Do Not Go Beyond God's Revelation About Jesus

We are discussing the very difficult chapter 7 of Hebrews. Our focus during the past two postings has been upon the writer's comparison of King Melchizedek to Christ.

He (Melchizedek) is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. - Hebrews 7:3 ESV (cf. Gen. 14:18-20)

Melchizedek is not a descendant or child of Abraham. Yet he receives "a tenth of the spoils" from Abraham (Hebrews 7:4). In a sense, you might say that the priestly clan of Levi and his sons were present when Abraham gave Melchizedek those tithes. They were, after all, descendants of Abraham inasmuch as they were one of the 12 tribes descended from Abraham's grandson Israel (Jacob). Consequently it is also proper to say that the priests (Levites) were inferior in rank to Melchizedek since they paid tithes through Abraham (Hebrews 7:6-10).

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. - Hbr 7:9-10 ESV 

It follows then that Melchizedek who was both priest and king is superior in rank to Levi. This is why Christ is correctly compared to Melchizedek. Christ is also both priest and king, but descended from the tribe of Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing having to do with priests. So in King David's words,

The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Psa 110:4 ESV

Now if you have hung with me this far—and with this letter to the Hebrews—you know that we must settle the question of Jesus' humanity. We've already recognized that He is and was the holy Son of God from all eternity, begotten (not created) before all created things. By Him and from Him all things were created.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. - Jhn 1:1-3 ESV

But He is also true Man, born of the Virgin Mary.  He must be fully and completely human (descended from Adam) if He is to stand under God's judgment upon Adam and his progeny.

For as in Adam all die . . . - 1Cr 15:22 ESV 

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- - Rom 5:12 ESV

So the huge and seemingly impossible challenge: how can the Christ who is the holy Son of God from all eternity be also the Son of Man who will die our death and not inherit the sinful nature of His human father Adam?

Answer: the Virgin Birth !

And here is where where some attempt to explain Jesus' ancestry by resorting to our current understanding of the creation of a human. They speak about cell mitosis and meiosis, the 23 pairs of chromosomes that are needed for new human life, the development of human blood, etc. They go on to explain that Jesus inherited Adam's nature, but not his sinfulness. This, they say, is because

. . . the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. - Lev 17:11 NIV

But that single Bible verse does not speak about Adam's sinful nature. Any attempt to make it say that is an example of reading things into a text.  I am very leery of this sort of thing and you should be as well, because such a use of God's Word goes far beyond what the Word has revealed about the mystery of the Incarnation. The Apostle teaches us humility as he writes,

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. - 1Ti 3:16 NIV

The primary points to be remembered:

• In Christ God has appeared in human flesh
• Christ's incarnation was accomplished through the Virgin Mary
• Whether Mary remained a Virgin is an open question, despite the view of the Roman Catholic church and others that she remained a Virgin even in giving birth to Jesus
• Jesus was of Adam's race according to the flesh (see especially his lineage in Luke 3:23-38 and Matt. 1:1-17)
• Though Jesus was born of the "Seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3), he did not inherit Adam's sinful nature

Beyond this we must not go. You may harbor private opinions and conclusions, but we must not attempt to make God reveal details about Jesus' birth that He has chosen to keep to Himself. Questions of when Jesus' human spirit or soul were created will also remain a mystery that is not revealed. The question about when or how any human soul is created is another question that has long been argued and tossed about. I'm not going to open it up here either. 

For now let us concentrate upon the primary facts lifted up by Hebrews 7. Jesus is our permanent and eternal priest. He is holy, blameless and pure, exalted above the heavens. He sacrificed Himself for our sins, once for all mankind. It is finished.We have a Great High Priest who pleads for all of us sinners before the judgment throne of God. In Him we are forgiven and secure. To Him be all glory. 

More on this as we go further into this wondrous letter. 

Who Ever Is Jesus Christ?

"My church is a lot more open-minded than yours!
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we teach that Christians, Jewish people, and Muslims all pray to the same God. You talk as if Jesus were the Savior, the only path to God."  

"Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet. Jewish people believe that Jesus was a gifted yet unorthodox rabbi. Buddhists regard Jesus as an enlightened person. Scholars acclaim Jesus for his remarkable ethics. Jehovah's Witnesses describe Jesus as an exalted, divine being. Mormons teach that Jesus Christ became a god."

So begins the section about Jesus Christ in the 2010 book I downloaded from Amazon last week. The book is called The Lutheran Difference. You might want to check it out. It discusses in detail in what ways Lutherans differ from other Christian and non-Christian groups. The book is organized around the Nicene Creed. As the introduction says, the name Lutheran is shorthand for saying, I agree with Martin Luther whose teaching has been well-known for over 500 years. The book goes on to show from the Bible how Lutherans differ and why. Since I've been writing about Jesus in particular during the past several weeks, I thought it well to continue by using this book as my reference.

One word in that Nicene Creed has caused much controversy. It is the Greek word ousios. We translate the word into English with our word substance or being. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as being homo-ousios, that is of the same substance or one in Being with the Father. So one English translation of the creed describes Jesus in this way:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

I mention this to point out that there was much controversy over the years about the person of Jesus. Just who is he? Is he truly God? How can there be three persons and yet but one God? So the teachers argued back and forth for many, many years. The details of that controversy are spelled out in the link above to the Wikipedia article. Ultimately the teachers of the church developed the Nicene Creed in order to declare what they understood to be the teaching of God's Word. Millions of us since then have embraced that Creed as our own confession of faith.

Now mind you, not everybody likes the term homo-ousios. It certainly is not a Bible word. It is a Greek word cooked up by some and tossed back and forth with many nuances. There are times when many of us wonder whether the term detracts from the awesome mystery. Maybe we're trying too hard to explain something beyond human words, a mystery foretold by the prophet Daniel, among other O.T. prophets. He wrote like this in an inspired attempt to describe what he saw and experienced.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. - Dan 7:13-14 ESV

This mysterious son of man in Daniel's vision is given authority and dominion that rightly only belongs to God. All peoples, nations and languages serve him. This appears to be why Jesus favored the title Son of Man. He used it again and again to describe himself. Examples:

• the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. -  Matt. 8:20 
• the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. - Matt. 9:6
• the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath - Matt. 12:8
• the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather of of his kingdom all causes of sin - Matt. 13:41
• they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom - Matt. 16:28
• Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead - Matt. 17:9
• The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men - Matt. 17:22
• Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man - Matt. 24:30

As you can see, again and again and again Jesus took to himself what Daniel described: dominion, authority, glory, and equality with God the Father. His is an everlasting kingdom that shall never pass away nor be destroyed. This is what the creeds attempt to say in whatever language they use.

Lutherans—and millions in other Christian traditions—embrace that confession, that credo. More about this next time, especially since we believe our eternal destiny rests upon getting this right.

 

Yes, We Have A Destiny

In my previous post I raised the question of destiny, both my own and the destiny of my nation. Is there indeed a plan for each one of us, as well as a plan for our nations or groups of people? Is the hand of God at work in all of this?

To answer these questions we are asking the Holy Spirit to guide us through the following passage from Moses' farewell speech, given on the day of his death after guiding the Children of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. Read the entire context in Deut. 32:1-43.

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. - Deu 32:7-9 ESV

The chosen people of God are called the sons of God or the children of God. They all traced their lineage back to Jacob or Israel, the grandson of Abraham. Step by step over hundreds of years God made them into a people and prepared for them this land they were about to enter. The promises given to Abraham were about to be fulfilled.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites." - Gen 15:18-21 ESV. See also Gen 17:1-5. 

 This covenant is celebrated in the Psalms.

O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance." - Psa 105:6-11 ESV

 We can trace God's guiding hand back to the days of Noah and the flood. So we read, 

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. - Gen 9:12-19 ESV

Moses invites the people to review their history. Check with your fathers, he urges. They'll teach you about how the Most High God guided these events, including your bondage in Egypt and your wandering in the wilderness these past 40 years. Now you are about to enter a land designed for you, with room for all of you, a land that does not belong to the Canaanites.

The lesson for God's people in these days? God does indeed have plans for His people and each one of us as members of His people. We are called to follow Him and to serve in the place and at the time that He has designed for us. The plans of God reach back to the days of Adam and Eve. They stretch forward across the centuries to the birth, life, death and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus, the Messiah. We who have been called to faith in Christ Jesus are His chosen people, the new Israel. Paul points to this in his letters.

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. - Gal 6:14-16 ESV

 And earlier in the same letter,

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 

... For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. - Gal 3:7-9, 27-29 ESV

Destiny? Promises? Guidance? Blessings? Indeed. The hand of God has been guiding all things up to this present day. And know with certainty that if you are in Christ Jesus you are an heir of all God's promises, promises that reach forward to the resurrection from the dead endless ages yet to come.

I'll have more to say about this in my next post.

Grant Us A Heart Of Wisdom

Since turning 78 years a couple weeks ago I've been thinking much about longevity. My father died when he was 78 and three months. My maternal grandfather died in his early 70's and my paternal grandfather earlier than that of cancer. My paternal grandmother, however lived to be 101 and my maternal grandmother lived to 85. All this proves again that women live longer than us men, as the stats often confirm. And emphasizes that I've written about this earlier.

The oldest man in history whose age has been verified by modern documentation was Christian Mortensen (1882-1998, 115 years, 252 days). My own existential question is whether I will be granted a longer life than my father. Statistically, that seems possible. The U.S. Census Bureau view on the future of longevity is that life expectancy in the United States will be in the mid-80s by 2050 (up from 77.85 in 2006) and will top out eventually in the low 90s, barring major scientific advances that can change the rate of human aging itself, as opposed to merely treating the effects of aging as is done today.

That study suggests that my sons may well live to be over 100 and my grandsons well beyond that. Perhaps by the time that my grandsons are my age they will expect to live over 120 or more years. At this point, I do not know. It may be that in that far distant time they will find this article and have a good laugh at their grandfather's naivete.
Robert N. Butler has written about The Longevity Revolution:The Benefits and Challenges of Living a Long Life. The  Library Journal vol. 133 iss. 1 p. 124 (c) 01/15/2008 review:

Until the early 20th century, few people made it to age 50; today, the average life expectancy is 77 and will continue to grow as science finds new ways to extend life, writes gerontologist Butler, founder of the National Institute on Aging and author of the Pulitzer Prize—winning Why Survive?: Being Old in America (1975). Longevity, however, is of little value in the absence of quality of life, he argues in this densely written series of discussions on the challenges of increasing longevity. Butler predicts more physical and mental illnesses and significant changes in family structure, economics, long-term care, and health care, as well as reviews the evolution of longevity, the politics of aging, and the threats of a longer life span. Despite the attraction of increased longevity, he is not convinced that a long life is always a better one. Charts, graphs, and tables, along with extensive bibliographies and detailed footnotes citing published and unpublished materials, support his points. This remarkable book demonstrates Butler's extensive knowledge of all aspects of aging. Recommended for large academic and aging collections. [See the Q&A with Butler in LJ 2/1/08.—Ed.]—Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland  

You can get this book from Amazon. 

I agree with Dr. Butler. Longevity is of little value in the absence of quality of life. Here's how the Bible says it.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:1, 9-12).

What is a heart of wisdom? The Bible also answers that question.

"O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (Psalm 39:4). 

That is basic. We need to know that no matter how long we may live, we are all under God's wrath because of our sinful disobedience. So we join Moses to pray for a heart of wisdom. Solomon wrote in the Book of Proverbs the following about wisdom:

. . . for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed (Proverbs 3:14-18).

The wise man knows in his heart that our Lord and God has granted us a way to escape the wrath we so obviously deserve. This He has done for us by sending us His Son Jesus. The Apostle Paul calls Jesus God's wisdom as he writes,

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:17-31).

Getting back to my grandchildren, I pray that they too will not only live long lives, but also wise ones. And I pray that in the Great Day of the resurrection we will all join hands to praise our God forever and ever (1 Corinthians 15:10-26).

  

Watch Out For Wolves

For a pastor who no longer serves in full-time parish work, I have a fairly busy preaching schedule from now through Christmas. I'm filling Sunday pulpits twice and midweek Advent pulpits three times. Not that I'm complaining. Those who know me, also know that I consider opportunities to proclaim God's Word from the pulpit to be a great privilege.

But what shall I proclaim? In answer to that I have considered what I would have left to say if I did not believe in the God-inspired authority of Holy Scriptures and their witness to the coming of the long awaited Messiah in the person of the man Jesus from Nazareth. If I believed that these are only myths, legends and stories created by prophets and priests of the ancient past for a variety of reasons, what could I proclaim? If I didn't accept the testimony of the Bible that Jesus is God's Son, the Covenant God of the Old Testament come to us in flesh and blood what could I say? If I did not accept the prophecies that foretold the place and circumstances of Jesus' birth and the manner of His death hundreds of years before it happened, what would be my message?

*   *   *

I suppose I could say that there seems to be a universal Spirit at work behind the events of the universe and that this all-encompassing Spirit is benevolent, even though it often appears he/she/it is not. Whether this Spirit is personally involved in these events has always been a subject of debate. 

However, we know that men and women of all ages and places have longed to know that things will work out in the long run. And that, my fellow travelers through space and time, is what I have discovered through my meditation upon the stories and legends these earlier peoples created. They didn't have the sophistication and science we have in our day. They were limited in their understanding and vision. So they used these stories to express their dreams and hopes. Thus we have evolved to the present. 

People like Jesus of Nazareth and his followers taught us to look beyond our petty disagreements and believe that through the process of creative dialogue we too can come together to new understandings of the mysteries of this universe—which may be but one of many universes. And even though we personally pass out of existence, the memories of our struggles and the contributions of our lives will live on. And that, we can be certain, will give hope and comfort to our children and their children. 

*   *   *

Wow! If you ever heard me proclaim from the pulpit such utter drivel, please bring a few stones to throw at me. Drag me by the collar and throw me headlong out the front door. As my body bounces off the pavement, shout that you never want to hear from nor see me ever again.

Thanks be to God, we preachers have a real message. Know with utter certainty that in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son to redeem all of us who are under judgment because of our sins. This Son is Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman, born under the law, to free those of us who are condemned to death. Celebrate again with me the events of His coming at Christmas and look forward with me to His promised return. When He comes again He will raise up our mortal bodies and give us immortality and life in the new heavens and new earth He has prepared for those who love Him. I know this to be of absolute certainty, because He Himself rose from the dead and now lives and reigns forever.

If you hear anything other than this from your neighborhood pulpit, run for your life, because a wolf is chasing you. He may appear to be a sheep or even a shepherd, but he or she is a wolf nevertheless and your eternal destiny is in extreme danger. 

Let's Run in the Rain

It was somewhere around ten days after the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Seven of his disciples had returned to the great inland Sea of Tiberias in the northern province of Galilee. At the urging of Simon Peter they decided one night to go fishing, but caught nothing. As dawn was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore, but they did not recognize him (John 21:1-14). They had not yet learned to run in the rain. Let me explain.

A young mother was shopping with her six-year old daughter in Walmart. As they stepped outside to go to their car the skies opened and it began to rain. They hesitated under the store canopy as the rain gushed down in great torrents in front of them. The little girl tugged at her mother's arm and asked with excitement, "Mommy, can we run in the rain?"

Her mother replied, "No baby, it's too dangerous. We'll get all wet and we might fall and hurt ourselves."

By this time a small crowd had joined them. Impatiently, the little one continued, "But Mommy, we'll be alright. This morning you said at breakfast that God would get us through Daddy's cancer treatments and if he can do that he can get us through anything. Come on, Mommy, let's run in the rain."

What could she say? The crowd waited. Suddenly, Mommy grabbed her daughter's hand and shouted, "Let's do it!" And away they ran, skipping through puddles and around cars, laughing all the way to their car. A moment later, several others joined them, laughing with delight like children. They had all learned to run in the rain.

We who believe that Jesus is indeed risen from the grave have now his joyous promise to be ever with us to forgive, guide and protect. In the power of that faith let us join hands and learn to run in the rain! 

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).  

Do All Suicides Go To Hell?

A dear long-time friend called yesterday to ask about her sister. She is grieving still and cannot get past it. Her son committed suicide a couple years ago. The young man was in his twenties, suffered from bipolar disorder and had struggled with life for many years.

Her question: Did he go to hell because he took his own life? That's the question his mother is plagued with. What happened to her son? What a frightening question in this season of joy. What a frightening question at any time of the year.

My friend is a professional counselor, so I could speak with her about this issue in a way  that I might not with another. I emphasized the critical importance of listening to her sister and of helping her to explore the depths of her pain and sorrow. Then I encouraged her to walk with her through that suffering again and again and as often as she needs to until the time comes when she can accept her son's death and find comfort in the Word of our Savior.

What Word might that be? How can we speak comfortably to Jerusalem as the ancient prophet was told to do (Isaiah 40:2) and as we hear in Handel's Messiah?

I suggested to my friend that she meditate upon the apostle Paul's struggle outlined in Romans 7:7-25. What are some of the things he says and how will that help Lois to comfort her sister?

He writes, "I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members" (vv.21-23).

In other words, it is an established principle that evil wars against also the believer in his mind, in his inner being. This is the sin we have inherited from the fall of Adam. It is in us all. It will never be completely conquered and eliminated as long as we live. We are plagued by temptations, doubts, anxieties, guilt, fear and unmet desires. It is always there in our thinking, in our feelings, in our dreams and hopes. It is there despite our faith in the mercy and forgiveness Jesus bought at the price of His own precious blood.


Now complicate that with bipolar disorder. A person suffering from this chemical imbalance moves from depression to mania and back again. He moves from being weighed down by guilt, fear, confusion, doubts and hundreds of other deeply disturbing thoughts to suddenly being pulled up and out in to the manic state. In that state he feels as if nothing can go wrong. He can conquer the world. He is excited and often so filled with energy that he cannot sleep. He loses balance and often is unable to think rationally. So he goes up and down, down and up again and again.


As I said, add that disorder to the "law of sin that dwells in our members" and you have a most frightening situation. It is not unusual and unknown for a person with this disorder to give in to despair while in the depressive state.


So what does the Apostle say to us who know of friends or who have family members suffering from this disorder? He writes, 


"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (vv.24-25)


Paul knows what sin has done—and continues to do in his life. He is wretched, poor, pitiable, blind and naked (Revelation 3:17). All he can do as sin attacks again and again is to go to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and cry for mercy, forgiveness and help. And Jesus responds to the poor, helpless, hapless sinner with comfort even for murderers like Paul and the thief on the cross. He says, "You will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-44).


All of us poor sinners, regardless of what disorder we suffer from, need to hear again and again that blessed and joyful Word. So we join with the millions who have been comforted by the Christmas music of the Messiah: 

For unto us a child is born,
To us a son is giv’n;
The government shall rest on him,
Th’ anointed one from heav’n.
His name is Wonderful Counselor,
The Mighty God is he,
The Everlasting Father,
The humble Prince of Peace.

The increase of his government
And peace shall never end;
He’ll reign on David’s ancient throne
As ruler of all men.
Upheld with justice and righteousness,
Forever his kingdom will last;
The zeal of the Lord God Most High
Will bring these things to pass.

Lord Jesus, come now and reign in me,
Be Lord of my life this hour.
Come be my Counselor and my God,
My source of wisdom and power.
Watch o’er me with your Father care,
My heart and my mind, fill with peace.
I worship you, my Lord and King,
My praise will never cease.

Jesus, The Center and Substance Of Our Communication

I'm sitting here in the library at Pagosa Springs, CO. with my laptop, waiting while my wife volunteers to re-stack books. As I sit here perusing my email I came upon one ad urging us Christians to be more active on the internet. The site I refer to is called Internet Evangelism Day. They've just sent me another of their monthly bulletins, this time inviting me to join a conference up in Grand Rapids, MI. the middle of October. I'm interested, but find that I'll be out of town and not available when the conference happens. Nevertheless, I do believe that we Christians are only beginning to learn how to make use of this priceless tool to reach millions around the world. 

In doing a Google search I came across an organization called World Association for Christian Communications. Here's a quote from them: 

"Information and communication are drastically changing the world. Instead of establishing solidarity, public communication tends to reinforce divisions, widening the gap between rich and poor, consolidating oppression and distorting reality in order to maintain the status quo. Yet communication remains God's great gift to humanity, without which citizens cannot be truly human, reflecting 'God's image’. Nor can they enjoy living together in groups, communities and societies steeped in different cultures and different ways of life without communication."

Information has always changed our world. As the quote says, "public communication tends to reinforce divisions." I'm not sure I know what the authors of the site mean by public communication. I assume they refer to communication available to anyone, like a newspaper or TV broadcast. So I see political parties pushing their own particular agendas as we approach yet another presidential election. This communication is not uniting our country, by any means. We are living with various tensions as we approach the problems facing us as a nation. 

And the information is usually skewed to whatever views the communicators hold. 

All this posits quite a challenge for those of us who seek to communicate the Gospel. How shall we best do this so that the Holy Spirit of God may use our words to convey the Word of God to the hearts and lives of those who happen to read, see or hear our communications? I see a variety of answers to that question popping up in the Christian community. 

I offer yet another. My answer is that we who are Christians must be absolutely certain that we understand what that Word of God is. There is vast confusion among us about that issue, especially in a day and age when the Holy Scriptures are not universally reverenced and respected in the Christian community. 

I invite you to ponder one Scripture quote from the English Standard Version: 

"The Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:37-40). 

You may be a pious student of the Scriptures. You may even believe them inspired word for word, in contrast to what many Christians understand these days. But if you are like the Jewish leaders and teachers of Jesus' day who rejected Him as their personal Messianic King and Savior, you really have nothing to communicate. My point remains fairly simple and to the point. Before you can call yourself a Christian communicator you must have a personal faith relationship with Jesus, God's very Word communicated to us. And how did God speak to us? In the life of Jesus, in His miracles and teachings and above all, in His sacrificial death upon the cross of Calvary and His totally surprising return from the dead. This same living Christ continues to communicate to us through the Scriptures and through the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

Not only do the Scriptures bear witness to Jesus as the Christ, but we ourselves must ever make Him the center and substance of everything we communicate.