'd almost all agree He is), wouldn't it stand to reason that He could transform someone's heart and make them into a faithful disciple? It appeared in the Prophets that He said He could, and Jesus testified to this by saying that this Bread that they eat from will give them eternal life...couldn't God do it?
I'll leave you with that question. It's not that man is not responsible to repent and live a life of obedience (Paul speaks pretty clearly to that in Romans 6-8)--it's just that if this does happen, it's because Jesus the Bread of Life is empowering this and causing obedience like God said He would.
Look at yourself...with all of your unfaith and unbelief and unrepentant sin and pride and self-righteousness, has the God of grace continually and patiently worked on your heart and not given up on you? Do YOU feel like you could walk away? "Yes I could, but I don't want to, and I won't," is the typical response. And you're right--you won't. But why won't you? It's because you've partaken of the Bread, and you know that He's good. You've been changed, and you've seen His power in your life (truly, His power has given you life). So why not accept Jesus' words for what He says and accept that He's the author of salvation and will continue to shepherd you and any who come to Him like only the Good Shepherd can?
Couldn't God do it?
**"No one will snatch them out of my hand" is usually responded to with "But someone could jump out of His hand!" But this isn't a well-thought out retort--when Jesus said "no one", doesn't that mean the sheep themselves, too? Otherwise, Jesus would have said, "No one can snatch them out...accept for they them self". But He didn't say that.
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