†
Ah, my friend! How long it has been since I have enjoyed your presence! I have seen you passing by and I have heard your voice from across the way, but, I've been too busy to stop and talk. We do talk in the morning at work everyday, but that's just business talk. Its important for me to focus on the upcoming project, so I can't afford to really listen to you unless your telling me something that relates to my project. People think that we're the best of friends 'cause I talk about you a lot. Most of the time though I talk about you when I get in discussions with other people. It's easier for me to convince people when I can tell you that you agree with me, and that way, when they don't listen to me, I can pass it off and tell them that really they aren't listening to you.
Sometimes when I'm feeling nostaligc, I get out the old pictures and letters I've received from you. It's great to remember all the good times we used to have, isn't it? Sometimes you made me smile, and sometimes I'd cry. You were always the best at comforting me when things were rough. Just thinking about it is almost like experiencing it all over again.
Well I've gotta go to the discipleship meeting. We're talking about how people don't make Scripture important enough in their lives and what to do about it. I've got some great ideas and I can't wait to share them with the group.
I'm sure I'll see you at Bible study this week. You're gonna be there, right?
†
If you don't recognize this person, read Psalm 1: The blessed man avoids several things, but what is it that he does?
Monday, December 13, 2004
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Forgiveness
Throughout the Scriptures and from many pulpits the message is preached, "Repent, confess your sins, turn to God. . ." An excellent -- and essential -- call. Every day we are called to conversion, to once again lay our hearts before the Cross and cry out, "Lord, have mercy! . . . . I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have not done . . . ."
But I think there is an aspect of this which we have placed far to little emphasis on, though Scripture goes to great length to address it.
"So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the alatar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matt. 5:23-24 RSV)
"Pray then like this: . . . . And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtos; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you trespasses." (Matt. 6:9a, 12-15)
"Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:21-22)
"Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (Matt. 18:32-35. Read 21-35 for the context. I had typed it all out, but it was really long. . .)
"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25)
"Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4)
"But if any one has cause pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure — not to put it too severely — to you all. For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough; so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I be you to reaffirm you love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for you sake in the presence of Christ, to keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his designs." (2 Cor. 2:5-11)
I know I've read the most recent passage before, but I had completely forgotten about it. I find it quite interesting that he refers to keeping Satan from gaining advantage over us by forgiving. And how true that is! I was prompted to find these passages and write about this passage because of my experiences this summer and throughout my life.
What is it about forgiveness that causes Jesus to use such strong words about it and for Paul to speak of it as if it can prevent Satan from gaining advantage over us? And why can it be so hard to forgive?
For me, forgiveness demands that I love the other person, and many times that's the last thing I want to do. My sister cuts me with her words in that way only she knows, perhaps my friend was a jerk to me, or some of my other friends left me out of the evening plans. Maybe a coworker speaks badly about me all the time, making work miserable, or even gets me fired, or my wife cheats on me, or a drunk driver kills my parents, or a business partner runs off with all the money. . . My reaction (I realize others react differently) is to let a cold indifference creep in (or so it seems), saying to me, "Whatever. . . it doesn't matter. . . You know, you don't really need them. This doesn't really need to bother you. There are better people out there. Just cut your losses and move on. Forget about it, forget about them."
That may sound nice, but let me call it what it is: A bold faced lie from Hell.
Oh, I may wish that it doesn't matter, or that it doesn't bother me, but the fact is, it does matter. Underneath the facade of indifference is a heart in turmoil. We are made for love, to love and to be loved. And how could you love someone and not forgive them? Everytime we go against love, we are fighting against the very way we were created to be, especially we who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, making us alive in Christ, partakers of the divine nature
And as do so, we deaden a part of our heart.
We say, "Oh heart, do not love!! For to love brings to much risk of pain, and humility!" and in the process, we turn our hearts away from God. Slowly, surely, we find ourselves like the man who refused to forgive a small debt though he had been forgiven such a large debt (Matt 18). So often we read that story and say, "Ahh, foolish servant! Can he not see the ridiculousness of what he is doing? How can he not understand what he is doing?" but we do not see that we very often are that servant.
I had conversations with several people this summer in which they told me that their relationship with God was a little rocky. After talking with them for a while, I discovered that deep below the surface — maybe even unknown to them before then — there was someone or some people that they were refusing to forgive. The suggestion that they pray for them was met with stiff resistance, and I think I know why. Both forgiving people and praying for them (on their behalf, not that God would send them to a deep, dark hold somewhere) require love. As soon as we begin to pray for someone, we bring the attitudes in our heart into sharp contrast with love. So, if we don't want to love someone, we aren't going to want to pray for them, or forgive them.
I would like to reflect on asking for forgiveness from others, but I will save that for another time.
† Jonathan †
But I think there is an aspect of this which we have placed far to little emphasis on, though Scripture goes to great length to address it.
"So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the alatar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matt. 5:23-24 RSV)
"Pray then like this: . . . . And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtos; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you trespasses." (Matt. 6:9a, 12-15)
"Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:21-22)
"Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (Matt. 18:32-35. Read 21-35 for the context. I had typed it all out, but it was really long. . .)
"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25)
"Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4)
"But if any one has cause pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure — not to put it too severely — to you all. For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough; so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I be you to reaffirm you love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for you sake in the presence of Christ, to keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his designs." (2 Cor. 2:5-11)
I know I've read the most recent passage before, but I had completely forgotten about it. I find it quite interesting that he refers to keeping Satan from gaining advantage over us by forgiving. And how true that is! I was prompted to find these passages and write about this passage because of my experiences this summer and throughout my life.
What is it about forgiveness that causes Jesus to use such strong words about it and for Paul to speak of it as if it can prevent Satan from gaining advantage over us? And why can it be so hard to forgive?
For me, forgiveness demands that I love the other person, and many times that's the last thing I want to do. My sister cuts me with her words in that way only she knows, perhaps my friend was a jerk to me, or some of my other friends left me out of the evening plans. Maybe a coworker speaks badly about me all the time, making work miserable, or even gets me fired, or my wife cheats on me, or a drunk driver kills my parents, or a business partner runs off with all the money. . . My reaction (I realize others react differently) is to let a cold indifference creep in (or so it seems), saying to me, "Whatever. . . it doesn't matter. . . You know, you don't really need them. This doesn't really need to bother you. There are better people out there. Just cut your losses and move on. Forget about it, forget about them."
That may sound nice, but let me call it what it is: A bold faced lie from Hell.
Oh, I may wish that it doesn't matter, or that it doesn't bother me, but the fact is, it does matter. Underneath the facade of indifference is a heart in turmoil. We are made for love, to love and to be loved. And how could you love someone and not forgive them? Everytime we go against love, we are fighting against the very way we were created to be, especially we who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, making us alive in Christ, partakers of the divine nature
And as do so, we deaden a part of our heart.
We say, "Oh heart, do not love!! For to love brings to much risk of pain, and humility!" and in the process, we turn our hearts away from God. Slowly, surely, we find ourselves like the man who refused to forgive a small debt though he had been forgiven such a large debt (Matt 18). So often we read that story and say, "Ahh, foolish servant! Can he not see the ridiculousness of what he is doing? How can he not understand what he is doing?" but we do not see that we very often are that servant.
I had conversations with several people this summer in which they told me that their relationship with God was a little rocky. After talking with them for a while, I discovered that deep below the surface — maybe even unknown to them before then — there was someone or some people that they were refusing to forgive. The suggestion that they pray for them was met with stiff resistance, and I think I know why. Both forgiving people and praying for them (on their behalf, not that God would send them to a deep, dark hold somewhere) require love. As soon as we begin to pray for someone, we bring the attitudes in our heart into sharp contrast with love. So, if we don't want to love someone, we aren't going to want to pray for them, or forgive them.
I would like to reflect on asking for forgiveness from others, but I will save that for another time.
† Jonathan †
Friday, March 19, 2004
He has set eternity in the hearts of men. . .
“He has . . . set eternity in the hearts of men . . .”
I realize that there is a longing for eternity within me, a longing for eternal life, a longing for eternal satisfaction.
I long for eternal relationships, where I and another can run to the end of eternity and back again and not be exhausted, longing to go deeper still.
A great sadness falls upon my heart, for I do not have that sort of relationship with any of my friends here in this world though I long for it so much.
Indeed, though my fervent desire is to share such an intimacy of heart, I am dismayed to find how much both they and I are incapable of such a thing this side of heaven.
Am I doomed to a life consumed with a futile search for that which cannot be found?
“. . . whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”
May I say with the woman at the well, “Give me this water so that I will not get thirsty.”
“Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
I realize that there is a longing for eternity within me, a longing for eternal life, a longing for eternal satisfaction.
I long for eternal relationships, where I and another can run to the end of eternity and back again and not be exhausted, longing to go deeper still.
A great sadness falls upon my heart, for I do not have that sort of relationship with any of my friends here in this world though I long for it so much.
Indeed, though my fervent desire is to share such an intimacy of heart, I am dismayed to find how much both they and I are incapable of such a thing this side of heaven.
Am I doomed to a life consumed with a futile search for that which cannot be found?
“. . . whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”
May I say with the woman at the well, “Give me this water so that I will not get thirsty.”
“Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
Thursday, January 08, 2004
How then shall we be saved?
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6 (NIV)
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
These three verses are some of the verses most often cited in discussions of salvation and how one can receive it. A quick reading of these verses easily leaves one with the common impression that if you do not confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you cannot be saved, for there is no other way. This leads to a belief that all those that are not formal members of the Christian community are damned. (I am speaking broadly; for some baptism even in infancy is the beginning of membership and for others it is the ability to publicly say "I am a Christian" and whatever other implied beliefs that accompany that). However, I am not convinced that this is the correct conclusion. Rather than arguing using difficult cases, I shall argue from Scripture and only then shall I try to connect that with my own examples and cases.
Let us look at Abraham. I selected him because he is treated at some length in both the Old Testament and the New, but I will be focusing mostly on the New Testament account. Let us go to the book of Romans:
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."
Romans 3:22 (NIV)
"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about -- but not before God. What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' "
Romans 4:1-3 (NIV)
"So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also wolk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised."
Romans 4:11b-12 (NIV)
Abraham the Hebrew is called our father -- our father in the faith. He had faith in God and is justified by God, having righteousness credited to him. How can this be, since Abraham did not even know the name of Christ! He could not have confessed with his mouth that "Jesus is Lord!" Could he have believed in his heart that God raised him from the dead? Not in any way that he would have been conscious of. This much we do know: "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' " (Rom. 4:20-22 Emphasis mine.)
This does not contradict the three passages I began with, for Abraham is saved and justified through Jesus. As Paul writes in the very next chapter, "Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. . . .Since we have now been justified by his blood. . . . Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." (Rom 5:1-2a, 9a, 18) Abraham, too, was justified by the blood of Jesus.
Therefore there is hope for those who are children of Abraham by faith, who, despite not knowing the name of Jesus, put their faith in God, gaining access into the grace which our Lord Jesus Christ has brought to us. It is not up to us to determine who has an authentic faith in the True God or not, for we judge by the outward appearances, but God judges the heart. As Psalm 139 so eloquently states, he has searched us and he knows us.
Those in such a position are in some way a part of the Body of Christ, the family of God. We should by no means leave them where they are, but should strive to bring them into a deeper participation in the Life of Christ, that they may know him not only in their hearts through faith but also in their minds. Our responsibility to preach the Gospel to all the world has not been removed, for not only does the Body of Christ need to be reminded of the Gospel, but there are many people who are not children of Abraham by faith. They are in most desperate need of the Gospel.
John 14:6 (NIV)
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
These three verses are some of the verses most often cited in discussions of salvation and how one can receive it. A quick reading of these verses easily leaves one with the common impression that if you do not confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you cannot be saved, for there is no other way. This leads to a belief that all those that are not formal members of the Christian community are damned. (I am speaking broadly; for some baptism even in infancy is the beginning of membership and for others it is the ability to publicly say "I am a Christian" and whatever other implied beliefs that accompany that). However, I am not convinced that this is the correct conclusion. Rather than arguing using difficult cases, I shall argue from Scripture and only then shall I try to connect that with my own examples and cases.
Let us look at Abraham. I selected him because he is treated at some length in both the Old Testament and the New, but I will be focusing mostly on the New Testament account. Let us go to the book of Romans:
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."
Romans 3:22 (NIV)
"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about -- but not before God. What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' "
Romans 4:1-3 (NIV)
"So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also wolk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised."
Romans 4:11b-12 (NIV)
Abraham the Hebrew is called our father -- our father in the faith. He had faith in God and is justified by God, having righteousness credited to him. How can this be, since Abraham did not even know the name of Christ! He could not have confessed with his mouth that "Jesus is Lord!" Could he have believed in his heart that God raised him from the dead? Not in any way that he would have been conscious of. This much we do know: "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' " (Rom. 4:20-22 Emphasis mine.)
This does not contradict the three passages I began with, for Abraham is saved and justified through Jesus. As Paul writes in the very next chapter, "Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. . . .Since we have now been justified by his blood. . . . Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." (Rom 5:1-2a, 9a, 18) Abraham, too, was justified by the blood of Jesus.
Therefore there is hope for those who are children of Abraham by faith, who, despite not knowing the name of Jesus, put their faith in God, gaining access into the grace which our Lord Jesus Christ has brought to us. It is not up to us to determine who has an authentic faith in the True God or not, for we judge by the outward appearances, but God judges the heart. As Psalm 139 so eloquently states, he has searched us and he knows us.
Those in such a position are in some way a part of the Body of Christ, the family of God. We should by no means leave them where they are, but should strive to bring them into a deeper participation in the Life of Christ, that they may know him not only in their hearts through faith but also in their minds. Our responsibility to preach the Gospel to all the world has not been removed, for not only does the Body of Christ need to be reminded of the Gospel, but there are many people who are not children of Abraham by faith. They are in most desperate need of the Gospel.
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Worry
"I lift up my eyes to the hills -- Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
(Psalm 121 NIV)
Do we live our lives with the awareness that God is indeed watching over us at every moment? While if I was asked, "Is God watching over you at all times?" I would answer, "Yes!", my actions betray my heart's true attitude. When troubles of this world come before me, I respond as if I am the only one who is looking out for me, and so I worry, for if I do not worry no one will be looking out for me. But if I truly knew that the God who watches over me never slumbers nor sleeps, I would have no reason to ever worry, for the One who is capable of doing more than I could ever imagine is in control, such that "the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night." Why should you worry when your Father is in heaven?
Not only this, but if I knew that God was watching over my life at all times, would I not be stirred up to throw off everything that hinders me and the sin which so easily entangles me? It would then be only with great malice of heart that I would sin so blatantly in the sight of my God. But that is what I have done. It is with great regret and remorse that I remember those times when I have deliberately done those things which I have known to be an offense to God. Lord, have mercy!
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
(Psalm 121 NIV)
Do we live our lives with the awareness that God is indeed watching over us at every moment? While if I was asked, "Is God watching over you at all times?" I would answer, "Yes!", my actions betray my heart's true attitude. When troubles of this world come before me, I respond as if I am the only one who is looking out for me, and so I worry, for if I do not worry no one will be looking out for me. But if I truly knew that the God who watches over me never slumbers nor sleeps, I would have no reason to ever worry, for the One who is capable of doing more than I could ever imagine is in control, such that "the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night." Why should you worry when your Father is in heaven?
Not only this, but if I knew that God was watching over my life at all times, would I not be stirred up to throw off everything that hinders me and the sin which so easily entangles me? It would then be only with great malice of heart that I would sin so blatantly in the sight of my God. But that is what I have done. It is with great regret and remorse that I remember those times when I have deliberately done those things which I have known to be an offense to God. Lord, have mercy!
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