Theology and Life

The Prodigal Son

2009-09-03T17:40:00.002-05:00

Many people believe that Jesus was simply teaching a timeless truth about the love of God for those who have been lost in sin. But if we study their culture and historic setting, many interesting facets about that parable begin to emerge. You see, at the time, the Jews continued to believe that they were in exile. Sure, they had returned from Babylon but the promises made in various passages of the O.T. had not yet occurred.

YHWH had not returned to the temple, the Jews were still suffering under foreign domination, Israel had not been surrounded by her enemies and come out justified after experience a time of trial. Based on Gabriel's statement to Daniel, exile was to last, not 70 years but 70x7 or 490 years. So they're sitting on pins and needles waiting for the Messiah.

Now here comes this young prophet Yeshua announcing the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God - the return from exile and he's telling all kinds of parables about the kingdom. One of them is about a young son who went off into a far country, wasted his goods but when the son came to his senses he returned to his Father's house. His father actually ran to him. It was unheard of for a Father to run to his son in Middle Eastern culture.

Now, in this parable there is an older son who opposes the return of the prodigal. You might remember that when the Jews returned from Babylon they were opposed by Sanballot, a Samaritan. A first century Jew would have heard echoes of the distant past, the story about of the return of the Jews from Babylon.

Any Jew hearing that parable in the first century would have naturally understood that Jesus was saying that the return from exile was taking place through his ministry and those opposing his return, like the older son in the parable, were acting like Samaritans. God stood ready to embrace them, to run to those who were willing to follow Jesus.

So, if we consider the culture of that day we see that Jesus was not just teaching a 'timeless truth' about God's love. He was making a statement about what was taking place through his ministry and casting various actors in various roles. Those who were willing to follow Jesus, to take the way of peace, were returning from exile and those who opposed it were like Samaritans.

When we consider the setting, historic context, audience, etc. the Bible takes on much more color and contour. The question then becomes, "Having an understanding of the historical context, what are the implications for us today?" Can we say that the shape of Christianity in the first century is normative? Should women still wear head-coverings? These are all issues that we must diligently search out but if we are to properly understand scripture, it is really important to re-think our way back into that culture.

The Crucified Truth

2009-08-08T11:52:00.004-05:00

This morning, I was banned from a Christian discussion forum for questioning the scriptural basis for the practice of tithing by modern day Christians. This doctrine, it seems, has become central despite the fact that the practice is seldom even mentioned in the New Testament and not once is applied as a model for Christian giving. A quick glance at the official Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) website attempts to employ the following passages in support of tithing.

Tithing and Giving. Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42 ; 1 Corinthians 16:2 ; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ; Hebrews 7:1-21.

Read in context, do these scriptures really support the practice of tithing by Christians? I'm not sure how they might argue the case, but let's consider each passage in turn.

The first passage reads as follows:

Gen 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.)
Gen 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by the Most High God,
Creator of heaven and earth.
Gen 14:20 Worthy of praise is the Most High God,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

This is a passage in the Old Testament that refers to a one time voluntary tithe offered by Abraham to Melchizedek. It is pretty obvious that to cite this scripture in support of the practice of tithing by Christians is to misunderstand scripture entirely. It is simply the story of Abraham offering a one time tithe on the spoils of war to Melchizedek. The reason for appealing to this passage by well meaning Christians is to point out that tithing was practiced before the law and is an eternal practice to be followed by Christians.

I would respond by asking if everything that our forefathers did prior to the law are necessary practices for Christians. For example, circumcision was also a requirement prior to the law. Doest that mean that Christians should be required to undergo the right of circumcision? No, it doesn't. In fact Paul instructed the Christians in Galatia that if they allowed themselves to undergo circumcision, they would become aliented from Christ. (Galatians 5:3 & 4)

Conclusion: The appeal to this verse as a basis for tithing by Christians fails. This passage is not evidence that tithing is an eternal principle any more than circumcision is an eternal principle.

The next passage reads as follows:

Gen 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear,
Gen 28:21 and I return safely to my father's home, then the LORD will become my God.
Gen 28:22 Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me."

The explanation for this passage is the same as the one above. It is simply a vow to tithe by one of the patriarchs. Again, this verse provides no support for the practice of tithing by Christians.

The next passage reads as follows:

Mal 3:10 "Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter," says the LORD who rules over all, "to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all.

Again, this passage comes from the Old Testament book of Malachi writing to the Nation of Israel and conveying a message from God to tithe (as they were instructed to do by the law). The tithe was used to support the Levitical Priesthood, strangers passing through the land, and widows and orphans. These are not instructions to Christians who weren't even around at the time. To use this verse in support of tithing by Christians is simply wrong.

The next support offered by the Church of God is a single verse from Luke which reads as follows:

Luk 11:42 "But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others.

In this verse, Jesus is rebuking the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who neglected the more important things in the law but were careful to observe the minutia of the law. Jesus is simply making a statement to those who lived under the law that though they had been careful observers of the letter of the law, they should have paid more attention to things that mattered the most.

Conclusion: Read in context, this verse doesn't support tithing by Christians. Jesus is simply rebuking the Pharisees (who were required to observe the law) for neglecting the more important matters of the law while affirming their careful observance of the law. Again, this verse fails to provide support for the contention that Christians are supposed to observe the practise of tithing.

The next passage offered in support reads as follows:

1Co 16:2 On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income and save it to the extent that God has blessed you, so that a collection will not have to be made when I come.

Here, Paul is encouraging the Saints in Corinth to save some money to help Christians in Jerusalem who were, at the time, experiencing famine. While this provides a good model for Christian charity, it does not support the idea that Christians are obligated to pay a certain percentage of their income to the Church or to tithe.

Here is the next passage.

2Co 9:6 My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.
2Co 9:7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work.
2Co 9:9 Just as it is written, "He has scattered widely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever."

Paul is again encouraging believers in Corinth to be generous in their support of the Jerusalem Saints. Again, while this is an excellent model for giving, it simply does not support the idea that modern day Christians are to tithe.

The final passage under consideration is quite lengthy and comes from Hebrews. It reads as follows:

Heb 7:1 N ow this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him.
Heb 7:2 To him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. His name first means king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace.
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time.
Heb 7:4 But see how great he must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his plunder.
Heb 7:5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham.
Heb 7:6 But Melchizedek who does not share their ancestry collected a tithe from Abraham and blessed the one who possessed the promise.
Heb 7:7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior,
Heb 7:8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive.
Heb 7:9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham.
Heb 7:10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham's loins when Melchizedek met him.
Heb 7:11 So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood — for on that basis the people received the law — what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron's order?
Heb 7:12 For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well.
Heb 7:13 Yet the one these things are spoken about belongs to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever officiated at the altar.
Heb 7:14 For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.
Heb 7:15 And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,
Heb 7:16 who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent but by the power of an indestructible life.
Heb 7:17 For here is the testimony about him: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."
Heb 7:18 On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless,
Heb 7:19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
Heb 7:20 And since this was not done without a sworn affirmation — for the others have become priests without a sworn affirmation,
Heb 7:21 but Jesus did so with a sworn affirmation by the one who said to him, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever' " —

This passage is a bit more complex. The writer of Hebrews is concerned to show the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old. In so doing, he aims to show that the priesthood of Jesus (which was after the order of Melchizedek) is superior to the Levitical Priesthood. He uses the tithe to prove it noting that Abraham tithed to Melchzedek and it was customary for the lower regarded person to tithe to the higher regarded person. Hence, the Melchizedekan Priesthood must be superior to the Levitical Priesthood.

Some readers have stumbled over the phrase 'by him who is affirmed to be alive' in verse 8 believing that the author referred to Jesus as receiving tithes.

Heb 7:8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive.

The problem is, this verse doesn't refer to Jesus at all (though he is affirmed to be alive). In keeping with his comparison, he is speaking of Mechizedek who he had just stated in verse 3 as having not 'end of life'. It is a far stretch to interpret this passage as affirming the practice of tithing by Christians.

In the end, what we have are a collection of verses taken out of context and used to support the idea of tithing by Christians. This misuse of scripture obscures the fact that Christians have never, do not, and will never be subject to Torah. It was given to a single ethnic group for a temporary period of time. Why is it important for Christians to realize that they are not subject to Torah? Well, consider the various sects that have arisen within the Church who each want to cherry pick what they consider to be the important passages from Torah that define their little group. The combinations are endless.

I have actually heard preachers call into question the salvation if those who didn't tithe!

The model set forth for giving in the New Testament is for generous giving. The supreme example of giving is provided by Jesus who gave the very blood that flowed through his veins on behalf of others. With this example in mind, I urge you to give generously. But please don't take scriptures out of context to support a doctrine that has no scriptural basis.

Was Jesus REALLY Married? Yes, Yes he Was!

2009-07-26T05:24:00.002-05:00

Ever notice that Jesus went around feasting with sinners? My, oh my, what could it mean? Maybe it was that the BRIDEGROOM was getting married. Remember what Jesus first miracle was? That's right! He made lots and lots of wine for a MARRIAGE FEAST! That, my friends, is what we here in the south call a CLUE. You see YHWH had divorced his people in the Old Testament. Read Jeremiah. But now, through the actions of Jesus, God was getting MARRIED. If in doubt, read Ephesians five and call me in the morning.

Building a Kingdom

2009-06-18T08:39:00.005-05:00

Any leader worth his salt seeking to build a kingdom has led the charge with a building program. The Egyptian and Myan pyramids, the ruins in Rome, the ziggarets of Babyon...all stand in silent testimony to the fact that the greatest kingdoms were established by builders. What is needed for a builder is wisdom. Both Jews and Greeks living at the time of Jesus understood this fact. As I understand it, the word that captured this principle for both Jews and Greeks was 'logos' - the same word chosen to describe Jesus by the author of the gospel of John.

This has interesting implications for the history of the temple among the Jewish people. It was originally constructed by Solomon, renowned for his wisdom. First destroyed by the Babylonians, the temple was later partially re-constructed by those returning from the exile and was being completed by Herod when Jesus walked the earth. Jesus, announcing a new kingdom, predicted the destruction of this beloved temple within a generation of his announcement. Not one stone would be left upon another. The mosque that current stands atop the Temple Mount attests to the accuracy of Jesus' words.

But, having inaugerated a new kingdom, what great building has King Jesus left us? The answer would seem to be...nothing. That is until you realize that Jesus rebuilt the dwelling place of God - the new temple. Predicting the destruction of the temple, Jesus also spoke of HIS rebuilding of it...he spoke of his body. God's true dwelling place is not in stones and bricks but in the heart of man. Those who are in Christ ARE the temple.

"I Am the Resurrection"

2009-06-15T06:36:00.003-05:00

In John, Jesus intimates to Mary that he is the resurrection. Think about that for a second. The resurrection is THE eschatological event. Jesus is THE resurrection - he is THE eshcatological event. This idea is supported by Paul in Romans Chapter one when referring to the resurrection of Jesus as the resurrection of the dead (plural). Subsequent to the resurrection of Jesus, John indicates that the claim by some that the resurrection had already occurred was overthrowing the faith of some.

So how are we to reconcile the idea that Jesus was the eschatological event with the fact that the resurrection is yet to occur? Well, take a look at 1 Corinthians 15. Apparently, Paul understood that this eschatological event had split into two. Oddly, there would be two 'ends'. The end that began with the resurrection of Jesus will culminate in the resurrection of our mortal bodies when Jesus appears and defeats the last enemy - death. Got it? Good.

Evolution and the Bible

2009-06-08T06:27:00.004-05:00

There was a point in my life that I would have automatically dismissed as beyond the pale anyone claiming the title of 'Christian' while simultaneously subscribing to belief in the theory of evolution...but times have changed. That's not to say that I have reached a conclusion on the matter - only that I can understand how one could hold these sets of beliefs together.

How so? - you might ask. Well, this is impossible for those who are committed to a wooden and literal interpretation of scripture. I am not. Why? Because the Bible simply wasn't written that way. Remember well the words of Peter who applied Joel's prophecy of the eschatological Day of the Lord to the events of Acts chapter two. Read it with wooden literalism and you will read it awry. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was indeed the eschatoligical event prophesied by Joel. Both Peter and Joel understood the nature of apocalyptic language - impregnating current events with cosmic disturbances.

Do I now subscribe to the theory of evolution? Nope, I don't. But there is room under my theological umbrella for those who disagree. To borrow an analogy from Chesterton, it is no less miraculous for a man to turn into a pig whether the transformation takes five minutes or five hundred years. We should learn well the lessons of history and claim as our ancestors the prophets and not those who persecuted the prophets. Science and Christianity, rightly understood, are not opposed but complimentary. May God give us the grace to use our BRAINS.

The Cure for Warts - Castor Oil

2009-05-22T05:39:00.005-05:00

As a child, I was embarrassed to have a large patch of warts that covered the heel of the palm on my left hand. My mother took me to a doctor who prescribed a salve which I would rub on my palm at night before encasing my hand in a plastic shroud of Saran Wrap (boy that made for a good night's sleep too ). Several weeks went by with no discernible results.

Finally, my mother heard of a cure from a friend of hers who using suggested Castor Oil. HUH? Well - it worked! Each night I would rub Castor Oil on my warts and within a few weeks they had completely disappeared! I recently recommended this cure to someone near and dear who has a son with warts and it worked for them also. Sooooo....if you are suffering from warts give it a shot...it's cheap, effective, and might just spare you your child the embarrassment of having warts.

P.S. I don't sell Castor Oil...I just want you to know how to cure warts.

Arthur Burk - Cult Leader

2009-04-28T08:27:00.018-05:00

Arthur Burk, founder of Plumbline Ministries, is the antithesis of one who seeks to know God through the diligent study of his word and the worst nightmare of those with loved ones trapped the snare of his delusions. Just who is Arthur Burk? Well...that's a good question. I first heard the name of this enigmatic figure mentioned by a woman in my Church who, at the time, gravitated towards the highly mystical and hyper-spiritual teaching of the modern day 'prophetic' movement.

Concerned, I began to research Arthur Burk and his teaching on the Internet. It didn't take long to realize two things. The first thing is that Mr. Burk should probably be committed to a mental institution. The preposterous nature of the ideas espoused and promoted by Burk are symptomatic of a man who has lost all touch with reality - a characteristic shared with other cult leaders like the late L. Ron Hubbard who invented Scientology.

One prominent characteristic of a cult is the formation of an esoteric vocabulary - inventing words and catchphrases that are meaningless to outsiders but which make the initiated feel like a part of the group. Mr. Burk establishes such a vocabulary through the endless discovery of new and exciting aspects of spiritual activity including Ley Lines (imaginary highways along which demons travel), portals (imaginary gateways between the physical and spiritual realm), and up-spouts (demonic elevators).

Needless to say, these ridiculous ideas would be dismissed out of hand by mature Christians who are well versed in scripture and familiar with orthodox Christian beliefs. After all, the ideas promoted by Arthur Burk have absolutely no basis in scripture. Ley lines exist only in the minds of Arthur Burk, the minds of his followers, and the minds of those involved in the occult (that's actually where the idea of 'ley lines' originated).

This leads to my second point. Based on the volume of hits to this blog by those seeking information about Mr. Burk, he has gained quite an international following. And that's why I have written today's post. It is a warning to those who would be deceived by Arthur Burk and for those with loved ones who have fallen under his spell. You should be aware that those who followed false prophets in the Old Testament suffered the same fate as the false prophets themselves. Ignoring truth comes with a price. The price? - a depraved mind - a mind that is disqualified to think clearly about God - a mind like Arthur Burk's.

The Truth About Death

2009-02-10T08:40:00.006-06:00

Death is a tragedy...a monster that has invaded God's good creation. If you are familiar with the Bible you may already know that God loves his creation. That's right - he made it and he likes it. In fact, he loves it.

But sin, corruption, and death have permeated it causing worldwide havoc. This begs the question of the existence of evil in this world. How can a good God allow evil to run amok unabated? For those who ask this question I offer this explanation.

The presence of such evil in the world is the price of love. You see, love requires the ability to choose. God could have made robots who had no choice but he didn't. Instead he chose to make us humans in his image with the capacity to choose. As the Apostle John said "God is love". When we choose to love, we reflect the very nature of God. To choose otherwise is evil.

The first man, Adam, made the wrong choice as did all who followed with the exception of one man. At every turn Jesus Christ made the right choice. Jesus chose to die on a cross...to bear the weight of the sin and injustice that has corrupted his good creation...and to act as a representative for those who choose to follow him. In so doing, God has dealt with the sin and evil that affects his good creation. If you think that God is indifferent to the suffering and oppression of the world, if you think of God as a vacant landlord - think again.

In the actions of Jesus, God defeated the nexus powers of sin and death. They were condemned on the cross. How can we be sure that sin and death were defeated? Because death was unable to bind Jesus Christ. He went through death and out the other side! He rose from the grave with an indestructible body...the kind of body that can never die again...the kind of body he promises to all who place their trust in him.

Having been faithful to his Father, Jesus was crowned as the King of all creation and is now Lord of all the earth! Jesus has defeated death! This, my friends, is the good news of the gospel.

Recapitulating the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

2009-01-28T16:41:00.007-06:00

It has been my contention for some time that, based on doctrinal error perpetuated through the centuries, vast segments of the Church misunderstand the teaching of scripture. I have made it a personal mission to rectify the situation through in-depth study and teaching. This effort has largely met with stiff resistance, anger, and persecution by those who claim to comprise the Church. Believing that, by virtue of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the Church should love and embrace the truth, this response has been quite puzzling to say the least.

Today, however, a conversation with a good friend is beginning to shed some light for me. His statement was that the Church seems to be repeating the mistakes of Israel in the first century. I have recognized this same unsettling truth in the past but only as it related to understanding the message of scripture. What clicked for me today is that Jesus was rejected by HIS OWN PEOPLE. In Romans 8:29 Paul disclosed the fact that Christians are being conformed to the image of Christ. A few verses earlier, Paul had qualified what he meant when he spoke of God's children saying "...if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him."

Paul then proceeded to minimize the weight of the present suffering with the hope of glory that awaits those who share in this same paradoxical pattern of suffering. It takes but a moment's reflection to understand that the image to which we are being conformed is of a crucified Messiah who, again, was rejected BY HIS OWN PEOPLE. Though this is a tendentious hypothesis, I think I now understand the recent events in my life of having experienced light affliction...which is but for a moment...at the hands of my own people.

Overview of Romans 1 through 4

2009-01-24T08:25:00.003-06:00

The letter’s main subjects are laid out in the first four chapters. The introduction (1:1-17) offers and dense statement of the theme: In the gospel announcement of the risen Jesus as Messiah and Lord, the one true God has unveiled covenant faithfulness and justice, God’s own faithfulness and justice, for the benefit of all who believe.

Paul then launches into a description of the world that has worshipped other gods and has reaped a harvest of dehumanization, moral deterioration and condemnation (1:18-3:20). Though the spearhead of this attack (1:18-2:16) corresponds to regular Jewish polemic against the pagan world, Paul sharpens it up with specifically Christian notes, and he hints that Israel itself is included in the general indictment. He turns in 2:17-29 specifically to his own people, the Jews; while endorsing their claim to be the people chosen by God to bring light to the world, their own prophets indicate that they have failed in this vocation and are in danger of relinquishing their special status.

This raises acutely these questions (3:19): What is the point of being part of God’s chosen people in the first place? How is God righteous in the whole sequence of events? Putting off these questions for the moment with very brief answers, Paul stresses both the faithlessness of Israel and the abiding faithfulness of God. But to place the issue beyond doubt he mounts a list of biblical passages (3:1—18) that all point one way: The Jews have joined the Gentiles in the dock, with nothing to say in their defense. All are equally guilty before the impartial judge.

This conclusion poses a classic question within the world of Second Temple Judaism. What happens when God’s intended covenant faithfulness appears to be in conflict with the demands of impartial justice – when the double meaning of “the righteousness of God” seems to contradict itself? Paul’s answer is emphatic (3:21-4:25): In Jesus the Messiah, God has been true both to the covenant with Abraham and to the demands of justice. As a result, there is now a Jew-plus-Gentile people of God, the true children of Abraham marked out by faith rather than works of Torah.

All this came about “through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah” (3:22). Jesus has accomplished – to put it another way, God has accomplished through Jesus – what Israel failed to accomplish. God’s own covenant faithfulness is thus unveiled at last, an event to which the law and prophets pointed but that they could not bring about. The “faithfulness” of the Messiah, the subject matter of the gospel itself, denotes specifically his death, seen as the culmination of his whole “obedience”. This faithful obedience (or obedient faithfulness) was the means of dealing with sin and hence of creating a forgiven people. The badge of membership in the renewed people of God is faith, not works of the Torah, which would have restricted apparent membership to Jews and Proselytes and would in any case have condemned everyone (since all alike are sinful). However, since the gospel of Jesus thus creates a single family for the one God of Jews and Gentiles alike, the Torah itself, in which confession of this one God is central, is strangely fulfilled.

All this has come about in fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham (4:1-25). Abraham is the father, not just of Jews, but of all who believe. In a lengthy exposition of Genesis 15 (the chapter in which God made the initial covenant with Abraham), Paul demonstrates that the promises to the patriarch were not conditioned by works (Rom 4:2-, by circumcision (Rom 4:9-12), or by Torah (Rom 4:13-15). God has now created, through faith, the single family promised in the first place (Rom 4:16-17), consisting of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. In a closing peroration (Rom 4:18-25), Paul echoes his indictment of pagan humanity in 1:18-32 and shows by implication how the problem has been undone. Abraham’s faith is the characteristic mark of genuine , God-honoring humanity. This new family called into being by the gospel is marked out by faith in the God who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 4:23-25); for Paul’s view that the gospel was already, in a sense, preached to Abraham himself, see Gal 3:18.

The first main statement of Paul’s thesis is thus complete. The gospel of Jesus the Messiah unveils the righteousness, the covenant faithfulness, the justice of God in such a way as to bring into being the single family promised to Abraham, characterized by faith in this Jesus. Paul has constructed this argument in such a way as to prepare carefully for the points he wished to address in chaps. 9-11. and 12-16. To develop these lines of thought, however, and to address the questions connected with them, he needs to lay still deeper foundations. Chapters 1-4, by also leading naturally into chaps. 5-8, point to where those foundations are to be found.

N.T. Wright in his commentary on Romans, New Interpreters Bible, pages 413 and 414.

Enjoy.

The Paradox of Torah

2008-12-07T08:07:00.003-06:00

The interesting thing about the law is that it ultimately excludes itself as that which demarcates the people of God. In explaining why faith, and not Torah was the demarcating characteristic of God's people, Paul appealed to the original promise made to Abraham (which included Gentiles), the promise to Torah to give life to those who 'do these things', and the eschatological scenario set forth in Deuteronomy and Habakkuk in which the people of God are ultimately defined as those who have faith.

Many believe that Paul was simply proof-texting when he appealed to Habakkuk 2:4 to show that faith is that which defines God's people. But think about it - Habakkuk was faced with the imminent destruction of the Nation of Israel at the hand of the Babylonians. Incredibly, this was God's providential plan as he had put it in the heart of Babylon and had empowered them to destroy Israel. But Habakkuk came to understand that God's people would, in the future, be those who ultimately trusted God.

When judgment comes, what really defines God's people is faith.

The Promise to Abraham and His SEED

2008-12-07T06:41:00.004-06:00

In Galatians, Paul explains that the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his 'seed'. In its original context, the word seed is a collective singular - a single noun representing many individuals - in this case, Abraham and all his offspring. But Paul further narrows the identity of the seed to 'Christ'. At first glance, Paul appears to be disengenously exploiting the wording of the original promise to further his argument. Is this really what Paul is doing?

Incredibly, Paul later explains that those who have been clothed with Christ have become this seed! The only logical conclusion is that Paul is NOT simply being disingenuous in his use of the word 'seed' in the original promise made to Abraham. Just as in the promise to Abraham, Paul uses the word 'seed' as a collective singular - a single noun representing many individuals. The staggering implication is that, when Paul further narrows down the identity of the seed to Christ, Paul is using the word Christ to refer not just to Jesus the Messiah but also those who belong to him. Amazing huh?

Metanarrative and Converging Worldviews

2008-11-19T04:05:00.005-06:00

For better or worse, each of us is born into a family which had an over-arching story, a meta-narrative that began before we got there. This meta-narrative answers basic questions such as "Where did I come from?", "Who am I", "What's the problem?", and "Where are we going?". From this meta narrative we develop a particular perspective from which to understand the world around us - a worldview. As we grow older, we see life through a colored lens and are often unaware of the biases that accompany viewing the world from our unique perspective.

Biblical Christianity offers a worldview that answers these questions this way. God created all things and sees them as good. But through the fall, sin has contaminated his good creation. God chose Abraham and his offspring to be the family through whom He would redeem all of creation. Israel, Abraham's' family repeated Adam's sin, so God came to do it Himself. In so doing, God was faithful to his promise to Abraham to give him a worldwide family through whom the entire cosmos would eventually be redeemed.

This determination to set things right, to bring to pass the promise made to Abraham is the 'righteousness of God' spoken of by Paul. He has been faithful through the work of Jesus Christ to do what he promised. This determination by Jesus to carry out God's plan is the pistis Christou or faith(fulness) of Christ spoken of in Romans 3. God, through the work of Jesus, demonstrated that he was 'righteous' - determined to set things right again.

When someone reads this story, it should give birth to a new worldview in which those who have likewise adopted this new worldview are brothers and sisters in which new loyalties transcend familial ties. Hence Jesus instructions about hating our mother and father. We have joined the worldwide family of God. But, to properly play our role, it is imperative to understand the historic meaning of scripture. To do this, we must understand the worldview of the early disciples and adopt it as our own.

Do we see the New Testament as a new and better set of ethics - a rulebook? Do we see it as a collection of timeless platitudes announced by a wandering prophet who has no vested interest in the life of his own creation? Or do we see the Bible as a story - a story that continues with us in which we, Abraham's descendants, in this great adventure, are a kingdom of priests offering back to God his good creation?

The "Partial Hardening" of Israel

2008-11-15T09:49:00.006-06:00

I am discussing the eschaton on one of the message boards I frequent known as Jude2. I have proposed that the dispensationalist expectations of a mass conversion of Jews on the day of judgment is a mistake based on the misreading of Paul's argument in Romans 11. In response to my proposal, one of the more insightful posters questioned the interpretation of the following verse.

Rom 11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

This verse seems to imply that there will come a time in the future, when Jesus returns, that vision will be restored to the ethnic Jews and they will finally accept Jesus as the Messiah. Again, this is the dispensationalist expectation of the eschaton. But is this really what Paul is saying in this verse? Fortunately, I am armed with N.T. Wright's most excellent commentary on Romans published in the New Interpreters Bible published by Abington Press. To avoid an abundance of typing, I will provide a brief explanation of his exposition of the second half of this verse (11:25b) which appears on page 688 of his commentary.

In light of all that Paul has explained before, the question arises: What has happened to Israel? What is their status in light of the fact that most have failed to respond to the Gospel? Paul has already answered this in verse 7 of the current passage. Those who fail to avail themselves of the cure that ails them become hardened. This actually makes them more fit for the destruction that will befall them should they continue in unbelief as God postpones his judgment.

For reasons described in the commentary, Mr. Wright explains that the next Greek phrase (apo merous) should be rendered that a "hardening has partly" come upon Israel. This would be consistent with the idea expressed in verse 7 and might be stated another way as Wright does in his commentary.

"Paul probably means, then, that a "hardening" has "partly come" upon Israel, in other words, that while one part of "Israel now constitutes the "remnant," the other part of "Israel according to the flesh" - the great majority - has been "hardened.""

The second modifying phrase indicates how long this "hardening" will last. It is holding back the judgement while the Gentile mission happens, and will be complete when "the fullness of the Gentiles" has come in. As we noted before, Paul does not envisage that all Gentiles everywhere will believe the gospel, any more than they have done so far. He believes, rather, that there is a mode of "completion" (perhaps when the gospel has been announced to all the nations?) in God's mind. (It is less likely that he imagines God to have a complete mathematical number of future Gentile converts in mind.) Until this has been reached, final judgment will be delayed, leaving those still impenitent in the state of "hardening." And this "hardening," as we saw, leads to judgment, unless those subject to it come to their senses, repent, and believe (2:3-6). Otherwise we are forced to read into the sequence of vv. 25-26 a temporal progression that, as we shall see, is not what Paul has in mind."

Wright goes on to explain that the 'all Israel' of the next verse includes both ethnic Jewish converts (the remnant of whom Paul is a prime example) and Gentile converts together. This makes much more sense than the traditional dispensationalist view which must ignore much of what Paul has said before in his letter to the Romans which blatantly denies that physical lineage to Abraham holds any weight in the eyes of God. Were God to judge men on the basis of ethnicity, his justice would be impugned. He would be partial in his judgment and this is the very idea that Paul seeks to undermine at the end of Chapter 3 when he argues that the ethnic boast of the Jews is undercut on the basis that inclusion in the renewed covenant for Jew and Greek alike is on the basis of FAITH and not ethnic identity markers or "works of Torah".

A Word About Tithing

2008-11-09T13:43:00.003-06:00

When considering the tithe we should understand that our TAXES serve the same role that the tithe served the Old Testament. The priests to whom the tithe was paid WERE the government. Our government now uses TAXES to achieve the same end of providing for orphans, widows, and the elderly.

Those who labor in the ministry are worthy of their pay, just as those who labor in any occupation to which they devote their time. It is incumbent on Christians to see to it that their ministers are supported. Those within the Church should follow Paul's advice to give generously in support of those whose job it is to labor for the harvest.

What I disagree with is teaching that any Christian is required to give any specific percentage. Tithing was applicable only to Jews living under Torah. To teach that tithing is applicable to Christians is to misunderstand the simple fact that Christians have never lived under, nor were they ever supposed to be subject to Torah.

This is the very thing Paul was condemning in Galatians. The Torah was always a temporary measure by God. It was temporary until its goal was reached in the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who fulfilled the promise of Torah to provide a worldwide family for Abraham.

Apparently, there were some in Galatia, the 'Judaizers' who were encouraging former proselytes to Judaism to return to Torah observance. Paul warned that, should they decide to adhere to Torah, Jesus would be of no benefit to them. They would actually become alienated from Christ should they choose to revert back to Torah observance.

We are no different. Should we decide to look to Torah as that which establishes us or delineates our social boundaries, we would repeat the mistakes of those in Galatia who had been bewitched into believing that Torah is able to continue to delineate group inclusion.

That is why I teach against tithing - because to teach or adhere to the practice of tithing is to do exactly what the Galatians were warned NOT TO DO. I have heard preachers express doubt that someone was a Christian if they didn't tithe. That is the pinnacle of absurdity.

The presumption of most people who attack teaching against tithing is that the motivation of those who do so is greed. Maybe it's time to re-evaluate that position. It could be that to teach tithing is opposed to scripture - which it is.

One of my Favorite Pictures

2008-11-07T09:10:00.003-06:00

My brother and sister with the Presidente.

President Obama and the Daily Distribution

2008-11-05T06:38:00.006-06:00

Setting aside the issue of abortion (which was the deciding factor for my vote), what might Christians take away from last night's election? This morning I have been mulling over the election, the jubilation on the faces of the victors, the role of the media, the lies told by various candidates or interested parties, etc.

Having been active on a couple of Christian message boards over the last couple of months I have seen a lot of venom spewed by supporters on both sides but particularly from the side of the McCain camp. Despite my efforts to steer them towards a scriptural worldview, most rejected the scriptural truth that God raises up whom he chooses. After all, God raised up Pharaoh for his purpose. This is not an attempt to denigrate either candidate, it's simply to acknowledge the fact that God has everything under control. Nothing can happen that is outside of his providence.

Having said that, what are the positive aspects of the election? That's right, I said positive aspects. When we stop to consider scripture, we find in Acts a situation in the early Church in Jerusalem where the widows included in the group of Greek speaking Jews were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The solution? The Apostles appointed Greek speaking Jews to oversee the daily distribution.

Presumably, this solution resolved the problem as we hear nothing more about it. Few intellectually honest Americans would deny that the black population in the United States has been the target of oppression whether by the local or national government or by personal racial discrimination. This, I think, has resulted in a situation where many blacks have come to despise whites, whether justifiable or not to the point that the policies of the respective candidates was much less important last night than the color of the candidates skin.

I listened to an audio in which a reporter put the policies of McCain in Obama's mouth and asked black individuals in Harlem if they agreed with the stated policies. Mistakenly believing they actually were Obama's policies, without exception, they endorsed the position. But what is important here is that a large group of Americans who have historically been oppressed now feel as though they have a vested interest in America - just like the Greek speaking Jews in the first century Church.

Maybe this is what America needs to move forward. The President, like a flag, is a symbol behind which the citizens of a country should be able to come together in unity. As Christians our devotion to Jesus Christ must transcend political and even national affiliations lest we repeat the mistakes of the Pharisees.

Regardless of the results of the election, the point is that NOW the black population of America feels as though they have a vested interest in this country. Maybe we could actually rejoice with them about this facet of the election.

My Sabbatical is OVA!

2008-11-03T09:07:00.002-06:00

Having taken some time off from blogging, I am now back and ready to blog. I have been posting on a couple of message boards in hopes of winning converts to the 'new perspective'. If you are not familiar with the 'new perspective' just google it. As I resume studying, I anticipate having something to actually blog about over the next few days. So, there you go. See you in the next few days and be blessed my beloved blog readers.

What Does Inaugurated Eschatology Look Like?

2008-10-10T13:48:00.003-05:00

What is inaugurated eschatology? It is the idea that with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the ages have begun to overlap. The Jews believed that the 'old age' and the 'new age' would be separate and distinct ages - the old age would end abruptly with the coming of the Kingdom of God. What really happened was this: Just as Jesus had predicted, the Kingdom of God DID come. His resurrection was the beginning of the new creation foretold by Isaiah and other prophets. In Jesus, heaven and earth have once again become one. His resurrection constituted the eschatological event, the rebirth of the Nation of Israel. N.T. Wright speaks of it like this - in Jesus Christ, God's future has come rushing into our present.

This schema explains the now-not-yet tension observed in the New Testament. The kingdom has come, yet it awaits a final consummation - the time when heaven and earth will again become one as in the Garden of Eden. Psalms 110:1 explains that Jesus 'must reign' until all enemies have been placed under his feet. Paul concluded, apparently from this verse, that the 'end' had mystically been split into two - now there would be two 'ends'! The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the actual beginning of the general resurrection which would be complete when Jesus returns.

One aspect of 'heaven' that many Christians fail to understand is that it is not simply a place but a TIME in the future. Paul understood our resurrection bodies and our inheritance to be held in 'reserve' - a time in the future when the effects of the curse will be reversed. In the meantime all of creation groans in travail like a woman giving birth, awaiting the manifestation of the 'Sons of God' when we will participate in redeeming the earth. Glory to the Lamb of God! HE is worthy!

Dispelling the Myth of a Future Tribulation

2008-09-27T14:42:00.005-05:00

The goal of this article is to explain how the passages in the Bible that many Christians believe refers to a future tribulation (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 especially) refer, not to a tribulation in the future of present day Christians, but to the then-near-term-judgment of Israel, Jerusalem, and the temple. I must begin by providing some background information and the historic setting.

Jesus came announcing the near term arrival of the kingdom and judgment for those who refused his message of peace. The temple had become the haunt of brigands (lestes in Greek) who were intent on rebelling against Rome. Those who continued this course of action would be subject to destruction in Gehenna (the large constantly burning garbage dump outside of Jerusalem).

Despite God having sent messengers to the tenants of his vineyard, they had continually rebelled. They had killed the prophets but now God had sent his own son whom they would eventually crucify. But God would give the vineyard over to those who would produce the fruit. In announcing this near term judgment against 'this generation', Jesus appropriated language from the O.T. that had formerly been used to announce judgment against the pagans.

Look at the structure of Matthew 23 with all the woes. It is reminiscent of the curses announced to Israel when they entered the promised land. It is also reminiscent of the curses announced in the Garden of Eden. In fact, Jesus refers to the Pharisees as 'the offspring of vipers', an allusion to the ultimate showdown foretold in Genesis 3:15 with respect to the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. In vs. 36 of Chapter 23 Jesus said that 'this generation' would be held responsible for all the blood of the prophets.

The theme of the near term judgment is particularly strong in Luke 11-19 but I will set those aside for the moment. These warnings come to a head in Luke 19:39-44 in this passage where Jesus pronounces judgment against Jerusalem.

"But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out! Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. They will demolish you - you and your children within your walls - and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."

These words echo an earlier warning by Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27 where he had this to say:

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house but it did not collapse because it had been founded on a rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed: it was utterly destroyed!"

Jesus was inviting his hearers to join him in establishing the true temple as the current temple was under judgment. I have explained in another post how, in Christ, Christians comprise this true temple into whom God poured the Holy Spirit in the second chapter of Acts. This rebuilding of the temple by 'Joshua' had been foretold in Zechariah 3 and 4.

Again, Jesus was announcing the near term judgment against Israel, Jerusalem, and the temple. Just as God had used Assyria and Babylon in the O.T. to judge his people, He would now use Rome. Their house would be left unto them 'desolate'. Jerusalem would become a heap of rubble undermining their national aspiration which they believed were underwritten by Torah.

Does this then mean that the dreams of Israel would end in a heap, an extension of Gehenna? Well, in some sense yes. But all along the cry of Israel had been for vindication against her enemies and Jesus promised deliverance and vindication for those who followed him (by implication that includes us.)

His followers were called on to acknowledge him publicly and to take up their cross daily. They were instructed to pray that they might not come into temptation and to be delivered from the evil one. Should they be put on trial, the Holy Spirit would speak for them. The coming tribulation would be the time when 'the first would be last and the last would be first'. A great reversal of fortunes was about to occur.

What is happening here is that Jesus is re-telling Israel's story with a twist in the tale. The Jewish leaders and their symbols were being recast in the role of Israel's enemies while the true Israel was being reconstituted around the ministry of Jesus and his disciples! They would be those who were vindicated or, in today's language, justified.

With that background, we are now prepared to proceed to our text. We are considering the parallel synoptic texts of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. To save time, we will consider, verse by verse, the text of Mark 13 and, where necessary, comment on variations in the text.

The setting of these chapters is during the last week of Jesus' ministry. Having just acted out a parable of the destruction of the temple (the cleansing), Jesus will now explain to his disciples the themes concerning the near term judgment of Jerusalem, the vindication of Himself and his disciples, and the establishment of the kingdom.

Before proceeding with the text we must consider an issue that has plagued modern day readers and modern day scholars. Mark 13 is commonly read as addressing two separate issues. Verses 1-5 are read as relating to the temples destruction while verses 5-37 are commonly understood to refer to the 'second coming'.

The confusion arises from the misunderstanding of the meaning of the 'son of man' in first century Jewish thought and the word parousia as it appears in the synoptic texts. With respect to the phrase 'son of man' I could do no better than to quote from G.B. Caird as quoted by N.T. Wright on page 341 of his excellent work 'Jesus and the Victory of God'. The quote follows:

"Here, as in the book of Daniel..., the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven was never conceived as a primitive form of space travel, but as a symbol for a mighty reversal of fortunes within history and at the national level...How odd of Mark, say the critics, to append to a question about a historical crisis a discourse which is an answer to a question about an eschatological crisis!...But supposing Mark was right!...supposing the prediction of the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven really was an answer to the disciples' question about the date of the fall of Jerusalem! Is it indeed credible that Jesus, the heir to the linguistic and theological riches of the prophets, and himself a greater theologian and maker of imagery than them all, should ever have turned their symbols into flat and literal prose?"

The second issue we must deal with is the appearance of the word parousia or presence as opposed to apousia. Many people believe this refers to the 'second coming' but the word clearly denotes 'presence' or arrival of someone who is not at the moment present.

Having said that, we should keep in mind through the discussion, that the disciples had followed Jesus into Jerusalem expecting to sit on twelve thrones. Now, they would be confronted with the fact that the central symbol of authority in Israel, the temple would be destroyed.

With that, let us begin with the first four verses in which Jesus informs his disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem. Here are the first four verses.

Mar 13:1 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!"
Mar 13:2 Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!"
Mar 13:3 So while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,
Mar 13:4 "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?"

The setting for Jesus' statement is on the Mount of Olives, a perfect location for the God-man to announce judgment, vindication, and deliverance. Matthew probably intends the reader to hear echoes from Zechariah 14. Though no earthquake is recorded at this point we know that during the crucifixion an earthquake occurred in which the rocks were split apart. The prophecy in Zechariah was regarding the time when the Lord would be king over all the earth (14:9)

Zec 14:9 The LORD will then be king over all the earth. In that day the LORD will be seen as one with a single name.

This prophecy of Zechariah is a fascinating study and I would encourage you to at least read the chapter. Jesus is perfectly familiar with the prophecy and perfectly able to act it out in front of his disciples. Now here we see Jesus' disciples are enamored with the grandeur of the temple complex and Jesus finds it necessary to dampen their enthusiasm. He knows what's about to take place but to them it is still a mystery.

Jesus informs them that the temple is to be torn down. "Not one stone will be left upon another."

Jesus' disciples were naturally curious when this would occur. When would the temple be torn down? So they ask him this question.

"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?"

The question is even more clear in Luke 21:7

Luk 21:7 So they asked him, "Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that these things are about to take place?"

At this point, the disciples had no clue what was about to happen. It is inconceivable that they would be asking about his 'return' when they had no clue that he was going somewhere. Their question is plain. When will the temple be destroyed. The disciples were interested in when Jesus would reign over Jerusalem and when the end of the present age would come to an end.

Jesus begins his answer by announcing the woes to come upon the disciples. It was common Jewish understanding that the Kingdom of God would come about through a period of suffering. Their present situation was like a woman about to go into labor. For their glorious future to arrive, Israel must be reborn! (read my post about the rebirth of Israel).

Jesus begins by listing a series of strange and dire events to follow and he encourages them to stand fast. Those that endure to the end will be justified. Here is the list.

Mar 13:5 Jesus began to say to them, "Watch out that no one misleads you.
Mar 13:6 Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and they will mislead many.
Mar 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Mar 13:8 For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.
Mar 13:9 "You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over to councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them.
Mar 13:10 First the gospel must be preached to all nations.
Mar 13:11 When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Mar 13:12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.Mar 13:13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Looming in the background of what Jesus has to say is a prophecy in Micah 7:2-10 in which domestic betrayal plays a part and in which the judgment of Israel is foretold with the hope of salvation. Here is the passage from Micah:

Mic 7:2 Faithful men have disappeared from the land;
there are no godly men left.
They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood;
they hunt their own brother with a net.
Mic 7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil;
government officials and judges take bribes,
prominent men make demands,
and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.
Mic 7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;
the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes.
The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen —
your appointed time of punishment — is on the way,
and then you will experience confusion.
Mic 7:5 Do not rely on a friend;
do not trust a companion!
Don't even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms!Mic 7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool,
a daughter challenges her mother,
and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;
a man's enemies are his own servants.Mic 7:7 But I will keep watching for the LORD;
I will wait for the God who delivers me.
My God will hear my lament.
Mic 7:8 My enemies, do not gloat over me!
Though I have fallen, I will get up.
Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
Mic 7:9 I must endure the LORD's anger,
for I have sinned against him.
But then he will defend my cause,
and accomplish justice on my behalf.
He will lead me out into the light;
I will experience firsthand his deliverance.
Mic 7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame.
They say to me, "Where is the LORD your God?"
I will gloat over them.
Then they will be trampled down
like mud in the streets.

Mark 13:12 is an example of a passage which would call to mind not only a specific verse in the O.T. but the whole passage in which the reference appears. This is referred to by Richard Hays as 'metalepsis'. Early readers of the Gospels would have caught it but we are so far removed from that culture that we fail to hear these echoes. Now lets consider the next verse, the famous (or infamous) Abomination of Desolations.

Mar 13:14 "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Here, Jesus is predicting a time when remaining steadfast in the face of adversity is not enough. The proper response will be to flee to the hills. The original reference to the Abomination of Desolations looks back to Daniel chapter 9 verses 26 and 27. Here is the passage:

Dan 9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,
an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing.
As for the city and the sanctuary,
the people of the coming prince will destroy them.
But his end will come speedily like a flood.
Until the end of the war that has been decreed
there will be destruction.
Dan 9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.
But in the middle of that week
he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.
On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys,
until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys."

Here, Daniel predicts the coming destruction of the temple. Here, we need to be a little familiar with Jewish history to understand what is going on. Some years earlier, the Jews were subject to domination by Syria. Antiochus Epiphenes was pillaging the land and was desecrating the temple, attempting to force Jews to sacrifice pigs in the temple. When one Jew went forward to sacrifice a pig, Judas Maccabeus had arisen and killed the Jew and fled to the hills with his followers.

First century Jews reading the passage would have known the event alluded to here. When you see this happening, flee to the hills. There is no time for delay. Jesus is basically telling his disciples that the temple cult has become so currupt that they aren't worth defending and that to be loyal to the Jewish leadership is to be disloyal to YHWH.

There is a lot more support for the background of Jesus' statements and warnings but the already lengthy nature of this post compels me to move on to verse 24. The verses just prior speak of a time when false messiah's will appear, of whom Simon bar Kochba is a prime example, and of tribulation. (If someone wants a particular verse covered let me know and I will explain the background. Now here is verse 24&25.

Mar 13:24 "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light;
Mar 13:25 the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

It was common for Jews using apocalyptic language to describe current political events with cosmic disturbances. Again, In their mind, heaven and earth interlocked and overlapped. In this passage, Jesus appropriates this apocalyptic language to impregnate future eschatological events with cosmic significance. What is going to happen to the Jews and the temple in it's destruction will be a huge deal in the Jewish world.

What is interesting about these two verses is that Jesus is alluding to Isaiah 13:10, a prophecy by Isaiah regarding the destruction of Babylon. Again, Jesus was recasting the role of the Jewish leaders of his day in the role of the Babylonians which is quite remarkable if you think about it. This language is not, I repeat, is not to be taken literally. Jesus is not predicting a time in OUR future when the sun will quit shining and the moon will turn to blood. It is interesting though that the smoke from the fires of Jerusalem after its destruction would have had the effect of darkening the sun and causing the moon to appear red.

But the message has to do with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by Titus. You should read an account by Josephus of this event. It was horrific. The famine in Jerusalem was so severe, women were eating their children. When the soldiers entered the city. the famine from the seige had been so severe, the stench of dead bodies was everywhere. It was truly a tribulation.

Moving forward to our next few verses:

Mar 13:26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory.
Mar 13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Mar 13:28 "Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
Mar 13:29 So also you, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, right at the door.
Mar 13:30 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

In verse 26 we see that Jesus predicts that everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory. Jesus is again alluding to a prophecy in Daniel Chapter 7 where four beasts had arisen from the sea and Daniel saw one like a 'son of man' in the clouds arriving before the Ancient of Days. Here is the passage:

Dan 7:13 I was watching in the night visions,
"And with the clouds of the sky
one like a son of man was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted before him.
Dan 7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.
All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him.
His authority is eternal and will not pass away.
His kingdom will not be destroyed.

It should be noted that Jesus told the High Priest something very similar when he was on trial in Matthew 26. Here is the passage:

Mat 26:64 Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

The passage in Daniel refers to the Son of Man receiving the eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed. It is a movement of ascension when the Son of Man was escorted before the Ancient of Days. He is basically telling his disciples that, when they see this thing happen, know for sure that the kingdom has come. It was vindication for he and his disciples and their message.

Regarding the gathering of the elect, I have written several comments and/or posts on this board about the fact that the ingathering has been underway for 2000 years. If you have any doubt, read Deuteronomy 30 and Romans 10 together.

Finally, notice the last verse I quoted. Jesus said that 'this generation' (the generation he was actually talking to) would not pass away until all these things took place. His answer is the same in each of the synoptic gospels and scholars with the wrong framework as it relates to eschatology have had to do some pretty phenomenal linguistic gymnastics to get around this. Suffice it to say that Jesus wasn't lying and he was saying exactly what it sounds like he was saying.

P.S. I must give due credit to N.T. Wright whose basic outline in "Jesus and the Victory of God" I have followed in presenting this material.

How do Christians 'Fulfill' the Law?

2008-09-14T07:05:00.005-05:00

Many Christians, reading Romans 8:4, have come to believe that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables them to meet the ethical demands of the Torah. Here is the common translation of the verse:

"...so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit."

It is almost certain that this idea, the idea that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables a Christian to live up to the ethical demands of the law, is wrong. The single Greek word translated as 'righteous requirement' above is dikaioma. N.T. Wright argues that the dikaioma refers to the righteous verdict of the law...do this and you shall live...referring to the desire of the law to give life, but, absent the work of the Holy Spirit, unable to do so.

Behind Paul's logic is the eschatological scenario set forth in Deuteronomy 30 in which Moses explains what will happen after his demise and which Paul will expound in Chapter 10. The Jews will experience blessings, curses, and will finally be dispersed among the nations. Then, they will begin to reminisce about God's word and turn back to YHWH with all their hearts. When they have done so, God will regather them into one place.

In verses 11-14 of Deuteronomy, Moses explained that the commandments were not too difficult for them to do but that it was very near them, in their mouth and mind so that they could do it. He then reiterates that he had set life and death before them. Paul, having realized the hopeless plight of Jews under Torah and the paradoxical role the Torah had played in the Nation of Israel, realized that this was really what it meant to 'do' the law. That is, to have 'faith' in the Gospel they preached about the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So, rest easy my fellow Christians. The law has rendered the verdict of 'life' for those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.

Parallel Universes and Inaugerated Eschatology

2008-09-13T10:25:00.005-05:00

I caught the last fifteen minutes of a program on one of the educational channels the other day in which the idea of parallel universes was being discussed. Scientists have long recognized that time itself is not a constant but somehow depends on the relative position of different objects and the effect of speed, gravity, etc. on the passage of time.

I don't claim to understand the theory of relativity but, theoretically, if a husband walks to the basement to retrieve a can of peas and returns to his wife in the kitchen, the relation of time between them has changed due to the effect of gravity on time. Essentially, the husband in this case has walked into his wife's future. But please, don't ask me to explain that - I'm no scientist, just a Christian pondering scientific discoveries as they relate to theology.

I write this, fully aware of the fact that atheists have appropriated the idea of a parallel universe in their attempts to deny a beginning for creation or, more specifically, to deny a creator. What I'm interested in though relates to how these new discoveries might explain various aspects of theology and what I have come to believe happened in the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I subscribe to what theologians call 'inaugurated eschatology'. This is a fancy way of saying that, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's future came rushing into our present and the 'old age' and 'new age' as understood by the Jewish culture, somehow began to overlap in the present. New creation had begun yet old creation, still affected by sin continues alongside it.

Hopefully, this brief explanation will help. Jewish prophets had foretold a time that God would begin to do something new. This new event would be so unusual it would be nearly incomprehensible. Although I could list numerous verses, this verse in Isaiah is typical and I believe, captures the essence of the magnitude and the nature of the event.

Isa 65:17 For look, I am ready to create
new heavens and a new earth!
The former ones will not be remembered;
no one will think about them anymore.

Isaiah envisioned a time when God would repeat the events of Genesis Chapters 1 through 3, resulting in a 'new creation'. THIS is what I contend happened in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet we know from other passages in the Bible that this new creation has not yet been completed or consummated - we still look forward to a time when heaven and earth will fully embrace and become one just as they were in the Garden of Eden when God's dwelling place was with man on earth.

So, while we wait for the consummation, new creation has already begun in the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This, in a nutshell, is inaugurated eschatology. The word 'eschatology' relates to the study of the end. In Paul's view, the 'end' had somehow split into two. This, I believe, is the assumption underlying Paul's argument in I Corinthians 15 but this brief explanation will have to suffice lest we drift too far afield of my current point.

The theory of relativity seems sufficient to explain this 'overlapping' of time...of the old age and new age overlapping yet other aspects remain to be explored, at least to my satisfaction. This is where I think the idea of a parallel universe might hold some promise. For example, Paul notes in Ephesians 2:5 and 6 that we have been raised with Christ and that God seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

We know from various statements in the New Testament that, for Christians, some sort of ontological change has occurred. Our very state of existence is different somehow...we have passed from death to life. In principle, we have experienced resurrection yet our bodies continue to break down and decay and will one day experience death...presuming the Lord tarries. Part of the theory of parallel universes involves conclusions drawn from quantum physics that a particle can be in two places at once.

The Jews also believed that heavenly realities closely corresponded with earthly realities. This seems to be especially present in their apocalyptic writings such as Daniel and Revelation. Now this is about as far as I want to go discussing the idea of a parallel universe. This is just a post that allows me to think out loud, formulate ideas, and maybe whet your appetite for closer study of the scriptures and scientific theory. I would however be interpreted in your thoughts or comments. So...please...feel free to comment. Till next time, be blessed my beloved blog readers.

Finally, a Televangelist with Integrity!!!

2008-09-12T12:21:00.002-05:00

I have longed for the day when I would find a televangelist who actuall had integrity and the drive to really spread the gospel without ulterior motives. Pastor Shepherd is the man! Check out his video.

Judgment Awaits Those who Follow False Prophets

2008-09-12T07:43:00.007-05:00

I have long pondered the culpability being incurred by those who choose to believe the lies of modern day false prophets. You know who these false prophets are; Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Mike Murdock and Chuck Pierce just to name a few. This morning I found the answer. Read this passage in Jeremiah:

Jer 14:11 Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for good to come to these people!
Jer 14:12 Even if they fast, I will not hear their cries for help. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will kill them through wars, famines, and plagues."
Jer 14:13 Then I said, "Oh, Lord GOD, look! The prophets are telling them that you said, 'You will not experience war or suffer famine. I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land.' "
Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind.
Jer 14:15 I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying, 'No war or famine will happen in this land.' But I, the LORD, say this about them: 'War and starvation will kill those prophets.'
Jer 14:16 The people to whom they are prophesying will die through war and famine. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to the men and their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out on them the destruction they deserve."

At this point, I'd like to give a shout out to Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler. Hey Chuck, see that word translated predictions in verse 14? Do you see it? Here is the NETBible text note on the word.

sn The word translated "predictions" here is really the word "divination." Divination was prohibited in Israel (cf. Deu_18:10; Deu_18:14). The practice of divination involved various mechanical means to try to predict the future. The word was used here for its negative connotations in a statement that is rhetorically structured to emphasize the falseness of the promises of the false prophets. It would be unnatural to contemporary English style to try to capture this emphasis in English. In the Hebrew text the last sentence reads: "False vision, divination, and worthlessness and the deceitfulness of their heart they are prophesying to them." For the emphasis in the preceding sentence see the note there.

You are a waterless cloud and your destruction was prophesied long ago. May your lies perish with you.

Imputed Righteousness is a Myth: Here's Why.

2008-09-09T07:05:00.006-05:00

What follows, staggers the imagination. If you're not a wimp or a girly man, if you have courage and the intestinal fortitude...or... if you are a courageous woman, keep reading. It will probably challenge you and may even make you angry. But fear not little flock...it is our Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. In what follows, with one fell swoop, I will dispel an absolute myth that has wreaked havoc and caused confusion in the minds of Christians for centuries.

First, I need to say a word about perspective. Have you ever found an old love letter...maybe from your mother to your father when they were dating? If you read that letter as though you were the recipient, it would be a sure sign that you were in need of a quick trip to the nearest mental institution. The letter had an author, a recipient, and a specific historic setting. Did the letter have implications for you? Obviously it did or you wouldn't be there to read it!

The same issues of perspective arise when reading Romans. It too had an author, recipients, a historic setting, and implications for you. It is, after all, a letter to part of the early Church. But we tend to read Romans as a timeless treatise on how an individual 'gets saved'. Sure, that's included, but that is not what Paul is explaining. He wanted the Church in Rome to know, among other things, how God had been faithful to fulfill the covenant he had with Abraham. I will explain as we go along.

The reason the idea of imputed righteousness became so popular stems back to Martin Luther's interpretation of a critical phrase in Romans 1:17. This phrase 'the righteousness of God' is, I believe, the key to unlocking the meaning of the book of Romans. Let's look at verses 16 and 17.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, "the just by faith will live."

Now one day Martin Luther sat in a tower and he was ticked at God. He thought that the phrase referred to God's determination to punish each and every little sin. But in a flash of 'inspiration' he began to think that 'righteousness' referred to something God takes out of himself and puts into Christians. He was convinced that we humans suck so bad, we are so depraved, that the only way a person can get 'saved' is for God to take this ethereal substance...this 'righteousness' out of himself and put it into us. Once you discover what the phrase REALLY means, you will consider his inept exegesis to be laughable.

NOTHING could be further from what Paul was really saying. This may sound odd to you at first because you've probably never heard it...but this phrase 'the righteousness of God', refers to God's determination to fulfill the covenant he had with the Jews. You see the Jews understood that God had called Abraham's family to be the people through whom creation would finally be redeemed. If you go back and read the promises God made to Abraham they sound eerily similar to the things God told Adam whose lunacy led to the fall and allowed sin to permeate God's good creation.

But God planned to redeem it. Go back to Genesis and see for yourself. God had promised to multiply Abraham's descendants and give them land as an inheritance. Adam had lost control of the earth but the Jews knew that their family would be the ones to take back control...to redeem it. In their mind, the whole Nation of Israel was like Adam, leading humanity back into the Garden of Eden.

But they had been really, really bad children. Disobedient from the start. From the time of the Exodus they were stubborn and rebellious. Remember what they did at Mt. Sinai? Even as Paul penned this letter to the Romans they were pretty much rebels who hated God and had rejected his son. Back in the Old Testament, God had assigned them the task of being a light to the surrounding Gentile nations...but they had failed BIG TIME. They were only concerned about themselves.

They thought "Hey, we got it goin' on, we're all that and a bag of chips...we've got the Torah!" You see, they thought that the fact that God had given them 'the law' afforded them a favored nation status and when God finally came back to judge the earth, they would be declared 'justified' and rule over the pagans. And in their opinion, the pagans were nothing more than beasts. Just as Adam was supposed to subdue the wild beasts, Israel would rule over the pagans. Remember the book of Daniel? That's what Daniel in the Lion's den and the vision in Daniel 7 are all about. As long as the Jews were faithful to Torah, they believed that God would deliver them on the day of judgement and they would rule over the nations.

But the Jews never lived up to God's purpose. They never did act as a 'light to the Gentiles'. They wanted to horde up the light for themselves and they basically put mirrors around their lighthouse. But remember, these were God's chosen people with whom He had made the Covenant. Oh, my, oh my, what was God to do when his covenant people didn't live up to their task of helping redeem the world. They had become just as bad as the pagans if not worse!

So what is the solution when God has given them this task to be a light to the world and they fail? Easy, He does the job HIMSELF. He was determined to fulfill this covenant he had made with Abraham, to give him a worldwide family who would inherit the land..who would redeem creation from the effects of The Fall. So Jesus came to succeed where Israel had failed. Jesus would succeed in being a light to the nations...Jesus would be what Israel wasn't...he would be FAITHFUL..he would be a light to the Gentiles.

Have you ever noticed the similarities between Jesus' ministry and the history of Israel? It's a fascinating study. Just as Israel had come into the promised land through the Jordan River, Jesus began his ministry in the Jordan River. Just as Israel had wandered around in the wilderness being tempted...Jesus wandered around in the wilderness being tempted. These are no mere coincidence by the way. Jesus was living out the history of the nation of Israel but where they had failed - he would succeed!

Do you remember when Jesus told his disciples that "I am the True Vine." This was a clue to what he was doing. The vine was a common metaphor from the Old Testament denoting the Nation of Israel. So we see here that Jesus was actually taking the destiny of the Nation of Israel onto himself...but again, where they had failed, Jesus would succeed in fulfilling the task assigned to the Jews, to redeem the earth and form a worldwide family for Abraham.

Now let's think back to our verse in Romans. I've explained above that God was determined to do, through the work of Jesus Christ, what the Jews had failed to do...to succeed where Israel had failed in being a light to the nations. Think back to the actual covenant God had made with Abraham. He promised Abraham that he would be the father of 'many nations'. This precludes the possibility that he would be father only to ethnic Jews...it must be true that somehow Abraham would become father to many nations who would inherit land. THIS was the covenant. That Abraham would become father to many nations who would inherit the land (Rom 4:13).

HOW was this promise to Abraham being fulfilled when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans? It was through the proclamation of the Gospel! Whenever someone heard the Gospel and responded in faith, that was a sign that the Holy Spirit had worked in their heart to bring about salvation and it had all come to pass through the work - through the faithful obedience - of Jesus Christ who took on the identity of the Nation of Israel and fulfilled her task to be a light to the nations!

Now, keeping in mind God's determination to fulfill the covenant with Abraham through the work of Jesus Christ, let's reconsider the verses we started with - Romans 1:16 & 17 which again reads as follows:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, "the just by faith will live."

You see, as Paul went about proclaiming the gospel, when someone heard the 'good news' that Jesus had died, risen from the dead, and was now enthroned over all creation...when they heard this news and believed it, THIS was a sure sign that the Holy Spirit had worked in their heart to bring about faith...the kind of faith Abraham had when God declared him to be 'righteous'. It was apparent that this good news, this gospel message was the very power God was using to fulfill the covenant with Abraham, to make him the father of many nations.

When someone hears this proclamation and has faith in the God who raised Jesus from the dead, God declares them to be 'justified' or part of the family. THIS is what Paul is saying in these two verses. That God's determination to fulfill the covenant with Abraham, to provide him with a worldwide family is being fulfilled through the proclamation of the Gospel!

The phrase 'the righteousness of God' doesn't refer to something God takes out of Himself and puts into someone, it refers to God's determination to fulfill the covenant he had with the Jews through Abraham. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with God taking something out of Himself and putting it into a believer.

This line of reasoning also explains Paul's statement that 'we are the righteousness of God in Christ." Through Paul's ministry...through his announcement of the good news...God was fulfilling the covenant with Abraham to give him a worldwide family.

The Gospel is NOT an Open Invitation!

2008-09-06T14:29:00.002-05:00

Have you ever opened a newspaper the day after an election and read "You are invited to accept George Bush as your President" Heck no. Nor is the gospel an invitation. It is a STATEMENT OF FACT. The word 'Gospel' comes from the Greek word 'euangellion'.

Interestingly, this word would have been meaningful to both Greeks and Jews. Based on prophecies in Isaiah, the Jews had been waiting on the euangellion or the good news that God had returned to Zion to rule. He did return. They just failed to recognize him. He was riding on a donkey.

In Greek usage, whenever a new king acceded the throne or whenever a great victory had been won, they would send runners to the surrounding hilltops to announce the euangellion again - good news.

This announcement - this news that Jesus Christ has been enthroned - carries with it God's power to overcome the unseen forces that prevent people from believing. In fact, Paul said that the Gospel IS God's power. Faith is a command by Jesus who sits at the right hand of God. That's what Paul meant by the phrase "the obedience of faith".

You Stepped in it Now Sucka!!

2008-09-06T09:22:00.007-05:00

The Holy Land that is.

Despite the common misconception that the 'Holy Land' is a small little itsy bitsy patch of land in the Middle East, it includes the ENTIRE WORLD and God's children have already inherited it. Read this verse in Romans.

4:13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. (Emphasis mine)

So next time someone asks if you have been to the Holy Land, you can answer yes and share with them the meaning of Romans 4:13.

A Better Translation for Romans 4:1

2008-09-06T09:18:00.003-05:00

The NETBible translation, like all other versions, fails to capture the meaning of Romans 4:1. Here is their translation:

"What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh has discovered regarding this matter?"

Paul's point in Romans 4 is not to present Abraham as a prime example of how someone is justified. Paul had just argued that both Jews and Gentiles would be 'justified' (declared to be part of the renewed covenant community) on the basis of faith and not works of Torah. If God justified on the basis of 'works of Torah' which only applied to ethnic Jews, it would impugn his impartiality.

Paul asks in 3:31 if this undermined Torah? Of course not. The Torah had always looked forward to inclusion of the Gentiles. The very promise to Abraham was that he would be the father of 'many nations' not just one nation, ethnic Jews. So in Romans 4:1, Paul is concerned to show, based on Torah, how Abraham becomes ones father. What is important to Paul in Chapter 4 is the timing of God's declaration that Abraham was declared by God to be dikaiosune or justified.

Here is a translation argued for by Richard Hays and N.T. Wright that makes perfect sense of Paul's argument in 4:1.

"What shall we say then? Have we found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh?"

The obvious answer to this question is: no. So how does Abraham become ones father? Look at the timing of God's declaration. Was it before or after his circumcision? It was BEFORE! That's how Abraham can become the father of the many nations who haven't been circumcised. Paul will explain later that what is important is not fleshly descent from Abraham but faith! If you have faith in Jesus Christ, you are Abraham's descendant and part of the renewed covenant people. God has declared you to be 'justified', a member of the renewed covenant. You are the chosen people.

The Cleansing of the Temple

2008-09-03T09:09:00.004-05:00

Joh 2:19 Jesus replied, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again."

When was the REAL temple cleansed? On the cross where, as the representative of the Jews, Jesus took the sin of the Jews into his flesh where it was condemned. (Rom 8:3)

The Jews had waited for God's glory to return to the temple. Since Ezekiel's vision of the glory departing from the temple, and since the return of the Jews from Babylon, God's glory had not returned to the temple. BUT finally it did return. When? In Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit was poured into the Church. The Holy Spirit now dwells in the TRUE temple, his Church.

The Jews (and many Christians) mistakenly watch the Temple Mount in Israel for the fulfillment of Old Testament passages that foretell the rebuilding of the temple. But the true temple is ALREADY being built. God's glory returned to the temple with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Incidentally, the Day of Pentecost coincided with the Feast of Ingathering. The REAL ingathering of the Jews is not being headed up by John Hagee. It started 2000 years ago.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of New Creation as foretold by Isaiah the prophet. His resurrection was the rebirth of the Nation of Israel. He said "I am the True Vine". The vine was well known imagery used of the Nation of Israel in the O.T. (as was the title 'Son of Man'. This was the day spoken of in Psalms 2 when God said 'This day have I begotten thee".

Just before Jesus went to the cross, he told his disciples that they were like a woman giving birth. Ever wonder where that comes from? Jesus is alluding to Isaiah 66:7-10. Now they were sad, but their joy would return. You can look for a Red Heifer if you like. I will keep my eyes firmly fixed upon Jesus Christ, The King of Kings. He is the fulfillment of Torah, the true temple into whom the true Jews are being gathered and who are a dwelling place for God!

The Ingathering of the Jews

2008-09-03T08:59:00.003-05:00

Here is what Moses had to say about it.

Deuteronomy 30:3 then the Lord God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he as scattered you.

Here is what the Apostle John had to say. John 11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation. 52 and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered.)

You see, Paul was reading Deuteronomy eschatologically. In other words, he understood that Moses was announcing the sequence of events that would take place after his death and what would happen at the end of the age. First, the Jews would experience the blessings, then the curses. Finally, they would suffer the ultimate curse of exile. But God would regather his children. That's why Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30 in Romans Chapter 10. "The righteousness that is by faith speaks in this wise...."

The ingathering has been underway for 2000 years!

The Holy Spirit and Wine

2008-08-29T04:58:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, without prompting, my cousin, James Bishop, left two bottles of wine for me at my home. I don't know if it occurred to him at the time how much like Jesus that really was. Remember what Jesus' first miracle was? That's right, he miraculously provided wine for a wedding feast. What really excites me about what James did was not so much that I have more wine...it was that through his actions, I see the Master. What James did was a random act of kindness that literally changes the world. Thanks brother - I think the same principle would apply to Guiness Xtra Stout! Just kidding.

But thinking of his actions this morning, I thought once more about the fruit of the Holy Spirit discussed by Paul in his letter to the Galatians and the continual comparisons in scripture between the Holy Spirit and wine. Even today, many refer to liquor as 'spirits'. Ever wonder why? After a couple of glasses of wine, many people (myself included) have fewer reservations about expressing their love towards others and it just plain sort of makes most people feel happy!

Now I believe that wine is a gift from God. Like any other gift from God, wine can be over-indulged. That, my friend, is a perversion of the gift...something similar happened in the Church at Corinth. The 'gifts' of the Holy Spirit became the chief aim and turned into something ugly...something that focused on self. That is a perversion of the gift. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the gift anymore than there is something wrong with two bottles of wine.

Again, what is really meaningful, in both cases, is the giver. Still unopened, the bottles sit on my counter. But make no mistake about it. I have tasted the wine. The best wine is the love I feel from my cousin, the fruit of the Holy Spirit who dwells in him. This time, the best wine came first. Thank you James. I love you brother.

C. Peter Wagner: Rebuilding the Tower of Babel

2008-08-27T17:27:00.010-05:00

You've probably never heard of C. Peter Wagner. He is a behind the scenes sort of guy with an uncanny resemblance to Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. Chances are only slightly greater that you've heard of his right hand man and protege' Chuck Pierce. C. Peter Wagner has basically appointed himself as the head of the prophetic movement within the Charismatic branch of Christianity.

Wagner, a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, lends credibility to the movement. He also subscribes to 'Dominionist' theology. Dominionism basically asserts that Christians should infiltrate various aspects of society (he calls them the 'seven mountains') including foreign governments around the world. Infiltrating these 'seven mountains' would allow power to accrue to a select few including, of course, C. Peter Wagner and Chuck Pierce.

Though the recent folly in Lakeland, Florida, dubbed "The Lakeland Outpouring" began without C. Peter Wagner, he ensured that his crew of socially maladjusted 'Apostles' and 'Prophets' showed up on the scene to give it their blessing and place Todd under their 'authority'. (Naturally this was before these 'prophets' knew that Todd Bentley was living in adultery - they have since been furiously back-pedalling.) If there is going to be a 'move of God', Wagner is sure to be there to take them under his wing. Now many Christians are oblivious to what is going on with this so-called prophetic movement. They are in the process of attempting to establish a network of Churches around the globe with themselves at the top of the pile.

But you should listen to the babbling that comes from those closest to Wagner. These so-called Apostles and Prophets continually speak absolute nonsense. Honestly, the things they say make no sense to a sane person with average intelligence. Cindy Jacobs, for example, believes that her clothes are anointed and have the power to heal and she assures people that dry cleaning won't affect the anointing. Chuck Pierce talks of peoples spleen 'laughing' during certain times of the year and no, I am NOT joking. They really say this stuff. Do a Google search and find out for yourself. It's everywhere. Look at some of the 'prophetic words' on 'The Elijah List' or watch GOD TV for a night.

A fascinating facet of this movement are the Kabbalistic teachings that Chuck Pierce attempts to incorporate into Christianity. If you're not familiar with Kabbalah, it is a form of Jewish mysticism with adherents as famous as Madonna. As far as I can tell, Kabbalah appears to incorporate various aspects of Zoroastrianism (based on astrology and prominent in Ancient Persia) with Judaism. An element of Zoroastrianism and mystic religions of Persia was the belief that one could ascend to heaven by gaining secret knowledge. In fact, the word 'Babel' from the Book of Genesis literally means 'gate of god'. This Persian loanword sounded like the Hebrew word for confusion. You might remember that the tower of Babel is where God confounded or confused the languages of the nations.

Towers like the tower of Babel in Iraq are closely tied with astrology and attempts to attain eternal life through secret knowledge. Some of this knowledge was available, they believed, through astrology. What does Chuck Pierce teach? You guessed it - astrology. He relates the zodiac sign with personal character traits. Also prominent among the teaching of these false prophets is the idea that one can enter into heaven through various portals. Sound incredible? Watch this video with Bob Jones who, along with Todd Bentley explains how to ascend into the third heaven.

Ignore the fact that Bob Jones looks like the deformed offspring of the giant Marshmellow Man on the movie Ghostbuster's and Shrek. Believe it or not, many of these false prophets look to Bob Jones as their spiritual father and actively seek guidance from him. His personal angel 'Emma' helped guide Todd Bentley through the recent events in Lakeland. Rick Joyner, close friends with C. Peter Wagner actually stood in Bob Jones wedding. Now see if you can tie these ideas together. C. Peter Wagner is attempting to establish a world empire. His false prophets teach nonsense and are obviously confused and try to teach how to ascend into heaven through secret knowledge.

Get the picture? C. Peter Wagner is recapitulating the events of the tower of Babel. My hope is to warn Christians who are being seduced by his doctrine. The Church is actually in danger of helping them. Strike that. The Church is helping them to attain status and power. Above all, the satan is very deceitful. Lies are fathered by him. Let this post be a warning to these false prophets and those currently being seduced by them. I know it sounds like I'm making this stuff up, it is just too surreal and outlandish. But slowly and surely this wackiness is becoming mainstream. Hitler didn't take over Germany in a day. It was a slow process. Just a word of warning to God's people.

"Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do."

2008-08-22T10:23:00.003-05:00

This morning, a new aspect came to light for me regarding this request from Jesus' on the cross. Notice the reason he gave in asking for forgiveness? It was on the basis that they didn't know what they were doing. This is one of those verses that is so often repeated that we tend to read over it without thinking much about it.

But consider this: The annual day of atonement in the Old Testament provided a sacrifice to forgive unwilling sins (those sins one committed against their better judgement) and sins of ignorance. Apparently, Jesus was pleading for forgiveness on the basis that the sin of nailing him on the cross was a sin of ignorance.

This ties in nicely with Paul's argument in Romans 7 and 8. Romans 7 describes the plight of Jews under Torah. In Romans 8:3 Paul explains that God accomplished what the Torah was unable to do "By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and peri hamartias he condemned sin in the flesh..."

Notice the words left untranslated? The Greek words peri hamartias is translated a variety of ways into English. My favorite translation, the NETbible translates it "concerning sin". N.T. Wright argues for a translation of "as a sin offering". This would make perfect sense in light of Chapter 7. The Jews were guilty of the sin of ignorance but the sacrifice of Jesus as a sin offering was the perfect solution to their plight.

Isn't Jesus awesome?

"Remain in Me"

2008-08-21T08:49:00.005-05:00

Last night, Dr. Ed Cloud Hauser was expounding scripture from John 15. Here is the point he made: The Apostles were called to bear fruit, not branches. Excellent point Dr. Ed. What I ask my blogging community, is fruit? Ah, the fruit is love. Let's focus on bearing fruit. How do we remain in Jesus Christ? Easy. Remain in love.

If you love Jesus Christ, you will obey his commandment. What is his commandment? Love your brother as Jesus loved the Apostles. Now the pressure is off to beg, plead, cajole, and bribe people to believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord over all creation. Just Love.

Thanks Dr. C.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to love and he will remain in Christ.

The 'Lakeland Outpouring': Where is the Outrage?

2008-08-17T11:00:00.014-05:00

The recent events of the so-called "Lakeland Outpouring" are an embarrassment to Christianity. Because of Todd Bentley, God's name is being blasphemed among the Gentiles. The GOD channel as well as ALL of those who supported these events are complicit in the untold damage this evil has wrought.

What happens when all those crippled little kids leave the meeting and never get healed? Is that counter-balanced by the stupid and naive statement that 'some good was done'? Yea, well the trains ran on time under Hitler too, didn't they? Let's do evil that some good may come of it. Has Western Christianity lost its mind?

The silence of leaders in the Church to address the whole debacle is deafening. Where are the Christian leaders bent on defending the faith? Where is the outrage? Having warned a local pastor about the likes of Bentley, he later actually considered streaming the Todd Bentley Circus live to his congregation. Following the recent revelations by "Fresh Fire Ministries" of Todd Bentley's improprieties, I confronted this pastor.

His response? "Well, I really don't have time to worry about all that stuff." Now all of a sudden he didn't have time to think about it. Interesting. I got news for you buddy. Our fathers in the faith had time. Many gave their lives defending the Church against such heresy. They were burnt alive at the stake because they had time. Where, I ask, is your discernment? Are you oblivious to the truth? I'm glad you're not leading me into battle. You might mistake the enemy for a welcoming party. And this guy thinks he's leading the Church. Sheesh.

One of the oddest aspects of this whole thing was the nutty group of self-appointed Super Apostles who went to Lakeland to endorse the whole creepy thing. They gave their stamp of approval and 'commissioning' to Todd Bentley and this group of mental midgets with self-inflated egos call themselves prophets. Yet somehow, they didn't know that Todd Bentley was being unfaithful to his wife? Are they really prophets? Give me a break. They are just liars.

Todd Bentley is only the most recent example of satanic lunacy that masquerades as Christianity. We were warned that the satan disguises himself as an angel of light. But where are the leaders in the Church and why are they so quiet? Apparently, political correctness has run amok in the Church. "Touch not the lord's anointed". This scripture, taken out of context, has become their mantra to intimidate those who might otherwise address their heresy.

I have a word for the Church. Are we not to judge those inside? Quit being silent when Christianity is quietly infiltrated by effeminate men who claim to be prophets speaking for God. Get some guts about you. Take up your cross and follow Jesus who wasn't afraid to spill some blood to get the job done.

Paul's View of the Flesh

2008-08-13T08:00:00.006-05:00

Based on Platonic thought, the church as a whole has bought into the notion that material things are evil and spiritual things are good. Hence, the doctrine of total depravity and the popularity of the notion that what Christians should really be concerned about is 'going to heaven after you die'.

This was never the perspective of the Apostles who understood that creation was good, worthy of redemption. This should become obvious when we read Romans 8 when Paul sees creation as 'groaning' and waiting for the final redemption. Paul looked past the time when he would be a 'naked spirit' so the speak to the time when he would put on his 'heavenly dwelling' - his resurrected body.

2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked. 4 For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

So how can we understand what Paul meant when he spoke of the flesh or sarx? After all, Jesus was a descendant of David (Greek kata sarka) or according to the flesh. I think a clue to what Paul meant is in Genesis Chapter 6 when God indicated that, because sarx was corruptible, his spirit would not always dwell (in?) Adam. In Romans 5 we see a great reversal of fortunes when Jesus came to the very place that was corruptible (flesh) and, by his faithfulness, super-abundantly reversed the effects of Adam's sin.

In Romans 7, Paul considers the plight of the Jew under Torah. In Romans 8, however, we see the effect of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I think that the story of creation, the fall, etc. presented in Genesis and the idea that a great reversal has occurred is critical to Paul's thought.

A great study is to consider the pattern we see, for example, on the day of Pentecost with respect to Babel. Instead of language being confounded, those from 'every nation under heaven' heard the works of God proclaimed in their own language. The list of nations presented in Acts two is a 'mirror' image of the table of nations found in Genesis 10.

Act 2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!"

In Genesis 6 we see the themes of corruptible flesh, the indwelling of spirit, the 'sons of God' etc., many of the same themes Paul is dealing with in Romans. Even earlier we note the same themes in the events of the fall of Adam. The same things are apparent in Galatians 5 and 6 where allusions to the Garden of Eden are even more obvious.

Anyway, just a little food for thought.

Todd Bentley: A Blessing in Disguise

2008-08-12T09:18:00.007-05:00

Todd Bentley, recent phenom of GOD t.v. fame, may be the best thing that's happened to religious television in the last twenty years. Like the deformed lovechild of Batman and Emeril Lagasse, Bentley shuffles across stage, head shaking back and forth, shouting BAM! KABOOM! SHEEKA! SHEEKA! FIRE! FIRE!

Among Bentley's more bizarre claims are that the Holy Spirit told him to knee a man, who had colon cancer, in the stomach. He also claims that God told him to kick a woman in the face with his 'biker boot' in order to effect her healing - and he thinks she fell down under the power of the Holy Spirit. The more bizarre his claims get, the more his audience appears to go wild. Many attendees mimic Bentley's odd behavior, repeatedly convulsing or laughing uncontrollably, seemingly suffering from Tourette's Syndrome.

So how can I believe that the Todd Bentley craze is a good thing? Well, his behavior is so outrageous that even some of his fellow false prophets are embarrassed. A rift has arisen between modern day Super Apostles concerning the validity of his movement. That can only be a good thing. A misfit among misfits. Todd Bentley is exposing the whole movement for what it is: A Sham. So I say "Good job Todd, keep it up buddy!"

Is John Hagee Leading the Exodus?

2008-08-09T11:28:00.007-05:00

John Hagee is making a lot of noise these days on religious television and at a variety of highly publicized events as he attempts to orchestrate the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Though short in stature, Hagee has a commanding presence. Standing in the spotlight, his voice booms across the audience with authority, pleading for money to send ethnic Jews back to Israel by the plane-load.

The assumption underlying Hagee's pleas for greenbacks stems from passages in the Old Testament that predict a final ingathering of Jews...a return from exile after having been dispersed throughout the nations. These events are supposed to precede the final return of Jesus Christ who will then judge the world in a final apocalyptic event.

Further confirmation, at least in the minds of many Christians, that the tribulation and the return of Jesus Christ is imminent are the recent events in Lakeland, Florida, broadcast live on GOD t.v. around the world. What has been dubbed 'The Lakeland Outpouring' floods the airwaves and fills the living rooms of millions.

Led by unconventional televangelist Todd Bentley, what began as a series of healing services has become a worldwide phenomenon. Bentley plans to continue his crusades across cities in the United States and Europe in hopes of continuing the movement. Many see the Lakeland events as the fulfillment of prophesies made by another Old Testament prophet, Joel, that 'in the latter days, God will 'pour his Spirit out upon all flesh...'

Are these current events, this return of ethnic Jews to Israel under the leadership of John Hagee and this outpouring of the spirit led by Todd Bentley...could these really be the fulfillment of the words uttered by the Prophets so long ago? Are we seeing the signs that Jesus is about to return in the final great apocalypse? Well, it sure would have been news to the Apostle Peter who explicitly stated that Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was being poured into the Church on the day of Pentecost. As for the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, Paul apparently believed that the ingathering was taking place during his ministry.

Sound incredible? Just read his letters. Paul, who studied under Gamaliel, one of Israel's top Rabbi's, was more familiar with the Old Testament (he called it the Torah), than most of his contemporaries. He knew the prophecies of this great ingathering like the back of his hand. Deuteronomy 28-32, Isaiah 40-55, Jeremiah 28-31, Ezekiel 36-37, and Hosea 1-2 all predicted this great event, a return from exile similar to the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

The scriptures Paul quoted from these passages all indicate that he believed this ingathering had begun with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and continued with the proclamation of the good news that God had indeed returned to rule from Zion. This announcement that Jesus Christ is the King is God's power to effect this salvation. This new exodus was a new beginning, the new creation predicted by Isaiah and those who believed in the resurrection were part of it. If any man be in Christ, Behold! New Creation!

For the last two thousand years, the appearance of the Kingdom could have come at any second. That's still true today. My prayer is that this information will provide clues for those hoping to understand the Bible and the enormity of what occurred in the ministry, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the King.

Penal Substitution

2008-08-08T04:16:00.022-05:00

The doctrine of Penal substitution leads some to believe that, because Jesus suffered on the cross, they don't have to. They picture an angry malevolent God demanding blood without respect to whose it is. But is this picture accurate?

Unfortunately, the Reformed guys are the ones who are writing all the books these days and those suckers are really thick (the books, not the guys). Have you seen Moo's commentary on Romans? The Charismaniacs and Pentecostals are so busy blowing shofars down in Lakeland that anybody left standing wanting to understand what really happened on the cross doesn't have many places to turn.

Well, fortunately N.T. Wright's commentary on Romans draws a larger picture of what was happening on the cross. I warn you up front though, sorting through this mess won't come cheap. You're gonna have to read the Bible in context. And that's not easy, especially in a society where I am the center of my own universe and where everything Jesus said was directed to me...except, of course, what he said to the rich young ruler. So put on your thinking cap and lets think about what happened on the cross.

Here's the short answer. The cross is a paradox. While it looked like Jesus was defeated, he was actually leading his loyal subjects to victory by defeating the real enemies of his kingdom - Sin and Death. Remember this line...when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul knew a little bit about these things. What was actually happening on the cross was that, while the powers that be thought they were making a public spectacle of Jesus, HE was making a public spectacle of THEM. A paradox.

Here's the long answer. The Jewish understanding of history was that things had gone terribly awry pretty much from the beginning. That tends to happen when naked men follow naked women around eating fruit in a garden when there is a snake around. Anyhow, everyone who has read Genesis knows the story. God made this really cool place and Adam screwed things up...ROYALLY.

But something really weird happened when Adam and Eve sinned. Somehow, their actions allowed this dark power called 'Sin' to invade the whole creation. Naturally, this kind of corruption of his universe made God angry. Here He was, having made this beautiful place for makind to live...all you can eat fruit buffet...a naked women...jewels laying all over the place...just plant a few tomatoes....take a little stroll in the evening and watch a sunset with God.... Honestly, how could somebody mess that up?

So here we go. God kicks 'em out of the garden lest they start eating some of the super-power-fruit. And God won't let 'em back in. But he already has a plan in place to deal with the whole mess. He calls Abraham and his family knowing that eventually, one of Abraham's descendants is going to sort this whole thing out. I mean, this one is going to be GOOD! The snake and his little tricks are no match for him.

So God calls Abraham, promises to multiply his descendants, and give him a bunch of land. Again, really, really cool. Have you seen the price of land lately? Whatever. So if you've ever seen The Ten Commandments you know what happened. Abraham's offspring went into slavery in Egypt and Charlton Heston led them out. Just kidding. Moses led them out.

Now God is really, really, really, really, really smart. He knows how to trick the satan. I call him 'the satan' but that's another story... Anyhow, God gave Abraham's younguns a bunch of laws to live by that would lure the power of Sin into their midst and kinda heap it up, concentrate it into one spot. You give a group a bunch of rules and they're gonna find a lot of different ways to break 'em. But God knew that the satan had used this evil power (let's call it Sin) to do the same thing in the Garden of Eden. The satan had used this power to take control over the rule. Using the rule, Sin enticed them to disobey. God had given Adam one simple rule. Don't think about chocolate. See what happens?

Well the law had the same effect on Abraham's children. Turns out, these guys really wanted to do the right thing...they just couldn't. It wasn't that the rules were a bad thing...they just couldn't stop thinking about chocolate, no matter how hard they tried. But God knew all along that the satan was using this alien power...this Sin to trick them into breaking the law, just as he had done in the Garden of Eden.

But over time, these descendants of Adam, who had repeated his mistake, thought they were awesome because they could trace their lineage back to Abraham and their parents had cut off their foreskin, marking them out as God's 'awesome' people. Hey, look at us! We're cool, we're special! But keep in mind, God was trickin' the satan. That sounds really cool...trickin' the satan. Anyhow, now that God has this bunch of guys in one group where this power...this Sin is piled up to high heaven, he sends his only Son to be their King. Did I mention earlier that this one is very, very GOOD and His Father is really, really, really smart?

So Jesus comes down from heaven to represent these guys. As their King, Jesus teaches them how to live. In fact, he lives it out right in front of them. "Listen guys", he says, "this thing is all about loving God and loving your neighbor." As it turns out the more you're thinking about love, the less you're thinking about chocolate.

And Jesus is so devoted to his Father that he is willing to die rather than deviate from the plan to rid creation of Sin. So he goes to the cross. But he's trickin the satan the whole time, luring Sin in so he can stomp on him. As the representative for these guys...as King of the Jews, Jesus really does represent his people, and he loves them dearly. He's in the foxhole with them. So much so, that for those who follow him, what is true of them is true of Him and vice versa. On the cross, this evil power, this Sin that had run so rampant in God's good creation made...shall we say a strategic blunder. BIG TIME!

This Big Bad Sin went into the flesh of Jesus and God kicked his ever-hating behind. Stomped him into the ground like a mangey dog. Now sin came out like an itsy bitsy whimpering little girl. On top of that, God released the Real Power into the universe, the Holy Spirit, to start evicting sin from this world until, at some point in the future, it will be exiled from the Garden entirely. In the meantime, the Holy Spirit is growing like a tree producing the fuit of love so we don't think so much about chocolate.

My friends, this is Romans 7 and 8 in a nutshell!

Don't misunderstand me. God gets angry at people that keep playing with the little snake. But the larger point is that Jesus won the real battle. We're just mopping up. The point is NOT that Jesus suffered so we don't have to. There's no way around suffering, besides that's how he trains us. Jesus shined His light from the cross, showing us the way. Want to know what Love looks like? Look at the cross. Paul said that if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.

1Co 2:1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. 2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. 4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God. 6 Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing. 7 Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The Blessings and Curses

2008-08-07T11:52:00.007-05:00

You've probably hear the phrase "Blessings and Curses" tossed around in Church before but what are they and where does this idea come from? In Deuteronomy Chapter 28, Moses warns the Israelites of the consequences of obedience and disobedience to the Covenant God had made with them on Mt. Sinai.

Interestingly, the idea is also present in the Garden of Eden. God had originally blessed Adam and Eve, endowing them with the ability to procreate and to subdue creation. Their disobedience, however, resulted in a curse and they were ultimately banished from the Garden of Eden.

The same theme is present when God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham and multiply his descendants. God also said that he would bless those that blessed Abraham and would curse those who cursed him.

Finally, as noted above, Israel was presented with the choice of blessings and curses. When they entered the promised land, six representatives from each tribe were sent to adjacent mountaintops to proclaim the blessings and curses to Israel.

Now here's the most fascinating aspect of what Moses wrote regarding the blessings and curses. Beginning with Deuteronomy 30 Verse 1, Moses rightly foretold that Israel would experience both the blessings and the curses. They would eventually suffer the ultimate curse of the covenant...exile from the land God was giving them. Just as Moses had predicted, the Nation of Israel experienced blessings under King David and King Solomon but began to experience the curses when the kingdom was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

Ultimately, both the northern and southern kingdoms experienced the ultimate curse of the covenant. They were exiled from the land and scattered to the four winds. Their prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others all predicted a time when they would return to the land and God would restore them as a people. After all, hadn't Moses predicted a return?

While in exile, Daniel was reading the Book of Jeremiah and discovered that Jerusalem would lie desolate for seventy years. One day, while praying about the future, the angel Gabriel responded to his pleas and revealed that exile would last, not seventy years, but seventy sevens or 490 years! As God had predicted, Jerusalem did lie desolate for seventy years until other Godly men like Ezra and Nehemiah rose up and returned to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

Though they had returned to Jerusalem, Jews living in the days of Jesus were waiting for exile to end. Daniel had predicted that from the time Cyrus commanded the temple to rebuilt 490 years would pass to "put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, and to annoint a most holy place." (Dan. 9:24).

Though the Jews had returned to Jerusalem, they understood that they were still in a state of exile. Things they expected to occur when exile ended had not yet occurred. God had not yet returned to Zion, the temple had not yet been rebuilt, Gentiles were not streaming to Jerusalem to learn Torah, and worst of all, the continued under oppression by Rome.

They knew that as soon as God returned to Zion to rule, He would 'justify' or vindicate them against the pagan nations as in a cosmic court of law scene. This would be an indication that their sins were finally forgiven and would signal the end of exile. Reading Ezekiel 36 & 37 they believed that all those who had been faithful to Torah would be resurrected from the dead...a time when God would renew his covenant with Israel.

But they believed this 'end-time' scenario would play out after a time of great suffering...a tribulation if you will. Like Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego being cast into the fire or like Daniel being cast into the lions den and surrounded by beasts, Israel too would be surrounded by the pagan nations who they considered to be no better than beasts. In the end, though, they would be rescued under the leadership of Messiah, take up the role of Adam, and rule over these beasts!

What happened instead was staggering.

God did return to Zion. But he was riding on a donkey and they failed to recognize him. Israel was surrounded by her enemies as he hung on the cross. The temple would be rebuilt but it would take three whole days to do it. Just as the Jews suspected, Israel was resurrected...raised from the dead to rule the nations! This was forgiveness, the return from exile...the reversal of the curse they had hoped and longed for!

Meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul must have been startled. Jesus had claimed to be the Messiah and had been vindicated by his resurrection. You can rest assured that Paul had to do some serious revisions on his doctoral thesis.

At some point, he came to realize that what Moses had prophesied so long ago was now taking place. As he explained to the Church in Rome, when someone heard the Good News of the Savior who came down to the earth and rose up from the dead, believed it and confessed it, that was a telltale sign that the Holy Spirit had worked through the announcement to bring about faith to change the heart of that person.

Here is what Moses had written about the blessings, the curses, and the return from exile:

Deu 30:1 "When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will reflect upon them in all the nations where the LORD your God has banished you. 2 Then if you and your descendants turn to the LORD your God and obey him with your whole mind and being just as I am commanding you today, 3 the LORD your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he has scattered you. 4 Even if your exiles are in the most distant land, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 Then he will bring you to the land your ancestors possessed and you also will possess it; he will do better for you and multiply you more than he did your ancestors. 6 The LORD your God will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love him with all your mind and being and so that you may live. 7 Then the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hate you and persecute you. 8 You will return and obey the LORD, keeping all his commandments I am giving you today. 9 The LORD your God will make the labor of your hands abundantly successful and multiply your children, the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your soil. For the LORD your God will once more rejoice over you to make you prosperous just as he rejoiced over your ancestors, 10 if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this scroll of the law. But you must turn to him with your whole mind and being. 11 "This commandment I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote. 12 It is not in heaven, as though one must say, "Who will go up to heaven to get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"13 And it is not across the sea, as though one must say, "Who will cross over to the other side of the sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"14 For the thing is very near you — it is in your mouth and in your mind so that you can do it.

Just as Moses predicted, Israel had experienced the blessings and the curses. But the curse was now removed and with the proclamation of the Gospel, the return from exile began! And Paul knew it.

Was the Rebirth of Israel in 1948?

2008-08-05T10:04:00.004-05:00

Many Christians believe that Israel was reborn in 1948 but is this true? A careful reading of scripture will lead you to the conclusion that no, Israel was not reborn in 1948. It was reborn much, much earlier. Keep reading and you will discover how Israel was reborn in the death and resurrection of our beautiful savior Jesus Christ!!

Did you know that Jesus' favorite self-designations were metaphors taken from the Old Testament that had formerly denoted the nation of Israel? It's true. Phrases like 'Son of God' and 'Son of Man' were both applied to the entire nation of Israel in the Old Testament. In Exodus 4:22 God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh to release Israel, his firstborn son. The phrase 'Son of Man' in Daniel chapter 7 was understood by the Jews as a reference to the Messiah AND his people who would receive the kingdom.

One obvious example where Jesus applies a similar metaphor, previously used to denote Israel is John 15:1 where Jesus tells his disciples that "I am the true vine...". The 'vine' is a well known metaphor from the Old Testament and used, particularly in Isaiah 5, to denote the nation of Israel that had borne only sour grapes despite God's tender care for her.

If we consider the life and actions of Jesus, we notice a pattern that is strangely similar to the history of Israel. Matthew, quoting Hosea about the exodus, states that Jesus fulfilled the verse "out of Egypt I have called my son..." when his parents took him from Egypt. Jesus' baptism in the Jordan mirrors the crossing into the promised land under the leadership of Yeshua. Like Israel, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. But there was one important exception. Jesus succeeded where Israel had failed. See the pattern?

Now, keeping in mind that Jesus embodied the destiny of Israel I would like you to re/consider the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus. You might remember that Jesus was incredulous that St. Nic was unfamiliar with the necessity of the new birth...John 3:10 "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don't understand these things?" For years I have sheepishly but privately had to identify with Nicodemus. I too had been unable to find the idea of individual rebirth in the Old Testament.

But in verse 7 of this passage, Jesus switches from a singular 'you' to a plural 'you' treating Nicodemus as if he is acting in a representative capacity for the Sanhedrin. Basically, Jesus is telling Nicodemus that Israel must be born again. Realizing that Jesus is referring to the re-birth of the nation of Israel is critical to understanding the passage and understanding Jesus' incredulity. That this re-birth was necessary is clearly spelled out in this passage of Isaiah.

Isa 66:7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth! Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy! 8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen this? Can a country be brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons! 9 "Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?" asks the LORD. "Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?"

Notice that Isaiah speaks of the rebirth of an entire nation at once! When we consider the corporate aspect of this rebirth, several things come to light. In Paul's speech at Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13, he applies Psalms 2:7 to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, indicating that the resurrection is a fulfillment of this rebirth.

Psa 2:7 The king says, "I will announce the LORD's decree. He said to me: 'You are my son! This very day I have become your father!

Here, God declared Jesus to be his only begotten son. Again, this phrase 'only begotten son' was commonly applied to corporate Israel in Old Testament imagery. To summarize thus far, we see that the eschatological role of Israel had devolved onto the shoulders of Jesus. Isaiah had prophesied the rebirth of the nation. Jesus is described as being 'begotten' on the day of his resurrection as prophesied in Psalms two.

Can you see that the Nation of Israel had been reborn at the resurrection? It wasn't by accident that Jesus Chose twelve disciples. That was the number of the tribes of Israel. This conclusion is further supported if we consider the words of Jesus in John 16.

Joh 16:20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy.21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

In this passage (just prior to his crucifixion), Jesus alludes to the prophecy of Isaiah 66 which foretells the rebirth of Israel!

Though not exhaustive, this article provides ample support for my contention that Israel was reborn in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul explained in Romans, the flesh counts for nothing. if you have faith in Jesus Christ you have been grafted into Israel. In Christ you are the Israel of God.

Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that matters is a new creation! 16 And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God.

Chuck Pierce and Kabbalah

2008-08-04T12:10:00.007-05:00

My brother, Wyatt Roberts, has written several excellent articles exposing the similarities between the teaching of Chuck Pierce and Kabbalah. Having been publicly exposed, Pierce has been forced to respond in this letter on his website. In the letter, Pierce enlists the help of his pastor and co-conspirator Robert Heidler, whom Pierce apparently considers to be a more able apologist. He states in the letter that:

"Several have asked if there is a similarity between what we teach prophetically at Glory of Zion, and the occult Jewish practice of Kabbalah. My answer to that is a clear and unambiguous “no!"

Oh, really? Despite their claims, this article clearly demonstrate the similarities of their teaching and Kabbalah. Heidler goes on to defend the teaching of what he insists are not Kabbalist practices stating that:

"The Hebraic mindset includes the presupposition that God has revealed Himself and His purposes in many ways: Through His calendar, through His providential dealings with Israel, and even through the Hebrew language."

For those familiar with scripture, this quote by Heidler may call to mind the eloquent words of the writer of Hebrews who has this to say about God's revelation of himself to mankind.

Heb 1:1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world.

The Apostle John echoes his sentiment in this statement in John1:18 that "No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known."

Knowing that God has fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ, doesn't it make more sense to study the life of Jesus Christ rather than studying the Hebrew Calendar and the shape of the Hebrew letters? After all, Jews living in the first century were the quintessential experts in the law, the calander, and the alphabet...yet they failed to recognize the God they claimed to worship when they met Him face to face. Maybe they too were busy studying the shape of the letter 'Chet'.

Peruse the articles on Chuck Pierce's website for a few moments and judge for yourself. Does Chuck Pierce point others towards Jesus Christ or towards the signs that all pointed to Jesus Christ? It appears to me that Chuck Pierce has become enamored with shadows.

Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days — 17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! 18 Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. 19 He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Priorities of the Church

2008-07-26T13:30:00.009-05:00

One popular cry among pastors of evangelical churches is that the top priority should be to 'win souls'. One method employed towards this end involves Christians blanketing neighborhoods going door to door to spread the gospel. Potential converts are guided through a series of questions designed to convict them that they are sinners but if they repent, God will let them into heaven.

Is this whet the Apostles envisioned when they spoke of spreading the gospel? To find out, let's consider the biblical use of the word gospel. This word translates the Greek word euangellion. The euangellion has both a Jewish and a Hellenistic background. Jews looked back to the prophet Isaiah who foretold of a time when God would return to Zion to reign as king. Here is the verse:

Isa 52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains
the feet of a messenger who announces peace,
a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,
who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Thus, the Jewish background depicts someone who announces the good news that God has returned to rule and reign. The Hellenistic background is very similar. When a new Caesar would come to power or a great military victory won, runners were sent to nearby hilltops to announce the euangellion. The euangellion carried with it the promise that the kingdom would now experience peace. Therefore, the gospel is simply a statement of fact. The Apostles went about proclaiming this good news that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and now reigns as Kurios (Lord) of the entire earth (Lord was also the title claimed by Caesar).

With this background in mind, we Christians should realize that the gospel is simply an announcement of fact. Jesus Christ died and was resurrected. He has been crowned as the King of creation and everyone is commanded to give him loyalty and obedience. Now I don't know about you, but I have honestly never met a person who has not heard this announcement...the announcement that Jesus Christ died, was resurrected, and is now Lord.

The Apostles knew that this very announcement is the power of God to bring about salvation (Rom. 1:16). The Apostles also knew that when someone heard the declaration and believed it, this was a sign that the Holy Spirit had ALREADY worked in that persons' heart to bring about salvation.

My point is not to denigrate the efforts of well-meaning Christians who love God and are simply doing their best to lead others to Jesus Christ. My point is to challenge the Church to reconsider where these efforts would be most effective. It has long been my contention that the priority of the Church should be loving and meeting the needs of other Christians, people already committed to the cause of Jesus Christ. Jesus told the disciples that the world would know them as such by their love for one another.

All too often Christians are quick to demonstrate their love for sinners while terribly slow meeting the needs of fellow believers. That charity begins at home is not only popular wisdom but is a Biblical principle. Our love for fellow Christians is the hallmark that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Our priority should be to love the person on the pew next to us. Obviously, loving fellow Christians and loving sinners are not mutually exclusive ideas. But scripture makes it abundntly clear that ministry to fellow Christians should be our priority.

Gal 6:10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.

Israel (According to the Flesh)

2008-07-26T10:04:00.006-05:00

Reading through First Corinthians this morning, I came across the following verse:

1Co 10:18 Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? (NETbible translation)

I can't stress enough that we should always read footnotes. Often, they will cue us in to meaning that is obscured by the presuppositions of various translations. Let's take a look at the verse in Young's Literal Translation which, in this case, follows the Greek text:

1Co 10:18 See Israel according to the flesh! are not those eating the sacrifices in the fellowship of the altar?

See the qualifier Paul adds to the word 'Israel'. It is Israel according to the flesh. Why, you might ask, would Paul add this qualifying phrase to the word Israel? In answer, we need only look back a few verses to understand the context. At the very beginning of chapter ten Paul makes the statement

"that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea..."

It is not until we realize that the Corinthian Church was largely comprised of Gentile converts that we feel the impact of Paul's statement. It was our fathers who were under the cloud in the exodus from Egypt. Paul was inviting the Gentiles to think of themselves as the continuation of the true nation of Israel, reconstituted around Jesus Christ! Hence, his qualifying reference to 'Israel'.

That Paul believed Israel had been redefined relative to whether one had faith in Christ is no secret. He said as much in numerous passages in Romans and Galatians as the following passages make clear.

Rom 9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, nor are all the children Abraham's true descendants; rather "through Isaac will your descendants be counted." This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.

Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that matters is a new creation! And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God.

None of this should lead us to believe that there are two Israels, one 'fleshly' and the other 'spiritual'. While Paul felt it necessary to qualify the reference to his fleshly brethren, if he ever thought of the church as 'spiritual Israel', he never mentioned it. For Paul, there was only one Israel and there was only one way to know who was included. How? Simple. By faith in Christ!

They Found the Red Heifer!!!

2008-07-21T11:47:00.013-05:00

Just Kidding. We don't need a red heifer. Jesus already cleansed the temple and he's been building it for 2,000 years. What follows is exponentially more exciting than a red heifer.

"Those who wait for a temple to be re-constructed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem wait in vain....Jesus already built it." Interview with Russell Roberts July 21, 2008

Interviewer: Russell, did you really say that? It makes you sound like an idiot. What led you to such a brilliant conclusion?

Russell: Well, after many, many years of intense research, I've found some very subtle clues in obscure ancient Christian manuscripts. Here they are.

Mat 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

Joh 2:19 Jesus replied, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again." St. John the Apostle in his gospel quoting Jesus the Messiah and King of the Jews, 33 AD

1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? St. Paul the Apostle, Epistle to the First Corinthian Church

1Co 3:17 If someone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, which is what you are. St. Paul the Apostle, Epistle to the First Corinthian Church

1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? St. Paul the Apostle, Epistle to the First Corinthian Church

2Co 6:16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." St. Paul the Apostle, Epistle to the Second Corinthian Church

Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household,
Eph 2:20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
Eph 2:21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. St. Paul the Apostle, Epistle to the Church in Ephesus

1Pe 2:5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. St. Peter the Apostle, Autobiographical Notes (Annotated)

Rev 3:12 The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), and my new name as well. St. John, Apostle and Visionary to seven churches in Asia

Rev 13:6 So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God — to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. St. John, Apostle and Visionary

Rev 21:22 Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God -- the All-Powerful -- and the Lamb are its temple. St. John, Apostle and Visionary

"Sharing" your Faith

2008-07-16T08:44:00.005-05:00

Many people believe that to share their faith they need only tell a sinner about King Jesus. Is it possible though that the phrase 'sharing your faith' expresses a much deeper truth? One topic discussed in his excellent book "The Climax of the Covenant" by N.T. Wright, is the idea of koinonia (a Greek word that is typically translated as 'fellowship').

Many Christians view fellowship as enjoying the company of other believers, possibly at a church supper or over lunch. Mr. Wright, however, considers koinonia to express a much deeper relationship. Relating Paul's use of the word in his letter to Philemon, Mr. Wright says this: "The idea we need to grasp, which is in fact the dominant idea of the whole letter, is that, in Christ, Christians not only belong to one another but actually become mutually identified, truly rejoicing with the happy and genuinely weeping with the sad." Climax of the Covenant p. 52.

Some of the implications of koinonia become clear later in his letter to Philemon as Paul explains that service rendered to him by Onesimus would actually be in place of service by Philemon. Additionally, Paul urges Philemon to charge him (Paul) with any debt incurred by Onesimus. Finally, Paul notes that Philemon owes Paul his very self. THIS is what fellowship means: mutual identification.

Even faith, which you may believe is yours alone, is something shared by all who are in the Messiah. Perhaps it's time to reconsider what it means to 'share our faith'.

God on Trial

2008-07-14T08:40:00.005-05:00

While most are probably too sanctimonious to admit it, in the mind of many, God is on trial. How can a god of justice allow evil to continue to run rampant? This very question plagued many of the Old Testament prophets. Habakkuk provides the perfect example. Faced with the prospect of God using a guilty nation (Babylon) to judge a relatively innocent nation (Israel) Habakkuk questions the justice of God.

The answer God provides depends on whether you consult the Hebrew text or the LXX (Septuagint). The Hebrew text of Habakkuk 2:4 indicates that "the just shall live by his faith(fullness)." The LXX suggests that "the Just shall live by my (god's) faithfulness." Paul quotes this very verse in a critical verse in his defense of God's righteousness in Romans 1:17.

Paul was not simply searching for a verse that fit the needs of his argument. In the minds of Jews, the very question at stake, like that facing Habakkuk, was of the justice of God. Given the promises made to the Jews, how could those now streaming into the kingdom of God consist largely of gentile converts while most Jews had failed to believe that Jesus was the Messiah?

Paul is interested to defend the 'righteousness' of god. To do this, he points to Habakkuk 2:4. The answer, he proposes, is human faith answering to the faithfulness of God as displayed on the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ! This proclamation, that Jesus died and was resurrected, is the very power of god to save. The ambiguity between the Hebrew text and the LXX now comes to the fore. God has been faithful to fulfill his promises and those who respond to the message in faith are those who will live.

These are the eshatological people of YHWH to whom Habakkuk made reference. The just shall live by faith.

Binding and Loosing

2008-06-11T15:46:00.012-05:00

Much confusion has been introduced to the body of Christ by the misapplication of Jesus' instructions to his disciples with respect to 'binding and loosing'. Delusional televangelists proclaim that they are 'binding satan' or binding sickness and disease'. But what does it really mean to bind and loose? The applicable verse follows:

Mat 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

To bind or loose in the first century had to do with decisions by Rabbi's or judicial decisions in a court of law. As the terms related to the authority of a Rabbi, certain things were forbidden or 'bound' and certain things were 'loosed' or allowed. As the terms related to a court of law, the rendering of a guilty verdict was to "bind" (to condemn or imprison), a not guilty verdict was said to "loose" (see Tyndale Bible Dictionary).

The instructions of the Lord appear to have been regarding verdicts by the Apostles as they related to those within the church body who either repented or refused to repent. Whether, or to what degree that authority continues in the present is not clear.

What is clear, based on Paul's instructions to the Corinthian Church, is that Christians should continue to address sin within the believing community and should incorporate Church discipline.

If someone is overtaken in sin, go to that person alone and urge them to repent. If they refuse, take several witnesses. If they continue to rebel, present the matter before the Church body and treat them as a tax collector.

Free to Love

2008-06-11T07:40:00.006-05:00

Ask yourself this question: Was the death of Jesus on the cross an act of self-denial or an act of self-affirmation or are these ideas mutually exclusive? Before answering, consider the words of Jesus who said "I am the way, the truth, and the life...."

Considering that Jesus is the truth, his act of self-denial or self-sacrifice was also an act of self affirmation.....an affirmation of the truth, in his case an affirmation of self. I say that to make this point: If our lives are congruent with truth, similar acts of self-denial also become acts of affirming the truth. In so doing, our lives become a recapitulation of the events of the cross.

If our sense of self is formed by the opinions of others, we are shackled by those opinions. If, on the other hand, our sense of self is formed by truth, we have become free. Jesus said this very thing......that the truth would make his disciples free. Free to do what? Free to choose to love.

Removing the Spoon from Your Own Eye?

2008-06-10T18:22:00.003-05:00

There is seldom a dull moment in my office. After my brother Wyatt feigned being critical of my fellow co-worker Chuck McGee, Chuck retorted that before Wyatt attempted to remove the speck from Chuck's eye, he shoud be careful to remove the spoon from his own. I love these guys!

Justifying Sinners

2008-06-03T08:32:00.013-05:00

Imagine that you were on the jury in a murder trial that reached a unanimous verdict that the defendant was guilty. Now imagine that, upon hearing the jury's decision, the judge disregarded the evidence and dismissed the case. You would be outraged and accuse the judge of being 'unjust'.

But isn't this the very thing God does with respect to sinners? Despite the evidence of guilt, God declares those who have faith in Jesus Christ to be in the right or to be 'righteous' and dismisses the case. But how can God, the just judge, do such a thing without impugning his own integrity? That is the very issue at hand in Romans Chapter 3 as Paul explains how God could do such a thing. Here is the verse:

Rom 3:26 This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus' faithfulness.

In the Old Testament, God had always promised to vindicate Israel. The problem was that Israel was found to be just as sinful as the surrounding pagan nations. But Jesus came to do and be what Israel had failed to do and be. Rendering perfect obedience, even to the point of suffering an undeserved death, Jesus endured the judgement that would remove the effects of sin from God's good creation.

When someone has trust in Jesus Christ they mysteriously become one with him. They become a part of Israel. The union of the believer with Jesus Christ is so intimate that, what is true of Jesus is true of the believer, and vice versa. It is only by union with the justified one that someone is justified. And that, my friend, is how God can justify sinners while still being a just judge.

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Wrath?

2008-05-31T16:46:00.005-05:00

Many people interpret this phrase to mean that people shouldn't go to bed angry at others (especially husbands and wives :D). But is this really the meaning? The phrase comes from Ephesians 4:26. The Greek word for 'wrath' in this phrase is transliterated parorgismos which, in extra-bibilical literature refers to the cause of someones anger. The phrase should, most likely read 'do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.'

In light of the more accurate translation and the context of the phrase, the admonition most likely refers to addressing sin within the community of believers. When another Christian sins, it should make us angry and be addressed quickly so that the satan may not gain a foothold in the community. May God give us the grace not to let the sun go down on the cause of our anger.

Forming Eschatological Communities

2008-05-31T08:37:00.004-05:00

Prior to the exile of the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel (Israel and Judah, respectively), her prophets foresaw not only the exile, but a people who would return from exile as well as their characteristics. These would be the people who were forgiven, among whom there would be no poor. These were the people upon whose hearts God would write the Torah.

Knowing this helps understand instructions given to the early church including the Sermon on the Mount, events in the book of Acts, and Paul's instructions to the Corinthian Church. Given the deeper meaning of Torah and the vision of the prophets concerning the characteristics of the eschatological people of God, Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, was urging the crowd to BE these people.

This pattern of thought is reflected in the book of Acts when the people sold possessions to meet the needs of others, realizing that one of the characteristics of the eschatological people was that there would be no poor among them. Paul further understood that Torah had foreseen a people who would be justified by faith and not by works of Torah.

Two thousand years later, we modern day Christians should realize that these qualities still characterize the eschatological community. God's people are still defined these characteristics. Our communities reflect forgiveness from God as well as forgiveness towards each other, there should be no poor among us (let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit of the Lord says), we should refuse the way of violence, we should be pure of heart, we should not hate, etc.

Hundreds of years of Platonic influence have convinced Christians around the world that salvation is merely a personal and private matter. But this was never in the mind of Jesus or Paul or anyone who understood that, like God, these things are experienced in community. Forgiveness is not merely of our 'personal sins' but is acceptance within the community of believers. May God grant us the wisdom to be careful how we build and to implement this wisdom in our relationships with other Christians.

Faith, Reason, and Science

2008-05-20T08:11:00.005-05:00

I heard someone preaching this morning whose basic message was the Christians must not rely on their 'sense-knowledge' which I understand to mean the five senses (touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight) but that they must rely on faith.

The false presumption of the message preached on television is that sense-knowledge is opposed to faith. The truth of the matter is that our knowledge is not limited to sense-knowledge. We walk by faith, not by sight. But sight is a gift from God that enables us to see his creation, providing evidence of the Creator (Rom. Ch. 1).

This same principle applies to reason and science. Neither science nor reason is opposed to faith. Rightly understood, both provide windows through which to understand the one true God who created the universe.

As odd as it may sound, many Christians are afraid to question their faith. Often this is expressed in a hesitancy to study and understand the Bible in its historical context. But Christians must understand that the basis of their faith is firmly rooted in history. Without the historical claim of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our faith is empty. With Paul we must stand and say that if there is no resurrection, we of all men are most miserable!

To those Christians afraid of what they may find should they delve too deeply I say "Fear not little flock, for it is God's pleasure to give you the kingdom!" Your faith is firmly rooted in the historical event of the resurrection of the God Man Jesus Christ.

The Gift of the Law

2008-05-13T13:28:00.005-05:00

Many Christians fail to realize that the Torah or law was actually a gift from God though it was given to only one ethnic group for a temporary period of time. According to Jewish tradition, the Torah was mediated by angels to Moses on Mount Sinai approximately 50 days following the Exodus. This event was known as Pentecost and was the event being celebrated when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church in the second chapter of Acts.

Paul's argument in the third chapter of Galatians hinges on understanding that the law was only a temporary measure and was given only to ethnic Jews. Though his argument is very condensed, Paul's reasoning goes something like this; God made a promise to Abraham and to his descendant (collective singular)*. The law came much later and has no effect on God's covenant with Abraham. So why did God give the law? It was added to reign in sin until Jesus arrived. It was mediated through Moses to only the Jews. But God is one. And because God is One, he must rule over everyone, not just the Jews but the Gentiles also.

Is the law then, opposed to God's promise to make Abraham the father of many nations? Of course not! But the law acted like a jailer imprisoning everyone and everything under sin so that the promise (of becoming part of Abraham's worldwide family) could be given to anyone who believes (this includes Gentiles) because of the faithful obedience of Jesus Christ.

So the law was like a guardian that kept us Jews as prisoners until it became apparent that faith is the characteristic that defines who Abraham's children really are. Now, the law no longer serves to identify Abraham's children. Faith does. And if you have faith and have been baptized into the community of believers, the differences that once separated us like ethnicity and gender are no longer important. In God's family it really doesn't matter if you are a Greek or a Jew or male or female. God has united all of you as one family and made you an heir to the promises.

*In the promises made to Abraham, Moses used the word 'seed' which is a collective singular. The singular word 'seed' referred to many individuals who would be part of Abraham's descendants. This is consistent with Paul's use of the Greek word Christos which he used to denote Jesus along with everyone who has faith in him. See my previous article on the incorporative use of the word 'Christos'.

Interpreting Scripture

2008-05-10T12:40:00.004-05:00

Re-reading through N.T. Wright's excellent work The New Testament and the People of God the question arises regarding the two broad methods for reading scripture. These include a 'historical' reading of scripture in which the only thing that matters is what scripture meant in its historic context and a pre-critical reading of scripture in which all that matters is what scripture means to me.

If I understand him correctly, Mr. Wright contends that these categories are misleading and result from flawed presumptions from pre-Enlightenment and Enlightenment worldviews. We must think in broader terms. Seeking to avoid the false dichotomy caused by thinking within these two categories. Part of the problem when it comes to scripture is that it is written as a story. If a story might be said to be authoritative, in what way is it authoritative?

The answer lies in understanding this facet of scripture similar to that of a play. Should you find the first four acts of a Shakespeare play with the fifth act unwritten, the fifth act would need to be improvised by those familiar with the works of Shakespeare. Thus, we must understand the story of scripture. That is, we must understand the worldview of those who wrote the Bible. Understanding the story gives birth to a new worldview, enabling us, the players, to live and act consistently with the first four parts (scripture).

Wright suggests a Realist-Critical analysis of scripture. This method involves forming a hypothesis and testing it against the available data. But one should recognize Available data would include not only scripture but extra-biblical literature. Evaluating scripture this way should eventually lead to the worldview of those who wrote it.

If you haven't considered these issues, you should. This is but a very brief sketch of the issues confronting those who wish to understand the life of Jesus Christ and the story of which we have become a part. Should you choose to explore these issues further I highly recommend reading N.T. Wright's The New Testament and the People of God.

The Scandal of the Cross

2008-05-09T07:57:00.006-05:00

Reading through Miroslav Volf's excellent book Exclusion and Embrance, I read the following profound passage:

"The ultimate scandal of the cross is the all too frequent failure of self-donation to bear positive fruit: you give yourself for the other-and violence does not stop but destroys you; you sacrifice your life-and stabilize the power of the perpetrator. Though self-donation often issues in the joy of reciprocity, it must reckon with the pain of failure and violence. When violence strikes, the very act of self-donation becomes a cry before the dark face of God. This dark face confronting the act of self-donation is a scandal." Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, P.26 (Bolding is mine)

If you have tried to live a cruciform life you will recognize the pattern referred to by Volf. Often, the fruit of self-sacrificial acts does not seem to bear fruit and pleas to God seem to disappear into a dark void without even an echo. This is the same experience of King Jesus while dying on the cross; "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!"

As Christians, we absolutely must recognize that the path of the cross is a lonely one. We must recognize the possibility that, despite appearances, like Jesus as he hung on the cross, we might be at the very center of his will.

New Creation: How does it work?

2008-04-25T08:38:00.011-05:00

I discussed in a previous article how God is re-creating the world through story. This morning I will specifically consider how God is doing this through Christ.

As you know, God spoke the cosmos into existence and subsequently instructed Adam to rule over it. Adam failed, however, resulting in a wholesale curruption of the cosmos.

But God was (and still is) determined to expel the sin that has corrupted his good creation, and redeem the world. The first step toward this was to call Abraham and his family, who would serve as the agents through whom creation would be redeemed. This family became known as Israel, and it was their job to be as a light to the nations, as well as act as priests who would render God's good creation back to him.

Israel failed, however, just as their progenitor, Adam, had done.

What did God do then? As it turns out, He would fulfill His plan through the very same mediating agency by which -- or, rather, by Whom --he had created the cosmos in the first place: the Word.

Jesus came as the incarnate word of God, the wisdom of God. He took it upon Himself to be and do what both Adam and Israel had failed to be and do. That is, he came to be the Lord of creation, the place where heaven and earth come together. As a result of the law, and as part of their vocation, Israel had become the place where sin was concentrated (Romans 5:20). As the official representative of the nation of Israel, the god-man prototype, Jesus came to be the place where sin was finally condemned -- in His flesh, on the cross.

This is how creation has been redeemed. It was accomplished in, and through, Jesus Christ. When someone hears and believes the gospel, it's a sign the Holy Spirit has worked within that person to bring about new creation. That person then becomes one in whom heaven and earth become one.

Within the new creation, sin stands condemned and awaits its final expulsion, which will take place when Christ returns. This is how God the Father is currently ruling creation...through the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

(Article Edited by Y@)

Arthur Burk Discovers Fragrance Portals!

2008-04-21T09:40:00.004-05:00

Wife can't cook? No worries mate. Cult leader Arthur Burk (widely recognized for discovering sound portals, temperature portals, earthgates, and upspouts) has recently discovered 'fragrance portals'. Just build a house located near one of these portals and your days of fasting are over! This is from his website.

"Nearly a year ago we discovered the concept of fragrance portals in the land and individuals who have a fragrance anointing. This was introduced in the album entitled "Releasing the Birthing Anointing." If you aren't familiar with this concept, click here to order the teaching and then finish reading this article.

Recently Megan, who has a fragrance anointing, observed that her anointing seems to affect her cooking. What she prepares tastes better than normal. It's not because of her technique with ingredients, but because her anointing to bring fragrances into alignment drifts over into the realm of taste. We tested her theory with some other people who have a fragrance anointing and it seems to be highly consistent."

Faith and Worldviews

2008-04-21T08:11:00.003-05:00

Are you defensive when your beliefs about the Bible are challenged or are you willing to listen to a different interpretation? Just how flexible is your worldview? I would argue that the inability for most ethnic Jews living in the first century to recognize Jesus as the Messiah was the result of their unwillingness to consider a worldview that conflicted with their own. You see, the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would lead a military revolt to overthrow Roman oppression. Their Messiah would subject the foreigners and make them slaves to the chosen people.

Worldviews form over long periods of time and are not easily subverted. To accept a new one is an act of faith that can, at times, be unsettling. But there you will find peace and truth. As my former pastor stated "a mind is like a parachute.....it only works when it's open." Unfortunately these were nothing more than empty words to him when his worldview was challenged.

Seedtime and Harvest

2008-04-16T12:47:00.008-05:00

If you know me personally, you have probably been informed by now that my tomato crop was recently destroyed by a late freeze. After reviewing my checkbook to ensure that my tithes were up-to-date, I began to wonder about the destiny of my tomato plants.

Were they, in fact, saved or unsaved at the moment of their untimely demise? Now you may disagree....you may disagree strongly....but I think it is quite possible that most of my tomato plants went straight to hell. It is an amusing but slightly irritating fact that, when it comes to the death of close relatives, plants, or animals, most Christians are simply Universalists, believing that all go to heaven.

Reformed logic would dictate that, like humans, plants and animals are born totally depraved and unable to do anything to please God prior to salvation. This would especially apply to tulips and determinate tomatoes. Determinate tomatoes are genetically predestined to grow to a certain height and bear a predetermined amount of fruit. They are essentially Calvinists. The indeterminate tomato varieties are Wesleyan. My conclusion (that my own tomatoes went to hell) has to do with the lack of bearing fruit and their poor performance prior to the freeze. Calvinists would argue that since they didn't persevere through the freeze, they never were saved.

Anyhoo, if you could help guide me through this tumultuous time in my life, please leave a comment.

Review of The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright by John Piper

2008-03-20T12:54:00.009-05:00

I have tossed the idea around with my brother of formulating a comprehensive response to John Piper's new book "The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright". I am on page 79 of his book but it is already abundantly clear that to formulate a response would be an exercise in futility.

His argument against N.T. Wright's view of justification is easy to refute but several things will prevent me from doing so. Most importantly, Piper reads the Bible from an egocentric perspective without considering the historic context and setting. The book is replete with examples but here is one: On page 78, Piper makes the following statement:

The charge against us in God’s law-court is that we do not have this righteousness. "None is righteous, no, not one . . . no one seeks for God" (Rom. 3:10–11). We are all guilty of "ungodliness and unrighteousness . . . [and have] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images" (Rom. 1:18, 23; cf. 3:23). (Emphasis added)

Notice how Piper totally ignores the context and historical setting and applies the verses he cites to all people for all time? This method of Biblical interpretation has totally obscured Paul's point. Paul was not making a blanket statement about the nature of mankind but was actually arguing a point that would help the Roman church understand why the possession of Torah didn't afford Jews preferential status with respect to God's judgement.

To refute the false arguments presented by Piper would require first correcting his flawed egocentric hermeneutic and that, my friend, is a monumental task. While I would love to tackle such a task, it would require the presentation a very technical argument that few would understand and fewer still would be interested in reading. While his arguments are easily refuted, life is just too short and the fruit too sparse to justify the effort. I must resign myself to urging those who wish to understand justification to read "What St. Paul Really Said" by Dr. N.T. Wright.

New Creation Through Story

2008-03-11T06:56:00.004-05:00

In a previous post I considered the worlds created by authors, composers, and artists. These new worlds invite others to experience a new perspective, that is, they invite the viewer to experience ecstasy. Today I want to consider the world created by the greatest author, composer, and artist ever, that is, I want to consider the new world being created by God. Above all, the Bible tells a story.....a story that reached its climax in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was the beginning of new creation.

Now here is what's interesting. Consider that, prior to hearing the gospel, everyone is part of a story. That is, they have a certain perspective of the world. But when someone hears the message of the gospel and believes it, they become part of a different story. They become a part of the story told within the pages of the Bible. Becoming part of this different story places one in a different position with respect to their former way of life. In effect, one who believes the gospel has achieved an ecstatic relationship to the old creation and has become a part of the new world created by God through the gospel.

This is new creation. That is what it means when Paul insists that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. Those who hear the gospel and believe it have transcended the old creation which is still subject to the power of death. This is how God, through the Bible or the spoken word about Jesus Christ is bringing about new creation!

Tomato Pie

2008-03-04T13:49:00.009-06:00

At present, this blog is spinning out of control in cyberspace like a satellite. In order to retain my sanity, I am diverting my attention to matters of great national and spiritual importance. Namely, I will focus on the upcoming gardening season which will witness an emphasis on growing tomatoes and sweet basil, and will also include bream fishing and catfishing.

Baby, if you haven't tasted a tomato pie with sweet basil, you haven't lived. Got the recipe from a friend of mine. Here's what you do. Bake a pie crust and spread liberally with olive oil. Place quartered hunks of homegrown tomatoes in the pie crust and mix in a couple of handfulls of sweet basil. Top with a whole package of mozerella cheese and a whole package of italian cheese. Bake until cheese melts forming a top for the tomatoes.

Remove from oven and eat. Don't try this with store bought tomatoes you'll just make your pie crust mad.

Egocentric Evangelism

2008-02-28T10:27:00.004-06:00

More than an invitation, the Gospel is a statement of fact. Properly understood, the good news is that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and, as such, has been declared the rightful ruler and Lord of creation. If this good news is presented as a way to ensure ones place in heaven after they die or as an invitation to a new spiritual experience, we do nothing more than reinforce the egocentric world view of the hearer.

Once we realize that the resurrection was the beginning of new creation, and that we are called to participate in that new creation, our evangelism should fall into place. Evangelism is a call to a task, to institute what Jesus Christ accomplished, to bring God's justice into this world in the present. Jesus taught his disciples to pray that God's Kingdom would come to earth. When we pray for others, fight for justice, show mercy, worship, teach, sing, or whatever.......all of these things bring part of God's kingdom to bear in the present.

More than that, these kingdom building activities direct and focus our attention away from self and towards others. Maybe it's time that the Church re-thought what it means to evangelize.

Evangelism: Fishing or Feeding Sheep

2008-02-25T07:56:00.010-06:00

Invited to lunch by my friend, I joined him, eager to meet his fellow church member. It didn't take long to discern that his 'friend' had a hidden agenda. During lunch, he quietly invited my friend to join him in a new 'business opportunity'. As it turns out, he was selling Amway.

I think many Christians approach evangelism the same way. My former Pastor was fond of comparing evangelism to fishing. He then drew the conclusion that we needed to use the right 'bait'. This seems to reflect the prevailing thought in Churches across America who offer an ever widening array of programs or small groups designed to 'lure' unsuspecting sinners into the kingdom. But I think this is the wrong approach.

Having seen my friend in the position of 'unsuspecting sinner' during our Amway Lunch, and having been in the same position myself, I empathize with the sense of betrayal one feels when treated as nothing more than a means to an end. In his new book, "Surprised by Hope", N.T. Wright develops an interesting metaphor from John 21 when, after the resurrection, Peter and the other disciples decide to go fishing. Unable to catch fish, Jesus finally helps them fill their nets. But what is interesting is the interaction that then takes place between Peter and Jesus afterwards.

Having faced his sin and received forgiveness, Peter, a fisherman by vocation, is then directed to become a shepherd. I haven't fully thought through the implications but the thought just struck me that sheep don't serve as trophies. Fish do. Scripture teaches that the Great Shepherd died for sheep, not fish. Maybe it's time to re-evaluate our metaphors and look at people as sheep instead of fish. After all, people don't normally 'pose' with sheep.

The Cosmic Inversion of Evil

2008-02-23T12:12:00.012-06:00

While reading the third chapter of Romans I discovered that the center of God's justice is the cross and that, from there, it works both backwards and forwards. I have since come to believe that God's justice extends past the loose ends of time, encapsulating and inverting evil. The matter is still evolving in the gray matter between my ears but the general idea is that the cumulative suffering of the past and the suffering yet to come will not only be reversed but will be inverted, turned inside out like a glove.

Imagine that those affected by evil and suffering are the fleece lining inside a glove and evil is the leather exterior. Flipping the glove inside out doesn't merely reverse the position, it inverts it and reveals that evil has, paradoxically, been forced to protect and serve those inside. We see this idea in Genesis when Joseph is elevated in status through the oppression of his brothers. What they had meant for evil, God had meant for good. We also hear whispers of this principle in Job when the satan is charged with preserving Job's life. I have heard N.T. Wright express a similar idea, questioning what sort of God would build an empire on the ashes and bones of past human suffering.

The cross is, of course, where this principle was supremely demonstrated. Who can imagine an evil greater than the originator of life being cruelly murdered by those who he created and whose life he sustained even as they nailed him to the cross? Yet we all know that this was the outworking of God's plan to expel evil from the garden and preserve life. This is no denial of the nature of evil. Nor is it a denial that those who are complicit with evil will suffer final loss. There is no ambiguity in scripture regarding the final judgement. It is merely an affirmation that God's providence is all encompassing. Just food for thought for my beloved blog readers.

Awaiting Ecstasy

2008-02-21T10:27:00.028-06:00

Art is unique to humans. It creates a world apart from the creator or viewer. This ability, the ability to stand apart from ones own creation, is part of what it means to be created in the image of God. This is what God did in Genesis when......

"God saw all that he had made - and it was very good."

Through art, or sometimes through other means, we experience a similar state of ecstasy. Ecstasy, from the ancient Greek word ekstasis, means to stand outside of ones self. The creation of another world by an artist, author, or composer invites others to experience ecstasy, resulting in varying degrees of pleasure. By God's design, the pinnacle of pleasure is experienced during another creative process, that of procreation.

This level of pleasure serves as a foretaste for the future that awaits those who love God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the new creation. The culmination will be the consummation when, as husband and wife, heaven and earth will fully and finally embrace in eternal bliss. Until then, like Adam and Eve, we are invited to participate in the process of new creation.

And you thought Christianity was boring.

Eph 5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great — but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

Where is Jesus Christ?

2008-02-21T10:06:00.004-06:00

I am reading through N.T. Wright's new book Surprised by Hope. If you have read a lot of his work, this new book covers a lot of the same ground but one section was particularly interesting to me. The discussion was regarding the location of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus was resurrected into a physical body so where is he?

Well, apparently he is in heaven, which N.T. Wright describes as God-space, ruling on the throne. This is not somewhere distant, just other dimensionally. He is not to be confused with the Church which is other and will always be. So what of his presence? He is present in Spirit and in some special way in the Eucharist. This discussion reminded me of something St. Paul said while discussing one of the knuckle-heads in the Corinthian Church.

1Co 5:3 For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.

Chesterton on Courage

2008-02-21T09:57:00.004-06:00

Ever wish you had said or written something? Here is one of my favorite passages from Chesterton's book Orthodoxy, discussing courage. He really had a way with words. Enjoy.

Let us follow for a moment the clue of the martyr and the suicide; and take the case of courage. No quality has ever so much addled the brains and tangled the definitions of merely rational sages. Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. “He that will lose his life, the same shall save it,” is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. This paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice.

He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it. A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine.

Forgiving Seventy Times Seven

2008-02-20T17:56:00.007-06:00

Most people are familiar with the passage about forgiving one's brother seventy times seven but few are familiar with the historical connection Jesus is making with his statement. Here is the passage.

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you are familiar with the idea that Israel's exile had not ended with her return from Babylon. The eschatological scenario foretold by the prophets had not yet played out. God had not yet returned to Zion and the Jews were still suffering under foreign domination. Any careful reader of Daniel understood that exile was not merely seventy years, but seventy times seven as the angel Gabriel had told Daniel when praying for the forgiveness of his people. Here's the historical connection.

Dan 9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain —
21 yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering.
22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: "Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. 23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God's sight. Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:24 "Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place.

Now consider this: During this period of exile (seventy times seven or 490 years), once a year the High Priest would bring the atonement offering for the forgiveness of Israel's sin. And God forgave them. That's seventy times seven that God had forgiven Israel and passed over her sin. In the same way, God has forgiven us a multitude of sins. How could we withhold forgiveness from a brother? Want to be like your Father? Forgive.

Rom 3:25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.

Who is My Neighbor?

2008-02-12T17:05:00.001-06:00

I love to study the dialogue between the lawyer and Jesus that prompted the parable of the good Samaritan. The pairing of the following two verses highlights an interesting facet to their dialogue.

Luk 10:29 But the expert, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Luk 10:36 Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

Notice how Jesus didn't simply answer the man's question? He answered his question with a parable and another question......a question designed to provoke further reflection by the lawyer. The lawyers focus was on evaluating who was deemed worthy to receive his love and mercy. Jesus turned the lawyer's focus back onto himself. You see, the real issue is not whether others are worthy to receive our love. They are. The real question is whether we are willing to BECOME a neighbor to others.

Love Your Enemies

2008-02-10T14:13:00.001-06:00

I honestly can't remember hearing a better sermon than the one preached today by my Pastor, Ed Hauser. For Valentines Day he reminded us to love our enemies.

One interesting aspect of loving our enemies is that it exposes evil. Teaching from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5, Ed described a court room scene in which a defendent has been sued for his overcoat.

The defendent, not resisting the evil person, surrenders not only his overcoat but his underwear as well. Who could deny that this man has overcome evil? Furthermore, the defendent has successfully exposed evil for what it really is. I couldn't help but imagine the boisterous laughter of everyone present in the court room.

When we picture the cruel execution of an innocent man who turned the other cheek, went the second mile, and prayed for his enemies we see a King who has defeated evil and exposed it for what it really is. We also see the path for defeating evil. The question I ask myself, is this: Am I willing to follow?

"The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust, the sovereign Master taunts them. Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage. He says, "I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill." Ps. 2:4-6

Who are God's Chosen People?

2008-02-07T07:32:00.002-06:00

Many people rightly understand that the Jews are God's chosen people, his elect. But who are the Jews? I have addressed this question in various other posts but it sometimes helps to say things differently. The answer to the question is simply this: The Jews are those who have faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

In other words, Christians are Jews. They are God's chosen people. They are the elect. There is a group of people in the Middle East claiming to be Israel and claiming to be Jews. They are emphatically not (with the exception of those few who are Christians). I know this because Paul explained it in his letter to the Roman Church. Please read the following passage:

Rom 2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code. This person's praise is not from people but from God.

Paul here explained that external circumcision could not serve to identify who was a Jew. Now let's read something else that Paul wrote later in the same letter.

Rom 9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, 7 nor are all the children Abraham's true descendants; rather "through Isaac will your descendants be counted."8 This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.

Notice that Paul said that not all who had descended from Israel were Israel (truly is not in the Greek text). In verse 8 Paul concludes that ethnicity is not what delineates God's family. So far we have learned from Paul's letter that a Jew could NOT be defined by circumcision, and Israel could NOT be defined by ethnicity. So what is a Jew and who comprises Israel? Paul provides the answer to our question in the last clause of verse 8 and in his ensuing argument which I have discussed elsewhere in depth but I provide a brief summary below:

Keeping an eye towards Romans 4 where Paul explained how Abraham became ones father, Paul briefly reviews the history of Israel from their very beginning with Abraham to show that there has always been a duality within Israel itself. Isaac, being the son of promise, was chosen, Ishmael was not. Jacob was chosen, Esau was not. What really counts, Paul insists, is grace and not fleshly descent from Abraham. Again, this had been discussed at length in chapter four. The underlying assumption of Paul's argument here is that this process is still in operation. That grace is extended to all and salvation is now available to "all who believe" as Paul will reiterate in 10:4.

In summary I would like to reiterate that God's chosen people are the Jews. Christians are Jews. Hence they are God's chosen people. Ethnicity plays no role nor does geography in defining God's chosen people. There are no second class citizens in God's family. God shows no partiality. All will be judged on the basis of faith. The Bible does not teach that Christians are 'Spiritual Israel'. We simply are Israel. We are God's chosen people.

When I am Weak, Then I am Strong

2008-02-04T18:52:00.001-06:00

Those of you who know me, know that I love to teach about Jesus Christ. His word is an inexhaustible supply of treasure and I feel an urgency to teach, knowing that death will overtake me long before I can fully explore his worth and exalt him in a manner befitting of his excellency. That would hold true if I lived to be a thousand. But I suspect it will be much sooner. Many of the precepts I teach might not seem to have practical application in the everyday world. But they do. And tonight I would like to share a piece of my heart.

I suffer from chronic kidney disease. This disease is incurable but it is treatable. My brother Wyatt loves me and, like Jesus Christ, gave his own flesh that I might live. I have mentioned this principle of suffering on behalf of others in a previous post. Wyatt suffered greatly on my behalf. To keep my body from rejecting his kidney, I take medicine every twelve hours and the medicine has various side effects but they are manageable. It's much better though, I hear, than being on dialysis. I say all this, not for sympathy, but to make a point.

It sounds odd, and I'm certain that some will accuse me of being disingenuous. But let the chips fall where they may. My point is this: Kidney disease is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Though the risks of an operation were minimal, this disease forced me to confront my own mortality and in so doing, I came to the end of myself. The effects of kidney disease on my body leading up to the operation, and the ongoing effects, let me know exactly who is in control and it isn't me.

Knowing this enables me to more easily transfer the care of my life to the one who gave me life. I am powerless but He is all-powerful. This is what I think Paul experienced. I also think this is what he meant when he said that when I am weak, then I am strong.

More on the God of Islam and Judaism

2008-02-03T15:56:00.000-06:00

Any statement that challenges tradition should be subject to critical evaluation. Like the Bereans, we should search the scriptures daily to see if these things are so. My recent post entitled The God of Islam and Judaism is no exception and has been the subject of inquiry in recent conversations with friends and colleagues. Among the scriptures raised which have caused some hesitancy to commit to my assertion that Isam and Judaism serve a pagan god is Romans 10:2 which reads as follows:

"for I can testify that they [the Jews] are zealous for God but not according to knowledge."

Whatever Paul means by stating that the Jews are "zealous for God" must be evaluated in light of Canon and in light of Paul's over-arching worldview. That Paul ascribes to Jesus equality with God is clear from passages such as Rom. 9:5, Phil. 2:6, and his re-working of the Shema in I Corinthians 8:6. How then, can Paul state that the Jews are "zealous for God" whom they have clearly rejected by rejecting Jesus Christ as Messiah? Does Paul's statement undermine my assertion that the god of modern Judaism is a pagan god?

This is where context and Paul's underlying worldview are critical. His characterization of the Jews as having zeal for God is no different that his own recounting of the zeal he displayed for God when persecuting the Church in Acts 22, the same zeal he now counted as 'dung' (Phil. 3:6&7). This zeal for God by the Jews was of no more value than the worship offered to the unknown god by the pagans on Mars Hill whom Paul came to declare.

Paul knew that whatever truth was possessed by his audience was the sole possession of God as made known in the life of Jesus Christ. While becoming all things to all men it was Paul's habit to find common ground on the basis of that truth before 'baptizing that thought' and expounding further truth. In so doing, Paul was taking their thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ. That their concept of god or gods, whatever the case may have been, coincided at various points with what is known to be true about God did not underwrite their conception of who God is. Nor did it imply that they worshipped or served the God of Christianity, especially for those who had been exposed to and had rejected the God Man.

Quite the opposite is true. Consider the words of the Apostle John who said that those who reject Jesus are 'antichrist' and 'have not the Father.' It is inconceivable that those who reject Jesus Christ could love, honor, obey, serve, worship or otherwise be favorably disposed towards the one true God. This belief defies reason. If culpability is incurred from the knowledge of God available in nature, how much more for those who reject God in the flesh? Or, as one writer posed the question "How shall we escape if we negelect so great a salvation?"

It might help to know that pagan gods were local tribal deities over single ethnic groups located in small geographic areas. By clinging to Torah (given to only one ethnic group), the god worshipped by Judaism is a mere god of one ethnic group occupying a small patch of land in the Middle East. By contrast, Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father ruling over the entire cosmos until all enemies have been made subject to him (Psalms 110:1). It might be helpful to read a previous post entitled "The Scope of God's Redemptive Plan."

There is one more verse that was mentioned during the course of discussing this subject and that is Romans 11:25. I could offer a detailed exegesis of this verse but this post would run too long. I hope that a summary of what Paul meant provided in the post "Dispelling the Dual Covenant Myth" will suffice.

Corporate vs. Individual

2008-02-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

I was reading through a previous post this morning on Forgiveness and Salvation in which I made the following statement:

This message, the message that salvation and forgiveness are not some timeless system of individual salvation, is most often met with defensiveness and anger, as if it threatens the very identity of the hearer.

I want to expound a bit further on this thought. What I said in the previous post is not a denial that individuals are still forgiven and saved (they are, and that is still very important). But I wanted to highlight the fact that forgiveness and salvation are accomplished facts that established the eschatological people of God. When an individual believes the gospel they join this already established group of people who are the forgiven and saved, much like a foreigner who decides to immigrate and become an American.

As long as we continue to read the Bible from an egocentric worldview it will never make sense. Why? Because we are attempting to force text written in the 1st Century from an ecclesiocentric perspective to fit into an egocentric mold in the 21st Century. This is the proverbial square peg in the round hole. Considering scripture from a different perspective is like looking into an abyss. It's a little bit scary. But true faith will sustain us and give us the courage to forge ahead. Lose your life and gain the world.

Suppose I wrote a book about the history of America. Would you feel any less American if I didn't describe the immigration process or mention your name? Of course not! But by reading it you would gain a new perspective of the people of whom you are a part. This post is not a response to any inquiry I just wanted to provide some clarity to my statement. Be blessed my blogging audience.

The Condescension of Jesus Christ

2008-01-31T09:50:00.000-06:00

If we listen carefully, we will hear within the pages of scripture a dramatic and climactic reversal of fortunes. Adam grasped for power, attempting to become equal with God. Jesus was equal with God yet emptied himself to become a man. Adam fell, Jesus ascended. At Babel, the language of man was confounded and they were dispersed across the four corners of the earth. At Pentecost, the language of men became one and a new family began to be gathered from the four corners of the earth.

What I want to focus on today is the idea of condescension. Jesus put a human face on God. He made himself known in easily understood terms. Few can relate to an unseen God but most people can relate to a flesh and blood human being. But something even more strange happened at the incarnation. God changed. By clothing himself in human flesh, God could now sympathize with our weaknesses. Now man can more fully understand God and God can sympathize with man.

Paul instructed Christians to be armed with the same attitude. Our lives should reflect God to those around us. We too must change. We must empty ourselves, sympathize with others and find a way to bear their pain. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. When you are generous or kind or when you go out of your way to help others, you make God comprehensible to those around you in easily understood terms. The Word again becomes flesh.

Be forewarned though that should you pursue a life like this that reflects the glory of God, your efforts will be rewarded with a cross and crosses hurt. But then, that's the point isn't it? To look like the saviour who looks like God.

Many Mansions Part Two

2008-01-27T18:39:00.000-06:00

Reading back through the Gospel of John, I came across another passage that supports my previous discussion of statements by Jesus regarding 'dwelling places' in his Father's house. Looking back to Chapter 11 we hear an interesting conversation take place within the Jewish leadership about the threat that, if Jesus continues to perform miracles, everyone will believe in him and the Romans will take away their 'place' and their nation. Then Caiaphas prophesied about Jesus.

What I would like to focus on is the editorial note offered by John in verses 51 and 52 which read as follows:

51 (Now he did not say this on his own but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered.)

John then notes that they were more determined than ever to kill Jesus but that Jesus withdrew to the wilderness with his disciples. What I want to focus on is verse 52 where John indicates that God's purpose was to "gather together into one the children of God who are scattered." This note by John is consistent with the idea discussed in the previous post that the 'dwelling places' to which Jesus referred were in his body. Jesus noted that he was going to prepare a place for them and would then receive them unto himself. This, I believe, is where those scattered across the world are being gathered into one.

If you have the time, you might also study Revelation 12 where John speaks of a place prepared for Israel in the wilderness after the ascension of the Messiah. The ties to this line of thought in John as well as the ties to the scenario set forth in Daniel are incredible!

Our Dwelling from Heaven

2008-01-27T14:33:00.000-06:00

In this post, I want to consider a verse recently brought to my attention which speaks of 'dwelling places' in II Corinthians 5:1-2 which reads:

"For we know that if the earthly house of our dwelling [literally our earthly house of tent] is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. For in this [present dwelling] we also groan, longing to put on, on top of it, our dwelling from heaven," Translation Rendered by N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, Page 365

Let's consider the broader context of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. So-called 'super-apostles' had infiltrated the Corinthian church who placed great value on human credentials and outward appearances. In comparison with them, Paul's apostleship appeared to be one of failure and disappointment, characterized by suffering. Paul was forced to defend the appearance of his ministry.

Contrary to the assertions of his opponents, Paul's suffering was not a source of shame but mirrored the glory of God as revealed in the face of Christ. His perseverance in the face of the constant threat of death was the embodiment of the life of Jesus Christ. He always carried about in his body "the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body." In verse 13 of Chapter 4, Paul quotes from Psalms 116:10, identifying himself with the author who, despite the threat of death was confident in the Lord's deliverance. He believes, therefore he speaks.

Regardless of the progressive decay of his body, Paul was confident in the future resurrection and could proclaim the gospel boldly. He wasn't focussed on the seen reality, his present suffering and the decay of his body. His hope was firmly fixed on the resurrection, the future unseen reality. In the passage quoted above, Paul expressed a desire to skip the intermediate state of disembodied existence and go straight to his resurrection body. Though Paul didn't desire to be 'naked', a disembodied spirit, even this sort of existence would be a positive step towards resurrection. That Paul is thinking of future resurrected bodies is supported in verse 4 when, using the same line of thought as in I Corinthians 15, Paul speaks of what is mortal being swallowed up by life.

There are two things that strike me about this explanation. First, it challenges our dualistic view between the material world and the spiritual world. Such a dualism was not present in Paul's thought. Secondly, it should challenge our current conception of heaven. Paul's line of thought appears to suggest that 'heaven' is not only a present place but a future reality where things are held in store against the present. The present work of the Holy Spirit was bringing this future into existence and had been given as a 'down payment' in advance. The Greek word here for 'down payment' is arrabon, the same word used in modern Greek for an engagement ring!

This accords well with the now-not-yet tension of the gospel. As Paul viewed it, the Old Age and the New Age had somehow come to overlap with the resurrection of Jesus Christ as he urged the followers of Christ to live in accordance with the new age, despite the current 'seen' reality.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

2008-01-25T08:40:00.000-06:00

I have mentioned on previous occasions that part of the Jewish expectations for the escaton was that God would rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. These prophecies were apparent in numerous texts but I offer here a striking example from Zechariah. Here is the passage.

Zec 6:11 Then take some silver and gold to make a crown and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Then say to him, 'The LORD who rules over all says, "Look — here is the man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the LORD. 13 Indeed, he will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything.

Notice that the name of the son of the high priest is Joshua, the Old Testament name for Jesus. God told Zechariah in verse 12 that "here is the man whose name is Branch.....". This word 'branch' is well known from Isaiah 11 and Jeremiah 33 as the symbol of the Davidic King who would establish an eternal kingdom and who would rebuild the temple. With that in mind, let us consider the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John.

Joh 2:19 Jesus replied, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again."20 Then the Jewish leaders said to him, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?"21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body.

It is with this background in mind that we must consider what was written in John 14:2-4.

Joh 14:2 "There are many dwelling places in my Father's house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you.3 And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too. 4 And you know the way where I am going."

Jesus indicated that the dwelling places of which he spoke were in his 'Father's house', but where is the Father's house? The Father's house is the temple. John had already indicated that Jesus had spoken of his body as the temple. Jesus was going back to the Father by way of the cross to prepare 'dwelling places' in his body for believers. The King James Version captures the force of the next phrase nicely:

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

We have been incorporated into Christ. We have become a part of his body.

To summarize, Jesus was going back to his father by way of the cross. His purpose was to prepare dwelling places, places to reside, within his body. When Jesus returned he received his disciples unto himself, they were incorporated into his body. This is how we dwell in Christ and he in us. Time and again Paul described the church as the 'Body of Christ'. This is how believers approach God, as part of the body of Christ. This explains the exchange between Thomas and Jesus in the next couple of verses.

Joh 14:5 Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You go, and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

In My Father's House Are Many Mansions?

2008-01-21T08:50:00.000-06:00

In Jewish thought, the temple, like the Garden of Eden, was the place where heaven and earth met. It was holy space and, should it ever become defiled, it required cleansing. When Jesus arrived on the scene, Herod's Temple was still being renovated and, since Ezekiel had watched it depart, God's glory had not returned. Based on their ideas about the temple and also based on scriptures in the Torah, the Jews envisioned an eschaton that included the return of YHWH to rebuild the temple.

This background helps evaluate the statements by Jesus in the Gospel of John that allude to his own body as the temple. After casting out the money-changers, Jesus spoke of his 'Father's house', another way of referring to the temple. When asked for a sign of his authority to do what he was doing, Jesus told them that when they destroyed the temple, he would rebuild it in three days. John makes it crystal clear that Jesus was referring to his own body.

Later, Jesus explained that he was going away to prepare dwelling places in his 'Father's house' for his disciples. A more accurate translation than the word 'mansions' rendered by the King James Version is 'dwelling places'. Most likely, this is an allusion to the residences within the temple complex. Keep in mind that Jesus had already equated his body with his Father's house, the temple. So how are we to understand these unusual statements by Jesus? The following analysis may help.

The temple, along with its associated rituals had always pointed forward to Jesus Christ as the real place where heaven and earth meet. They were but shadows, and he the substance. Jesus went to the cross where the true temple was permeated with the sin of the people. But God cleansed the temple condemning the sin therein and creating, through the resurrection, these dwelling places in Christ that are un-encroachable by sin. The body of Jesus Christ is like a new Garden of Eden where sin has been cast out.

His resurrection is the beginning of the new creation spoken of by the prophet Isaiah. In him, the consummation of heaven and earth has already occured. Those who are 'in Christ', as Paul would say, have become a part of this new creation. By virtue of union with Christ, the sin that has permeated the flesh stands condemned. These tents we live in will continue to decay and will eventually die. The final act will be the unveiling of the kingdom upon the return of Christ at which time our bodies will experience resurrection, taking on immortality just like the body of Jesus. The whole temple will finally be cleansed.

Those who await the rebuilding of the Jewish temple on Mount Zion wait in vain. The foundation has been laid, the temple is under construction, and new creation is underway. Those hoping to have advanced warning by the disappearance of millions of Christians are in for a real surprise!

Rom 9:30 What shall we say then? — that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 31 but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame."

Rejoicing in Suffering

2008-01-20T22:19:00.000-06:00

I have discussed in a previous post, the paradox of inverse thought that turns the logic of the world on its head. To defeat death, Jesus became subject to its power. To gain our life, we must lose it. "How," you might ask, "does this apply to the issue of suffering?" If you are like me, you have spent the better part of your life trying to avoid it or praying to be relieved of it. This attitude towards suffering has been reinforced by pastors and empathetic friends whose hearts, I'm certain, are made of pure gold. But I would like to challenge you to consider suffering from the broader perspective taught in scripture.

Just what is the biblical view of suffering? First, let me clarify that suffering has many faces and comes in many forms. Some are more obvious like physical handicaps or diseases, but others remain largely hidden from view. The mental anguish from betrayal or abuse, or a from having had a difficult childhood. The burden a pastor feels for the members of his church, or the stress of losing a job. Even resisting the temptation to sin represents a source of suffering. Our High Priest suffered when tempted. That is what the Garden of Gethsemane was all about.

It would be foolish for me to suggest that we go about seeking to suffer. Jesus taught his disciples to pray "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" and Jesus himself prayed that the cup may pass, if possible. But when suffering comes our way, as it inevitably does, we need to be equipped to deal with it. More importantly, we need to be help others adopt a scriptural view of suffering. That is where the inverse thought discussed above comes into play.

Consider for a moment what happened to the body of Christ before you or I became a part of it. It was well acquainted with grief, it suffered temptation, was hungry, and tired enough to sleep in the bottom of a boat being tossed about by a storm. It sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. It was whipped, beaten, bruised, and finally nailed to a cross and left for dead in a rich mans tomb. And all this for the sake of others. As with his body, ours will be resurrected. But in the meantime, we are being conformed to his image through suffering. If Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered, guess how we will learn it?

Viewed in this light, we can get on about the business of adopting a scriptural view of suffering in whatever form it comes our way. According to scripture, suffering is a cause for rejoicing. This is the mindset that allowed the disciples to rejoice in that they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name and allowed others to rejoice despite the spoiling of their goods. We must still be passionate in relieving the suffering of others through prayer and support. But the greatest relief I can imagine is to weep with those who weep and gently remind them that they are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!

Jas 1:2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

The God of Islam and Judaism

2008-01-19T09:09:00.000-06:00

Many people begin with the assumption that Jesus Christ must be understood in light of what is already known to be true about God from the Old Testament. But that is a mistake, and a very common one even among Christians. Scripture teaches that the exact opposite is true.

The truth is, we must understand the God of the Old Testament in light of what we know to be true about Jesus Christ. The very thing that Jesus Christ did was to make God known. His life is the unveiling of the God of the Old Testament as well as the unveiling of his plan to fully and finally redeem creation. John said that Jesus has made known the God that no one has ever seen. Despite this, it has become popular, not to mention politically correct, to believe or say that Islam and Judaism worship the same God as we Christians.

When we understand that Jesus reveals the God of the Old Testament, we need only consider that both Islam and Judaism reject him, for the absurdity of the claim that we worship the same god, to become clear. By rejecting Jesus Christ, Islam and Judaism reject the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the prevailing deception is so subtle that even our President has fallen victim. In a recent interview, when asked if he believed that Christians and Muslims served the same god, President Bush responded this way:

"I think we do. We have different routes of getting to the Almighty, but I want you to understand, I want your listeners to understand, I don't get to get decide who goes to heaven. The Almighty God decides who goes to heaven and I am on my personal walk,"

Like Bush, I desire peace. As Christians we should all pray for peace and should love Muslims and ethnic Jews alike. They too were made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with love and respect. But peace at the expense of truth is a false peace. The olive branch we extend to the world demands that truth not be sacrificed on the alter of popularity, peer pressure, political correctness, or any other power or principality that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Once again, this knowledge of God comes only by way of Jesus Christ.

We must speak the truth in love. The kind of love that speaks the truth, the kind with which God continues to embrace humanity, was demonstrated when love refused to compromise. Truth was sacrificed and nailed to a cross. May God give us the courage to join him there and become one with truth crucified, rather than join those who drove the nails and sacrificed the truth. Only then will true peace prevail.

Joh 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.

Straining Gnats and Swallowing Camels

2008-01-18T19:22:00.000-06:00

This obscure phrase comes from a passage in Matthew. The passage reads as follows:

Mat 23:23 "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law — justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!

It was common for the Pharisees to strain gnats, the smallest unclean animal, from their drinking water to avoid becoming defiled. The camel, on the other hand, is the largest unclean animal. In focusing on the minor details of the law while neglecting more important principles such as justice, mercy, and love, they were, in effect, straining gnats and swallowing camels.

What is Corban?

2008-01-18T07:54:00.000-06:00

I mentioned the idea of corban in a previous post while discussing traditions passed down from one generation to the next. But what is corban? It is mentioned in the following passage of scripture by Jesus while discussing the traditions of the Jews.

Mar 7:8 Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition." 9 He also said to them, "You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.' 11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you would have received from me is corban' (that is, a gift for God), 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this."

The tradition referred to by Jesus, of declaring something as 'corban', entailed pledging an item of value as being a gift pledged to God which would later sold in support of the temple or the priesthood. This allowed the owner to retain possession of the asset rather than sell it in fulfillment of their obligation to support their parents. This subverted God's command to honor ones parents. Thus, they had neatly undermined God's command by their tradition.

My use of corban as a metaphor in the post about facing tradition was to point out that we must be vigilant to respectfully question some traditions that have come to be viewed as 'off-limits'. Like corban, our traditions sometimes undermine the intent and meaning of scripture. I noted how tithing had, for some people, undermined God's command to support ones family. Giving should not be out of compulsion, but out of a loving heart. We should remember that the Church is not a building, but a body of believers. Part of this body is the one you wake up next to in the morning and the smaller ones you send off to school every morning.

The Bucket List: Seven Stars

2008-01-16T15:46:00.000-06:00

I should first mention that I automatically deducted a star for the language in this movie. Aside from that, this movie was excellent. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson both played convincing roles in this film. The plot begins with Jack Nicholson, the owner of a hospital, and Morgan Freeman, a mechanic, meeting up in a hospital room actually owned by Jack Nicholson. Both are diagnosed with terminal cancer and face imminent death. As the plot unfolds they join hands in carrying out a 'Bucket List', a list of things they wanted to accomplish before they died.

Morgan Freeman's character was raised with a religious background but Jack Nicholson's character has largely been devoid of religion or morals of any sort. He has apparently left a lot of damage in his wake. Given their differences in background there is a fair amount of dialogue in this film regarding their thoughts about God. This brings up an interesting conversation in the movie.

On an airplane, Freeman brings up the issue of Nicholson's thoughts about God. Nicholson of course expresses his doubt but indicates that if God really did exist, he would be the beneficiary. Either way, he would win. This might actually reflect how someone would justify their own doubt but it didn't ring true to life for me. In my experience, those who continue in their unbelief would rather not talk about God. I think that, deep down, they realize that they will soon be called to account. I think their doubts really haunt them and that they will continue to rationalize the fact that they have squandered this golden opportunity we call life.

I agree with the thoughts of C.S. Lewis who believed that those who fail to believe are 'successful rebels until the end'. Given a zillion years, they would continue to rebel against the God who made them. Despite the language, I thought this was a good, thought provoking film.

Reading the Bible as Story

2008-01-16T08:20:00.000-06:00

Everyone loves a good story. It captivates the audience and draws them into an enchanted world, allowing them to participate in an epic adventure. But let's face it, the most exciting story ever told often fails to capture the imagination of those who read it. For all its potential to transform lives, many Bibles may as well have been left untranslated from their original languages as they gather dust on shelves around the world.

Those Bibles not gathering dust are often adopted as a list of rules. Jesus is viewed, primarily, as a teacher of timeless truths and rules which, if carefully observed, will ensure a spot in heaven, far, far away from the earth, after death. I don't deny that timeless truths were taught by Jesus, but to read the Bible in this way ignores the critical element of story. Story is, I believe, the answer to the challenge faced by Christians around the world wondering how to get others involved in spreading the message.

Central to the story of the Bible is a young Jewish man who walked about claiming that God's empire would soon arrive. As if that weren't enough, he professed to be equal with God, a staggering claim at any point in history. But the powers in place at the time knew exactly how to deal with those who subverted their authority. They would hand him over to the Romans who were experts at answering anyone who challenged the structure of authority they had set in place. They would silence his grandiose claims with the humiliating punishment of public execution.

Until the crucifixion of Jesus, death had been an effective tool for the Romans. Had that continued to be the case, at least for Christians, you can rest assured that you wouldn't be reading this blog post right now. This story of a would-be-Messiah would have ended at Golgotha. But those who followed Jesus knew that he had conquered death and had come back to life. So they went about spreading the news that the kingdom had come without fearing the power of death that Rome had so effectively wielded against others.

The news of the kingdom spread like wildfire, establishing new communities who, in turn, spread the news, who in turn established new communities, ad infinitum. Three hundred years later Rome gave up the fight and adopted Christianity as the state religion. Just as Jesus predicted, his kingdom continues to spread like yeast in a loaf of bread, largely hidden from view. The promise remains that it will one day be unveiled in an instant, and the results of our labor, like shining gemstones, will become apparent to all. Death will finally be banished and we will meet the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the air to escort him into his kingdom.

But what motivated the early disciples? I believe what made such a difference is that they understood themselves to be playing the role spelled out in the pages of the Old Testament. The Old Testament spoke of a God intent on redeeming creation. They understood that this story had recently reached its climax in the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. But more than that, they also realized that the story in the Old Testament that foretold these events, also spoke of a people who would one day spread the news they were now spreading. They had strangely become a part of the story they had been reading since childhood.

As Christians, we should realize that we have also become part of the story written in the pages of both the Old and New Testaments. This, I contend, is how Christians fulfill the law. Not by careful observance of a list of rules, but by becoming the people spoken of in the law. In Christ we have become the just who will live by faith spoken of in Habakkuk. In the same odd way as the early disciples, we have become a part of the story we have read since childhood. But few Christians realize they are a part of this story written in the Bible.

We no longer face the same issues as our early fathers. Few Christian communities today are being infiltrated by those who insist on the necessity of circumcision. Fewer still battle with the question of meat sacrificed to idols. But the better we understand our early story, the better we can understand how it should go forward. When necessary, we must respectfully challenge the traditions of our elders and clarify a message that has become garbled over the last two thousand years by those who, though well meaning, misunderstood the story.

I believe when this happens, Christians will find the courage of the early disciples who spread the news at the risk of their lives. But first we need to get our story straight.

Saul, Saul, Why Are You Persecuting Me?

2008-01-15T07:55:00.000-06:00

It is quite easy to overlook small details of scripture that have significant value for the reader. The partial verse quoted above presents the perfect example. You might recognize this portion of scripture as a question posed to Paul by Jesus as Paul was traveling to Damascus to persecute members of the newly formed Church. Let's step back for a moment to consider the question Jesus posed to Paul. Notice that Jesus asked Paul why he was persecuting 'ME'. He didn't ask why Paul was persecuting the Church, or his brothers, or friends, but 'me'.

Again, it would be easy to overlook this small detail without notice. Or, if it were noted, the reader may not be willing to expend the mental energy necessary to understand it, and simply move on to the next verse. I propose to you that these moments pose the greatest opportunities to understand scripture at a much deeper level. But we have to dig like a workman, like that one man in a group of guys on a road crew that actually makes it into the hole. Now let's move on to our verse.

Jesus' question reflects the unity between himself and the church. From his perspective, persecuting the Church is the same as persecuting him. Having grown up in a culture that stresses the value of the individual, we modern Christians often view ourselves first as individuals and secondly as part of a larger group. We belong to the Golf Club or the baseball team or this or that church. This self-perception is opposed to the concept of the Church as the 'ecclesia', literally meaning 'gathering'. In a nutshell, this is the message that the Corinthians failed to grasp. Hence, Paul's advice that:

1Co 8:12 If you sin against your brothers or sisters in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

To have the mind of Jesus Christ we must abandon the mindset that places self first. We must rip ourselves from the center of the universe and perceive ourselves first as part of the larger assembly, the Church, thus identifying with Christ. We have all been baptized into one body. Thinking this way provides us with the mental framework from which we may develop a proper perspective of the world around us, particularly as it relates to suffering. As part of the body of Christ, we are being conformed to his image through suffering. Don't misunderstand me to say that we should seek suffering, but when it comes our way we should be armed with the knowledge that this process of suffering conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ.

With that, I must get some work done. Till we meet again, be a blessing.

The God of Humor

2008-01-14T08:17:00.000-06:00

We never read of Jesus laughing, though had all the books been written that would fill the world, of which the John the Apostle spoke, I suspect we would have by now. But if we listen carefully to the pages of the Bible, we will hear echoes of the laughter that must still fill the heavens.

Can you imagine God's delight in arranging circumstances so that the waters of the Nile served to deliver Moses the deliverer rather than to serve as his watery grave as Pharaoh had intended? Or his joy in watching Pharaoh's daughther pay Moses' mother to do what mothers gladly do for free, to nurse their children? And this they did for the baby who would eventually lead their enslaved workforce to freedom. What Pharaoh had intended for evil, God had intended for good.

We should temper our view of an austere God with the realization that we were made in his image and have received his sense of humor. Should the burdens in this life weigh you down as you draw nearer the day of the renewal of all things, remember that we serve the God of humor and he still works and laughs behind the scenes.

"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh."

Predestination in Ephesians

2008-01-13T16:32:00.001-06:00

Regarding my previous post, I do not claim to have said, nor do I pretend to know, all that should be said about the subject of predestination. I merely pointed out the fact that Romans 9 does not teach what many people think it does. There remain those enigmatic verses in Ephesians. I have briefly studied these verses but to date, a satisfactory explanation of them, if it exists, has managed to escape my attention.

In this post, I would like to set forth for your consideration a model for thinking about the issue of predestination that not only preserves the biblical view of love and free will, but also avoids impugning the justice of God. More than that, the model I shall offer encompasses aspects of salvation that we tend to ignore when asking such questions as "Can one lose their salvation?". Remember, the Bible speaks of salvation in past, present, and future tenses. We were saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. While the model I shall offer is probably an over-simplification of a more complex issue, it has been helpful to me, so without further delay I present it here.

I imagine that those baptised into Christ are like someone who has joined a group of travelers aboard a train. As a result of their decision, their destiny, as well as their point of origin has changed. They have become part of a group whose past, present, and future are radically different than that of the individual traveler before boarding the train. The traveler may be tempted to disembark before completing the journey but then they would never reach the final destination. And only those who endure to the end shall be saved. This is not a comprehensive model but I offer it merely as an aid to further thought.

One more note and I will lay the matter rest. Jesus stated to his disciples that he had chosen them, and not the other way around. We must fight the tendency to read his statement from an egocentric perspective as though he were speaking directly to us. Whether his statement applies to us or not, think long and hard before you boast of being 'chosen'. A devil was among the twelve.

Predestination in Romans 9?

2008-01-11T12:49:00.002-06:00

Based largely on Romans Chapter 9, some contend that God has arbitrarily selected some individuals to be saved and, depending on which version of this doctrine you believe, those who fail to make the cut are either just plain unlucky or were specifically selected to suffer in the eternal flames of hell. This belief is closely associated with the idea that an individual is irresistibly 'drawn' with or without their consent to salvation.

I have argued elsewhere that this view of salvation has tragic consequences for our view of the character of God. It impugns his justice and undermines the biblical view of love and free will. I can't imagine how a person could, in their heart of hearts, maintain this perspective without it causing significant distress to their own internal sense of justice. If you are among that group, I hope this post will provide you with some relief.

Below, I will explain how this doctrine is the result of misunderstanding what St. Paul was explaining to the Roman Church. I will try to make it as brief as possible while still covering the relevant points. In order to more fully understand my summary, I highly recommend that the reader familiarize themselves with Paul's worldview which I broadly sketched in two previous articles entitled "The Pauline Paradox" and "The Rebirth of Israel in the Resurrection of Christ."

What was written in Romans nine is not an island unto itself but is one piece of a much larger puzzle, part of a much larger argument mounted by Paul. The historic setting of Romans 9 through 11 is this: Paul was anxious to avoid a situation in Rome like he'd faced in Antioch where a split had occurred between ethnic Jewish converts and Gentile converts regarding the law or Torah. If Paul is to gain support from the Roman Church for his mission to Spain and elsewhere it is critical for them to understand the theological basis of their unity in Christ.

At the time of writing, the Roman Church consisted largely of Gentile converts, though Jews were now returning to Rome after having been expelled under Claudius. Paul's overarching mission is to provoke the Jews to jealousy through conversion of the Gentiles but he needs to prevent friction from developing within the Roman Church. Despite residual cultural difference in matters such as food preference, they must understand that in Christ, there are no second class citizens.

Beyond that Paul wants them to understand that the door of salvation stands wide open for ethnic Jews who do not continue in their unbelief. Though they had rejected Christ en masse (and this was a tragedy), even the paradoxical role they had played under Torah had been within the strange but providential plan of God and was, in fact, foretold in Torah. With that, we now shift our attention to the contents of Romans 9-11.

Following his initial expression of grief for his brothers of the flesh, Paul now starts to mount a defense of the 'righteousness of God' that he'd first mentioned in 1:17. Irrespective of the misconceptions ethnic Jews had formerly held regarding Torah and its implications, God had done exactly what he had always promised. He had been true to the purpose for which the covenant was made in the first place: To establish a worldwide family for Abraham who would, in turn, inherit the cosmos. In the process, God had not dealt falsely with Israel or the world. I could do no better at this point that to quote from N.T. Wright's brilliant work "The Climax of the Covenant".

"The main subject-matter of Romans 9-11 then, is the covenant faithfulness of God, seen in its outworking in the history of the people of God. And what is Paul saying about this? He is arguing, basically, that the events of Israel's rejection of God are the paradoxical outworking of God's covenant faithfulness. Only by such a process -Israel's unbelief, the turning of the Gentiles, and the continual offer of salvation to the Jews also - can God be true to the promises to Abraham, promises which declared both that he would give him a worldwide family and that his own seed would share in the blessing." P. 236; Climax of the Covenant

Keeping an eye towards Romans 4 where Paul explained how Abraham became ones father, Paul briefly reviews the history of Israel from their very beginning with Abraham to show that there has always been a duality within Israel itself. Isaac, being the son of promise, was chosen, Ishmael was not. Jacob was chosen, Esau was not. What really counts, Paul insists, is grace and not fleshly descent from Abraham. Again, this had been discussed at lenth in chapter four. The underlying assumption of Paul's argument here is that this process is still in operation. That grace is extended to all and salvation is now available to "all who believe" as Paul will reiterate in 10:4.

At issue is the very justice of God in his dealings with Israel and the world, not the abstract principle of individual salvation. Paul will soon enough explain that to have been a part of God's chosen people in recent history, had been a call to a vocation that was, at best ambiguous. Israel had a long history of rebellion and she currently stood condemned under Torah. Drawing on imagery from the exodus, Paul now casts Israel in the role of Pharaoh or, using imagery from Jeremiah 18, a spoiled vessel, the rightful object of God's wrath.

But they had not borne the brunt of being an object of God's wrath. Having concentrated sin within the community of Israel, God had sent Jesus as their representative to accept that sin in his flesh on the cross where it had there been condemned. In hindsight though, even Israel's pardoxical role as a cast-off was part of God's strange plan to redeem creation and this had been foretold in scripture as Paul will explain by his quotation from Hosea among others. Paul will go on to discuss how Israel's rejection of Jesus is culpable and how "all Israel will be saved." Which is another fun study in itself.

With that, I must bring this post to a close. My prayer is that this post will provide you with the necessary framework within which to consider the loving justice of our Father or at least to have whetted your appetite for further study. For additional reading I recommend "The Climax of the Covenant" and the commentary on Romans in the New Interpreters Bible, both by N.T. Wright.

Facing Tradition

2008-01-10T06:28:00.000-06:00

Thanks to stadium seating and large screen televisions, we moderns, or should I say postmoderns, can live an epic adventure vicariously in 90 minute slices in the relative safety and comfort of our home or the nearest theatre. Thanks to Mel Gibson, millions have been 'crucified with Christ' while embracing, not a cross, but a bucket of buttered popcorn. But we need not live vicariously to face the giants. We need only to question the traditions of our fathers and we, like David, will find ourselves holding a sling and five smooth stones.

Who can forget the opening scene in Orthodoxy where Chesterton compares himself with an adventurer who sets sail on a voyage from England, bent on discovering new lands. Due to a slight miscalculation in his course, he lands back in England only to plant the English flag in the orthodox land of his fathers. But one man's orthodoxy is another man's heresy. What if our course is true and the land we had momentarily hoped was England, is a land once civilized but now overgrown and populated with savages? Will we choose to fight or will we choose to retreat to the relative safety of home?

The courage born of faith will join in the cry "Lead us on Good Shepherd, the battle belongs to the Lord!" England is filled with the comforts of home, with stadium seating, big screen televisions, and buckets of popcorn. And we love the traditions of our fathers, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley. But to follow in their footsteps, we must sell what has been declared as corban and truly honor our parents. Anything less is to claim as our ancestors those who stoned the prophets. Our very words will rise up in court as witness against us.

We must reject the gospel-so-called in which I play center stage and in which Paul addressed, not the Roman church of history (of whom we are, admittedly, a part), but me, myself, and I, personally. We cannot fund his trip to Spain! Remove Paul from history and you may gain a temporary ally, but not one who will stick closer than a brother. He will not be the saint who persevered, the Hebrew of Hebrews of the tribe of Benjamin who picked up a sling and five smooth stones to face the tradition of his elders. He will be Judas. And he will betray you with a kiss.

Speaking of saints who persevere, that will be the topic of an upcoming post when we will hear the voice of Paul afresh, as he spoke in history. Until then, my beloved, may you be a blessing and shine the light of Jesus Christ to those around you.

Mar 7:8 Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition."
Mar 7:9 He also said to them, "You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition.
Mar 7:10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.'
Mar 7:11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you would have received from me is corban' (that is, a gift for God),
Mar 7:12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother.
Mar 7:13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this."

The Garden of Eden as a Pattern

2008-01-09T05:22:00.001-06:00

It took me years to realize what I will divulge to you, my beloved blog readers, this wondrous winter morn and that is this: The Garden of Eden served as a pattern, a microcosm, if you will, for what the nation of Israel would later experience. Both Paul and John recognized this pattern and much of what they taught reflects the lessons they learned from the first three chapters of the Bible. I have alluded or referred to this fact in many of my previous posts, particularly in those discussing new creation.

For example John begins his gospel with the same words "In the beginning". Paul also refers to Jesus as "the beginning". The themes of light and darkness are also prevalent in both but are particularly evident in John. Paul refers to Jesus as the Last Adam and you can rest assured that Paul developed his ideas about the Torah from the commandment issued in the Garden. Both of these men realized that the nation of Israel had recapitulated the events that occurred in the Garden of Eden and that now, Israel was still 'in Adam'.

Bearing fruit, multiplying, the image of God, community, the law, sin, death, alienation, and the promise of redemption all come together in the Garden of Eden. These ideas permeate the pages of the New Testament. Peruse, if you will, Romans Chapter 7. The echoes of Genesis are unmistakable. Paul draws a picture of the Jews under Torah. Sin, by commandeering the law, had brought about the desire to do the very thing forbidden by Torah. Thus, the commandment designed to bring life had brought death through no fault of its own. Sound familiar?

This same scenario had played out in the Jewish nation. The commandment that was intended to give life, the Torah, was issued by Moses at Mt. Sinai. No sooner had he issued the commandment than Israel broke it. They had re-enacted the sin of Adam on a national scale and continued to do so. They stood condemned under Torah and finally suffered the curse of the covenant, exile. Alas, Adam had been cast out of the garden.

Following in the footsteps of Martin Luther, we tend to read Romans 7 from an egocentric perspective and ask the question whether Paul was speaking of a Christian or non Christian. This is to ask the wrong question. What Paul says there has nothing to do with that sort of question. He was explaining the historic situation of the Jewish nation. In chapter 8 he explores what God had done to solve the conundrum. I will leave you, my beloved, to do the rest.

The Timeless and Eternal God

2008-01-08T06:52:00.000-06:00

Time is such an elusive concept that the greatest minds continue to struggle to define it. According to scientific theory, time has abstract properties that we find difficult to understand. For example, time is affected by gravity. The very fabric of time is bent or distorted at the edge of a black hole. Time also passes at a slower or faster rate, depending on the speed of the observer. I don't claim to understand these concepts but these odd properties of time bleed through in the pages of scripture.

Examples of this phenomenon are everywhere. Jesus states that "Before Abraham was, I AM." In the High Priestly Prayer, the enigmatic words spoken by Jesus in the presence of his disciples exhibit this same unsettling feature "I AM no longer in this world..." and "When I was with them, I kept them safe..." C.S. Lewis believed that God exists outside of time. He mused at the idea that a prayer uttered after an event could change the outcome based on the God's foreknowledge that the prayer would be offered.

I used to believe that God did indeed, exist outside or above time. That is, until I realized that our eternal God voluntarily entered concrete history as the God Man. Now I believe that he has always operated within time as well as having transcended it, that time is somehow encapsulated in Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, he is the beginning and the end. Apparently, he is also the everything in between as well. Upon baptism into the community of believers, by virtue of our union with Christ, we Christians join Jesus in this ambiguous state of affairs. Writing under the constraints of language, both Paul and John struggled to convey an idea that transcends language itself.

The believer, John explains, "has passed from death to life." Paul informed the Romans that they had been "baptized into his death" and that God has "raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Clearly, words remain insufficient to describe the existential change that occurs in the life of a believer prior to our final metamorphosis when the veil is removed and we will discover that we are "like him". The Christian has entered into a state of existence in which his past, present, and future have been dramatically altered.

We live in the tension of the now-not-yet in a strange anomaly where time itself has become distorted like the Event Horizon at the edge of a black hole where, according to my understanding of the theory, time stands still until the matter caught in its grasp inevitably gravitates towards the super dense matter that, theoretically, lies at its center. Maybe that's why God made black holes. To describe the indescribable. After all, you can't observe a black hole. The only reason we know they exist is because we can see their effects.

It would go a long way towards explaining how the God, who is light, dwells in a thick darkness and how Jesus, since being 'lifted up' now draws all men unto him. Truly, creation bears witness to his invisible attributes. I could tease that out a bit further, but why should I be the one having all the fun of thinking of a timeless and eternal God?

The Truth About Tithing

2008-01-08T06:38:00.000-06:00

Try as you might to find the principle of tithing taught within the pages of the New Testament but you will search in vain. If you doubt my word, search them for yourself. But please, give that Pharisee in Matthew 23 a rest. He was firmly and adequately rebuked by the Master and, as one born under the law, is tired of being taken out of context. Those who deliberate whether tithes should be paid on the net or gross attest to the humorous fact that gnats are still strained, and camels still swallowed.

I have known of men who neglected their families in order to hit the magical number. These will fare worse than infidels and that, my friend, is hard to imagine. The whole issue stems from not understanding how the law functioned within Judaism. What? Those of you who want to live under the law, have you not read it? The law still wields the power to make slaves of men but hear well the words of Jesus who said that a slave will not remain in the household forever.

So what should we do with this liberty? How should we give? Well, it appears that God has left that up to you. But bear in mind, that the love born out of freedom wants to give. Dare I say it needs to give. God loved so much that he gave the Son who gave the blood that flowed through his veins. If that same blood flows through your veins then you will live with passion, love with passion, and give with passion.

Mat 22:20 Jesus said to them, "Whose image is this, and whose inscription?"
Mat 22:21 They replied, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

Whose image do you bear?

Was the Message of Jesus Political?

2008-01-07T16:02:00.000-06:00

I have believed in the past that the message of Jesus was 'spiritual' and not 'political'. I have since come to realize that this is a terrible mistake. Augustus as well as various Caesers who followed him believed that they were the kurios or 'Lord' and that, as such, they deserved to be worshipped. After all, they were the rulers of the world, or so they believed. Most of the early church martyrs ended up as such because they came announcing Jesus as Lord. And if Jesus is Lord, guess who isn't. That's right, Caeser. In light of these facts, Paul's mission to spread the gospel in Rome takes on new significance.

He came to announce the euangellion, the good news that Jesus had been enthroned and that Jesus, not Caeser was kurios, the rightful Lord and ruler of creation. This announcement came at a time when conditions were most favorable to spread the news of the gospel but least favorable for those who spread it. Among other things, Roman roads had been constructed which connected major trade routes and cultural learning centers. Linguistics were also ripe for the message to be understood in Greek, the common language of the empire. The message of the gospel to the oppressive powers and principalities is this: Your day is up. Bow the knee and kneel at the feet of the only one deserving of worship. King Jesus reigns!

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Are we Justified by Faith or Works?

2008-01-06T20:14:00.000-06:00

At a minimum, the question posed above reflects a false dichotomy between faith and works. At its worst, it reflects a confusion of categories akin to asking if the number nine smells like yellow or purple. I might jokingly answer the question by responding that we are neither justified by works nor by faith but by God with the hopes that I could further explain the misconceptions that lie behind the question. This is the same sort of question the disciples liked to ask Jesus. "Is it at this time that you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" or "is it because we brought no bread?" or statements like "Look Lord, here are two swords."

We first need to agree that the word 'justified' refers, not to a step in the process of salvation, but to a status of belonging to the covenant people of God. A first century Jew understood the phrase from a law court setting. If the case of an accuser or defendant were upheld, the judge would declare him to be 'justified' or 'righteous'. Similarly, when someone hears the gospel and believes it, God declares them to be 'righteous'. That is that they are now a member of the covenantal community.

Our righteousness or 'justification' is not to be confused with that of the judge. His 'righteousness' has to do with his right judgement of the case. This is what Paul was explaining in Romans when he referred to the 'righteousness of God'. God was determined to fulfill the covenant he had made with Abraham, that is to make him the father of many nations. But how was God able to be a righteous and just judge and at the same time declare Israel to be in the right when they were covenant breakers?

That's where the work of Jesus was critical. As the perfect representative, Jesus took the role of Israel onto himself. Faithful to the covenant, Jesus rendered perfect obedience to the point of suffering an undeserved death. That faithful obedience allowed God's covenant to be fulfilled. Now, those who have faith in God, like Abraham, become part of Abraham's worldwide family. They become the vindicated people of God. They become Israel. (Please refer to my previous article The Rebirth of Israel in the Resurrection of Christ).

Another level of confusion is introduced by the term 'works' as used by Paul and James respectively. Paul often referred to 'works of the law'. These 'works of the law' for the Jewish community served the same way as faith does in the Christian community as a means of knowing who, in the present, belongs to God's chosen family. Certain customs under the Mosaic law delineated ethnic Jews as God's chosen family. Circumcision, food laws, and Sabbath observance set them apart from the surrounding nations much the way faith now sets Christians apart. They served as identity badges.

Once we recognize this difference, the false dichotomy between works and faith disappears. As James explained, faith and works are synergistic. They operate like cogs in a wheel. Faith spurs us on to good works. In the end, God will judge us according to our works. Be blessed.

1Pe 1:17 And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, live out the time of your temporary residence here in reverence.

I am forever indebted to the work of N.T. Wright for helping me to understand these concepts.

Paula White and the Firstfruit Offering

2008-01-05T10:28:00.001-06:00

I want those of you who are thinking about sending Paula White a 'Firstfruit Offering' to consider whether she really believes what she is teaching or if she just wants your money. She teaches that sending money to her is an act of faith that God will reward with money or health. The money you send is like a 'seed' that is planted in the ground and, over time, it will multiply

Let's pretend for a second that Paula White really does believe what she teaches. Wouldn't it also be true that if she sent you money, that would be an act of faith on her part and that God would multiply the money back to her? By her own reasoning, the best thing she could do for her ministry to prosper is to send you some money. Unless, of course, she really doesn't believe it. If you really want to know what Paula White believes, try this simple test. Send her a request for a firstfruit offering. Just ask her to send whatever the Lord lays on her heart. It might be a day's salary or a week's or even an entire month.

If Paula White really does send you some money, which she won't (trust me), use it to help people around you who are poor or who need something to eat. But don't stop there. Follow her example and keep sending requests for money so you can continue to help those people around you. You might even want to put up a website. I think you will soon discover that Paula White doesn't really believe what she is teaching. She only wants your money. If you are not willing to try this experiment, you might want to examine your own motives. Ask yourself this question. Do I really want to help people, or do I just want more money?

Please also read the post on this blog entitled "The Truth About Tithing".