And That's A Wrap

And so, we come to the end of our year-long journey. First and foremost, I have to give thanks and credit to Dr. Pratt for having the idea for this class and then following up and actually doing it. The world is full of great ideas but is bereft of people that actually turn those great ideas into great accomplishments. Thanks to Dr. Pratt, and as you see him, be sure to pass on your thanks as well.

You might not want to open a Bible in the near future, but when you look back, if you were able to read the Bible daily, it shouldn't have been a large intrusion. Very few days required us to take more than 15 minutes to read the day's selection, and even if we did some additional research to fill the gaps in our knowledge, it shouldn't have taken more than a half-hour. It should have instilled a daily habit that should be maintained, no matter how you wish to do it, and there's no shortage of guides available on how to be in the Word daily, be it a verse a day, the Gospels in a year, whatever. If you've established a habit of daily Bible study, you might as well maintain it.

I won't even begin to try to state the overall themes as I saw them this year, but I will mention a couple, because they can help us when we talk to those who aren't familiar with the Bible:

1. The Bible is consistent throughout--we might not see it, might not understand it, and might not agree with it, but from Genesis to Revelation, it's the story of God's unfailing love for the people he created. It's the story of how a chosen people expands through Christ's death and resurrection to be anyone willing to profess their faith in Christ.

2. The Bible is a book of love

3. The Bible is our instruction book for how we should live. Others might use it as a way to tell OTHERS how to live, but that's their problem.

4. The Old Testament is the history of God's chosen people, the people of Israel, and shows his willingness to forgive them over and over and over. The New Testament is how Christ's death and resurrection changed our means of righteousness from being self-based and predicated on the Law to being Christ-based. Paul explained what this sea change meant to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Words can't express the thanks I had for the privilege of being one of the leaders of this class. One of the first things I told you when in front of you was that I don't  claim to know any more than any of you or have any specific knowledge to set me apart as a leader, but I appreciated the thanks and gratitude given to me on an almost-weekly basis. By my rough count, I've written about 125,000-150,000 words in blog posts this year, or about the approximate length of the New Testament, and I enjoyed writing each and every word. Over the course of the year, there have been over 10,000 page views, so I appreciate your willingness to read what I wrote.

My only wish is that you had as much fun this past year as I did. Beginning on January 8th, we'll begin a much more in-depth discussion on Mark, which will truly be led by Pastor Fay and assisted by Dr. Pratt and myself. Without telling more than I know, it's planned as a 19-week course, and Pastor Fay is down for leading 10 of them, so for those of you that were looking for more pastoral leadership, this will have it. We'll use a similar (and I use that word loosely) format to what we used this past year, but I won't lock myself rigidly into the format we used this past year. We'll figure it out as we go along, and it will be the opposite of what we did this past year, where we skimmed the whole book, but will instead dig deep into one book.

And that's a wrap. Thanks again for an enjoyable year, and I hope you liked it as well.

Scott

The Millennium

Just a warning at the outset, this will be a fairly long post. A smarter person would break it in two, but you should know me by now. Also, I WILL post tomorrow, January 1st as my wrap-up, so if you're so inclined, be sure to check that out.

Of the three topics I'll discuss, the first is the most challenging and confusing to Christians, although there is absolutely no reason why it has to be. Of course, I refer to the Millennial Kingdom as described in Revelation 20:1-6. There are four primary views of when the Millennium will occur, but the most common are split between two competing schools of thought (go to the Wikipedia page if you want to read some more--it is very interesting if you enjoy this subject):

1. Dispensational Millennialism--there are two subsets to this (pre- and post-), but I won't get mired down in that. In essence, this describes a chain of events that has to occur (the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, Christ's Second Coming, the 1,000-year reign, followed by the Last Judgment). This views the Millennium as a literal 1,000-year time period, and that the Last Days will be a 7-year period as described in that excellent reading in Daniel 9:24-27. It also suggests that Christians will be raptured from the Earth prior to the Great Tribulation, and puts its emphasis on being prepared to be raptured and not have to suffer through the agonies of the final seven years of Earth's history.

2. Amillennialism--this view says that all the events described will occur, but not in a literal 1,000-year period. This views suggests that everything since Christ's resurrection has been part of the Last Days, and that when Christ returns, we'll reign with him forever. If you look at timelines of events for dispenstational millennialism and amillennialism, the amillennialism is much cleaner, since we view the Last Days as EVERY DAY since Christ left. This view also makes clear that Christians WILL be around for the Last Days.

With that thumbnail sketch, I'll add the most important point--it doesn't matter which course of events will occur. If we take the warnings that Christ gave to his followers over and over to be prepared at any time for his return, it won't matter how it will occur, because we'll be prepared either way. Just for fun, here are some of the places where Christ and others warned all believers to be prepared at any time for his return:

Matthew 24:36-50--the day and hour unknown

Matthew 25:1-13--parable of the ten virgins

1 John 2:28

In what sequence Christ chooses to return to this Earth is his business, and his alone. The time spent on debating the finer points of millennial thinking is effort that could be spent on making sure that we and our loved ones are prepared for when the Lord returns. 

Because, when he does, it's going to be MAGNIFICENT, and completely beyond my abilities (or anyone else's, for that matter) to describe. As we read the last two chapters in the Bible, Revelation 21-22 give such a beautiful description of what heaven will be like that I find it impossible to not want to be there this very instant. Way back on January 1st, 2011, we read how God created a perfect world, and it stayed perfect for all of two chapters in the Bible, since Adam and Eve introduced sin to the world in Genesis 3. How anyone can read Revelation 21:4 and not get choked up is so beyond my comprehension that I won't even try:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

This is the hope we have as Christians, and why we endeavor to keep our families and friends strong in their faith, because this is what we long for. The perfect world that God introduced in the first two chapters of the Bible is returned in the last two, a symmetry that illustrates that all of our sin that has occurred in the meantime will be nothing compared to the eternity spent in the presence of the Lord.

Marge Kimmel gave me a book some time ago that gives a yearly day-by-day reading from various works of C.S. Lewis. The book is titled "The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C.S. Lewis," and this is the entry for December 31st:

"Then Aslan turned to them and said:'...you are--as you used to call it in the Shadowlands--dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning...'

And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only bee the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

That is heaven, the place we yearn for with every fiber of our being, and it's ours not because of anything we ever did our could do, but because God's Only Begotten Son came down from heaven to be the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. It's ours for the taking simply by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. Believe me, it'll be worth it.

Scott

Babylon

Every time we read about Babylon in the Bible, it wasn't good:

1. The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) was the initial Babylon

2. After the exile of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) in 722 BC, the Assyrian king Sargon resettled it from various parts of his kingdom, including Babylon (see 2 Kings 17:7-41)

3. Isaiah prophesied the exile of Judah to Babylon over 100 years in advance in 2 Kings 20

4. 2 Kings 25 describes the defeat of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar

So, any mention of Babylon would be pretty obvious in its reference--military power, vanity, lawlessness, sin and every other bad thing rolled into one. Which makes the proclamation of the angel in Revelation 18:2 even more important:

“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!  She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird."

Indeed, all of Revelation 18 is a recitation of the heights from which Babylon will fall, from the highest of the high, the mightiest of the mighty, the greatest of the great, to total desolation--and there will be ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that its inhabitants can do about it. We know that their fate has been sealed since before the beginning of time, but when this point in history comes, it will still come as a complete shock to the proud and mighty. I've commented before on Philippians where it states that every knee will bow and every tongue confess. When this point in history is reached, every knee WILL bow, but the citizens in Babylon won't be kneeling and bowing in awe and wonder, but in total and complete fear and trepidation.

Everything we do as Christians, from making sure that we stay true to the Word, training our children to be good Christians and leading lives that serve as a witness is pointing to this Last Day. David's writing on today was something I was going to cover, but you've heard it enough from me already. Every facet of our lives needs to be focused on being prepared for this day. The fact that we don't know when it will happen won't forestall the fact that it WILL come, and we need to be on the right side.

Scott

The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:18 states:

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666. 

This is NOT one of my favorite Bible verses. Go ahead and Google "Mark of the Beast" if you want some enjoyable reading filled with rampant speculation, and two things should come to mind:

1. Since John wrote this almost 2,000 years ago, any number of things have been speculated to be the mark. The hot favorite of the day (some type of implantable biochip) wasn't even a viable option until the past 10 years or so and isn't really ready for mass production yet. Countless people have speculated on numerous things (coinage, Social Security numbers, ANYTHING that is an ID number), and they've been wrong so far. With that kind of track record, I wouldn't put much stock into modern-day predictions.

2. I know I've commented on this before, but the most important thing we all need to remember is that as Christians, we won't be "tricked" into taking the mark. We won't do so and then realize, much to our (eternal) chagrin that we made the wrong choice. God won't be testing Christians to see if they "pass the test." When that time comes, everyone who claims to bear the name of Christ will know EXACTLY what is happening, and won't be able to use "Uh, I didn't know" as an excuse. Having said that, the fact we won't be fooled won't make it any easier to pretty much guarantee a life in the underground economy, since no commerce can occur without that mark. 

Enough on that. As many of you might know, Martin Luther wasn't a huge fan of Revelation (read the Wikipedia entry for more insight), but as we read through it, we notice passages that are key parts of our liturgy. We'll encounter parts of Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10 and 5:12-13 when we sing the Feast of Victory Hymn of Praise, and throughout Revelation, there are plenty of paeans of praise interspersed with the horrifying events.

The fact that we don't like thinking about what we're reading doesn't mean that they aren't going to occur. As always, be prepared, and make sure to keep those around you prepared as well--if you love them here on Earth, you might as well prepare them to spend eternity with you in heaven.

Scott

The Seven Churches

I tried to find a decent map of the seven churches but couldn't, and most of your Bibles should have a map that shows them on the western part of modern-day Turkey. There are two basic points I will make today.

The first is an idea that we in the Lutheran church (and indeed, many other churches as well) don't put much stock in, but it does have some illustrative purpose. This idea is more prominent in premillenial thinking, which I will explain in greater depth on December 31st, and views the seven churches as markers of seven distinct eras in the Church:

Most of these are pretty easy to understand, so I'll explain them anyway. Obviously, the Apostolic Church had the physical presence of the apostles to lead and direct it, and since John was the last living apostle, the Apostolic Church era ended with his death. A strong argument could be made that the Persecuted Church should have begun in 70 AD with the destruction of the Temple, but that's quibbling. In 590, Pope Gregory I began his papal service and remade the church into the the medieval church, and most smart Lutherans can place the reason for the timing of the REFORMed Church. The last two are somewhat arbitrary, with the Missionary Church roughly coinciding with the Industrial Revolution and the Apostate Church tied to the idea that Church of today has lost its way. As you read the individual letters and see the commendations and shortcomings of each of the churches, keep these things in mind to help differentiate the messages to the churches.

Of course, the most important lesson of these lessons is in the letter to Laodicea, where it states in Revelation 3:15:

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

That continues to be the admonition for the Church today--we're neither cold nor hot. Even if we've deserted the Lord, we don't have the courage to tell ourselves that, and God is telling us clearly to MAKE OUR CHOICE. Sitting on the fence and being wishy-washy with regard to the Lord is not an option.

My last point is one that any of you who have heard me speak on the Seven Churches and stayed awake while I did have heard before. I first heard it from Pastor Vokt in May 2004, when we were doing a morning of prayer at the church. Pastor Vokt said that while those seven churches had been amongst the best and brightest in the world at the time of John's writing, they all disappeared from Christianity within 500 years. While it's entirely possible that the fall of Rome and rise of Islam helped complete the downfall of these churches, Pastor Vokt suggested that apathy and a lack of focus could have been just as responsible. It follows directly from the admonition to be either hot or cold, since the biggest enemy of the church is thinking that things will go along just as they had been, and preferably with no action on our parts. A detached church with a distaste and disinterest for doctrine is often stuck in the doldrums and in a downward spiral of dullness (notice all those "d" words--I just looked up synonyms for "apathy"). When going to the church becomes a checkmark that we cross off our list, the first step toward an ex-church has been made. Don't get me wrong, churches close each and every day, for perfectly good reasons--missions changes, focuses changes, whatever. Nothing lasts forever, nor should we expect it to, but we should never allow apathy to be the reason that we lose a church.

Scott

Revelation--A 6-Day Crash Course

I trust all had a Merry Christmas--I know that I did. With that behind us, we truly enter the home stretch of our year-long excursion through the Bible and end with the easy part, the Book of Revelation. Since we only read the first chapter today, I'll begin this six-day mini-course with some explanations.

NAMES FOR CHRIST

As we read through, take the time to keep a piece of paper handy and jot down all the names for Christ that John uses. Even today, we have a few examples:

Him who is, and who was, and who is to come (v4)

Faithful witness (v4)

Firstborn from the dead (v4)

Ruler of the kings of the Earth (v4)

Alpha and the Omega (v8)

The Almighty (v8)

The First and the Last (v17)

The Living One (v18)

This list will grow, and I'll attempt to keep adding to it as we go along. These are names that we're familiar with from various songs and liturgies, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised just how much of our liturgy is derived from Revelation.

WHAT'S UP WITH THOSE SEVENS?

Even today, we ran across numerous sevens, including one you probably didn't know about unless you read the introduction in a Study Bible. Today's sevens are (and I'll try to keep this running also):

Churches (v4)

Spirits (v4)

Golden lampstands (v12)

Stars (v16)

Different commentators have different interpretations of not only what the seven represents, but what the items are as well, but for today's purposes, we'll use a quote from a Navigators Study Guide I'll use whenever I get around to teaching a Bible class on Revelation:

"The number seven recurs fifty-two times in Revelation. Because of its association with the Sabbath and the seven days of creation, this number signifies completeness, perfection, and the essence of a thing. The universe revolves in a seven-day week; Old Testament sacrifices were done in sevens; seven is the root of the Hebrew word for swearing an oath. So, the seven individual, historical churches of Asia may represent for John the complete church of Asia or the complete Church of all generations that needs to hear this message."

Works for me.

The last seven we ran across today is in 1:3, which states:

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 

We've seen writing using this structure before, in the Beatitudes Jesus gave in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5. Whereas Jesus had 9, John will have seven interspersed throughout the book, and I'll comment as we happen upon them.

If you find the idea of reading Revelation intimidating, don't. John's style of writing in this book is apocalyptic, which is highly vivid and full of lurid and potentially exaggerated imagery, intent on making a point and creating a lasting impression. The one thing you need to know if you don't already is that no matter what is being discussed in the book, from the Mark of the Beast to the rise of the Antichrist or whatever else, EVERY Christian will recognize these things when the time comes. It won't be some grand final exam where we will either pass or fail based on our knowledge--no Christian will be tossed into the lake of fire because they made a mistake. Depending on your point of view, if we're either lucky enough or unlucky enough to live through these days, we'll have plenty to be concerned about, but recognizing evil will NOT be one of them. Through the Holy Spirit, we will be equipped to tell the difference, just as John pointed out in 1 John 4:1-3. 

Scott

Faith

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come. Malachi 3:1

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.Isaiah 9:2

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone, and I hope that you're so busy with friends and family that you don't read this post until February. Why, you ask, as we read Hebrews in our Chronological Bibles, am I quoting Scripture predicting Christ's birth? It's very simple, and can be found in Hebrews 11:1:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 

When I speak of favorite Bible verses, this makes my top 5. I won't bore you with how I came to know this verse or how I can tell you the precise time (May 2002) when I first internalized it, but will focus instead on what it means. The first three verses I quoted at the beginning were made between 400-700 years prior to the birth of Christ, which required faith on the part of the people of Israel. They had been promised a Savior (quick note--the word "Messiah" does not appear in the Old Testament), and needed to have faith that the promise God had made would be carried out. They had to be sure of what they hoped for, and in the midst of constant turmoil, they needed to be certain of what they certainly couldn't see.

In the Age of Grace, we don't have to wait and hope for Christ, because he already came and gave the greatest gift in the history of the universe. No, what we wait and hope for is his Second Coming, when he returns in glory to make everything right again. I'll comment extensively on this point on December 31st, but we remain sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don't see. We have problems in this world that seem beyond our ability to overcome, but that's why we have faith--we wouldn't need it if all the answers were right in front of us.

Consider the words the writer of Hebrews uses--"sure" and "certain". These words are unambiguous and clear in their meaning, unwavering in the steadfast belief we're to have. Faith isn't being "pretty convinced" or "better than 50/50" of what we hope for or "reasonably confident" or "have a pretty good feeling" of what we do not see. For years, I've often confused this verse with Romans 8:24 (both these verses were referenced on the same evening by the same then-8th Grader), which asks a simple question--who hopes for what he already has? Our faith is rooted in confidence that the Lord will do what he promised to do, based on a solid foundation of acting for us in ages past. We will have doubts and questions as we go through life, and that's to be expected. When it comes to our faith, we need to be sure and certain. After all, God has been, is, and always will be:

Our God, Our Help in ages past, our hopes for years to come

Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home

Have the merriest of Christmases, and be sure to take a moment to thank God for his willingness to leave heaven and live among us for 33 years because of our own shortcomings.

Scott

The Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9 lists many signs of the last days:

--lovers of themselves

--lovers of money

--boastful

--proud

--abusive

--disobedient to their parents

--ungrateful

--unholy

These are just what's listed in verse 2--Paul continues on for another five verses of similar behaviors.

Everyone since Adam and Eve has been convinced that the generation following them is more evil and depraved, indeed the worst in the history of the world. I'll leave it to God to make the final determination as to the most evil generation, but everything listed in these verses is not only occurring today, but has been happening since the beginning of time. The degree of our depravity may differ, but we're all shallow and worthless.

As such, if these are the signs of the last days, then I suggest we all live lives prepared for the imminent return of Christ. There is no sane reader of these verses that can't conclude that every single event that Paul lists is occurring in this world in abundance, which suggests that our preparations need to be up-to-date. There is no time to wait, to delay or procrastinate, and we need to be bold in our witness to others, because if these are the signs, the "birth pains" as described in Matthew 24, there is no time to waste.

If you didn't already know or couldn't tell by the placement, Paul's second letter to Timothy was written near the end of his life as he was being held in prison. Given that Nero had imprisoned him, Paul was pretty sure that he wasn't going to make it out of prison, and he ended up being correct. One of the last verses that Paul wrote was 2 Timothy 4:7:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

In these last days, these are words that we should all endeavor to live up to. Whether we do won't be for us to judge or determine, but we can do all we can to attempt to live a life that shows that we tried.

Scott

Seen At My Daughter's College Graduation

This was taken in the gym at Concordia University Wisconsin:

Given what I wrote yesterday, I found this to be almost the exact opposite of what I wrote yesterday, which was that people tend to read Philippians 4:11-12 and ignore 13, whereas this is the go-to verse for almost any Christian athletic team. It just reinforces the main point that I made yesterday--Philippians 4:11-13 are a package and really can't be split apart, and when we do that, we run the risk of missing the big picture, which is simple--our lives will have highs and lows, but in the end, we'll always have God on our side.

Scott

Contentment

It's not unusual to see references to Philippians 4:11-12:

¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

We have a tendency to think of these verses when things aren't going as well for us (or someone else) as they could and use them as encouragement. None of us like to be challenged or in need, but those times in our life are going to happen. Invariably (and inexplicably, I might add), I rarely see the proper conclusion to this point, which is 4:13:

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 

Seriously, I been in Bible studies on more than one occasion that referenced verses 11-12 and skipped 13, and every time this happens, I make sure to make the point I'm about to make now--it's quite difficult to understand just how Paul overcame his obstacles without reading verse 13, where God is given the credit. As always, Paul is clear and unwavering in his description--Paul doesn't state that we can do "some things" or "a few things," but that we can do "EVERYTHING" through God. Yet another of my favorite verses, but this one makes the top 5 list easily (I might endeavor to compile that list, I might not, but it could be interesting).

Philippians is easily one of the most upbeat books in the Bible. If read in the proper spirit, we can't help but be uplifted and encouraged, content in the knowledge that when we need God, particularly when we need him the most, he will come through for us. We may not  recognize the help when it happens, it might not be in the manner that we expect or even what we want, but we should be content, and in the end, what more should we ask for?

Scott

Shining Like Stars

Philippians 2:14-15 states:

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 

These verses were best represented to me in a skit that my daughter Alison participated in when she was in 1st Grade (I could be wrong on this, but it's what I recall, and that would put the year at 1998-99). They did the skit in the chapel, and at the end, what was not in any way a quiet group of kids (and I speak from experience, having had ALL 17 girls in that class over for sleepovers at the house...twice), shouted at the top of their lungs "LET'S GET BUSY! LET'S SHINE LIKE STARS!"

Of course, it's Paul's exhortations as to what we should do that will allow us to shine like stars. As Christians, we should try to do everything without complaining or arguing--this doesn't  mean we won't have legitimate disagreements, but an honest difference of opinion is far removed from complaining, which is the act of moaning and groaning simply because we can. I'm a firm advocate that if we don't like something, take the time spent in complaining and channel it into effecting change--at least that has the possibility of achieving something. 

Since these verses speak for themselves, I'm going to comment on a verse I read yesterday but didn't have the opportunity to write on. The verse is Colossians 2:8:

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 

As I've mentioned throughout the year, I participate in Bible Study Fellowship, and this year's study is the book of Acts, along with quite a few of Paul's epistles. We were reading Hebrews 11-13 last week, and one of the questions was:

Q: What are different ways people today think of "faith"?, to which my answer was:

A: I think faith is the same, but the difference comes from IN WHAT people place their faith

I don't think anyone in the world today is confused by what the word faith means, but I'll guarantee there's no shortage of confusion regarding what to put our faith in. Paul's words are simple--we need to place our faith in Christ, not in anything of this world, be it words, institutions or anything else.

For every instance where Paul is confusing in his writing, there are many more examples where his statements are crystal clear and easy to understand. In both of the verses today, Paul tells us what our response as Christians should be, since if we want to bear the name, we need to live up to all that the name requires. When we all meet the Lord, he won't be that interested in what we said or professed, but what we DID with those words.

Scott

Christian Living

Ephesians 5:3-4 states:

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 

It can be easy to misunderstand how we should live with regard to grace and forgiveness. Paul spent the better part of Romans, particularly Romans 6 as Dr. Pratt covered this past Sunday, describing how we should live sin-free lives as a response to Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, but it's one thing to know we shouldn't sin, but quite another to understand what it really means.

A fun exercise we all engage in is to mentally go through the 10 Commandments and see how well we've done in fulfilling them. For example, I haven't worshiped idols today, used God's name in vain (out loud), dishonored the Sabbath, killed anyone, stolen anything, dishonored my parents, etc., but I've still sinned--it's part of our nature. Since we can't escape sin, are we to just give up and wait for God's forgiveness? Of course not, and Paul's words to the Ephesians gives excellent practical advice as to how we should lead our lives. These words are clear, unambiguous and easy to explain, and just as easy to comprehend. 

If we claim to be Christians, we should live lives worthy of that name. Our lives should be our witness, and if we live them according to the principles that Paul sets forth in these verses, we'll be excellent examples to those around us. Perhaps they'll notice and ask us, but no matter what, remember what our primary job is--to make sure that WE live lives worthy of salvation, followed closely by then telling others how they can lead similar lives. Nobody likes a hypocrite, and we should endeavor to model our lives and our behavior on these simple verses. There are many things in the Bible that can be confusing or difficult to understand--this is not one of them. And, as always, it's not the understanding that's difficult, it's the doing. 

Scott

Spiritual Gifts (2)

First and foremost, on this 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, take a moment to think about the sacrifices that all made during World War II. Every day we have fewer World War II veterans, so it's incumbent upon us to never forget.

I wrote about spiritual gifts not that long ago (you can view the post here if you wish), and will make it my primary point of discussion this Sunday, so I won't belabor items that I've covered before and will cover again, but Paul adds some very important points that we need to be mindful of every time we endeavor to use the gifts with which we've been blessed.

As important as the gifts, it's HOW we use those gifts that is as important. Romans 12:9-21 tells the manner we are to use these gifts, and it will be these verses that will be my primary point next Sunday. These verses tell us that we should be humble, gentle and kind, and not revel in our gifts or lord them over others. I made a passing reference to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, but the point of that parable is a simple one--God humility over pride in ourselves and our abilities.

And why should we take pride in our abilities? Who gave them to us in the first place? As always, remember the audience to whom Paul is writing. He tells us clearly that he's writing to Roman Gentiles (he states it explicitly in Romans 11:13-14), which means people that were new to Christianity. Someone had to teach and lead them, but whomever that leader was had a level of knowledge of Christianity barely higher than the people being led. It's like when I golf with some of my friends, all of whom are just as horrible as I am at the game, and I take pride in shooting 99 when my friends can't shoot below 100--not exactly a high standard, so why should I take pride in it?

We're nothing compared to God, and to think otherwise sets us up for a dramatic fall. It's far better to adopt the attitude that Jesus suggested in the parable of the Lowest Seat at the Feast, where we're told to take a less desirable seat and then be invited to a better one by the host than to seat ourselves at the seat of honor and be asked to move. I won't speak for others, but I don't need others to tell of my abilities, since I'm more than willing and capable to do that myself, but that's the exact opposite of humility. Our response to the spiritual gifts that the Lord has given us shouldn't be to tell others how gifted we are, but instead to thank the Lord for the ability to serve him and to do so humbly.

Scott

Predestination

I was almost  positive that Dr. Pratt would beat me to writing on Romans 8:38-39, and I was correct. The fact that I'm still seated on my couch and not slowly drifting into space is proof that the world didn't stop spinning, so I'll move onto different territory. Romans 8:29-30 states:

²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 

I'll freely admit that I've had my struggles with these verses, because one (incorrect) interpretation could be that our lives have already been planned out for us, and we're just going through the motions. For a Christian, this is disturbing, because this implies that our salvation has already been determined. I'll probably discuss this briefly this coming Sunday, but for now, I'll begin by defining two words that are extremely important in understanding these verses.

The first word is "foreknow," and to foreknow something is to know in advance that something is going to occur. The second word is "foreordain," which is the ability to not only know what is going to happen, but be able to cause it as well. My favorite example of contrasting these notions happens every day, and has for quite some time--the sun rises, and it rises in the east. I foreknow that, and absent some pretty drastic circumstances, it will rise again at 7:15 am tomorrow (Wednesday, December 7th, 2011), but my foreknowledge IN NO WAY will cause that to occur. To foreknow something is completely different than being able to foreordain it. We can foreordain things as well--say I don't want my daughter to go somewhere, but she's getting uppity about it. I can pretend to give in and instead just take the battery out of her car--not only do I know that she won't be going anywhere, I was the causative agent in that happening. I foreknew it AND foreordained it.

God knows what we're going to do, and has known it for all eternity. It won't be God's fault if we fall away, and in no way will God cause it--that foreknowledge does not go so far as to write a person off before they're even born. But, if God foreknows how we will act, he can certainly prepare us to fulfill the mission that we will undertake. Free will and Christianity have to be interlinked, because if they're not, we can't be judged for the simple reason that we aren't responsible for our own actions. That would be me blaming my daughter for not having a battery in her car when I removed it. God is mysterious, but life isn't one big riddle that he's waiting to see if we solve correctly. I think it was Einstein who once said "God is clever, but not tricky."

I don't lose too much sleep over these verses, as they come perilously close to angels-on-a-head-of-a-pin territory, and you should know my reaction to that by now--if I don't understand something, I take comfort in the knowledge that it isn't the right time for me to know. I know what I know, and if God wants to increase my knowledge and understanding, he'll do it through the Holy Spirit at the time I need it. For our purposes, all we need to know is that God knows what we're going to do, but it's still entirely up to us that we go down that path, and  therefore we shouldn't go blaming God for our own shortcomings.

Scott

Sin And The Law

Romans 7:7 states:

I would not have known what sin was except through the law.

In the Age of Grace, we all recognize Law and Gospel. We're pretty happy to be Gospel Christians and leave the Law part to the side, convinced that it's an outdated relic that should be consigned to the museum of How We Used To Live. After all, we're a forgiven people, aren't we?

Paul spends the better part of Romans 6-7 explaining what can be a confusing topic, this idea of forgiveness through Christ's death and resurrection. If all of your history had been spent observing the law as a condition of righteousness, it's a pretty big deal when someone says otherwise. I've written on this topic so much this year I fear that I'm becoming numbingly repetitive, but I don't think I can emphasize enough the tremendous change that these early Christians were being asked to make.

Just because we don't talk about the Old Testament much doesn't mean that it still doesn't have meaning in our lives. I haven't mentioned this as much, but I know I have on at least two occasions, but without the law, how do we know what standard we're being compared to? Unless "sin" is explicitly defined, how do we know what it is? The rules need to be written down somewhere, and that's what the Levitic Law was, the scorecard by which the people of Israel were to be judged.

It's a delicate thing to explain, this idea of forgiveness through no effort on our part, and it can be a slippery slope to think that our sin has no consequence--after all, if we're forgiven, why not get our money's worth? That's why Paul takes these two chapters in Romans to explain why this is not the case and how we should live, not lives of freedom to do what we want when we want because we'll be forgiven, but lives of thanksgiving for the sacrifice that Christ made for us. We're forgiven, and we should be thankful for that always, but without the Law, we'd have no idea of for what we were forgiven.

Scott

Faith And Righteousness

I've been writing until I'm blue in the face (that's a mixed metaphor, for those of you who keep track of such things) about the difference between Old Testament righteousness and the new Covenant introduced through Christ's death and resurrection. To reiterate, Old Testament righteousness was found through obeying the Law as described in Deuteronomy 6:25. Paul updates that in Romans 3:21-22:

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

The word "faith" occurs over 250 times in the Bible, but only 15 times in the Old Testament, and even in those instances, weren't referring to a faith in God except in a couple of instances:

Joshua 22:16

2 Chronicles 20:20

Habakkuk 2:4

Adam and Eve didn't need faith, they lived with God. The Patriarchs had regular communication with the Lord, the people of Israel had a visible representation of the Lord in front of them as they wandered through  the desert, God spoke directly to the kings and the people through the prophets, and Jesus was a man in flesh that the people could hear and talk to. However, with Jesus' ascension, the era of man communicating directly with God was over, and it was over for one very simple reason--there was no reason for that to continue.

God promised to send his Son as the ultimate sacrifice for us. He did that, and as such, everything we will ever need to know about Christianity has happened before human eyes and been recorded. Every promise made in the Bible (except for those dealing with the End Times) has occurred, so we shouldn't need proof anymore. That which happened already doesn't require proof. What it does require of us is faith, in that we take to heart the promises that God has made to us and understand that nothing has happened in the past 2,000 years to make those promises change. Our salvation won't be achieved through obedience of the Law, indeed, it won't be achieved through anything we'll ever do. It will be because we have faith and believe.

It's a tough thing to relinquish control, and that's what Paul was telling the Romans to do. Obedience through the Law means that YOU have to follow the Law, and if YOU don't, YOU won't be saved. In the Age of Grace, that's all been done for us, and I won't speak for the rest of you, but that works plenty well for me.

Scott

Cheerful Giving

David chose 2 Corinthians 9:6 to write about, I'll use 9:7:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

By a mile, when pressed for any kind of stewardship verse, this is my go-to, because it clearly tells us what and how to give back to the Lord. I see three distinct points that God, through Paul, is telling us about our giving.

First, the Old Testament laws about tithing have been removed. Since tithing, as well as the rest of the law, was as much about obedience and observance as anything else, the Age of Grace made the mechanistic giving obsolete. Each man was to determine on his own what to give--he could give less than 10%, he could give MORE, and it wouldn't matter either way. Harken back to Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:3-7. God wasn't disappointed with Cain because of what he gave, but because he didn't give the best that he had to offer. Similarly, Ananais and Sapphira weren't punished in Acts 5 because they didn't give enough, but because they didn't follow through with what they had promised. Whatever we give to the Lord, if it's the best we can offer, it's sufficient--the amount is completely irrelevant.

Second, obligatory giving, like the sacrifices, were no longer necessary. As such, giving in a rote fashion and doing so because one feels forced isn't the spirit in which God  wants us to give. It's probably better if we keep our money if that's the best attitude we can manage. In addition, if we're under no compulsion to give, we should never give grudgingly or reluctantly, because we're not required to do so in the first place.

The last point should be the easiest. In my neighborhood, I made a promise ages ago to buy from every kid that comes to the door, as long as they're selling food. I won't buy wrapping paper, wreaths or stuff like that, but there's not a food catalog where I can't find something. I used to do it for quid pro quo reasons when my daughters were younger, but I still maintain it. I'm happy to help the causes, there's a pretty good chance I know the kid anyway, and it makes me feel good. I also instituted a new rule about five years ago to put a dollar into every Salvation Army bucket I walk past in the Christmas season, but it  has to be manned. I know  the money goes to a good cause, and it makes me happy. Giving should ALWAYS make us feel happy, and Christian giving should make us even more happy, since we understand that we're only giving back to the Lord that which he gave us in the first place.

I've done my share of fundraising in the past for numerous causes where strings would be attached. Almost all of these intentions were good, and I never doubted the intentions of the giver, but if it goes to the Lord's work, should we really attach strings? I've heard one person suggest that this kind of giving isn't really giving (i.e., a surrender of your cash) as much as directing. Having been guilty of directing gifts myself, my only defense would be that this is always for gifts over and above my normal giving. In the end, none of this really matter. Just as the Lord richly and freely gives to us, so should we be just as generous in giving back to him.

Scott

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 states:

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. 

Some things in Christianity might be difficult to understand, others may be difficult to live. These particular passages are neither--they are clear, direct, and tell us exactly how we should live our lives. There's no gray area, no scratching of our heads and asking "Huh?"--it's right there.

And really, what is there to add to it? Who among us doesn't feel that twinge from our conscience when we know we're doing something wrong, who among us hasn't at some point deluded ourselves by saying "Well, God will understand, and besides, I'm forgiven anyway, so...." Yes, we are forgiven, but that doesn't give us carte blanche to intentionally and with full knowledge commit sin.

That's the core of these verses. We know wickedness when we see it, we can recognize a false god when we see one, and we certainly know better than to listen to an unbeliever and say to ourselves "Hmm, maybe he's onto something." Paul's audience knew that their former ways of worshiping the pantheon of Greek gods was wrong and needed to be stopped, and Paul was reminding them that idol worship wasn't just a matter of custom, but of eternal import. The words to those early Christians were to ignore the clearly wrong things that were in their midst and to stop mingling with unbelievers. They were a new people, a forgiven people, and needed to begin living that way.

In the modern age, these reminders are just as timely. For those of us raised as Christians, we know the difference between Godly and ungodly, and one of our primary duties is demonstrating what those differences are to non-Christians as we come across them, and do it in love and kindness. We need to train our children to follow in our footsteps, and always pray for guidance and diligence from the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right path. Just because we know the way doesn't mean that we stay on it. As we begin this final month of our year-long journey through the Bible, we should always be reminding ourselves that while some things are complicated, most aren't. We didn't read the Bible to merely increase our knowledge, but to change our ways. The verses highlighted today are pretty good first steps to tell how well we've been internalizing the words.

Scott

Where, O Death, Is Your Sting (2)

1 Corinthians 15:55 states:

Where, O death, is your victory?
   Where, O death, is your sting?

This will not be the first time I'll have commented on this verse (you can read my earlier post here), since Paul is quoting Hosea 13:14, and I wrote about it when we read Hosea in the summer.  I'll approach this with a different approach than I did back then.

As always, keep in mind who Paul's audience was and what they knew. He's writing to Greeks who weren't familiar with the concept of resurrection for any number of reasons. If you go back to yesterday's reading, you'll see Paul's quote of Isaiah when he wrote "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," and in addition to being the Klingon term of greeting to each other in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (actually, they would greet each other with "It is a good day to die"), it's a great mindset if this life is all there is. If our lives on this world are the pinnacle, if this, as Peggy Lee famously sang, "this is all there is, my friends," then we should do everything to make our lives everything they can be. We should glorify each day, because when we're gone, we're GONE.

Obviously, we don't believe this, and Paul was instructing these early Christians that there is indeed something beyond what we know and see. Faith and hope would be completely unnecessary if there were no resurrection, because we'd have everything we need right in front of us. Every funeral should be a terrible experience because that IS all there is, but we don't believe that. Death claims no victory and the grave has no sting when we have the promise of the resurrection with Christ. These are life-changing words to those ancient Greeks who had spent their entire existence thinking that all ended at death.

And they're just as life-changing today. A true Christian keeps hymn 660 from the red hymnal near and dear to their heart, which is "I'm but a stranger here, heaven is my home," because we're just passing through here. This is NOT the be-all and end-all of our existence, and this is NOT as good as it will get. I have no intention to downgrade the trauma that death has on our loved ones, and I'm not so stupid and insensitive as to even think of telling a grieving person "Well, they're in a better place" or anything like that--it still HURTS, and I'm not so callous as to state otherwise. However, when the emotions have calmed down and we can think rationally, we can ask ourselves a simple question about our loved ones--would they leave heaven to come back to Earth with us? Would you leave Christ's side to come back to a sin-plagued Earth? Who in their right mind would?

There is plenty of victory for those who don't know Christ--death DOES claim victory, and that death DOES sting. Our job is to make sure that, with the Holy Spirit's help, we keep that number as small as possible. On that last day, we'll laugh in Satan's face as he is totally and completely defeated. We know how that story ends--let's make sure we share that with as many people as we can so they can be with us forever.

Scott