Fear: I was afraid

because I was naked (Genesis 3:9). Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit, and in fear had hidden from God. We are talking here about the fear of the Lord.  It seems to me that our culture, including the church, has lost this, but “the fear of the Lord it is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). The principle is surly found in Romans 13:3, 4 where Paul tells that rulers (supremely God) are not a terror to those who do good, but to those who do evil. He goes on to say “But if you do evil, be afraid.”  Fear is not the end of wisdom, but it needs to start there.

Many try to say that fear, in the New Testament, is reverence and awe, but I have to wonder if we even walk in reverence and awe. And Paul, following his Damascus road experience, could say “Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men” (Acts 9; 2 Corinthians 5:11 NKJV; Revelation 6:16).  And if we are to take the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), we must not ignore, or otherwise dismiss, Hebrews 10:26, 27 which reads “For if we continue to sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

A healthy fear of the Lord then keeps us from sin, but now let’s look at the antidote.  “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love”  (1 John 4:17, 18). It's not reverence and awe that is cast out here by the way, it is fear of punishment.

Christianity is not primarily about rules and regulations, it's about relationship (John 17:3). Accordingly we need to see it in terms of a relationship between a loving, wise, but strict father, and an obedient son. There is wisdom in the fear of punishment, “for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12).  A loving father always wants the best for his child, and the correction is there to train the child in the nature and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:2). Then, as the relationship of love, respect and obedience matures, fear will be cast out and confidence increase.  It's not about being perfect, with God, it's about the fellowship we have with Him and with Jesus when we walk in the light as He is in the light. When we do this the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleanings us from all sin (1 John 1:3-7, 9).  

Lord, thank You that as mature sons and daughters You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Even so it's not about being  perfect, rather its about continuing to walk with You and so be in the ongoing process, as we keep our eyes on Him, of being transformed to be “as He is in the World” (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Thank You Father that on that Day the transformation will be complete,  for “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2) in His precious Name Amen


 

Three alienations: Three reconciliations

Then their eyes were opened they knew that they were naked,  and they sewed fig leaves together for coverings. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden (Genesis 3:7, 8). They had eaten the forbidden fruit, and were now experiencing the spiritual death God had warned them about (Genesis 2:17; Ephesians 2:1).  Part of that death was the loss of intimacy of their previously open, loving, mutually accepting relationship. Vulnerability is no longer safe in a world where you are likely to get the blame for what goes wrong (verse 12)! The fig leaves were about hiding from each other. This is the first alienation.

Of course, this side of the fall it only makes sense to be careful who,  and what, we let in. Many of us discovered even in childhood, that to be difference or show weakness invites others to bully and/or judge us. At all costs we must not appear weak. Image is everything! We use denial, and other defence mechanisms, to protect ourselves. We wear masks, Adam and Eve wore fig leaves! Conforming to the superficial values of the world, beauty, success, intelligence, strength etc., we project an image that we so often start to believe ourselves. In the process we develop a false self that we don't even like. Our personalities becomes fragmented, and there is war within. The second alienation then is from ourselves.  

Like Adam and Eve many of us fear God (verse 10). We think that He's out to get us, just waiting for us to mess up so He can condemn us. And so in a multitude of ways we hide from Him, even denying His existence. This is the third alienation. But God, and it's a huge 'but,' has provided a way to be gracious to us, so that He can be both just and merciful in reconciling us to Himself (Isaiah 30:18). God offers reconciliation with Himself as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). We do however, need to turn from our sin (repent) and receive and believe this good news (Mark 1:15; John 1:12).  

The three alienations then are man from God, man from man, and man from himself. But God was not caught off guard by any of this. He had a plan even before the foundation of the world to affect reconciliation in all three areas of alienation (Revelation 3:18). Paul tells us that it is God's will, that in the fullness of time to unite together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him (Ephesians 1:9, 10). That last part “in Him” is not a throwaway, all things that are in Him will be united together in Christ, but only those things that are in Him!

Father, You were in Christ reconciling the world to Yourself (2 Corinthians 5:19). And when we are in Christ we are indeed reconciled to You. We have passed from death to life and will not come to the judgement (John 5:24). Then Lord because of what Jesus did, and because of Your grace, You made it  possible for us to forgive and be reconciled to each other. It's a process, but a necessary one (Matthew 6:14, 15; Hebrews 12:15). Finally Lord, and this was a process with me, we eventually get to like ourselves. It is about loving You and our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:30, 31). For these and many other things we give You thanks and praise in Jesus Name Amen

Love, free will and the consequences of no consequences

If you google “consequences of no consequences,” you get a lot of discussion about child discipline. I read “Giving children all love and support with no consequences and boundaries, leads to behaviour issues,” and  “Implementing consequences helps children gain a real understanding of how the world works.”  But is not just about  children.  It seems to be part of human nature that if we can get away with something we will. The Bible puts it this way “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).  I'm thinking genocide in the extreme, but also about enabling, you know when the wife for example, lies to cover her husband's drunkenness, shielding him from the consequences. It's not good for anyone!  

Nobody likes to think of themselves as a villain! However, shortly after conversion, the Lord showed me that most of my “goodness” was trained into me as a way of avoiding consequences. I have also discovered that many believers have very little understanding of the evil of which, given the right circumstances, we are all capable of committing. As the Ecclesiastes reference indicates, it's a heart matter. The Bible again “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9)?  Consider this, if the Bible is true and you don't know this about your heart, could it be that you are deceived?  And could be that part of the offence of the cross is that your situation and mine is so dire, that the only way to rescue us is through the substantiation death of the perfect Son of God (Galatians 2:20)?

Enter the school of hard knocks, the positive lessons we learn from difficult circumstances, and from the consequences of bad choices (Galatians 6:7). I say positive lessons because the default it to blame (Genesis 3:12).  We are free to choose not to obey the commandments, but we are not free from the consequences. As a young man I knew my wild lifestyle was wrong, I didn't care, until I did. I came to my bottom, came out of denial, turned, repented and was saved. Today, because of persistent propaganda over the last fifty years, many do not know right from wrong (Jonah 4:11). It's amazing to me, as Jordon Peterson reports, that saying we need to take responsibility for our lives is something of a revelation to our culture!

But why did the Lord risk it all by giving us free will? It seems to be about love. And love cannot be love, if there's no choice. We would be robots! If there's no possibility of saying no, choice is meaningless. And the possibility of our “no,” makes our “yes” significant. In His love then, He allows the real possibility of “no,” and warns of the consequences. But in His love, after we have come to our senses because of the pain of our “no” (Luke 15:17), He makes it possible, at incredible cost so Himself,  for us to return to “yes” (1 Peter 3:18; John 3:16).

Father, I learned the hard way that if there were no consequences to my 'no,' I'd likely have ridden off into the sunset! I've also learned to value righteousness, for its fruit is a tree of life (Proverbs 11:30).  As You make clear in the great commandment (Mark 12:30), our 'yes' is a choice to love and be loved.  Please quiet and settle me again with Your love Lord (Zephaniah 3:17) in Jesus Name Amen

A helper comparable to him I: Understanding the times

“The sons of Issachar understood the times, and knew what Israel ought to do” (Genesis 2:17; 1 Chronicles 12:32). The perceived teaching of the Bible on the relationship between men and women is a huge red flag to our culture. But there is a lot of misunderstanding about how to understand the Bible. Not every admonition is for all times and all circumstances. Do we insist, for example, that women wear hats in church (1 Corinthians 11:10)? Do we in the West kiss the brethren in public (Romans 16:6)? It would be very misunderstood! Some will insist on it because, by the slippery slope argument, if you let one thing go, you will eventually let everything go! But we are to love the Lord with all our mind, and we surely need to distinguish between moral and cultural commands. Moral commands don't change, cultural ones might.

In Bible times women were not educated. And rather than taking Paul's rule that women not be allowed to teach (1 Timothy 2:12) as  applicable at all times in all cultures, we need to see the principle behind the command. And it is surly the same as that behind the command not to promote a novice (1 Timothy 3:6). With women not being educated,  Paul's rule was simply common sense!

A comparison with slavery can be informative. In fact a strong case can be made that the Bible does not condemn slavery. Slaves, for example, are commanded to submit to their masters, even when they are harsh (1 Peter 2:18). Does this mean God approves slavery or harsh treatment? It is a mistake to see something as God's perfect will just because it's in Scripture. I mean Judas went out and hung himself (Matthew 27:5)!  And Jesus was way ahead of the culture in His dealing with women (i.e. John 4:9).

Paul tells us that in Christ there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free (Galatians 2:28). And I think of this verse as containing the seeds of both the abolition of slavery, and the emancipation of women. In many ways “Kingdom come on earth” (Matthew 6:10) is revolutionary, and Jesus attitude to women was all of that. But heaven's means of “Kingdom come” is not violent. It reforms things, rather than tears them down. I like to think of William Wilberforce's life long battle for the abolition of slavery in Britain's Parliament, as his working from the Biblical command to love justice and do kindness (Micah 6:8). The same principle was surely needed to be at work a hundred years ago in the movement to give women the right to vote. When things are not done in a Kingdom way however, they inevitably finish up going too far. It's the old swing of the pendulum, and I see over and over, those who were formally oppressed finishing up as oppressors.

Father, if we are to bring the Kingdom to earth, we must operate out of Kingdom principles and attitudes. When we see that something needs to change there is a strong tendency to go too far, throwing the baby out with the bath water. It is not true, as some would have it, that masculinity is toxic in and of its self.  And when we tear things down, what replaces them can be as bad as, or worse than what needed to be changed.  Help us Lord to operate with wisdom, love, justice and courage,  in a world gone mad, in Jesus Name Amen

If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but

.... if, by the Spirit, you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live (Romans 8:13). This New Testament principle is the equivalent of  “in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).   It seems to me that much of the church has lost the fear of the Lord (1 Peter 2:17).  It is true that God is love, God is kind, God is longsuffering and salvation is a free gift, it cannot be earned.  However God is not an enabler, and Paul can talk about both the goodness and the severity of God. In particular “on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22)

Jesus speaks into the title verse when He says to His disciples “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). But what is this denying ourselves, putting to death the misdeeds of the body, and crucifying the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24)?  Paul speaks about it as our being living sacrifices, and about no longer living for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again. This is what it means to be a new creation  (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 5:15, 17).  If it sounds intense or unreasonable look at what it cost and remember You are not your own  you were bought at a price with the precious blood of Christ, and look at the rewards “you will live” (1 Cor 6:19, 20; Romans 8:13; 1Pet. 1:19 ). You see there can be no resurrection without a death, and we cannot be truly free while we are still under the domination of the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Jesus essentially tells us that the one who sins is addicted to sin, on the other hand if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:34, 36).

Notice that is is both by the Spirit,  and you who are to put death the deeds and the desires of the sinful nature. We cannot compel the sinful nature to die, but we can cooperate with the Spirit as He does it with us. Until we do this we are not truly free. Even so it is a process, and I still find myself praying “Lord help me to do my part in putting to death the deeds and the desires of the sinful nature!” Paul admonishes us “Take heed to yourselves and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1Timothy 4:16).

Father, thank You for free gift of salvation, and the assurance of it as I take heed and continue in the faith (1 Timothy 4:16 again). Somehow Lord we have failed to stress the importance of continuing in the faith. But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). I cannot do it perfectly Lord,  for in many things we all fail (James 3:2). But thank You that If we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thank You too Lord that You who began a good work in us will keep right on working until the day of Jesus Christ in whose Name we pray Amen

A good God and the problem of suffering

“God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” Since both God and what He made are good (Luke 18:19; Genesis 1:31), then why suffering? The book of Job wrestles with this. Job is righteous, but his suffering is not for wrongdoing, as his friends would have it (Job 42:7). Certainly we reap what we sow, bad choices have bad consequences (Galatians 6:7). But not all  suffering is for our sin! When we suffer, we might think God is punishing us, or that He's unjust. Have you ever cried out “Why?” Many people who say they don't believe in God, nevertheless seem to be mad at Him.

I'm not sure what people mean when they say “there's a reason for everything!” It seems to imply God sends the bad, and that He has a reason for sending it. He gives a child cancer to teach him or her something?  That would be child abuse, and that's not the God of the Bible, nor the One I trust! We can suffer from our own, or other people's sin, but also because of seemingly random happenstances. The Bibles says that “God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). It's not that evil is good,  rather that God is at work for good, in the evil that He allows. It's not so much then, that everything happens for a reason, but rather that for disciples,  He uses what He allows for good.

The Bible is silent concerning any reason for earthquakes, tsunamis and the like. And as with Job, we are left to wrestle with the 'why' of our suffering. Life is not fair, nobody said it was! But the greatest injustice ever,  was the perfect Son of God crucified. To me, the bigger question is about how we deal with suffering?  On the day that I knew was going to be the most difficult in my life, the day I knew my wife was going to take the four children and leave, the Lord brought this verse to mind “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). I felt I was being told suffering is a barrier the other side of which is joy, and if, like Jesus we endure it, there will be “joy in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

In fact our response to suffering is something of a crossroads. You either go the way Job's wife suggested, and curse God (Job 2:9), or you wrestle through, and keep wrestling though until you get an answer that satisfies you (Genesis 32:26). And if you do it properly you will, like Job, find yourself being humbled, and acknowledging that you know nothing,  move from knowing about God, into having a personal, loving, intimate relationship with Him (Job 42:3b, 5). Nobody is saying it's easy!

Lord Jesus,  in the world we will have tribulation, but we are to rejoice, because You have overcome the World (John 16:33). Thank You Lord that with every trial or temptation, You provide a way to stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Thank You for Your invitation to come boldly to the throne of Grave to find mercy and grace to help in time of need  (Hebrews 4:16).  Thank You Lord that You not only suffered for us (1 Peter 3:18), You suffer with us,  in Your precious Name Amen

Answering life's big questions

The Bible does not set out to prove God, it simply states that He is (Genesis 1:1a). But in any case, we don't find God by reason. We only know persons, when they allow us into their lives. Please note, I'm not saying reason is not important. And if we are to love God with all our mind (Mark 12:30), then we need to be in the ongoing process of working through the many disconnect we find between our faith and reason. It can be helpful to read how other have done this.  Physicist John Polkinghorne (Quarks, chaos and Christianity) says “A big fundamental question like belief in God (or disbelief),  is not settled by a single argument. It's too complicated for that. What one has to do, is to consider lots of different issues and see whether or not the answer one gets adds up to a total picture that makes sense.”

Journalist Lee Strobel (The Case for a Creator) set out to disprove God. But instead, chronicling his journey from atheist to believer, he comments “when I opened my mind to the possibility of an explanation beyond naturalism, I found the design hypothesis most clearly accounted for the evidence of science. The ‘explanatory  power’ of the design hypothesis outstripped every other theory.”

There are many other fundamentals questions that knowing the mere existence of a designer, does not answer. Is He the God of the Bible; Can I know Him as a person;  Does He loves me;  Does life has meaning or purpose; Why is the world so messed up; Why is there such cruelty, cruelty that seems to be embedded in nature itself (i.e. nature red in tooth and claw); Is mankind is good,  or evil; How do relationships work; Why do they so easily go wrong; Why pursuing the things we want so badly, so often lead to disaster etc., etc.

Fifty years ago, when the culture could still,  at some level,  be described as Christian, the sitcoms had life lessons that reflected, Biblical values and Biblical wisdom. Today the basic lesson the sitcoms teach,  is that jumping in and out of bed at the drop of hat is normal,  and there are no real consequences to doing so. These are two huge lies (Galatians 6:7).  And one of the reasons for Jordon Peterson's  incredible popularity (12 Rules for Life), is that he is, at least partially, filling the vacuum left from the lack of teaching Biblical values and wisdom. He tells, for example, that the room goes quiet when he suggests we need to take responsibility for our lives. Who would have known, fifty years ago,  that that would be a life changing revelation today?

Perhaps the aspect of life that has suffered the most from the retreat from Biblical values and Biblical wisdom, is relationships. Paul summoning up his admonition to couples says “let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:31). Here is not the place to go into exposition, but consider how far we have come from the ideal where, in intimate relationships, we confess our faults one to another,  and pray for one another in order that we may be healed (James 5:16a).  

Fifty years ago, the need for the church to teach these things was not as dire as it is today. The cry today is not is it true, but is it relevant?  Well, what do you think, Jesus came to heal the broken hearted (Luke 4:18)?