God's Love For All You God-Fearers

We're back in John 9. Today we'll listen to the unnamed blind man whom Jesus healed by sending him to the Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. The Pharisees, of course, didn't believe it had happened, even though it happened right before their eyes. To them it was all some kind of trick. They even challenged the man's parents. Those poor folks didn't want to get in trouble, so they said, "Ask him; he's of age. He will speak for himself." So for the second time they called the former blind man before them and demanded that he give glory to God. Jesus could surely have not healed him, for this work had been done on the Sabbath when it was strictly forbidden by Moses that anyone should work. Therefore Jesus was indeed a sinner. We can see the healed man shrugging his shoulders as he answered their questions.

"Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

All this did not fit in with their presuppositions. God would surely not answer a man like Jesus and heal someone on the Sabbath. Yet the man was healed. What to do? Get rid of him. They answered the man now able to see, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And so they cast him out. Done. Problem gone.

The poor man was cast out, but not forgotten by Jesus. The Lord found him and asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

Jesus said, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you."

The healed said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshipped him.

I'd like to pick up on that phrase: "he worshipped him." Note above the man said, "... if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him." There were a significant number of God-fearing Gentiles (non-Jews) who were impressed with the Jewish understanding of one God, but who could not or would not submit to the legal regulations about food, Sabbath and circumcision. They were known as God-fearers. We frequently read about them in the Book of Acts. They made up a significant number of early converts to Christianity.

• So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. - Act 13:16 ESV
• "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. - Act 13:26 ESV
• One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. - Act 16:14 ESV
• So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. - Act 17:17 ESV
• And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. - Act 18:7 ESV

There's a great story in Acts 10 about one of these God-fearers, a certain Cornelius of Caesarea who was guided by an angel to call for Peter. Peter, in turn, was given a vision and a command to eat ceremonially unclean food. As he pondered the vision, Cornelius' men came to his house and the Spirit said to him that he should accompany them without hesitation (Acts 10:17-20). Peter went with them and proclaimed the Gospel to them. From that point on he and the other Apostles were thoroughly convinced that God's love in Christ was for all men. "Truly I understand," he said, "that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."

What great and glorious news to anyone who is confused and struggling to understand God and the mysteries of walking with Him. If you are one such God-fearer, it does not matter if you do not understand everything there is to know about spiritual matters. You may even feel thrown out by some congregation of so-called Christians for not observing all the niceties and rules of their fellowship. You may feel hopeless and confused about how your sins could ever be forgiven. You may be quite in the dark about what is right and what is wrong. You may be searching and longing for understanding and light, but not knowing where to turn. Listen again to Peter's words,

"Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." - Act 10:34-35 ESV

Know that God's love is not limited or restricted. Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find that He is already at your side ready to accept and forgive and love and lead you.

The Authority Of Secular Government

Why do we Christians say that we live in two kingdoms? In my previous post we heard Jesus pronounce that he came to overthrow the reign of the devil, the prince of the kingdom of darkness. Are we then saying that we live in the devil's kingdom as well as the kingdom of Christ? The Bible clearly teaches that both the devil and Christ rule over kingdoms in this world. However there is another teaching about kingdoms, namely the fact that God rules over this world in two different modes. To help us in this connection, we return to Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate.

He (Pilate) entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin." - Jhn 19:9-11 ESV

Pilate had authority. He had been placed by the Romans as governor of Palestine. His headquarters were in Jerusalem. Yet Jesus said Pilate's authority had been given to him from above. In other words, he was a representative of God's rule, not merely Rome's. How strange. Listen to the Apostle Paul.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. - Rom 13:1 ESV

No authority except from God! The authorities that exist in this world have been instituted by God. He has given them power. They exercise their power under His authority. The Lord God rules over this world through His representatives. So Paul continues,

Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. - Rom 13:2-4 ESV

Pilate believed he derived his authority from the Roman senate and would have to answer to the same. Yes, but, said Jesus. These Jews under your authority are not merely resisting Rome; they are resisting God! And so it was that 40 years after Jesus' crucifixion God's judgment came upon the Jews and Jerusalem, together with its temple, was laid waste by the Romans under General Titus. Jesus foretold this disaster.

And when he (Jesus) drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation." - Luk 19:41-44 ESV

The Romans, acting as God's avengers—to use Paul's word—carried out God's wrath on the Jews. They had rejected their promised Messiah-King who had come among them in the person of Jesus. Thus we see the two modes of government by God, one inward at work through His Spirit and the other outward at work through secular governments. God ruled over the Jews, and all of Rome for that matter, through government representatives who had authority to bear the sword and carry out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. This authority and power was outward. Those who exercised it ruled by the sword and ultimately by the fear of death. So Rome came to exercise this ultimate authority when the Jews attempted to overthrow them. As a result, Jews died by the thousands and other thousands were carried off into slavery.

Jesus recognized Rome as God's authority. The Pharisees challenged him about the payment of taxes

And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at him. - Mar 12:14-17 ESV

There were things that are Caesar's. Caesar had his authority from God to render taxes, to demand money and to establish the rule of law.  Consequently, Jesus taught, the Jews were obligated to pay the taxes, like it or not, for the sake of conscience.

Why has God established such a government, ruling by fear of the sword in this world? Because of our rebellion against His rule over our hearts. So God has established outward rule to protect and care for us and to preserve outward peace and unity. This is why we have secular government in all its many manifestations.  This outward rule of God in the world is in contrast to God's inward kingdom established with the coming of Christ. In Christ's kingdom God rules by His Spirit working through His Word in men's hearts and minds. So Paul, in full accord with Jesus, teaches.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. - Rom 8:14-17 ESV

To recap:

• There are two kingdoms in this world and they are locked in perpetual conflict. The kingdom of darkness is under the control and rule of the prince of darkness, the devil. The kingdom of God is under the rule and control of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. 
• The kingdom of darkness and its prince is constantly at work to disrupt and destroy, to wreck havoc, bring chaos and death. To restrain this prince and to maintain some kind of outward peace, the Father in heaven has instituted and established the rule of secular governments.
• Christians who have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness joyfully and for the sake of conscience recognize God's rule in these secular governments. This is why they submit to these governments for the sake of conscience. 
• No one form of secular government is established by God's Word. In the course of history there have been and continue to be many forms, e.g. tribal, kings, senatorial, democratic, etc. 

Much remains to be said and taught about these matters, but that must wait for the next time.

God's Image Renewed

This week and last I am inviting you to examine the Old and New Testament teachings about human life. So far we've looked at the Hebrew and Greek words translated into English as soul, spirit, mind, life, etc. I emphasize that we humans are a mind/body/soul/spirit unity, completely dependent upon our Creator. He alone is immortal and eternal. Our existence is completely dependent upon the life given by the Spirit of God. So in the very first book of the Bible we read,

Gen 1:26-28 ESV - [26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image (tselem), after our likeness (demuwth). And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

 Then in the next chapter,

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath (neshamah) of life, and the man became a living creature (nephesh). - Gen 2:7 ESV

Again in the book of the generations,

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. - Gen 5:1-2 ESV

As you can see from these quotes, man was made from what God had created, the dirt of the earth, but made with special care. This creature bears God's image. This is critical in any understanding of the nature of human existence, including all races and both sexes. After the flood was over God said to Noah, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." - Gen 9:6 ESV.

In all these quotes there is no detailed definition of what God's image actually is. This has been a puzzle across the ages and many have offered their opinions. For an extended and detailed examination of the Bible's teaching about the image of God, go to "Man as Male and Female: Created in the Image of God" by Nathan Jastram.

Because all humans, both male and female, bear this image they have responsibility before and are answerable to God for how they carry out their dominion over creation, how they relate to one another and above all how they honor and worship their Creator. We are created to worship, love and serve God with our whole being, body, mind, heart, imagination and will. The first and great commandment says,

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." - (Deu 6:4-5 ESV)

Because of our rebellion against our Creator this image that we all bear has been damaged and blurred. Not only do we bear the image of God, we also bear the image of sinful and disobedient man. As David acknowledged, "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." This damage reaches into the very depths of our being, our hearts, minds and spirits.

The wonderful message of the New Testament is that in Christ the fullness of this image is being restored. Our destiny in Christ is to be conformed, transformed and reshaped into the image of God's Son, the one Man who fully reflects God's image in all He is and does (Romans 8:29). This process begins with our rebirth (John 3:1-18) and continues throughout our lives as we are reshaped and transformed by Christ working in and through His Word (2 Cor. 3:17-18; 5:1-5 ). The process will finally be complete when we are taken to be with Jesus in the new creation in which we will be completely transformed again into the pure and unadulterated image of God (Philippians 3:20-21). 

For all this it is our joyful duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him who has loved and loves us still. 

Jesus is Alive in His branches

We used to have three beautiful plum trees growing alongside our driveway. I watered them, trimmed and fertilized them with tender, loving care. They, in turn, produced every spring. The plums were so very delicious. I only wish we had not moved or when we did that we could have taken those trees with us.

Christians often get into long discussions about fruit bearing. I don't mean trees, but people. How necessary is it for a Christian, one who has accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Savior and Lord, to do good works? And can one be a Christian without some evidence that the Spirit of Jesus lives within?

Jesus commented about this and John recorded it in John 15:1-17. There our Lord pointed out that we are not the tree, but rather branches. The tree he spoke about was a grape vine. Like my plum tree, the grape vine in all its wondrous varieties, puts out branches from which those great clusters grow. Harvest the grapes and turn them into jelly, juice and wine. Ah, the joy.

Check it out. Wherever there are believers, there are good works. People care for the sick in Rochester, adopt orphaned children of Haiti, drill wells in Africa so people can water their crops and start food banks for unemployed in Cleveland. The varieties are endless, but the evidence is everywhere. The Spirit of the living Christ is at work in His branches.

The whole discussion about whether believers must do good works begs the question. I never got into any such discussion with my plum trees. It would have been pointless even if I could. They'd simply reply, "Master, that's what we are and that's what we do."

The Difficult and Dangerous Task of Truth Telling

Over breakfast this morning my friend and I got into a long discussion of truth. Does anyone tell the truth? we wondered. This all started because I was reflecting upon the Gospel lesson read in many Christian churches last Sunday (Luke 4:31-37). Jesus had been rejected by the folks from his home town, Nazareth. From there he made his way to the coast of the inland Sea of Galilee and the town of Capernaum where he taught in their synagogue on the Sabbath. In this synagogue, Luke reports, was a man who had "the spirit of an unclean demon."

From what I read, all demons are liars, since they serve the devil, who by nature is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Did the members of that synagogue's congregation assume this person had the spirit of an unclean demon because he was an inveterate liar? How many people today have such a spirit? And if they are among a body of worshippers, why are they permitted to remain and to spread their demonic influence?

I had a host of similar questions banging around in my head. We decided that all we could do was to make some guesses about this liar and his demon. Yet the discussion did lead us to reflect upon how vital it is for any community to strive for the truth, even though telling the whole truth is difficult and can be dangerous. Some examples found by Googling:

• Attorney James S.D. Johnson reflects upon the danger of accommodating Darwinism through false testimony. Christians make far too many compromises, he writes. 

• An organization pleads for the truth in labeling. The author worries about the dangers of MSG: a neurotoxic flavor enhancer. 

• A man is even afraid to reveal his name as he berates the I.R.S. for its lies about his wife's tax problems. The search for the truth, he writes, is a dangerous thing. 

The list goes on. Others worry about half truths being equally as dangerous as outright lies, if not more so.

Later on in his ministry the Lord Jesus did not only meet people who had the spirit of a lying demon. He met people who accused him of having a demon (John 8:48-50). His response to all their slander was straightforward. "Because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God" (John 8:45-47).

Truth will ever remain an elusive thing in this world. The challenge we all face is to own up to our own accommodating to its lies and the liars. We need to turn away from our own lies and find forgiveness and daily renewal in Him who is the way to the Father. He is the very embodiment of the Truth and when his Spirit dwells within us lies and the demons that encourage them must flee.

The Spiritual Man Makes Judgments About All Things

In my last Blog I began to reflect upon spiritual matters. I mentioned two principles that guide me:

1. The Formal Principle— the source of my knowledge about all things spiritual is The Bible, God's revealed Word.

2. The Material Principle—the central teaching of the Bible is that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became man and offered His precious life as the complete sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.

Today I turn to the second principle, again basing my comments upon I Corinthians 2:1-16.

The Apostle Paul spent 18 months in Corinth, the seat of government in southern Greece, a great center for commerce, wealth, learning—and depravity. In his work with this newly formed congregation the Apostle emphasizes his resolve when among them to "know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified." He chose this message rather than attempting to impress them with "wise and persuasive words." This, he says, was so that their faith might rest on God's power.

This message about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a message of wisdom, however. Have no doubt about that. It is so profound and complex that even the most intelligent and widely educated have never completely plumbed its depths. It is a wisdom that was long hidden and unknown. It was hidden in the heart of God even before time itself began, before the creation of the universe and our world. It could not and still cannot be discovered by philosophers, historians, people who explore their own hearts or pretend they are in touch with spirit guides. It is not known to kings, politicians, generals or other world rulers. Had the Romans known about it they would never have crucified Jesus.

But now it is revealed. We who accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we who receive God's unmerited and undeserved mercy and grace through Him, we have personal knowledge of this hidden wisdom. We have been made alive in Christ. Is this a boast? Absolutely not. We openly admit that we had nothing to do with gaining such wisdom. It is completely and totally God's doing, God's gift.

As the Apostle says, we now have in our hearts and minds "the mind of the Lord" and "the mind of Christ," who is the Lord God come to us in human flesh and blood. This is a paradox. How can it be that the almighty, all-knowing and eternal God could become a tiny baby, born of a young woman of Nazareth and subject to death? It does not make sense and yet it is so. To the man of this world this is foolishness, moronic, stupid and completely unintelligible.

Look then at every other religion, every philosophy, every claim to revelation and wisdom you can find. If the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is not in the center of it, it is not spiritual wisdom. Flee from it. Reject it. It does not come from God.

This is my judgment. I make the same claim about this as does the Apostle Paul. I have the mind of Christ. If you have been reborn by the working of God's Spirit you will agree. If you reject this message, deny it, mock and scorn it, then you are not of God. You are not guided by God's Holy Spirit. You are not spiritual.

As Paul says, "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment" (1 Corinthians 2:15-16).  

Foolish Spiritual Words

When I Googled the word 'spiritual' I came up with just under a million links! That's right, a million. Large numbers of folks seem to be spiritual or interested in being spiritual or have advice about spiritual matters. There is, in fact, a directory that will link one to "all things spiritual".

Since I also claim to write about spiritual matters, it seems appropriate that I join with the crowd to say a few words—not that the crowd will listen.

Oh, one more thing before I go on. Two principles guide me in spiritual matters.

1) Formal principle - what guides me in everything, forms and shapes my belief system is the Bible. I'm convinced and prepared to demonstrate to anyone who asks that these are God's very words and that through them He continues to instruct, guide, strengthen, challenge and comfort all who will listen and believe.

2) Material principle - in the center of everything the Bible teaches is Jesus Christ, God's Word or Logos to us. He is the Son of God, not created, who came to rescue and redeem us by His all-atoning sacrifice upon the cross. So everything leads to Him and proceeds from Him.

So when I look to the Scriptures I find that human reason, the so-called inner voice, meditation, spirit guides and whatever or whoever people come up with will get me nowhere in spiritual matters. These sources may be spiritual in one sense, but they are not spiritual in the Biblical sense. That is to say, they may speak about matters related to the human spirit as opposed to material or physical things. They may talk about religion or religious beliefs as do, say Iran's spiritual leaders, but that does not make them spiritual in the Biblical sense. Allow me to explain.

My reference point is 1 Corinthians 2:9-16. Look at the entire chapter while you're at it.

The apostle starts with a quote from one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah 64:4. That prophet says we cannot see with our eyes, hear with our ears or conceive in our minds what God has prepared for those who truly love him. We only learn about such matters when God's Spirit reveals them. The Apostle says that the Spirit alone inquires about and explores all things related to God, religion and spiritual matters. Just as no one really knows what you are thinking in your spirit or in your heart unless you tell him, so no one can know what God is thinking unless the Spirit of God reveals it.

Paul's source or 'formal principle,' is not the spirit of the world. That would be to follow the sinful desires of human hearts, human reason or the deceitful leading of the devil, the god of this world. He writes instead about what God's Spirit has revealed in wise words freely given to him. What he writes may then be called spiritual truths. His are spiritual words. These spiritual words are preserved in Holy Scripture.

In turn, the person who has not received the Spirit of God considers what Paul writes to be foolishness. His word for foolishness is the source of our word moron. So what I write, following the Apostle, is moronic, mere stupidity to anyone without God's Spirit.

So far with this brief discussion of the formal principle. I plan to take up a further discussion of the material principle another day.

Best Guess or Absolute Certainty

Although we try at times to avoid it, many of my friends and I end up talking about politics and the challenges we face these days. Frequent topics include the proposed new health care system and the state of the economy here in the U.S. We all have rather strong views on how things are, as well as how they should be. We care because we believe the decisions made and about to be made will impact our personal lives as well as the lives of our children and grandchildren for decades to come.

But I am not a politician nor do I choose to write about politics except as it impacts upon our spiritual life. Yet one cannot avoid pondering on what goes on in the hearts and lives of those elected to serve us on all levels of our government. What drives them? In Biblical terms, what is the spirit of the world and those living in it?

The Apostle Paul writes:"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:12).

As I listen to the politicians argue back and forth I realize that much of what they say and do is based upon guesses and experiments. Nobody really knows how to put the economy back on track. Nobody absolutely can say what health care options are best for this country. The best that anyone can come up with are informed opinions. And so, as is often stated, we'll have to wait for history to tell us. Hindsight. Oh the joy of hindsight revealing our foibles, our stupidity, our pride, greed and self-centered ideas and, occasionally, wisdom.

But is this all we have in spiritual matters? Must we merely make guesses about forgiveness of sins, God's love, the resurrection of the dead and eternal life? No, no, a thousand times no. We have certainty precisely because of the Spirit that dwells in us and works among us. The Spirit of the living and resurrected Christ has come to us in the very Word of God to convince us and assure us that we are His children. Because He lives--and He most certainly does--we too will live with Him forever.