Okay, we know about “global warming” that should really be called “climate change” (If not, then watch “An Inconvenient Truth” already!). Scientists tell us we should we worried about these couple degrees increase. But is God really worried about it? Is this any real concern at all? Does the Bible have anything to say about this?
God rules over the whole world“The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.
For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers.” Psalm 24:1-2
God is the Emperor of the world and there is nothing that is not under his command. Of course He cares, after all He’s in charge of the world. Shouldn’t He be concerned with what someone else does with His world?
Men are commanded to care for the world as a good ruler
“What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands.” Psalm 8:4-6
Even though God is ultimately in charge of the world, He put the world into the hands of humanity, for them to rule as they see fit. Some think that this means that humanity can use up the world in whatever way they want to. However, when God gives someone to be a ruler of something, He doesn’t just say, “Sure, go ahead and use this resource up as selfishly as you want to!” God establishes humanity to be a ruler like Him—a ruler who cares about His sovereignty so much that He is willing to set aside his own needs and desires for the good of those under Him. If humanity treated the earth the same way that God treats His people, then the world will be in good shape, for humanity would be willing to sacrifice their own needs for the sake of creation.
Climate change isn’t about the earth so much as about people
“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:26
If the climate change happens that scientists have been predicting, the earth will be just fine. Sure, there will be some weather changes, and some edges of land masses will be covered with water, but overall, it’s like the earth will have a rash. It’s uncomfortable, but doable. Heck, the world went through worse in the ice ages!
No, the ones that will be greatly effected is people. Large populations of people who live on coastlines and deltas and in hurricane areas will be effected. We are talking about hundreds of millions of people whose homes will be covered in water.
And does not God care about His people? Oh, yes He does. He cares about people dying. And he cares about it especially if it can be avoided by people just taking better care.
Humanity will be judged for not caring for the world when they knew what they were doing
“If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?” Proverbs 24:12
We are not responsible for what we don’t know. But we are responsible for what we do. If we know that there is an evil to people and we refuse to do anything about it, we will be judged for it. If our society doesn’t do something about the pollution and the problems on the earth that we know we are doing, then we will judged for it. God will not only judge our motives, but He will judge whether we acted on our knowledge.
God will fix whatever crap men did to the world
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. II Peter 3:13
When the Bible says that God will make a “new earth” it doesn’t mean that He will wipe out the atoms that make up the current planet and then replace it with another one. Rather, it means that He will re-form the planet and the rulers that currently exist. All the evil that humanity has done to the earth will be made up for. Perhaps it will happen immediately, or perhaps it will take a long time. But in the end, God will right the wrongs. But we should do what is right not because there will be harm from doing wrong. We should do what is right because it is right.
We should never be willfully ignorant of the love that God has commanded us to live.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
An Annotated Outline of Revelation
This is my understanding of the Book of Revelation. If you disagree, I'm okay with that. Not everyone can be right. :-)
Message: God is the Provider and Defender of those are faithful to Jesus.
Chapter 1: Revealing Jesus
John the prophet is given a set of visions, who wrote them down and returned them to the churches in Asia Minor.
Jesus is the great Spirit, God over His people, most powerful of all spirits. And he speaks to his congregations.
Chapters 2-3: Revealing Congregations
Ephesus: Jesus commends them for orthodoxy, but condemns them for their lack of love. Unless they change, they may not be part of the church.
Smyrna: This congregation has been made poor through persecution, but Jesus says that they are rich. Jesus calls them to endure and so be victorious.
Pergamum: Jesus commends them for remaining faithful through persecution. But he condemns some for compromising with idolatry for the sake of employment. Jesus calls them all to remain faithful.
Thyatira: This is an almost perfect church in faithfulness, love and service. However, there is a false teacher, who is saying that compromise with idolatry is good. Those who stay with her will be judged, but those who remain faithful will live.
Sardis: This church has an excellent reputation, but it is built upon nothing. Jesus tells them to do really positive, loving works, not just things that look good. Follow the example of the few who are faithful.
Philadelphia— Jesus commends this persecuted church for remaining with him, even thought their salvation was called into question. Jesus says that their place in heaven will never be lost.
Laodicea—This church is wealthy, and they think that they are self-sufficient. Jesus says that their self-sufficiency is their death and unless they surrender their earthly wealth, they will never have eternal wealth.
Chapter 4: Revealing the Father
God the Father is shown on a throne, his enemies at his feet, surrounded by his promises. The apostles, the patriarchs, and representatives of all the realms of creatures worship Him.
Chapter 5: Initiating the Kingdom
The document initiating the plan to begin the rule of God over the earth is presented. No one is found worthy to begin this process. Then, a warrior who was sacrificed steps forward—Jesus. He is the only one worthy to open the document and to begin the kingdom.
Chapter 6: The Present Age
Jesus initiates the present age of God’s kingdom. It is an age characterized by conquerors, war, famine and death. Throughout this age are many martyrdoms. The martyrs cry out for God’s justice, but they are told to wait until all the martyrs are killed. This age began right after Jesus’ ascension to God to the present time. The end of this age may be indicated by a great earthquake.
Chapter 7: Preparation for the end
Fast forward to a future age. The church has shrunk to only 144,000 people. And there is a great multitude of people who has been killed.
Chapter 8-10: The Little Judgment
God begins to judge the world, but he holds back, only judging one third of the world. He uses plagues that are similar to Egypt’s, so the world will recognize that it is Him doing them. They are each initiated with a trumpet blast. A third of the trees are burned, a third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the fresh water is poisoned, the celestial lights are darkened by a third, a third of humanity is in terrible pain for months and a third of humanity is killed by a demonic army.
The world does not repent of its worship of evil things. Heaven declares the earth ready to be judged. John is happy at the revenge for God’s people, but regretting the terrible judgment.
Chapter 11: Call to Repent
The heavenly temple is measured to indicate where God’s rule really is based. God sends two prophets to the earthly Jerusalem to tell people to repent. No one listens, and they are killed, while the world rejoices over their bodies for three days. God raises them from the dead and they ascend to heaven. In this repeat of Jesus’ passion, God shows the world that they are deserving of the final judgment. The final stage is in place, and nothing will stop God’s final judgment.
Chapter 12: Flashback! Satan and the People of God
To explain more what happened to cause this judgment, John backtracks and gives some background. The people of God had been waiting for the Messiah—God’s king—to come and rule. Satan had also been waiting to destroy that same Messiah. But Satan missed his opportunity, as the Messiah came and ascended to the Father. After the Messiah began to rule, Satan’s place was taken from him and he was thrown out of heaven, along with his angels. In his rage, Satan began to attack God’s people, especially the people of Jesus.
Chapter 13: Empire and Worship
To accomplish this attack, Satan brings up the spirit of the empires that have always persecuted God’s people. Empire claimed to take God’s place in offering salvation, requiring obedience and demanding worship and service. John, at this point, declares that everyone must make a choice to either serve in the Empire’s army or to be killed and gain eternal life. The Empire Spirit appoints a false teacher to lead people to worship the Empire. At this point, the Empire is given the whole world for three and a half years, during which time he persecutes and kills anyone who does not worship him. Those who worship the Empire are given a tattoo, and those who do not have a tattoo cannot buy what they need.
Chapters 14-16—The Great Judgment
Heaven prepares for the great judgment to come. The remnant of the church are brought to heaven and pronouncements of the destruction of the Empire are made, as well as declaration of punishments for those who worship the Empire. Jesus casts a sickle to the earth, to indicate that the “harvest” of judgment is to begin, and the waiting martyrs give their praise to God for the judgment. Seven angels are given seven bowls of plagues. Suddenly, all at once, the people of earth have sores, all the sea becomes blood, all the fresh water becomes blood, flames come from the sun to cause severe burns and all the Empire becomes completely dark. The people of the world know that this is judgment from God and so they speak evil against God, and plot to destroy Jesus with armies when he returns. A mass of storms, earthquakes and huge hailstones fall upon them.
Chapters 17-18—Woe of the Great City
A pause is given to focus on the controlling city of the Empire. This is the city that seduced the world to love greed, to worship the Empire and to kill God’s people. The city did so through economic forces, controlling the market, and the Empire supported the city through it’s army. In the chaos of judgment the city is destroyed by its own army, and the world’s economic leaders weep.
Chapter 19—Jesus’ Kingdom
Jesus comes to earth with all the angelic host of heaven. All the armies that gathered to attack Jesus are destroyed. The birds come to eat their flesh. And Jesus establishes his rule with his people.
Chapter 20—Summary of End time stuff
Jesus reigns with his people for approximately a thousand years, during which time Satan is imprisoned. There is no Empire apart from Jesus’ and no false teaching. God’s utopia reigns. Satan is then released, and deceives nations to attack Jesus again. They are defeated by God. Everyone that has ever lived is resurrected and God judges them all based on their actions. The eternal life begins.
Chapters 21-22—The Final Kingdom
In eternal life, all of the enemies of God are no more. Satan and his angels are in hell, the sea is dried up and the celestial lights are unnecessary. God lives with his people, and his temple—his courtyard—is on earth. God’s people live in a magnificent, huge city, as tall as it is wide, and God is at the center. The city is the center of all the earth’s wisdom, wealth and power. No one who does evil will live in the city, but there will be people who live outside the city, under God’s rule.
Chapter 22—The Last Exhortation
These events of the coming of God’s kingdom is going to occur anytime, Jesus says. So be ready. Don’t be cowardly or hide your worship of Jesus. Rather, live for Jesus in all things and so reign with him in eternity.
Message: God is the Provider and Defender of those are faithful to Jesus.
Chapter 1: Revealing Jesus
John the prophet is given a set of visions, who wrote them down and returned them to the churches in Asia Minor.
Jesus is the great Spirit, God over His people, most powerful of all spirits. And he speaks to his congregations.
Chapters 2-3: Revealing Congregations
Ephesus: Jesus commends them for orthodoxy, but condemns them for their lack of love. Unless they change, they may not be part of the church.
Smyrna: This congregation has been made poor through persecution, but Jesus says that they are rich. Jesus calls them to endure and so be victorious.
Pergamum: Jesus commends them for remaining faithful through persecution. But he condemns some for compromising with idolatry for the sake of employment. Jesus calls them all to remain faithful.
Thyatira: This is an almost perfect church in faithfulness, love and service. However, there is a false teacher, who is saying that compromise with idolatry is good. Those who stay with her will be judged, but those who remain faithful will live.
Sardis: This church has an excellent reputation, but it is built upon nothing. Jesus tells them to do really positive, loving works, not just things that look good. Follow the example of the few who are faithful.
Philadelphia— Jesus commends this persecuted church for remaining with him, even thought their salvation was called into question. Jesus says that their place in heaven will never be lost.
Laodicea—This church is wealthy, and they think that they are self-sufficient. Jesus says that their self-sufficiency is their death and unless they surrender their earthly wealth, they will never have eternal wealth.
Chapter 4: Revealing the Father
God the Father is shown on a throne, his enemies at his feet, surrounded by his promises. The apostles, the patriarchs, and representatives of all the realms of creatures worship Him.
Chapter 5: Initiating the Kingdom
The document initiating the plan to begin the rule of God over the earth is presented. No one is found worthy to begin this process. Then, a warrior who was sacrificed steps forward—Jesus. He is the only one worthy to open the document and to begin the kingdom.
Chapter 6: The Present Age
Jesus initiates the present age of God’s kingdom. It is an age characterized by conquerors, war, famine and death. Throughout this age are many martyrdoms. The martyrs cry out for God’s justice, but they are told to wait until all the martyrs are killed. This age began right after Jesus’ ascension to God to the present time. The end of this age may be indicated by a great earthquake.
Chapter 7: Preparation for the end
Fast forward to a future age. The church has shrunk to only 144,000 people. And there is a great multitude of people who has been killed.
Chapter 8-10: The Little Judgment
God begins to judge the world, but he holds back, only judging one third of the world. He uses plagues that are similar to Egypt’s, so the world will recognize that it is Him doing them. They are each initiated with a trumpet blast. A third of the trees are burned, a third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the fresh water is poisoned, the celestial lights are darkened by a third, a third of humanity is in terrible pain for months and a third of humanity is killed by a demonic army.
The world does not repent of its worship of evil things. Heaven declares the earth ready to be judged. John is happy at the revenge for God’s people, but regretting the terrible judgment.
Chapter 11: Call to Repent
The heavenly temple is measured to indicate where God’s rule really is based. God sends two prophets to the earthly Jerusalem to tell people to repent. No one listens, and they are killed, while the world rejoices over their bodies for three days. God raises them from the dead and they ascend to heaven. In this repeat of Jesus’ passion, God shows the world that they are deserving of the final judgment. The final stage is in place, and nothing will stop God’s final judgment.
Chapter 12: Flashback! Satan and the People of God
To explain more what happened to cause this judgment, John backtracks and gives some background. The people of God had been waiting for the Messiah—God’s king—to come and rule. Satan had also been waiting to destroy that same Messiah. But Satan missed his opportunity, as the Messiah came and ascended to the Father. After the Messiah began to rule, Satan’s place was taken from him and he was thrown out of heaven, along with his angels. In his rage, Satan began to attack God’s people, especially the people of Jesus.
Chapter 13: Empire and Worship
To accomplish this attack, Satan brings up the spirit of the empires that have always persecuted God’s people. Empire claimed to take God’s place in offering salvation, requiring obedience and demanding worship and service. John, at this point, declares that everyone must make a choice to either serve in the Empire’s army or to be killed and gain eternal life. The Empire Spirit appoints a false teacher to lead people to worship the Empire. At this point, the Empire is given the whole world for three and a half years, during which time he persecutes and kills anyone who does not worship him. Those who worship the Empire are given a tattoo, and those who do not have a tattoo cannot buy what they need.
Chapters 14-16—The Great Judgment
Heaven prepares for the great judgment to come. The remnant of the church are brought to heaven and pronouncements of the destruction of the Empire are made, as well as declaration of punishments for those who worship the Empire. Jesus casts a sickle to the earth, to indicate that the “harvest” of judgment is to begin, and the waiting martyrs give their praise to God for the judgment. Seven angels are given seven bowls of plagues. Suddenly, all at once, the people of earth have sores, all the sea becomes blood, all the fresh water becomes blood, flames come from the sun to cause severe burns and all the Empire becomes completely dark. The people of the world know that this is judgment from God and so they speak evil against God, and plot to destroy Jesus with armies when he returns. A mass of storms, earthquakes and huge hailstones fall upon them.
Chapters 17-18—Woe of the Great City
A pause is given to focus on the controlling city of the Empire. This is the city that seduced the world to love greed, to worship the Empire and to kill God’s people. The city did so through economic forces, controlling the market, and the Empire supported the city through it’s army. In the chaos of judgment the city is destroyed by its own army, and the world’s economic leaders weep.
Chapter 19—Jesus’ Kingdom
Jesus comes to earth with all the angelic host of heaven. All the armies that gathered to attack Jesus are destroyed. The birds come to eat their flesh. And Jesus establishes his rule with his people.
Chapter 20—Summary of End time stuff
Jesus reigns with his people for approximately a thousand years, during which time Satan is imprisoned. There is no Empire apart from Jesus’ and no false teaching. God’s utopia reigns. Satan is then released, and deceives nations to attack Jesus again. They are defeated by God. Everyone that has ever lived is resurrected and God judges them all based on their actions. The eternal life begins.
Chapters 21-22—The Final Kingdom
In eternal life, all of the enemies of God are no more. Satan and his angels are in hell, the sea is dried up and the celestial lights are unnecessary. God lives with his people, and his temple—his courtyard—is on earth. God’s people live in a magnificent, huge city, as tall as it is wide, and God is at the center. The city is the center of all the earth’s wisdom, wealth and power. No one who does evil will live in the city, but there will be people who live outside the city, under God’s rule.
Chapter 22—The Last Exhortation
These events of the coming of God’s kingdom is going to occur anytime, Jesus says. So be ready. Don’t be cowardly or hide your worship of Jesus. Rather, live for Jesus in all things and so reign with him in eternity.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Essential Christian Love
What is Christian Love?
In our society, love is a multi-faceted term. It could mean a good feeling toward another (even if you have never seen the person before). It could mean a feeling of sexual lust, or the sexual act itself. It could mean acting in a positive way toward another, or “being nice”. Or it could mean to enjoy the company of another. Love is also used as the opposite of feeling hate.
However, “love” as used by Jesus is much more specific. It speaks of two general moral actions: remaining in relationship with another—in other words, never “cutting someone off”—and acting for another’s benefit, especially when the other is in need or trouble. Love is never exclusively used as an internal feeling, separated from words or actions. Love is always something one does for the benefit of another. The opposite of love isn’t hate, so much, as actions of hatred or hostility.
On top of this, Jesus insists that our motivation to love is to be in relationship with God. We have mercy on others so we can obtain mercy from God (Matthew 5:7). And we love without exclusion, so we can be called God’s children (Luke 6:35). We don’t love just because it is the “right” or “nice” thing to do, but because we desire God’s acceptance, honor and blessing. And if we fail to act in love—at all times, to every person—then we will not be accepted by God.
Christian love is an unbelievably high ideal. We are supposed to love those who hate us. We are to help those whose help is beyond our resources. We are to offer help to everyone who asks of us. And we are supposed to act this way at all times, with no exception without repentance and reconciliation. How can this be done? Frankly, it is not humanly possible. Even Jesus only acted openly and publicly in love with the power of the Spirit behind him. Only then could he be certain, as a human, that he could act with the Father’s love at all time. Even so, we have no chance of acting in love all the time without the constant leading and empowering of the Spirit of God.
Practical Christian Love
Have mercy on people’s weaknesses
All of us have weaknesses. Some of these weaknesses are sin, and some are just failings that we have. In our humanity, we want people to have mercy on us in our weaknesses—we want people to overlook them or to help us through them. Yet, also in our humanity, we condemn others for their weaknesses—we want to cause guilt or suffering in them because they harm others. Jesus, however, tells us that if we are to expect any kind of mercy from others—especially God—then we need to have mercy on others. Rather than condemning people’s weaknesses, we need to find ways to have compassion on them and help them based on that compassion, rather than judgement. (Luke 6:36-38)
Give opportunity for repentance
If we see someone act in their weaknesses, especially if in their weakness, they did something that hurt us, then we want to cut them off from us in some way. We want to have nothing to do with them, or perhaps scream at them, or to keep them away from our community. Jesus both demonstrated and taught just the opposite. If someone is in sin—even if they hurt us, even if the sin was extreme—we are still to be in relationship with them and give them opportunity to change. If an unbeliever is in sin, we are to give them opportunity to show faith (Mark 2:17; Luke 15:1-10). If a believer is in sin, we are to give them many chances to make right (Matthew 18:15-17). And a believer who is weak, but not in sin, is never to be excluded, but welcomed and assisted (Mark 9:37-42).
Forgive debts
If someone does repent, trying to make right their weakness or sin, it is in our human nature to see that person pay their debts and to give in restitution exactly as they have taken. Thus, our humanity says that if they caused us shame, they need to receive shame; if they stole from us, they should pay back the exact amount; if they broke the law, they should pay the full penalty. However, Jesus says that instead of seeking payback, we should forgive those who repent (Luke 17:3-4). Forgiveness means that they are in relationship and that they are not required to pay the full debt back. This means that we are not seeking a payback, but we are willing to wipe the slate clean (Matthew 18:21-35). This also means that we will not remind others of the things they have done against us (I Corinthians 13:5).
Give to those who ask
If someone asks us for forgiveness or help, our natural, human response is to preserve our resources for us and ours. We don’t feel secure enough to give to others when they really need it. Jesus, however, told us to help those who asked (Matthew 5:42). Often we want to refuse assistance to those who have done us wrong in some way, or who are “unworthy” in our eyes. Jesus, however, gave even to the most unworthy, if they just asked in faith (Matthew 15:22-28). This does not mean that we should give to people whatever they ask for. We need to give out of love—which means giving toward their real need, not just giving whatever is convenient without regard to their need (I Corinthians 13:2).
Pray for others
Often, when we look at our resources, we find that we do not have enough to help others. We find that we are limited by economics, by time, by geography and by our own anxieties. However, Jesus taught us that action on our compassion shouldn’t be limited by resources, because God has the greatest resources of all (Matthew 6:31-33). We may not be able to heal a sick person, but God can (Acts 3:1-8). We may not be able to feed the hungry, but God can (Mark 6:34-43). We may not be able to give the gospel to everyone, but God can (Matthew 24:14). So our compassion does not need to be limited by our limitation—if we would but pray, then we are enacting God’s mercy on people, which is far greater than our own.
Set free the oppressed
Many people are sick, both physically and mentally. While medical workers do their best to heal, they are not always able to. Sometimes they just do not have the knowledge, and sometimes they do not recognize the spiritual forces involved in healing. There are spirits that assist in causing physical and mental illnesses. And doctors do not usually have the authority to command these spirits. However, anyone in Jesus, having the authority Jesus gave all of his disciples, can command the spirits to release those attacked by them (Mark 16:17-18). In this way, the people of Jesus can express their compassion in a unique way that no one else can.
Provide hospitality
It seems like so little, it seems so simple, but often compassion and Christian love can be expressed just in an open door, a cheerful welcome and a meal. Hospitality in Scripture means offering food and drink, clothing, a warm place to rest or sleep, and an opportunity to get cleaned up (Matthew 25:31-46; John 13:1-15). It was often given to the poor and travelers within the church, but it was offered to others as well (Galatians 6:10). Although it seems so simple, but if we refuse to enact this hospitality, then we do not express the love of Christ.
If one is a Christian, this kind of love is not an option. If we fail to forgive, we will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15). If we refuse to have mercy, God will not have mercy on us (Matthew 5:7). If we refuse to offer hospitality, we will be thrown out of God’s kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46). And if we live in bitterness and judgement, then we will be judged by God (Luke 6:37). Love is not an option, it is a demand. And it is demanding. Yet it is the most gentle, most gracious way of life any of us could ask for (Matthew 11:28-30).
In our society, love is a multi-faceted term. It could mean a good feeling toward another (even if you have never seen the person before). It could mean a feeling of sexual lust, or the sexual act itself. It could mean acting in a positive way toward another, or “being nice”. Or it could mean to enjoy the company of another. Love is also used as the opposite of feeling hate.
However, “love” as used by Jesus is much more specific. It speaks of two general moral actions: remaining in relationship with another—in other words, never “cutting someone off”—and acting for another’s benefit, especially when the other is in need or trouble. Love is never exclusively used as an internal feeling, separated from words or actions. Love is always something one does for the benefit of another. The opposite of love isn’t hate, so much, as actions of hatred or hostility.
On top of this, Jesus insists that our motivation to love is to be in relationship with God. We have mercy on others so we can obtain mercy from God (Matthew 5:7). And we love without exclusion, so we can be called God’s children (Luke 6:35). We don’t love just because it is the “right” or “nice” thing to do, but because we desire God’s acceptance, honor and blessing. And if we fail to act in love—at all times, to every person—then we will not be accepted by God.
Christian love is an unbelievably high ideal. We are supposed to love those who hate us. We are to help those whose help is beyond our resources. We are to offer help to everyone who asks of us. And we are supposed to act this way at all times, with no exception without repentance and reconciliation. How can this be done? Frankly, it is not humanly possible. Even Jesus only acted openly and publicly in love with the power of the Spirit behind him. Only then could he be certain, as a human, that he could act with the Father’s love at all time. Even so, we have no chance of acting in love all the time without the constant leading and empowering of the Spirit of God.
Practical Christian Love
Have mercy on people’s weaknesses
All of us have weaknesses. Some of these weaknesses are sin, and some are just failings that we have. In our humanity, we want people to have mercy on us in our weaknesses—we want people to overlook them or to help us through them. Yet, also in our humanity, we condemn others for their weaknesses—we want to cause guilt or suffering in them because they harm others. Jesus, however, tells us that if we are to expect any kind of mercy from others—especially God—then we need to have mercy on others. Rather than condemning people’s weaknesses, we need to find ways to have compassion on them and help them based on that compassion, rather than judgement. (Luke 6:36-38)
Give opportunity for repentance
If we see someone act in their weaknesses, especially if in their weakness, they did something that hurt us, then we want to cut them off from us in some way. We want to have nothing to do with them, or perhaps scream at them, or to keep them away from our community. Jesus both demonstrated and taught just the opposite. If someone is in sin—even if they hurt us, even if the sin was extreme—we are still to be in relationship with them and give them opportunity to change. If an unbeliever is in sin, we are to give them opportunity to show faith (Mark 2:17; Luke 15:1-10). If a believer is in sin, we are to give them many chances to make right (Matthew 18:15-17). And a believer who is weak, but not in sin, is never to be excluded, but welcomed and assisted (Mark 9:37-42).
Forgive debts
If someone does repent, trying to make right their weakness or sin, it is in our human nature to see that person pay their debts and to give in restitution exactly as they have taken. Thus, our humanity says that if they caused us shame, they need to receive shame; if they stole from us, they should pay back the exact amount; if they broke the law, they should pay the full penalty. However, Jesus says that instead of seeking payback, we should forgive those who repent (Luke 17:3-4). Forgiveness means that they are in relationship and that they are not required to pay the full debt back. This means that we are not seeking a payback, but we are willing to wipe the slate clean (Matthew 18:21-35). This also means that we will not remind others of the things they have done against us (I Corinthians 13:5).
Give to those who ask
If someone asks us for forgiveness or help, our natural, human response is to preserve our resources for us and ours. We don’t feel secure enough to give to others when they really need it. Jesus, however, told us to help those who asked (Matthew 5:42). Often we want to refuse assistance to those who have done us wrong in some way, or who are “unworthy” in our eyes. Jesus, however, gave even to the most unworthy, if they just asked in faith (Matthew 15:22-28). This does not mean that we should give to people whatever they ask for. We need to give out of love—which means giving toward their real need, not just giving whatever is convenient without regard to their need (I Corinthians 13:2).
Pray for others
Often, when we look at our resources, we find that we do not have enough to help others. We find that we are limited by economics, by time, by geography and by our own anxieties. However, Jesus taught us that action on our compassion shouldn’t be limited by resources, because God has the greatest resources of all (Matthew 6:31-33). We may not be able to heal a sick person, but God can (Acts 3:1-8). We may not be able to feed the hungry, but God can (Mark 6:34-43). We may not be able to give the gospel to everyone, but God can (Matthew 24:14). So our compassion does not need to be limited by our limitation—if we would but pray, then we are enacting God’s mercy on people, which is far greater than our own.
Set free the oppressed
Many people are sick, both physically and mentally. While medical workers do their best to heal, they are not always able to. Sometimes they just do not have the knowledge, and sometimes they do not recognize the spiritual forces involved in healing. There are spirits that assist in causing physical and mental illnesses. And doctors do not usually have the authority to command these spirits. However, anyone in Jesus, having the authority Jesus gave all of his disciples, can command the spirits to release those attacked by them (Mark 16:17-18). In this way, the people of Jesus can express their compassion in a unique way that no one else can.
Provide hospitality
It seems like so little, it seems so simple, but often compassion and Christian love can be expressed just in an open door, a cheerful welcome and a meal. Hospitality in Scripture means offering food and drink, clothing, a warm place to rest or sleep, and an opportunity to get cleaned up (Matthew 25:31-46; John 13:1-15). It was often given to the poor and travelers within the church, but it was offered to others as well (Galatians 6:10). Although it seems so simple, but if we refuse to enact this hospitality, then we do not express the love of Christ.
If one is a Christian, this kind of love is not an option. If we fail to forgive, we will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15). If we refuse to have mercy, God will not have mercy on us (Matthew 5:7). If we refuse to offer hospitality, we will be thrown out of God’s kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46). And if we live in bitterness and judgement, then we will be judged by God (Luke 6:37). Love is not an option, it is a demand. And it is demanding. Yet it is the most gentle, most gracious way of life any of us could ask for (Matthew 11:28-30).
Essential Christian Submission
Submission is considered to be a dirty word in modern America. It is associated with battered wives and children cowering under overbearing men in white t-shirts. It is connected with military units with a screaming leader and the rest following in goosesteps. Others might think of a religious order in the sticks, where no one can make a move without asking permission of the Great Leader. However, Christian submission is not something forced, nor anything negative—rather it is the secret of Jesus’ cross.
Jesus submitted to the Father in going to the cross. Yes, the cross was gruesome and shaming—a truly horrendous experience—but Jesus went there willingly. And his mode of transportation to the cross—the salvation of all peoples on earth—was willing submission to evil authorities who only had his worst interests in their minds. He opened himself up to their abuse and hatred, and so was provided with the greatest honor anyone could be bestowed—the rule of the kingdom of God. Because Jesus allowed himself to be submitted—both to a loving God and to a hating government—he was granted the opportunity to give mercy to everyone on earth. (I Peter 2:18-23)
What is Christian Submission?
Submission has to do with a response to authority. One does not submit to one’s own child or employee. Rather, it is what one in a lower social station does to one in authority. Submission has some of the connotations that are connected to it in a negative context. Submission is certainly obedience, and it can be receiving punishments for disobedience. It can also be paying money requested, and offering what honor society requires (such as calling someone by a proper title). Submission does not mean that we refuse to disagree with the one we submit to, nor that we cannot express our opinion. But it gives the respect due the office. In our society, most people would offer submission to the president, or a police officer or a judge in the courtroom—at least, if they were on our side.
But Christian submission goes much further than submission in the world. Christian submission would be offered to everyone who is in authority—from the President to the lowest pencil-pusher in a Social Security office. We would give it to the leaders in the communities we live in—whether that be a group home, a hospital, a rehab house, a shelter, or a Christian community. We give it to our church leaders—but more than that, we are to submit to each other in the church, honoring each other as greater than ourselves! The only authority that exists that we are not to submit to is Satan—that’s because the only authority he has over us is what we give him. (I Peter 2:13-15; Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 6:11)
But Christian submission is given to God first and foremost. We submit to other authorities because of the respect we have for God. God established authority on all humans and to some humans in particular—and so we are to show our respect to everyone in any kind of authority, because fundamentally the authority they use is God’s. We don’t have to like the way they use authority, but we need to respect the authority itself. This means that no matter how evil, how wicked the authority, we respect and obey that person anyway. (James 4:7; Romans 13:1)
Why would we do that? If there is anything we are trained in, it is to reject authority we don’t care for. However, as Rodney King found out, if you prove careless with other’s authority, it will bite you back. Harshly. Now Jesus submitted to authority, but he received the same treatment, only worse. So why would we submit to evil authority? Because our submission under harsh treatment is a neon sign to God: “I’m being oppressed!” And God will respond with justice.
Thus, the opposite of submission is to take justice in our own hands and give the evil authority “what they deserve”. Perhaps it will be with violence, or with legal action or with harsh words, but the point is to give back to them justice. But justice by our own hands is no justice at all—we will only be slammed again, or we will hit the other too hard and be the oppressor in turn. But justice meted out by God is perfect and true, and merciful, for it gives opportunity for repentance. Thus, true submission shows faith in God, but enacting vengeance only displays our faith in ourselves. And we cannot deliver ourselves. (Romans 13:2; Matthew 26:52; Romans 12:19)
The secret of Christian Submission is this (the secret of the cross, actually): If you respond to an authority’s harsh treatment with submission, and even positive action to them, then God will see the whole event and defend you. He will support you and help you, but the evil authority he will strip of their power and punish. If we submit to authorities, we are trusting in God’s justice and mercy to the oppressed. (Romans 12:19; Psalm 37; I Peter 4:12-19)
What does Christian submission look like?
Christian submission is granting honor
We want to honor the authorities above us. Perhaps that will mean simply calling them by their titles (“officer” or “sir”). Certainly it will mean using respectful speech and not demeaning them in any way. We also grant honor by giving thanks. We certainly should do this with God, and with governmental authorities. But we should also speak this way to the lowest of those in the church, granting honor to them, as we are all supposed to submit to each other. Respectful speech is most important to those whom we are closest to—our spouses and our friends. (I Peter 2:17,18; Romans 13:7)
Christian submission is obeying authorities’ commands
If we are given a command by an authority, we are to obey it, and this will show respect to God. If an evil person commands us to do something, we are to obey that as well—unless it is in opposition to what God told us to do. Obedience is important also to those whom are over us where we live, and to church elders as well. Obedience seems like something to just make our lives tougher, but it will actually make our lives easier in the long run. (Hebrews 13:17; Psalm 18:44)
Christian submission is praying for authorities
One of the shows of respect we have for our authorities—whether they are righteous or evil—is to pray for them. To pray for someone is to request that God would bless them. We can pray that God would grant an authority mercy and grace. We can pray that they would provide opportunities for us to obey God and spread the gospel. But we should pray for authorities over us, that effect our lives. (I Timothy 2:1-2)
Christian submission is paying proper taxes
Many governmental authorities require taxes. Rather than complain about it or despise the task, both Jesus and Paul encourage us to do it willingly, as part of our submission. As a part of respecting the authority that comes from God, paying taxes honors God. (Mark 12:14-17; Romans 13:7)
Christian submission is willingly accepting unjust punishment
All authority metes out punishment. It is a part of being an authority. However, an authority can chose for themselves whether the punishment they give will be for right reasons or wrong ones. And they can determine if the punishment they give is gentle or harsh. The authority who punishes for God’s reasons and with gentleness will be rewarded by God. But the authority who is harsh and punishes even the righteous will be punished. (Luke 12:42-47)
The strangest thing about Christian virtue is that receiving harsh, unjust punishment from an evil authority—especially for the sake of following Jesus—is the basis for Christian joy. Jesus tells us to be glad when we suffer unjustly because we will be greatly rewarded by God on the final day for enduring it in love. For this reason, Jesus says, if we suffer under an unjust punishment, we should offer the evil authority even more of an opportunity to punish us. The more we are harmed, the more God will reward us (and the more evil the authority will seem—even in his own eyes!). (Matthew 5:38-42; Romans 12:17-21; I Peter 4:12-19)
Be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For you will gain God’s favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God you bear up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. What credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. I Peter 2:18-21
Jesus submitted to the Father in going to the cross. Yes, the cross was gruesome and shaming—a truly horrendous experience—but Jesus went there willingly. And his mode of transportation to the cross—the salvation of all peoples on earth—was willing submission to evil authorities who only had his worst interests in their minds. He opened himself up to their abuse and hatred, and so was provided with the greatest honor anyone could be bestowed—the rule of the kingdom of God. Because Jesus allowed himself to be submitted—both to a loving God and to a hating government—he was granted the opportunity to give mercy to everyone on earth. (I Peter 2:18-23)
What is Christian Submission?
Submission has to do with a response to authority. One does not submit to one’s own child or employee. Rather, it is what one in a lower social station does to one in authority. Submission has some of the connotations that are connected to it in a negative context. Submission is certainly obedience, and it can be receiving punishments for disobedience. It can also be paying money requested, and offering what honor society requires (such as calling someone by a proper title). Submission does not mean that we refuse to disagree with the one we submit to, nor that we cannot express our opinion. But it gives the respect due the office. In our society, most people would offer submission to the president, or a police officer or a judge in the courtroom—at least, if they were on our side.
But Christian submission goes much further than submission in the world. Christian submission would be offered to everyone who is in authority—from the President to the lowest pencil-pusher in a Social Security office. We would give it to the leaders in the communities we live in—whether that be a group home, a hospital, a rehab house, a shelter, or a Christian community. We give it to our church leaders—but more than that, we are to submit to each other in the church, honoring each other as greater than ourselves! The only authority that exists that we are not to submit to is Satan—that’s because the only authority he has over us is what we give him. (I Peter 2:13-15; Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 6:11)
But Christian submission is given to God first and foremost. We submit to other authorities because of the respect we have for God. God established authority on all humans and to some humans in particular—and so we are to show our respect to everyone in any kind of authority, because fundamentally the authority they use is God’s. We don’t have to like the way they use authority, but we need to respect the authority itself. This means that no matter how evil, how wicked the authority, we respect and obey that person anyway. (James 4:7; Romans 13:1)
Why would we do that? If there is anything we are trained in, it is to reject authority we don’t care for. However, as Rodney King found out, if you prove careless with other’s authority, it will bite you back. Harshly. Now Jesus submitted to authority, but he received the same treatment, only worse. So why would we submit to evil authority? Because our submission under harsh treatment is a neon sign to God: “I’m being oppressed!” And God will respond with justice.
Thus, the opposite of submission is to take justice in our own hands and give the evil authority “what they deserve”. Perhaps it will be with violence, or with legal action or with harsh words, but the point is to give back to them justice. But justice by our own hands is no justice at all—we will only be slammed again, or we will hit the other too hard and be the oppressor in turn. But justice meted out by God is perfect and true, and merciful, for it gives opportunity for repentance. Thus, true submission shows faith in God, but enacting vengeance only displays our faith in ourselves. And we cannot deliver ourselves. (Romans 13:2; Matthew 26:52; Romans 12:19)
The secret of Christian Submission is this (the secret of the cross, actually): If you respond to an authority’s harsh treatment with submission, and even positive action to them, then God will see the whole event and defend you. He will support you and help you, but the evil authority he will strip of their power and punish. If we submit to authorities, we are trusting in God’s justice and mercy to the oppressed. (Romans 12:19; Psalm 37; I Peter 4:12-19)
What does Christian submission look like?
Christian submission is granting honor
We want to honor the authorities above us. Perhaps that will mean simply calling them by their titles (“officer” or “sir”). Certainly it will mean using respectful speech and not demeaning them in any way. We also grant honor by giving thanks. We certainly should do this with God, and with governmental authorities. But we should also speak this way to the lowest of those in the church, granting honor to them, as we are all supposed to submit to each other. Respectful speech is most important to those whom we are closest to—our spouses and our friends. (I Peter 2:17,18; Romans 13:7)
Christian submission is obeying authorities’ commands
If we are given a command by an authority, we are to obey it, and this will show respect to God. If an evil person commands us to do something, we are to obey that as well—unless it is in opposition to what God told us to do. Obedience is important also to those whom are over us where we live, and to church elders as well. Obedience seems like something to just make our lives tougher, but it will actually make our lives easier in the long run. (Hebrews 13:17; Psalm 18:44)
Christian submission is praying for authorities
One of the shows of respect we have for our authorities—whether they are righteous or evil—is to pray for them. To pray for someone is to request that God would bless them. We can pray that God would grant an authority mercy and grace. We can pray that they would provide opportunities for us to obey God and spread the gospel. But we should pray for authorities over us, that effect our lives. (I Timothy 2:1-2)
Christian submission is paying proper taxes
Many governmental authorities require taxes. Rather than complain about it or despise the task, both Jesus and Paul encourage us to do it willingly, as part of our submission. As a part of respecting the authority that comes from God, paying taxes honors God. (Mark 12:14-17; Romans 13:7)
Christian submission is willingly accepting unjust punishment
All authority metes out punishment. It is a part of being an authority. However, an authority can chose for themselves whether the punishment they give will be for right reasons or wrong ones. And they can determine if the punishment they give is gentle or harsh. The authority who punishes for God’s reasons and with gentleness will be rewarded by God. But the authority who is harsh and punishes even the righteous will be punished. (Luke 12:42-47)
The strangest thing about Christian virtue is that receiving harsh, unjust punishment from an evil authority—especially for the sake of following Jesus—is the basis for Christian joy. Jesus tells us to be glad when we suffer unjustly because we will be greatly rewarded by God on the final day for enduring it in love. For this reason, Jesus says, if we suffer under an unjust punishment, we should offer the evil authority even more of an opportunity to punish us. The more we are harmed, the more God will reward us (and the more evil the authority will seem—even in his own eyes!). (Matthew 5:38-42; Romans 12:17-21; I Peter 4:12-19)
Be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For you will gain God’s favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God you bear up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. What credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. I Peter 2:18-21
Essential Chrisitan Humility
What is Humility?
Humility has to do with honor. Honor is the respect we desire from others. When we do not receive the respect we feel we deserve, then we are humbled. We are in the one-down position—someone else has honor or respect over us. This is not acceptable to many of us. The virtue of humility means that we accept the position of being disrespected. If we are disrespected, that is okay with us. Of course, none of us can live in a state of disrespect. We all desire to have respect in our lives, and though we can’t always have it, ultimately, we will do all we can do to get it. That is how our minds work.
In Christian humility, however, we realize that we can receive honor even in our humility. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek” – or humbled—“for they will inherit the earth.” Those practicing Christian humility realize that God listens to and rewards the humble more than other people. Those who are disrespected for God on earth have God’s respect, and He will grant them honor, not only now in the heavens, but eternally. Thus, those who are dishonored now for the Lord can take confidence that God is Himself balancing the disrespect they receive with honor.
Many people have recordings going on in their heads, letting them know if what they are doing is honorable or dishonorable. Perhaps they are thinking of their family’s standards, or their friends’. The follower of Jesus, however, has the Holy Spirit speaking to them of what is honorable or dishonorable. If a Christian gives sacrificially to the needy, and those around the giver might accuse him or her of being irresponsible or weak-hearted. But the Holy Spirit would be encouraging one to sacrifice oneself for others, and telling Christians that God would honor one with greater treasure in replacement for the sacrifice.
The Practice of Humility
Humility isn’t just an ideal, that is hard to get one’s life around. It is very practical, and deals with our daily lives. Below are the principles of humility found in the New Testament, to help us navigate how we will live out humility in our lives:
Don’t insist on your rights
Though I have complete freedom, I have made myself a slave to everyone, so that I might gain more. (I Corinthians 9:19)
In our country, we emphasize freedom and liberty to do what we need to do so that we can be ourselves. We insist upon our rights so we can claim to be truly free. While we really do have the rights that our country gives us, freedom to do and say many things that makes us feel good and be who we really are, often God asks us to set aside these rights. For the sake of others, we may need to set aside our needs and desires. Perhaps we need to set aside our right to defend ourselves against slander or harm, in order to assist another (Mark 14:55-61). Perhaps we need to set aside a right to do as we please so another might not fall into sin (I Corinthians 8:13). Perhaps we need to set aside our right to speak so no one would not be harmed by our words (Ecclesiastes 5:6). We must look at our rights as something that we can have or set aside, depending on the situation.
Don’t seek greatness in the world
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you.” Mark 10:42-43
To be important in this world, you have to show that you are already important. You need degrees, titles and honors so that you can gain greater and greater significance in the world. To be a politician, one must put oneself forward. To be an executive, you have to already show yourself to be significant in business. To gain all but the lowest jobs, you have to show your “experience.” God wishes to give you great positions and honor, but to insist upon one’s own abilities and to gather many titles actually causes one to lose the possibility of advancement in God’s kingdom. Jesus tells us not to seek titles (Matthew 23:8-11) or honors (Luke 14:8-11) and as Christians we are not to boast in our accomplishments or abilities (Philippians 3:4-7).
Boast of your incapacities
If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. II Corinthians 11:30
Does this mean that we cannot boast at all? Oh, no. We are certainly able to boast, but not in our accomplishments or honors. Rather, we can boast in what we are unable to do. If we boast in our weaknesses and inabilities and those who have rejected us and the pain we endure, then we can see God’s work all the more clear. That does not mean that we should create a persona of “false humility”. We shouldn’t claim stupidity or rejection that we have never actually experienced. But we should speak of how God has fulfilled our weaknesses so we have been able to be who we are through his strength. (II Corinthians 12:9)
Repent of your sins
Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away. Acts 3:19
It is not easy to speak of one’s faults. It is humiliating to apologize, especially if you didn’t make all the mistakes. It is difficult to admit wrong, if no one else admits it first. But the Lord desires us to do just that. He wants us to humble ourselves and admit our sin, and then we will be forgiven. Without that humility, we will never be right before God. (Luke 18:9-14)
Honor the lowly
Those of the body which we deem less honorable, these we grant more abundant honor. I Corinthians 12:23
There are many among us that are considered unimportant or unacceptable. They are in this place, not because of sin, but because of some social “fault” or misunderstanding. You know how it goes—if you hang with the “in” crowd, then you can be “in”. But if you hang with the “out” crowd, then you will be rejected too. But Jesus gave us an example to hang with the “out” crowd (Mark 2:15-17). We need to find those socially unacceptable people, and serve them, support them and grant them a place of honor that others would not do (James 2:5-6; Luke 15). Also, we need to treat those who are under us in honor with greater honor than ourselves—our children, our employees, our spouses, they all need to be treated with greater honor than we ourselves expect from others (Philippians 2:3)
Do demeaning tasks
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
If we want God’s honor, we have to do the work associated with humility. There are things we don’t want to do, that we think we shouldn’t have to do. And that’s what God is asking us to do to gain his honor. He wants us to do the work that is helpful but unpleasant. He wants us to accept the unacceptable tasks for the sake of everyone. (Philippians 2:4-5)
Submit to unjust authorities
“Do not resist an evil authority.” Matthew 5:39
One last thing, God insists that we humble ourselves before those who want to show us how important they are by making us crawl. Yes, they are irritating. Yes, they are sooooo wrong. Yes, they have no right to treat us the way they do. But God asks us to submit to it anyway. Why is this? Because God likes to see us humiliated? No. It is because he wants to see in reality who is really righteous. If we rebel against an unjust authority, then the lines of right and wrong are fuzzy. Perhaps we deserved to be punished. But if we submit when we did nothing wrong, then God knows who is right and who is wrong. And who will be ultimately punished. (Matthew 5:38-41; Romans 12:19-21)
Humble yourself and God will honor you.
Humility has to do with honor. Honor is the respect we desire from others. When we do not receive the respect we feel we deserve, then we are humbled. We are in the one-down position—someone else has honor or respect over us. This is not acceptable to many of us. The virtue of humility means that we accept the position of being disrespected. If we are disrespected, that is okay with us. Of course, none of us can live in a state of disrespect. We all desire to have respect in our lives, and though we can’t always have it, ultimately, we will do all we can do to get it. That is how our minds work.
In Christian humility, however, we realize that we can receive honor even in our humility. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek” – or humbled—“for they will inherit the earth.” Those practicing Christian humility realize that God listens to and rewards the humble more than other people. Those who are disrespected for God on earth have God’s respect, and He will grant them honor, not only now in the heavens, but eternally. Thus, those who are dishonored now for the Lord can take confidence that God is Himself balancing the disrespect they receive with honor.
Many people have recordings going on in their heads, letting them know if what they are doing is honorable or dishonorable. Perhaps they are thinking of their family’s standards, or their friends’. The follower of Jesus, however, has the Holy Spirit speaking to them of what is honorable or dishonorable. If a Christian gives sacrificially to the needy, and those around the giver might accuse him or her of being irresponsible or weak-hearted. But the Holy Spirit would be encouraging one to sacrifice oneself for others, and telling Christians that God would honor one with greater treasure in replacement for the sacrifice.
The Practice of Humility
Humility isn’t just an ideal, that is hard to get one’s life around. It is very practical, and deals with our daily lives. Below are the principles of humility found in the New Testament, to help us navigate how we will live out humility in our lives:
Don’t insist on your rights
Though I have complete freedom, I have made myself a slave to everyone, so that I might gain more. (I Corinthians 9:19)
In our country, we emphasize freedom and liberty to do what we need to do so that we can be ourselves. We insist upon our rights so we can claim to be truly free. While we really do have the rights that our country gives us, freedom to do and say many things that makes us feel good and be who we really are, often God asks us to set aside these rights. For the sake of others, we may need to set aside our needs and desires. Perhaps we need to set aside our right to defend ourselves against slander or harm, in order to assist another (Mark 14:55-61). Perhaps we need to set aside a right to do as we please so another might not fall into sin (I Corinthians 8:13). Perhaps we need to set aside our right to speak so no one would not be harmed by our words (Ecclesiastes 5:6). We must look at our rights as something that we can have or set aside, depending on the situation.
Don’t seek greatness in the world
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you.” Mark 10:42-43
To be important in this world, you have to show that you are already important. You need degrees, titles and honors so that you can gain greater and greater significance in the world. To be a politician, one must put oneself forward. To be an executive, you have to already show yourself to be significant in business. To gain all but the lowest jobs, you have to show your “experience.” God wishes to give you great positions and honor, but to insist upon one’s own abilities and to gather many titles actually causes one to lose the possibility of advancement in God’s kingdom. Jesus tells us not to seek titles (Matthew 23:8-11) or honors (Luke 14:8-11) and as Christians we are not to boast in our accomplishments or abilities (Philippians 3:4-7).
Boast of your incapacities
If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. II Corinthians 11:30
Does this mean that we cannot boast at all? Oh, no. We are certainly able to boast, but not in our accomplishments or honors. Rather, we can boast in what we are unable to do. If we boast in our weaknesses and inabilities and those who have rejected us and the pain we endure, then we can see God’s work all the more clear. That does not mean that we should create a persona of “false humility”. We shouldn’t claim stupidity or rejection that we have never actually experienced. But we should speak of how God has fulfilled our weaknesses so we have been able to be who we are through his strength. (II Corinthians 12:9)
Repent of your sins
Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away. Acts 3:19
It is not easy to speak of one’s faults. It is humiliating to apologize, especially if you didn’t make all the mistakes. It is difficult to admit wrong, if no one else admits it first. But the Lord desires us to do just that. He wants us to humble ourselves and admit our sin, and then we will be forgiven. Without that humility, we will never be right before God. (Luke 18:9-14)
Honor the lowly
Those of the body which we deem less honorable, these we grant more abundant honor. I Corinthians 12:23
There are many among us that are considered unimportant or unacceptable. They are in this place, not because of sin, but because of some social “fault” or misunderstanding. You know how it goes—if you hang with the “in” crowd, then you can be “in”. But if you hang with the “out” crowd, then you will be rejected too. But Jesus gave us an example to hang with the “out” crowd (Mark 2:15-17). We need to find those socially unacceptable people, and serve them, support them and grant them a place of honor that others would not do (James 2:5-6; Luke 15). Also, we need to treat those who are under us in honor with greater honor than ourselves—our children, our employees, our spouses, they all need to be treated with greater honor than we ourselves expect from others (Philippians 2:3)
Do demeaning tasks
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
If we want God’s honor, we have to do the work associated with humility. There are things we don’t want to do, that we think we shouldn’t have to do. And that’s what God is asking us to do to gain his honor. He wants us to do the work that is helpful but unpleasant. He wants us to accept the unacceptable tasks for the sake of everyone. (Philippians 2:4-5)
Submit to unjust authorities
“Do not resist an evil authority.” Matthew 5:39
One last thing, God insists that we humble ourselves before those who want to show us how important they are by making us crawl. Yes, they are irritating. Yes, they are sooooo wrong. Yes, they have no right to treat us the way they do. But God asks us to submit to it anyway. Why is this? Because God likes to see us humiliated? No. It is because he wants to see in reality who is really righteous. If we rebel against an unjust authority, then the lines of right and wrong are fuzzy. Perhaps we deserved to be punished. But if we submit when we did nothing wrong, then God knows who is right and who is wrong. And who will be ultimately punished. (Matthew 5:38-41; Romans 12:19-21)
Humble yourself and God will honor you.
Essential Christian Poverty
Poverty is a sad commentary on our society. If we were living in a utopia, there would be no poverty. Some have ideas of how poverty could be wiped out, but Jesus said “The poor you will always have with you.” Poverty is not something that is just going away. It is a social disease that will remain with us always.
But Jesus did not always speak of poverty as an evil thing. In fact, one of the main characteristics of those who are going to be rewarded by God is poverty. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in the Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Also, more clearly, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” In other words, those who desire to have God’s wealth and blessing and salvation will seek poverty in this life.
What is the virtue of Poverty?
But what does this mean? Does it mean that everyone who is a Christian should give up their homes and all their possessions and just live on the street? No. Actually, Jesus was very specific as to the kind of poverty he expected his people to live out:
Not worrying about material needs
“Do not worry, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ For your heavenly Father knows you need these things.” Matthew 6:31,32
Jesus tells us who follow him that we are not to be overly concerned about the things of the life around us. We shouldn’t be concerned about our food and clothing, let alone our health, social station or our quality of life. These are things that we should surrender up to God. God knows about our needs, and he is concerned about them. Because He is concerned, then we need not be. As children, we relied on our parents and didn’t worry about who would pay the bills or get us dinner that night. Our parents took care of us. Even so, God wants us to depend on him in the same way.
Not serving wealth
“No one can serve both God and mammon” Matthew 6:24
In our society, people are desperately seeking money. Most people think that money will solve their problems and make their lives easier. In reality, the way people talk about money, they are looking for money to give them the same salvation that God says He will provide. God says that he will meet our needs and that he will give us satisfaction, and he will do it through a variety of tools—and that money is the least of them. But people think that even God is dependent on money, so rather than looking for God (whom they see as a middleman) they will do whatever they can to make money themselves. But those that just seek money are missing God, the true source of salvation. They will do any number of unethical things, forgetting totally about God, in their pursuit of money. Those that chose money for their salvation are missing God completely.
Not collecting stuff
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” Matthew 6:19
Other people think that if they just had enough stuff they could be satisfied with their lives. So we fill our homes with useless, tacky art and establish holidays whose whole purpose is to give each other more things we simply do not need. Our entertainments continually are convincing us that we need more things, and we pack the stores to gain more and more. But Jesus said that if we are seeking true satisfaction, we will not collect stuff. Stuff on earth, Jesus said, means more stress, more headaches, and more things we need to take care of. More stuff means less satisfaction, less salvation, not more.
Not saving for the future
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Matthew 6:34
The middle and upper classes of our society, having their basic needs met for now, then focus their concerns and wealth on providing for their future in this life. They pour money into health insurance, life insurance and retirement. But Jesus said that to do this was a waste of time. No one knows what the future will bring or whether any of us even has a future. He said that the future we need to invest in is not our future on earth, but our future in heaven. We should invest, not in a savings account in a bank, but in heaven.
Focus only on entering God’s kingdom
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these needs will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33
Yes, we want our needs met. We want to be satisfied. We do really need food and clothing. To follow the way of Jesus, Jesus tells us that we should stop looking for money or possessions to fulfill our needs. Rather, we should look to God alone. He is the true provider, and he actually cares about us—as opposed to banks or insurance companies. God will care for us and make sure that our needs are met. But to get him to do this, we must depend on him, and devote ourselves exclusively to Him. He is to be our Lord, and the focus of all of our lives. He is to be our moral guide and will direct us in the things we should do. He alone is worthy to do this, and so we need to fix our eyes on Him.
Surrendering our possessions to God
“None of you can be my disciple who does not give up all of his possessions.” Luke 14:33
Part of what God expects of us is to give him the first say of what we will do with our money and possessions. This doesn’t mean that he is saying that everything we have should be given to the poor (although for some people he will say that). But it does mean that all of our resources—all of our possessions and all of our money—is to be offered up to the Lord for his use. This means that some precious possessions He may take and give it to someone else—perhaps even someone who doesn’t deserve it. But if we have truly given all that we have up to him, it doesn’t matter. All that we own is now His, for his use, for his people, whatever He wants.
Giving away all of our extra
“The one who has two tunics should share with him who has none; and those with food, likewise.” Luke 3:11
In our society, it is easy to have what we really do not need. We have so many extra clothes, food we can’t or won’t eat, and so many other possessions that we just don’t use. The gospel tells us clearly that we are not to just keep such stuff “for a rainy day”, but rather we are to seek out those who could use it and give it to them. We aren’t to sell it, we aren’t to obtain something else in exchange for it—we are just to give it. It is enough that we are providing someone else with what they need, and we are relying on God for what we have.
Giving sacrificially to the needy
“Sell your possessions and give to the needy and you shall have treasure in heaven” Mark 10:21
But the most important thing the Lord asks us to do—the main way to build up our investments in God’s kingdom—is to give to the needy. As Jesus’ people come through town, we are to provide them with food, water and shelter. As we pass the hungry and homeless, we are to do what we can to help them. Yes, this means that we have fewer resource ourselves, but in the end, we will gain much more in God’s kingdom. How does this work? Read on…
Dependence on God
Let’s say that you lived in a small town with an eccentric billionaire (If you are poor and eccentric, you are crazy; If you are rich and crazy you are eccentric.) This billionaire hates the idea that anyone in his town would be living on the streets. Rather than make it illegal to live on the streets, he chose to provide for anyone who lived on the streets in his town. He would pick them up in his limo, he would bring them to his house and have his servants provide for that person. They would eat the best food and live warm and secure until a suitable job and apartment was found for them. Now, lets say that you lived in a squalid studio apartment, with all of your neighbors screaming and the manager hates you. Wouldn’t you rather chose to live on the streets for a short while—living in terrible poverty, so that the eccentric billionaire would care for you? This is the situation we find ourselves in with God. Jesus says that if we live for God in poverty, then God will care for us in a way we cannot even imagine. We will have everything we need and more. Wouldn’t a short period of poverty be worth it?
What do we get out of it?
If we live away from the world’s ways of gaining satisfaction—more stuff, serving money, saving for the future—and instead depend on God for all our needs and do deeds of righteousness with our wealth—giving to the needy and providing for Jesus’ people—then God will make sure our needs are met now, and he will provide for us forever.
Contentment with what God provides
“Godliness with contentment is the means of great wealth.” I Timothy 6:6
First of all, God will give us contentment through his Holy Spirit. If we seek God’s blessing and God’s wealth alone, then we will receive inner peace from him. Suddenly, what we have is sufficient. The things and pleasures God gives us are enough for what we really need. This will take time for the Spirit to do this in us, but to have contentment is one of the best blessings in life. Contentment is something the world cannot provide, nor does it promise it to us—because to be content is to apply a wrecking ball to it’s cardboard structure.
Alternative wealth in this world
“There is no one who has not left family and houses and land for my sake and for the gospel’s but that he will gain more family and houses and land in this world, and in the next, eternal life.” Mark 10:29-30
Secondly, Jesus promises that if we accept the poverty that his gospel leads us to, then we will gain much more in this life. This doesn’t mean that checks will suddenly come in the mail and you will be wealthy beyond measure. Rather, it means that God will provide you with a support network that you can depend on. It doesn’t necessarily happen immediately, but God and God’s people will provide for those who surrender everything of this world for the Lord.
Eternal life
“Whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel’s will save it. For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:35, 37
However, the greatest blessing is yet to come. For those who depend on God for His wealth and provision in their lives—all of their lives, while not depending on or waiting on the world—they will gain eternal life. This isn’t just harps in heaven, but it is wealth and honor on earth in God’s kingdom. It is a healthy body living forever with God’s merciful, good people, and having all the wealth that God will provide in the final days. Surely a short time of poverty is worth an eternity of happiness and contentment?
But Jesus did not always speak of poverty as an evil thing. In fact, one of the main characteristics of those who are going to be rewarded by God is poverty. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in the Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Also, more clearly, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” In other words, those who desire to have God’s wealth and blessing and salvation will seek poverty in this life.
What is the virtue of Poverty?
But what does this mean? Does it mean that everyone who is a Christian should give up their homes and all their possessions and just live on the street? No. Actually, Jesus was very specific as to the kind of poverty he expected his people to live out:
Not worrying about material needs
“Do not worry, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ For your heavenly Father knows you need these things.” Matthew 6:31,32
Jesus tells us who follow him that we are not to be overly concerned about the things of the life around us. We shouldn’t be concerned about our food and clothing, let alone our health, social station or our quality of life. These are things that we should surrender up to God. God knows about our needs, and he is concerned about them. Because He is concerned, then we need not be. As children, we relied on our parents and didn’t worry about who would pay the bills or get us dinner that night. Our parents took care of us. Even so, God wants us to depend on him in the same way.
Not serving wealth
“No one can serve both God and mammon” Matthew 6:24
In our society, people are desperately seeking money. Most people think that money will solve their problems and make their lives easier. In reality, the way people talk about money, they are looking for money to give them the same salvation that God says He will provide. God says that he will meet our needs and that he will give us satisfaction, and he will do it through a variety of tools—and that money is the least of them. But people think that even God is dependent on money, so rather than looking for God (whom they see as a middleman) they will do whatever they can to make money themselves. But those that just seek money are missing God, the true source of salvation. They will do any number of unethical things, forgetting totally about God, in their pursuit of money. Those that chose money for their salvation are missing God completely.
Not collecting stuff
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” Matthew 6:19
Other people think that if they just had enough stuff they could be satisfied with their lives. So we fill our homes with useless, tacky art and establish holidays whose whole purpose is to give each other more things we simply do not need. Our entertainments continually are convincing us that we need more things, and we pack the stores to gain more and more. But Jesus said that if we are seeking true satisfaction, we will not collect stuff. Stuff on earth, Jesus said, means more stress, more headaches, and more things we need to take care of. More stuff means less satisfaction, less salvation, not more.
Not saving for the future
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Matthew 6:34
The middle and upper classes of our society, having their basic needs met for now, then focus their concerns and wealth on providing for their future in this life. They pour money into health insurance, life insurance and retirement. But Jesus said that to do this was a waste of time. No one knows what the future will bring or whether any of us even has a future. He said that the future we need to invest in is not our future on earth, but our future in heaven. We should invest, not in a savings account in a bank, but in heaven.
Focus only on entering God’s kingdom
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these needs will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33
Yes, we want our needs met. We want to be satisfied. We do really need food and clothing. To follow the way of Jesus, Jesus tells us that we should stop looking for money or possessions to fulfill our needs. Rather, we should look to God alone. He is the true provider, and he actually cares about us—as opposed to banks or insurance companies. God will care for us and make sure that our needs are met. But to get him to do this, we must depend on him, and devote ourselves exclusively to Him. He is to be our Lord, and the focus of all of our lives. He is to be our moral guide and will direct us in the things we should do. He alone is worthy to do this, and so we need to fix our eyes on Him.
Surrendering our possessions to God
“None of you can be my disciple who does not give up all of his possessions.” Luke 14:33
Part of what God expects of us is to give him the first say of what we will do with our money and possessions. This doesn’t mean that he is saying that everything we have should be given to the poor (although for some people he will say that). But it does mean that all of our resources—all of our possessions and all of our money—is to be offered up to the Lord for his use. This means that some precious possessions He may take and give it to someone else—perhaps even someone who doesn’t deserve it. But if we have truly given all that we have up to him, it doesn’t matter. All that we own is now His, for his use, for his people, whatever He wants.
Giving away all of our extra
“The one who has two tunics should share with him who has none; and those with food, likewise.” Luke 3:11
In our society, it is easy to have what we really do not need. We have so many extra clothes, food we can’t or won’t eat, and so many other possessions that we just don’t use. The gospel tells us clearly that we are not to just keep such stuff “for a rainy day”, but rather we are to seek out those who could use it and give it to them. We aren’t to sell it, we aren’t to obtain something else in exchange for it—we are just to give it. It is enough that we are providing someone else with what they need, and we are relying on God for what we have.
Giving sacrificially to the needy
“Sell your possessions and give to the needy and you shall have treasure in heaven” Mark 10:21
But the most important thing the Lord asks us to do—the main way to build up our investments in God’s kingdom—is to give to the needy. As Jesus’ people come through town, we are to provide them with food, water and shelter. As we pass the hungry and homeless, we are to do what we can to help them. Yes, this means that we have fewer resource ourselves, but in the end, we will gain much more in God’s kingdom. How does this work? Read on…
Dependence on God
Let’s say that you lived in a small town with an eccentric billionaire (If you are poor and eccentric, you are crazy; If you are rich and crazy you are eccentric.) This billionaire hates the idea that anyone in his town would be living on the streets. Rather than make it illegal to live on the streets, he chose to provide for anyone who lived on the streets in his town. He would pick them up in his limo, he would bring them to his house and have his servants provide for that person. They would eat the best food and live warm and secure until a suitable job and apartment was found for them. Now, lets say that you lived in a squalid studio apartment, with all of your neighbors screaming and the manager hates you. Wouldn’t you rather chose to live on the streets for a short while—living in terrible poverty, so that the eccentric billionaire would care for you? This is the situation we find ourselves in with God. Jesus says that if we live for God in poverty, then God will care for us in a way we cannot even imagine. We will have everything we need and more. Wouldn’t a short period of poverty be worth it?
What do we get out of it?
If we live away from the world’s ways of gaining satisfaction—more stuff, serving money, saving for the future—and instead depend on God for all our needs and do deeds of righteousness with our wealth—giving to the needy and providing for Jesus’ people—then God will make sure our needs are met now, and he will provide for us forever.
Contentment with what God provides
“Godliness with contentment is the means of great wealth.” I Timothy 6:6
First of all, God will give us contentment through his Holy Spirit. If we seek God’s blessing and God’s wealth alone, then we will receive inner peace from him. Suddenly, what we have is sufficient. The things and pleasures God gives us are enough for what we really need. This will take time for the Spirit to do this in us, but to have contentment is one of the best blessings in life. Contentment is something the world cannot provide, nor does it promise it to us—because to be content is to apply a wrecking ball to it’s cardboard structure.
Alternative wealth in this world
“There is no one who has not left family and houses and land for my sake and for the gospel’s but that he will gain more family and houses and land in this world, and in the next, eternal life.” Mark 10:29-30
Secondly, Jesus promises that if we accept the poverty that his gospel leads us to, then we will gain much more in this life. This doesn’t mean that checks will suddenly come in the mail and you will be wealthy beyond measure. Rather, it means that God will provide you with a support network that you can depend on. It doesn’t necessarily happen immediately, but God and God’s people will provide for those who surrender everything of this world for the Lord.
Eternal life
“Whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel’s will save it. For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:35, 37
However, the greatest blessing is yet to come. For those who depend on God for His wealth and provision in their lives—all of their lives, while not depending on or waiting on the world—they will gain eternal life. This isn’t just harps in heaven, but it is wealth and honor on earth in God’s kingdom. It is a healthy body living forever with God’s merciful, good people, and having all the wealth that God will provide in the final days. Surely a short time of poverty is worth an eternity of happiness and contentment?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Love Is The Basis of All Ethics
I know a woman who had an abortion when she was young. The infant wasn’t the product of rape, it just wasn’t the right time for the couple to have the baby. Abortion, in this case, was being used for birth control. Since it had just been legalized, why shouldn’t she take advantage of it? Years later, however, that decision haunted her and she considered that she had killed her only daughter.
A number of years ago I met a professional drunk who was homeless. He was interested in whatever help we would be willing to offer. However, he had clearly already lied to my wife and I and he, frankly, had an obnoxious personality and smelled of wine processed through his pores.
A woman who had stayed in our house for years has been struggling with drug addiction for years, but she is losing the fight. She won’t work in the house or pay rent and gets angry when I approach her about it.
This is the kind of stuff that ethics are made of. Difficult situations. Some small and some large. Libraries have been created on the ethics of abortion, homeless, drug addiction, homosexuality, war, adultery, marriage and much more. When we think about these issues philosophically, we make one ethical choice, but when we face them in real life, we might very well make another.
In philosophy, there are two names that come to the forefront of ethical thought: Mills and Kant. John Stuart Mills taught that the basis of correct moral decision is happiness. Decide what makes the most people happy over the longest period of time, and that is the correct decision. Kant thought that the basis of ethics is duty. If we know what we should do, the right thing, then to do anything else is unethical. However, neither can be completely true. If a friend of mine experienced a death in the family, my empathy doesn’t make either of us happier, but isn’t it more right to feel for him than to not? If my duty is to not lie and obey government, does that make it right for me to tell the Nazis at my door that the Jews are hidden under the panel in the dining room floor?
The heart of right action is in the heart of human existence and experience. And human experience is found in the midst of others. Most of these others are human—we come out of our mother’s womb, live in a community, learn with children, connect with neighbors, buy from retailers, read the words of authors, work with co-workers, care for pets, have sex with lovers and hopefully, die with family. Since our whole life is spent with others, then the heart of the most basic decisions—that of right and wrong—also has to do with others.
But what is the nature of our relation with others, of life in general? The basic experience of all life is need. We are all a gaping hole needing to be filled. Three meals a day. Six cups of water. Sleep. Health when we are sick. A kind word. A good talk. Support when depressed. A good story. The needs perpetuate without end—the basic truth of life. And we spend our time filling these needs. We get a job so we can get money to meet our needs. We remain in long term relationships to meet our needs. We purchase things—a comfortable bed, a good book—to meet the needs of rest and pleasure.
To see ourselves as full of need, constantly being fulfilled, is to see us as life. And if this is what life is, this is what every living being is on the planet. Around every single one of us is another gaping hole, another sponge in constant need of filling. Yea, not just one, but many, perhaps hundreds, perhaps millions, even billions. Some of us pretty much meet our own needs. But for every one that is self-sufficient, there are a thousand or a million that are not. Every child is in need of raising until they are grown. Every spouse is in need of the love of their partner. Every ill person is in need of the care of another. Every destitute person is in need of assistance. And every person is in need of another to talk to, to obtain respect from, to love and to be loved.
This is the true foundation of ethics. Not the partnership of command and submit. Not the limits of pleasure. Rather the recognition that everyone’s need is the equivalent of our own. And that even as we are in need of others to meet our need, we must live our lives to meet other’s needs. Not as a duty, although it can be considered a responsibility. Not as a part of our own pleasure, although we can find joy in it. Rather, we meet needs because it is a part of life, part of the community we live in.
To see the other’s need and to recognize it as a part of one’s own; to not only observe the need, but to feel it; to meet the need of the other and so be completed oneself—this is love. It may sound like co-dependency. But codependency is acting toward the other’s hurt, and so establishing one’s own hurt as well. Love recognizes true need, not just felt need, and fills the gaping hole. Love never turns away. Love does something.
And this is the good life. The life of love.
The woman on drugs on our house? We confronted her, but didn’t force her to leave until she had another place to be. On her own, she still struggles with addiction, but is on the road to recovery. Without basic structure, she would never succeed.
The homeless drunk? He stayed in our house one night and we found that his screaming in the middle of the night was not good for the rest of us to be able to sleep. But we had him come to dinner. And the next night he came again. The night after, he brought another homeless friend. And now we feed a hundred and fifty people a week, friends with them all, bringing love and hope to street folks and the mentally ill, meeting all the needs we can.
And, finally, the woman struggling with her decision to have an abortion? That was my mother. It was my potential sister she decided to not have. It was certainly not my place to forgive her. She needed the forgiveness of God and of the baby. But in receiving welcome, support and hope from those around her, she experienced the forgiveness of God and her fourth child.
Love truly does conquers all evil, which makes it the most powerful substance in the universe.
A number of years ago I met a professional drunk who was homeless. He was interested in whatever help we would be willing to offer. However, he had clearly already lied to my wife and I and he, frankly, had an obnoxious personality and smelled of wine processed through his pores.
A woman who had stayed in our house for years has been struggling with drug addiction for years, but she is losing the fight. She won’t work in the house or pay rent and gets angry when I approach her about it.
This is the kind of stuff that ethics are made of. Difficult situations. Some small and some large. Libraries have been created on the ethics of abortion, homeless, drug addiction, homosexuality, war, adultery, marriage and much more. When we think about these issues philosophically, we make one ethical choice, but when we face them in real life, we might very well make another.
In philosophy, there are two names that come to the forefront of ethical thought: Mills and Kant. John Stuart Mills taught that the basis of correct moral decision is happiness. Decide what makes the most people happy over the longest period of time, and that is the correct decision. Kant thought that the basis of ethics is duty. If we know what we should do, the right thing, then to do anything else is unethical. However, neither can be completely true. If a friend of mine experienced a death in the family, my empathy doesn’t make either of us happier, but isn’t it more right to feel for him than to not? If my duty is to not lie and obey government, does that make it right for me to tell the Nazis at my door that the Jews are hidden under the panel in the dining room floor?
The heart of right action is in the heart of human existence and experience. And human experience is found in the midst of others. Most of these others are human—we come out of our mother’s womb, live in a community, learn with children, connect with neighbors, buy from retailers, read the words of authors, work with co-workers, care for pets, have sex with lovers and hopefully, die with family. Since our whole life is spent with others, then the heart of the most basic decisions—that of right and wrong—also has to do with others.
But what is the nature of our relation with others, of life in general? The basic experience of all life is need. We are all a gaping hole needing to be filled. Three meals a day. Six cups of water. Sleep. Health when we are sick. A kind word. A good talk. Support when depressed. A good story. The needs perpetuate without end—the basic truth of life. And we spend our time filling these needs. We get a job so we can get money to meet our needs. We remain in long term relationships to meet our needs. We purchase things—a comfortable bed, a good book—to meet the needs of rest and pleasure.
To see ourselves as full of need, constantly being fulfilled, is to see us as life. And if this is what life is, this is what every living being is on the planet. Around every single one of us is another gaping hole, another sponge in constant need of filling. Yea, not just one, but many, perhaps hundreds, perhaps millions, even billions. Some of us pretty much meet our own needs. But for every one that is self-sufficient, there are a thousand or a million that are not. Every child is in need of raising until they are grown. Every spouse is in need of the love of their partner. Every ill person is in need of the care of another. Every destitute person is in need of assistance. And every person is in need of another to talk to, to obtain respect from, to love and to be loved.
This is the true foundation of ethics. Not the partnership of command and submit. Not the limits of pleasure. Rather the recognition that everyone’s need is the equivalent of our own. And that even as we are in need of others to meet our need, we must live our lives to meet other’s needs. Not as a duty, although it can be considered a responsibility. Not as a part of our own pleasure, although we can find joy in it. Rather, we meet needs because it is a part of life, part of the community we live in.
To see the other’s need and to recognize it as a part of one’s own; to not only observe the need, but to feel it; to meet the need of the other and so be completed oneself—this is love. It may sound like co-dependency. But codependency is acting toward the other’s hurt, and so establishing one’s own hurt as well. Love recognizes true need, not just felt need, and fills the gaping hole. Love never turns away. Love does something.
And this is the good life. The life of love.
The woman on drugs on our house? We confronted her, but didn’t force her to leave until she had another place to be. On her own, she still struggles with addiction, but is on the road to recovery. Without basic structure, she would never succeed.
The homeless drunk? He stayed in our house one night and we found that his screaming in the middle of the night was not good for the rest of us to be able to sleep. But we had him come to dinner. And the next night he came again. The night after, he brought another homeless friend. And now we feed a hundred and fifty people a week, friends with them all, bringing love and hope to street folks and the mentally ill, meeting all the needs we can.
And, finally, the woman struggling with her decision to have an abortion? That was my mother. It was my potential sister she decided to not have. It was certainly not my place to forgive her. She needed the forgiveness of God and of the baby. But in receiving welcome, support and hope from those around her, she experienced the forgiveness of God and her fourth child.
Love truly does conquers all evil, which makes it the most powerful substance in the universe.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Relating To The Spirit
The Trinity As A Story
Many people focus on the Trinity as a theological doctrine, full of the nature of God and the relationship of the three persons within a unity. The problem with this is that though the NT speaks of God as one and names Him as three, the relationship between them is not clearly marked. All too often, theologians, pastors and lay leaders have focused on what the Bible does NOT say about the Trinity, rather than what it does. The Trinity is not a theology of nature, but a story of love.
God the Father desires intimacy with people. He always has, from the very beginning, but the very ones He created, chose and sought relationship with have rejected Him. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to live out God’s love and deliverance. Jesus was God in human flesh, beginning a nation where people are both chosen to come in and choose themselves to participate. These learn about what God desires from God who was also human and they choose to live their lives as a divine path, as Jesus himself.
Jesus said that it was better for us that He leaves us. This seemed so wrong to his disciples at the time, but Jesus further explained that the Spirit could only come upon us if He leaves—we must have an absence before the Father fills us.
Although Jesus does not live among us anymore, He leaves His Spirit to all those who choose to be in Jesus. The Spirit then is God inside us, God with us, God continually dwelling. The Spirit is the promised blessing of God (Ezekiel 36; Jeremiah 31; Joel 2), who creates a people that is listening to God and is faithful to God. The Spirit is the final link for the chosen to be those who are intimate with God.
If the Spirit is the means of God’s ultimate blessing—intimacy with Him—then how do we achieve it? How do we live out this intimacy?
1. Listen to the Spirit
Jesus’ words are the foundation of what we know about God and how we live in God’s presence. But they are still only words from a distance. When we have a drunk come to our house in the middle of the night, how do we live out “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? Should we invite them in? Should we give them food and send them on their way? Should we decide that we need to protect our family? When someone steals from us, how do we practically live out “love your enemies”? Should we call the police? Should we give them more? Should we give them the gospel and let them go on their way? Jesus’ words don’t always give us the practical counsel we need in order to fully and precisely live out the way of God.
This is where the Spirit comes in. The Spirit gives us the wisdom we need when we need it. The Spirit talks to us and gives us the truth and the practical application to live the life of Jesus in the particular circumstances we are in. The Spirit is Jesus walking beside us, living with us, giving us continual counsel and direction to live in God’s ways.
Most importantly about listening to the Spirit is that in order to obtain a word from the Spirit we must ask. If we do not ask, then we will receive nothing. Even so, if we want the Spirit or any wisdom, we must ask God for that wisdom. This means that while God initiates the conversation with Him by offering the Spirit, we must ask for the Spirit in order to receive it. Then, once the Lord has given us the Spirit, we must ask for the wisdom we desire and God will answer us. Thus is the conversation with God continuous. (I Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:5; John 14:26; Colossians 1:9; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:5-8; James 4:2-3; Acts 16:9-10; Acts 4:29-32)
2. Pray in the Spirit
One of the most common commands about the Spirit in the Scriptures is to pray in the Spirit. Many people directly relate this to speaking in tongues. But speaking in tongues is only one form of praying in the Spirit. Prophecy is also praying in the Spirit, as is listening in the Spirit, as is praying the Lord’s prayer.
When we pray in the Spirit, first of all, we are recognizing that we are not praying in the place where we seem to be, but we are in reality praying before God’s throne (Hebrews 4:16). When the prophets were “in the spirit” they were in the spiritual realm, in the presence of God, being led by the spirits directed by God. Even so, when we pray “in the spirit” we are not reciting dead words, nor are we praying by rote. Rather, we are before God himself, in intimate conversation with Him, and our prayers have power, not just hope.
To pray in the Spirit is to pray in God’s presence. We can say “papa” to God, because He is before us and asks us to call him by that intimate name. In the Spirit, we know our prayers and heard and God can answer us immediately. In the Spirit, we go before God with a situation that we don’t know how to pray for and the Spirit will lead us to pray rightly before the Father. In the Spirit, we can cry out to God to change His mind. In the Spirit, prayer is not just an activity, it is a conversation with the King of the Universe. (John 4:23; Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:17, 26).
3. Rely on the Spirit
Our final intimacy with God is reliance. The Scripture has many different ways of saying this, “walk in the Spirit”, “live in the Spirit” “be raised in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25; Romans 8:4, 11). God tells us what to do through the Spirit, and we seek God’s power in the Spirit through prayer. God delivers the power to do His work through the Spirit and so we are able to do as He pleases.
Without the Spirit, we are weak, for we are only human. But in the Spirit, we are strong, able to do all the things that God asks us to do, without hesitation, because it is He who empowers us, He who strengthens us.
But this empowerment is not the end of the process. When God gives us the power to live for Him, we then need to live, relying on that power.
There are two ways we could fail in this. First of all, we could decide that we don’t really have the power of God, and so refuse to do as He asks. We can say “it’s too hard” or, “no one can do that”—and we would be right, except that God already gave us the ability to do it. If we deny God’s power to do His will, then we will think that we are unable to do His will, and so refuse to do it. But this is our stubborn rebelliousness getting in the way. God HAS given us the power, if we ask for it, and all we need to do is to rely on it and so do God’s will.
The other thing we often do is to ask for God’s will and then do it on our own power, which is inadequate. We think that since God told us to love our enemies, to be gentle, to heal the sick and to raise the dead and to resist the devil that we can do all of this according to the strength of our will. But we can’t. We are as weak and helpless in the spirit world as a baby. We can’t obey God, nor do miracles. We have to rely on the Spirit. This means we need to ask for the Spirit and rely on God for that Spirit, rather than relying on ourselves. We are merely human, and to be human is to be weak. But if we pray, we can have the Spirit, and He is all-powerful and ready to help us in our times of weakness.
To live in the Spirit is to affirm our own weakness, because all good things happen through the Spirit. And it gives glory to God because His strength is revealed through our weakness. (I Corinthians 2:4-5; II Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 14:38)
Many people focus on the Trinity as a theological doctrine, full of the nature of God and the relationship of the three persons within a unity. The problem with this is that though the NT speaks of God as one and names Him as three, the relationship between them is not clearly marked. All too often, theologians, pastors and lay leaders have focused on what the Bible does NOT say about the Trinity, rather than what it does. The Trinity is not a theology of nature, but a story of love.
God the Father desires intimacy with people. He always has, from the very beginning, but the very ones He created, chose and sought relationship with have rejected Him. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to live out God’s love and deliverance. Jesus was God in human flesh, beginning a nation where people are both chosen to come in and choose themselves to participate. These learn about what God desires from God who was also human and they choose to live their lives as a divine path, as Jesus himself.
Jesus said that it was better for us that He leaves us. This seemed so wrong to his disciples at the time, but Jesus further explained that the Spirit could only come upon us if He leaves—we must have an absence before the Father fills us.
Although Jesus does not live among us anymore, He leaves His Spirit to all those who choose to be in Jesus. The Spirit then is God inside us, God with us, God continually dwelling. The Spirit is the promised blessing of God (Ezekiel 36; Jeremiah 31; Joel 2), who creates a people that is listening to God and is faithful to God. The Spirit is the final link for the chosen to be those who are intimate with God.
If the Spirit is the means of God’s ultimate blessing—intimacy with Him—then how do we achieve it? How do we live out this intimacy?
1. Listen to the Spirit
Jesus’ words are the foundation of what we know about God and how we live in God’s presence. But they are still only words from a distance. When we have a drunk come to our house in the middle of the night, how do we live out “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? Should we invite them in? Should we give them food and send them on their way? Should we decide that we need to protect our family? When someone steals from us, how do we practically live out “love your enemies”? Should we call the police? Should we give them more? Should we give them the gospel and let them go on their way? Jesus’ words don’t always give us the practical counsel we need in order to fully and precisely live out the way of God.
This is where the Spirit comes in. The Spirit gives us the wisdom we need when we need it. The Spirit talks to us and gives us the truth and the practical application to live the life of Jesus in the particular circumstances we are in. The Spirit is Jesus walking beside us, living with us, giving us continual counsel and direction to live in God’s ways.
Most importantly about listening to the Spirit is that in order to obtain a word from the Spirit we must ask. If we do not ask, then we will receive nothing. Even so, if we want the Spirit or any wisdom, we must ask God for that wisdom. This means that while God initiates the conversation with Him by offering the Spirit, we must ask for the Spirit in order to receive it. Then, once the Lord has given us the Spirit, we must ask for the wisdom we desire and God will answer us. Thus is the conversation with God continuous. (I Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:5; John 14:26; Colossians 1:9; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:5-8; James 4:2-3; Acts 16:9-10; Acts 4:29-32)
2. Pray in the Spirit
One of the most common commands about the Spirit in the Scriptures is to pray in the Spirit. Many people directly relate this to speaking in tongues. But speaking in tongues is only one form of praying in the Spirit. Prophecy is also praying in the Spirit, as is listening in the Spirit, as is praying the Lord’s prayer.
When we pray in the Spirit, first of all, we are recognizing that we are not praying in the place where we seem to be, but we are in reality praying before God’s throne (Hebrews 4:16). When the prophets were “in the spirit” they were in the spiritual realm, in the presence of God, being led by the spirits directed by God. Even so, when we pray “in the spirit” we are not reciting dead words, nor are we praying by rote. Rather, we are before God himself, in intimate conversation with Him, and our prayers have power, not just hope.
To pray in the Spirit is to pray in God’s presence. We can say “papa” to God, because He is before us and asks us to call him by that intimate name. In the Spirit, we know our prayers and heard and God can answer us immediately. In the Spirit, we go before God with a situation that we don’t know how to pray for and the Spirit will lead us to pray rightly before the Father. In the Spirit, we can cry out to God to change His mind. In the Spirit, prayer is not just an activity, it is a conversation with the King of the Universe. (John 4:23; Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:17, 26).
3. Rely on the Spirit
Our final intimacy with God is reliance. The Scripture has many different ways of saying this, “walk in the Spirit”, “live in the Spirit” “be raised in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25; Romans 8:4, 11). God tells us what to do through the Spirit, and we seek God’s power in the Spirit through prayer. God delivers the power to do His work through the Spirit and so we are able to do as He pleases.
Without the Spirit, we are weak, for we are only human. But in the Spirit, we are strong, able to do all the things that God asks us to do, without hesitation, because it is He who empowers us, He who strengthens us.
But this empowerment is not the end of the process. When God gives us the power to live for Him, we then need to live, relying on that power.
There are two ways we could fail in this. First of all, we could decide that we don’t really have the power of God, and so refuse to do as He asks. We can say “it’s too hard” or, “no one can do that”—and we would be right, except that God already gave us the ability to do it. If we deny God’s power to do His will, then we will think that we are unable to do His will, and so refuse to do it. But this is our stubborn rebelliousness getting in the way. God HAS given us the power, if we ask for it, and all we need to do is to rely on it and so do God’s will.
The other thing we often do is to ask for God’s will and then do it on our own power, which is inadequate. We think that since God told us to love our enemies, to be gentle, to heal the sick and to raise the dead and to resist the devil that we can do all of this according to the strength of our will. But we can’t. We are as weak and helpless in the spirit world as a baby. We can’t obey God, nor do miracles. We have to rely on the Spirit. This means we need to ask for the Spirit and rely on God for that Spirit, rather than relying on ourselves. We are merely human, and to be human is to be weak. But if we pray, we can have the Spirit, and He is all-powerful and ready to help us in our times of weakness.
To live in the Spirit is to affirm our own weakness, because all good things happen through the Spirit. And it gives glory to God because His strength is revealed through our weakness. (I Corinthians 2:4-5; II Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 14:38)
Dealing With The Middleman: Relating To God the Son
Close To You
God wants to relate to humanity, to be intimate with humans, as He once was with Adam. But humanity has again and again rejected His calls to relationship. Finally, God has placed himself at a distance from humanity, simply because of humanity’s rejection of Him. God, just like all of us, can only deal with so much rejection before He realizes that the relationship is just meant to be distant.
But God realized that it was the whole of humanity that wanted to keep God at arms’ length. Even though it was the majority, it was not everyone. Some humans longed to be in intimate relationship with God, to connect with Him, to love Him, to daily commune with Him. Not everyone was asking God to be quiet, allowing other humans to speak for Him. So God made a plan—He would send His Son, His perfect representative, God himself, to live with us and to commune with us. (John 1:14)
Jesus died to end the old, distant means of relating to God and to initiate the new kingdom of God, which one communes with God in spirit and truth, not in a physical place and a physical presence (John 4:20-24). We decide ourselves to enter God’s kingdom, and if we do, then we can boldly approach God’s throne, being purified by Jesus, given a new chance to make up with God as a new nation of people who want to love God intimately as no people ever had before. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Going Through The Middleman
But if we are going to relate to God through Jesus, how is this done? How is our relationship with God through Jesus better than if we just relate to God directly? The key to our intimacy with God through Jesus has to do with the power of the incarnation. Jesus being God, became a human. This means that he is the perfect bridge, the perfect mediator between God and humanity, for he understands both sides of the dark veil that blocks true intimacy.
Submit to the authority of Jesus
Only a human could be king of the world—emperor of God’s people who want to be intimate with Him. God promised the rule of the earth to humanity (Psalm 8) and God is faithful to keep his promise, no matter what humanity has done (II Timothy 2:13). So Jesus became a human so he could be king over God’s people. And we have a ruler who understands our weaknesses and temptations, as well as understanding God’s holiness and power.
If we were to sum the whole of the Christian faith into three words it would be these: Jesus is Lord (I Corinthians 12:13). Jesus is the King of Heaven and Earth, sitting at the right hand of the Father, ruling over the nations of the earth (Hebrews 2:6-8). Jesus has not yet taken up the entire rule, for his enemies are still ruling huge portions of the earth. But Jesus is taking control over the world one person at a time.
So if we are to take advantage of the intimacy that God is offering us through Jesus, we have to submit to Jesus. To have faith in Jesus is not just to believe in Jesus, but to put our faith in Jesus’ lordship. Jesus isn’t our buddy, our friend or our comrade. Nor is Jesus just a philosopher, one of many teachers who has a number of good ideas that we should listen to besides others. Nor is Jesus just a Savior, a healer who wants to help our needs and pat us on the head and let us go.
Rather, Jesus is our Lord, our Sovereign, our Emperor, our King. We need to treat Jesus as our superior in every way, and give him every honor and praise. And most of all, we should put no other human—no matter how great—beside Jesus. Jesus is the great God, the great Lord and even though there are many other great women and men, Jesus is above them all (See Revelation 2-3).
Learn the teaching of Jesus
Through Moses, God gave Israel a number of very specific laws. God was very particular, giving 618 laws about how one ought to live one’s live. Unfortunately, it became impossible to continue to live according to those laws. Not only was the place of sacrifice—the Temple in Jerusalem—destroyed, but many of the laws about cattle and roofs didn’t really apply to those who lived in an urban, Gentile context. Having specific laws became problematic, for cultures change.
When Jesus came, he didn’t see life through a single culture, but he saw a variety of many cultures and ideals all working together. Despite this, He knew that God’s principles still applied to all people. But instead of just updating the laws, Jesus spoke of the general principles of God’s law so that it could be applied to anyone, anywhere.
Instead of talking about returning an enemy’s ox, Jesus said we are to love our enemy.
Instead of talking about just murder, Jesus spoke of hateful acts and speech.
Instead of talking about adultery, Jesus spoke of lustful looks
Instead of talking about not working on the Sabbath, Jesus spoke of doing works of mercy on the Sabbath.
Instead of talking about killing the sinful, Jesus spoke of not judging, but coaxing the sinner to return to God. (Matt. 5:15-17)
Instead of talking about just not slandering one’s neighbor, Jesus spoke of loving one’s neighbor.
Jesus changed the whole face of the law, so that it was something that applied to every human being, no matter where they lived or who they were.
Our manner of relating to the incarnate God, then, is to obey his commands. Jesus said that if we are to love him, then we are to keep his commands. If we ignore Jesus commands, then we are not really loving Him, nor the Father. (John 15)
To obey Jesus’ commands, we must first learn them. The early disciples memorized Jesus’ sayings so that they could know how to live. If we could memorize even a summary of Jesus’ teaching, we would have a step ahead in obedience.
Live the life of Jesus
Jesus is God in the flesh, but not just God. Jesus’ life is the life of God, God as a human being. Jesus was holy as God is holy, but tempted as a human is tempted. Jesus had great power as God is powerful, but he was dependent on the Father as a human is dependant. Jesus is merciful as God is merciful, yet he was also angry as a human is angry.
It is easy to look at Jesus and say that He was the epitome of God, and that He is so far above us that we can never attain His standard of life. If we say this, then we have again distanced ourselves from God. Jesus became human so that he could show us a human life that is divine. A human life that anyone could live, should they be dependent on God.
Some people say that we couldn’t be as ethically pure as Jesus because we are basically sinful. But Jesus was weak even as we are weak, but without sin. Why is that? Because He knew the truth that God wanted Him to live up to, and He had the power to live out that truth. If we are in Jesus, then we too could know the truth of God’s life through Jesus’ teaching. And if we are in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit empowers us to live the life we should live.
Others say that we do not have the power of Jesus because we are not God. But Jesus had no more power than we do. Jesus was fully human, and limited to human strength. Jesus instead relied on the authority of God. Jesus used the authority and the Father used His power. This is the same as us, if we command, in Jesus’ name, then we can use Jesus’ authority. We could walk on water, we could command demons, we could raise the dead, we could heal the sick. Not because we have power, but because we can use that power in Jesus’ name.
Jesus’ life is not just an option for us. It is a source of being intimate with God. To live God’s life is not to be God, but it is to live in God and for God in a way we could not otherwise.
Imitation of God is the sincerest form of worship.
God wants to relate to humanity, to be intimate with humans, as He once was with Adam. But humanity has again and again rejected His calls to relationship. Finally, God has placed himself at a distance from humanity, simply because of humanity’s rejection of Him. God, just like all of us, can only deal with so much rejection before He realizes that the relationship is just meant to be distant.
But God realized that it was the whole of humanity that wanted to keep God at arms’ length. Even though it was the majority, it was not everyone. Some humans longed to be in intimate relationship with God, to connect with Him, to love Him, to daily commune with Him. Not everyone was asking God to be quiet, allowing other humans to speak for Him. So God made a plan—He would send His Son, His perfect representative, God himself, to live with us and to commune with us. (John 1:14)
Jesus died to end the old, distant means of relating to God and to initiate the new kingdom of God, which one communes with God in spirit and truth, not in a physical place and a physical presence (John 4:20-24). We decide ourselves to enter God’s kingdom, and if we do, then we can boldly approach God’s throne, being purified by Jesus, given a new chance to make up with God as a new nation of people who want to love God intimately as no people ever had before. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Going Through The Middleman
But if we are going to relate to God through Jesus, how is this done? How is our relationship with God through Jesus better than if we just relate to God directly? The key to our intimacy with God through Jesus has to do with the power of the incarnation. Jesus being God, became a human. This means that he is the perfect bridge, the perfect mediator between God and humanity, for he understands both sides of the dark veil that blocks true intimacy.
Submit to the authority of Jesus
Only a human could be king of the world—emperor of God’s people who want to be intimate with Him. God promised the rule of the earth to humanity (Psalm 8) and God is faithful to keep his promise, no matter what humanity has done (II Timothy 2:13). So Jesus became a human so he could be king over God’s people. And we have a ruler who understands our weaknesses and temptations, as well as understanding God’s holiness and power.
If we were to sum the whole of the Christian faith into three words it would be these: Jesus is Lord (I Corinthians 12:13). Jesus is the King of Heaven and Earth, sitting at the right hand of the Father, ruling over the nations of the earth (Hebrews 2:6-8). Jesus has not yet taken up the entire rule, for his enemies are still ruling huge portions of the earth. But Jesus is taking control over the world one person at a time.
So if we are to take advantage of the intimacy that God is offering us through Jesus, we have to submit to Jesus. To have faith in Jesus is not just to believe in Jesus, but to put our faith in Jesus’ lordship. Jesus isn’t our buddy, our friend or our comrade. Nor is Jesus just a philosopher, one of many teachers who has a number of good ideas that we should listen to besides others. Nor is Jesus just a Savior, a healer who wants to help our needs and pat us on the head and let us go.
Rather, Jesus is our Lord, our Sovereign, our Emperor, our King. We need to treat Jesus as our superior in every way, and give him every honor and praise. And most of all, we should put no other human—no matter how great—beside Jesus. Jesus is the great God, the great Lord and even though there are many other great women and men, Jesus is above them all (See Revelation 2-3).
Learn the teaching of Jesus
Through Moses, God gave Israel a number of very specific laws. God was very particular, giving 618 laws about how one ought to live one’s live. Unfortunately, it became impossible to continue to live according to those laws. Not only was the place of sacrifice—the Temple in Jerusalem—destroyed, but many of the laws about cattle and roofs didn’t really apply to those who lived in an urban, Gentile context. Having specific laws became problematic, for cultures change.
When Jesus came, he didn’t see life through a single culture, but he saw a variety of many cultures and ideals all working together. Despite this, He knew that God’s principles still applied to all people. But instead of just updating the laws, Jesus spoke of the general principles of God’s law so that it could be applied to anyone, anywhere.
Instead of talking about returning an enemy’s ox, Jesus said we are to love our enemy.
Instead of talking about just murder, Jesus spoke of hateful acts and speech.
Instead of talking about adultery, Jesus spoke of lustful looks
Instead of talking about not working on the Sabbath, Jesus spoke of doing works of mercy on the Sabbath.
Instead of talking about killing the sinful, Jesus spoke of not judging, but coaxing the sinner to return to God. (Matt. 5:15-17)
Instead of talking about just not slandering one’s neighbor, Jesus spoke of loving one’s neighbor.
Jesus changed the whole face of the law, so that it was something that applied to every human being, no matter where they lived or who they were.
Our manner of relating to the incarnate God, then, is to obey his commands. Jesus said that if we are to love him, then we are to keep his commands. If we ignore Jesus commands, then we are not really loving Him, nor the Father. (John 15)
To obey Jesus’ commands, we must first learn them. The early disciples memorized Jesus’ sayings so that they could know how to live. If we could memorize even a summary of Jesus’ teaching, we would have a step ahead in obedience.
Live the life of Jesus
Jesus is God in the flesh, but not just God. Jesus’ life is the life of God, God as a human being. Jesus was holy as God is holy, but tempted as a human is tempted. Jesus had great power as God is powerful, but he was dependent on the Father as a human is dependant. Jesus is merciful as God is merciful, yet he was also angry as a human is angry.
It is easy to look at Jesus and say that He was the epitome of God, and that He is so far above us that we can never attain His standard of life. If we say this, then we have again distanced ourselves from God. Jesus became human so that he could show us a human life that is divine. A human life that anyone could live, should they be dependent on God.
Some people say that we couldn’t be as ethically pure as Jesus because we are basically sinful. But Jesus was weak even as we are weak, but without sin. Why is that? Because He knew the truth that God wanted Him to live up to, and He had the power to live out that truth. If we are in Jesus, then we too could know the truth of God’s life through Jesus’ teaching. And if we are in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit empowers us to live the life we should live.
Others say that we do not have the power of Jesus because we are not God. But Jesus had no more power than we do. Jesus was fully human, and limited to human strength. Jesus instead relied on the authority of God. Jesus used the authority and the Father used His power. This is the same as us, if we command, in Jesus’ name, then we can use Jesus’ authority. We could walk on water, we could command demons, we could raise the dead, we could heal the sick. Not because we have power, but because we can use that power in Jesus’ name.
Jesus’ life is not just an option for us. It is a source of being intimate with God. To live God’s life is not to be God, but it is to live in God and for God in a way we could not otherwise.
Imitation of God is the sincerest form of worship.
Relating To God the Father
Bless Yahweh, O my soul
And all that is within me, bless His holy name
Bless Yahweh, O my soul
And forget none of His benefits
He who forgives your iniquities
Who heals all your diseases
Who redeems your life from the pit
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion
Who satisfies your years with good things
So your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Yahweh does righteous acts
And judgments supporting the oppressed.
He has made his ways known to Moses
His deeds to the sons of Israel
Yahweh is compassionate and gracious
Slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
He will not always fight with us
Nor will He keep his anger forever. (Psalm 103)
Hooking Up With God
God is the King of the Universe. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth and all that is between. Jesus called Him Father, but He has many other names beside that. His name is Yahweh. He is also called El, Adonai, Lord, Savior, King, the most Holy, the all powerful and more.
At times God seems so distant, so remote from out lives. But God, all throughout history has tried to be intimate with humanity. In the beginning, He would walk with Adam (“the human”) in the garden (Genesis 2-3). He spoke directly to the children of Israel and showed himself to them (Exodus 20, 24). He tried to rule over Israel as their only king (I Samuel 8:6). He offered himself to Israel as her Husband (Hosea 3:10).
But every time God tried to be intimate with a people, they rejected His intimacy. Adam rebelled against God and refused His daily counsel (Genesis 3). Israel begged that God no longer speak to them directly (Exodus 20:19-21). Israel rejected God as their king, but wanted a human king (I Samuel 8). And Israel sought other gods instead of seeking Yahweh alone.
God remained separated from humanity, when what He really wanted was intimacy.
Making Up Is Hard To Do
Through Jesus, we have a new opportunity to be intimate with God in a way that Israel never did. We can individually relate to God through the kingdom of God that Jesus established. We ourselves have an opportunity to connect with God in a way that Israel never did. But how do we do this? How can we relate to God who is the all powerful king of the universe, when we are a part of a race that had rejected Him? How can we do this when we ourselves had rejected God in our actions so many ways, so much of our lives?
God himself gives us the pattern to relate to Him, even though we may be distant from Him, we are still to connect with Him directly in some ways:
1. Remember
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Almost all of us remember that passage right at the beginning of the Bible. The majority of the Bible is about just that—remembering what it is that God has done. And this is one of the best beginning ways to relate to God—to remember His great deeds. We need to remember the creation, we need to remember his deliverance of Israel, we need to remember his judgments, but most of all we need to remember his great mercy. (Psalm 103:1-6; Exodus 13:13; Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 8:2)
Sometimes it is easy to remember all the things we had without God and how “wonderful” they were, and so we complain to God that we wish our lives would be like before (Numbers 11:5). But instead we need to remember that we were once slaves to our own passions and drives and oppressed by all those around us and that God delivered us from all that (Deuteronomy 5:15). What we remember determines what we desire and what we will hope in.
If we remember the Lord and His great works, we will live our lives in Him and for Him, away from the tyranny we lived in before. And God at times establishes memorials with us to remember what He has done in the past and what He has done for us. Sometimes the memory could be held in a ceremony, a piece of clothing, a song, a tradition of some sort. But the memory has to be real to us, to reflect a reality, not just an empty piece of symbolism. This means that filling our lives with memorials should be significant, but it often isn’t something that we can pass on to others.
2. Have Faith
God is the almighty, the merciful, the great, the holy. And we can remember this, but sometimes it is hard to see it as being significant for our lives. “Sure, God is all-powerful, He created the world, but what does that have to do with me?” Perhaps nothing. We can believe intellectually about God all the right things—the Apostle’s Creed or whatever—but if we just keep it in our head, then it is meaningless. As James said, even demons have right believe, but it doesn’t do anything for their ethical conduct, and so it is meaningless (James 2:17-24)
Abraham was one who had true faith in God. He didn’t just believe the right things about God, but he acted on that faith. He left his father and inheritance, which should have been his security for his future. He trusted that God would give him a son when he was an elderly man. He knew that God had the power to destroy a city and so prayed to Him to deliver it. He knew that God had the power to raise a person from the dead, so he was prepared to kill his son (Genesis 12:1-10; 15:1-8; Genesis 18; Hebrews 11:8-19). It wasn’t that Abraham had received the promises yet and then believed. No, he acted on the promises before they happened.
Even so, if we believe that God is all powerful and that He listens to prayer, how often do we really act on it? Do we trust that God will answer our prayers for deliverance for us and others, or do we neglect our prayers? Do we trust that God will create justice or do we wallow in self-pity? Do we trust that God can overcome our enemies, or do we feel the need to kill in order to be safe?
God doesn’t help those who help themselves. He helps those who depend on Him.
3. Cry Out
When God looked at Israel, slaves to Egypt, he did not see a nation that was a moral nation. Nor a powerful one. Nor particularly impressive in any way. Rather, he saw a nation in need. He had sympathy for them, and wanted to help them. But he waited to help until they were ready to cry out. Once they called out to God, then He was immediately ready to act for them. (Exodus 2:23-25; Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
God is the God of the oppressed and needy. He looks upon peoples who are starving and wants to give them food. He has sympathy on people in prison and wants to free them. He has compassion on those who have no justice and wants to grant them shalom (Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Isaiah 61:1-5). But He holds back, waiting for just one thing—their request.
If God’s people would just cry out to Him for the oppressed, he would act, and quickly. If God’s people would identify with the needy and seek Him about them, He would do something dramatic. If God’s people would look to God instead of armies and missiles and diplomacy and sanctions and human rights and civil disobedience—if only we would see the power in God instead of humanity! Then God’s power would flow out of the heavens and change the earth in such a way that we have never seen it before! (Psalm 107; Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8;
But we need to ask. We can’t just expect it to happen. We can’t just hope for it. We can’t just discuss it. We have to cry out, and God will stand with the needy once again.
God is ready to relate to us, right now. All we have to do is put ourselves in a position to receive it. We need to admit our poverty, our loss, our shame, our need and then cry out to God for it. We need to allow God to be our Father, and He will provide for us. But if we separate ourselves from God through our lack of belief, through our self-dependence, through our laziness in not wanting to pray—then we are like the people of old.
God is reaching out to us right now, seeking out our love and connection. But it is up to us as to whether we will receive God’s fatherhood.
And all that is within me, bless His holy name
Bless Yahweh, O my soul
And forget none of His benefits
He who forgives your iniquities
Who heals all your diseases
Who redeems your life from the pit
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion
Who satisfies your years with good things
So your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Yahweh does righteous acts
And judgments supporting the oppressed.
He has made his ways known to Moses
His deeds to the sons of Israel
Yahweh is compassionate and gracious
Slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
He will not always fight with us
Nor will He keep his anger forever. (Psalm 103)
Hooking Up With God
God is the King of the Universe. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth and all that is between. Jesus called Him Father, but He has many other names beside that. His name is Yahweh. He is also called El, Adonai, Lord, Savior, King, the most Holy, the all powerful and more.
At times God seems so distant, so remote from out lives. But God, all throughout history has tried to be intimate with humanity. In the beginning, He would walk with Adam (“the human”) in the garden (Genesis 2-3). He spoke directly to the children of Israel and showed himself to them (Exodus 20, 24). He tried to rule over Israel as their only king (I Samuel 8:6). He offered himself to Israel as her Husband (Hosea 3:10).
But every time God tried to be intimate with a people, they rejected His intimacy. Adam rebelled against God and refused His daily counsel (Genesis 3). Israel begged that God no longer speak to them directly (Exodus 20:19-21). Israel rejected God as their king, but wanted a human king (I Samuel 8). And Israel sought other gods instead of seeking Yahweh alone.
God remained separated from humanity, when what He really wanted was intimacy.
Making Up Is Hard To Do
Through Jesus, we have a new opportunity to be intimate with God in a way that Israel never did. We can individually relate to God through the kingdom of God that Jesus established. We ourselves have an opportunity to connect with God in a way that Israel never did. But how do we do this? How can we relate to God who is the all powerful king of the universe, when we are a part of a race that had rejected Him? How can we do this when we ourselves had rejected God in our actions so many ways, so much of our lives?
God himself gives us the pattern to relate to Him, even though we may be distant from Him, we are still to connect with Him directly in some ways:
1. Remember
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Almost all of us remember that passage right at the beginning of the Bible. The majority of the Bible is about just that—remembering what it is that God has done. And this is one of the best beginning ways to relate to God—to remember His great deeds. We need to remember the creation, we need to remember his deliverance of Israel, we need to remember his judgments, but most of all we need to remember his great mercy. (Psalm 103:1-6; Exodus 13:13; Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 8:2)
Sometimes it is easy to remember all the things we had without God and how “wonderful” they were, and so we complain to God that we wish our lives would be like before (Numbers 11:5). But instead we need to remember that we were once slaves to our own passions and drives and oppressed by all those around us and that God delivered us from all that (Deuteronomy 5:15). What we remember determines what we desire and what we will hope in.
If we remember the Lord and His great works, we will live our lives in Him and for Him, away from the tyranny we lived in before. And God at times establishes memorials with us to remember what He has done in the past and what He has done for us. Sometimes the memory could be held in a ceremony, a piece of clothing, a song, a tradition of some sort. But the memory has to be real to us, to reflect a reality, not just an empty piece of symbolism. This means that filling our lives with memorials should be significant, but it often isn’t something that we can pass on to others.
2. Have Faith
God is the almighty, the merciful, the great, the holy. And we can remember this, but sometimes it is hard to see it as being significant for our lives. “Sure, God is all-powerful, He created the world, but what does that have to do with me?” Perhaps nothing. We can believe intellectually about God all the right things—the Apostle’s Creed or whatever—but if we just keep it in our head, then it is meaningless. As James said, even demons have right believe, but it doesn’t do anything for their ethical conduct, and so it is meaningless (James 2:17-24)
Abraham was one who had true faith in God. He didn’t just believe the right things about God, but he acted on that faith. He left his father and inheritance, which should have been his security for his future. He trusted that God would give him a son when he was an elderly man. He knew that God had the power to destroy a city and so prayed to Him to deliver it. He knew that God had the power to raise a person from the dead, so he was prepared to kill his son (Genesis 12:1-10; 15:1-8; Genesis 18; Hebrews 11:8-19). It wasn’t that Abraham had received the promises yet and then believed. No, he acted on the promises before they happened.
Even so, if we believe that God is all powerful and that He listens to prayer, how often do we really act on it? Do we trust that God will answer our prayers for deliverance for us and others, or do we neglect our prayers? Do we trust that God will create justice or do we wallow in self-pity? Do we trust that God can overcome our enemies, or do we feel the need to kill in order to be safe?
God doesn’t help those who help themselves. He helps those who depend on Him.
3. Cry Out
When God looked at Israel, slaves to Egypt, he did not see a nation that was a moral nation. Nor a powerful one. Nor particularly impressive in any way. Rather, he saw a nation in need. He had sympathy for them, and wanted to help them. But he waited to help until they were ready to cry out. Once they called out to God, then He was immediately ready to act for them. (Exodus 2:23-25; Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
God is the God of the oppressed and needy. He looks upon peoples who are starving and wants to give them food. He has sympathy on people in prison and wants to free them. He has compassion on those who have no justice and wants to grant them shalom (Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Isaiah 61:1-5). But He holds back, waiting for just one thing—their request.
If God’s people would just cry out to Him for the oppressed, he would act, and quickly. If God’s people would identify with the needy and seek Him about them, He would do something dramatic. If God’s people would look to God instead of armies and missiles and diplomacy and sanctions and human rights and civil disobedience—if only we would see the power in God instead of humanity! Then God’s power would flow out of the heavens and change the earth in such a way that we have never seen it before! (Psalm 107; Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8;
But we need to ask. We can’t just expect it to happen. We can’t just hope for it. We can’t just discuss it. We have to cry out, and God will stand with the needy once again.
God is ready to relate to us, right now. All we have to do is put ourselves in a position to receive it. We need to admit our poverty, our loss, our shame, our need and then cry out to God for it. We need to allow God to be our Father, and He will provide for us. But if we separate ourselves from God through our lack of belief, through our self-dependence, through our laziness in not wanting to pray—then we are like the people of old.
God is reaching out to us right now, seeking out our love and connection. But it is up to us as to whether we will receive God’s fatherhood.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Is Islam An Evil Empire?
Many Christian teachers are speaking much about Islam. Some say that Islam is a terrible evil that God must destroy. Some declare that Islam is a religion similar to the Bible or Jesus. Both sides are exaggerating the truth, and it is our responsibility as Christians to make a decision about truth in accordance with mercy, not exaggerations that try to make our personal opinion. Below is the truth about Islam in relation to the teachings of the Bible.
1. Intellectually, Allah is the same as Eloyah
The word “Allah” is not the name of some moon god, but is the Arabic translation of the Hebrew word for God, “Eloyah”, which comes from “Elohim,” translated in modern translations, “God”. There is less evidence that the word, “Allah” is blasphemous than the English word, “God”. Also, when the Qur’an—the holy book of Muslims—and when Muslims themselves speak of Allah, they use the same description Christians and Jews do about Elohim—God is one, all-powerful, sovereign, forgiving, and merciful.
However, most Muslims limit God’s ability
Most Muslims do not emphasize what Jesus and the prophets emphasize—that God works through his people’s suffering, and that he gives his Spirit of power to those who ask. Most of the time, when speaking about God, they limit God’s ability to providence, or the moving of events in this world. They are unable to hear God or to ask for miracles from their devotion.
Father, we pray that you would give our Muslim friends the ability to understand you in fullness, and to worship you in Spirit and in Truth.
2. The Qur’an speaks higher of Jesus than Muhammad
The Qur’an says amazing things about Jesus. The Qur’an uses the name “Isa” for Jesus and says that he is the Messiah, the Word of God, and the receiver of God’s spirit. The Qur’an says that he was born of the virgin Mary, performed miracles, did no sin, that he died and was resurrected and that he would judge on the last day. However, the Qur’an, in speaking of Muhammad, says that he is a sinner, that he had performed no miracle, and that he be able to speak for no one on the last day.
However, most Muslims do not understand Jesus
Even though the Qur’an teaches all this about Jesus, most Muslims do not know this teaching. They just recognize Jesus as one of many prophets. And the Qur’an does not teach that Jesus’ death cleanses us from sin or that to have faith in God through Jesus is the only way of gaining God’s salvation.
Father, show our Muslim friends that salvation is only found in Jesus.
3. Islam is firm against idolatry
The subject of the majority of the Qur’an is opposition to worshipping false gods and idols. The most terrible sin in Islam is “shirk” which means the sharing of God’s majesty with another. The Qur’an often reads like a text from the Old Testament that denounces idolatry. It is a bold statement for the worship of the Most High God.
However, Islam judges some not participating in idolatry as guilty of shirk
The Qur’an denounces anyone who calls the Son as one with God, for that would be the sin of shirk. Many Muslims also denounce any representation of any prophet or symbolic representation of God as shirk. They would declare that anyone doing these things are heretics or apostates.
Father, teach our Muslim friends how to judge according to your word, not their own ideas.
4. The Qur’an speaks well of Christians and Jews
The Qur’an calls Jews and Christians “the people of the Book” and declare that they should not be treated as unbelievers. Rather, the Qur’an says that the Muslim should go to Christians and Jews to learn what is written in the Injeel (the words of Jesus) and the Tora (the words of Moses), as well as other prophets.
However, the Qur’an also speaks of enacting violence against unbelievers
Some Muslims have declared many Christians and Jews to be their enemies and unbelievers, and so should be counted among those whom the Qur’an says should be slain. Many Muslims teach that the Injeel and the Tora have been corrupted over the years and so are unworthy of being read. And a few believe that war should be declared against those who have opposed the truths of Muhammad they express. Before we judge Muslims for this, we must remember how many Christians support the killing of enemies, when their Lord commanded that they love their enemies.
Father, help both Muslims and Christians do good to one another and learn of the way of Jesus.
5. Muslims devote themselves to God many times daily
Most devote Muslims declare their loyalty to God many times a day, declaring him to be forgiving and merciful. They are faithful in their prayers, and they wish to show themselves as God’s servants. The word “islam” means “submission to God” and the word “muslim” means “one who is submitted.” The whole purpose of being a Muslim is to devote ones whole life and community to God.
However, most Muslims act without regard to God’s ways
When it comes to everyday life, Muslims are as prone to follow their own desires as any other person. They will hate, gossip, lie and cheat in their everyday life—even as most Christians do.
Father, help us to live out your ways as well as speak your words. May we all have your Spirit to live your life.
6. Muslims give to the poor
Most devote Muslims separate 2.5% of what they earn specifically to the poor. This income is used to build orphanages and to help beggars in need. Although this sounds meager compared to a ten percent tithe, Muslims worldwide give a larger percentage of their income to the poor than Christians do worldwide.
However, most Muslims lack compassion in their giving
Muslims, however, lack the commands Christians do to give with compassion, love and without any self-interest. Many Muslims do give selflessly, especially through hospitality to strangers, but many more give out of their own self-interest and hopes of recognition. Jesus teaches that giving out of self-recognition would not be rewarded by God.
Father, through Jesus and the Spirit may your compassion rest upon our Muslim friends.
Conclusion:
Is Islam evil? Not really—it is more incomplete than anything else. It does a fine job to teach pagans to worship the one true God, but it does not teach the ethical standards of Jesus, or show his example. Most Muslims are not evil, but they are misled. If they knew more about their own holy book, as well as the words of Jesus and Moses that the Qur’an affirms, they might know who the real Prophet and Savior is—Jesus. Let us pray for Muslims in our communities and around the world so that they could know the whole truth and that the truth would free them from oppression.
1. Intellectually, Allah is the same as Eloyah
The word “Allah” is not the name of some moon god, but is the Arabic translation of the Hebrew word for God, “Eloyah”, which comes from “Elohim,” translated in modern translations, “God”. There is less evidence that the word, “Allah” is blasphemous than the English word, “God”. Also, when the Qur’an—the holy book of Muslims—and when Muslims themselves speak of Allah, they use the same description Christians and Jews do about Elohim—God is one, all-powerful, sovereign, forgiving, and merciful.
However, most Muslims limit God’s ability
Most Muslims do not emphasize what Jesus and the prophets emphasize—that God works through his people’s suffering, and that he gives his Spirit of power to those who ask. Most of the time, when speaking about God, they limit God’s ability to providence, or the moving of events in this world. They are unable to hear God or to ask for miracles from their devotion.
Father, we pray that you would give our Muslim friends the ability to understand you in fullness, and to worship you in Spirit and in Truth.
2. The Qur’an speaks higher of Jesus than Muhammad
The Qur’an says amazing things about Jesus. The Qur’an uses the name “Isa” for Jesus and says that he is the Messiah, the Word of God, and the receiver of God’s spirit. The Qur’an says that he was born of the virgin Mary, performed miracles, did no sin, that he died and was resurrected and that he would judge on the last day. However, the Qur’an, in speaking of Muhammad, says that he is a sinner, that he had performed no miracle, and that he be able to speak for no one on the last day.
However, most Muslims do not understand Jesus
Even though the Qur’an teaches all this about Jesus, most Muslims do not know this teaching. They just recognize Jesus as one of many prophets. And the Qur’an does not teach that Jesus’ death cleanses us from sin or that to have faith in God through Jesus is the only way of gaining God’s salvation.
Father, show our Muslim friends that salvation is only found in Jesus.
3. Islam is firm against idolatry
The subject of the majority of the Qur’an is opposition to worshipping false gods and idols. The most terrible sin in Islam is “shirk” which means the sharing of God’s majesty with another. The Qur’an often reads like a text from the Old Testament that denounces idolatry. It is a bold statement for the worship of the Most High God.
However, Islam judges some not participating in idolatry as guilty of shirk
The Qur’an denounces anyone who calls the Son as one with God, for that would be the sin of shirk. Many Muslims also denounce any representation of any prophet or symbolic representation of God as shirk. They would declare that anyone doing these things are heretics or apostates.
Father, teach our Muslim friends how to judge according to your word, not their own ideas.
4. The Qur’an speaks well of Christians and Jews
The Qur’an calls Jews and Christians “the people of the Book” and declare that they should not be treated as unbelievers. Rather, the Qur’an says that the Muslim should go to Christians and Jews to learn what is written in the Injeel (the words of Jesus) and the Tora (the words of Moses), as well as other prophets.
However, the Qur’an also speaks of enacting violence against unbelievers
Some Muslims have declared many Christians and Jews to be their enemies and unbelievers, and so should be counted among those whom the Qur’an says should be slain. Many Muslims teach that the Injeel and the Tora have been corrupted over the years and so are unworthy of being read. And a few believe that war should be declared against those who have opposed the truths of Muhammad they express. Before we judge Muslims for this, we must remember how many Christians support the killing of enemies, when their Lord commanded that they love their enemies.
Father, help both Muslims and Christians do good to one another and learn of the way of Jesus.
5. Muslims devote themselves to God many times daily
Most devote Muslims declare their loyalty to God many times a day, declaring him to be forgiving and merciful. They are faithful in their prayers, and they wish to show themselves as God’s servants. The word “islam” means “submission to God” and the word “muslim” means “one who is submitted.” The whole purpose of being a Muslim is to devote ones whole life and community to God.
However, most Muslims act without regard to God’s ways
When it comes to everyday life, Muslims are as prone to follow their own desires as any other person. They will hate, gossip, lie and cheat in their everyday life—even as most Christians do.
Father, help us to live out your ways as well as speak your words. May we all have your Spirit to live your life.
6. Muslims give to the poor
Most devote Muslims separate 2.5% of what they earn specifically to the poor. This income is used to build orphanages and to help beggars in need. Although this sounds meager compared to a ten percent tithe, Muslims worldwide give a larger percentage of their income to the poor than Christians do worldwide.
However, most Muslims lack compassion in their giving
Muslims, however, lack the commands Christians do to give with compassion, love and without any self-interest. Many Muslims do give selflessly, especially through hospitality to strangers, but many more give out of their own self-interest and hopes of recognition. Jesus teaches that giving out of self-recognition would not be rewarded by God.
Father, through Jesus and the Spirit may your compassion rest upon our Muslim friends.
Conclusion:
Is Islam evil? Not really—it is more incomplete than anything else. It does a fine job to teach pagans to worship the one true God, but it does not teach the ethical standards of Jesus, or show his example. Most Muslims are not evil, but they are misled. If they knew more about their own holy book, as well as the words of Jesus and Moses that the Qur’an affirms, they might know who the real Prophet and Savior is—Jesus. Let us pray for Muslims in our communities and around the world so that they could know the whole truth and that the truth would free them from oppression.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Relating To The Spirit
The Trinity As A Story
Many people focus on the Trinity as a theological doctrine, full of the nature of God and the relationship of the three persons within a unity. The problem with this is that though the NT speaks of God as one and names Him as three, the relationship between them is not clearly marked. All too often, theologians, pastors and lay leaders have focused on what the Bible does NOT say about the Trinity, rather than what it does. The Trinity is not a theology of nature, but a story of love.
God the Father desires intimacy with people. He always has, from the very beginning, but the very ones He created, chose and sought relationship with have rejected Him. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to live out God’s love and deliverance. Jesus was God in human flesh, beginning a nation where people are both chosen to come in and choose themselves to participate. These learn about what God desires from God who was also human and they choose to live their lives as a divine path, as Jesus himself.
Jesus said that it was better for us that He leaves us. This seemed so wrong to his disciples at the time, but Jesus further explained that the Spirit could only come upon us if He leaves—we must have an absence before the Father fills us.
Although Jesus does not live among us anymore, He leaves His Spirit to all those who choose to be in Jesus. The Spirit then is God inside us, God with us, God continually dwelling. The Spirit is the promised blessing of God (Ezekiel 36; Jeremiah 31; Joel 2), who creates a people that is listening to God and is faithful to God. The Spirit is the final link for the chosen to be those who are intimate with God.
If the Spirit is the means of God’s ultimate blessing—intimacy with Him—then how do we achieve it? How do we live out this intimacy?
1. Listen to the Spirit
Jesus’ words are the foundation of what we know about God and how we live in God’s presence. But they are still only words from a distance. When we have a drunk come to our house in the middle of the night, how do we live out “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? Should we invite them in? Should we give them food and send them on their way? Should we decide that we need to protect our family? When someone steals from us, how do we practically live out “love your enemies”? Should we call the police? Should we give them more? Should we give them the gospel and let them go on their way? Jesus’ words don’t always give us the practical counsel we need in order to fully and precisely live out the way of God.
This is where the Spirit comes in. The Spirit gives us the wisdom we need when we need it. The Spirit talks to us and gives us the truth and the practical application to live the life of Jesus in the particular circumstances we are in. The Spirit is Jesus walking beside us, living with us, giving us continual counsel and direction to live in God’s ways.
Most importantly about listening to the Spirit is that in order to obtain a word from the Spirit we must ask. If we do not ask, then we will receive nothing. Even so, if we want the Spirit or any wisdom, we must ask God for that wisdom. This means that while God initiates the conversation with Him by offering the Spirit, we must ask for the Spirit in order to receive it. Then, once the Lord has given us the Spirit, we must ask for the wisdom we desire and God will answer us. Thus is the conversation with God continuous. (I Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:5; John 14:26; Colossians 1:9; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:5-8; James 4:2-3; Acts 16:9-10; Acts 4:29-32)
2. Pray in the Spirit
One of the most common commands about the Spirit in the Scriptures is to pray in the Spirit. Many people directly relate this to speaking in tongues. But speaking in tongues is only one form of praying in the Spirit. Prophecy is also praying in the Spirit, as is listening in the Spirit, as is praying the Lord’s prayer.
When we pray in the Spirit, first of all, we are recognizing that we are not praying in the place where we seem to be, but we are in reality praying before God’s throne (Hebrews 4:16). When the prophets were “in the spirit” they were in the spiritual realm, in the presence of God, being led by the spirits directed by God. Even so, when we pray “in the spirit” we are not reciting dead words, nor are we praying by rote. Rather, we are before God himself, in intimate conversation with Him, and our prayers have power, not just hope.
To pray in the Spirit is to pray in God’s presence. We can say “papa” to God, because He is before us and asks us to call him by that intimate name. In the Spirit, we know our prayers and heard and God can answer us immediately. In the Spirit, we go before God with a situation that we don’t know how to pray for and the Spirit will lead us to pray rightly before the Father. In the Spirit, we can cry out to God to change His mind. In the Spirit, prayer is not just an activity, it is a conversation with the King of the Universe. (John 4:23; Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:17, 26).
3. Rely on the Spirit
Our final intimacy with God is reliance. The Scripture has many different ways of saying this, “walk in the Spirit”, “live in the Spirit” “be raised in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25; Romans 8:4, 11). God tells us what to do through the Spirit, and we seek God’s power in the Spirit through prayer. God delivers the power to do His work through the Spirit and so we are able to do as He pleases.
Without the Spirit, we are weak, for we are only human. But in the Spirit, we are strong, able to do all the things that God asks us to do, without hesitation, because it is He who empowers us, He who strengthens us.
But this empowerment is not the end of the process. When God gives us the power to live for Him, we then need to live, relying on that power.
There are two ways we could fail in this. First of all, we could decide that we don’t really have the power of God, and so refuse to do as He asks. We can say “it’s too hard” or, “no one can do that”—and we would be right, except that God already gave us the ability to do it. If we deny God’s power to do His will, then we will think that we are unable to do His will, and so refuse to do it. But this is our stubborn rebelliousness getting in the way. God HAS given us the power, if we ask for it, and all we need to do is to rely on it and so do God’s will.
The other thing we often do is to ask for God’s will and then do it on our own power, which is inadequate. We think that since God told us to love our enemies, to be gentle, to heal the sick and to raise the dead and to resist the devil that we can do all of this according to the strength of our will. But we can’t. We are as weak and helpless in the spirit world as a baby. We can’t obey God, nor do miracles. We have to rely on the Spirit. This means we need to ask for the Spirit and rely on God for that Spirit, rather than relying on ourselves. We are merely human, and to be human is to be weak. But if we pray, we can have the Spirit, and He is all-powerful and ready to help us in our times of weakness.
To live in the Spirit is to affirm our own weakness, because all good things happen through the Spirit. And it gives glory to God because His strength is revealed through our weakness. (I Corinthians 2:4-5; II Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 14:38)
Many people focus on the Trinity as a theological doctrine, full of the nature of God and the relationship of the three persons within a unity. The problem with this is that though the NT speaks of God as one and names Him as three, the relationship between them is not clearly marked. All too often, theologians, pastors and lay leaders have focused on what the Bible does NOT say about the Trinity, rather than what it does. The Trinity is not a theology of nature, but a story of love.
God the Father desires intimacy with people. He always has, from the very beginning, but the very ones He created, chose and sought relationship with have rejected Him. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to live out God’s love and deliverance. Jesus was God in human flesh, beginning a nation where people are both chosen to come in and choose themselves to participate. These learn about what God desires from God who was also human and they choose to live their lives as a divine path, as Jesus himself.
Jesus said that it was better for us that He leaves us. This seemed so wrong to his disciples at the time, but Jesus further explained that the Spirit could only come upon us if He leaves—we must have an absence before the Father fills us.
Although Jesus does not live among us anymore, He leaves His Spirit to all those who choose to be in Jesus. The Spirit then is God inside us, God with us, God continually dwelling. The Spirit is the promised blessing of God (Ezekiel 36; Jeremiah 31; Joel 2), who creates a people that is listening to God and is faithful to God. The Spirit is the final link for the chosen to be those who are intimate with God.
If the Spirit is the means of God’s ultimate blessing—intimacy with Him—then how do we achieve it? How do we live out this intimacy?
1. Listen to the Spirit
Jesus’ words are the foundation of what we know about God and how we live in God’s presence. But they are still only words from a distance. When we have a drunk come to our house in the middle of the night, how do we live out “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? Should we invite them in? Should we give them food and send them on their way? Should we decide that we need to protect our family? When someone steals from us, how do we practically live out “love your enemies”? Should we call the police? Should we give them more? Should we give them the gospel and let them go on their way? Jesus’ words don’t always give us the practical counsel we need in order to fully and precisely live out the way of God.
This is where the Spirit comes in. The Spirit gives us the wisdom we need when we need it. The Spirit talks to us and gives us the truth and the practical application to live the life of Jesus in the particular circumstances we are in. The Spirit is Jesus walking beside us, living with us, giving us continual counsel and direction to live in God’s ways.
Most importantly about listening to the Spirit is that in order to obtain a word from the Spirit we must ask. If we do not ask, then we will receive nothing. Even so, if we want the Spirit or any wisdom, we must ask God for that wisdom. This means that while God initiates the conversation with Him by offering the Spirit, we must ask for the Spirit in order to receive it. Then, once the Lord has given us the Spirit, we must ask for the wisdom we desire and God will answer us. Thus is the conversation with God continuous. (I Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:5; John 14:26; Colossians 1:9; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:5-8; James 4:2-3; Acts 16:9-10; Acts 4:29-32)
2. Pray in the Spirit
One of the most common commands about the Spirit in the Scriptures is to pray in the Spirit. Many people directly relate this to speaking in tongues. But speaking in tongues is only one form of praying in the Spirit. Prophecy is also praying in the Spirit, as is listening in the Spirit, as is praying the Lord’s prayer.
When we pray in the Spirit, first of all, we are recognizing that we are not praying in the place where we seem to be, but we are in reality praying before God’s throne (Hebrews 4:16). When the prophets were “in the spirit” they were in the spiritual realm, in the presence of God, being led by the spirits directed by God. Even so, when we pray “in the spirit” we are not reciting dead words, nor are we praying by rote. Rather, we are before God himself, in intimate conversation with Him, and our prayers have power, not just hope.
To pray in the Spirit is to pray in God’s presence. We can say “papa” to God, because He is before us and asks us to call him by that intimate name. In the Spirit, we know our prayers and heard and God can answer us immediately. In the Spirit, we go before God with a situation that we don’t know how to pray for and the Spirit will lead us to pray rightly before the Father. In the Spirit, we can cry out to God to change His mind. In the Spirit, prayer is not just an activity, it is a conversation with the King of the Universe. (John 4:23; Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:17, 26).
3. Rely on the Spirit
Our final intimacy with God is reliance. The Scripture has many different ways of saying this, “walk in the Spirit”, “live in the Spirit” “be raised in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25; Romans 8:4, 11). God tells us what to do through the Spirit, and we seek God’s power in the Spirit through prayer. God delivers the power to do His work through the Spirit and so we are able to do as He pleases.
Without the Spirit, we are weak, for we are only human. But in the Spirit, we are strong, able to do all the things that God asks us to do, without hesitation, because it is He who empowers us, He who strengthens us.
But this empowerment is not the end of the process. When God gives us the power to live for Him, we then need to live, relying on that power.
There are two ways we could fail in this. First of all, we could decide that we don’t really have the power of God, and so refuse to do as He asks. We can say “it’s too hard” or, “no one can do that”—and we would be right, except that God already gave us the ability to do it. If we deny God’s power to do His will, then we will think that we are unable to do His will, and so refuse to do it. But this is our stubborn rebelliousness getting in the way. God HAS given us the power, if we ask for it, and all we need to do is to rely on it and so do God’s will.
The other thing we often do is to ask for God’s will and then do it on our own power, which is inadequate. We think that since God told us to love our enemies, to be gentle, to heal the sick and to raise the dead and to resist the devil that we can do all of this according to the strength of our will. But we can’t. We are as weak and helpless in the spirit world as a baby. We can’t obey God, nor do miracles. We have to rely on the Spirit. This means we need to ask for the Spirit and rely on God for that Spirit, rather than relying on ourselves. We are merely human, and to be human is to be weak. But if we pray, we can have the Spirit, and He is all-powerful and ready to help us in our times of weakness.
To live in the Spirit is to affirm our own weakness, because all good things happen through the Spirit. And it gives glory to God because His strength is revealed through our weakness. (I Corinthians 2:4-5; II Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 14:38)
Practical Principles for Participating with the Paraclete
To be a Spiritual person is not just to act in a holy way, nor is it about clothes, good deeds or being mystical. Being Spiritual means that one listens to God’s Spirit. Here are some practical tips from the Bible about how to be Spiritual, that is, how to live in the Holy Spirit:
1. Know the word of Jesus and try to live by it
“When the Helper, the holy Spirit comes… He will remind you of all I taught you.” John 14:26
One of the Spirit’s main purposes is to remind us of the word of Jesus. But how can we be reminded of Jesus’ teaching, when we don’t know it? But even having head knowledge of Jesus’ teaching isn’t enough, we also need to live it out. On the surface, we may find that we are heading for a failure, for selling our possessions and loving our enemies are superhuman requirements. But if we depend on the Lord for strength to do His will, then we will have some success. And it is at this point—knowing Jesus’ word and having tried and failed, that the Spirit can begin working with us.
2. Do not quench the Spirit
“Do not despise prophetic utterances.” I Thessalonians 5:19-20
Before we can hear the Spirit, we must first be open to listening to the Spirit. Many of us doubt that the Spirit speaks to anyone, and if someone says “I heard from the Lord…” we tune them out simply because we don’t believe that God speaks directly to people. The Bible says that the Spirit does speak directly—not just through feelings, but with a voice. The Bible also says that the Spirit works through healings, through visions and through dreams. If we are to really be Spiritual, then we need to believe that the Spirit really works, is really powerful and can really speak to us.
3. Take time to listen to the Spirit
“Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.” Acts 10:9
Just as Peter took time alone with God to pray (and so had a vision), so we must also. It is not enough to ask the Lord to speak to us, we also have to meet with the Spirit. If we have someone we consider a good friend, how much of a friend could that person be if we never went out together to talk together? The same with the Spirit—we cannot be a Spiritual person unless we take time to listen to the Spirit and allow us to pay attention to Him. This means time without distractions, without other agenda, without media. Just you and the Spirit, nothing else.
4. Test the Spirits
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,” I John 4:1
Just because we know that we are being spoken to from a spirit-world being, that doesn’t mean it is from God or the Holy Spirit. We have to be careful because there are many voices, many spirits and many of them want to destroy us. In order to know if a Spirit or a voice in our heads is from God, they must first pass the test of saying that Jesus is their Lord—not just A lord, but that Jesus rules over them. Secondly, what they say must be in agreement with Jesus’ word. Once again, this requires that we know Jesus’ word to be able to know if a spirit is true or not.
5. Do not speak everything the Spirit gives you, at anytime you receive it
Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? I Corinthians 14:36
Paul says that the spirit is under the control of the one who speaks (I Cor. 14:32), and just because we feel we should speak what we have heard from the Spirit, that doesn’t mean that we should. There are times in which we are told by the Spirit to speak, but even then we need to understand to whom, and how and when. We can’t just assume that because a time is convenient for us that it is the right time. Often a message from the Spirit can be lost not because it wasn’t spoken, but because it was spoken in a way that others cannot hear it.
Also, we need to take into account that others have heard from the Spirit, and not just us. Just because we have a message, it doesn’t mean that everyone must obey our message. When the Spirit speaks to us, the first one whom the message is for is us, not others. Often, in fact, the Spirit isn’t speaking to others, but only to us. We need to be careful about how we apply the Spirit’s message, and not do so universally.
6. Walk by the Spirit
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
The point of us listening to the Spirit is not speaking the message, or having a connection with God, but obeying the message. If we only hear and do not act out the message of the Spirit, then the message has fallen upon deaf ears and it is fruitless. When the spirit speaks to us, then we should not seek first to speak the Spirit’s message, but to obey it. No, it is not always easy, but this is how we become a Spiritual person—that we both listen to the Spirit and obey Him.
7. Live by the fruits of the Spirit
“You who are Spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
Living and walking in the Spirit is not just about doing crazy things, either. Yes, the Spirit could lead one to have visions, to say strange words, to collapse on the floor or to act like a prophet of old. But these things are not the real indications of the Spirit. Rather, we know that we have God’s Spirit if, in obeying the Spirit, we do so in an attitude of gentleness, care for others and support of others. The natural outcome of the Spirit is not tongues, prophecies or dreams—rather it is love, joy in others, offering other’s peace, being faithful to others, having self-control so others are not harmed, and remaining humble.
The Spiritual person hears the Spirit of Jesus telling him to do the acts of Jesus with the attitude of Jesus.
1. Know the word of Jesus and try to live by it
“When the Helper, the holy Spirit comes… He will remind you of all I taught you.” John 14:26
One of the Spirit’s main purposes is to remind us of the word of Jesus. But how can we be reminded of Jesus’ teaching, when we don’t know it? But even having head knowledge of Jesus’ teaching isn’t enough, we also need to live it out. On the surface, we may find that we are heading for a failure, for selling our possessions and loving our enemies are superhuman requirements. But if we depend on the Lord for strength to do His will, then we will have some success. And it is at this point—knowing Jesus’ word and having tried and failed, that the Spirit can begin working with us.
2. Do not quench the Spirit
“Do not despise prophetic utterances.” I Thessalonians 5:19-20
Before we can hear the Spirit, we must first be open to listening to the Spirit. Many of us doubt that the Spirit speaks to anyone, and if someone says “I heard from the Lord…” we tune them out simply because we don’t believe that God speaks directly to people. The Bible says that the Spirit does speak directly—not just through feelings, but with a voice. The Bible also says that the Spirit works through healings, through visions and through dreams. If we are to really be Spiritual, then we need to believe that the Spirit really works, is really powerful and can really speak to us.
3. Take time to listen to the Spirit
“Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.” Acts 10:9
Just as Peter took time alone with God to pray (and so had a vision), so we must also. It is not enough to ask the Lord to speak to us, we also have to meet with the Spirit. If we have someone we consider a good friend, how much of a friend could that person be if we never went out together to talk together? The same with the Spirit—we cannot be a Spiritual person unless we take time to listen to the Spirit and allow us to pay attention to Him. This means time without distractions, without other agenda, without media. Just you and the Spirit, nothing else.
4. Test the Spirits
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,” I John 4:1
Just because we know that we are being spoken to from a spirit-world being, that doesn’t mean it is from God or the Holy Spirit. We have to be careful because there are many voices, many spirits and many of them want to destroy us. In order to know if a Spirit or a voice in our heads is from God, they must first pass the test of saying that Jesus is their Lord—not just A lord, but that Jesus rules over them. Secondly, what they say must be in agreement with Jesus’ word. Once again, this requires that we know Jesus’ word to be able to know if a spirit is true or not.
5. Do not speak everything the Spirit gives you, at anytime you receive it
Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? I Corinthians 14:36
Paul says that the spirit is under the control of the one who speaks (I Cor. 14:32), and just because we feel we should speak what we have heard from the Spirit, that doesn’t mean that we should. There are times in which we are told by the Spirit to speak, but even then we need to understand to whom, and how and when. We can’t just assume that because a time is convenient for us that it is the right time. Often a message from the Spirit can be lost not because it wasn’t spoken, but because it was spoken in a way that others cannot hear it.
Also, we need to take into account that others have heard from the Spirit, and not just us. Just because we have a message, it doesn’t mean that everyone must obey our message. When the Spirit speaks to us, the first one whom the message is for is us, not others. Often, in fact, the Spirit isn’t speaking to others, but only to us. We need to be careful about how we apply the Spirit’s message, and not do so universally.
6. Walk by the Spirit
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
The point of us listening to the Spirit is not speaking the message, or having a connection with God, but obeying the message. If we only hear and do not act out the message of the Spirit, then the message has fallen upon deaf ears and it is fruitless. When the spirit speaks to us, then we should not seek first to speak the Spirit’s message, but to obey it. No, it is not always easy, but this is how we become a Spiritual person—that we both listen to the Spirit and obey Him.
7. Live by the fruits of the Spirit
“You who are Spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
Living and walking in the Spirit is not just about doing crazy things, either. Yes, the Spirit could lead one to have visions, to say strange words, to collapse on the floor or to act like a prophet of old. But these things are not the real indications of the Spirit. Rather, we know that we have God’s Spirit if, in obeying the Spirit, we do so in an attitude of gentleness, care for others and support of others. The natural outcome of the Spirit is not tongues, prophecies or dreams—rather it is love, joy in others, offering other’s peace, being faithful to others, having self-control so others are not harmed, and remaining humble.
The Spiritual person hears the Spirit of Jesus telling him to do the acts of Jesus with the attitude of Jesus.
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