Reflections in The WORD

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One Bible = One Belief: The Dilemma of Biblical Authenticity

The authenticity of The Bible has come under increasing criticism in the last 150 years from a plurality of sources. However, that is largely to be expected. As the Bible itself explains, it is impossible for the unsaved person who (by definition) is uninhabited by the Spirit of God to understand the things of God:

“Now we have received… the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God… But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:12, 14

Therefore, criticism from such sources is hardly offensive.

What is more disturbing, however, is the number of people who identify themselves as Believers/Christians yet similarly cast doubt on the Bible as representing the pure and unadulterated, complete and unabridged truth of God. Can the Bible, for a Believer, be anything less than completely authentic?

The Basics of Biblical Authenticity

To explore the notion of the authenticity of Scripture, let us consider what The Bible is and what The Bible says about itself.

SOURCE of Scripture

First, let us examine its source

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16a

If ALL scripture is God-inspired then which parts did a perfect God get wrong? Clearly, if God is perfect then the Scripture He authored must be perfect too. Nevertheless, some will say, “Man has corrupted the Scripture.” Certainly, mankind has tried to corrupt the scripture and has had some illusory success. However, if the Scripture points the way to God, we must believe that God Himself will preserve it; that, despite mankind’s greatest effort, the omnipotent God will uphold His Holy Word. For we know that:

“…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” ~ Romans 10:17

If God does not safeguard His Word, what hope can we have of coming to Him in faith to receive salvation? What would be the point of Jesus’ redemptive death on the cross? Moreover, what is the identity of the God whom we would seek? Surely, we would not be able to find Him through a flawed imperfect scripture. Even more appalling, each person would have to define God for himself because there is no reliable standard. Is my ‘god’ better than yours?

PURPOSE of Scripture

Second, let us examine how The Bible defines its purpose:

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Doctrine is fundamental truths about God, reproof is the act of verifying our actions against God’s truth, correction is the act of replacing the false in our heart with God’s truth and righteousness is the condition of living/walking in God’s truth. In other words, ALL Scripture tells us the truth; it shows us the difference between the truth and the false; it enables us to replace the false in our lives/thinking with the truth; and it teaches us to walk/live in the truth. In short, ALL Scripture is all about the truth ALL-ways and therefore must its self be true.

Now the determined naysayer may question the legitimacy of the Scripture claiming its own validity. Such antagonists demand independent verification. However, this is logically futile since an independent document would have to be of the same or higher qualitative standing as the Scripture. One cannot test the accuracy of a computer with an abacus; one cannot calibrate a micrometer with a yardstick.

Consequently, if there exists a document of comparative standing to the Bible then it must be the Bible. To wit, if there is a device exactly (no more and no less) as accurate as a micrometer then it is the equivalent to a micrometer.

Likewise, if there is a document superior in every way to the Bible, then it would be superfluous to validate the Bible; it would simply render the Bible obsolete. We don’t do our calculations on an abacus and then check the results with a computer. We simply use the computer to do our calculations.

Accordingly, before questioning whether ALL Scripture is true ALL-ways one must answer the question:

“Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” ~ James 3:11

With the only reasonable answer being “No”, one must conclude the Scripture to be ALL true or ALL false.

VALUE of Scripture

Third, let us examine what Scripture says about its value/status.

“The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. …I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” (Psalm 119:72, 127b)

“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” ~ Psalm 138:2

God holds His Word in a much higher status than His Name! There are various names for God in Scripture (Elohim, Jehovah, etc.). But it is Scripture itself that explains the meaning of those names. In other words, Scripture gives us both the richest and the most accurate description of God. Names do give identity, but to really understand someone we have to know more than just their name. It is not sufficient just to call on His Name; we must also get to know His character. And that character is uniquely defined in His Word.

The Crisis of Biblical Authenticity

If the Scripture is authentic, indispensable and invaluable, why does it come under unrelenting attack? To answer this question, let us explore three crises that face us when we confront the implications of the authenticity of Scripture: Conformation, Consequences, and Comprehension.

The Crisis of CONFORMATION

One problem with an authentic Scripture is that it demands our conformation. Scripture defines good and evil and demands that we choose the former and reject the latter. On issues/subjects that matter, Scripture delineates a single path for us to follow. However, because of a desire to have things our way, we are tempted to ignore inconvenient parts of Scripture. To justify this, of course, requires that we deny and decry the validity of the parts we don’t like. So we try to make Scripture conform to our lives, instead of conforming our lives to Scripture. This has been true since the time of the prophets: e.g., (Jeremiah 7:1-34) the Israelites ignored the Scriptures that warned them of impending punishment for their rejection of God, and only focused on the parts that told them of God’s abiding love/protection (because of the presence of His temple).

Consider the following conversation Jesus had with His disciples:

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
And they said, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”
He saith unto them, “But whom say ye that I am?”
And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 16:13-17

“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4)

People had various ideas about Jesus’ identity and His ministry. Some thought (ostensibly due to mistaken identity) Jesus was John the Baptist: here to teach them about true righteousness. Some thought he was Elias (Elijah) whose return had been prophesied (Malachi 4:5): here to work great miracles. Yet others thought he was Jeremias (Jeremiah): here to prophecy of things to come. Jesus’ did teach, prophesy and work miracles. But He was far more than a teacher, prophet, or a miracle worker. He was The Christ: The Messiah! He came to bring salvation through His death and fellowship (with God) though His resurrection.

If the people could hold on to their preferred definitions of Jesus, then they could ignore His true purpose and the life changing challenge that He presented. If Jesus was just a teacher, then scholarly communication was all that was required. If Jesus was just miracle worker, then they just needed to bring him their sick/problems. If Jesus was just a prophet, they only needed to heed his warnings of impending doom. But, if Jesus was Messiah they had to yield to Him every facet of their very lives. Their concepts, their values, their goals, their aspirations would no longer be their own to shape; they would now have to conform to Him.

Regardless of our noble thoughts/definitions of Jesus only one definition of His identity is true: Messiah. All other definitions are, at best, only partial truths and therefore, by definition, false. Moreover, the true identity of Jesus was/is not obtained from human deliberation; it was/is given by divine revelation (vs. 17). Therefore, it does not matter who we think Jesus is. What matters is who God says Jesus is in His divinely inspired authentic Word.

In short, Jesus does not conform to our notions/ideas. Rather, we must conform our notions/ideas to who Jesus really is. Moreover, by extension, we don’t define who God is and what a ‘reasonable’ God does. Instead, we learn from God’s Word who He is and how He reigns over the universe in justice and righteousness. We must conform our philosophy to God’s directives, as they are described in His Word.

Crucially, this is the basis on which the Kingdom of God is built and the source of power for all believer’s:

And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ~ Matthew 16:17-19

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm 18:2)

The kingdom of heaven is founded on the revealed truth of God accepted through the faith of an individual: that forms the basis of the church (Ephesians 2:8-9) and it empowers the church to perform the work of God here on earth (Ephesians 2:10).

If we don’t accept God’s revealed truth by faith, if we hang on to our own notions/ideas of who God/Jesus is, then the church falls apart for lack of a foundation and the remnants of the church as we (not God) choose to define it is powerless, ineffectual in changing the fabric and outcome of the society it inhabits.

The crisis of conformation is that we must either conform our ideas to the Scripture or conform the Scripture to our ideas. If we accept the divinely inspired truth in God’s authentic Word, it means that our lives have to change. But, if we can define which parts of Scripture are true and which parts are tainted by historical bias, then we can have the scripture that suits us.

Therefore, when Scripture says, e.g., homosexuality is wrong (Genesis 19:1-25, Romans 1:16-32); we say that was just historical context. We pretend that God is ONLY love (two references in scripture) and choose to rationalize and/or dispensationalize all Biblical evidence that God is JUST; that God is HOLY; that God is set apart from sin (as He defines it) and will punish the guilty.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” ~ 2 Timothy 4:3-4

The Crisis of CONSEQUENCES

Another problem with having an authentic Scripture is that it outlines consequences. Authentic Scripture defines absolute truths AND absolute consequences to ignoring those truths.

“…Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27)

“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth… And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD… For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed… If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good… Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.” ~ Joshua 24: 14-23

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” ~ Revelation 21:7-8

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” ~ Revelation 22:14-15

God defines righteousness and salvation and describes their consequences. Similarly, God defines unrighteousness and sinfulness and describes their consequences. The crisis of consequences is that they (the consequences) cannot be ignored if Scripture is authentic. If Scripture is true, then there is a price to pay for ignoring its teachings. Therefore, the only way to continue on our own autonomous path through life is by presuming that Scripture has somehow misstated the consequences. “How can a loving God send someone to hell?” Because God doesn’t just love, God also judges.

Because the consequences in an authentic Scripture are inconvenient and unpleasant, it is preferable for many to ignore its authenticity instead.

The Crisis of COMPREHENSION

Yet another problem with a divinely-inspired, authentic Scripture is that it is difficult to fully understand.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55:9

There are many difficult concepts that believers have wrestled mightily with almost from Jesus’ resurrection. For example: Predestination vs. free will; eternal security vs. temporal insecurity of salvation; the gifts of the Spirit; the Rapture; the millennial rule of Jesus Christ; the identity of the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation, etc. The crisis of comprehension is whether to accept by faith what is difficult to understand or to discard those things that elude our understanding. Shall we choose faith in God or strength of (human) logic?

It is hard to understand why God permits such dreadful suffering in this world, especially when that suffering is “close to home”. Does that mean the Scripture is false when it tells us that God loves us? We should never forget that God calls us to faith in Him, not to logic. He tells us to trust in Him, not in our understanding.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-7

Newton’s laws of motion are not wrong because we don’t understand them. And they don’t suddenly become true when we do understand them. Likewise, the truth of Scripture does not depend on our ability to comprehend it; it depends solely on the Omniscience of God.

Salvation and Biblical Authenticity

The purpose of Scripture is first to bring us to faith in God, which then enables us to receive salvation through the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). The second purpose of Scripture is to enable us to know God, which empowers us to serve Him by accomplishing the work He preordained for us to do (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 3:8-11). Central to both these functions, is the identity of God. All of Scripture works in harmony to present the true and complete identity of God. If we selectively remove certain parts of Scripture (because we deem them to be irrelevant or in some way inaccurate), then we distort the identity of God. Consequently, one must ask: “Which God do you have faith in?” A god that conforms to our desired image is not god at all. Such a god is merely the figment of our Sophistri-cation.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5)

Moreover, salvation requires faith in the true God: the God described by the Authentic Scripture: The Bible. If we do not believe in the God of the Scripture, then we are not saved by the God of the Scripture. Every god defines his/her/its own terms of salvation.

The God of the pure unabridged Scriptures defines His terms too. If we do not like His salvation plan, we are free to construct our own god from the parts of the scripture we find convenient to our lifestyle and philosophy. But, make no mistake, that god is NOT the God of the Bible.

And the Heaven described by the Bible is reserved for those who believe in the God of the Bible. But, the Hell described in the Bible is available for those who reject the God of the Bible: whether they believe in it or not.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" ~Romans 3:23

Sin Doesn’t Come in Sizes

Published by reflectionsintheword

Recently someone asked (paraphrase): “I’ve been praying to God for help to overcome my addiction. Why hasn’t He helped me to do it?”

This question is not uncommon and reveals some problems with the way that we think about sin and how God works in our lives to enable us to overcome the power of sin. To better understand this, it is useful to first define what an addiction is. An addiction is any action/practice or sequence of actions/practices that is repeated enough that a permanent (but not necessarily irreversible) change in the brain architecture of the addicted occurs in order to perpetuate the action/practice. Addictions can range from thumb-sucking to drug-abuse, from workaholic-ism to pornography.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” ~Romans 3:23

Generally, addictions are only overcome when a new agent hierarchically replaces the importance of the addiction in the mind of the addict: when a competing structure develops. Even when this happens, the neuron-network associated with the addiction does not disappear immediately: it takes time for the brain to gradually reorganizes its structure. Hence, the likelihood of relapse is an ever-present danger for many. The key to overcoming addictions and potential relapses is the strength and constancy of the new agent neural-network.

As long as the neuronal pathways of the new agent fire more strongly and consistently than that of the addiction, then the addict is in a good position to overcome his/her addiction. For example, kids usually stop sucking their thumbs when social pressures related to the habit and to the resulting orthodontic damage supersede any comfort they got from it. Likewise, some drug abusers are “scared straight” by the fear of dying from the drug use. Fear of death overrides the neural-network of the addiction, thereby allowing them to quit.

It is true that more people are addicted to various actions than they might realize. This unawareness arises because people mostly only consider socially unacceptable habits as addictions. More important, however, is to realize that ALL addictions are sins, because they are, by definition, the antithesis of self-control and the Christian is commanded to bring his/her entire body under the control of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

The essential difference between addictions and “regular” sins, is that addictions are sins that have become “hardwired” in the brain with an associated reward (usually dopamine) to reinforce the behavior. But, as will be argued below, the cure for addictions and non-addiction sins is the same: Love for God must grow in us (in our minds) until it is preeminent. That love for God will then overwhelm the addiction network as well as all other desires to sin.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” ~James 1:14-15

That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days… ~Deuteronomy 30:20a

Finally, we must avoid conflating salvation with the absence of addiction. Only God determines who is saved (addiction or not). Moreover, the Scripture makes it clear that sinlessness is neither a prerequisite for salvation nor sanctification. That means some Believers might be in bondage to unsavory addictions. However, while we should always clearly and unequivocally declare addictions (unsavory or not) as sin. We cannot refute the work of God in the addicted. Some of us have further to go than others. And, the person addicted to food should never look down on the person addicted to drugs. Indeed, both are listed together as heading for the same end:

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. ~Proverbs 23:21

Let us, therefore, examine the Proper Perspective for sin, the Prescribed Procedure to overcome sin and God’s Precious Promise to never give up on us.

THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE

First, the question (above) suggests that the addiction is a bigger sin than the other sins that we (including the questioner also) all struggle with. Certainly, if God took addictions from all of our lives it is unlikely that any of us (including the questioner) would be perfect. More pointedly, eliminating addictions of any sort, does not guarantee that we will draw closer to God’s and walk in obedience.

The problem here is the perception that some sins, such as addictions, are worse than others. This notion implies that if I get rid of some “bad”, really “ugly” sins then I will be a better person; even though the “not-so-bad”, “not-so-ugly” sins remain. But, that is not God’s calculus. Romans 14:23b tells us that sin is anything that is not done in a faith response to God.

…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. ~Romans 14:23b

And, Romans 6:23a tells us that all sin has the same punishment.

For the wages of sin is death… ~Romans 6:23a

So, we must deduce that ALL sins are equally offensive to God.

Therefore, God’s ultimate purpose is not to excise the “uglier” sins (such as addictions) while the “not-so-ugly” sins remain. His purpose is to enable us to overcome ALL sin. And to accomplish this, Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we should offer ourselves to God and allow Him to transform us, by the renewing of our minds. Only then will we know His will and have the power to walk in it: the power to overcome ALL sin!

“All unrighteousness is sin…” 1 John 5:17a

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ~Romans 12:1-2

Accordingly, God focuses on the state of our ‘minds’, i.e., our mindset, rather than any specific sin. God intends to change our entire attitude to sin, so that we will choose His way instead of going our own way.

God sent The Holy Spirit to indwell our lives in order to change the way we think about life: to replace our values with God’s values. Therefore, we must constantly ask ourselves: “Am I beginning to look at life through God’s eyes?”; “Do I delight in the things that please God?”

If I overcome an addiction but my mindset is unchanged then I have not benefitted, because sins (even if they don’t look as “ugly” as an addiction) are still rampant in my life. On the other hand, as God transforms our minds, all the sin-strongholds in our lives are likewise weakened.

To be clear, God is NOT ‘comfortable’ with an addiction or any other sin: God hates sin! And that’s why His purpose is to overcome ALL sin, in your life and in my life.

THE PRESCRIBED PROCEDURE

Overcoming sin, even addictions, does not occur magically. Moreover, God never forces us to obey Him; He gave us free will. However, God will always lead us to a point where we choose to change.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. ~Psalm 51:1-4

However, we Christians often want God to override our wills. We want God to take away enough of our freedom of choice so that decisions are “easier” to make. We want, somehow, not to have to make the decision not to sin: we want God to make that decision for us, to have Him force His will on us.

“…my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.” ~Psalm 69:13

In other words, we want God to treat the symptoms instead of the disease. The disease is a heart (mind) that is not completely yielded to God. And sins, all types of sins, are the symptoms. As a good doctor would, God intends to treat the disease so that the symptoms will end. God will not remove our sins and leave behind un-yielded hearts. Indeed, it’s our heart that He is after.

Thus, we should stop our preoccupation with ‘ugly’ sins (like certain addictions) and instead seek to draw ever closer to God to enable our ‘mental’ transformation to accelerate. To that end God has given us these keys for success:

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. ~Psalm 119:11

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. ~Proverbs 16:6

First, it is the word of God (the truth of God) in our hearts that washes sin out of our lives. As we study, memorize and meditate on His word, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it renews our mind. As we orient our lives according to the Scripture, as we base our lives on His commands, we are able to overcome sin, because we are walking in daily fellowship with our God.

Second, we must accept His mercy. Accepting God’s mercy is not being presumptuous. Presumptuousness arises when we demand/expect God to sanction our plans; when we tell God what to do. To accept God’s mercy is to acknowledge our inadequacy. It is to realize that our transformation, from a self-focused mindset to a God-focused mindset, is slow and sometimes painful BECAUSE of our weakness.

It is the combination of God’s mercy, as He patiently works with us, and His Word, as it transforms our mindset, which ultimately breaks the power of sin over our lives.
Therefore, we do not draw back or hide from God when we fall into any sin; neither the ‘ugly’ ones, nor the not so ‘ugly’ ones. God instructs us to confess our sins, not hide from Him (like Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:8). He then MERCIFULLY promises to forgive us (1 John 1:9) and continue the transformation process in us (Philippians 1:6).

“…This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 3:13-14

We must never allow the devil to separate us from God. The closer we draw to our Father, the faster our transformation and the sooner our victory over all forms of sin, even the uglier-looking ones!!! We should take courage, continue to walk with God and continue to allow Him to change us. We must journey deep into God’s word and fellowship with Him, even when we are discouraged.

THE PRECIOUS PROMISE

Finally, let us always remember

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. ~Philippians 1:6

If God has started the transformation process in us, He won’t stop working (even if He has to use trials to get it done).

God won’t quit on you… so don’t quit on yourself!!!

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Reflections-in-the-WORD would like to thank INSPIKS for inspiration and for insightful comments on this topic.

We are Saved so that we can Love God and Love Each Other

Published by reflectionsintheword

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” ~ 1 Peter 4:8

Our verse declares that love/charity for each other, love in the church, the Body of Christ, is “above all things”. To be clear, this is not the fickle feeling that the world calls love. Our text is referring to God’s love.

God’s love, is sometimes called by its Greek analog, agape, or, in older Bible translations, charity. By definition, it is only active where God is active. And it is only available from God or through the children of God.

Moreover, this is the love that pleases God. It is the love to which all mankind is called to deliver. And it is the love we give to God Himself.

Love and the Law

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:36-40

Jesus showed that love for God and for mankind are the ultimate, overarching, goals of The Mosaic Law. Love is the great commandment. Yet, the Mosaic Law could neither make us love God, nor love our neighbour. It could only show us that we didn’t. It could only show us our depravity.

We need more than the Law.

The Law required that Jewish males be circumcised to show they belonged to God. But much more than circumcision of a body part, we need circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 30:6). The law could give an outward sign, a mark to identify God’s people. But it couldn’t produce an inward reality to match the outward sign.

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed,
to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Deuteronomy 30:6

As we are, we just don’t have the heart, the mindset, to love God and to love mankind. To love we need a new heart and we need God working within that heart.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes,
and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:26-27

heart-shaped hole carved into wooden fence

Love and Salvation

Salvation solves our inability to love God, because it addresses both needs. As described in Ezekiel 36:26-27, God will give us the heart we need and His Spirit to enable us to obey Him. This is how we become able to love Him and, thereby, able to love mankind.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Salvation makes us “new creatures” and “new creatures”, of course, have new hearts. Moreover, the new heart is the true/real sign that we belong to God. The new heart, the circumcised heart, is what matters and all outward circumcisions (The Mosaic Law) are meaningless.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing,
nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Galatians 6:15

Salvation makes it possible for us to love God and to love our brother as God intended. Therefore, the evidence of that new heart is our love for each other. Indeed, it is the most important, the most crucial, the most impactful, and the singularly defining identifier of a child of God. There is no child of God through which God’s love doesn’t flow.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:34-35

Our love for each other confirms to the world that we are disciples of Christ because that love isn’t available from any other source. Only the disciples of Christ, only those who are born again, have hearts that can love.

Beloved, let us love one another:
for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8

Only those that are “born of God” (saved) and “know God” (have an intimate relationship with God) love others. We can’t love without God and the new heart He gives us through salvation. And they who belong to God, MUST love, because love is of God, not of man, not of the world.

Therefore, we come to Christ for salvation so that we can love God and love others/mankind. The essential outworking of our faith is love.

Love and my Brother’s Sins

Our verse closes with “charity (love) shall cover the multitude of sins”. To grasp the meaning, consider the next verses:

Hatred stirs up strifes: but love covers all sins.
Proverbs 10:12

He that covers a transgression seeks love;
but he that repeats a matter, separates very friends.
Proverbs 17:9

Charity/Love covers my brother’s sins, not my sins. And the idea here is NOT that the sins are overlooked or not dealt with (e.g., 1 Corinthians 5). Rather, the point here is that past sins, forgiven sins, past failures are covered. They are not brought up again, and again, and again. They aren’t used to shackle someone to their past mistakes.

Love does not trap my brother in his old self. Love celebrates my brother as he is now, for how God has transformed him. God does not hold our past sins against us (Psalm 32:1-2). He deals with us as we are now.

Jesus didn’t hold Peter’s (or the other disciples’) denial against him. Jesus dealt with Peter as he was after he had confessed his sins. Jesus restored Peter (John 21:15-17) and encouraged Peter to look beyond his own past failures. That’s what love does.

Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom
the LORD imputes not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Psalm 32:1-2

My neighbor, my brother, my fellowman, has a multitude of past sins that I can dredge up. But the love of God that flows through me from God to my brother covers his past sins.

If God loves me enough to cover my past sins. Then He loves my brother enough to do the same. Therefore, who am I to uncover (bring up) sins that God has already covered?

While being wise, while first requiring the fruits of repentance, let us not then hold each other hostage to past sins.

When sins are not confessed, when there is no repentance, we should not and MUST not cover it. Rather, we should confront our brother/sister. And challenge them to reject the sin or be rejected from the fellowship (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5, Galatians 6:1).

However, when, and only when, a sin is confessed, and when repentance has been demonstrated, then let us leave that sin in the past, where God leaves it (Psalm 103:12).

The aim is not to “cover up” un-addressed, un-confessed, un-repented sins. The aim is to cover, to not bring up again, sins that have already been confessed, repented, and rejected.

A Believer’s goal for a fallen brother is restoration not reprobation.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath He removed
our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12

Indeed, it is the refusal to cover past sins that reveals the absence of love. For example, a husband stops loving his wife when he continues to bring up her past sins against him after she has confessed, and sought forgiveness, and demonstrated repentance.

God doesn’t hold us hostage to our past sins and we shouldn’t hold each other hostage to past sins. Love, God’s love in me, lets my brother/sister move forward.

Paul murdered Christians. Yet, after he was saved, after his repentance, God used him mightily to spread the Gospel.

And fellow Christians, though hesitant at first, loved Paul. They covered his past sins. They loved him for who he had become, instead of resenting him for who he had been.

Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
2 Corinthians 2:6-8

The Urgent Imperative of Ministry: Stop Stalling, Start Serving

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As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ~ 1 Peter 4:10

“As every man hath received the gift”

The Greek word used for gift is “charisma” and it is used to mean a gift from The Holy Spirit, e.g., 1 Corinthians 12. But, this special kind of gift is not used independently of the Holy Spirit. The gifts we get from friends and family are typically ours alone. And we mostly don’t need the giver to be around when we use our gift.

The charisma is different. The Holy Spirit not only gives us the gift, The Holy Spirit must be engaged for us to use the gift. To understand this better, consider Jesus, in John 15. In that chapter Jesus identifies Himself as the vine and His disciples as the branches. And He tells us that we must abide in Him, for without Him we can do nothing that is good.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit has given us gifts, but the Holy Spirit is also the gift. Without the agency of The Holy Spirit, our gifts can’t achieve anything good. To be clear, to abide in Jesus is to minister the gift, your gifts, to your fellow believers.

Nevertheless, the point the verse leaves with us, the takeaway, is that each and every Christian has been given a gift by the Holy Spirit. And The Holy Spirit is available to each and every Christian so that the gift can be used properly: to glorify God and minister to others.

“Minister!”

However, as important as those truths/doctrines are for us to grasp, in a sense, the verse has already left us behind. The verse declares the fact that every Christian receives the charisma, but that’s the premise, not the emphasis. The focus is not the gift, but that we need to do something with it. Specifically, we need to use the gift to minister to each other.

In other books of The Bible, some space is given to explain what the gifts are and how they are to work in the church. But here, in our text, no time is spent on that. There is an urgency in the verse. You have what you need to minister to each other.

You have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has equipped you. the Holy Spirit is ready to move. Let’s go!

Too many believers spend their whole lives figuring out their gift. Debating, pondering, considering, but never actually employing their gift/s in ministry to the brethren/church.

What this verse is telling us is that we have all that we need. We have The Holy Spirit. And The Holy Spirit knows what gift we received. And The Holy Spirit knows how to use it. All we need to do is go! We only need to be available and obedient. God has already taken care of the rest.

God turned Jonah around when he was trying, determined, to go the wrong way. Why do you think God won’t be able to steer you in the right way when you submit to Him?

The problem, the question, is never what is my gift? The question is are you ready to serve? In the book of Acts we learn of Philip who was a Spirit filled man and a great preacher. It was him that God sent to preach to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8). Philip started out as a deacon (Acts 6:5)! Philip’s job/ministry was to make sure the food rations were shared evenly between all the church members who had needs (Acts 6:1-4).

Philip was wise, trustworthy, honest, upright, and, most of all, available. Available to God. He was ready to go! And, though he started out as a deacon, God led him further afield. God expanded his duties and God expanded him.

“Good Stewards”

The verse closes with a sobering thought. Our Lord expects us to be good stewards of what he has entrusted us with. He has given each and every one of His children a gift. In the end, we must report to Him what we have done with the gift he entrusted to us.

What have you done with your gift?

Have you put your gift to work and have seen it multiply like Philip did. Or is your gift still hidden and unused?

What have you done with your gift?

The Holy Spirit has been ready to go from the start. If you haven’t started out, what have you been waiting on?

What have you done with your gift?

Life is irreversible. If we have delayed, if we have been resistant, scared, or disobedient, we can’t go back and recover those days, months, years.

But we can respond in the affirmative to the Holy Spirit now, we start now, right this minute.

We can’t change the past, but we can change the future by obeying God’s call in the present. We can say “Here I am, I will go, send me” (Isaiah 6:8)

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then said I, “Here am I; send me.”
Isaiah 6:8

NO WILL BUT THINE

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He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Matthew 26:42

Jesus, ’tis my aim divine,
Hence to have no will but thine,
Let me covenant with Thee,
Thine for evermore to be:
This my prayer, and this alone,
Saviour, let Thy will be done!

Thee to love, to live to Thee,
This my daily portion be,
Nothing to my Lord I give,
But from Him I first receive:
Lord, for me Thy blood was spilt,
Lead me, guide me, as Thou wilt.

All that is opposed to Thee,
Howsoever dear it be,
From my heart the idol tear,
Thou shalt have no rival there,
Only Thou shalt fill the throne:
Saviour, let Thy will be done.

Wilt thou, Lord, in me fulfil
All the pleasure of Thy will;
Thine in life, and Thine in death,
Thine in every fleeting breath,
Thou my hope and joy alone:
Saviour, let Thy will be done.

by Octavius Winslow

Holy Hospitality

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“Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”
1 Peter 4:9

A very interesting verse.

Hospitality, welcoming guests and tending to their needs, can be a thorny issue. We avoid it because of our very imperfect perceptions/perspective and our instinctive distaste for asymmetry.

Our perspective always inflates our good deeds, trivializes our missteps, and narrows our focus. Meaning, we often think that we do more for others than they do for us. We often remember others’ offenses more than our own. And we give their wrongs a high weighting, while giving ours a pass.

In addition, we seldom see the big picture of what God is doing. Instead, we get intensely focused on whether “the score” is even: checking whether our brothers/sisters in Christ have done less for us than we have done for them.

So we grumble.

And we hold grudges.

Because, we cry, “it’s unfair”.

The real problem is that hospitality should be, and indeed is, about God. Specifically, God working through us to bless others.
Thus, when we complain, we are effectively complaining about being a blessing from God to others. Or that we are too much of a blessing. When we complain, we are really asking God to use us less and to use others more.

Even worse, we would prefer that God only use us to bless those others with whom we are comfortable.

In this way, hospitality ceases to be a ministry and just becomes a burden. It becomes a tiresome game of staying within the boundaries that we have set for ourselves. Hospitality ceases to be about God and becomes all about me: my comforts, my inconvenience, and my preferences.

It’s not just hospitality!

Though our text specifically addresses hospitality, the principles extend much further. It challenges us to consider why we do what we do, and to decide who we are actually serving.

The opportunity to help, to minister, to bless others, in any way, should always be welcomed. Welcomed because we want so much to serve God. But, in so many aspects of life, we prefer to serve only who, and when, and how we want. And, thus, we don’t really serve at all, no matter what we decide to do.

When a servant tells his master who, when and how he will serve, he is no longer a servant. And he no longer has a master, he is his own master. And he is his own god.

“But what if people take advantage of my generosity??”

Whether or not people take advantage of us is never your/our primary concern. Yes, we should use wisdom where we can. But being taken advantage of is not our problem. It is the problem of the one committing that sin. And so God will take care of him/her: vengeance belongs to God, not you (Romans 12:19).

Our primary concern is to be available and obedient to God, our Master. If we have done that, we have done well.

If we read through John 5 and 6, we will see that Jesus fed the five thousand in chapter 5. And then that same group bad-mouthed and abandoned Him, one day later, in chapter 6. Jesus’ hospitality in chapter 5 was not appreciated for more than a day.

Indeed, Jesus, revealed that they were only following Him for what they could get from Him. They had no real love for Him. And they proved His words true by “turning their backs” on Him.

But Jesus wanted to minister to them, to bless them, to save them, anyway.

When we focus on anything other than serving Christ, our Lord, hospitality, and any other ministry, becomes unbearably burdensome. It becomes something we avoid rather than a ministry we embrace.

God loves us even when we are unfair or hard to deal with. Let’s do the same.

“But I am so poor. I have no money. And my house is run down”

It is true that we can find ourselves in difficult situations. Maybe we aren’t wealthy. Maybe our houses are falling apart as a result. We might truly be the least able. But serve God anyway.

Be like the widow: give all you have. Rejoice that God wants to work through you. Rejoice that God doesn’t think you are too poor to be useful. Rejoice that He looks upon you and sees your wealth, because He sees His Son alive in you.

If we are to serve, we must look to God; not ourselves and not to those whom we are called to serve. The only question to consider is what does God want? And the only answer is “Here am I, Lord, send me, choose me, use me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Has God Already Provided for your Taxes?

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This is an updated version of a earlier post: Encounters With Jesus: Paying Taxes

“And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” ~ Matthew 17:24-27

Since the children of God live in the Kingdom of God, no tax in any kingdom of man can stop/hinder the work of a child of God going about their Father’s business as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus beautifully, portrays this for us by procuring the temple tax, levied on Himself and Peter, from a fish!!! God the Father had already provided for their earthly needs: no tax from man would prevent them from continuing the work of God.

“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)

Likewise, there is no earthly tax that can stop you or me from doing the work of God here on earth. God has already provided for all that is needed to do His will: the child of God lives tax-free! The shortfalls, the resource deficits, appear only when we try to exercise our wills instead of executing God’s plans.

So the real issue is our citizenship. Citizens of God’s Kingdom are already taken care of, only citizens of earthly kingdoms need to worry about taxes.

Dear Lord Give me a Heart

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Though some would ask for this world’s wealth
That oft has fleeting wing
Dear Lord give me a thankful heart
Thy praise each day to sing

A heart that’s cleansed from sin’s vile scourge
A dwelling place for Thee
A heart Thy precious blood did purge
A heart from sin set free

A heart for others Lord give me
Still strangers to Thy grace
That I might speak a word for Thee
Until I see Thy face

A heart that aye beats true to Thee
Whatever trial may come
Oh such a heart Dear Lord give me
Until I’m taken home

–Author unknown

Glory to God Only Wise!

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This is a lightly updated version of a earlier post: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and His ways past finding out!” ~ Romans 11:33

We often fail to realize the greatness of God. Somehow, we get the idea that our way of thinking is at least as good as God’s. We think that the solutions we come up with are smart enough to solve the problems that we face. If only God would listen to us! If only God would do what we ask Him to do! It’s soooooo simple!

However, instead of getting God to listen to us and to do things our way, we need to learn to listen to God and do things His way. We need to learn that our understanding is nothing compared to God’s infinite wisdom and knowledge. How can we even think of making demands of our Omniscient God?

The LORD is in His holy temple:
let all the earth keep silence
before Him.
Habakkuk 2;20

In Scripture, God repeatedly instructs us to cast all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7); to make supplication to Him (Philippians 4:6); to call upon Him in the day of trouble; and to glorify Him (Psalm 50:15). But nowhere does the Bible tell us to give God advice or to suggest how He should solve our problems.

The purpose of prayer is not to give God information, He already knows all things. The purpose of prayer is not to give God advice or to ask Him to work things out in the way our puny brains have concocted.

The purpose of prayer is to come into the very presence of God and to hear from Him. Only then can we become conformed to His perfect Will (Luke 22:42). Not my will, Father, but Thy will be done! Thy will be done on earth, Thy will be done in my life, as it is in heaven.

“For as the heavens are
higher than the earth,
so are My ways
higher than your ways,
and My thoughts
than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:9

God’s wisdom and knowledge are infinite; the decisions of Almighty God can not be rationalized by mere man. Who knows enough to argue with God? Who is wise enough to give God counsel?

Therefore, the only rational way to respond to our Omnipotent God is with humble obedience. We must wait on Him to tell us what to do and then eagerly seek to obey His perfect will.

Jehovah’s Judgments | 5. Exploitation

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And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord , that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, “The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.”
Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them ; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
~ Zephaniah 1:10-13

To understand this passage of Scripture, it will be helpful to first define a few terms and describe a few places.

Definitions

Fish Gate: The Fish Gate, which was just northwest of the temple, in the northern wall of Jerusalem. It was the main entrance for fish mongers from the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. But as one of the Jerusalem’s main gates, it was likely used by others as well; especially since the merchant district, Maktesh, was located near it.

Maktesh: Maktesh is only mentioned in Zephaniah and from the text it is the name of the place where the merchants of Jerusalem lived and/or operated.

The Second (Quarter): The Second (Quarter) of Jerusalem is also known as “The College” (Hebrew: Mishneh) and is thought to have been in the northwest of Jerusalem, likely near to (and west of) the Fish Gate. The second (quarter) was where Huldah, the prophetess, lived (2 Kings 22:14, 2 Chronicles 34:22). Like Zephaniah, Huldah prophesied of God’s impending judgment on Judah.

“they that bear silver”: The phrase “they that bear (nāṭîl) silver” is best understood as “they that are laden with silver”.

“settled on their lees”: Lees are the dregs from wine production. Wine that is preserved on the lees, maintains both its strength and its color. Therefore, “wines on the lees” (Isaiah 25:6b) are the best quality, richest, wines. By extension then, one that is “settled on his lees” is living a life of wealth and ease, enjoying the best of what the world has to offer (see Jeremiah 48:11a).

The Prophecy

With those definitions in mind, the prophecy becomes a clearer. Zephaniah is declaring God’s judgment on the wealthy merchants of Judah/Jerusalem who live lavish lives of wealth and ease. Specifically, the judgment is a result of two related issues (written in reverse order for clarity):

Their indifference to God–“The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.” ~ Zephaniah 1:12c
Their exploitation of their neighbors to accumulate wealth and the lifestyle that exploitation afforded them–“…all they that bear [are laden with] silver are cut off.” ~ Zephaniah 1:11b and “…and punish the men that are settled on their lees…” ~ Zephaniah 1:12b

This raises several questions: Why pick on the merchants? Is God against the wealthy? Is God against commerce/trade/moneymaking? What’s wrong with living in comfort/ease? How were they indifferent to God?

Why is the Focus on the Merchants?

There are a number of passages in the Bible that decry merchants, for example:

He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loves to oppress.” ~ Hosea 12:7

“…When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?” ~ Amos 8:5-6

“Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?” ~ Micah 6:10-11

Notice, however, that being a merchant was not the issue. The passages show that the problem was that so many merchants exploited their neighbors by overcharging, cheating with false balances, and selling low quality garbage to their them. And those merchants did so in the pursuit of amassing wealth (becoming laden with silver) at the expense of their neighbors, completely disregarding God’s instruction not to defraud, not to oppress, their brothers.

There were no consumer protection agencies in those times. There was no National Institute of Standards and Technology: there was no one to check the balances and the weights. Therefore, the customer was always at the mercy of the merchants.

The merchants could also overprice their goods if they wanted to; there were no price controls. And there were no quality controls or quality inspectors to ensure that the merchants were selling goods of acceptable quality. Therefore, refuse/chaff could be added as fillers to bags of grain and sold to unsuspecting customers. And since there was no such thing as return policies, customers were stuck with whatever junk they purchased.

In such an unregulated environment, there was a tremendous temptation for the sellers/merchants to take advantage of the buyers. And many did. Indeed, corruption was so wide-spread that God condemned and judged the whole merchant class.

Again, God’s judgment was not on commerce/trading/moneymaking. God condemned the merchants for their exploitation, their oppression, of their fellowmen, which they did so that they could get rich (become laden with silver) and live lives of ease (“settle on their lees”). And this while their brethren often struggled in poverty.

“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him…” ~ Leviticus 19:13a

“And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buy ought of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another” ~ Leviticus 25:14

“Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God:for I am the Lord your God.” ~ Leviticus 25:17

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification…That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:3a, 6

Also,

“Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.” ~ Proverbs 20:10

“Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.” ~ Proverbs 20:23

Indeed, for exactly the same reasons, Jesus cleared the Temple of the money changers who were exploiting visiting Jews who had come from faraway lands to offer sacrifices at the temple. These Jews often did not have the animals required for the various sacrifices. Or the priests would declare the animal they brought unacceptable. Then the money changers exploited them by first making them change their money to temple-approved money at an exorbitant exchange rate. Then they would exploit them a second time, by selling them approved animals at extortionate prices.

Present day merchants are often driven by the same motivations, the same greed, as they try to extract as much profit as they can from their patrons. But that is normal and won’t change, it will last till the end of days, until Jesus returns (Revelation 18:1-24). The unsaved, motivated by lust instead of The Lord, will always transgress.

Rather, Zephaniah’s prophecy is a warning to Believers. Those who claim salvation in Christ can not, must not, exploit anyone for gain. Christians must be different. Rather than exploit people to become worldly wealthy, the aim of the Believer is to become spiritually wealthy by blessing people. The Believer works, trades, for heavenly currency/capital stored in heaven where “neither moth nor rust” corrupts (Matthew 6:19-20)

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:8-10

Accordingly, the correct question is not “What’s wrong with living comfortably?”: the correct question is “In whom am I looking for comfort?” If I find my comfort in the world, I will not find comfort in Christ (James 4:4). And if I find comfort in Christ, I will never be comfortable in the world, because it has nothing that I’m interested in (Philippians 1:21).

The merchants were focused on “living their best life” (“settling on their lees”) here and now on earth, not later in heaven. And they would accomplish that on the backs of their brethren if they needed to.

Why didn’t the merchants care?

The merchants’ exploitation of their neighbors was a result of their (shortsighted) view of God: “The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.” ~ Zephaniah 1:12. This outlook is corrupt in two ways. First, their attitude was (perhaps unsurprisingly) transactional, they would obey or disobey God based on God’s actions. In other words, their obedience to God was conditional. They wouldn’t obey God because He is God and obedience is the right response to Him. They would only obey God if He forced them to obey. This approach is as old as Cain’s murder of Abel (Genesis 4). God told Cain that murdering Abel was wrong, a sin (Genesis 4;6-7). But Cain murdered his brother anyway, because God didn’t stop him.

The merchants knew that exploitation was wrong, but they would only stop if God made them stop; only if God prevented them through punishment. Many of us have a similar attitude. We base our obedience to God on what He does to us, or what He does for us. We plan to do what we want to do until God intervenes.

This approach to life is not centered around God’s will, it’s centered around our will, what we want to do. God’s will is secondary to our own and we will ignore him as long as we are able.

That attitude led to the the merchants’ second problem: They thought that God didn’t care what they did; that God would neither punish nor reward them for their exploitative business practices. They confused inaction with inattention. They mistook mercy for malfunction.

“But thou, O Lord, art a God
full of compassion, and gracious,
longsuffering, and plenteous
in mercy and truth.”
Psalm 86:15

But God is both full of mercy and slow to anger. God waited over four hundred years before punishing the Amorites (i.e., the people of Canaan) for their sinfulness because “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” (Genesis 15:16b). Likewise, it was because of God’s mercy that the merchants of Judah had not been judged already. But their window of opportunity to repent was about to close: God’s judgment was on the way.

We should never assume that God is comfortable with our sinfulness. Just because we don’t see God moving doesn’t mean He is standing still. Contrary to what the merchants of Judah thought, God does judge sin: there are both temporal and spiritual consequences to for iniquity.

Where there is sin in our lives we must repent immediately before the sin itself does more damage to our souls and before God’s judgement is set in motion.

But, beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing,
that one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise,
as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish,
but that all
should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9

Nevertheless, Believers, those who are in Christ, can be sure that even God’s judgments brings about a positive result in their lives as God’s children. First, Scripture tells us that the judgments we endure while on earth are chastenings of The Lord so that “…we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). Second, we learn in His Word that God’s judgment/chastisement/chastening “…yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11).

In other words, for those who are willing to repent, judgment is corrective. But for those who will not turn to God, judgment is destructive. The merchants would suffer because they had long decided that God didn’t matter. In their indifference, they had turned their backs on God because He was merciful and slow to anger. Let us not make their mistake. Let us repent, let us turn away from exploiting others for our own gain. Instead, pray The Lord help us to lift our brothers up for His own glory.

The Maker of the Universe

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The Maker of the universe,
as man, for man, was made a curse.
The claims of law, which He had made,
unto the uttermost He paid.

His holy fingers made the bough,
which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.
The nails that pierced His hands were mined
in secret places He designed.

He made the forest whence there sprung
the tree on which His body hung.
He died upon a cross of wood,
yet made the hill on which it stood.

The sky that darkened o’er His head,
by Him above the earth was spread.
The sun that hid Him from God’s face,
by His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood,
was tempered in the fires of God.
The grave in which His form was laid,
was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears,
was His from everlasting years.
But a new glory crowns His brow,
and every knee to Him shall bow.

by F.W. Pitt

Igniting Idolatry: When Your Values Become Your God

Published by reflectionsintheword

And Aaron said unto them, “Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.” And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.
Exodus 32:2-5

The Setting

As we examined previously, while Moses was gone, the Hebrew people opted to abandon Moses and his God, Jehovah, replacing Jehovah with a god of their own making (Exodus 32:1). And they initiated the process (“got the ball rolling”) by asking Aaron, The Priest of Jehovah, to make idols for them.

The situation we live in today is quite similar to that time. People today have grown tired of the God of the Bible and yearn for a god of their own making. They don’t have a personal relationship with God, they don’t know Him like Moses did. And they would rather worship/relate to a god that will approve of their lifestyles, a god that shares/approves their values and is not bothered whether they share His. Accordingly, just as the Hebrews demanded of Aaron, our society have demanded that the church, its leaders, pastors, teachers, make gods that suit them.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:1-4

Aaron’s response to the demands of the Hebrew nation would define his leadership and his legacy. And the response of the church in these times will do the same for us. Will we stay true to God’s Word, in The Bible? Or will we reject God, twisting and dismembering His Word to suit the demands of the people?

The Challenge

Should Aaron remain Priest of Jehovah? Or should he adapt to the peoples demands? If he remains faithful to Jehovah, then he will lose all relevance (and maybe even lose his life) in the nation. If he opposes the move to idolatry, he would no longer be the High Priest, the spiritual leader, the “Big K`ahuna”, of the Hebrew nation. Could he afford to be faithful to Jehovah?

Believers also face those same questions today. Are Believers, are church leaders, pastors and teachers willing to stand with God even if it means losing their congregation/following and all the privileges/profits that come with it? Is the church willing to preach/teach/share the unpopular truth? Would we lose our livelihoods, even become impoverished outcasts, for the sake of staying true to the Gospel?

Should we submit to the will of society, who demand that we make Jehovah more appealing, transforming Him into an idol of their imagination?

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?
For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-10

Should Jehovah become mother instead of Father to appease the feminists?

Should the Hebrews/Jews be substituted in Scripture to appease the nationalists?

Should suffering and sacrifice be overlooked to appease the materialists, those devils preaching the so-called prosperity gospel?

Should sin and its consequences be removed to appease those that want easy-believism: salvation without repentance, without sanctification, without obedience to Christ?

Should creation be dismissed to satisfy the evolutionists?

Should purity be set aside to satisfy the hedonists?

Should Scripture itself be withdrawn to keep the so-called seekers comfortable?

The Decision

As our text shows, Aaron decided to go along with the wishes of the people. He gathered together took the things they valued, their gold, their material wealth, and made it into an idol they approved of.

[They] changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than
The Creator, Who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Romans 1:25

Those who give up the Gospel to please the world, commit the sin of Aaron. They replace Jehovah with the desires/values of the people so that the people can worship their desires/values.

When creation is withdrawn from God’s Word, evolutionists don’t begin worshipping God, they continue worshipping evolution. When morality in God’s Word is ignored, people become more immoral, not less. When the Bible itself it removed/ignored, people know God even less, not more. Idols never draw us to God, they stop us ever more from being able to see Him and to recognize His sovereignty over us.

The Response

Upon seeing the idol, the people attribute ALL of God’s blessings to their new idol/s: completely supplanting/replacing Jehovah. It is stunning that the same people for whom God parted the red Sea to bring them to safety and destroy their enemies, those same people now attribute that miracle to an idol made from their earrings. But, how often do we attribute our successes to our selves, our efforts, our talents and skills, rather than to God’s mercy and goodness? Idolatry blinds us to God’s agency, God’s providence in our lives. For perspective, consider Jeremiah’s reflection:

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-23

Without God’s mercy, the Hebrew nation wouldn’t have even survived long enough to make idols and forget about God. Likewise, without God’s mercy we would not even have the chance to strive, to excel. Indeed, we wouldn’t even have to chance to replace Him with the idols in our lives.

Aaron’s response is particularly heartbreaking. Upon seeing the people’s favorable response to the idol, he build’s an altar to worship it. In other words, He adopted a new gospel, a new theology, a new doctrine, that satisfied the desires of the people: he gave the people the god they wanted.

Then, with a final death blow to his legacy, Aaron calls the idol “LORD”. The Hebrew word used is YHWH which is God’s most sacred name: it is the name by which He reveals Himself to His people. It is the name He told Moses to use when He sent him to liberate His people, the Hebrews. It was the name only they knew and only they used. And Aaron knew.

God had performed many miracles through Aaron in Egypt. Aaron had seen and experienced God’s power for himself, first hand. Yet, to please the people, to keep them happy with him, Aaron called a piece of metal “LORD”. How low will you, how low will I, be willing to go to please the world? How low will you/I go to hold on to your/my status in society? Will we forego the approval of God to gain the approval of men?

Where the doctrines, teachings, principles of the Bible have been removed, God cannot be worshipped. If the god we worship is not The God of the Bible, then we are worshipping an idol of our own creation, an idol in our own image. If we do not know God as the Bible defines Him, we cannot worship Him. If the god we know is defined by false teachers or false doctrines, then we only know a false god.

In Scripture, unlike his brother, Moses, Aaron is never referred to as God’s servant; only as God’s choice (for the office of High Priest). Aaron is remembered as the progenitor of the priests, but not as a man of God, not as a man yielded to God. Interestingly, only Aaron’s (later) pathetic excuse is recorded in Scripture (Exodus 32:22-25): We are not told whether he ever repented, only that Moses prayed that God would not destroy him (Deuteronomy 9:20). All the people who Aaron led in idolatry (except for faithful Joshua and Caleb, Numbers 14:30, 26:63-65) died in the desert for their faithlessness and never made it into the Promised Land. That is the legacy of Aaron, the man who would not stand up for God.

Epilogue

“[Moses] To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, Saying unto Aaron, “Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven…”
Acts 7:39-42a

Those who replaced Jehovah with idols would never return to true worship of the true God, but were condemned to continue in idolatry until their death. We should choose carefully who we worship.