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.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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.
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