Sunday morning, we discussed the meaning of wisdom. I gave you the following definition for wisdom: the ability to understand God’s will for your life. This definition is based on Ephesians 5.15-17. “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” To be unwise is to be foolish; the Greek word translated foolish means to not think. So, to be unwise is to be a non-thinker. To be unwise is to fail to understand God’s will.
Perceiving God’s will, though, requires some effort on our part. God does not pour wisdom magically into our heads. He expects us to think through the biblical issues involved in a circumstance so we will be able to choose rightly what we will do. To be able to sift through scriptural truth means we must be familiar with what the Bible says.
God does not want us to walk in darkness but in light. In Ephesians 5, Paul made a statement about light. He wrote, “Awake, o sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Eph. 5.14). That declaration is called a baptismal pronouncement. After someone was baptized in the early church, this statement would be made when they came out of the water. What the formula means is when we come to new life in Christ, he enables us to know right from wrong as we walk with him .
This ongoing process of growth in discipleship takes a lifetime. We do not arrive at full enlightenment in a few short steps. We grow daily, becoming, over time, better able to see what God’s plan is for us and how that plan will be realized in our lives. As I have already stated, coming to understand God’s purpose for our lives requires prayer and thoughtful, diligent Bible study.
Yet, more is required of us. We also must interpret our life situations. As the Holy Spirit leads us, and as we choose to follow his guidance, we will be directed towards what we Christians call “doors” of opportunity. We might see a door ahead of us and not understand how things will work if we head in that direction. The Lord just might put before us what seems to be unworkable circumstances. When he does, he is challenging us to follow him even though we are unable to understand how things will work out for our benefit.
Further, we might not really like what we see. What would we do if God put before us an opportunity requiring us to leave family and familiar surroundings and go somewhere foreign to us? Would we say, “God, I don’t understand this, I don’t agree with it, and I don’t like what I see”? Or, would we be obedient and head out in the direction God is pointing us?
When we find ourselves at such a place in life, we must decide to follow God as he leads us. If we trust him, and show our faith by following, God will lead us to the best possible circumstance; he never leads us to misery and unhappiness. God will always take us to where we can be used best by him. He will always put us in a place and circumstance where our gifts and talents can be used best.
We need to understand, though, what James wanted his readers to know. God is more interested in who we are than what we do. If we are people of faith, we will obey God and follow him wherever he leads us because we want to be pleasing to him. If we are people of faith, if we trust God with our lives and futures, we will do what he calls us to do. When we are concerned more with our own welfare than God’s glory, we will be disobedient. James started his letter with the statement, “Consider your encounters with various tests to be a source of joy, because you know the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
God’s ultimate plan for you life and for mine is for us to be mature and complete. He wants us to be fully prepared for whatever he calls us to do, for whatever difficult test we might face. God’s plan for our lives is for us to be successful in following him. He does not want us to fail. Success in following Jesus requires us to trust him completely with our lives, with our futures, with all we are.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Knowing God's Will, Pt. 1
How do you discover God’s will for your life? How can you know the decisions you are making are the right ones? When you are in doubt about what God wants you to do, what do you do? These questions and others like them have plagued believers throughout the history of Christianity. As a result, believers many times have made bad mistakes. Some of the things Christians have done through the ages in the name of Christ have ended tragically. Many times, the cause of Christ has been hurt by the actions of those who claim to love Jesus.
Much of what James discussed had to do with making godly, biblical decisions. Those who heard James’s message first were doing some things wholly inconsistent with God’s Word. James was troubled by their actions because what they were doing was creating a bad impression about God in the minds of unbelievers. When those “outside” see us on the “inside” fighting and bickering, what are they to think? When we are known by our friends and acquaintances as a Christian, what do they think of us and Christianity if no difference exists between the way we live and how they live?
For many of us, though, the issue of God’s will has to do more with things such as getting married, deciding on a career, how we use our finances, and so on. The problem with this dilemma is the effects we experience when we act without having a clear idea of what God would have us do.
When we make decisions, we will experience consequences, both good and bad. If we make a poor decision, God will expect us to bear the consequences while working our way through our decision to a better end. We must remember, God will not punish us if we decide wrongly. Neither will he excuse us for what we have done. He expects us to be both responsible and accountable. What that means is he expects us to not blame someone else or some circumstance for what we have done.
Being responsible for our decisions means we will bear the consequences in a mature way. We will not whine or quit. We will carry out our decisions in a manner befitting one who is a follower of Jesus. Being accountable means we will take responsibility for what we have done and not blame others.
What if we make an immoral decision? How do we handle the aftermath of being disobedient to God. Do we continue on in the mess we created. No. Being responsible means we will find a mature, biblical solution. We will confess our failure and seek a proper solution. We must be adult in how we handle the decisions we make.
But, how do we avoid doing the wrong thing. Praying about our choices goes without saying. Sometimes, though, God does not give us a clear answer. Why does God not “speak” to us and gives us a clear answer sometimes? Because more than prayer is required to know God’s will. We need the Bible.
Many of the issues we face in our world today, though, are not addressed directly in the Bible. For instance, fetal-cell research, abortion and same-sex marriage are not discussed in an overt way in Scripture. Yet, we are expected to take a position on these issues. How do we know what we should believe?
The answer to that question is found, paradoxically, in the Bible. We can come to informed decisions about all of life’s issues only by having a consistent discipline of personal Bible study. As we study on a regular basis, we are then able to take all the truths we learn and draw from them answers about life’s issues. For instance, 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If we are making a relationship or career decision, we should ask ourselves how what we decide will reflect positively on God.
Whatever you do, do so in a manner in which God will be honored. Some careers would harm irreparably our reputation and would bring shame to the name of God. Some relationships can bring harm into our lives. If we associate with someone who is not a believer, we will be expected by them to do things clearly inconsistent with Scripture.
Making the right decision, the one consistent with God’s will for our lives, is not a hard thing to do. Knowing God’s will may require some thought, but in the end, God will show us the right way to go. Remember what James said: “But if any of you lacks wisdom (the knowledge of God’s will), let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it (wisdom) will be given to him.”
Pray, study the Bible and talk to an experienced, mature believer. Doing so will lead you to a clear understanding of God’s plan for your life.
Much of what James discussed had to do with making godly, biblical decisions. Those who heard James’s message first were doing some things wholly inconsistent with God’s Word. James was troubled by their actions because what they were doing was creating a bad impression about God in the minds of unbelievers. When those “outside” see us on the “inside” fighting and bickering, what are they to think? When we are known by our friends and acquaintances as a Christian, what do they think of us and Christianity if no difference exists between the way we live and how they live?
For many of us, though, the issue of God’s will has to do more with things such as getting married, deciding on a career, how we use our finances, and so on. The problem with this dilemma is the effects we experience when we act without having a clear idea of what God would have us do.
When we make decisions, we will experience consequences, both good and bad. If we make a poor decision, God will expect us to bear the consequences while working our way through our decision to a better end. We must remember, God will not punish us if we decide wrongly. Neither will he excuse us for what we have done. He expects us to be both responsible and accountable. What that means is he expects us to not blame someone else or some circumstance for what we have done.
Being responsible for our decisions means we will bear the consequences in a mature way. We will not whine or quit. We will carry out our decisions in a manner befitting one who is a follower of Jesus. Being accountable means we will take responsibility for what we have done and not blame others.
What if we make an immoral decision? How do we handle the aftermath of being disobedient to God. Do we continue on in the mess we created. No. Being responsible means we will find a mature, biblical solution. We will confess our failure and seek a proper solution. We must be adult in how we handle the decisions we make.
But, how do we avoid doing the wrong thing. Praying about our choices goes without saying. Sometimes, though, God does not give us a clear answer. Why does God not “speak” to us and gives us a clear answer sometimes? Because more than prayer is required to know God’s will. We need the Bible.
Many of the issues we face in our world today, though, are not addressed directly in the Bible. For instance, fetal-cell research, abortion and same-sex marriage are not discussed in an overt way in Scripture. Yet, we are expected to take a position on these issues. How do we know what we should believe?
The answer to that question is found, paradoxically, in the Bible. We can come to informed decisions about all of life’s issues only by having a consistent discipline of personal Bible study. As we study on a regular basis, we are then able to take all the truths we learn and draw from them answers about life’s issues. For instance, 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If we are making a relationship or career decision, we should ask ourselves how what we decide will reflect positively on God.
Whatever you do, do so in a manner in which God will be honored. Some careers would harm irreparably our reputation and would bring shame to the name of God. Some relationships can bring harm into our lives. If we associate with someone who is not a believer, we will be expected by them to do things clearly inconsistent with Scripture.
Making the right decision, the one consistent with God’s will for our lives, is not a hard thing to do. Knowing God’s will may require some thought, but in the end, God will show us the right way to go. Remember what James said: “But if any of you lacks wisdom (the knowledge of God’s will), let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it (wisdom) will be given to him.”
Pray, study the Bible and talk to an experienced, mature believer. Doing so will lead you to a clear understanding of God’s plan for your life.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Platforms and Principles
By constitutional design, the United States experiences a political revolution every four to eight years. Our revolutions are generally a peaceful transition from rule by one political party to another. In the late summer before the presidential election, political parties hold their conventions during which they do two important things: they present their platforms and they nominate their candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency. The candidates are the standard bearers for the party’s political program. Generally, the platform is a set of political statements expressing the presidential nominee’s positions, the party’s positions, and the “wish-lists” of the major political interest groups aligned with that particular party. The campaign for the presidency is as much about political platforms as it is about political personalities.
The platform of a political party is an expression of that party’s worldview. Democrat Party platforms tend to be liberal and are oriented to a more politically progressive philosophy; Republican Party platforms tend to be conservative and oriented to traditional American moral and political values. Even though platforms change in some respects every four years, depending on what the current political hot-button issues are, the fundamental philosophy, or worldview, undergirding the platform stays essentially the same. Worldviews tend to remain constant; they undergo few changes over time. The reason worldviews rarely change is because they are rooted in values. To change one’s values is indeed a revolutionary event.
We believers have our own “life-platform;” we are expressing in our lifestyles what we believe are the currently important issues for us. Searching for a job/career, a spouse, a place to live, a church, etc. are all parts of our life platform. When we find a job, that part of our platform is readjusted. We then must decide to what degree we will try to advance professionally; what level of income we desire; what our work conditions will be; and so on. Yet, underlying our platform is a set of values.
Sometimes, we find our values to be inconsistent with the teachings of Scripture. One of the events occurring in most of our lives, proving to be a challenge to some of our values, is the competition arising among the various planks of our platform. What do we do when family and job compete for time and resources? For a while, our job may be the number one priority in our lives. Then, we get married and find our relationship with our spouse and the demands of that relationship are in conflict with our commitment to our job. How will we resolve that dilemma? Scripture gives us guidance in both areas. What we might find is our career values are in conflict with biblical admonitions; or, our family values may fall short of the biblical principles regarding marriage and family. So, in such cases, we should look deeply at our values and attempt to align them with biblical teachings. We find peace in that process.
When James and the other Bible writers authored their works, they typically were addressing the disconnects between what the people of God were doing and what God expected of them. In James, the writer was addressing a group of people whose conduct in many ways was inconsistent with the biblical ethic. James showed how favoring one person over another was to compromise the integrity of the Law. He also pointed out the inconsistency in saying two things wholly in conflict with one another. Can a fig tree produce an olive, a vine a fig, or a spring both fresh and bitter water, James asked?
While James probably would not have used the word worldview, he did have that concept in mind. He argued believers always should be analyzing their conduct to determine if what they were doing was consistent with what they professed to believe. Further, he was concerned for his readers to understand what the Word of God expected from those who claimed to be living according to biblical precepts. One’s conduct may be wrong because one misunderstands or ignores what the Law of God teaches.
We cannot go through life, anymore than James’s first readers could, with a casual attitude about what we believe. We must always be attempting to determine if what we believe really is what the Bible teaches. Also, we must ask ourselves constantly if what we are doing is consistent with what we say we believe.
Political parties are notorious for compromising their platforms and the underlying political philosophies they are supposed to believe. They do so for the sake of political expediency, power and advantage. We, on the other hand, cannot afford to compromise at any point. Unlike political parties, we cannot rationalize our values for selfish reasons. To do so is arrogance. To do so is to insult God.
The platform of a political party is an expression of that party’s worldview. Democrat Party platforms tend to be liberal and are oriented to a more politically progressive philosophy; Republican Party platforms tend to be conservative and oriented to traditional American moral and political values. Even though platforms change in some respects every four years, depending on what the current political hot-button issues are, the fundamental philosophy, or worldview, undergirding the platform stays essentially the same. Worldviews tend to remain constant; they undergo few changes over time. The reason worldviews rarely change is because they are rooted in values. To change one’s values is indeed a revolutionary event.
We believers have our own “life-platform;” we are expressing in our lifestyles what we believe are the currently important issues for us. Searching for a job/career, a spouse, a place to live, a church, etc. are all parts of our life platform. When we find a job, that part of our platform is readjusted. We then must decide to what degree we will try to advance professionally; what level of income we desire; what our work conditions will be; and so on. Yet, underlying our platform is a set of values.
Sometimes, we find our values to be inconsistent with the teachings of Scripture. One of the events occurring in most of our lives, proving to be a challenge to some of our values, is the competition arising among the various planks of our platform. What do we do when family and job compete for time and resources? For a while, our job may be the number one priority in our lives. Then, we get married and find our relationship with our spouse and the demands of that relationship are in conflict with our commitment to our job. How will we resolve that dilemma? Scripture gives us guidance in both areas. What we might find is our career values are in conflict with biblical admonitions; or, our family values may fall short of the biblical principles regarding marriage and family. So, in such cases, we should look deeply at our values and attempt to align them with biblical teachings. We find peace in that process.
When James and the other Bible writers authored their works, they typically were addressing the disconnects between what the people of God were doing and what God expected of them. In James, the writer was addressing a group of people whose conduct in many ways was inconsistent with the biblical ethic. James showed how favoring one person over another was to compromise the integrity of the Law. He also pointed out the inconsistency in saying two things wholly in conflict with one another. Can a fig tree produce an olive, a vine a fig, or a spring both fresh and bitter water, James asked?
While James probably would not have used the word worldview, he did have that concept in mind. He argued believers always should be analyzing their conduct to determine if what they were doing was consistent with what they professed to believe. Further, he was concerned for his readers to understand what the Word of God expected from those who claimed to be living according to biblical precepts. One’s conduct may be wrong because one misunderstands or ignores what the Law of God teaches.
We cannot go through life, anymore than James’s first readers could, with a casual attitude about what we believe. We must always be attempting to determine if what we believe really is what the Bible teaches. Also, we must ask ourselves constantly if what we are doing is consistent with what we say we believe.
Political parties are notorious for compromising their platforms and the underlying political philosophies they are supposed to believe. They do so for the sake of political expediency, power and advantage. We, on the other hand, cannot afford to compromise at any point. Unlike political parties, we cannot rationalize our values for selfish reasons. To do so is arrogance. To do so is to insult God.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
More on Arrogance
By now, you all should have recovered from our hike on Sunday. As things turned out, the trail we took was quite challenging. All those steps! You all did well and made it through the whole hike. Then again, what would you have done if you had decided to quit halfway through the hike. Its not like there was an elevator to the top. Sometimes, giving up is not an option.
During lunch, Chris raised a question about Cain’s wife: where did she come from? I gave you an abbreviated answer. Later, Chris and Beth asked me about dinosaurs in the context of the creation story in Genesis 1. I told him I might take a Sunday or two and discuss some questions about creation. Staying with our study in James, though, seems to me to be a more important issue, but I do want to share some of my thoughts about creation and the early earth. So, here’s what I’ll do. For those of you who are interested, I will post some articles over the next week or so about creation on another of my blogs, http://hermeneian.blogspot.com. On 2collide-2collide is a link to this blog and one other.
Now, back to James. In our last study in James, we looked at James 3.1 and arrogance. We will be continuing the study in chapter 3 this next Sunday. We’ll look at 3.1-12. I think I’ll cover that whole section in our study. The main emphasis in this part of James is speaking in an idle, careless and thoughtless manner. James wanted his readers to see two things. First, his intent for his readers was for them to understand the inherent contradiction for believers in careless speech. Second, he wanted them to see the danger in that practice.
As we considered the concept of arrogance in our last study, we used some examples of high-profile individuals from our popular culture whose speech is characterized by arrogance. Remember some important implications of arrogance. An arrogant person is proud, condescending contentious and contemptuous of others.
Arrogance communicates a fundamentally unbiblical attitude about God and other persons. An arrogant persons is a superior-minded person; he believes everyone else is less valuable and important than he. An arrogant person is contemptuous of God and only superficially considers or disregards the Lord altogether in his planning. Indeed, the height of arrogance is to ignore God and his expectations.
In James 3, the use of the tongue is the human mannerism the author used to highlight the dangers and paradox of arrogance. Throughout the Bible, simple human attributes, the tongue, the stomach, the eyes and the hands, are often used to illustrate greater truths. Even more important, how these simple features are used, their importance in the life of a person, point to greater truths. In an extreme statement, Jesus suggested gouging out our eyes or cutting off our hands if they lead us into sin. His point was for believers to go to the most extreme lengths to exercise control in their lives. Surely, Jesus was not teaching self-mutilation. He did say, though, we are to do whatever is required to stop any activity or thought leading us into ungodliness.
Paul used another metaphor. He said, in 1 Corinthians 9.25-27, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” No one is so good and committed as to be exempt from exercising self-control in his life. To fail to do so, to believe one is good enough, is arrogance in the extreme.
Among those to whom James wrote, arrogance was a real issue. Some lived their lives oblivious to their own arrogant sinfulness. Others were teetering on the brink of arrogance (see James 2.1-6). Many times, we are as James’s readers: we are unthinkingly judgmental about others. We decide some are worthy and some are not. We use a number of criteria, social, economic, ethnic, racial, etc., as the basis of our evaluations of others. At times, we do so unconsciously, at others, we are intentional. In all cases we are arrogant. James will help us overcome this problem.
During lunch, Chris raised a question about Cain’s wife: where did she come from? I gave you an abbreviated answer. Later, Chris and Beth asked me about dinosaurs in the context of the creation story in Genesis 1. I told him I might take a Sunday or two and discuss some questions about creation. Staying with our study in James, though, seems to me to be a more important issue, but I do want to share some of my thoughts about creation and the early earth. So, here’s what I’ll do. For those of you who are interested, I will post some articles over the next week or so about creation on another of my blogs, http://hermeneian.blogspot.com. On 2collide-2collide is a link to this blog and one other.
Now, back to James. In our last study in James, we looked at James 3.1 and arrogance. We will be continuing the study in chapter 3 this next Sunday. We’ll look at 3.1-12. I think I’ll cover that whole section in our study. The main emphasis in this part of James is speaking in an idle, careless and thoughtless manner. James wanted his readers to see two things. First, his intent for his readers was for them to understand the inherent contradiction for believers in careless speech. Second, he wanted them to see the danger in that practice.
As we considered the concept of arrogance in our last study, we used some examples of high-profile individuals from our popular culture whose speech is characterized by arrogance. Remember some important implications of arrogance. An arrogant person is proud, condescending contentious and contemptuous of others.
Arrogance communicates a fundamentally unbiblical attitude about God and other persons. An arrogant persons is a superior-minded person; he believes everyone else is less valuable and important than he. An arrogant person is contemptuous of God and only superficially considers or disregards the Lord altogether in his planning. Indeed, the height of arrogance is to ignore God and his expectations.
In James 3, the use of the tongue is the human mannerism the author used to highlight the dangers and paradox of arrogance. Throughout the Bible, simple human attributes, the tongue, the stomach, the eyes and the hands, are often used to illustrate greater truths. Even more important, how these simple features are used, their importance in the life of a person, point to greater truths. In an extreme statement, Jesus suggested gouging out our eyes or cutting off our hands if they lead us into sin. His point was for believers to go to the most extreme lengths to exercise control in their lives. Surely, Jesus was not teaching self-mutilation. He did say, though, we are to do whatever is required to stop any activity or thought leading us into ungodliness.
Paul used another metaphor. He said, in 1 Corinthians 9.25-27, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” No one is so good and committed as to be exempt from exercising self-control in his life. To fail to do so, to believe one is good enough, is arrogance in the extreme.
Among those to whom James wrote, arrogance was a real issue. Some lived their lives oblivious to their own arrogant sinfulness. Others were teetering on the brink of arrogance (see James 2.1-6). Many times, we are as James’s readers: we are unthinkingly judgmental about others. We decide some are worthy and some are not. We use a number of criteria, social, economic, ethnic, racial, etc., as the basis of our evaluations of others. At times, we do so unconsciously, at others, we are intentional. In all cases we are arrogant. James will help us overcome this problem.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thoughts on Arrogance
Most of us do not think of ourselves as being arrogant. We typically attribute arrogance to those who are prideful and ego-centric. We do not want to be seen as contemptuous of or condescending to others. Unkind, uncaring and insensitive persons are arrogant. Not us.
Yet, we may be more arrogant than we think. James said, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” Are our actions always consistent with our words. At Gateway this past Sunday, we all confessed in the decision time, “Jesus is everything.” Well, is he everything to us? Does he matter more to us than anyone or anything else in all the world?
All of us have gone through a moment in time when we publicly professed Jesus as Savior and Lord (I hope you all have done that). Now, many times, we do not consider the implications of such a commitment. Too often, we have “things” in our lives blocking our view of Jesus. We say we love Jesus, yet, we do not express our love for him as consistently as we should. Is that not arrogance?
Let’s consider, for a moment, how love is defined in Scripture. Biblically, love is not primarily an emotional thing. Love, first and foremost, is a commitment of oneself unalterably to someone else. When we declare our love for God or our love for a person, we are committing ourselves to an unchanging, unfailing loyalty to the one loved. We are declaring no one or no thing will come between us and the one we love.
Can you see how easy being arrogant is? If we say we love Jesus, yet, allow some other priority in our lives to interfere with our obedience to the Lord, we are treating Jesus with contempt. We are making him less important than he really is; we are being contemptuous of him. We do not have to put ourselves in a position of authority to obligate ourselves to greater judgment (see Jam. 3.1). In fact, as a believer, we are indeed “teachers” of others. We are to model Christian behavior to those in our world who are not believers. If we profess to be followers of Jesus, but do not follow him in our public and private behavior, are we not arrogant and calling down upon ourselves a greater judgment?
Being consistent in our lives is a major issue. We must have a high level of agreement in the way we live between what we have said we believe and how we act. I mentioned Sunday morning the Christian pollster George Barna. In his latest book, he argues people between 18-25 are more concerned with how they feel about an issue than the fundamental truth of the issue. I believe such an attitude is really inter-generational. No one age group has cornered the market on feeling versus fact. We are all motivated by our own desire for comfort.
For instance, Francis Schaeffer, a theologian of the 70s and 80s, said Ronald Reagan was elected President, not because most people were politically or socially conservative, but because Reagan offered them the greatest hope of personal peace and prosperity. Are those two motives not feeling-based? Are we not, as followers of Jesus, supposed to come down on the side of commitment and not convenience? Every account in the New Testament of Jesus calling someone to follow him meant inconvenience for that person if he chose to leave what he was doing and become a disciple.
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Following Jesus does not always feel good, is not always convenient and many times will conflict with our list of personal priorities. Yet, when we confess Jesus as Lord, we are committing ourselves to go where he leads and do what he tells us to do. Anything less is arrogance. To ignore the commands of Jesus because of personal interests is to be contemptuous of the Lord and treat him as if he does not matter at all.
Does Jesus mean more than any one or anything else to us? Does he matter most? Beginning with Andrew and his brother Peter, those who have been summoned by Jesus to total discipleship have been faced always with the demand both to say and to do the truth.
Yet, we may be more arrogant than we think. James said, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” Are our actions always consistent with our words. At Gateway this past Sunday, we all confessed in the decision time, “Jesus is everything.” Well, is he everything to us? Does he matter more to us than anyone or anything else in all the world?
All of us have gone through a moment in time when we publicly professed Jesus as Savior and Lord (I hope you all have done that). Now, many times, we do not consider the implications of such a commitment. Too often, we have “things” in our lives blocking our view of Jesus. We say we love Jesus, yet, we do not express our love for him as consistently as we should. Is that not arrogance?
Let’s consider, for a moment, how love is defined in Scripture. Biblically, love is not primarily an emotional thing. Love, first and foremost, is a commitment of oneself unalterably to someone else. When we declare our love for God or our love for a person, we are committing ourselves to an unchanging, unfailing loyalty to the one loved. We are declaring no one or no thing will come between us and the one we love.
Can you see how easy being arrogant is? If we say we love Jesus, yet, allow some other priority in our lives to interfere with our obedience to the Lord, we are treating Jesus with contempt. We are making him less important than he really is; we are being contemptuous of him. We do not have to put ourselves in a position of authority to obligate ourselves to greater judgment (see Jam. 3.1). In fact, as a believer, we are indeed “teachers” of others. We are to model Christian behavior to those in our world who are not believers. If we profess to be followers of Jesus, but do not follow him in our public and private behavior, are we not arrogant and calling down upon ourselves a greater judgment?
Being consistent in our lives is a major issue. We must have a high level of agreement in the way we live between what we have said we believe and how we act. I mentioned Sunday morning the Christian pollster George Barna. In his latest book, he argues people between 18-25 are more concerned with how they feel about an issue than the fundamental truth of the issue. I believe such an attitude is really inter-generational. No one age group has cornered the market on feeling versus fact. We are all motivated by our own desire for comfort.
For instance, Francis Schaeffer, a theologian of the 70s and 80s, said Ronald Reagan was elected President, not because most people were politically or socially conservative, but because Reagan offered them the greatest hope of personal peace and prosperity. Are those two motives not feeling-based? Are we not, as followers of Jesus, supposed to come down on the side of commitment and not convenience? Every account in the New Testament of Jesus calling someone to follow him meant inconvenience for that person if he chose to leave what he was doing and become a disciple.
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Following Jesus does not always feel good, is not always convenient and many times will conflict with our list of personal priorities. Yet, when we confess Jesus as Lord, we are committing ourselves to go where he leads and do what he tells us to do. Anything less is arrogance. To ignore the commands of Jesus because of personal interests is to be contemptuous of the Lord and treat him as if he does not matter at all.
Does Jesus mean more than any one or anything else to us? Does he matter most? Beginning with Andrew and his brother Peter, those who have been summoned by Jesus to total discipleship have been faced always with the demand both to say and to do the truth.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Radical Faith
As we have seen in our study of James, the author was concerned for how followers of Jesus responded to the political crisis in first-century Palestine. By extension, our own reaction to political events in our day is of the same significance. We cannot remove ourselves from life and life something akin to monasticism. We must be engaged in our communities and in the lives of our neighbors.
In John 17, the great prayer of Jesus on behalf of his followers is recounted. In that prayer, he prayed, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” Just as Jesus asked the Father, we are kept safe in this world as we serve Jesus. When being a witness demands we be active in the world of politics, we can be assured the Spirit of God will protect us in our pursuits. But, we must, for our part, insure our motives are what they should be. We must seek in all circumstances to be obedient to the Lord. His unfailing protection and care give us the security we need to be obedient even when obedience is dangerous.
Now, being politically involved was of secondary importance to James. Certainly, he wanted followers of Jesus to respond in the right manner to the pressures of their day, but to do so required more than keen political insight. To be a dedicated follower of Jesus in the political realm requires the same thing needed for being a committed believer in medicine, law, commerce, and all the other pursuits characterizing a culture. One must be a transformed follower of Jesus.
Reading the Epistle of James challenges us at the point of our personal priorities. James, in the manner of Jesus, required radical transformation in the lives of disciples of Christ. One cannot go through life casually oblivious to the complex issues we face. How we lived as a 16-year old is not adequate for life in the world as a 19- or 25-year old. We must change within if we are to be prepared for the ever-increasing demands of life. We must give thought to who we are, what is important to us and what God demands of us.
Sunday, we will look intently into the 2d chapter of James. For most students of the Book of James, their focus has been on what most see as a divergence by James from the teachings of Paul about faith. Personally, I do not believe James was giving a lot of thought to what Paul had to say about faith. What James was confronting was false faith and religious faith. James was concerned for his readers to see faith as the basis for obedient service to Jesus and not as the reason for ritual observance of the Law.
James saw faith as the springboard into a deepening relationship with God and as the foundation for relationships among believers. As we read the 2d chapter of James, we can observe James’s impatience with those believers who betrayed their faith in Jesus by showing preferences within their worshiping fellowship. Further, he was even more bothered by those who saw religious observance of the Law as the most significant expression of faith.
The first command of the Law James quoted was the same one Jesus used in answering the question of a lawyer. The question was, “"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt. 22.37-39)
For James, loving God, and expressing trust in Him required complete obedience to the Lord and a total commitment to one’s neighbors. Only when we have been radically transformed by grace can we truly serve God. All the other stuff, tithing, church attendance, etc., are just manifestations of our faith; these acts are not the essence of faith. The believing Jews to whom James wrote were stumbling in their faithful obedience. The unbelieving Jews were convinced their ritual observance of the Law was good enough. James wanted both groups to see the true meaning of radical faith and obedience.
What we must decide what kind of persons we are. Are we the one who looks into the mirror of the Law and goes away unchanged, or the one who looks into the perfect Law, the Law of Liberty and is radically transformed. (James 1.22-25)
In John 17, the great prayer of Jesus on behalf of his followers is recounted. In that prayer, he prayed, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” Just as Jesus asked the Father, we are kept safe in this world as we serve Jesus. When being a witness demands we be active in the world of politics, we can be assured the Spirit of God will protect us in our pursuits. But, we must, for our part, insure our motives are what they should be. We must seek in all circumstances to be obedient to the Lord. His unfailing protection and care give us the security we need to be obedient even when obedience is dangerous.
Now, being politically involved was of secondary importance to James. Certainly, he wanted followers of Jesus to respond in the right manner to the pressures of their day, but to do so required more than keen political insight. To be a dedicated follower of Jesus in the political realm requires the same thing needed for being a committed believer in medicine, law, commerce, and all the other pursuits characterizing a culture. One must be a transformed follower of Jesus.
Reading the Epistle of James challenges us at the point of our personal priorities. James, in the manner of Jesus, required radical transformation in the lives of disciples of Christ. One cannot go through life casually oblivious to the complex issues we face. How we lived as a 16-year old is not adequate for life in the world as a 19- or 25-year old. We must change within if we are to be prepared for the ever-increasing demands of life. We must give thought to who we are, what is important to us and what God demands of us.
Sunday, we will look intently into the 2d chapter of James. For most students of the Book of James, their focus has been on what most see as a divergence by James from the teachings of Paul about faith. Personally, I do not believe James was giving a lot of thought to what Paul had to say about faith. What James was confronting was false faith and religious faith. James was concerned for his readers to see faith as the basis for obedient service to Jesus and not as the reason for ritual observance of the Law.
James saw faith as the springboard into a deepening relationship with God and as the foundation for relationships among believers. As we read the 2d chapter of James, we can observe James’s impatience with those believers who betrayed their faith in Jesus by showing preferences within their worshiping fellowship. Further, he was even more bothered by those who saw religious observance of the Law as the most significant expression of faith.
The first command of the Law James quoted was the same one Jesus used in answering the question of a lawyer. The question was, “"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt. 22.37-39)
For James, loving God, and expressing trust in Him required complete obedience to the Lord and a total commitment to one’s neighbors. Only when we have been radically transformed by grace can we truly serve God. All the other stuff, tithing, church attendance, etc., are just manifestations of our faith; these acts are not the essence of faith. The believing Jews to whom James wrote were stumbling in their faithful obedience. The unbelieving Jews were convinced their ritual observance of the Law was good enough. James wanted both groups to see the true meaning of radical faith and obedience.
What we must decide what kind of persons we are. Are we the one who looks into the mirror of the Law and goes away unchanged, or the one who looks into the perfect Law, the Law of Liberty and is radically transformed. (James 1.22-25)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
James and the Dynamics of Personal Change
This past Sunday, we started considering the impact of the message of James on our political awareness. The issue we addressed had to do with personal change and politics. Much of what politicians talk about, their own philosophies and goals, involves change on the parts of their constituents. Why should a citizen vote for a particular candidate, or pay taxes, or support some piece of legislation? Sometimes, we do what we do because we are coerced into action: we pay taxes to avoid legal problems. We often vote for reasons of self-interest. We commit to an issue-oriented group (for instance, a pro-life organization) based upon conviction.
The question for believers, though, is will we include all our political activities in the conviction category. In the Bible, the ultimate goal for God’s people is for them to act ethically. The heart of the Ten Commandments is ethical conduct. In the New Testament, the same goal is taught. For instance, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10.25f), when asked about eternal life and the Law, Jesus pointed out to his questioner ethical conduct is far superior to religious conduct. One can be religious without being ethical (the priest and the Levite who ignored the man in the ditch; the Samaritan acted ethically).
In James 1.19b-27, the author commented on personal change. James sought to show a difference between superficial change and fundamentally deep, personal transformation. James wanted the audience members hearing his letter who were followers of Jesus to be reminded of how a person becomes genuine and remains genuine.
James used the imagery of a person looking into a mirror to communicate his message. The metaphor had two intentions: (1) to describe the person who refuses to change; and (2) to describe the person who is changed and the dynamics of his transformation. Obviously, two kinds of persons made up the membership of James’s audience: those motivated by spiritual issues and those motivated by religious and physical concerns. With his mirror metaphor, James spoke to both groups.
Those who had religious and physical priorities were the first James described. These, James said, were only hearers of the Word. They look into the mirror, then go away, forgetting what kind of person they saw reflected. In actual fact, they were unconcerned with what kind of person they were; the main motives of this group were satisfying God through religious ritual and self-preservation through the amassing of power and wealth. How they got power and wealth did not matter.
The second group was described differently. Unlike the first, this class of persons not only heard the word, they did it as well. Their order of priorities differed fundamentally from the first group described. These hearers and doers looked into the mirror of the perfect law, the law of liberty and saw who they really were. Then, knowing God offers the ultimate protection, and God had already exalted them (see 1.9; being exalted is being raised up from one’s true poverty to God’s true wealth), they can committed themselves to the doing of the word. Doing the Word is first and foremost abiding by what the Word teaches, and, thus, being changed personally.
In the political world of his day, James knew believers had to have a different motive for their decisions than others. One group, the wealthy, wanted the Romans to stay in power so their affluence and power would be preserved. The rich were motivated entirely by physical concerns. They only heard the Word, they did not, in fact, abide by the demands of Scripture. They attended synagogue services, kept the Law, and at the appointed times went to the Temple. These people were ritually and religiously correct, but ethically corrupt. They “kept the Law” only to keep God happy. They were doing nothing more than checking blocks.
The followers of Jesus had a different set of values. True obedience, without regard to consequences, was the ultimate good for them. Even if they became political outcasts and were disenfranchised, they were to hear and do the true intent of the Law. James wanted them to understand only God would preserve them in whatever circumstances they found themselves , not politics, wealth, or the right connections.
We find ourselves in a similar situation today. Our political environment is different, but we face the same issues. Who does preserve us? Where does real power and wealth reside? Can we be politically involved and maintain our Christian convictions and values? I think James answers these questions.
Before Sunday, read James 2.1-13. Also, find a copy of the U. S. Constitution and read the preamble. Also, read the Declaration of Independence. Consider the questions, “Why was our country founded originally, and why was our republican form of government instituted?”
The question for believers, though, is will we include all our political activities in the conviction category. In the Bible, the ultimate goal for God’s people is for them to act ethically. The heart of the Ten Commandments is ethical conduct. In the New Testament, the same goal is taught. For instance, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10.25f), when asked about eternal life and the Law, Jesus pointed out to his questioner ethical conduct is far superior to religious conduct. One can be religious without being ethical (the priest and the Levite who ignored the man in the ditch; the Samaritan acted ethically).
In James 1.19b-27, the author commented on personal change. James sought to show a difference between superficial change and fundamentally deep, personal transformation. James wanted the audience members hearing his letter who were followers of Jesus to be reminded of how a person becomes genuine and remains genuine.
James used the imagery of a person looking into a mirror to communicate his message. The metaphor had two intentions: (1) to describe the person who refuses to change; and (2) to describe the person who is changed and the dynamics of his transformation. Obviously, two kinds of persons made up the membership of James’s audience: those motivated by spiritual issues and those motivated by religious and physical concerns. With his mirror metaphor, James spoke to both groups.
Those who had religious and physical priorities were the first James described. These, James said, were only hearers of the Word. They look into the mirror, then go away, forgetting what kind of person they saw reflected. In actual fact, they were unconcerned with what kind of person they were; the main motives of this group were satisfying God through religious ritual and self-preservation through the amassing of power and wealth. How they got power and wealth did not matter.
The second group was described differently. Unlike the first, this class of persons not only heard the word, they did it as well. Their order of priorities differed fundamentally from the first group described. These hearers and doers looked into the mirror of the perfect law, the law of liberty and saw who they really were. Then, knowing God offers the ultimate protection, and God had already exalted them (see 1.9; being exalted is being raised up from one’s true poverty to God’s true wealth), they can committed themselves to the doing of the word. Doing the Word is first and foremost abiding by what the Word teaches, and, thus, being changed personally.
In the political world of his day, James knew believers had to have a different motive for their decisions than others. One group, the wealthy, wanted the Romans to stay in power so their affluence and power would be preserved. The rich were motivated entirely by physical concerns. They only heard the Word, they did not, in fact, abide by the demands of Scripture. They attended synagogue services, kept the Law, and at the appointed times went to the Temple. These people were ritually and religiously correct, but ethically corrupt. They “kept the Law” only to keep God happy. They were doing nothing more than checking blocks.
The followers of Jesus had a different set of values. True obedience, without regard to consequences, was the ultimate good for them. Even if they became political outcasts and were disenfranchised, they were to hear and do the true intent of the Law. James wanted them to understand only God would preserve them in whatever circumstances they found themselves , not politics, wealth, or the right connections.
We find ourselves in a similar situation today. Our political environment is different, but we face the same issues. Who does preserve us? Where does real power and wealth reside? Can we be politically involved and maintain our Christian convictions and values? I think James answers these questions.
Before Sunday, read James 2.1-13. Also, find a copy of the U. S. Constitution and read the preamble. Also, read the Declaration of Independence. Consider the questions, “Why was our country founded originally, and why was our republican form of government instituted?”
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
James Introduction
Over the past two Sundays, we have done what is called in New Testament studies a “critical introduction” to the Epistle of James. Critical introduction means the key issues, authorship, dating, occasion (why a biblical book was written), place of origin, and addressees are considered in a scholarly way. My goal was to give you the background information in an understandable and practical manner. The more one knows about a biblical text, the better able he is to make sensible applications to his life.
Briefly, James, the brother of Jesus (probably the first child fathered by Joseph), wrote his letter in 61-62 AD. In in mid- to late-62, if the information provided by the Jewish historian Josephus is correct, James was executed by Ananus, the high priest. James wrote from Jerusalem, where he was the recognized head of the church. He wrote to the members of Palestinian synagogues; his message was for both traditional Jews and those who had become followers of Jesus. By 62, political conflict was spreading throughout Palestine. Various groups of Jewish rebels, Zealots, Sicarii, were fighting both Rome and the religio-political leaders of Israel. The high priestly sect, led by the Sadducees, along with other wealthy and politically influential Jews had aligned themselves with Rome in order to secure their wealth and power.
Believing Jews were being pressured by all these groups to them in the politically heated atmosphere of the day. Some of these believers were uncertain of what to do. Violence, which was at odds with basic Christian teachings, characterized the conflict. Jews who sympathized with Rome were assassinated on a regular basis by the Sicarii. The Zealots, mostly rebels and outlaws, robbed people on the open roads of the countryside to amass the financial resources for their insurrectionist activities. Believers found themselves caught in the middle.
We are in a similar situation today. Although we do not see physical violence in our country, modern politics is characterized by radical partisanship and the practice of personal destruction. Our political culture is highly charged; the division between the two major political parties is broad; conservative and liberals seem unable to find any common ground. Debate is heated and caustic; character assassination is the modus operandi of many (a sort of “if you don’t like the message, kill the messenger” type of mentality).
How do we believers respond? Do we have broader civic responsibilities than just voting and paying taxes? And, by the way, what do we do when taxes are burdensome? When we are unable to find a candidate we can vote for, do we not vote? Even the most basic responsibilities we have involve complex ethical challenges.
For the first time in perhaps 30-40 years, the last presidential election saw a divide in the voting pattern of evangelicals. Instead of being fully behind one candidate, the evangelical Christian community was split significantly between the two major candidates. Now, we find ourselves facing an administration fully hostile to traditional biblical ethics. The current President has filled his Cabinet with people who are openly and aggressively in support of abortion. Same-sex marriage proponents seem to have a friend in the White House. We are faced with the question of what should be the nature of our support for the President.
Many other issues, some seemingly pushing constitutional limits, demand we take a position. How do we decide what we are to do about our country and its future. As young adults who are at the beginning of a time of greater responsibility, you need to realize the changes occurring in our political world today will have a greater impact on you and your children than people of my generation. You cannot afford to be passive and apathetic. You must decide what kind of political person you will be. From local elections to national contests, you will be called upon to make decisions with the potential to change fundamentally the character of communities and our country.
Political parties will seek to recruit you; special interest groups will try to gain your support. How will you respond. You cannot ignore real life.
James will help us negotiate the very real ethical issues of our modern political world.
Briefly, James, the brother of Jesus (probably the first child fathered by Joseph), wrote his letter in 61-62 AD. In in mid- to late-62, if the information provided by the Jewish historian Josephus is correct, James was executed by Ananus, the high priest. James wrote from Jerusalem, where he was the recognized head of the church. He wrote to the members of Palestinian synagogues; his message was for both traditional Jews and those who had become followers of Jesus. By 62, political conflict was spreading throughout Palestine. Various groups of Jewish rebels, Zealots, Sicarii, were fighting both Rome and the religio-political leaders of Israel. The high priestly sect, led by the Sadducees, along with other wealthy and politically influential Jews had aligned themselves with Rome in order to secure their wealth and power.
Believing Jews were being pressured by all these groups to them in the politically heated atmosphere of the day. Some of these believers were uncertain of what to do. Violence, which was at odds with basic Christian teachings, characterized the conflict. Jews who sympathized with Rome were assassinated on a regular basis by the Sicarii. The Zealots, mostly rebels and outlaws, robbed people on the open roads of the countryside to amass the financial resources for their insurrectionist activities. Believers found themselves caught in the middle.
We are in a similar situation today. Although we do not see physical violence in our country, modern politics is characterized by radical partisanship and the practice of personal destruction. Our political culture is highly charged; the division between the two major political parties is broad; conservative and liberals seem unable to find any common ground. Debate is heated and caustic; character assassination is the modus operandi of many (a sort of “if you don’t like the message, kill the messenger” type of mentality).
How do we believers respond? Do we have broader civic responsibilities than just voting and paying taxes? And, by the way, what do we do when taxes are burdensome? When we are unable to find a candidate we can vote for, do we not vote? Even the most basic responsibilities we have involve complex ethical challenges.
For the first time in perhaps 30-40 years, the last presidential election saw a divide in the voting pattern of evangelicals. Instead of being fully behind one candidate, the evangelical Christian community was split significantly between the two major candidates. Now, we find ourselves facing an administration fully hostile to traditional biblical ethics. The current President has filled his Cabinet with people who are openly and aggressively in support of abortion. Same-sex marriage proponents seem to have a friend in the White House. We are faced with the question of what should be the nature of our support for the President.
Many other issues, some seemingly pushing constitutional limits, demand we take a position. How do we decide what we are to do about our country and its future. As young adults who are at the beginning of a time of greater responsibility, you need to realize the changes occurring in our political world today will have a greater impact on you and your children than people of my generation. You cannot afford to be passive and apathetic. You must decide what kind of political person you will be. From local elections to national contests, you will be called upon to make decisions with the potential to change fundamentally the character of communities and our country.
Political parties will seek to recruit you; special interest groups will try to gain your support. How will you respond. You cannot ignore real life.
James will help us negotiate the very real ethical issues of our modern political world.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Letter of James
I have a quick note for y’all this week. My plan for Sunday Bible Study is going to take a new direction. I want to stay with the "building a biblical worldview" theme, but do so from a new angle. We are going to study a New Testament book: The Epistle of James.
James had been a somewhat neglected text. For many, the book is sort of an enigma. Sunday, we’ll look at some of the reasons why James has been misunderstood. I believe, thought, the book has critical importance for us in the modern era. The importance of James is connected to believers and politics.
We face civic involvements first-century followers of Jesus did not encounter. Yet, politics was a reality for them as for us. When James wrote his letter, the land of Palestine was on the verge of an upheaval not seen for more than a century. The crisis would lead to a new political reality for Jews in Palestine.
James wrote around 62 AD, and the states of Palestine, as a result of the conflict, would cease to exist as political entities. As well, the upheaval would cause Christians to disperse into the wider world with few left behind in Palestine. This violent revolution, as much as anything, would bring about the final split of Christianity and Judaism. Until the First Jewish Revolt of the late 60s to early 70s AD, Jewish believers maintained a relationship with Judaism as well as with new Gentile believers. After the revolt, Christians would be sundered from the faith out of which they were birthed.
When James wrote, he addressed the political issues of the day. Three major groups were involved in the uprising: traditional, Temple-oriented Jews, the Jews of the land, and the Romans. Pressure was being applied to believers from all three groups. James wanted Jewish believers to know how to respond to the political realities of his day.
The political problems of James’s day were similar to the issues we as modern believers face in America. How do we respond to our political world? How do we function as salt and light in an increasingly hostile and corrupt political environment. Do we identify with a political party or movement? Beyond voting, how deeply committed to political and social change should modern followers of Jesus be?
I believe James provides some answers to these and other questions. We cannot and should not hide our heads in the sand, but we should be very circumspect in how we express ourselves in the "public square."
No doubt, you have been reading or hearing comments about the President’s declaration in Turkey about America not being a Christian nation. Should we accept that statement, or take the alternative view?
I hope you’ll be with us this Sunday and the several weeks following as we look into James to find wisdom for our modern day struggles.
James had been a somewhat neglected text. For many, the book is sort of an enigma. Sunday, we’ll look at some of the reasons why James has been misunderstood. I believe, thought, the book has critical importance for us in the modern era. The importance of James is connected to believers and politics.
We face civic involvements first-century followers of Jesus did not encounter. Yet, politics was a reality for them as for us. When James wrote his letter, the land of Palestine was on the verge of an upheaval not seen for more than a century. The crisis would lead to a new political reality for Jews in Palestine.
James wrote around 62 AD, and the states of Palestine, as a result of the conflict, would cease to exist as political entities. As well, the upheaval would cause Christians to disperse into the wider world with few left behind in Palestine. This violent revolution, as much as anything, would bring about the final split of Christianity and Judaism. Until the First Jewish Revolt of the late 60s to early 70s AD, Jewish believers maintained a relationship with Judaism as well as with new Gentile believers. After the revolt, Christians would be sundered from the faith out of which they were birthed.
When James wrote, he addressed the political issues of the day. Three major groups were involved in the uprising: traditional, Temple-oriented Jews, the Jews of the land, and the Romans. Pressure was being applied to believers from all three groups. James wanted Jewish believers to know how to respond to the political realities of his day.
The political problems of James’s day were similar to the issues we as modern believers face in America. How do we respond to our political world? How do we function as salt and light in an increasingly hostile and corrupt political environment. Do we identify with a political party or movement? Beyond voting, how deeply committed to political and social change should modern followers of Jesus be?
I believe James provides some answers to these and other questions. We cannot and should not hide our heads in the sand, but we should be very circumspect in how we express ourselves in the "public square."
No doubt, you have been reading or hearing comments about the President’s declaration in Turkey about America not being a Christian nation. Should we accept that statement, or take the alternative view?
I hope you’ll be with us this Sunday and the several weeks following as we look into James to find wisdom for our modern day struggles.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Ethical Issue No. 2: Human Sexuality
In beginning our series on Ethical Issues, we considered abortion. We all seemed to be in agreement with respect to the biblical position on abortion: God values human life from conception on to and beyond death. Psalm 139.12-17, Jeremiah 1.5, and Luke 1.15, 30-37, all show God’s attitude toward the unborn. Before birth, Jesus was known as the Holy Child.
As we continuing investigating today’s ethical issues, we will see among them all a common thread: the value of human life. Regardless of whether we are talking about sexual issues, economic issues, political concerns, or a whole range of other, important ethical topics, the worth and dignity of human life must be taken into consideration.
Sunday, we’ll be looking at human sexuality. I think we will need at least two weeks to cover adequately this topic. We want to talk about sex outside marriage, STDs, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and other, pertinent topics.
How does the value and dignity of human life figure into a discussion of human sexuality? Well, the answer to that question is easy: what is your worth in your own eyes? How much you think of yourself will determine how you express yourself sexually. How you value yourself will determine how you treat others.
We should never degrade ourselves or others. Sometimes, human sexual conduct is degrading. Sex should never be degrading. Sex is degrading when the act is primarily selfish. So, if you are concerned only with your sexual pleasure, you will always use someone else to find pleasure.
This is a short article. I want to talk for the most part in class about this issue. You can prepare for Sunday by going to another blog I have, http://baptistblog.blogtownhall.com. There, you will find posts about two issues: two articles about homosexuality and genetics, and three under the title: sex, enobling or degrading (the homosexuality articles follow the three on sexuality).
As we continuing investigating today’s ethical issues, we will see among them all a common thread: the value of human life. Regardless of whether we are talking about sexual issues, economic issues, political concerns, or a whole range of other, important ethical topics, the worth and dignity of human life must be taken into consideration.
Sunday, we’ll be looking at human sexuality. I think we will need at least two weeks to cover adequately this topic. We want to talk about sex outside marriage, STDs, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and other, pertinent topics.
How does the value and dignity of human life figure into a discussion of human sexuality? Well, the answer to that question is easy: what is your worth in your own eyes? How much you think of yourself will determine how you express yourself sexually. How you value yourself will determine how you treat others.
We should never degrade ourselves or others. Sometimes, human sexual conduct is degrading. Sex should never be degrading. Sex is degrading when the act is primarily selfish. So, if you are concerned only with your sexual pleasure, you will always use someone else to find pleasure.
This is a short article. I want to talk for the most part in class about this issue. You can prepare for Sunday by going to another blog I have, http://baptistblog.blogtownhall.com. There, you will find posts about two issues: two articles about homosexuality and genetics, and three under the title: sex, enobling or degrading (the homosexuality articles follow the three on sexuality).
Friday, March 6, 2009
Ethical Issue No. 1: Abortion
Considering the value of human life requires us to deal with a number of issues. High on the list are abortion and fetal stem cell research. Most of us have a position on abortion. Frankly, one must be either pro-abortion or anti-abortion. Most of the time, we and others call ourselves either pro-life or pro-choice.
How are abortion and human worth connected? Our discussion this past Sunday was intended to help you understand why we should affirm the worth or human life. We saw, from the perspective of Scripture, the importance of creation as a basis for understanding the value of human life. God created us to be who and what we are; we did not get here as the result of a time-chance process. Our existence and our being is intentional.
By the way, we need to realize our lives are not the point of creation. God put us here as a part of a greater plan. We live so God can show the richness of his wisdom and grace. Paul said to the Ephesians, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world . . . to the praise of the glory of His grace.” (Eph. 1.4, 6). He also said God did what he did “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 3.10) We are not here just to exist; we are here as a part of a far-reaching, far greater purpose.
So, as we showed Sunday, God has made us the way we are and wants us to be responsible in all we do. God commanded humans, after he created them, to be fruitful, to be great, to bring the earth and all in it under control, and, thus, to rule the world. To do so as God intends requires us to be responsible. To do otherwise, to pollute, to litter, to abuse, is to be irresponsible and sinful.
We also saw how unique humans are from a genetic point of view. Our DNA is specific to us; our DNA is different from other primates and all other life forms. We share some DNA with other life forms (with chimpanzees and nematodes, for instance), but sharing genetic information does not mean we are part chimp or part worm, or that chimps or worms are part human.
But, the most important distinctive we humans possess is the value God has given us; God made us to be separate. Among all life forms, God gave only humans the capacity to be responsible for more than their own lives, and to have an awareness of the immeasurable complexity of the world. We are the only ones who can change our world and convey to one another our deepest convictions and feelings. Chimps do not go on diets; humans do. Chimps do not have hospitals or orphanages, chimps are not humanitarian or altruistic; humans are all these and more.
Our special nature and uniqueness, though, stems from the fact God has declared us to be special; thus, we are to act in a way appropriate to our special place in creation. We are to take responsibility for ourselves and our neighbors and the world around us; we are indeed our brothers’ keepers.
One of the strange things chimps do is to kill their infants. Both male and female chimpanzees have been observed killing infants; no one knows for sure why they do such a thing. So, we should ask, are we more like chimps, or are they more like us. Chimpanzee females are not known to kill their own babies, but have been observed killing the baby chimps of other females in their troop. Sadly, we humans kill our own children and call it choice.
The current nominee to be the next secretary of Health and Human Services has stated, “ My Catholic faith teaches me that all life is sacred, and personally I believe abortion is wrong. However, I disagree with the suggestion that criminalizing women and their doctors is an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the number of abortions in our nation. There is another way. By working in support of the common good we can better protect human life and the dignity of all people. If we work hard and match our rhetoric with our actions, we can create a culture that is more welcoming of mothers and treasuring of our children.”
One cannot be pro-choice and pro-life. Neither can one support abortion and think such a stand will lead to making children more treasured. Abortion on-demand is a reality in our country. Yet, abortion is never the choice one should make if human life is valued and children are treasured. When a child is aborted because of the inconvenience of a pregnancy, human life has been devalued.
How are abortion and human worth connected? Our discussion this past Sunday was intended to help you understand why we should affirm the worth or human life. We saw, from the perspective of Scripture, the importance of creation as a basis for understanding the value of human life. God created us to be who and what we are; we did not get here as the result of a time-chance process. Our existence and our being is intentional.
By the way, we need to realize our lives are not the point of creation. God put us here as a part of a greater plan. We live so God can show the richness of his wisdom and grace. Paul said to the Ephesians, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world . . . to the praise of the glory of His grace.” (Eph. 1.4, 6). He also said God did what he did “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 3.10) We are not here just to exist; we are here as a part of a far-reaching, far greater purpose.
So, as we showed Sunday, God has made us the way we are and wants us to be responsible in all we do. God commanded humans, after he created them, to be fruitful, to be great, to bring the earth and all in it under control, and, thus, to rule the world. To do so as God intends requires us to be responsible. To do otherwise, to pollute, to litter, to abuse, is to be irresponsible and sinful.
We also saw how unique humans are from a genetic point of view. Our DNA is specific to us; our DNA is different from other primates and all other life forms. We share some DNA with other life forms (with chimpanzees and nematodes, for instance), but sharing genetic information does not mean we are part chimp or part worm, or that chimps or worms are part human.
But, the most important distinctive we humans possess is the value God has given us; God made us to be separate. Among all life forms, God gave only humans the capacity to be responsible for more than their own lives, and to have an awareness of the immeasurable complexity of the world. We are the only ones who can change our world and convey to one another our deepest convictions and feelings. Chimps do not go on diets; humans do. Chimps do not have hospitals or orphanages, chimps are not humanitarian or altruistic; humans are all these and more.
Our special nature and uniqueness, though, stems from the fact God has declared us to be special; thus, we are to act in a way appropriate to our special place in creation. We are to take responsibility for ourselves and our neighbors and the world around us; we are indeed our brothers’ keepers.
One of the strange things chimps do is to kill their infants. Both male and female chimpanzees have been observed killing infants; no one knows for sure why they do such a thing. So, we should ask, are we more like chimps, or are they more like us. Chimpanzee females are not known to kill their own babies, but have been observed killing the baby chimps of other females in their troop. Sadly, we humans kill our own children and call it choice.
The current nominee to be the next secretary of Health and Human Services has stated, “ My Catholic faith teaches me that all life is sacred, and personally I believe abortion is wrong. However, I disagree with the suggestion that criminalizing women and their doctors is an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the number of abortions in our nation. There is another way. By working in support of the common good we can better protect human life and the dignity of all people. If we work hard and match our rhetoric with our actions, we can create a culture that is more welcoming of mothers and treasuring of our children.”
One cannot be pro-choice and pro-life. Neither can one support abortion and think such a stand will lead to making children more treasured. Abortion on-demand is a reality in our country. Yet, abortion is never the choice one should make if human life is valued and children are treasured. When a child is aborted because of the inconvenience of a pregnancy, human life has been devalued.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Right Things
Your worldview determines how you “see” life. From our perspective as followers of Jesus (who had a distinctly biblical worldview), we should be looking at the world around us through the lens of Scripture. If we see the world from the point of view of the Bible, then we have a distinctly ethical vision of our world. Basically, the message of Scripture is framed by the boundary between right and wrong. The most powerful statement of fundamental human ethics is the Ten Commandments.
This past Sunday, we looked at a passage in Colossians 3 intended by Paul as a description of the component parts of the process of sin. In Chapter 3, the Apostle informed his readers of how sin begins with spur of the moment thoughts or actions, and ends in fundamentally destructive behaviors and motives.
In the list in verse 5, Paul described the process whose end is sexual immorality. Now, if you remember, we saw how Paul had put his list together by starting with the end result, working back to the initial thought. Consequently, we can see how sexual immorality is basically a selfish, destructive behavior. Sexual immorality is born out of a selfish motive: greed. Greed is an unhealthy desire for something. If indulged, greed will lead to our being willing to do whatever is necessary to get what we want. Our desire, by the way, can be for something legitimate or illegitimate.
So, we can see how sexual immorality gets its start. Now, sex is okay, but only between a husband and a wife. Having sexual desires is natural; how we fulfill them is the issue. If we become driven by our sexuality, if we become greedy for sex, we will do whatever is necessary in our attempt to satisfy our desire. Mostly, what we will do is use others As we yield to this fleeting passion.
In verse 8, the subject of Paul’s list is anger. This list shows the connection between actions and motives, just as verse 5 does. In verse 8, the last word, anger (a motive), is the end result of a beginning action, abusive speech from one’s mouth. Further, just as with selfish physical desires, the process of anger, when its course is run, ends in destructive thoughts and deeds.
In James 1.12-16, we find another treatment of the issue of motive and actions. In James, the writer showed how our basic, physical desires are our worst enemies. Homer, in the Odyssey, described how the Sirens, with their beautiful, but deceptive song, tried to lure Odysseus to his death. When unrestrained and uncontrolled (Odysseus had himself tied to his ship’s mast and his sailor’s ears plugged with beeswax to prevent them from succumbing to the Sirens’ song), our desires, with their song, will lure us to a shameful and quite possibly a destructive death.
So, we can understand the need for a biblical worldview. If we see our physical needs and desires through the lens of Scripture, we will keep them under control, instead of being controlled by them. We will find life and freedom by living our lives based on Scripture; we will find bondage and death if we live our lives in the clutches of our passions.
Our world today is filled with all kinds of ethical challenges. These run the gamut from fetal stem cell research (the question of the nature of human life) to how we express ourselves sexually. As believers, we must forge for ourselves a well-thought-out position on all the ethical issues of our day. We cannot avoid these challenges, excusing ourselves because we think or want such questions to be “above our pay-grade.” They are not.
Some of the pressing dilemmas of our time have to do with the nature of human life. We will begin our investigation of the major social issues of our day by looking at when life begins, how we can know when life begins, and what the basic issues are concerning the nature of life. If we can establish a basic concept of life’s worth, we can put all other issues in perspective. If human life is special, if human life has a fundamental God-given value, we can then begin to answer a host of other questions about right and wrong.
Read Psalm 139.13-17; Jeremiah 1.5-10; Luke 1.8-15, 26-35, 39-44, before Sunday.
This past Sunday, we looked at a passage in Colossians 3 intended by Paul as a description of the component parts of the process of sin. In Chapter 3, the Apostle informed his readers of how sin begins with spur of the moment thoughts or actions, and ends in fundamentally destructive behaviors and motives.
In the list in verse 5, Paul described the process whose end is sexual immorality. Now, if you remember, we saw how Paul had put his list together by starting with the end result, working back to the initial thought. Consequently, we can see how sexual immorality is basically a selfish, destructive behavior. Sexual immorality is born out of a selfish motive: greed. Greed is an unhealthy desire for something. If indulged, greed will lead to our being willing to do whatever is necessary to get what we want. Our desire, by the way, can be for something legitimate or illegitimate.
So, we can see how sexual immorality gets its start. Now, sex is okay, but only between a husband and a wife. Having sexual desires is natural; how we fulfill them is the issue. If we become driven by our sexuality, if we become greedy for sex, we will do whatever is necessary in our attempt to satisfy our desire. Mostly, what we will do is use others As we yield to this fleeting passion.
In verse 8, the subject of Paul’s list is anger. This list shows the connection between actions and motives, just as verse 5 does. In verse 8, the last word, anger (a motive), is the end result of a beginning action, abusive speech from one’s mouth. Further, just as with selfish physical desires, the process of anger, when its course is run, ends in destructive thoughts and deeds.
In James 1.12-16, we find another treatment of the issue of motive and actions. In James, the writer showed how our basic, physical desires are our worst enemies. Homer, in the Odyssey, described how the Sirens, with their beautiful, but deceptive song, tried to lure Odysseus to his death. When unrestrained and uncontrolled (Odysseus had himself tied to his ship’s mast and his sailor’s ears plugged with beeswax to prevent them from succumbing to the Sirens’ song), our desires, with their song, will lure us to a shameful and quite possibly a destructive death.
So, we can understand the need for a biblical worldview. If we see our physical needs and desires through the lens of Scripture, we will keep them under control, instead of being controlled by them. We will find life and freedom by living our lives based on Scripture; we will find bondage and death if we live our lives in the clutches of our passions.
Our world today is filled with all kinds of ethical challenges. These run the gamut from fetal stem cell research (the question of the nature of human life) to how we express ourselves sexually. As believers, we must forge for ourselves a well-thought-out position on all the ethical issues of our day. We cannot avoid these challenges, excusing ourselves because we think or want such questions to be “above our pay-grade.” They are not.
Some of the pressing dilemmas of our time have to do with the nature of human life. We will begin our investigation of the major social issues of our day by looking at when life begins, how we can know when life begins, and what the basic issues are concerning the nature of life. If we can establish a basic concept of life’s worth, we can put all other issues in perspective. If human life is special, if human life has a fundamental God-given value, we can then begin to answer a host of other questions about right and wrong.
Read Psalm 139.13-17; Jeremiah 1.5-10; Luke 1.8-15, 26-35, 39-44, before Sunday.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Knowing the Right Thing
How do we determine the difference between right and wrong? Over the last 40-50 years, the moral climate in America has shifted, and the changes occurred because new moral templates were suggested. One of the more famous was, “if it feels good, do it.” Another guideline offered declared, “if no one is hurt, the act cannot be wrong.” When we face some of our more modern dilemmas, such as stem cell research, we are told the benefit some would experience, for instance from stem cell research, justifies what we do. Surely, some argue, if we can relieve suffering by harvesting embryos for the purpose of developing cures for terrible diseases, we are on the side of good.
Are such arguments sound? Can we use them as guides for our own ethical decision-making? Or, should we look to other sources? This past week, when the Speaker of the House of Representatives met with Pope Benedict, the spiritual leader of Catholics reminded Ms. Pelosi of the spiritual and ethical responsibility elected political leaders have for protecting human life from conception to natural death. The Pope wanted to clarify the ethical standards by which Catholics should be led.
Can we say, in a final, definitive way, a biblical standard exists regarding abortion? How about human sexuality? Are we able to say safely the Bible tells us what is right and what is wrong in our sexual conduct? What about the way we spend our money, or use our time, or respond to our neighbors, or conduct ourselves in the classroom and on the job?
Even more important, where do we find the courage to stand up for what we believe? Our study of Hebrews 5.11-14 gave us some direction in finding an answer to that question. This passage, and especially verse 14, serves as the ethical core of the Book of Hebrews. The original addressees of this “letter” were struggling with the challenge to stay faithful to God and the church. Hebrews, you remember, is actually a sermon, sent to a group of believers in Rome, intended to encourage them to continue trusting in God, even in the face of stiff persecution.
So, how does the statement, “but solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil,” fit in with the topic of faith? Well, the list of faith champions in Chapter 11 points to the answer. Each person listed had some challenge to overcome. Each was victorious through faith. But, what kind of faith? These heros succeeded because they were willing to rely on God’s faithfulness when they had to make hard decisions about right and wrong. We do not often think of faith in terms of ethics, but, at its deepest level, faith, trusting in God, is all about doing the right thing. Whatever God calls us to do, he always leads us to do the right thing, regardless of how costly the decision, or what the consequences might be.
The payoff for doing the right thing is knowing you have done the right thing. We never forget our important decisions; they remain a part of who we are. When we do the wrong thing, the negative consequence is we know we have failed. The reward for doing the right thing is knowing we have done the right thing.
By the way, we need to be reminded God takes even our failures, and uses them for our good. He is the ultimate steward; he is not wasteful. God does not remind us, either, we are failures. He forgives us, and wipes the failure off his record. We should do the same.
Believers today face challenges no one dreamed would ever confront us. Stem-cell research, human sexuality issues, poverty and wealth, political involvement, and a host of other issues stare us in the face daily. How will we respond? By developing a biblical worldview, we can face these issues, and resolve them in such a way as to honor God and not compromise our own values, and the teachings of God’s word. We are going to confront these issues over the next several weeks.
Are such arguments sound? Can we use them as guides for our own ethical decision-making? Or, should we look to other sources? This past week, when the Speaker of the House of Representatives met with Pope Benedict, the spiritual leader of Catholics reminded Ms. Pelosi of the spiritual and ethical responsibility elected political leaders have for protecting human life from conception to natural death. The Pope wanted to clarify the ethical standards by which Catholics should be led.
Can we say, in a final, definitive way, a biblical standard exists regarding abortion? How about human sexuality? Are we able to say safely the Bible tells us what is right and what is wrong in our sexual conduct? What about the way we spend our money, or use our time, or respond to our neighbors, or conduct ourselves in the classroom and on the job?
Even more important, where do we find the courage to stand up for what we believe? Our study of Hebrews 5.11-14 gave us some direction in finding an answer to that question. This passage, and especially verse 14, serves as the ethical core of the Book of Hebrews. The original addressees of this “letter” were struggling with the challenge to stay faithful to God and the church. Hebrews, you remember, is actually a sermon, sent to a group of believers in Rome, intended to encourage them to continue trusting in God, even in the face of stiff persecution.
So, how does the statement, “but solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil,” fit in with the topic of faith? Well, the list of faith champions in Chapter 11 points to the answer. Each person listed had some challenge to overcome. Each was victorious through faith. But, what kind of faith? These heros succeeded because they were willing to rely on God’s faithfulness when they had to make hard decisions about right and wrong. We do not often think of faith in terms of ethics, but, at its deepest level, faith, trusting in God, is all about doing the right thing. Whatever God calls us to do, he always leads us to do the right thing, regardless of how costly the decision, or what the consequences might be.
The payoff for doing the right thing is knowing you have done the right thing. We never forget our important decisions; they remain a part of who we are. When we do the wrong thing, the negative consequence is we know we have failed. The reward for doing the right thing is knowing we have done the right thing.
By the way, we need to be reminded God takes even our failures, and uses them for our good. He is the ultimate steward; he is not wasteful. God does not remind us, either, we are failures. He forgives us, and wipes the failure off his record. We should do the same.
Believers today face challenges no one dreamed would ever confront us. Stem-cell research, human sexuality issues, poverty and wealth, political involvement, and a host of other issues stare us in the face daily. How will we respond? By developing a biblical worldview, we can face these issues, and resolve them in such a way as to honor God and not compromise our own values, and the teachings of God’s word. We are going to confront these issues over the next several weeks.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Doing the Right Thing
This past Sunday, we talked about the fruit of the Spirit. Our intent was to show a relationship between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The emphasis of this connection between the two works of the Spirit in the life of the believer shows how fruit affect the application of the gifts.
The fruit of the Spirit as detailed by Paul are an interesting group. First of all, some of the fruit listed are also used by the Apostle in describing God. What we might infer from this fact is the fruit, as Paul outlined them, are a composite definition of the character of God as expressed in the life of Jesus. In other words, when we think about who Jesus is and how he lived his life while upon the earth, we see these nine character traits expressed. So, we can conclude, then, God through his Spirit is working in our lives to reproduce in us his own character and the character of his Son Jesus.
A second observation I can make here, and not observed in our study Sunday, is most of the words in the fruit of the Spirit list are used elsewhere by Paul in ethical contexts. Paul was concerned for believers to live their lives according to the principles of Scripture. By its very nature, the Bible is ethical. Scripture is ethical in its being the revelation of God; God, in the Bible, shows himself and his will. If God directs us to do something, he is commanding us to do the right thing. So, the fruit of the Spirit is about doing the right thing.
A third observation is the fruit are about relationships. Three fundamental relationships are covered by these fruit: God and the believer; the believer and others; the believer and himself. Three of the fruit show us what God has done for us and given to us. He has shown us his love so we will be able to show love to others. Because he has saved us and made us his children, we can have a deep sense of joy because of the basic security we have. We have peace, or wholeness, because God has forgiven us our sin and made us whole (see Colossians 2.10). We then can have the kind of relationship with God he wants us to have because of what he has done for us.
The next three fruit describe how a believer should relate to others, both saved and non-believers. We are to be patient; we are to be in such control of our anger we can undergo much ill-treatment without “losing” our temper. Also, we can show kindness to others. The word kindness can also mean mercy, so we should be mercifully kind in our treatment of others. We do not give them what they deserve, but we show them kindness in a merciful way. Such is what God did for us. Then, we are to express goodness to others. The basis of our relationships with others is good and not bad. We treat them with goodness and our hope for others is for them to find good.
Then, the fruit show us how to relate to ourselves. First, we are to be faithful. We are to be true to our principles. Now, we express that faithfulness in the commitments we make to God and others. But first, we must be true to ourselves and what we believe before we can be faithful to others. Further, we are to be gentle. The word gentle also means humble and would have been used by a Greek-speaking person to describe how a slave should conduct himself. We would say a gentle person is self-effacing (to be effacing means one acts in an inconspicuous manner; he does not seek attention). So, we are to be gently humble, or humbly gentle. We must not take ourselves too seriously.
Then, Paul said, “against such there is no law.” What he meant was, since the Law was intended to regulate bad behavior, good behavior is not “regulated” or restrained. We can love and be gentle, good, and kind as much as we want. This is the right way to act.
So, we arrive at what we want to discuss next Sunday. How do we understand the difference between right and wrong? How do we develop the strength to always do the right thing? A study of Hebrews 5.11-14 will help us understand better our ethical responsibilities as believers.
The fruit of the Spirit as detailed by Paul are an interesting group. First of all, some of the fruit listed are also used by the Apostle in describing God. What we might infer from this fact is the fruit, as Paul outlined them, are a composite definition of the character of God as expressed in the life of Jesus. In other words, when we think about who Jesus is and how he lived his life while upon the earth, we see these nine character traits expressed. So, we can conclude, then, God through his Spirit is working in our lives to reproduce in us his own character and the character of his Son Jesus.
A second observation I can make here, and not observed in our study Sunday, is most of the words in the fruit of the Spirit list are used elsewhere by Paul in ethical contexts. Paul was concerned for believers to live their lives according to the principles of Scripture. By its very nature, the Bible is ethical. Scripture is ethical in its being the revelation of God; God, in the Bible, shows himself and his will. If God directs us to do something, he is commanding us to do the right thing. So, the fruit of the Spirit is about doing the right thing.
A third observation is the fruit are about relationships. Three fundamental relationships are covered by these fruit: God and the believer; the believer and others; the believer and himself. Three of the fruit show us what God has done for us and given to us. He has shown us his love so we will be able to show love to others. Because he has saved us and made us his children, we can have a deep sense of joy because of the basic security we have. We have peace, or wholeness, because God has forgiven us our sin and made us whole (see Colossians 2.10). We then can have the kind of relationship with God he wants us to have because of what he has done for us.
The next three fruit describe how a believer should relate to others, both saved and non-believers. We are to be patient; we are to be in such control of our anger we can undergo much ill-treatment without “losing” our temper. Also, we can show kindness to others. The word kindness can also mean mercy, so we should be mercifully kind in our treatment of others. We do not give them what they deserve, but we show them kindness in a merciful way. Such is what God did for us. Then, we are to express goodness to others. The basis of our relationships with others is good and not bad. We treat them with goodness and our hope for others is for them to find good.
Then, the fruit show us how to relate to ourselves. First, we are to be faithful. We are to be true to our principles. Now, we express that faithfulness in the commitments we make to God and others. But first, we must be true to ourselves and what we believe before we can be faithful to others. Further, we are to be gentle. The word gentle also means humble and would have been used by a Greek-speaking person to describe how a slave should conduct himself. We would say a gentle person is self-effacing (to be effacing means one acts in an inconspicuous manner; he does not seek attention). So, we are to be gently humble, or humbly gentle. We must not take ourselves too seriously.
Then, Paul said, “against such there is no law.” What he meant was, since the Law was intended to regulate bad behavior, good behavior is not “regulated” or restrained. We can love and be gentle, good, and kind as much as we want. This is the right way to act.
So, we arrive at what we want to discuss next Sunday. How do we understand the difference between right and wrong? How do we develop the strength to always do the right thing? A study of Hebrews 5.11-14 will help us understand better our ethical responsibilities as believers.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Equipped to Serve, Pt. 2
The Gifts of the Spirit are one of the more mystifying aspects of Christianity. Now, God did not intend for us to be confused about the issue of spiritual gifts; we just confused ourselves. We have made gifts into something not consistent with their original intent. The problem developed early on. The church in Corinth serves as the prime example of how even first-century believers could get things wrong.
One of the reasons Paul wrote the first letter to the Corinthians was to clear up the confused atmosphere regarding gifts. In Corinth, gifts were abused and misused because they were misunderstood. What was intended for the common good (1 Cor. 12.7) became quickly a source of personal pride.
Our focus when we study spiritual gifts tends to be Chaps. 12-14 in 1 Corinthians. Yet, we have three other texts we could look to as well. This past Sunday, we spent a portion of our time considering one of those passages: Romans 12.4-8. This passage, along with Ephesians 4.11-16 and 1 Peter 4.10-11, shows us a much broader view of the gifts of the Spirit and their use within the Body of Christ.
Let me observe at this point an important truth: gifts are by grace. God does not reward us with a gift; gifts are not given to individuals because the gift has been sought. God by His Spirit gives gifts in accordance with his plan for the Church (that is why gifts are for the “common good”). But, when God grants a gift to someone, he is indicating his trust in that person. We receive gifts as a part of our stewardship of the Gospel. So then, we are expected to use them in a fashion in which others’ lives will be enhanced. When God gives gifts, he is indicating his love and honor for the one to whom the gift is given.
Romans, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Peter show us an important truth: gifts are for ministry inside and outside the Body. Peter stated, “As each one has received a grace gift, employ it in serving other persons as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Serving other people, believers and non-believers alike, is what gifts are all about. We are not given the right to pick and choose who we will serve.
Since gifts are for the common good, they are not intended then to be disruptive, but unifying in their practice. In other words, when we use our gifts, we may reconcile people through the gospel. Now to do this, we must realize one essential truth. Gifts are intended to get the attention on God, not the bearer of the gift. Jesus instructed his disciples to “let your light shine before others in such a way that they will see your good works and glorify the Father in Heaven.” Using one’s gift is letting one’s light shine; if we shine in the right manner, people will see God; we will be simply the spotlight.
How do we accomplish this task? Many times, when we use our gift, the person we serve will thank us, and, perhaps, tell others about how helpful we were. Hey, if we are good enough at using our gift, we might get a TV program. Well, that is not why we have a gift. So, then, how do we avoid the self-centeredness with which the Corinthians Christians were afflicted? The answer lies in understanding the Fruit of the Spirit.
In Galatians 5.22-23, we find Paul’s list of nine essential character qualities known as the fruit of the Spirit. These traits are interesting in that Paul said the Spirit produces them in the life of a believer. We do not acquire them on our own. We can employ them, but we cannot buy them. The Spirit, who begins his work in our lives at the moment of salvation, produces these character qualities because they are the traits God himself possesses. So, the Spirit is reproducing in the life of each believer the very character of God. As God’s character becomes stronger in us, we will conduct ourselves in the context of the character qualities of God as we use our gifts. Thus, the one being served, not the servant, will receive the attention.
The fruit of the Spirit, the character of God, will guide how we conduct ourselves in our use of the gifts of the Spirit.
One of the reasons Paul wrote the first letter to the Corinthians was to clear up the confused atmosphere regarding gifts. In Corinth, gifts were abused and misused because they were misunderstood. What was intended for the common good (1 Cor. 12.7) became quickly a source of personal pride.
Our focus when we study spiritual gifts tends to be Chaps. 12-14 in 1 Corinthians. Yet, we have three other texts we could look to as well. This past Sunday, we spent a portion of our time considering one of those passages: Romans 12.4-8. This passage, along with Ephesians 4.11-16 and 1 Peter 4.10-11, shows us a much broader view of the gifts of the Spirit and their use within the Body of Christ.
Let me observe at this point an important truth: gifts are by grace. God does not reward us with a gift; gifts are not given to individuals because the gift has been sought. God by His Spirit gives gifts in accordance with his plan for the Church (that is why gifts are for the “common good”). But, when God grants a gift to someone, he is indicating his trust in that person. We receive gifts as a part of our stewardship of the Gospel. So then, we are expected to use them in a fashion in which others’ lives will be enhanced. When God gives gifts, he is indicating his love and honor for the one to whom the gift is given.
Romans, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Peter show us an important truth: gifts are for ministry inside and outside the Body. Peter stated, “As each one has received a grace gift, employ it in serving other persons as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Serving other people, believers and non-believers alike, is what gifts are all about. We are not given the right to pick and choose who we will serve.
Since gifts are for the common good, they are not intended then to be disruptive, but unifying in their practice. In other words, when we use our gifts, we may reconcile people through the gospel. Now to do this, we must realize one essential truth. Gifts are intended to get the attention on God, not the bearer of the gift. Jesus instructed his disciples to “let your light shine before others in such a way that they will see your good works and glorify the Father in Heaven.” Using one’s gift is letting one’s light shine; if we shine in the right manner, people will see God; we will be simply the spotlight.
How do we accomplish this task? Many times, when we use our gift, the person we serve will thank us, and, perhaps, tell others about how helpful we were. Hey, if we are good enough at using our gift, we might get a TV program. Well, that is not why we have a gift. So, then, how do we avoid the self-centeredness with which the Corinthians Christians were afflicted? The answer lies in understanding the Fruit of the Spirit.
In Galatians 5.22-23, we find Paul’s list of nine essential character qualities known as the fruit of the Spirit. These traits are interesting in that Paul said the Spirit produces them in the life of a believer. We do not acquire them on our own. We can employ them, but we cannot buy them. The Spirit, who begins his work in our lives at the moment of salvation, produces these character qualities because they are the traits God himself possesses. So, the Spirit is reproducing in the life of each believer the very character of God. As God’s character becomes stronger in us, we will conduct ourselves in the context of the character qualities of God as we use our gifts. Thus, the one being served, not the servant, will receive the attention.
The fruit of the Spirit, the character of God, will guide how we conduct ourselves in our use of the gifts of the Spirit.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Equipped to Serve, Pt. 1
This past Sunday, we talked about the nature of Scripture. Using Psalm 19.7-9, and 2 Timothy 3.16-17, a description of God’s Word was defined.
When we speak about Scripture, often we become bogged down in the theological arguments of our day. Is Scripture inspired? Is the Word inerrant? What does inspired and inerrant mean? Those kinds of questions. From the beginning of Church history, believers have debated the nature of Scripture and the truths God’s Word affirms.
What we need to understand is the central role the Bible has played in the life of the Church and in the daily experiences of believers throughout the church era. If we allow ourselves to be distracted by the arguments for or against some biblical issue, we will be diverted from applying the truth of the Word to our lives.
In Psalm 19, David declared several principles about Scripture in a forthright manner. The Psalmist did not argue for or against any position, he simply affirmed certain truths about the Word of God. In doing so, he gave us incredible insights into both the nature and workings of Scripture.
Paul did much the same in his letter to Timothy. As David did, Paul also declared some fundamental truths about Scripture. His concern was for Timothy to base his pastoral ministry on the reality of the truth Scripture.
From these two texts we learned some key affirmations. Among those is the central essence of Scripture: The Bible is the inspired (Paul said God-breathed) revelation of God. David declared the wholeness, purity, cleanliness and reliability of Scripture. In his comments, Paul focused on the sufficiency of Scripture.
In order to build an adequate and legitimate worldview, we must do so on the foundation of Scripture. We must realize the importance of Scripture for our lives. The Word of God is adequate for our every need. The Word provides all the doctrine we need; the Word shows us our failures, instructs us on correcting our errors, and shows us how to avoid making those mistakes again in the future. Finally, the Word equips us for ministry.
In equipping us for ministry, the Bible enables us to understand how God by His Holy Spirit enables us through spiritual gifts to function as beneficial members of the Body of Christ. In our next study, we will begin looking at spiritual gifts. We will see what they are, how they are given, and how they function. Also, we will consider the role of the Fruit of the Spirit in the working of the gifts. This study should last two weeks.
In preparation for next Sunday’s study, read the following passages: Romans 12.3-8; 1 Corinthians 12.1, 4-31; Galatians 5.22-24; Ephesians 4.11-13. After reading these passages, think about and write down what gift or gifts you think God has given you. If you are uncertain, think about some of your strengths and talents. You do have a gift. Every believer does.
When we speak about Scripture, often we become bogged down in the theological arguments of our day. Is Scripture inspired? Is the Word inerrant? What does inspired and inerrant mean? Those kinds of questions. From the beginning of Church history, believers have debated the nature of Scripture and the truths God’s Word affirms.
What we need to understand is the central role the Bible has played in the life of the Church and in the daily experiences of believers throughout the church era. If we allow ourselves to be distracted by the arguments for or against some biblical issue, we will be diverted from applying the truth of the Word to our lives.
In Psalm 19, David declared several principles about Scripture in a forthright manner. The Psalmist did not argue for or against any position, he simply affirmed certain truths about the Word of God. In doing so, he gave us incredible insights into both the nature and workings of Scripture.
Paul did much the same in his letter to Timothy. As David did, Paul also declared some fundamental truths about Scripture. His concern was for Timothy to base his pastoral ministry on the reality of the truth Scripture.
From these two texts we learned some key affirmations. Among those is the central essence of Scripture: The Bible is the inspired (Paul said God-breathed) revelation of God. David declared the wholeness, purity, cleanliness and reliability of Scripture. In his comments, Paul focused on the sufficiency of Scripture.
In order to build an adequate and legitimate worldview, we must do so on the foundation of Scripture. We must realize the importance of Scripture for our lives. The Word of God is adequate for our every need. The Word provides all the doctrine we need; the Word shows us our failures, instructs us on correcting our errors, and shows us how to avoid making those mistakes again in the future. Finally, the Word equips us for ministry.
In equipping us for ministry, the Bible enables us to understand how God by His Holy Spirit enables us through spiritual gifts to function as beneficial members of the Body of Christ. In our next study, we will begin looking at spiritual gifts. We will see what they are, how they are given, and how they function. Also, we will consider the role of the Fruit of the Spirit in the working of the gifts. This study should last two weeks.
In preparation for next Sunday’s study, read the following passages: Romans 12.3-8; 1 Corinthians 12.1, 4-31; Galatians 5.22-24; Ephesians 4.11-13. After reading these passages, think about and write down what gift or gifts you think God has given you. If you are uncertain, think about some of your strengths and talents. You do have a gift. Every believer does.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Holy Spirit and God’s Will, Pt. 2
This past Sunday, we started discussing how the Holy Spirit enables us to understand God’s will. Now, admittedly, that is a pretty inclusive subject. In fact, the concept is so broad, we are left without any practical advice about seeing God’s plan for our particular life. We need to know what God’s wants for us so we can make biblically-sound decisions. How do we do that?
The first thing we need to understand is what we talked about Sunday morning. To know the specifics, we first must see the bigger picture. What we did first was to clarify the two kinds of knowledge we find in Scripture. First, God’s Word contains wisdom (This word is found in Ephesians 5.15). For our purposes, we considered mainly the concept within the New Testament framework. There, we find the word sophos. This word, translated wisdom, refers to theoretical knowledge. In Scripture, we find propositional truth, if - then statement. For instance, 1 John 1.9 says “If we confess our sins, [then] he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
One word for knowledge is ginosko. This word also can mean understanding. This term refers to practical knowledge, or, experiential knowledge. We, on the one hand, know how to apply a particular principle. For instance, the principle in 1 John 1.9 refers to confession. When we actually confess, we have applied the theory in a practical way. Further, we then have experienced the truth of confession and forgiveness.
In Ephesians 5.15-18, another word for knowledge was used: suniemi. This particular word means to perceive or have insight into something. For our purposes, we need to “understand” how these three words work together. We study Scripture and discover wisdom, or, propositional truth. For instance, Rom. 10.9 says, “ if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, [then] you will be saved.” We can read this statement and see the truth statement. We gain insight into the proposition under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; he makes the “if, then” statement come alive for us. Then, we practice the truth by confessing and believing resulting in our being saved.
We also considered two categories of people defined by Paul in Ephesians 5.15-18: the wise and the unwise. The wise person is careful in how he lives; he pays close attention to his conduct, with a view to eternity. He also sees his opportunities for witness and ministry. Further, he has insight into God’s will for his life. Lastly, he is filled by the Spirit with the Truth of God’s Word.
The unwise person is just the opposite. He lives carelessly, not paying attention to how he conducts his life, typically living for the moment. He is unaware of life’s opportunities for goodness since he has a careless perspective on life. This person does not understand what God’s plan is, or how that plan could be carried out in his life. Lastly, this person is under the control of some force or power other than the Spirit of God. He is being led towards an alternative, false reality in which no hope exists.
How do we translate all this information into our daily lives? How do we see God’s plan, gain insight into his plan, and apply his plan in a personal, specific way. The answer to that question rests in the source of wisdom itself: God’s Word. We need to understand the essential nature of Scripture if we are to benefit from its truth. Psalm 19.7-9 and 1 Tim. 3.16-17 will enable us to gain insight into Scripture. Then, we can put the Holy Spirit together with God’s Word, and begin seeing what God plans to do with our lives.
Remember, God does not want us to be ignorant of what He is doing. He is willing to open our eyes to His plan. We must, though, approach Him in the proper manner with the proper attitude if we want to know God’s will.
The first thing we need to understand is what we talked about Sunday morning. To know the specifics, we first must see the bigger picture. What we did first was to clarify the two kinds of knowledge we find in Scripture. First, God’s Word contains wisdom (This word is found in Ephesians 5.15). For our purposes, we considered mainly the concept within the New Testament framework. There, we find the word sophos. This word, translated wisdom, refers to theoretical knowledge. In Scripture, we find propositional truth, if - then statement. For instance, 1 John 1.9 says “If we confess our sins, [then] he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
One word for knowledge is ginosko. This word also can mean understanding. This term refers to practical knowledge, or, experiential knowledge. We, on the one hand, know how to apply a particular principle. For instance, the principle in 1 John 1.9 refers to confession. When we actually confess, we have applied the theory in a practical way. Further, we then have experienced the truth of confession and forgiveness.
In Ephesians 5.15-18, another word for knowledge was used: suniemi. This particular word means to perceive or have insight into something. For our purposes, we need to “understand” how these three words work together. We study Scripture and discover wisdom, or, propositional truth. For instance, Rom. 10.9 says, “ if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, [then] you will be saved.” We can read this statement and see the truth statement. We gain insight into the proposition under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; he makes the “if, then” statement come alive for us. Then, we practice the truth by confessing and believing resulting in our being saved.
We also considered two categories of people defined by Paul in Ephesians 5.15-18: the wise and the unwise. The wise person is careful in how he lives; he pays close attention to his conduct, with a view to eternity. He also sees his opportunities for witness and ministry. Further, he has insight into God’s will for his life. Lastly, he is filled by the Spirit with the Truth of God’s Word.
The unwise person is just the opposite. He lives carelessly, not paying attention to how he conducts his life, typically living for the moment. He is unaware of life’s opportunities for goodness since he has a careless perspective on life. This person does not understand what God’s plan is, or how that plan could be carried out in his life. Lastly, this person is under the control of some force or power other than the Spirit of God. He is being led towards an alternative, false reality in which no hope exists.
How do we translate all this information into our daily lives? How do we see God’s plan, gain insight into his plan, and apply his plan in a personal, specific way. The answer to that question rests in the source of wisdom itself: God’s Word. We need to understand the essential nature of Scripture if we are to benefit from its truth. Psalm 19.7-9 and 1 Tim. 3.16-17 will enable us to gain insight into Scripture. Then, we can put the Holy Spirit together with God’s Word, and begin seeing what God plans to do with our lives.
Remember, God does not want us to be ignorant of what He is doing. He is willing to open our eyes to His plan. We must, though, approach Him in the proper manner with the proper attitude if we want to know God’s will.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Holy Spirit and God's Will, Pt. 1
This past Sunday morning, we began a two-week study of the Holy Spirit, focusing mainly on his role in guiding believers to understand God’s Word. Two passages of major importance in our study were John 14.16-18, 26, and 1 John 2.26-27. Our point of emphasis was the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Our underlying purpose as a group is the development and maintenance of a biblical worldview. Our worldview is our perspective on life. We should have a position from which we “see” our world and our lives. From this theological vantage point, with Scripture as our lens, we can perceive life as life truly is, not as it appears to be. Thus, we will be able to make the right decisions for the right reasons.
Now, as we pointed out in our study time, for a biblical worldview to be meaningful, we have to know where we are headed; we must understand God’s will, his plan for our lives. Only then will we know where we are going. One consideration, by the way, must be taken into account as we attempt to discover God’s personal plan for each of us. First and foremost, God is interested more in who we and than in what we do.
We can do all the “right” things and still be spiritually immature or lost. Attending church on Sunday, a life-group during the week, tithing, and many of the other things we are supposed to do can be done by a lost person. But, if we are a follower of Jesus, one of those people on the fringe, as Bro. Darrell reminds us, we will do what God wants us to do. So, right practices will be an outgrowth of a right relationship with God.
As we talked about the Holy Spirit and his ministry to believers, we also pointed out the impossibility of understanding the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is one person of the Triune Godhead. God the Father and God the Son are the other two. I will not go into all we had to say about the divine mystery of the Trinity, other than to point out how impossible grasping an infinite reality is for a finite mind. In the final analysis, we accept the doctrine of the Trinity solely on the basis of faith.
What is important for us to know is God has condescended, or accommodated himself to human beings. The Father sent the Son, who came into this world in obedience and humility in order to do for humanity what humanity could not do for itself. He made reconciliation with God a real possibility through his death on the Cross. Each of us as individuals, and all of us as a race, because of our sin, were separated from God. Only He could restore us. We are reconciled only as we trust Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.
Once restored to a right relationship with God, we must realize we have been restored to wholeness. Now that God has made us whole (cf. Col. 2.10), we are able to do what God wants us to do. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For God is at work in you both to determine and to do his good pleasure.” In other words, the moment one becomes a believer, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that person’s life and begins changing him in his present existence into what and who we are in our spiritual and eternal existence.
Again, though, the question arises, “How do we know exactly what God’s plan for us is?” Well, this coming Sunday we will look at how we are equipped by God to know what he wants us to do. Our main text will be Ephesians 5.15-18. Paul outlined for the Ephesian believers two categories of people: those who know God’s will and those who don’t. One group is called wise, the other unwise. One, by thoughtful interaction with the Holy Spirit, has come to understand God’s will. The other, simply by not thinking, has failed to grasp the nature of God’s plan. Knowing God’s will is not a great mystery. Knowing God’s will is a result of a right relationship with God through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. We’ll see this Sunday how this all plays out.
Assignment: What does wisdom mean in the Bible? You can respond to that question by posting your comments (anything from one word to several paragraphs) on this blog. Your responses will be confidential.
Our underlying purpose as a group is the development and maintenance of a biblical worldview. Our worldview is our perspective on life. We should have a position from which we “see” our world and our lives. From this theological vantage point, with Scripture as our lens, we can perceive life as life truly is, not as it appears to be. Thus, we will be able to make the right decisions for the right reasons.
Now, as we pointed out in our study time, for a biblical worldview to be meaningful, we have to know where we are headed; we must understand God’s will, his plan for our lives. Only then will we know where we are going. One consideration, by the way, must be taken into account as we attempt to discover God’s personal plan for each of us. First and foremost, God is interested more in who we and than in what we do.
We can do all the “right” things and still be spiritually immature or lost. Attending church on Sunday, a life-group during the week, tithing, and many of the other things we are supposed to do can be done by a lost person. But, if we are a follower of Jesus, one of those people on the fringe, as Bro. Darrell reminds us, we will do what God wants us to do. So, right practices will be an outgrowth of a right relationship with God.
As we talked about the Holy Spirit and his ministry to believers, we also pointed out the impossibility of understanding the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is one person of the Triune Godhead. God the Father and God the Son are the other two. I will not go into all we had to say about the divine mystery of the Trinity, other than to point out how impossible grasping an infinite reality is for a finite mind. In the final analysis, we accept the doctrine of the Trinity solely on the basis of faith.
What is important for us to know is God has condescended, or accommodated himself to human beings. The Father sent the Son, who came into this world in obedience and humility in order to do for humanity what humanity could not do for itself. He made reconciliation with God a real possibility through his death on the Cross. Each of us as individuals, and all of us as a race, because of our sin, were separated from God. Only He could restore us. We are reconciled only as we trust Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.
Once restored to a right relationship with God, we must realize we have been restored to wholeness. Now that God has made us whole (cf. Col. 2.10), we are able to do what God wants us to do. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For God is at work in you both to determine and to do his good pleasure.” In other words, the moment one becomes a believer, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that person’s life and begins changing him in his present existence into what and who we are in our spiritual and eternal existence.
Again, though, the question arises, “How do we know exactly what God’s plan for us is?” Well, this coming Sunday we will look at how we are equipped by God to know what he wants us to do. Our main text will be Ephesians 5.15-18. Paul outlined for the Ephesian believers two categories of people: those who know God’s will and those who don’t. One group is called wise, the other unwise. One, by thoughtful interaction with the Holy Spirit, has come to understand God’s will. The other, simply by not thinking, has failed to grasp the nature of God’s plan. Knowing God’s will is not a great mystery. Knowing God’s will is a result of a right relationship with God through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. We’ll see this Sunday how this all plays out.
Assignment: What does wisdom mean in the Bible? You can respond to that question by posting your comments (anything from one word to several paragraphs) on this blog. Your responses will be confidential.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Real Life in a Relative World, Pt. 1
world·view (wûrld’vyū`)
1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.
2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.
This past Sunday, we began the process of laying and maintaining the foundation for a biblical worldview. As the definition above states, your worldview is your perspective on life, how and why you see and interpret things the way you do. Your worldview is made up of certain assumptions, conscious and unconscious, about how and why life works the way it does. If you have never given thought to your worldview, then you have an essentially secular perspective on life. A biblical worldview must be developed intentionally. A foundation must be laid and an ethical structure must be built upon the basics.
We considered at 2 Corinthians 4.16-18 as a starting point for our study of a biblical worldview. One of things we saw was the literary contrasts Paul used in defining his two categories. The Apostle understood only two ways for approaching life: faith and sight. Thus, he showed how these two categories differ.
The secular mind-set focuses on what is seen, the physical world. For the secular minded person, the ultimate reality is what can be seen. But, as Paul showed, this is a temporary, impermanent reality. He used several words to illustrate that truth: outer person, decaying, struggle, momentary, light, seen, and temporary. The biblical perspective is rooted in faith or trust. Paul’s terms for this category were: inner person, renewing, glory, ageless, burden, unseen, eternal. The secular and the biblical share no common ground because the basic assumptions of both are in conflict, they collide.
The Apostle did not use the term worldview (as far as I know, a Greek word for worldview does not exist), but he did have such a concept in mind. Verse 18 speaks of not “looking” to what is “seen,” but to what is “unseen.” In other words, Paul encouraged the Corinthian believers to take a particular perspective on life. What we must not miss is the urgency found in these three verses. The truth of this passage is similar in thought and tone with Romans 12.2. To the believers in Rome, Paul said, “Do not be molded by the world around you, but instead, be transformed from the inside out by the renewing of your mind so you will be able to know clearly what is the good, acceptable and whole plan of God.” (My Translation)
Understanding God’s will is not a process rooted in what we can see, and thus control. God’s plan is first and foremost about “unseen things.” The question for which we must seek an answer, I think, is how do we go through “mind renewal,” and how do we determine what God’s will for our lives really is. If we work from the point of God’s plan, our worldview will and must be biblical. If we work from the point of what we ourselves can see and accomplish wholly on our own, we will be operating from a secular worldview.
Over the next few Sundays, we will spend time investigating Scripture in an attempt to come to terms with knowing God’s will for our lives. Until we are clear on what God wants us to do, we will not act decisively. Our investigation will begin with a look at who the Holy Spirit is and the role he plays in our lives. We will begin with passages in John 14-16 and 1 John 2.20-27. Our study of these texts will take at least two weeks and will allow us to develop a biblically sound understanding the Third Person of the Trinity.
God has not set us adrift in this world to flounder on the seas of doubt and confusion. His plan, his purpose for us is growth, maturity and wholeness. He wants us to come at life from the right perspective, with the right worldview. Otherwise, we will be fooled by the devious tricks of the Devil (Eph. 6.11)
1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.
2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.
This past Sunday, we began the process of laying and maintaining the foundation for a biblical worldview. As the definition above states, your worldview is your perspective on life, how and why you see and interpret things the way you do. Your worldview is made up of certain assumptions, conscious and unconscious, about how and why life works the way it does. If you have never given thought to your worldview, then you have an essentially secular perspective on life. A biblical worldview must be developed intentionally. A foundation must be laid and an ethical structure must be built upon the basics.
We considered at 2 Corinthians 4.16-18 as a starting point for our study of a biblical worldview. One of things we saw was the literary contrasts Paul used in defining his two categories. The Apostle understood only two ways for approaching life: faith and sight. Thus, he showed how these two categories differ.
The secular mind-set focuses on what is seen, the physical world. For the secular minded person, the ultimate reality is what can be seen. But, as Paul showed, this is a temporary, impermanent reality. He used several words to illustrate that truth: outer person, decaying, struggle, momentary, light, seen, and temporary. The biblical perspective is rooted in faith or trust. Paul’s terms for this category were: inner person, renewing, glory, ageless, burden, unseen, eternal. The secular and the biblical share no common ground because the basic assumptions of both are in conflict, they collide.
The Apostle did not use the term worldview (as far as I know, a Greek word for worldview does not exist), but he did have such a concept in mind. Verse 18 speaks of not “looking” to what is “seen,” but to what is “unseen.” In other words, Paul encouraged the Corinthian believers to take a particular perspective on life. What we must not miss is the urgency found in these three verses. The truth of this passage is similar in thought and tone with Romans 12.2. To the believers in Rome, Paul said, “Do not be molded by the world around you, but instead, be transformed from the inside out by the renewing of your mind so you will be able to know clearly what is the good, acceptable and whole plan of God.” (My Translation)
Understanding God’s will is not a process rooted in what we can see, and thus control. God’s plan is first and foremost about “unseen things.” The question for which we must seek an answer, I think, is how do we go through “mind renewal,” and how do we determine what God’s will for our lives really is. If we work from the point of God’s plan, our worldview will and must be biblical. If we work from the point of what we ourselves can see and accomplish wholly on our own, we will be operating from a secular worldview.
Over the next few Sundays, we will spend time investigating Scripture in an attempt to come to terms with knowing God’s will for our lives. Until we are clear on what God wants us to do, we will not act decisively. Our investigation will begin with a look at who the Holy Spirit is and the role he plays in our lives. We will begin with passages in John 14-16 and 1 John 2.20-27. Our study of these texts will take at least two weeks and will allow us to develop a biblically sound understanding the Third Person of the Trinity.
God has not set us adrift in this world to flounder on the seas of doubt and confusion. His plan, his purpose for us is growth, maturity and wholeness. He wants us to come at life from the right perspective, with the right worldview. Otherwise, we will be fooled by the devious tricks of the Devil (Eph. 6.11)
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