Interruption versus disruption. One is an interjection into an ongoing conversation. The other is something that causes a complete breakdown in the conversation. If I were to choose which of the two characterizes Advent, I’d choose disruption. The coming of Jesus disrupted everything, a 10.0 magnitude earthquake type disruption, in fact. There’s a reason why history was divided historically into BC and AD — Before Christ and Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord — with the birth of Jesus.
Of course, most everyone alive at that time didn’t even feel a tremor. “As in the days of Noah” everyone just went on with their daily lives. Even Joseph treated it more like an interruption than a disruption, at least at first. He learns that his betrothed is pregnant, a disruption to his marriage plans for sure, but he resolved he would divorce her with as little fuss as possible and then go on with his life. But that changed when he received a message in a dream that turned an interruption into a disruption. Life was not what he thought it was. This was not an unfotunate indiscretion, but an intervention of God by which he was going to turn the world on its head. In obedience, Joseph embraced the disruption.
Advent is a time when we pause and consider how God disrupts things. First with the birth of Jesus and finally when, “as in the days of Noah,” the one born to save sinners unexpectedly returns to judge sinners. Between now and then divine disruption continues every time a person places their faith in Jesus. As the New English Bible puts it, “When anyone is united to Christ. There is a new world; the old order has gone, and new order has already begun.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
As we await the return of our Savior, we need to be sure that we are treating his coming into our life as a disruption and not an interruption. What I mean is that we need to heed Paul’s instruction to “no longer walk as the Gentiles do.” Rather, we are to “put off our old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and . . . be renewed in the spirit of [our] minds, and . . . put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17, 22-24) That is a disruption, not an interruption. Jesus is not someone who interrupts the conversation and then we pick up the thread of the of it afterwards. He takes it in a whole new direction. Our task is to follow where he leads.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
The Good Life
The Good Life. Life that feels complete, whole, satisfying. The good life. A phrase, a notion, that has power to stir our imagination. What comes to mind? Material goods, such as a beautiful home and a nice car? Or perhaps relationships: close friends, a spouse, children? Maybe it’s a meaningful job or activity that gives a sense of significance and self-worth? Various things can feed into the notion of the good life. What it looks like can be as different as the different people who imagine it. That there is a persistent human yearning for the good life is what drives much of the marketing of products and opportunities. If you have this car, or adventure, or set of friends, or job, you will be getting hold of the good life.
To want the good life, to be happy, is not ungodly in and of itself. God intends for his creatures to experience that which makes them feel whole, at peace, content. The problem we have is that we are too much affected by the results of the first unlawful effort at achieving the good life. Eve, and Adam after her, became persuaded that to realize her full potential, to experience the kind of flourishing she sensed was possible, she needed to eat of the “tree was good for food, and . . . a delight to the eyes, and . . . was to be desired to make one wise.” Her and Adam’s eating of the forbidden fruit was an attempt to achieve human flourishing apart from God and his will. A profoundly foolish decision, and one that gets repeated daily by their offspring. All the sins of humanity could be said to be similar attempts at realizing happiness without reference to God or his will.
I think it is often the case that when we think of how we can be happy it involves access to wealth. To have the dream house, exciting adventure, or pivotal opportunity requires resources. As a consequence, though we might not offer money as the first need for obtaining happiness, it’s the silent presupposition. The apostle understands and his directive to his young protégé offers a warning. Timothy is to instruct those who are rich to not be haughty or to trust in their riches. The power and access that wealth brings offers a false sense of importance and security. Instead of trusting in temporal wealth they are to store up eternal treasure by being rich in good works. In this way they will “take hold of that which is truly life.”
For humans to flourish they need that which will allow them to live as they were created to live. This is why the psalmist likens the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night, to a “tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:2-3) A tree, in the right environment, being fed with the right ingredients for its health, does what it’s designed to do — flourish! Unlike what our first parents thought, delighting in God and doing his will is what causes us to flourish, to “take hold of that which is truly life.” Being nourished by God and his word will cause us to produce the kind of fruit God desires, faith-filled lives that are “generous and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18).
To want the good life, to be happy, is not ungodly in and of itself. God intends for his creatures to experience that which makes them feel whole, at peace, content. The problem we have is that we are too much affected by the results of the first unlawful effort at achieving the good life. Eve, and Adam after her, became persuaded that to realize her full potential, to experience the kind of flourishing she sensed was possible, she needed to eat of the “tree was good for food, and . . . a delight to the eyes, and . . . was to be desired to make one wise.” Her and Adam’s eating of the forbidden fruit was an attempt to achieve human flourishing apart from God and his will. A profoundly foolish decision, and one that gets repeated daily by their offspring. All the sins of humanity could be said to be similar attempts at realizing happiness without reference to God or his will.
I think it is often the case that when we think of how we can be happy it involves access to wealth. To have the dream house, exciting adventure, or pivotal opportunity requires resources. As a consequence, though we might not offer money as the first need for obtaining happiness, it’s the silent presupposition. The apostle understands and his directive to his young protégé offers a warning. Timothy is to instruct those who are rich to not be haughty or to trust in their riches. The power and access that wealth brings offers a false sense of importance and security. Instead of trusting in temporal wealth they are to store up eternal treasure by being rich in good works. In this way they will “take hold of that which is truly life.”
For humans to flourish they need that which will allow them to live as they were created to live. This is why the psalmist likens the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night, to a “tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:2-3) A tree, in the right environment, being fed with the right ingredients for its health, does what it’s designed to do — flourish! Unlike what our first parents thought, delighting in God and doing his will is what causes us to flourish, to “take hold of that which is truly life.” Being nourished by God and his word will cause us to produce the kind of fruit God desires, faith-filled lives that are “generous and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18).
The Church a Provocation
Jesus warns that we could be persecuted by the world because we have been chosen out of the world by the one who was persecuted by the world. The reason he gives for his persecution is because he is hated by the world; and the reason he is hated by the world is because he testifies to the world that its deeds are evil. (John 7:7) This suggests that Jesus’ relationship with the world is fundamentally antagonistic. Even though he comes in love to rescue the world, the fact that the world needs rescuing suggests that what Jesus represents is a reality that pulls back the curtain on the false reality that props up the world, a reality marked by a persistent and pervasive opposition to God. That fundamental posture, ethos, or characteristic spirit of humanity, is what John’s gospel identifies as the world. So, when his gospel famously proclaims that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” it is, as D.A. Carson notes, “far from being an endorsement of the world, it is a testimony to the character of God.”
Everything that Jesus does, from his teaching, to his healings and deliverances, to his re-humanizing of the likes of Zacheaus or the ‘sinful woman’ in Simon the Pharisee’s house, to the ‘good confession’ that he made before Pilate, all are acts that testify to the world that its deeds are evil and, as such, are a provocation to the world. Hence, the hatred.
When the Church lives up to its calling, it can expect to be hated as well. Even though we strive, by the grace of God, to be like Jesus in compassion and love, offering a foretaste of the New Heavens and New Earth, our very presence as those no longer of the world offers a continual provocation to our neighbors. It testifies that things are not as they assume them to be. For unless people are chosen out of the world they remain in the world and in opposition to God, no matter how nice or needy they seem to be.
In this country, the antagonism, while rising, is nothing compared to what brothers and sisters in places like North Korea and India are facing. That is why we must remember to pray for them. Those believers, having been chosen out of the world, stand in stark contrast to the prevailing rebellion of godless communism or nationalistic hinduism. Fatih in the King of kings pulls back the curtain on the petty tyrant, revealing him to be little more than a cruel narcissist. Worshiping the One who is the way, the truth, and the life, proclaims that veneration of the multitudinous deities of India is nothing but mindless idolatry.
Christians, like Jesus, by reason of their not being of this world, are a provocation. And the more we live as we are called to live, we testify to the world that its deeds are evil. Hence, the hatred. May we give no other cause for the world’s hatred but our striving, for their sakes, to live for Christ.
Everything that Jesus does, from his teaching, to his healings and deliverances, to his re-humanizing of the likes of Zacheaus or the ‘sinful woman’ in Simon the Pharisee’s house, to the ‘good confession’ that he made before Pilate, all are acts that testify to the world that its deeds are evil and, as such, are a provocation to the world. Hence, the hatred.
When the Church lives up to its calling, it can expect to be hated as well. Even though we strive, by the grace of God, to be like Jesus in compassion and love, offering a foretaste of the New Heavens and New Earth, our very presence as those no longer of the world offers a continual provocation to our neighbors. It testifies that things are not as they assume them to be. For unless people are chosen out of the world they remain in the world and in opposition to God, no matter how nice or needy they seem to be.
In this country, the antagonism, while rising, is nothing compared to what brothers and sisters in places like North Korea and India are facing. That is why we must remember to pray for them. Those believers, having been chosen out of the world, stand in stark contrast to the prevailing rebellion of godless communism or nationalistic hinduism. Fatih in the King of kings pulls back the curtain on the petty tyrant, revealing him to be little more than a cruel narcissist. Worshiping the One who is the way, the truth, and the life, proclaims that veneration of the multitudinous deities of India is nothing but mindless idolatry.
Christians, like Jesus, by reason of their not being of this world, are a provocation. And the more we live as we are called to live, we testify to the world that its deeds are evil. Hence, the hatred. May we give no other cause for the world’s hatred but our striving, for their sakes, to live for Christ.
Corem Deo
As Paul draws his letter to a close, he issues Timothy a charge, “[I]n the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:13-14). With these words, the apostle invokes a reality that in Latin is called, coram deo, before the face of God. The phrase communicates a seriousness, a gravity, about our existence. God is. There is never a time that he is anything but who he is in all his fulness, and in that fulness he sees all that transpires in the universe that he has made — and that includes each of us. We live before the face of God.
We need to grasp this reality because of its implications for how we live our lives. For Timothy, it meant that he must pursue the kind of spiritual integrity that would enable him to carry out his task and bring honor to the gospel and to Christ. For us, it is no different. Though not everyone will be called to step into the role that Timothy had to fill, we are all expected to live lives of integrity. That is perhaps the most important implication of living coram deo. The psalmist asks, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalms 139:7). God is aware of us no matter where we are. For the psalmist it is a source of comfort, and it should be for us. But it also makes him petition, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! / Try me and know my thoughts! / And see if there be any grievous way in me, / and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalms 139:23-24). We cannot pretend that how live behind closed doors has no relationship with how live live publicly. Who we are at home should be who we are at work. Who we are in church should be who we are out “in the world.” Our responsibilities will be different in different settings, but who we are as followers of Jesus must be consistent.
How can we cultivate consistency? The four strong verbs with which Paul admonishes Timothy are instructive: flee, pursue, fight, and seize. We are to flee falsehood and the fruit it produces, but pursue the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are to fight for the revealed truth, and seize hold of the hope that our faith in the revealed truth gives us. This is living intentionally, coram deo, before the face of God.
We need to grasp this reality because of its implications for how we live our lives. For Timothy, it meant that he must pursue the kind of spiritual integrity that would enable him to carry out his task and bring honor to the gospel and to Christ. For us, it is no different. Though not everyone will be called to step into the role that Timothy had to fill, we are all expected to live lives of integrity. That is perhaps the most important implication of living coram deo. The psalmist asks, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalms 139:7). God is aware of us no matter where we are. For the psalmist it is a source of comfort, and it should be for us. But it also makes him petition, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! / Try me and know my thoughts! / And see if there be any grievous way in me, / and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalms 139:23-24). We cannot pretend that how live behind closed doors has no relationship with how live live publicly. Who we are at home should be who we are at work. Who we are in church should be who we are out “in the world.” Our responsibilities will be different in different settings, but who we are as followers of Jesus must be consistent.
How can we cultivate consistency? The four strong verbs with which Paul admonishes Timothy are instructive: flee, pursue, fight, and seize. We are to flee falsehood and the fruit it produces, but pursue the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are to fight for the revealed truth, and seize hold of the hope that our faith in the revealed truth gives us. This is living intentionally, coram deo, before the face of God.
Godliness with Contentment
“Easier said than done,” an aphorism that is often true, but sometimes used as an excuse for not attempting what has been said. Considering Paul’s call for “godliness with contentment,” and then combining two of the definitions I have offered, one for godliness and another for contentment, we get at what he means and we can appreciate why someone might respond, “Easier said than done.” The welding of the two definitions results in, “living as one should who believes in God [while possessing] internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances.”
Any sincere Christian says, “I want to live as one should who believes in God,” but few can readily add, “No matter where that obedience leads me.” Getting to that place is a sign of maturity and something that even the apostle had to grow into: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). And he had been in some serious situations! “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27) Such is the catalogue of circumstances that resulted from his godliness, and he testifies that through it he learned to be content. Easier said than done? Yes, but apparently, it can be done.
It is not unexpected that some would ask how being content squares with working hard to achieve goals, or endeavoring to change circumstances. Does wanting something other than the status quo represent discontent? I don't think so. Perhaps it would be helpful to speak of negative discontent and positive discontent. Negative discontent gives rise to grumbling, complaining, envy, covetousness. Positive discontent looks at a situation and seeks wisdom and means by which it can made better, all the while trusting that God is in the midst of the situation. And, if in the end there is nothing to be done about the current state of affairs, trust that God is ‘on the throne’ remains.
Our ability to be content whatever the circumstances is fostered by trusting God’s promises. This principle is evident in Hebrews 13:5. The writer offers teaching regarding money that is similar to Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.” But he goes on to support his directive by reminding his readers of God’s promise, “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” That promise of all-encompassing care, grounded in the character of an all-righteous God, points our faith to the one who can and will “work all things together for good” for “those who love God . . . who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). With our faith fueled by his promises we can say with Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Any sincere Christian says, “I want to live as one should who believes in God,” but few can readily add, “No matter where that obedience leads me.” Getting to that place is a sign of maturity and something that even the apostle had to grow into: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). And he had been in some serious situations! “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27) Such is the catalogue of circumstances that resulted from his godliness, and he testifies that through it he learned to be content. Easier said than done? Yes, but apparently, it can be done.
It is not unexpected that some would ask how being content squares with working hard to achieve goals, or endeavoring to change circumstances. Does wanting something other than the status quo represent discontent? I don't think so. Perhaps it would be helpful to speak of negative discontent and positive discontent. Negative discontent gives rise to grumbling, complaining, envy, covetousness. Positive discontent looks at a situation and seeks wisdom and means by which it can made better, all the while trusting that God is in the midst of the situation. And, if in the end there is nothing to be done about the current state of affairs, trust that God is ‘on the throne’ remains.
Our ability to be content whatever the circumstances is fostered by trusting God’s promises. This principle is evident in Hebrews 13:5. The writer offers teaching regarding money that is similar to Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.” But he goes on to support his directive by reminding his readers of God’s promise, “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” That promise of all-encompassing care, grounded in the character of an all-righteous God, points our faith to the one who can and will “work all things together for good” for “those who love God . . . who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). With our faith fueled by his promises we can say with Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Considering Slavery
It is not unusual for someone who is not a Christian, when urged to accept the Bible as an authoritative text, to raise the challenge, “Doesn’t the Bible condone slavery?” It is not an unfounded objection. Slavery is present throughout a good deal of the Bible, even in the New Testament, the portion of Scripture that seems more reasonable to contemporary ears than the Old.
I think it’s accurate to say that the Bible does not condone slavery, but acknowledges it’s existence and regulates it. There are a number of directives in the Mosaic law regarding the just use of slaves, and in the New Testament the apostles tell masters to treat their bondservants “justly and fairly.” (e.g. Colossians 4:1) Additionally, slavery was not part of the created order but a product of sin, and the repeated calls for stewardship in all areas of our life points to using any authority we possess in a manner that benefits others. That might not satisfy the objector, but the protest might be due more to the knowledge he or she has of the institution as it was justified and so inhumanely practiced in this country, rather than the Bible. While slavery always involves the owning of one human being by another, it has not always involved the dehumanizing of the one who is owned.
But Paul’s concern in 1 Timothy 6:1-2 is not slavery per se, but the attitude and witness of the one who is subject to a master. It is possible to interpret his remarks as addressing the effect the gospel might have had on those who found freedom in Christ. Considering that those who “were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” and are therefore “Abraham’s offspring” and “heirs according to promise,” a status in which there “is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27-29), it is not difficult to imagine that some might have construed such egalitarianism as negating all existing differences in station or role. Newly minted Christians might buck against the authority of their masters, whether Christian or non-Christian, because God revealed that the gospel is needed, and believed on, by all manners of people.
Paul does not want such behavior to persist, however. Why? Might not his reason be the disrepute it would bring upon the gospel in a society that was not ready for such a profound shift in the culture? And are there not resources in the gospel to sustain the one in servitude as he or she endures their bondage? Do they not follow the one who came not to be served but the serve? (Matthew 20:28). Such thinking might very well have shaped Paul’s teaching. He is not indifferent to the plight of slaves (nor should we), but he is also smart enough to recognize the insignificance of the church as an institution at the time that he was writing. While they did not have political power, they did have power that changes lives. And it would be changed lives that would allow masters and slaves to walk in unity, despite differences in station or role, for he who is Master of both, “is in heaven, and . . . there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6:9)
I think it’s accurate to say that the Bible does not condone slavery, but acknowledges it’s existence and regulates it. There are a number of directives in the Mosaic law regarding the just use of slaves, and in the New Testament the apostles tell masters to treat their bondservants “justly and fairly.” (e.g. Colossians 4:1) Additionally, slavery was not part of the created order but a product of sin, and the repeated calls for stewardship in all areas of our life points to using any authority we possess in a manner that benefits others. That might not satisfy the objector, but the protest might be due more to the knowledge he or she has of the institution as it was justified and so inhumanely practiced in this country, rather than the Bible. While slavery always involves the owning of one human being by another, it has not always involved the dehumanizing of the one who is owned.
But Paul’s concern in 1 Timothy 6:1-2 is not slavery per se, but the attitude and witness of the one who is subject to a master. It is possible to interpret his remarks as addressing the effect the gospel might have had on those who found freedom in Christ. Considering that those who “were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” and are therefore “Abraham’s offspring” and “heirs according to promise,” a status in which there “is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27-29), it is not difficult to imagine that some might have construed such egalitarianism as negating all existing differences in station or role. Newly minted Christians might buck against the authority of their masters, whether Christian or non-Christian, because God revealed that the gospel is needed, and believed on, by all manners of people.
Paul does not want such behavior to persist, however. Why? Might not his reason be the disrepute it would bring upon the gospel in a society that was not ready for such a profound shift in the culture? And are there not resources in the gospel to sustain the one in servitude as he or she endures their bondage? Do they not follow the one who came not to be served but the serve? (Matthew 20:28). Such thinking might very well have shaped Paul’s teaching. He is not indifferent to the plight of slaves (nor should we), but he is also smart enough to recognize the insignificance of the church as an institution at the time that he was writing. While they did not have political power, they did have power that changes lives. And it would be changed lives that would allow masters and slaves to walk in unity, despite differences in station or role, for he who is Master of both, “is in heaven, and . . . there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6:9)
Conferred Authority
There are several ceremonies in the Bible (I think it’s right to call them that) by which authority is conferred to people. There is, for instance, the anointing of kings, the setting apart of priests, and the breathing upon the disciples by Jesus that they would “receive the Holy Spirit” in whose authority and power they would forgive or withhold forgiveness of sins (John 20:22-23). There is also the laying on of hands. It’s this last ceremony that Paul references in his letter to Timothy. Timothy himself underwent this conferring of authority (1 Timothy 4:14), and now he was to lay hands on those chosen to shepherd the church in Ephesus.
Earlier in the letter, Paul offers qualifications for those who would serve as elders. He teaches that those who serve well, “especially those who labor in preaching and teaching,” are deserving of “double honor.” By double honor is meant respect and material compensation. He likens the situation to an ox threshing out grain. The ox is to be able to eat from the labor he provides lest he be unfit for carrying out the work. You might recall how the apostles in Jerusalem, when confronted with a need to sort out distribution issues among the widows of the church, instructed that others should be chosen for the task, saying, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2). The expectation Paul describes is of the same spirit.
Those so supported are often referred to as pastors. This is not to deny that all men who serve as elders help shepherd the sheep, nor that all are expected to be “apt to teach,” but there will be those particularly called to the task who need to be freed up to pursue it. Hence, the need for adequate compensation.
In our country, it’s common practice to call one who holds, or has held, the office of President to be addressed as “Mr. President.” That is showing honor to the office despite who they are or how well they have done their job. In the church, however, just bearing the title is insufficient for receiving such honor. Indeed, double honor is uncalled for for those who persist in sin. To the unrepentant, the only appropriate address is public rebuke. The position is too important for mere decorum.
The conferring of authority brings with it grave responsibility, so pray for pastors. Assuming a position of leadership makes them prime targets of the Enemy and the enmity of others. Satan would like nothing more then to sow disunity in the very entity that is charged to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), and going after the pastor is a good way to do it. And believers in a church should remember that pastors are not perfect, nor should they be expected to be. But if they are thought to have done something wrong they are deserving of a proper hearing. This is part of the honor of which Paul speaks. Care should be taken to establish the truth of the charge and, if found to be false, should be quickly put aside. If true, then repentance and forgiveness is called for.
Earlier in the letter, Paul offers qualifications for those who would serve as elders. He teaches that those who serve well, “especially those who labor in preaching and teaching,” are deserving of “double honor.” By double honor is meant respect and material compensation. He likens the situation to an ox threshing out grain. The ox is to be able to eat from the labor he provides lest he be unfit for carrying out the work. You might recall how the apostles in Jerusalem, when confronted with a need to sort out distribution issues among the widows of the church, instructed that others should be chosen for the task, saying, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2). The expectation Paul describes is of the same spirit.
Those so supported are often referred to as pastors. This is not to deny that all men who serve as elders help shepherd the sheep, nor that all are expected to be “apt to teach,” but there will be those particularly called to the task who need to be freed up to pursue it. Hence, the need for adequate compensation.
In our country, it’s common practice to call one who holds, or has held, the office of President to be addressed as “Mr. President.” That is showing honor to the office despite who they are or how well they have done their job. In the church, however, just bearing the title is insufficient for receiving such honor. Indeed, double honor is uncalled for for those who persist in sin. To the unrepentant, the only appropriate address is public rebuke. The position is too important for mere decorum.
The conferring of authority brings with it grave responsibility, so pray for pastors. Assuming a position of leadership makes them prime targets of the Enemy and the enmity of others. Satan would like nothing more then to sow disunity in the very entity that is charged to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), and going after the pastor is a good way to do it. And believers in a church should remember that pastors are not perfect, nor should they be expected to be. But if they are thought to have done something wrong they are deserving of a proper hearing. This is part of the honor of which Paul speaks. Care should be taken to establish the truth of the charge and, if found to be false, should be quickly put aside. If true, then repentance and forgiveness is called for.
Church Bullies
Earlier this year a prominent pastor was fired. The story of the dismissal has several threads, but the one that seems central is the authoritarian nature of his leadership. In sum, he was a bully. Pastors with that failing find it easy to justify their behavior by arguing that they are calling people to obedience. Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow him, after all, and sometimes people need some spiritual arm twisting to get them to yield. Additionally, if the pastor is ‘successful’ (as this man clearly was: big church, published, international recognition, etc.), then all the more does he believe that he is to be listened to and obeyed.
The problem with church bullies is that they forget (or never really understood) that Christians are to serve God and their neighbor out of love, not fear. They also neglect to cultivate faith in their followers, preferring coercion. A good conscience and sincere faith is what Paul tells Timothy to cultivate (1 Timothy 1:5), and neither of those attributes are developed by coercion. When the apostle teaches elsewhere that “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), he indicates that he is willing to risk misplaced faith, even “weak” faith, if the alternative is to force someone to do something they haven’t the grace to do. This is not letting people off easy, it is being mindful that they are followers of Jesus, not Paul. There is a something profoundly loving in Jesus saying that his “yoke is easy” and his “burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
As a hedge against this possibility, I think there’s a balance to be maintained in the pastor/congregation relationship, and it is revealed in Paul’s directing Timothy to “command and teach” the things that he has been passing on. To command is to give an authoritative order; to teach is to show how the order is fulfilled. And in the Kingdom of God, commands call for faith, and teaching is how faith is engendered. Without people being persuaded as to the necessity of following the order, some other motivation for obedience will interject itself, and the glory that rightly belongs to God will be stolen by man. A loving pastor should never want that to happen.
Strong, charismatic leaders have to be careful how they exercise the gifts with which they have been entrusted. If they do not serve in love they risk losing everything, becoming nothing (1 Corinthian 13:2). Sam Allberry, writing for the Gospel Coalition warns, “Paul doesn’t simply say that loveless giftedness is ‘compromised’ or ‘diminished in effectiveness.’ He doesn’t even talk about the resulting ministry, but only the person exercising the gifts—and they are nothing. Giftedness at the expense of character is never finally effective. No matter how dazzling in the eyes of men, loveless pastors vanish into nothingness in the sight of God.”
That being said, congregations also have a responsibility. God places shepherds over his sheep and the sheep need to listen to the voice of their shepherd. They have the obligation, of course, to be Bereans and make sure that what is being taught is in line with the revealed truth (Acts 17:11-12). But if it is, they need to heed the voice of Jesus being spoken through his ‘under-shepherd.’ Neither overbearing pastors nor obstinate parishioners are pleasing to God.
The problem with church bullies is that they forget (or never really understood) that Christians are to serve God and their neighbor out of love, not fear. They also neglect to cultivate faith in their followers, preferring coercion. A good conscience and sincere faith is what Paul tells Timothy to cultivate (1 Timothy 1:5), and neither of those attributes are developed by coercion. When the apostle teaches elsewhere that “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), he indicates that he is willing to risk misplaced faith, even “weak” faith, if the alternative is to force someone to do something they haven’t the grace to do. This is not letting people off easy, it is being mindful that they are followers of Jesus, not Paul. There is a something profoundly loving in Jesus saying that his “yoke is easy” and his “burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
As a hedge against this possibility, I think there’s a balance to be maintained in the pastor/congregation relationship, and it is revealed in Paul’s directing Timothy to “command and teach” the things that he has been passing on. To command is to give an authoritative order; to teach is to show how the order is fulfilled. And in the Kingdom of God, commands call for faith, and teaching is how faith is engendered. Without people being persuaded as to the necessity of following the order, some other motivation for obedience will interject itself, and the glory that rightly belongs to God will be stolen by man. A loving pastor should never want that to happen.
Strong, charismatic leaders have to be careful how they exercise the gifts with which they have been entrusted. If they do not serve in love they risk losing everything, becoming nothing (1 Corinthian 13:2). Sam Allberry, writing for the Gospel Coalition warns, “Paul doesn’t simply say that loveless giftedness is ‘compromised’ or ‘diminished in effectiveness.’ He doesn’t even talk about the resulting ministry, but only the person exercising the gifts—and they are nothing. Giftedness at the expense of character is never finally effective. No matter how dazzling in the eyes of men, loveless pastors vanish into nothingness in the sight of God.”
That being said, congregations also have a responsibility. God places shepherds over his sheep and the sheep need to listen to the voice of their shepherd. They have the obligation, of course, to be Bereans and make sure that what is being taught is in line with the revealed truth (Acts 17:11-12). But if it is, they need to heed the voice of Jesus being spoken through his ‘under-shepherd.’ Neither overbearing pastors nor obstinate parishioners are pleasing to God.
Pursuing Godliness
In the New Testament, the Greek term translated godliness shows up fifteen times. Nine of them are in the “pastoral epistles,” namely, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. That’s a pretty high concentration considering that these are some of the shortest writings in the New Testament. It indicates the importance the apostle Paul places on godliness and his concern that his young protégés inculcate the quality in themselves and in those whom they shepherd.
What is godliness? An English dictionary offers “the quality of being devoutly religious; piety.” Bryan Chapell suggests, “an active obedience that springs from a reverent awe of God.” While the first definition describes a quality that could be applied to a broad spectrum of belief and practice, the second directs the source of godliness to God himself. Our godliness begins with knowing God and the more we know God the greater will be our godliness. The means by which one grows in godliness, therefore, is not through physical depravation, as suggested by those in Ephesus who were advocating a form of asceticism, but by giving oneself to the study of revealed truth.
Such was the case for Timothy. Paul assured his young charge that if he would put before the congregation the truth concerning the goodness of God’s creation and the rightness of receiving its bounty with thanksgiving, he would show himself to be “a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that [he had] followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6) This was the kind of “training for godliness” that was “of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (v.8) And it stands in stark contrast to the “irreverent, silly myths” being promoted that gave rise to the unprofitable asceticism. Denying the body (forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from foods, v.3) is not nearly as helpful as renewing the mind. To pursue godliness, then, is to pursue God. And to pursue God is to pursue knowledge of God. And to pursue knowledge of God one must turn to the Bible. The Bible is our primary source for the information, the vital information, we need if we are to grow in godliness.
But as Timothy was a man who had been trained in the words of faith and good doctrine, we can assume that what he had come to know was gained not only from his encounter with the Scripture, but he also from its content being explained by his beloved teacher. This suggests that we should avail ourselves of the wisdom that has accumulated from those who have been reflecting upon the Scriptures for the past 2000 years. God has provided gifted teachers who have been shaped by the truth and who demonstrate an ability to make God known in ways that draw us deeper into Him, producing in us the kind of reverent awe and consequent obedience spoken of above.
There are certainly many places in Scripture in which we are exhorted, indeed, commanded to put off practices that run contrary to God’s will. This involves denying ourselves things that our sinful souls would otherwise enjoy. But such depravation is godliness in the best sense — acts of obedience that spring from a reverent awe of God.
What is godliness? An English dictionary offers “the quality of being devoutly religious; piety.” Bryan Chapell suggests, “an active obedience that springs from a reverent awe of God.” While the first definition describes a quality that could be applied to a broad spectrum of belief and practice, the second directs the source of godliness to God himself. Our godliness begins with knowing God and the more we know God the greater will be our godliness. The means by which one grows in godliness, therefore, is not through physical depravation, as suggested by those in Ephesus who were advocating a form of asceticism, but by giving oneself to the study of revealed truth.
Such was the case for Timothy. Paul assured his young charge that if he would put before the congregation the truth concerning the goodness of God’s creation and the rightness of receiving its bounty with thanksgiving, he would show himself to be “a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that [he had] followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6) This was the kind of “training for godliness” that was “of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (v.8) And it stands in stark contrast to the “irreverent, silly myths” being promoted that gave rise to the unprofitable asceticism. Denying the body (forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from foods, v.3) is not nearly as helpful as renewing the mind. To pursue godliness, then, is to pursue God. And to pursue God is to pursue knowledge of God. And to pursue knowledge of God one must turn to the Bible. The Bible is our primary source for the information, the vital information, we need if we are to grow in godliness.
But as Timothy was a man who had been trained in the words of faith and good doctrine, we can assume that what he had come to know was gained not only from his encounter with the Scripture, but he also from its content being explained by his beloved teacher. This suggests that we should avail ourselves of the wisdom that has accumulated from those who have been reflecting upon the Scriptures for the past 2000 years. God has provided gifted teachers who have been shaped by the truth and who demonstrate an ability to make God known in ways that draw us deeper into Him, producing in us the kind of reverent awe and consequent obedience spoken of above.
There are certainly many places in Scripture in which we are exhorted, indeed, commanded to put off practices that run contrary to God’s will. This involves denying ourselves things that our sinful souls would otherwise enjoy. But such depravation is godliness in the best sense — acts of obedience that spring from a reverent awe of God.
The Uniqueness of the Church
The uniqueness and importance of the body of Christ is forcefully expressed by the three descriptives that Paul includes in his letter to Timothy: the household of God; the church of the living God; the pillar and buttress of the truth. Each offers a particular perspective on this divinely wrought institution. Collectively, they demonstrate both the position of the church and its responsibility.
A household is a network of relationships — parents, children, and siblings — and this holds true for the household of God. Each Christian is adopted into the family, making them His children, and brothers and sisters of Jesus, and each other. This relationship with God is something that only those born of Him can claim. And, like being part of a natural family, demands are made on our capacity to love and serve one another. The Lord teaches that our ability to love and serve will bear witness that we are, indeed, children of God.
The church of the living God speaks to his calling us and uniting us together in worship and prayer. Unlike a dumb and deaf idol, God is alive and worthy of our adoration and ready to hear our prayer. Attending the worship of the gathered church, therefore, is an important component of our discipleship. We can, and should, worship God in solitude, but by calling us the church, the ekklesia, of the living God, we can only truly fulfill that title by jointly assembling before Him.
As the pillar and buttress of the truth, the church is duty bound to lift high the gospel so that the world might see it, while at the same time keeping it strong and stable in the face of ever present pressure. Our contemporary efforts at proclamation and preservation are just as important to retain in New York City as it was for them to be restored in Ephesus. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We know that. Others need to know it as well.
Given the uniqueness and importance of the church we can understand why Paul was concerned that Timothy, and the church in Ephesus, would know how to behave. Godliness should be the outcome of the restorative work of Christ. We are new people, with new lives, and new power to live as we are called to live, as we have been created to live. Gratitude, love, and freedom should be the hallmarks of fellowship with God and each other. When the message, or the messengers, lack clarity and conviction, the fruit produced will lack clarity and conviction. No one is saved by a gospel that doesn’t make known Jesus, who he was and what he accomplished. Nor is anyone persuaded that Jesus brings new life if all they see is the old.
The church truly is a unique and important institution. And though we sense that much of the world around us doesn’t view it that way, we must have confidence that Jesus is alive and actively building his church. And our faithfulness to him and the gospel will only have a good outcome.
A household is a network of relationships — parents, children, and siblings — and this holds true for the household of God. Each Christian is adopted into the family, making them His children, and brothers and sisters of Jesus, and each other. This relationship with God is something that only those born of Him can claim. And, like being part of a natural family, demands are made on our capacity to love and serve one another. The Lord teaches that our ability to love and serve will bear witness that we are, indeed, children of God.
The church of the living God speaks to his calling us and uniting us together in worship and prayer. Unlike a dumb and deaf idol, God is alive and worthy of our adoration and ready to hear our prayer. Attending the worship of the gathered church, therefore, is an important component of our discipleship. We can, and should, worship God in solitude, but by calling us the church, the ekklesia, of the living God, we can only truly fulfill that title by jointly assembling before Him.
As the pillar and buttress of the truth, the church is duty bound to lift high the gospel so that the world might see it, while at the same time keeping it strong and stable in the face of ever present pressure. Our contemporary efforts at proclamation and preservation are just as important to retain in New York City as it was for them to be restored in Ephesus. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We know that. Others need to know it as well.
Given the uniqueness and importance of the church we can understand why Paul was concerned that Timothy, and the church in Ephesus, would know how to behave. Godliness should be the outcome of the restorative work of Christ. We are new people, with new lives, and new power to live as we are called to live, as we have been created to live. Gratitude, love, and freedom should be the hallmarks of fellowship with God and each other. When the message, or the messengers, lack clarity and conviction, the fruit produced will lack clarity and conviction. No one is saved by a gospel that doesn’t make known Jesus, who he was and what he accomplished. Nor is anyone persuaded that Jesus brings new life if all they see is the old.
The church truly is a unique and important institution. And though we sense that much of the world around us doesn’t view it that way, we must have confidence that Jesus is alive and actively building his church. And our faithfulness to him and the gospel will only have a good outcome.
Deacons and Elders
Deacon and elder are the two offices that the Bible mandates for the church. Historically, other offices have been created by various factions of the church, but the biblical evidence supports only these two. The elder is also described as a shepherd, overseer, and sometimes the Greek is translated as bishop. The men who fill this role are given authority to rule in the church, but not as the “Gentiles do,” who “lord” their authority over people. On the contrary, they are serve the flock, shepherding them into heaven, as under-shepherds of the chief Shepherd (Matthew 20:25-28; 1 Peter 5:4).
The second office, that of deacon, also serves the church but not in the same sense of leading or exercising spiritual oversight. While managing the finances of the church is often associated with the office (and that is an appropriate association), the scope of the charge is broader. Deacons are called to aid the flock. It’s true that all Christians are called to care for one another (James 2:14-16; 1 John 3:16-18), but God saw fit to establish an office that bears particular responsibility for the welfare of the church. An authoritative lexicon puts it this way, “to have responsibility to help others, or, to be responsible to take care of needs of believers.” This requires, therefore, that deacons are mindful of the needs in the body (needs that others might not be aware of) and see to it that those needs are met.
Being placed in the office of deacon or elder is a great privilege. As we trace out the arc of the biblical narrative, often described as Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration, we see that the focus of God’s governance has been the church. From before the world was formed, God elected people to be numbered as his (Ephesians 1:4-5). The outworking of that purpose, from the post-fall declaration of a coming redeemer, to covenants made with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and David, to the coming of the heaven-sent Redeemer, had as its focus the securing of a people for God. Those people, who are “called according to his purpose . . . predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers,” (Romans 8:29) are found in the church. As such, the church is the most important and precious group of people that has ever existed. And to be called to serve them should be considered an extraordinary privilege.
Given the nobility of the task, those placed in these offices are to lead gospel-shaped lives. They are to possess a maturity that encompasses knowledge of the “mystery of the faith,” mastery over their hearts and minds so that they live with self-control, and a track record that demonstrates that they can be trusted with the affairs of the church, which sometimes can involve not just the physical property or money, but details of the lives of their brothers and sisters.
The church needs deacons and elders. To pursue the kind of maturity required by these noble offices is in itself a noble task. May God stir hearts so that there will be among us those who are willing to stretch themselves, seeking to serve God by serving his people.
The second office, that of deacon, also serves the church but not in the same sense of leading or exercising spiritual oversight. While managing the finances of the church is often associated with the office (and that is an appropriate association), the scope of the charge is broader. Deacons are called to aid the flock. It’s true that all Christians are called to care for one another (James 2:14-16; 1 John 3:16-18), but God saw fit to establish an office that bears particular responsibility for the welfare of the church. An authoritative lexicon puts it this way, “to have responsibility to help others, or, to be responsible to take care of needs of believers.” This requires, therefore, that deacons are mindful of the needs in the body (needs that others might not be aware of) and see to it that those needs are met.
Being placed in the office of deacon or elder is a great privilege. As we trace out the arc of the biblical narrative, often described as Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration, we see that the focus of God’s governance has been the church. From before the world was formed, God elected people to be numbered as his (Ephesians 1:4-5). The outworking of that purpose, from the post-fall declaration of a coming redeemer, to covenants made with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and David, to the coming of the heaven-sent Redeemer, had as its focus the securing of a people for God. Those people, who are “called according to his purpose . . . predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers,” (Romans 8:29) are found in the church. As such, the church is the most important and precious group of people that has ever existed. And to be called to serve them should be considered an extraordinary privilege.
Given the nobility of the task, those placed in these offices are to lead gospel-shaped lives. They are to possess a maturity that encompasses knowledge of the “mystery of the faith,” mastery over their hearts and minds so that they live with self-control, and a track record that demonstrates that they can be trusted with the affairs of the church, which sometimes can involve not just the physical property or money, but details of the lives of their brothers and sisters.
The church needs deacons and elders. To pursue the kind of maturity required by these noble offices is in itself a noble task. May God stir hearts so that there will be among us those who are willing to stretch themselves, seeking to serve God by serving his people.
Noble Leaders, Noble Task
It is often noted that Psalm 23 is the most loved portion of Scripture. That the poem is so widely appreciated, even by those who claim no allegiance to the Bible, reveals something about human need. We desire to be led by those whom we can trust, who are genuinely aware of and care about the difficulties that life presents, who offer stability in the midst of uncertainty, and who give us a vision for the future that fosters hope. David poetically expresses as much when he describes God’s shepherding care of him. Perhaps this is why the psalm is so beloved. It anticipates the basic aims that current research has shown to be necessary components of leadership. If a leader is to have a positive influence on those who follow he or she must inspire trust, compassion, stability, and hope.
Upon examination, the qualifications that Paul lists for those who aspire to oversight in the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7) can be said to fall under those same four headings. They ought, therefore, to be present in all would-be shepherds. It can be the case, however, that elders are chosen because of their success in business, or popularity among the congregation, or political influence in the community at large. They might be chosen just because they have been in the church for a long time and it seems the honorable thing to do. While such traits do not disqualify a candidate, they are not sufficient for the task of shepherding God’s people. Elders need to be men who can be trusted, who are compassionate, who offer stability, and who foster hope, no matter how successful or popular they may or may not be.
That being said, Paul teaches that those who aspire to be an elder desire a noble task. This is due to the gospel impact of the office. When humanity rebelled against the person and purpose of God, they threw off the watch-care that David so warmly extols. This placed them in a perilous place in the universe. Having become subject to every wind of doctrine, we have been tossed about, as Paul says elsewhere, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Ephesians 4:14; Matthew 9:36). Jesus, the “good shepherd,” in love and compassion, gave his life for the sheep so that they might be brought back under the shepherding care of God (John 10). Those who are under-shepherds of the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4) participate in his gospel enterprise by exercising leadership marked by the traits that he possessed without measure — traits that people desire, that people need. A willingness to pursue the kind of maturity and grace reflected in the qualifications Paul offers, is a noble undertaking for they will be called upon in a noble task.
Upon examination, the qualifications that Paul lists for those who aspire to oversight in the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7) can be said to fall under those same four headings. They ought, therefore, to be present in all would-be shepherds. It can be the case, however, that elders are chosen because of their success in business, or popularity among the congregation, or political influence in the community at large. They might be chosen just because they have been in the church for a long time and it seems the honorable thing to do. While such traits do not disqualify a candidate, they are not sufficient for the task of shepherding God’s people. Elders need to be men who can be trusted, who are compassionate, who offer stability, and who foster hope, no matter how successful or popular they may or may not be.
That being said, Paul teaches that those who aspire to be an elder desire a noble task. This is due to the gospel impact of the office. When humanity rebelled against the person and purpose of God, they threw off the watch-care that David so warmly extols. This placed them in a perilous place in the universe. Having become subject to every wind of doctrine, we have been tossed about, as Paul says elsewhere, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Ephesians 4:14; Matthew 9:36). Jesus, the “good shepherd,” in love and compassion, gave his life for the sheep so that they might be brought back under the shepherding care of God (John 10). Those who are under-shepherds of the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4) participate in his gospel enterprise by exercising leadership marked by the traits that he possessed without measure — traits that people desire, that people need. A willingness to pursue the kind of maturity and grace reflected in the qualifications Paul offers, is a noble undertaking for they will be called upon in a noble task.
Male Headship?
Some of Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding the demeanor of men and women in the church are offensive to modern ears. The expectation that men would pray without rancor and women not dress ostentatiously or provocatively are less likely to raise eyebrows. But the call for women in church to be submissive and silent and to not teach men, strikes the modern hearer as archaic, patriarchal, chauvinistic. I would suggest that Paul’s teaching is designed to bring the relationship between the men and women of the church back to creational order.
Despite efforts by some to interpret his remarks as pertaining to issues current in that particular church, Paul resorts to universal terms. Referencing the Genesis account, he notes that Adam was created first. He was then placed in the garden and given the task of guarding and keeping. In the course of his work God declared that Adam needed a helper “fit” for him. So he builds a woman from Adam’s rib and presents her to him. Adam, realizing the marvel of this, affirms that she is “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” What is revealed in this account? To put it succinctly, the woman was made from the man, for the man.
This is what sounds offensive, and not without cause. The “headship” of the man, and the expectation that he will lead in his family and the church has been much abused. Instead of servant leaders, working to bring out the best in those they have been charged to lead, too often men have resorted to dominance in both church and home. Additionally, the rationale given by Paul as to the facts involved in the ‘fall’ have historically been leveraged to assert incapacity on the part of the woman. Neither of these unfortunate misunderstandings should be the take away from what Scripture offers.
God has woven authority into his creation. It is his to delegate and he entrusts it to his image bearers to exercise in three spheres: civil society, the church, and the home. I believe Paul is indicating that Eve, acting as she did, undermined God’s order (something which Adam was all too ready to accept) and with catastrophic results. The corruption of human nature perpetrated by Eve’s transgression and Adam’s failed stewardship led immediately to impure hearts, dull consciences, and idolatrous faith.
It is just this state of affairs that the gospel targets. The aim of the gospel charge “is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Should we not expect, therefore, that obedience to the gospel will include an effort to order our relationships according to God’s initial intent? I think that not unreasonable to conclude. If we interpret that intent as demeaning or unjust, I would suggest we are using the wrong metrics by which we evaluate worth. God makes men and women to bear his image. He entrusts the stewardship of his creation to both. Both are called to know the Lord and serve him faithfully. That one is expected to take the lead in the formative institutions of church and home is not a matter of worth, but particular responsibility.
Despite efforts by some to interpret his remarks as pertaining to issues current in that particular church, Paul resorts to universal terms. Referencing the Genesis account, he notes that Adam was created first. He was then placed in the garden and given the task of guarding and keeping. In the course of his work God declared that Adam needed a helper “fit” for him. So he builds a woman from Adam’s rib and presents her to him. Adam, realizing the marvel of this, affirms that she is “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” What is revealed in this account? To put it succinctly, the woman was made from the man, for the man.
This is what sounds offensive, and not without cause. The “headship” of the man, and the expectation that he will lead in his family and the church has been much abused. Instead of servant leaders, working to bring out the best in those they have been charged to lead, too often men have resorted to dominance in both church and home. Additionally, the rationale given by Paul as to the facts involved in the ‘fall’ have historically been leveraged to assert incapacity on the part of the woman. Neither of these unfortunate misunderstandings should be the take away from what Scripture offers.
God has woven authority into his creation. It is his to delegate and he entrusts it to his image bearers to exercise in three spheres: civil society, the church, and the home. I believe Paul is indicating that Eve, acting as she did, undermined God’s order (something which Adam was all too ready to accept) and with catastrophic results. The corruption of human nature perpetrated by Eve’s transgression and Adam’s failed stewardship led immediately to impure hearts, dull consciences, and idolatrous faith.
It is just this state of affairs that the gospel targets. The aim of the gospel charge “is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Should we not expect, therefore, that obedience to the gospel will include an effort to order our relationships according to God’s initial intent? I think that not unreasonable to conclude. If we interpret that intent as demeaning or unjust, I would suggest we are using the wrong metrics by which we evaluate worth. God makes men and women to bear his image. He entrusts the stewardship of his creation to both. Both are called to know the Lord and serve him faithfully. That one is expected to take the lead in the formative institutions of church and home is not a matter of worth, but particular responsibility.
Praying for Gospel Advance
The church in Ephesus had gotten off track. Those responsible for shepherding it were leading people astray. Paul charged Timothy to remind them why they existed. They were called to preserve and promote the gospel, for in so doing they would bring glory to God, which is why the church in Ephesus, or any church for that matter, exists.
The first thing that Timothy needed to do was to get the church praying for the advance of the gospel. Praying ‘all kinds of prayer for all kinds of people,’ including “for kings and all who are in high positions,” was of primary importance. This appears to be a particular need for the Ephesian church. It seems that the false teaching promoted a distorted view of the church’s responsibility. It was not uncommon for Jews to think that they were responsible only for other Jews (this was the mindset of the lawyer whose question, “And who is my neighbor?”, prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan). The errant teaching in Ephesus seems to have been influenced by such thought and Paul emphasizes the need to pray for the salvation of all people.
It was also important that the church pray for those in authority so that Christians might lead peaceable and quiet lives. There’s a kind of romanticism about the church doing its best when being persecuted, but history demonstrates that the church really took off once it gained favored status under Constantine. And a report published in Christianity Today in 2013 demonstrates that the top ten missionary sending countries are all relatively stable and prosperous ones. Free movement, freedom of speech, enough resources to support the effort, all favor gospel advance. Consequently, the gospel has had greater opportunity to flourish when those responsible for spreading it have lived in stable societies.
But the fundamental problem the Ephesian church had was their lack of concern for the advance of the gospel. They had become distracted by foolish and vain speculations that grew out of their mishandling of the law. Such a lack of concern is not a problem unique to that church. It’s hard “to keep your eye on the ball.” Fatigue, familiarity, errant teaching, not to mention the devil, all work to tamp down gospel enthusiasm, even in churches that once were marked by evangelistic zeal. When that happens, making prayer the main thing will go far toward making the gospel the main thing.
The first thing that Timothy needed to do was to get the church praying for the advance of the gospel. Praying ‘all kinds of prayer for all kinds of people,’ including “for kings and all who are in high positions,” was of primary importance. This appears to be a particular need for the Ephesian church. It seems that the false teaching promoted a distorted view of the church’s responsibility. It was not uncommon for Jews to think that they were responsible only for other Jews (this was the mindset of the lawyer whose question, “And who is my neighbor?”, prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan). The errant teaching in Ephesus seems to have been influenced by such thought and Paul emphasizes the need to pray for the salvation of all people.
It was also important that the church pray for those in authority so that Christians might lead peaceable and quiet lives. There’s a kind of romanticism about the church doing its best when being persecuted, but history demonstrates that the church really took off once it gained favored status under Constantine. And a report published in Christianity Today in 2013 demonstrates that the top ten missionary sending countries are all relatively stable and prosperous ones. Free movement, freedom of speech, enough resources to support the effort, all favor gospel advance. Consequently, the gospel has had greater opportunity to flourish when those responsible for spreading it have lived in stable societies.
But the fundamental problem the Ephesian church had was their lack of concern for the advance of the gospel. They had become distracted by foolish and vain speculations that grew out of their mishandling of the law. Such a lack of concern is not a problem unique to that church. It’s hard “to keep your eye on the ball.” Fatigue, familiarity, errant teaching, not to mention the devil, all work to tamp down gospel enthusiasm, even in churches that once were marked by evangelistic zeal. When that happens, making prayer the main thing will go far toward making the gospel the main thing.
Our Source of Moral Authority
It is not unusual for a Christian parent with young children to anticipate a lack of moral authority to direct his children away from behavior that he himself participated in prior to his becoming a Christian. Activities such as pre-marital sex, illicit drug use, drunkenness, or theft, destruction of property, or brawling, are often part of a life not governed by Christ. Consequently, the parent is concerned that when the child reaches an age when such temptations begin to present themselves, he cannot expect compliance because he himself has been a transgressor. A common tactic is to keep previous sin concealed.
Unfortunately, that option is not available for the Christian trying to persuade an old friend with whom he has a shared history. As far as the old friend is concerned the Christian has no moral authority to tell him to repent because he knows he’s done the same things.
What is the source of our moral authority in such instances? The apostle Paul’s testimony from the opening words of First Timothy is a resource. Despite his profoundly sinful past, Paul did not hesitate to say what needed to be said, nor he did doubt his right to expect compliance. Where lay his confidence? First was his calling. God had tasked him to preach, of this he had no doubt. Second, contrary to the tactic of concealing sin alluded to above, he acknowledged it. Such humility lends credibility, he knows what it’s like to be caught up in sin, and he knows what it’s like to be set free. Third was his example, not only of his conversion but his progress in righteousness. He was pursuing the life he called others to live. Lastly, his gratitude toward God was unbounded, evident in his burst of praise at the end of his confession.
These same resources are available to us. We are all called to make the gospel known. We all have cause for humility and can admit it. We all can testify to God’s transforming power graciously at work in our lives. And we all can give him the glory for his merciful salvation. Bolstered by these resources we can lovingly appeal to others to embrace the reality that has been so kindly revealed to us. We need not lack confidence, we need not fear. There is no guarantee that the ones we are pleading with will listen, but we can make every effort, by word and deed, to make the beauty of the gospel known.
Unfortunately, that option is not available for the Christian trying to persuade an old friend with whom he has a shared history. As far as the old friend is concerned the Christian has no moral authority to tell him to repent because he knows he’s done the same things.
What is the source of our moral authority in such instances? The apostle Paul’s testimony from the opening words of First Timothy is a resource. Despite his profoundly sinful past, Paul did not hesitate to say what needed to be said, nor he did doubt his right to expect compliance. Where lay his confidence? First was his calling. God had tasked him to preach, of this he had no doubt. Second, contrary to the tactic of concealing sin alluded to above, he acknowledged it. Such humility lends credibility, he knows what it’s like to be caught up in sin, and he knows what it’s like to be set free. Third was his example, not only of his conversion but his progress in righteousness. He was pursuing the life he called others to live. Lastly, his gratitude toward God was unbounded, evident in his burst of praise at the end of his confession.
These same resources are available to us. We are all called to make the gospel known. We all have cause for humility and can admit it. We all can testify to God’s transforming power graciously at work in our lives. And we all can give him the glory for his merciful salvation. Bolstered by these resources we can lovingly appeal to others to embrace the reality that has been so kindly revealed to us. We need not lack confidence, we need not fear. There is no guarantee that the ones we are pleading with will listen, but we can make every effort, by word and deed, to make the beauty of the gospel known.
Unrighteous Righteousness
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” “(Matthew 7:21-23) These are sober words. Jesus is warning that on Judgment Day there will be people who have been ‘doing ministry’ in his name who have actually been promoting doctrines and practices contrary to his will. On Sunday, I called this phenomenon unrighteous righteousness.
Currently, it finds expression among those purported to be part of the church who support monogendered sex and marriage. Alan Chambers, the former director of Exodus International, a now defunct umbrella organization for ministries that offered support for those dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction, explains his decision to shutter Exodus International this way, “Where I once lived in fear of all things gay and mistook my religious homophobia as a passion for God’s truth . . . I repented. I changed my mind. I chose to believe the truth about God—that he is indeed a God of love and grace. I chose to be free. I chose to love without reserve, starting with myself, and then others. I chose to embrace rather than to push away . . .” (washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/26) So, where once Alan was motivated by the scriptural warnings regarding homosexuality to help those who felt burdened by those desires, he subsequently decided the warnings could be ignored, and this in the name of God. An act of unrighteous righteousness.
The apostle Paul offers another example. Though not acting in the name of Christ, his persecution of believers prior to his conversion was due to religious zeal. He ardently sought to defend, in his words, the “traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14) In the name of God, he denounced Jesus and persecuted his church. It was only after a Damascus Road confrontation with the risen Christ that he realized the truth and ceased being a “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” This is why he can say that “I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:13) Once he confessed Christ, he repented of his unrighteous righteousness and spoke out against “whatever . . . is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” (1 Timothy 1:11).
What is striking, given Alan Chambers’ assertions, is that among the behaviors that Paul lists as running contrary to the gospel is that of “men who practice homosexuality.” (1 Timothy1:10) I humbly and sincerely acknowledge that only God knows the hearts of people (Luke 16:15), but I can’t help thinking of contemporary promoters of unrighteous righteousness as those who will be subject to the dread decision of Jesus, “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Paul acted out of ignorance. Alan confesses Christ.
Currently, it finds expression among those purported to be part of the church who support monogendered sex and marriage. Alan Chambers, the former director of Exodus International, a now defunct umbrella organization for ministries that offered support for those dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction, explains his decision to shutter Exodus International this way, “Where I once lived in fear of all things gay and mistook my religious homophobia as a passion for God’s truth . . . I repented. I changed my mind. I chose to believe the truth about God—that he is indeed a God of love and grace. I chose to be free. I chose to love without reserve, starting with myself, and then others. I chose to embrace rather than to push away . . .” (washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/26) So, where once Alan was motivated by the scriptural warnings regarding homosexuality to help those who felt burdened by those desires, he subsequently decided the warnings could be ignored, and this in the name of God. An act of unrighteous righteousness.
The apostle Paul offers another example. Though not acting in the name of Christ, his persecution of believers prior to his conversion was due to religious zeal. He ardently sought to defend, in his words, the “traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14) In the name of God, he denounced Jesus and persecuted his church. It was only after a Damascus Road confrontation with the risen Christ that he realized the truth and ceased being a “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” This is why he can say that “I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:13) Once he confessed Christ, he repented of his unrighteous righteousness and spoke out against “whatever . . . is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” (1 Timothy 1:11).
What is striking, given Alan Chambers’ assertions, is that among the behaviors that Paul lists as running contrary to the gospel is that of “men who practice homosexuality.” (1 Timothy1:10) I humbly and sincerely acknowledge that only God knows the hearts of people (Luke 16:15), but I can’t help thinking of contemporary promoters of unrighteous righteousness as those who will be subject to the dread decision of Jesus, “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Paul acted out of ignorance. Alan confesses Christ.
Wage the Good Warfare
Is the gospel only good news when it fulfills our notions of what is good? You might think so given how people can act and speak in the name of the gospel. Some never mention sin, repentance, righteousness, or atonement, at least not with the same meaning of those words that the church has historically used. Redefining the message is a failure of the stewardship that was entrusted to the apostles and then passed on and fought for over the centuries. And such warping of the message has had devastating results.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul offers the following descriptives of what happens to people when the gospel as revealed is fooled with, forsaken, or forgotten: they wander into vain discussions, teach from ignorance, promote irreverent, silly myths, devote themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons; their consciences become seared, they stray after Satan, engage in irreverent babble and contradictions, fall into a love of money (the root of all evil); they become puffed up with conceit, crave controversy, quarrel about words, produce envy, dissensions, evil suspicions, and constant friction; they are depraved in mind, deprived of the truth, imagine godliness as a means of gain, swerve from and make shipwreck of their faith. That’s what can happen, and has happened, when the gospel, as it has been revealed by the Holy Spirit, is not upheld in the church. The good news not only brings people into the kingdom, it also keeps people in the kingdom.
Why is this so? Because the gospel reveals the true situation we find ourselves in. Far from thinking we can confidently assert things about the nature of reality, the gospel lets us know how things actually are. God, as creator, is holy. There is no one else like him, both in being and attributes. His wrath is real and it is revealed “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18) We must understand, therefore, that unless God does something about our situation we are lost. But he has done something, for God is also merciful and loving. He acts to save those subject to his wrath by sending his only son, and “in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh.” (Romans 8:3) This gracious gift allows us to be brought back into relationship with him, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and pursue the kind of life we were designed to live - walking in love for God and neighbor that issues from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
The revealed gospel has been under attack from the very beginning. The assault has manifested itself in various ways over the centuries, but in the evangelical church of our day I believe the force that threatens is not so much aberrant doctrine as emotion. You hear it when people say, “The scripture says this, but I feel this.” For such folks, feeling forms faith, care establishes creed.
This is why we must, as Paul charges Timothy, “wage the good warfare.” The gospel is the power of God unto to salvation for all who believe. But the gospel offered must be that which God has graciously revealed, no matter how it may hurt someone’s feelings.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul offers the following descriptives of what happens to people when the gospel as revealed is fooled with, forsaken, or forgotten: they wander into vain discussions, teach from ignorance, promote irreverent, silly myths, devote themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons; their consciences become seared, they stray after Satan, engage in irreverent babble and contradictions, fall into a love of money (the root of all evil); they become puffed up with conceit, crave controversy, quarrel about words, produce envy, dissensions, evil suspicions, and constant friction; they are depraved in mind, deprived of the truth, imagine godliness as a means of gain, swerve from and make shipwreck of their faith. That’s what can happen, and has happened, when the gospel, as it has been revealed by the Holy Spirit, is not upheld in the church. The good news not only brings people into the kingdom, it also keeps people in the kingdom.
Why is this so? Because the gospel reveals the true situation we find ourselves in. Far from thinking we can confidently assert things about the nature of reality, the gospel lets us know how things actually are. God, as creator, is holy. There is no one else like him, both in being and attributes. His wrath is real and it is revealed “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18) We must understand, therefore, that unless God does something about our situation we are lost. But he has done something, for God is also merciful and loving. He acts to save those subject to his wrath by sending his only son, and “in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh.” (Romans 8:3) This gracious gift allows us to be brought back into relationship with him, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and pursue the kind of life we were designed to live - walking in love for God and neighbor that issues from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
The revealed gospel has been under attack from the very beginning. The assault has manifested itself in various ways over the centuries, but in the evangelical church of our day I believe the force that threatens is not so much aberrant doctrine as emotion. You hear it when people say, “The scripture says this, but I feel this.” For such folks, feeling forms faith, care establishes creed.
This is why we must, as Paul charges Timothy, “wage the good warfare.” The gospel is the power of God unto to salvation for all who believe. But the gospel offered must be that which God has graciously revealed, no matter how it may hurt someone’s feelings.
The Aim of Our Charge
Paul, “an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,” (1 Timothy 1:1) labored diligently. He planted churches, trained leaders, traveled widely, preached boldly, wrote forcefully, and suffered greatly. In all that he did he was mindful that he had been entrusted with a stewardship. This stewardship included both content and function. That is, there was a body of revealed knowledge that he felt obligated to protect and well as promulgate. False teachers could corrupt it, and fear could silence it. As a steward he could let neither happen. So he challenged heresy and prayed for boldness to speak as he ought to speak. As a result, the impact of his life has been, and continues to be, profound.
Given all that we know of Paul’s ministry and theology, it’s a revelation to discover the single-mindedness of his aim as he fulfilled his mandate: “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5) Interesting, right? A succinct statement of the goal he had for every disciple of Jesus as he exhorted them to faithfulness, turned them away from false doctrine, or challenged the unbiblical worldviews of those yet to believe. This reflects Jesus’ own emphasis when he offers the summation of what is expected,“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Why this emphasis? I believe it’s because it addresses the fundamental problem we have as fallen human beings. When Adam and Eve’s faith in God was undermined by the deception of the serpent, their hearts became corrupted with impure motives, and, as a result, they were stricken with guilty consciences. This lack of love for God and the resultant lack of love for others, evidenced by the immediate enmity that existed between them, is the fruit of our stepping outside the bounds of our identify. This is the fundamental disease that Jesus came to cure, a cure made possible by his possessing a love that issued from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. His love for God and neighbor was expressed perfectly, and as he yet lives, his love is being fostered in our lives as an aim of our discipleship.
Perhaps this is helpful when we read of the love that is repeatedly called for in the Bible. What is being asked of us in those moments? It might be expressed in different ways depending on the context or need, but always it must be a love that issues from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. This is something that we can do as a self-check and if we find anything lacking, call upon Christ to supply what we need. The more we pursue this kind of love, the more we become like him, which, at its most fundamental, is the aim of our discipleship.
Given all that we know of Paul’s ministry and theology, it’s a revelation to discover the single-mindedness of his aim as he fulfilled his mandate: “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5) Interesting, right? A succinct statement of the goal he had for every disciple of Jesus as he exhorted them to faithfulness, turned them away from false doctrine, or challenged the unbiblical worldviews of those yet to believe. This reflects Jesus’ own emphasis when he offers the summation of what is expected,“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Why this emphasis? I believe it’s because it addresses the fundamental problem we have as fallen human beings. When Adam and Eve’s faith in God was undermined by the deception of the serpent, their hearts became corrupted with impure motives, and, as a result, they were stricken with guilty consciences. This lack of love for God and the resultant lack of love for others, evidenced by the immediate enmity that existed between them, is the fruit of our stepping outside the bounds of our identify. This is the fundamental disease that Jesus came to cure, a cure made possible by his possessing a love that issued from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. His love for God and neighbor was expressed perfectly, and as he yet lives, his love is being fostered in our lives as an aim of our discipleship.
Perhaps this is helpful when we read of the love that is repeatedly called for in the Bible. What is being asked of us in those moments? It might be expressed in different ways depending on the context or need, but always it must be a love that issues from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. This is something that we can do as a self-check and if we find anything lacking, call upon Christ to supply what we need. The more we pursue this kind of love, the more we become like him, which, at its most fundamental, is the aim of our discipleship.
A Team Effort
After sports championships, World Series, Super Bowl, etc., a Most Valuable Player (MVP) is chosen. During the inevitable post-game interview it’s usually the case that the MVP will say how humbled he is to be so chosen and then go on to say how it was everyone’s effort that allowed his team to win. Such expressions of humility are becoming — and true. Though one player can be acknowledged for the significant contribution he made in obtaining the prize, team sports are just that, team sports. It takes a lot of different people to bring off a World Series win or a Super Bowl championship. But this is true for even non-team sports, such as golf and tennis. Athletes competing at a professional level in those arenas are supported by an entourage. Golfer Brooks Koepka has won four “majors,” and he has had a lot of help doing it. His swing coach, putting coach, strength trainer, caddy — the list could go on — all played a part in Koepka’s victories, even though he's the one who got to lift the trophies.
As we Christians seek to obtain the reward, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” we need as much help as the Series MVP or the reigning PGA champ. This is suggested when the writer of Hebrews exhorts, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) Our mutual goal, as members of the body of Christ, is to “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) To that end Jesus has given gifts that are to be exercised in a manner that enables the saints to “do the work of ministry,” which in turn brings pleasure to God, who will then express his pleasure in his children on the Day when we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. In other words, Christianity is a team sport. We need one another to obtain the prize, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To go it alone, or to be concerned only with ourselves, is not the way God has designed it.
To be a help to our brothers and sisters, however, we must take seriously the exhortation to “consider” one another. Throwing out a lot of general directives to someone without considering who he is in the particular challenge he is facing, will not provide the needed support. We must know the other in order to help him. This is why the writer follows the previous exhortation with, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” Its in our times of worship, fellowship, and working together, that we gain the kind of insight we need so that we can better know how to lovingly and productively “stir up . . . love and good works” in our fellow believer.
As we Christians seek to obtain the reward, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” we need as much help as the Series MVP or the reigning PGA champ. This is suggested when the writer of Hebrews exhorts, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) Our mutual goal, as members of the body of Christ, is to “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) To that end Jesus has given gifts that are to be exercised in a manner that enables the saints to “do the work of ministry,” which in turn brings pleasure to God, who will then express his pleasure in his children on the Day when we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. In other words, Christianity is a team sport. We need one another to obtain the prize, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To go it alone, or to be concerned only with ourselves, is not the way God has designed it.
To be a help to our brothers and sisters, however, we must take seriously the exhortation to “consider” one another. Throwing out a lot of general directives to someone without considering who he is in the particular challenge he is facing, will not provide the needed support. We must know the other in order to help him. This is why the writer follows the previous exhortation with, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” Its in our times of worship, fellowship, and working together, that we gain the kind of insight we need so that we can better know how to lovingly and productively “stir up . . . love and good works” in our fellow believer.
Enduring As Seeing Him Who Is Invisible
The picture that Scripture paints of Moses reveals a complex individual. If we have in mind only Charlton Heston from Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments then we miss much. Captured in several Old Testament books, is the long account of his leading Israel from the bondage of Egypt through the wilderness wanderings to the edge of the Promised Land. In that record we have a man who is at one point fearful of Pharaoh, who then stands boldly before him demanding in Yahweh’s name to let his people go. He pleads mercy for when Yahweh is angry with Israel, but himself strikes out in frustration on account of their complaints. He leads God’s people to the border of Canaan only to have them refuse to enter. As a result, he must spend forty years leading them in circles until the rebellious generation is dead before they might cross over Jordan. In the end, however, he himself is denied entry, allowed only to look upon the land from afar.
In addition to the Pentateuch, we have the testimony of Stephen in Acts 7. In it, he relates how Moses, at age 40, understood that God had chosen him to deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s clutches, yet it would take another 40 years and an encounter with a burning bush before it would be undertaken. Also included is Moses’ poignant reflections in Psalm 90 on the frailty of human existence and the mercies of God. But it is the writer of Hebrews who explains the nature of the faith that sustained Moses during his long, extraordinary life. It was a faith that offered “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” His faith was manifested when he chose identification with God’s people over the court of Pharaoh. Eschewing the “fleeting pleasures of sin” for “he was looking to the reward,” he exhibited courage in the face of Pharaoh’s wrath, because “he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”
Moses had confidence that Yahweh, maker of heaven and earth, existed and that he was as good as his word. He had chosen Israel as his own special people and had promised them land and an enduring future. Whatever pleasures Egypt offered, they were not eternal. He chose therefore to defer gratification, believing that the reward God offered would prove more satisfactory than the “treasures of Egypt.”
This is the choice put before us each time we are tempted to settle for something less than God’s best. Will we, in faith, patiently wait for the blessing he promises for faithfulness, or will we yield to the voice that urges immediate gratification? Will we become discontent with our lack of “fulfillment,” or, by faith, be satisfied with God’s pleasure in us being pleased in him? As the writer of Hebrews teaches, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” This was the faith of Moses. It is to be our faith as well. Such confidence in God will allow us, like the great patriarch, to look “to the reward” and endure “as seeing him who is invisible.”
In addition to the Pentateuch, we have the testimony of Stephen in Acts 7. In it, he relates how Moses, at age 40, understood that God had chosen him to deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s clutches, yet it would take another 40 years and an encounter with a burning bush before it would be undertaken. Also included is Moses’ poignant reflections in Psalm 90 on the frailty of human existence and the mercies of God. But it is the writer of Hebrews who explains the nature of the faith that sustained Moses during his long, extraordinary life. It was a faith that offered “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” His faith was manifested when he chose identification with God’s people over the court of Pharaoh. Eschewing the “fleeting pleasures of sin” for “he was looking to the reward,” he exhibited courage in the face of Pharaoh’s wrath, because “he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”
Moses had confidence that Yahweh, maker of heaven and earth, existed and that he was as good as his word. He had chosen Israel as his own special people and had promised them land and an enduring future. Whatever pleasures Egypt offered, they were not eternal. He chose therefore to defer gratification, believing that the reward God offered would prove more satisfactory than the “treasures of Egypt.”
This is the choice put before us each time we are tempted to settle for something less than God’s best. Will we, in faith, patiently wait for the blessing he promises for faithfulness, or will we yield to the voice that urges immediate gratification? Will we become discontent with our lack of “fulfillment,” or, by faith, be satisfied with God’s pleasure in us being pleased in him? As the writer of Hebrews teaches, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” This was the faith of Moses. It is to be our faith as well. Such confidence in God will allow us, like the great patriarch, to look “to the reward” and endure “as seeing him who is invisible.”
Pursuing the Reward
C.S. Lewis calls it “the specific pleasure of the inferior.” This is the joy that the lesser finds in receiving praise from the greater, “The pleasure of a beast before men, a child before its father, a pupil before his teacher, a creature before its Creator.” (The Weight of Glory) It is the substance of the reward, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter into the joy of your master,” (Matthew 25:21) that awaits the faithful Christian.
When rewards are spoken of in Scripture (and they are spoken of frequently), they are tied to obedience and diligence in following God’s will. They are often described in material or earthly terms: the dutiful servants of Luke 19 are given rule over cities, Paul anticipates receiving a crown of righteousness for having fought the good fight, and Jesus tells a rich man that if he would sell what he has and give it to the poor he would receive “treasure in heaven.” (2 Timothy 4:8; Luke 18:22). But I think Lewis is right to emphasize the reward of praise from our gracious God. Even if there are material blessings that await they would be an expression of our heavenly Father’s pleasure. The greatest part of the reward, therefore, would not be the thing offered but the “divine accolade” that accompanies it.
Why Lewis’ insight is so helpful is because it gets at the core of who and what we are. We are creatures created to bring pleasure to our creator and whose souls are meant to feed upon his praise. We get a taste of this when we have the pleasure of receiving commendation from one we were rightly mean to please. And though, as Lewis notes, “the lawful pleasure of praise” from such a one “turns into the deadly poison of self-admiration,” we can, like Lewis, “detect a moment—a very, very short moment—before this happened, during which the satisfaction of having pleased those whom I rightly loved and rightly feared was pure.” And, he asserts, “that is enough to raise our thoughts to what may happen when the redeemed soul, beyond all hope and nearly beyond belief, learns at last that she has pleased Him whom she was created to please.”
I think there is much to contemplate here. The anticipated intimate recognition due our faithfulness that will come when we stand before God on the Day is the sentiment of heaven. We know heaven is described as a place free of sorrow, sickness, sin, and suffering. But it will also be a place of eternal pleasure due to God’s pleasure in us. It will all be due to his work in us, of course, but it is clear we have a part to play. To pursue the reward, the glory, is the right of every redeemed child of God. The master in the parable gave the talents with the expectation that they would be used. The reward for faithful use of what was entrusted was built into the transaction. For the servants to pursue it was only fitting. We should not think, therefore, that serving God in order to receive his commendation is an ungodly or unspiritual pursuit. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were created to receive his “well done,” and if the parable is any measure of his intent, he will not be stingy with his praise.
When rewards are spoken of in Scripture (and they are spoken of frequently), they are tied to obedience and diligence in following God’s will. They are often described in material or earthly terms: the dutiful servants of Luke 19 are given rule over cities, Paul anticipates receiving a crown of righteousness for having fought the good fight, and Jesus tells a rich man that if he would sell what he has and give it to the poor he would receive “treasure in heaven.” (2 Timothy 4:8; Luke 18:22). But I think Lewis is right to emphasize the reward of praise from our gracious God. Even if there are material blessings that await they would be an expression of our heavenly Father’s pleasure. The greatest part of the reward, therefore, would not be the thing offered but the “divine accolade” that accompanies it.
Why Lewis’ insight is so helpful is because it gets at the core of who and what we are. We are creatures created to bring pleasure to our creator and whose souls are meant to feed upon his praise. We get a taste of this when we have the pleasure of receiving commendation from one we were rightly mean to please. And though, as Lewis notes, “the lawful pleasure of praise” from such a one “turns into the deadly poison of self-admiration,” we can, like Lewis, “detect a moment—a very, very short moment—before this happened, during which the satisfaction of having pleased those whom I rightly loved and rightly feared was pure.” And, he asserts, “that is enough to raise our thoughts to what may happen when the redeemed soul, beyond all hope and nearly beyond belief, learns at last that she has pleased Him whom she was created to please.”
I think there is much to contemplate here. The anticipated intimate recognition due our faithfulness that will come when we stand before God on the Day is the sentiment of heaven. We know heaven is described as a place free of sorrow, sickness, sin, and suffering. But it will also be a place of eternal pleasure due to God’s pleasure in us. It will all be due to his work in us, of course, but it is clear we have a part to play. To pursue the reward, the glory, is the right of every redeemed child of God. The master in the parable gave the talents with the expectation that they would be used. The reward for faithful use of what was entrusted was built into the transaction. For the servants to pursue it was only fitting. We should not think, therefore, that serving God in order to receive his commendation is an ungodly or unspiritual pursuit. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were created to receive his “well done,” and if the parable is any measure of his intent, he will not be stingy with his praise.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
He Is Risen, Indeed!
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
This greeting of the ancient church sets the foundation for everything else a Christian confesses. As the apostle Paul acknowledges, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Still in our sins, unable to stand before God on the final day, following an impotent and ultimately unimportant messiah — if Christ did not rise we have no reason to hope. But as Paul declares, “. . . in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
The firstfruits are the leading edge of the harvest. They send a signal as to the quality of what follows. Jesus being described in this manner is meant to assure us that as he rose from the dead so shall we. And as he possessed a resurrected body no longer subject to mortality or decay, those who are his at his coming will likewise possess bodies like unto his. We will walk in the freedom and liberty destined for those whom Christ makes alive by his death and resurrection.
You may have read the recently published interview with the current president of Union Theological Seminary, Serene Jones. She was interviewed by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. If you haven’t read it, you should look it up. It’s pretty appalling. The whole tenor of her remarks are surprisingly juvenile. Among other pithy statements she made the following about the resurrection, “Those who claim to know whether or not it happened are kidding themselves.” Given everything she has to say, she would get along well with Bart Ehrman, the famous fallen evangelical. One difference, however, is that Bart had the decency to leave the church when he no longer believed what it taught. Serene is still with us, purporting to be a “Christian minister.” If the matter wasn’t so serious, we could dismiss her remarks as predictably puerile. As it is, Paul’s warning comes to mind, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18)
What the early Christians understood (and Serene does not) is that everything hangs on the resurrection. This is because our brothers and sisters took sin seriously, treated God’s holiness with due respect, and knew that unless God acted to change their circumstances they were without hope in the world. But their confidence in the resurrection, expressed in the ancient greeting offered above, was not established out of some psychological need, as if they were persuading themselves of something even though they had no reason to believe it. They knew that Jesus had risen, and subsequent generations who have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3) have also believed even though they have not seen. (John 20:29).
Pray for Serene, Nicholas, and Bart.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Behold, Your King
One thing is evident in the accounts of Jesus ‘Triumphal Entry’ into Jerusalem: no one knows what is actually happening except Jesus. Some cheered as though the deliverer had finally come, others jeered insinuating he was a fraud. By the end of the week, all will join in demanding his crucifixion. This melding of disparate voices reveals that neither grasped the truth of who Jesus was and what he had come to do. But that he knew is clear from how Matthew recounts and interprets the scene for us.
Jesus gives direction to two disciples to collect an animal that he had arranged for his use. It was a very deliberate choice and one designed to declare precisely who he was. The prophet Zechariah had foreseen the coming of the Righteous One and pictured the manner and demeanor of his arrival: “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (9:9) Jesus’ choice of a colt was no coincidence. He was making a statement and everyone got it, those who cheered and those who jeered.
What they didn’t grasp was the nature of his messiahship. Both parties thought he was claiming to be the one who would ride ahead of a victorious army, but such was not the case. That Jesus understood this is evident in the interpretation Matthew offers of the events. In quoting the framing passage from Zechariah he makes two changes to the text. The first is a substitution of language from Isaiah that turns the opening line into an evangelistic call. While the original called for rejoicing in a completed work, the substitution called people to pay attention to what was about to happen. The second is the elimination of a line from Zechariah: “righteous and having salvation is he.” Many translations offer an alternative translation for “having salvation” -- “victorious.” Both intend to communicate that the arriving king is to be celebrated for a finished work, his having been victorious, his having saved. Matthew’s deletion is a subtle redirecting of the offered praise. It is not for what Jesus as messiah has done, but what he will do. By the end of the week, the humble and lowly demeanor will find full expression as he yields himself to the conniving and cries of the crowd. It’s his death that will establish the prophesied peace, a peace that cannot be undone.
What is remarkable, and reveals the grace and mercy of God, is that in a few short weeks many of those who cried for Jesus’ crucifixion will be brought to faith and repentance. With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the Good News is preached with power and conviction soon follows. The same thing can happen now. I think it safe to say that few know what actually happened on Palm Sunday, and many are they who deny the messiahship of Jesus. But through the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the Good News others can be “cut to the heart,” and say, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
Justification & Reconciliation
As Christians, we often speak of being justified by faith. And that is as it should be for that is what is meant by the gospel. As Paul writes in Romans 3, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (see Romans 3:22-26) The work of justifying sinners, accomplished out of God’s mercy and love through the obedience of his only Son, was decreed in eternity when, as believers, “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:4) The benefit of this merciful transaction is that our reconciliation with God is accomplished. Hear again the apostle, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
What is to be appreciated, indeed, celebrated, is that just as our justification was something accomplished by God when we had no interest in it or part to play, so too was our reconciliation, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:9-10) God has acted on his side of the relationship to take away all that caused us to be estranged from him. The enmity that existed because of our debt of sin, he has expunged through the blood of the cross. This is something accomplished, done, finished. This is why Paul can define his work as a “ministry of reconciliation” because “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to [him and the others called to spread the good news] the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
This reconciliation signals that those who are in Christ are not to be evaluated by other Christians by worldy standards for “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (v. 17) Such fleshly distinctions were a particular problem in the Corinthian church. We can discern from Paul’s letters that boundaries, harmful boundaries, persisted between the various groups that made up the church. This was shameful and not in accordance with the gospel. Christ died for all kinds of people and in Christ such distinctions fall away (v. 14-15).
With this in mind, the situation pictured for us in Paul’s letter to Philemon is striking. Is the truth of the gospel sufficient to cause there to be reconciliation rather than retribution when Onesimus presents himself at the door of Philemon’s house? I believe Paul thought it was. And though we do not have the explicit language of reconciliation in his appeal, that Onesimus returns no longer just a slave but a beloved brother in Christ gives us reason to believe that Pauls’ confidence that Philemon would be obedient to his request (Philemon14) was not misplaced. Onesimus and Philemon were new creations in Christ, as such they were those who “live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Three Transformed Men
The apostle Paul’s letter to his friend Philemon offers a portrait of three transformed men. Paul, a man who once seized Christians, confining them to prison, was now a prisoner himself, and that because he had become a Christian. Onesimus, a runaway slave who was considered useless by his master, Philemon, had become useful to Paul and, Paul assures, to Philemon. Philemon was transformed from Onesimus’ master to Onesimus’ slave.
Three men, very different backgrounds, social standing, and life experiences, all transformed from who they were to who they now are. And the transformations that had taken place were not minor tweaks to their behavior or outlook on the world. These were radical metamorphoses that put the men at odds with their former selves and the world they inhabited. Why and how had this taken place? Each one of them had become united to Christ. And having become united to Christ, he was at work in them to transform them more and more into who they were in him.
This is the inevitable result of a person becoming a Christian. When someone responds to the gospel call, the same grace that enabled that one to ‘hear’ is at work in that person to change him or her into who they were created to be: “little Christs.” C.S. Lewis asserts that each believer is being shaped “into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge and eternity.” And why shaped to be like Christ and not just a cleaned up version of our old selves? Because Christ was the “one man who really was what all men were intended to be.” For Lewis, therefore, the transformation from unreal man into real man is the goal of Christian discipleship. Indeed, “it is the whole of Christianity.”
I believe there are three components of this change evident in Paul’s letter to his friend: humility, love for Christ, and love for Christ’s church. All three men were humbled by the reality of the gospel, causing them to forsake whatever foolish notions stood in the way of walking with Christ. In all three, love for Christ is evident in their willingness to pick up their cross and follow him wherever he led them. And love for Christ’s church is demonstrated in Paul’s joy at hearing of Philemon’s love for the saints, Philemon’s ready engaging in koinonia, and Onesimus laboring along side of Paul in his imprisonment. The presumption behind all of these components is the presence of the Holy Spirit imparting new life, Jesus’ life.
We do not need to remain mired in our old selves. New life is ours in Christ. It may lead us into difficult places, challenging us to confront the fallenness in ourselves and the world, but I think Lewis is right when he says, “Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.”
Three men, very different backgrounds, social standing, and life experiences, all transformed from who they were to who they now are. And the transformations that had taken place were not minor tweaks to their behavior or outlook on the world. These were radical metamorphoses that put the men at odds with their former selves and the world they inhabited. Why and how had this taken place? Each one of them had become united to Christ. And having become united to Christ, he was at work in them to transform them more and more into who they were in him.
This is the inevitable result of a person becoming a Christian. When someone responds to the gospel call, the same grace that enabled that one to ‘hear’ is at work in that person to change him or her into who they were created to be: “little Christs.” C.S. Lewis asserts that each believer is being shaped “into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge and eternity.” And why shaped to be like Christ and not just a cleaned up version of our old selves? Because Christ was the “one man who really was what all men were intended to be.” For Lewis, therefore, the transformation from unreal man into real man is the goal of Christian discipleship. Indeed, “it is the whole of Christianity.”
I believe there are three components of this change evident in Paul’s letter to his friend: humility, love for Christ, and love for Christ’s church. All three men were humbled by the reality of the gospel, causing them to forsake whatever foolish notions stood in the way of walking with Christ. In all three, love for Christ is evident in their willingness to pick up their cross and follow him wherever he led them. And love for Christ’s church is demonstrated in Paul’s joy at hearing of Philemon’s love for the saints, Philemon’s ready engaging in koinonia, and Onesimus laboring along side of Paul in his imprisonment. The presumption behind all of these components is the presence of the Holy Spirit imparting new life, Jesus’ life.
We do not need to remain mired in our old selves. New life is ours in Christ. It may lead us into difficult places, challenging us to confront the fallenness in ourselves and the world, but I think Lewis is right when he says, “Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.”
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Using All the Clubs in the Bag
Golf is a difficult game. At its most basic, you're just trying to get a small, white ball into a 4-1/4 inch hole. What makes it difficult is that you start the process hundreds of yards away, sometimes up to 500+ yards from tee to green. And to get from point A to point B you have to decide which clubs to use so that you have the best shot at putting the small, white ball into the 4-1/4 inch hole in a prescribed number of strokes, what's called "par." If you look at the layout of a golf course, you'll see that the designer of the thing intended to make the task difficult. Numerous obstacles are put in the golfer's way so that getting the ball into the hole requires a bag full of different clubs, with different purposes, to make it happen. An accomplished golfer knows what each will do for him and choses the right one for the particular situation he finds himself in.
This full use of the bag by a skilled golfer is not unlike the life of the mature Christian. The apostle Peter teaches that all things that pertain to life and godliness are ours through our faith union with Christ (2 Peter 1:3-8). This is why he urges Christians to take full advantage of this reality by supplementing our faith with a list of characteristics that are ours because they are found in Christ. And, not dissimilar to a golf course designer, God will place us in situations that will force us to make use of all the clubs in our bag.
Such was the case for Philemon. Paul sent back Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus, challenging Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would the apostle Paul. Why should Philemon do that? Because Onesimus was no longer just a slave in Philemon's household, he was a believer in Christ's church. Under the tutelage of the apostle, Onesimus had come to faith in Christ. And despite whatever he was before, he was now "a new creation," and the koinonia, the fellowship and sharing of life that Philemon readily extended to fellow church members, was now due Onesimus.
To our contemporary ears this might not seem like that big of a test. But for a 1st century man, living in a society that understood slavery to be an unquestioned, even necessary, institution, to not treat a runaway harshly would put him at odds with the culture, and, more personally, expose the yet unsanctified aspects of his character. The apostle was confident, however, that if Philemon would receive Onesimus back as a brother, with all rights and privileges, he would discover how pursuing koinonia would "become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." (Philemon 6).
Isn't this what growing into Christian maturity is all about? In times of testing, are we not being asked by God to discover and make use of all the clubs in the bag? We possess them because Jesus possesses them. And to the extent that we seek him and rely on him to manifest them in our lives we show ourselves to be mature in him.
This full use of the bag by a skilled golfer is not unlike the life of the mature Christian. The apostle Peter teaches that all things that pertain to life and godliness are ours through our faith union with Christ (2 Peter 1:3-8). This is why he urges Christians to take full advantage of this reality by supplementing our faith with a list of characteristics that are ours because they are found in Christ. And, not dissimilar to a golf course designer, God will place us in situations that will force us to make use of all the clubs in our bag.
Such was the case for Philemon. Paul sent back Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus, challenging Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would the apostle Paul. Why should Philemon do that? Because Onesimus was no longer just a slave in Philemon's household, he was a believer in Christ's church. Under the tutelage of the apostle, Onesimus had come to faith in Christ. And despite whatever he was before, he was now "a new creation," and the koinonia, the fellowship and sharing of life that Philemon readily extended to fellow church members, was now due Onesimus.
To our contemporary ears this might not seem like that big of a test. But for a 1st century man, living in a society that understood slavery to be an unquestioned, even necessary, institution, to not treat a runaway harshly would put him at odds with the culture, and, more personally, expose the yet unsanctified aspects of his character. The apostle was confident, however, that if Philemon would receive Onesimus back as a brother, with all rights and privileges, he would discover how pursuing koinonia would "become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." (Philemon 6).
Isn't this what growing into Christian maturity is all about? In times of testing, are we not being asked by God to discover and make use of all the clubs in the bag? We possess them because Jesus possesses them. And to the extent that we seek him and rely on him to manifest them in our lives we show ourselves to be mature in him.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
The Invincibility of the Church: I Will Build My Church
I’ve been involved in a number of construction projects. There’s a lot of preparatory work that goes into such an endeavor. Yet despite all the planning, once it’s underway there are always unforeseen challenges. If those involved are agile enough, and knowledgable enough, the challenges can be responded to and the project can be brought to completion. From my experience, however, the finished product is never exactly as it was laid out on paper.
Jesus’ states that he is building his church and gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Now, when the one who made heaven and earth says that he is going to build something, we should have confidence that it will be built! But sometimes it feels, does it not, as if unforeseen challenges have arisen that threaten the project? Is it possible that Jesus didn’t know the troubles that would plague the church? After all, isn’t that the way all construction projects go? In the world, yes. In the Kingdom, no.
Unlike those who spend a great deal of time anticipating problems but never accounting for all of them, the one building his church knows the end from the beginning. Even when the church seems to be weak, unwanted, under threat, it has all been known from the before the foundation of the world. Consequently, even when it appears that the church is losing ground it is where Jesus knew it would be. There are no Plan B’s or work-arounds necessary for the maker of heaven and earth.
This should encourage us to persevere despite present challenges. He is creating living stones from every tongue, tribe, and nation to be part of his invincible building, making them one by one though the preaching of the gospel. Faithful stewards of the message strive to preserve the truth while seeking to make it known to “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:39). And once fitted into the structure, the gospel continues its work of refining and honing each stone that has been chosen to a part of “a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22).
Jesus is building his church and it will be built — and all according to plan, down to the last detail.
The Invincibility of the Church: We Know the Truth
The invincibility of the church is assured for it is founded upon the truth. Truth will always triumph over falsehood for truth is of God.
One of the ways that the Bible speaks of truth is in relation to the faithfulness of God. He is true to his word; he upholds the covenant he has made with his people. This brings an ethical dimension into the concept of truth. That is, truth is more than factual statements. Though there are many factual statements in the Bible and the concept of truth as relating to what actually is, is illustrated by them, God as faithful moves truth beyond things that are, to the way things ought to be.
When God called creation into being and placed man in its midst, there was a way in which man was to relate to God and all that He had made. Man was defined by these relationships. The serpent, however, tripped up the man by deceiving him into thinking that he could live differently than how he was created to live. When man bought into the lie, he was undone. Sin and death became the new normal.
In the face of this seeming defeat, God, in his faithfulness, revealed his plan to triumph over the lie. Before the world was even formed, a covenant had been established by which God would make a people from fallen humanity. To accomplish this, God injected truth into the false environment created by that first lie. The Word made flesh, full of grace and truth, arrived on the scene and demonstrated what it means to live in truth, to be truly human. His was a truth-filled relationship with the Father. He lived and taught the truth for he was faithful to the revealed will of God, even to the point of death on a cross. And then, his death and subsequent resurrection proclaimed the truth that sinful human beings need to be redeemed and rescued from the slavery of sin and death. This was followed by the vindication of Jesus when, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he was shown to have returned to the very presence of God.
The final triumph of the church will be enjoyed by all who have settled their eternal hope on Christ, for he alone is truthful and to be trusted. On the Day, all false ideologies, pretensions to power, deceitful dealing and cruel conniving will be exposed. Only those whose deeds are righteous, who have, by the grace of God, pursued holiness through their union with the victorious Christ, will bask in the glorious, unmediated, unmitigated truth of existence. Such will be those who believed that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
One of the ways that the Bible speaks of truth is in relation to the faithfulness of God. He is true to his word; he upholds the covenant he has made with his people. This brings an ethical dimension into the concept of truth. That is, truth is more than factual statements. Though there are many factual statements in the Bible and the concept of truth as relating to what actually is, is illustrated by them, God as faithful moves truth beyond things that are, to the way things ought to be.
When God called creation into being and placed man in its midst, there was a way in which man was to relate to God and all that He had made. Man was defined by these relationships. The serpent, however, tripped up the man by deceiving him into thinking that he could live differently than how he was created to live. When man bought into the lie, he was undone. Sin and death became the new normal.
In the face of this seeming defeat, God, in his faithfulness, revealed his plan to triumph over the lie. Before the world was even formed, a covenant had been established by which God would make a people from fallen humanity. To accomplish this, God injected truth into the false environment created by that first lie. The Word made flesh, full of grace and truth, arrived on the scene and demonstrated what it means to live in truth, to be truly human. His was a truth-filled relationship with the Father. He lived and taught the truth for he was faithful to the revealed will of God, even to the point of death on a cross. And then, his death and subsequent resurrection proclaimed the truth that sinful human beings need to be redeemed and rescued from the slavery of sin and death. This was followed by the vindication of Jesus when, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he was shown to have returned to the very presence of God.
The final triumph of the church will be enjoyed by all who have settled their eternal hope on Christ, for he alone is truthful and to be trusted. On the Day, all false ideologies, pretensions to power, deceitful dealing and cruel conniving will be exposed. Only those whose deeds are righteous, who have, by the grace of God, pursued holiness through their union with the victorious Christ, will bask in the glorious, unmediated, unmitigated truth of existence. Such will be those who believed that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
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