Exploring the Scriptures & Sharing Life
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One of my professors, Dr. Michael O. Wise, was interviewed over at The Catholic Spirit. It is a very good and short read. It has been an absolute privelege to study under him. I enjoy his view that the proof of Christianity is found in our faith, and is supported through evidence rather than being built upon evidence. “I think you have faith before you find the proof and the proof strengthens the faith that already exists.”
Scholarship has taught us a great deal about God’s word and helps to correct misunderstandings. I would be careful of those who disgard its place in the church body. In no way does it replace faith or somehow take a superior role toward those who haven’t been to seminary. But Biblical scholarship yields immense benefits for the church body just as all spiritual gifts. Most of us in the U.S. would not be able to study our English Scriptures wihtout it, which were translated from ancient Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and Greek.
To the unity of the body, Saints,
-Paul
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” John 6:63-66
Knowledge can puff up when left separated from submission to the Spirit of God who is the stamp of God’s love sent to dwell with us until we realize our full potential as heirs of the kingdom given to Christ (1Cor 8:11). We are to add temperance to our knowledge, and to add patience to that temperance, and as we’re patient, to add godliness in our daily life. There is a progressive climb communicated in Scripture. Our justification happens the moment we accept Christ as our Lord. Sanctification is a process as we change from fleshly minded to spiritually minded.
Our enemy always loves to sway us from one extreme to another. If we hit the bullseye, we’re right on target. Why would those spirits who are disloyal to God care to allow us to do that unchallenged? At times we may value knowledge over spirituality, and other times we value spirituality over knowledge. There is a perfect sweet spot between love and truth.
Knowledge alone is useless because the flesh is not helpful. If we could obey laws alone, or advance just by knowing something, we would have done it long ago. But when we come to know, and obey the Spirit through faith, we are worshipping the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. We get truth from his word, and conviction and direction from the Holy Spirit. So then doctrine has value because the Spirit uses it.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. John 7:17-18
There’s a fear and reverence there. No one likes being exposed. But when it comes, we choose either to walk into it or hide from it: staying in our sin. I thank God that he has chosen you and I to be exposed, receive correction, and then come to the light by responding to him. Keep climbing. Don’t despise correction. Don’t despise humble beginnings. Love the body of Christ, working together, for it is also your own body.
In the very beginning of the narrative of the birth of Samson (Judges 13:1), we are told that Israel was up to some evil. The prophet Jeremiah has told us a couple things that were being done in Israel that were less than God’s desire for them: they were forsaking God who truly quenches souls and instead were quenching them with their own desires (Jer 2:13).
The rest of the story of Samson at least shows these two evils in full light. Samson neglected his purpose and did not live up to the Nazirite vow that was placed on his life. He created his own purpose by his pursuit of foreign women. And foreign doesn’t only mean another country. Anything we should not be enjoined to is a foreign thing. When foreign agents get into our bloodstream, we get sick. So it is in the Spirit realm.
Samson’s mother, his father Manoah’s wife, was visited by a messenger of God who told her she would no longer be barren. Her reaction is much different than Mary’s was when a messenger of God told her about Jesus. The story of the birth of Samson and the story the birth of Jesus are two examples of what Robert Alter calls “annunciation type-scene” (Critical Inquiry, 1978, 355-68) and what Benjamin Johnson has recently called “the son of a barren woman” type-scene (JETS, vol. 53, no. 2, 270). There is no doubt there are several examples of this type of narrative. The similarities in these type-scenes can teach us a bit more about he stories involved.
This messenger of gave good news that the barren womb would now produce! I think I would much more joyous about this than Manoah’s wife was. I suppose it was not the same of birthing the son of God, but I think I would be more celebratory that the Lord was delivering me from not producing anything. That was a very big deal in the Ancient Near East. She then told her husband Manoah who did not believe her. Still remind you of the Joesph and Mary story? The difference is that Mary was never barren. Jesus may have had a parched life due to his mission, but he did not have parched origin.
However this story now takes a different turn. The messenger of God told Manoah’s wife exactly what she needed to do with this son God was giving. He was to be a Nazirite. He was to be set apart for God’s purposes: no wine, no eating unclean things, and no cutting of the hair (Judges13:4-5). She told her husband this. He wanted to hear for himself, so he prayed. Manoah doesn’t seem too bright to me. He doubted his wife, BIG mistake - any husband will tell you that, and when the messenger returned Manoah asked what they should do (Judges13:12). Really? So where was your clue now that your wife was making all this up? Didn’t she just tell you what you needed to do? Following God is not an easy task. I suppose finding a way out of the instructions may be natural.
But the messenger of God didn’t shake his head and roll his eyes like I would have done. He repeated God’s instructions (Judges13:14). When Manoah offered him food, the messenger didn’t want food. If Manoah was going to give anything for this, it should be an offering to the Lord (Judges13:16) from whom all good things originate (James 1:17). When he did this, the messenger went up to heaven along with the smoke of the offering (Judges13:20). This showed Manoah and his wife the best known confirmation that they were going to get that this deed was going down – because God spoke it.
But that still didn’t seem to convince ‘ol Manoah who then said they were going to die because they had seen God (Judges13:22). At this point, I wonder if his wife wanted to shake her head. Maybe she patted him on the knee and said, oh honey. You’re a little special aren’t you? Why wouldn’t have God killed us way back when he appeared the first time, his wife asked (Judges13:23)? Maybe Manoah was just afraid of the workload ahead. It came to happen that she had a son as promised. So then the desolate or barren places produce life when God is in the midst. This type-scene is different than the Mary and Joseph account as Johnson rightly points out in his article in JETS. Though there are similarities, what Jesus accomplished is of another scene – more of Samson as he should have been.
In spite of our shortcomings the Lord is faithful. Amidst human failures, his purposes are not thwarted. There are 5 things I can glean from this episode.
I think if we can pull these lessons out of our own life story, we will be set up for blessings. The Spirit of the Lord has been sent. He didn’t perish after Pentecost. But he does have a specific purpose. When it comes into the season fo that purpose, there is no adversary equipped to oppose him. Samson was empowered once the Spirit came upon him for the move that God desired to do through him (Judges 14:6). It wasn’t about his perfection. God still used him because God is faithful. His purposes are not thwarted by human intervention.
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7
Have you ever had a chance to stand straight and then fall backward into the arms of a friend who catches you? That was a lesson of trust. I remember the feelings I had. I was reluctant to try this experiment and nervous when I went through with it. I knew it was highly likely my friend was going to catch me as he said he would. But I also knew that sometimes friends can think it’s funny to not catch you! In addition, I knew that if I was to hit the floor I would survive.
When we trust in God we are falling back on Him in a similar manner. The same emotions I described above accompany us as we trust God. It takes quite some courage and can make us feel extremely nervous. We may not question that he would not catch us just to be funny, but we do question whether we are hearing him right when we do trust him. Will he really catch me? Did he really promise that? What happens if I’m not caught? The answers to these questions are not as easy to see as they are in my allegory. We could get hurt.
No matter how we feel inside, as believers we trade our understanding for the truth of the word of God. Only by trying it out do we every see that he is there to catch us. One of those truths is the fact that he says if we pray, we must believe that he is capable of dealing with them, and then treat our prayers like he’s working them out. If something doesn’t work out, we should be surprised because there is a good reason why a prayer was not answered.
Of course we need to pray according to what is acceptable to him. When we do so it keeps our focus on our current responsibilities and relieves stress because we know he is at work in the background. Our faith must be applied for today. God is at work now. If we look only at the future, we miss important steps and opportunities in the here-and-now.
Through trusting and leaning on Him we extend those roots of our relationship that continues to abound. He is your super fortress, impenetrable. In days of trouble He is strong and He is good. Keep the faith. All things are working together for the good of those who love him.
I thank Zondervan for the Hebrew and Greek Reader I won a few weeks back. This thing is marvelous. It is perfect for those with a familiarity with Greek and Hebrew, but need a little help with the words used less often. Great tool to practice and to learn. This is a gem. I was going to pick one up at the ETS Midwest conference to take advantage of the discount but chose some textbooks I needed instead. Looks like I was fortunate enough to have that decision work out well for me! Just as I thought, this is a valuable resource.
Anne Rice recently made some comments that have generated some buzz when she said that she loves Christ so much that she’s leaving the Church. Her complaints about the church are not unfounded. Christ’s church doesn’t always behave like Christ, and furthermore we know that not everyone who says they are with Christ truly belong to Christ (Rom 9:6, Rom 10:16, 1John 2:19).
However, to separate oneself from the body of Christ is to be separated from Christ. I thought her response, whether she meant it or not, was pretty silly and damaging coming from one who teaches others. Her response reflects her track record. Brothers and sisters, follow those who produce good fruit (Phi 3:17-18).
Dr. Wittmer brings to light the individualism in the matter. ”I too easily project my lifestyle and values onto God, turning him into the great defender of what I like” (Michael Wittmer, Professor os Systematic and Historical Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary).
Blessings.
“To the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” 1 Peter 1:2
We have been chosen to live today, in this time, for this day. Some did not wake up this morning to see today. It’s not something to take for granted. It is an unpleasant reality, but a reality nonetheless. There is providential purpose in your life, which only you have been elected for.
The evidence of sin becomes more visible as we age. These bodies get a wrinkle here, a blemish there, and before we know it – what happened to me? This evidence tells us that there is a date set for “mission complete.” And that mission is beyond us. My pastor says that a woman should be so lost in God that a potential husband has to seek God to find her. Our mission is that: it is in the hands of God. To both receive it and to work it requires seeking God.
It’s not a complicated mission, but rather so simple that we have complicated it. God has chosen us to come to him amidst our struggles, imperfections, and he loved us as we were still in our sin. Does he not take that approach to those who are still lost? The consequences for our hard-headed actions are all too real. However, he is not like man. He cares deeply enough that he took the fall for our actions. How many would lay down their life for a friend, let alone a stranger and enemy – which we were without Christ.
Have you ever taken the blame for something you didn’t do for the betterment of those around? I read a story about some POWs who were held at gunpoint because the guards were missing a tool that could easily be used by the prisoners for escape. They said they would execute the lot of them unless someone confessed to taking it. No one confessed. They started shooting. Finally, one prisoner confessed and he was beaten to death. A bullet would have been better. A short time afterwards, the guards found the missing tool.
From the beginning, God’s thoughts have been actively pursuing our souls, and also the souls of those who do not believe all around us. He has not drawn us to him for our own individual or personal fulfillment. There are no lone members in his body. He has elected us to set captives free, help the blind to see, to plead the cause of the voiceless, and has given us his Spirit to separate us from the demise of the world.
He will lead us into intimacy with him and into the full meaning of the power of the cross. It is not what we think. It is not according to our previous understanding. We must let go of those things that a new understanding may come afresh. Oh, that he may bring us into grace that loves the souls enough to tell the truth of the gospel while taking some heat in pulling them out of the fire. May your peace be multiplied!
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:19
To decisions: Adam and Jesus. By Adam, we all were thrown into this mess of sin because of his choice. By Jesus, we all are born into righteousness because of his choice. Adam used his own judgment and council. Jesus used the council of the Word of God and the Spirit of God. By Adam taking his own thinking and the consultation of third parties that wasn’t God (Eve by the flesh: the serpent by spirit) he fell into sin being tricked, taken advantage of, and put in bondage by his own curiosity.
On the very positive other hand, we have Jesus who obeyed God even as he faced certain death. I cannot imagine how difficult that would have been because it would never be possible for me to do it! As a result, Christ found himself in the glory of God. Look at what obedience can do for an entire people. Look at what obedience can do for our families and our relationships. It is far more real than we think.
By one person being righteous, God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham took the role of intercessor, not wanting anyone to perish, and pleaded with God that he would spare the city. If there would have been one righteous, the city would have been spared. By one righteous person he spared the human race through Noah. And more glorious than this, he spared the entire human race, past, present, and future, through Christ: whoever will believe.
If we will say yes to the Lord and walk in his way, no matter what our past has been, our decision will have a profound effect on ourselves and everyone around us! If disobedience created the problems in the world we face, obedience is the answer that will change our path toward restoration. Keep sensitive to his Spirit, his unctions. Slow it down a bit. Walk every more wisely. You have an effective comforter and counselor in His Spirit. Talk and also listen, and be blessed.
I’d like to thank Zondervan once again for providing a copy of one of Chuck Swindoll’s new New Testament Insights series. This book is a commentary called Insights on John. As with all Swindoll’s writings, this book is well organized and includes dependable, practical biblical commentary.
The book begins with a helpful introduction to the world surrounding John’s gospel. Swindoll gives an outline of the contents of John’s message and how it differs from the other gospel writers. Throughout the commentary Swindoll places sections titled From My Journal that tell of his personal life experiences. At the end of each section, Swindoll reflects on practical application. Perhaps, the best way to review a commentary like this is to demonstrate its value with an example.
I recently finished research on the subject of worship and decided to look up how Swindoll approached John 4:24. One of the components I discovered through my research is that the place in which worship of God is engaged is treated as a sanctuary in Hebrew. A place becomes a sanctuary by the act of true worship; not worship in the manner of our choosing, but pure and intimate worship. Of particular interest to the topic here is Genesis 12:6-7 when Abram worshiped the Lord after he appeared to him and promised the land he was in to Abram’s offspring. After this incident it is referred to as the place at Shechem.
Abram’s grandson, Jacob, camped just before the city of Shechem, he bought the land his tent was pitched on, and erected an altar to the Lord (Gen 33:18-20). Jacob gave this inheritance to his son Joseph (Gen 48:21-22). There is more detail to follow in regards to this location, but this will suffice for our subject. John tells us that Jesus was near this very field at Jacob’s well during this scene with the Samaritan woman.
The Samaritan woman argues in John 4:20 that her people have always worshiped on the mountain while the Jews say the temple in Jerusalem is the proper place to worship. The tension here is between the historical record I just mentioned and the later building of the temple. Jesus responds to the Samaritan woman by telling her that worship is not dependant on location, but is done in Spirit and in truth. As if this didn’t say enough, Jesus point blank told the woman she did not know what she was worshiping. Wherever God’s name is remembered is the right place to worship (Exo 20:24). She didn’t truly know God. How could she worship him? Yet, the Lord also has chosen a place to put his name for offerings and sacrifices: the temple (Deu 12:5-6). Both are proper places to worship.
It wasn’t about location for Abram or Jacob, to which she tried to lay claim. It was about knowing the Lord intimately – to top it off he was standing right before her! Swindoll contributes some amazing elements to the discussion. Swindoll said that Jesus treated the woman with a dignitiy Samaritans were not used to receiving from Jews. I agree with Swindoll as he continues, “I wish I cold think on my feet as quickly as Jesus.” Amen! Jesus brought the conversation around to the real issue. Swindoll pointed to three main challenges Jesus made: the earthly location of worship is of secondary concern, the object of worship is heavenly, and quality of worship is the true measure of devotion.
In the application section at the conclusion of this chapter in Swindoll’s commentary he lists three insightful foci. Like the woman, we are put off by prejudice and bigotry like that demonstrated by the disciples when they questioned why Jesus would be talking with her (Joh 4:27). Many of us have experienced this in some manner. Second, we are too consumed with mundane details. Jesus had shown his disciples what really fuels life: thirsting and hungering after righteousness. Finally, Swindoll points out that we are often lulled into inaction by the promise of tomorrow. The woman ran to tell the townspeople when she should have embraced Christ.
Faith is believing God for now. Believing God for some obscure time in the future isn’t faith at all. It leads to procrastination. If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart (Heb 3:5). Swindoll’s commentary takes a practical and ministerial approach to the gospel of John. His perspective is built upon solid scholarship and wisdom that comes through his years in minsitry. This commentary will serve you well with Swindoll’s simple presentation yet thorough understanding of the mission of Christ in our lives. I have been enriched and can recommend this quality resource.
The book is availble at Amazon at a good discount. Enjoy the series.