TOMS: 1 Peter 2

For an introduction to this series, click here.

January 5, 2008

"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." (2:1-3)

Those who have "tasted that the Lord is good" here are those who are saved. Peter says that if we are saved, our desire should be to feed on the food that the Lord provides, not on malice, hypocrisy and the like. Someone who is alive and healthy will have an appetite. If your appetite is always for the carnal things of the world, you may indeed be alive, but not alive to God. It is always a dangerous thing to assume we are saved without taking inventory from time to time.

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.' So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.' They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do." (2:4-8)

We as believers are a spiritual body. I don't understand it all, but there is a bond between believers, even when we speak different languages, that can only be explained by the fact that we are all part of God's spiritual house. There are some who because of their theological biases try to downplay the spiritual universal aspects of our faith. I have never understood that. Certainly practical reality dictates that we emphasize service and growth through a local church, but to ignore passages like this is irresponsible.

Peter makes another important point here: the Gospel will always produce a reaction. Sometimes it is positive, and other times it is negative. Christ's message, if it is proclaimed correctly, will have people reject it outright. It is not our job to save everyone; that is God's territory. Our responsibility is to proclaim the Gospel without fear and without mixture from man's ideas.

"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (2:13-24, ESV)

This passage is pretty self-explanatory, but it should be pointed out the circumstances under which this passage was written. Remember Peter was writing this to first century Roman subjects, people to whom either already or soon to be their faith was illegal. Yet Peter tells them to be subject to visible authority in all things. Of course there comes a point when we have to say, as Peter himself did, "We ought to obey God rather than men," but in most situations it is better to submit to authority, because they are not threatening our faith, just a minor aspect of our lives. It is important to keep things in proper perspective.

TOMS: 1 Peter 1

For an introduction to this series, click here.

January 4, 2008

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith— more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire— may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1:3-9)

This is an amazing passage. It gives us a lot of confidence for the future. I cannot do it justice in the limited time and space I have here. Just know that God has given us a wonderful gift in salvation. Our faith is a gift from God, and God is pleased to bring that faith to fruition in our lives. Now sometimes that can mean some difficult things in our lives, but God is always faithful.

This is a message I need right now, to be real honest with you. There are so many things that are going right in my life, and I am thankful for them, but there are always those little irritants that create such a big deal, and it is so easy to lose heart when silly little things happen.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." (1:10-12)

Of course when Peter wrote this, the church was just starting, so they really were at the cusp of a new era, but even we can be thrilled about what God is doing, especially compared to His dealings with people in the Old Testament. The prophets are full of indications and predictions about the church age, but they did not fully comprehend what they were writing. Peter tells us here that they wanted to understand, but God kept it from them while they were on earth. We as Christians are part of that mystery hidden from the saints of old.

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (1:13-21, ESV)

Here is another rich passage. First of all, notice that we are to take our privileges as Christians seriously. The New Testament is full of commands to be "sober-minded," but this one probably goes into the most detail. The phrase "preparing your minds for action" is not the best translation choice, as far as I am concerned. The word picture there, which is noted in the marginal note, is to gird up the loins of your mind. It means basically the same thing, but I don't like it when translators choose to dumb down word pictures in the text. Of course "girding up" to do with a man pulling his long robe together in a sash at his waist to get ready for strenuous work or running. When people did this, they were committing to doing something.

The aim of girding up our minds is to be holy. Holiness is both a command and a state of being. The former is mostly in view here. As we grow in the knowledge of God, we will become more like Him, and therefore more holy. If you do a study of the word "holy" in the New Testament, you will find that we as Christians are called holy because we are saved, and then we are commanded to be holy, as in this passage. I would submit that these are two types of holiness. One is reckoned to us because we are saved, and is part of justification. The other is something that God gives us as we grow in him. That is part of sanctification. It is true that God does most of the work of sanctification, but that does not mean it happens by accident. God does not force Himself on an unwilling person, but He will work in the life of the believer so that they want Him to work in their life. Holiness is never something we achieve by our own effort.

Secondly, I have always noticed a phrase in this passage that most preachers seem to overlook. Peter says we were redeemed by the blood of Christ, and not by "corruptible" things like silver and gold. I don't know about you, but I have never thought of silver and gold as being corruptible, and I can guarantee you most of Peter's readers didn't either. But compared to Christ, even things like silver and gold are worthless. That is what a wonderful gift we have.

I kind of feel like I have been out of the habit of writing this blog and am kind of skimming the surface, but hopefully I will get back into the swing of things really soon.

TOMS: James 5

For an introduction to this series, click here.

January 3, 2008

My blog is finally back! I have moved, and I had to wait for what seemed like forever to get Internet access. Then my grandpa died, and that disrupted things. I did really miss this time each morning, and hopefully I can get back in the routine starting today.

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." (5:1-4)

James here addresses people who are rich by fraud. Of course not everyone who is rich got that way by fraud, but it is common in the human condition. God will certainly make things right in this world one day, even in earthly situations that we sometimes think God doesn't care about. James here says that God does care about justice and equity. This should be a warning to us as believers to show the love of Christ in all situations, not just in church or in a mission or something like that. The way we love God should reflect in every aspect of our lives, including business.

"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." (5:7-11)

This is where our focus and our preparation should be. It is not wrong for us to plan for the future, it is just wrong for us to plan the wrong way. Building material wealth is not a good goal for a believer. James says that instead of building material wealth we need to be laying up spiritual wealth with the Lord.

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." (5:13-18, ESV)

There are two schools of thought on this passage: one says that this passage refers to physical sickness, and the other says this passage refers to spiritual sickness. I kind of fall in the latter camp. I have seen people physically anoint sick people with oil in response to this verse, and I am not saying that they are doing something bad. I just think that you have to read the context. It says, "The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up." It is a certainty. It is not always God's plan to heal physical sickness, but it is always His will to heal spiritual sickness. Also the next verse mentions confession of sins and prayer for one another that we may be healed. The emphasis in that verse is clearly on spiritual healing, and I think that applies to the previous verse as well. 

Maybe that is a misinterpretation of the verse on my part, but I don't think it is fair to a lot of sincere people to tell them that God will heal them. But what about anointing with oil? That would seem really weird for a spiritual problem. That probably refers to spiritual ministration by others, but if somebody was struggling spiritually and wanted to be physically anointed with oil, I can't imagine any pastor or elder having a problem with that.

As far as confessing sins, I think instead of dredging stuff up all the time and wallowing in misery, I believe it has a lot more to do with being honest about who we are and the struggles we face. Some of the most encouraging times in my spiritual life have been the times when someone told me they were experiencing the same things I was. Too many of us come to church and we think we are supposed to act perfect, like we have everything figured out. That's not what James is telling us to do here. 

TOMS: James 4

For an introduction to this series, click here.

November 28, 2007

James covers a wide variety of topics here. There is a lot packed into 17 verses.

"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us?'" (4:1-5)

We need to always be watchful of our fleshly desires, whether that be for more money, a better position in life, or whatever else. We hope James is using hyperbole here when he talks about killing, but maybe James is referencing something his readers would have been familiar with. Note the shocking term that James uses: "adulterous." We are the bride of Christ, and he has everything we  really need, but we go traipsing off after a sinful pleasure and abandoning our true love. No doubt this called to mind the word picture found often in the Old Testament prophets of Israel cavorting with other nations for security and commerce instead of relying on God. James goes on to say that the Holy Spirit is grieved and is jealous of our flirtings with the world and our fleshly lusts. God takes our sins, even those that we think are minor, very seriously. It is much worse than a weakness or a mistake. It is a sign of our lack of faith and trust in the Lord for our good.

"Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (4:6-10)

Another source of discord is pride. Pride is very simply asserting our own ideas and our own desires above those of God and others. God will not honor the desires of a proud heart, but His ears are open to those who humbly seek His will. And if that means we need to afflict our flesh for a while, it is a worthy means to an end of humility. That is what James is talking about when he tells them to mourn and weep. This is certainly contrary to the prosperity false gospel we hear preached from way too many pulpits today. God wants us to be happy in Him, not happy in the fulfillment of our earthly desires. God did not save us for us to be self-fulfilled or self-actualized. He saved us to be servants of His, that we can be led by Him to do what He wants us to do.

Also note that we have the power to resist Satan, not by saying magic words to "rebuke" him, but by drawing ever closer to God. Satan only has the power over us that we and God allow him to have. Sometimes God uses Satan to work out his purpose: just look at the life of Job, and there are other examples in the Old Testament as well. And certainly God allowed the demons to control several people's lives in Jesus' day so that God would be glorified when Jesus cast them out. Of course God does not allow us to be possessed, but He apparently does allow Satan to stir up turmoil and problems in our lives. But these temptations are ultimately designed by God to bring us closer to Him. But when we allow Satan a foothold in our lives, that is when trouble starts. We dare not try to deal with temptation on our own. Our way of escape is to flee to the Lord, who loves us.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (4:13-17)

This is an amazing lesson in trusting God. When things are going good, we have a tendency to think it is because of something we have done, and not the blessings of God. That is what these people were doing. They had their lives planned out, but they forgot to consider God's plan. We should seek the Lord's will in every detail of our lives, and not just decide what is best for ourselves. Most of the time when we do that we end up making a mess.

But I want you to notice especially that last verse, in context with the rest of the passage. The context adds a lot of richness to that one verse. Most of us just take that verse to mean that if we know we ought to do something good and we don't do it, it is sin. And that is of course true. But the context adds the element of urgency. The reason that neglecting to do something good is sinful is because our lives here on earth are short, and we don't know what may happen tomorrow. Most of us take our lives way too flippantly. The Lord takes our lives seriously, and we need to as well. If the Lord gives you an opportunity to do good today, take advantage of it not because you are afraid of sinning, although that is a valid but shallow reason, but because our lives are short, and we may never again have an opportunity to do good for that particular someone. This passage is an important reminder to live every day to the fullest. We never know what might happen tomorrow or even a few minutes from now.

TOMS: James 3

For an introduction to this series, click here.

November 27, 2007

This chapter begins with a very strange warning: "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." (3:1) It is a serious matter when we are dealing with the Word of God. When we are standing in front of a group of people, whether it be an entire congregation or just a small class, we are responsible to proclaim to them the whole counsel of God as best we can. It is certainly a blessed opportunity, and it is an honorable calling. But it is not something to be taken lightly.

"For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." (3:2-8)

This is an incredible indictment of the power of the tongue. James says here that if you can avoid sin with your tongue, you are pretty near perfection. The words we say have so much impact, we hardly realize it. But we realize it when somebody says some harsh and thoughtless words to us. 

"With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?" (3:9-11)

We are such inconsistent creatures. We can be praising God and saying wonderful things one minute and then criticizing someone else the next minute. We can be encouraging someone who is hurting and then later cursing because something bad happened. The tongue is a powerful force for good or for evil. We need to acknowledge it and strive to use our tongues for good. An encouraging tongue is a blessing to all who hear the words coming from it. You know that as well as I. We all know someone like that. There is someone at your church and hopefully somewhere else in your life who always has an encouraging word to say, and who is a joy to be around. And you also know people who never have anything positive to say. They are always criticizing you or someone else. They are never fun to be around, they are only a drag.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (3:13-18, ESV)

Now James goes deeper and explains the source of our words. Our words come from our own deepest feelings, and sometimes they even surprise us. But, without trying to sound like a psychoanalyst, they are there, and our goal should be to rid our minds of the wrong thoughts. We need a heart that is clean. A clean heart can only come from the work of the Lord in our lives. James talks about two kinds of wisdom here: wisdom from above and wisdom from below. Actually, I put them out of James' order, but you get the idea. The demonic wisdom likes to stir up strife, envy and pride among people. It takes its joy in making itself look good at the expense of others. Godly wisdom seeks peace among everyone, even among those with whom we disagree or think are doing wrong. It takes its joy in lifting others up at the expense of itself. The demonic wisdom comes easily to our flesh. We are prone to attitudes of pride, jealousy and other such vices. The Godly wisdom takes work. Not that we have to work to earn it, but we have to work to mortify our flesh and learn to walk in the Spirit. Certainly the Lord will help us when we yield to His working in our lives, but we have to consciously take steps in that direction.