Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:9-11)
This word "atonement" is in the KJV OT 69 times and the KJV NT once, that is here.
According to Young's Literal Translation the word here means "reconciliation". The Hebrew Torah's usage of "atonement" is quite different to this, but I think Paul is simply meaning "reconciliation" in this passage. We should bear in mind when reading other passages that atonement means something different. This is the passage where we get "at-one-ment" from, but don't go back and retrospectively apply this definition to passages like Leviticus 14:33-57, because it just doesn't make sense.
But back to this passage.
We have already shown that we might be said to be righteous by the power of Jesus' blood. But what about our rightful punishment for the things we have done? If Jesus has said you are righteous, then he will save you from the punishment you deserve. Why is this? Think about it, we were God's enemies once, and God was willing to give his Son to bring us back to his side. Now that we are back on God's side why would he turn around and kill us? That doesn't make sense. Since God has gone to all this trouble to get you onto his side he is going to do whatever he needs to do to keep you there, alive and happy. In addition you can have the joy of knowing that Jesus loved you so much that he gave everything to restore his friendship with you, to win your love.
The word atonement is normally used for the time when the priest would finish the symbolic salvational work after the sacrifice. After Jesus' sacrifice he like the priest of old has gone on to the work of atonement.
How much do you sacrifice to forgive and to win over your enemies to be friends? It's not an easy thing. But if we want to be like Jesus it's something we ought to think about.
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Friday, 8 August 2014
Intercession; Effective and Ineffective
Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. (Numbers 14:19)
I have been in authority at times, and occasionally someone will do something for which he needs to punished. In a military culture nobody argues with it. The one to be punished takes his punishment and the rest try to be invisible lest they get dragged in to the situation.
A church situation is very different. Often enough, someone, usually female, will feel it her duty to defend whoever it is that has broken a rule. I have noticed that although I experience this, many other leaders don't. Most leaders have little tolerance for this kind of nonsense and people learn not to get in the way. But this kind of leadership does not belong in the church. It is not the kind of leadership that God displays.
God left himself open to being persuaded, though only by those who were themselves innocent. When somebody tries to stop me from dealing punishment I don't resent it, but it is usually done very ineffectively, and Moses sometimes did it ineffectively as well:
And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? (Numbers 16:22)
That was a good try. God did exactly what Moses and Aaron suggested, he did not punish all of Israel for the sin of Korah et al. Instead he killed everyone involved in the rebellion, a lot of people.*
In my experience it is similar. Someone will tell me all the reasons why I am being unreasonable to expect this or that and that I should show mercy. All this accusation against me makes me very disinclined to show mercy and usually strengthens my resolve. But if somebody did what Moses did in Numbers 14:19 that would be a completely different thing.
In Numbers 14:19, Moses did not say that the people did not deserve to be punished. To admit this makes the advocate much more credible. If you try to defend a man who is known to be guilty by telling me he is only a little bit guilty all you will achieve is a loss of credibility. But confessing the guilt, if you proceed to appeal to my goodness or my reputation for goodness to motivate me to show mercy it will be hard to refuse. This principle for making good appeals is found elsewhere in the Bible and is effective in other situations. 1 Samuel 25 for example.
What does this look like today? An example might be if your child is doing poorly in school. If you tell the teacher that actually your kid is super smart and you don't understand why he would be doing poorly, you are implying that the teacher is the problem. You are not going to help your child's situation. If you admit your child has some behaviour problems and that you (yourself) really should have trained him better, then ask the teacher to use his gifts and talents to do whatever can be done, the child will be much better looked after. What teacher doesn't want to prove his abilities by turning around (that's what repent means in a moral context) a student that is failing? You are appealing to his reputation for his help, and not making it hard for him to be nice to you by criticising him, even if he has been negligent.
For me today this principle is most significant in interceding to God for my denomination. It is an incredibly wonderful movement, but like the children of Israel it has a few problems from time to time. Not everyone agrees on what these problems are, one man's problem is another man's reform. But I have my views on the matter and I am concerned for the future of my denomination if certain "reforms" get through. What can I do? I can do nothing but pray and intercede that God would have mercy on us, because without a doubt we have been guilty. If we are punished it will not help those outside, God's end time message will be greatly hindered if the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from those who are meant to preach it.
Maybe there is an individual person or a group you feel you should intercede for, why not do it now?
*It is worthwhile to note that Korah's children were not killed (Psalm 42 etc), so clearly this was not rough justice where children were killed for no good reason. Only those who joined in the rebellion were killed, and presumably this is always the case when God kills people.
I have been in authority at times, and occasionally someone will do something for which he needs to punished. In a military culture nobody argues with it. The one to be punished takes his punishment and the rest try to be invisible lest they get dragged in to the situation.
A church situation is very different. Often enough, someone, usually female, will feel it her duty to defend whoever it is that has broken a rule. I have noticed that although I experience this, many other leaders don't. Most leaders have little tolerance for this kind of nonsense and people learn not to get in the way. But this kind of leadership does not belong in the church. It is not the kind of leadership that God displays.
God left himself open to being persuaded, though only by those who were themselves innocent. When somebody tries to stop me from dealing punishment I don't resent it, but it is usually done very ineffectively, and Moses sometimes did it ineffectively as well:
And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? (Numbers 16:22)
That was a good try. God did exactly what Moses and Aaron suggested, he did not punish all of Israel for the sin of Korah et al. Instead he killed everyone involved in the rebellion, a lot of people.*
In my experience it is similar. Someone will tell me all the reasons why I am being unreasonable to expect this or that and that I should show mercy. All this accusation against me makes me very disinclined to show mercy and usually strengthens my resolve. But if somebody did what Moses did in Numbers 14:19 that would be a completely different thing.
In Numbers 14:19, Moses did not say that the people did not deserve to be punished. To admit this makes the advocate much more credible. If you try to defend a man who is known to be guilty by telling me he is only a little bit guilty all you will achieve is a loss of credibility. But confessing the guilt, if you proceed to appeal to my goodness or my reputation for goodness to motivate me to show mercy it will be hard to refuse. This principle for making good appeals is found elsewhere in the Bible and is effective in other situations. 1 Samuel 25 for example.
What does this look like today? An example might be if your child is doing poorly in school. If you tell the teacher that actually your kid is super smart and you don't understand why he would be doing poorly, you are implying that the teacher is the problem. You are not going to help your child's situation. If you admit your child has some behaviour problems and that you (yourself) really should have trained him better, then ask the teacher to use his gifts and talents to do whatever can be done, the child will be much better looked after. What teacher doesn't want to prove his abilities by turning around (that's what repent means in a moral context) a student that is failing? You are appealing to his reputation for his help, and not making it hard for him to be nice to you by criticising him, even if he has been negligent.
For me today this principle is most significant in interceding to God for my denomination. It is an incredibly wonderful movement, but like the children of Israel it has a few problems from time to time. Not everyone agrees on what these problems are, one man's problem is another man's reform. But I have my views on the matter and I am concerned for the future of my denomination if certain "reforms" get through. What can I do? I can do nothing but pray and intercede that God would have mercy on us, because without a doubt we have been guilty. If we are punished it will not help those outside, God's end time message will be greatly hindered if the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from those who are meant to preach it.
Maybe there is an individual person or a group you feel you should intercede for, why not do it now?
*It is worthwhile to note that Korah's children were not killed (Psalm 42 etc), so clearly this was not rough justice where children were killed for no good reason. Only those who joined in the rebellion were killed, and presumably this is always the case when God kills people.
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Romans 5:8
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)
Yesterday I was hand billing at a train station. That is, I was handing out brochures (bills) to invite people to our seminar which we are hoping will generate their interest in the Bible and God. I do a lot of hand billing, but something new and exiting happened yesterday. I offered the brochure to a rather rough-looking man who had a rolled up newspaper in his hand. He took one look at it and with impressive deftness smacked it straight to the ground with his newspaper. I immediately and instinctively gave a glib and cheerful goodbye as he walked away. I find this kind of behaviour more invigorating than intimidating. The brochure was drenched in a puddle and one of my fingers which was in the way of the newspaper club had gone a bit numb, but the experience made me more cheerful. A crowd of commuters came around the corner and started passing me, and more of them took brochures than usual. I was glad I had not been put off.
Not long afterwards, another rough looking man passed and I offered him a brochure. I don't remember exactly what he said, but the word he emphasised was a strong expletive (swear/curse word) and he didn't take a brochure. You get this kind of experience from time to time, but it's the people that run away from you that hurt you more. Not that I want more people to swear at me, but when another person behaves badly we feel like a good person, when another person feels victimised by us we feel bad.
I only thought about this because of the passage in Romans here. I was thinking about who I would die for. I remember in school when I was planning to apply for the Australian Federal Police one of my classmates asked if I would take a bullet for the Prime Minister (our equivalent of the President) and of course I said I would. Of course, it would be part of my job then, but I really think I would even now. The Prime Minister's life is important to my country and therefore to most of those I love. If my country is at peace my family and friends are far more likely to be safe. The death of a Prime Minister could start a war, to prevent that my life would be worth expending (paying). So logically it makes sense to die for the Prime Minister, but there are probably quite a few people that I would do that for, maybe some for which there is no logical reason. Some of these people I am more sure I would die for than others. I got nipped by a little dog to protect my little sister, but that's pretty much the closest I have come to actually getting real experience in this thing. As it says in Romans, maybe some of us would give our lives for someone who we think is worth it in some way.
But would I risk my life for those two ruffians that I met at the train station? What about the dozens of other ruffians I have met in various places. I don't know what I would actually do in the confusion of the moment, but logically of course I wouldn't. There are some people that the world would frankly be better off without (this is not against those two guys personally, they may be okay, I'm referring now to wicked men in general), and like most of us I don't class myself as one of them. So why should I deprive the world of myself and foist a thug on it instead, who would probably just go and sell drugs to school kids anyway.
Before we were converted we were no better a prospect for Jesus to die for than the drug pusher. Jesus' life was worth more, Jesus' even had the option of living forever. But Jesus died so that you and I could potentially change our ways and life forever. Many people have abused this gift, but if you take hold of it and accept Jesus' sacrifice for you then he will consider that his life was worth expending.
Yesterday I was hand billing at a train station. That is, I was handing out brochures (bills) to invite people to our seminar which we are hoping will generate their interest in the Bible and God. I do a lot of hand billing, but something new and exiting happened yesterday. I offered the brochure to a rather rough-looking man who had a rolled up newspaper in his hand. He took one look at it and with impressive deftness smacked it straight to the ground with his newspaper. I immediately and instinctively gave a glib and cheerful goodbye as he walked away. I find this kind of behaviour more invigorating than intimidating. The brochure was drenched in a puddle and one of my fingers which was in the way of the newspaper club had gone a bit numb, but the experience made me more cheerful. A crowd of commuters came around the corner and started passing me, and more of them took brochures than usual. I was glad I had not been put off.
Not long afterwards, another rough looking man passed and I offered him a brochure. I don't remember exactly what he said, but the word he emphasised was a strong expletive (swear/curse word) and he didn't take a brochure. You get this kind of experience from time to time, but it's the people that run away from you that hurt you more. Not that I want more people to swear at me, but when another person behaves badly we feel like a good person, when another person feels victimised by us we feel bad.
I only thought about this because of the passage in Romans here. I was thinking about who I would die for. I remember in school when I was planning to apply for the Australian Federal Police one of my classmates asked if I would take a bullet for the Prime Minister (our equivalent of the President) and of course I said I would. Of course, it would be part of my job then, but I really think I would even now. The Prime Minister's life is important to my country and therefore to most of those I love. If my country is at peace my family and friends are far more likely to be safe. The death of a Prime Minister could start a war, to prevent that my life would be worth expending (paying). So logically it makes sense to die for the Prime Minister, but there are probably quite a few people that I would do that for, maybe some for which there is no logical reason. Some of these people I am more sure I would die for than others. I got nipped by a little dog to protect my little sister, but that's pretty much the closest I have come to actually getting real experience in this thing. As it says in Romans, maybe some of us would give our lives for someone who we think is worth it in some way.
But would I risk my life for those two ruffians that I met at the train station? What about the dozens of other ruffians I have met in various places. I don't know what I would actually do in the confusion of the moment, but logically of course I wouldn't. There are some people that the world would frankly be better off without (this is not against those two guys personally, they may be okay, I'm referring now to wicked men in general), and like most of us I don't class myself as one of them. So why should I deprive the world of myself and foist a thug on it instead, who would probably just go and sell drugs to school kids anyway.
Before we were converted we were no better a prospect for Jesus to die for than the drug pusher. Jesus' life was worth more, Jesus' even had the option of living forever. But Jesus died so that you and I could potentially change our ways and life forever. Many people have abused this gift, but if you take hold of it and accept Jesus' sacrifice for you then he will consider that his life was worth expending.
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Fear God?
My Bible opens naturally to Psalm 146. I do sometimes open up my Bible randomly when I want to look at something different, and I land on Psalm 146 quite often. Because I have looked at it so often, I decided to go to Psalm 147 this morning. This is what I found.
Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. (Psalm 147:1)
This is a happy psalm. It is true, it is a beautiful and attractive thing to lift up others, particularly God. It is enjoyable to focus on the good things in life. I am fairly quick to notice the problems around the place, and without people like me the world would be a very inefficient place. But to fix my attention on the bad does me no good and Christ is teaching me to fix my attention on him and what he will do instead. The next few verses of the psalm describe some of God's wonderful attributes, it is worthwhile to spend a moment thinking about them...
God is supporter, restorer, comforter, counsellor and creator. His intelligence is beyond computation. What is it that he particularly likes? What does the heart of God find appealing?
...he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:10b-11)
As much as it is natural to get exited about other people's legs, that's not what gets God exited. It seems a strange thing that God takes pleasure in people fearing him. We cannot divorce this statement from its plain meaning simply because we do not like it. The word translated "fear" really does mean "fear" in Hebrew and Greek, I've checked, hoping to find it meant something else. The Greek word used is "phobos" which of course is where we get the word "phobia" from. But you will be glad to know that the Hebrew word has got "morally reverence" as its figurative meaning (as opposed to its literal meaning which is simply "fear").
But I would pose the question, what does "morally reverence" mean? What do you revere? You may revere a very famous person, and get nervous around him. Reverence is the fear of offending another or lowering one's self in his estimation (his opinion). I'm not sure how well that fits the idea of being reverent in a place of worship… Well, it is the supernatural being that you are showing reverence to when you revere his temple, not the bricks and mortar that make the temple itself. The more important a person is to me the more I am afraid of hurting that person in any way, damaging our relationship or losing some of that person's respect. It can keep me up at nights, cause me to wander around listlessly or struggle to speak. What is reverence if it is not fear? Reverence is not the same as respect. I respect lots of people, and I show respect to everyone (I hope) but there is no way I revere everyone. I do not fear many people, but those I love deeply I (re)fear (fear/revere). Fear and reverence are really very similar things, but reverence is where fear and love meet. To go back to my analogy of the famous person, the reverence or fear that Psalm 147 refers to could be referred to as: starstruck.
God enjoys it when people are starstruck by him. I guess that's not too unusual, we all do.
But perhaps I should have gone on to the second part of the verse earlier. The idea of fear of God is closely bound to this idea: that hope in his mercy. God does not really want us to gaze at him in wonder because he is glowing with light or because he is the most famous being in the universe. He wants us to be starstruck by him because we know we are in trouble and he is our only chance.
It is such a good feeling to be able to help someone who is in distress, and our way of feeling that (I believe) was given to us to reflect a greater truth about God.
The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6)
Helping people is what God does. He wants to help people, he wants to care for people, even if they don't care about him. We are made in God's image and so we share his character to a greater or lesser extent. It was part of Jesus' mission to cause us to reflect his character fully, that is a goal worth reaching for!
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Who do I (re)fear the most? Do I (re)fear my friends the most? If they make my decisions for me then I probably do. Do I (re)fear my religious leaders the most? If I accept everything they say then I probably do.
Fear God and give glory to him.
Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. (Psalm 147:1)
This is a happy psalm. It is true, it is a beautiful and attractive thing to lift up others, particularly God. It is enjoyable to focus on the good things in life. I am fairly quick to notice the problems around the place, and without people like me the world would be a very inefficient place. But to fix my attention on the bad does me no good and Christ is teaching me to fix my attention on him and what he will do instead. The next few verses of the psalm describe some of God's wonderful attributes, it is worthwhile to spend a moment thinking about them...
God is supporter, restorer, comforter, counsellor and creator. His intelligence is beyond computation. What is it that he particularly likes? What does the heart of God find appealing?
...he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:10b-11)
As much as it is natural to get exited about other people's legs, that's not what gets God exited. It seems a strange thing that God takes pleasure in people fearing him. We cannot divorce this statement from its plain meaning simply because we do not like it. The word translated "fear" really does mean "fear" in Hebrew and Greek, I've checked, hoping to find it meant something else. The Greek word used is "phobos" which of course is where we get the word "phobia" from. But you will be glad to know that the Hebrew word has got "morally reverence" as its figurative meaning (as opposed to its literal meaning which is simply "fear").
But I would pose the question, what does "morally reverence" mean? What do you revere? You may revere a very famous person, and get nervous around him. Reverence is the fear of offending another or lowering one's self in his estimation (his opinion). I'm not sure how well that fits the idea of being reverent in a place of worship… Well, it is the supernatural being that you are showing reverence to when you revere his temple, not the bricks and mortar that make the temple itself. The more important a person is to me the more I am afraid of hurting that person in any way, damaging our relationship or losing some of that person's respect. It can keep me up at nights, cause me to wander around listlessly or struggle to speak. What is reverence if it is not fear? Reverence is not the same as respect. I respect lots of people, and I show respect to everyone (I hope) but there is no way I revere everyone. I do not fear many people, but those I love deeply I (re)fear (fear/revere). Fear and reverence are really very similar things, but reverence is where fear and love meet. To go back to my analogy of the famous person, the reverence or fear that Psalm 147 refers to could be referred to as: starstruck.
God enjoys it when people are starstruck by him. I guess that's not too unusual, we all do.
But perhaps I should have gone on to the second part of the verse earlier. The idea of fear of God is closely bound to this idea: that hope in his mercy. God does not really want us to gaze at him in wonder because he is glowing with light or because he is the most famous being in the universe. He wants us to be starstruck by him because we know we are in trouble and he is our only chance.
It is such a good feeling to be able to help someone who is in distress, and our way of feeling that (I believe) was given to us to reflect a greater truth about God.
The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6)
Helping people is what God does. He wants to help people, he wants to care for people, even if they don't care about him. We are made in God's image and so we share his character to a greater or lesser extent. It was part of Jesus' mission to cause us to reflect his character fully, that is a goal worth reaching for!
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Who do I (re)fear the most? Do I (re)fear my friends the most? If they make my decisions for me then I probably do. Do I (re)fear my religious leaders the most? If I accept everything they say then I probably do.
Fear God and give glory to him.
Monday, 4 August 2014
Prayer of Faith
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5)
I didn't address this verse at all yesterday, so I've edited it out of the previous post and given it it's own post here.
Imagine Abraham telling his friends about how God is going to give him a son with Sarah. Imagine telling people about that thing you are praying for that seems like it cannot ever happen. Imagine telling them that you know your prayer will be answered.
There is such a thing as presumption. Believing that God has said something he has not does not guarantee he will bail you out even if you tell everybody.
But if your prayer is according to his word and and from a sincere heart he has promised to answer. Abraham could pray for a son because God promised him one. You and I cannot, because we have not been promised. But we can pray for someone to love, watch over and train in righteousness, and God will answer that prayer.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. (Psalm 45:16)
Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:2)
False hope is embarrassing. When you thought you were going to achieve something or have an answer to prayer and everyone knew about it, then you failed. We all fear that so much.
But true hope does not lead to embarrassment. It does not make ashamed. Why not?
Because the love of God has infiltrated (gotten) into our hearts through the efforts of the Holy Spirit.
Big question. What is "the love of God"? Is it "love for God" or "love from God"? Our love for God or God's love for us.
This phrase is used a couple of times this way:
But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:42-43)
Where it seems to me that it means "love for God".
But many times it is used this way:
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)
Where it is clearly describing "love from God". So I'll give the second option the benefit of the doubt.
That means we are hoping and praying according to the love God has given us. This could be love for other people, for God himself and even for ourselves. When our hearts are full of love we know better what to pray and hope for, and we are not disappointed.
When someone you love is sick, you probably should not pray simply for their recovery unless God impresses you to do so. You may need to pray for Christ to overcome Satan in that situation, for that person to have peace and joy in the midst of suffering, or for that person to draw close to Christ at this time and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15)
Prayer is not twisting God's arm, it is the opportunity to know God's heart. When you know God's heart and confess (agree with) him then you can have hope and not be ashamed. But we need to bare our hearts to him with all the raw emotion that we will (and ought) not show to others.
I didn't address this verse at all yesterday, so I've edited it out of the previous post and given it it's own post here.
Imagine Abraham telling his friends about how God is going to give him a son with Sarah. Imagine telling people about that thing you are praying for that seems like it cannot ever happen. Imagine telling them that you know your prayer will be answered.
There is such a thing as presumption. Believing that God has said something he has not does not guarantee he will bail you out even if you tell everybody.
But if your prayer is according to his word and and from a sincere heart he has promised to answer. Abraham could pray for a son because God promised him one. You and I cannot, because we have not been promised. But we can pray for someone to love, watch over and train in righteousness, and God will answer that prayer.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. (Psalm 45:16)
Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:2)
False hope is embarrassing. When you thought you were going to achieve something or have an answer to prayer and everyone knew about it, then you failed. We all fear that so much.
But true hope does not lead to embarrassment. It does not make ashamed. Why not?
Because the love of God has infiltrated (gotten) into our hearts through the efforts of the Holy Spirit.
Big question. What is "the love of God"? Is it "love for God" or "love from God"? Our love for God or God's love for us.
This phrase is used a couple of times this way:
But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:42-43)
Where it seems to me that it means "love for God".
But many times it is used this way:
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)
Where it is clearly describing "love from God". So I'll give the second option the benefit of the doubt.
That means we are hoping and praying according to the love God has given us. This could be love for other people, for God himself and even for ourselves. When our hearts are full of love we know better what to pray and hope for, and we are not disappointed.
When someone you love is sick, you probably should not pray simply for their recovery unless God impresses you to do so. You may need to pray for Christ to overcome Satan in that situation, for that person to have peace and joy in the midst of suffering, or for that person to draw close to Christ at this time and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15)
Prayer is not twisting God's arm, it is the opportunity to know God's heart. When you know God's heart and confess (agree with) him then you can have hope and not be ashamed. But we need to bare our hearts to him with all the raw emotion that we will (and ought) not show to others.
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Experience With God
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (Romans 5:1-4)
So just like Abraham God has found a way to exonerate us (find us "not guilty") through Jesus Christ and now we are at peace with God. We are not worried about dying or Jesus' second coming because: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Even when the wrath of Jesus burns sinners up and all other humans will deserve to be among the destroyed, as it is written...
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:17)
…Jesus will enable his followers to survive:
...Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)
It is the grace of God that empowers us to stand/survive and to actually look forward to Jesus' return. Grace is not merely forgiveness, it is also the power to be restored to the image/character/glory of God.
(I don't use these words (image/character/glory) as synonyms, but they are similar, and can be used interchangeably in the sentence above)
Now, we don't only look forward and enjoy the good stuff. We see the purpose in suffering, and although we do not like it, we do not resent it (blame God) either.
I would like to understand this train of thought about the advantage of suffering, because suffering is an experience that is not unusual, though its cause varies. To be able to suffer and not resent it or become angry with God would be a useful thing indeed. So I have looked up the Greek words used in this train of thought. I don't know what has happened to the English language in the last few hundred years, but for modern English I think the KJV is misleading here.
I turned to a couple of my other free Bibles and found a translation that better fits what I saw in the Greek; the American Standard Version: and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope: (Romans 5:4 ASV) For patience/steadfastness, I saw in the Greek an idea that I would translate cheerfulness. The ability to be at least a little bit happy no matter the circumstances around me.
The best example I can give of how suffering leads to cheerfulness is in my work and ministry. I do a lot of door to door work. I get a lot of rejections. It is hard not to resent these, for various reasons. But when I am rejected I try to bless the person rejecting me. I wish them a good afternoon from my heart and I feel happier. I can go on to the next door more positive and less likely to be rejected again, but even if I am, I bless them from my heart. Maybe it is only Jesus who can give this ability, but he can do it for you if he can do it for me.
Experience/approvedness seems to be an idea like "tried and tested" in the Greek. We can stay close to the KJV and say it means "having had an experience with Jesus" in this context. When I have been rejected many times but I pray and carry on despite thinking "this is crazy" and then I receive a great blessing, maybe sooner, maybe later; this gives me an experience with Jesus. An experience that I can always take with me anywhere and that will help me to have hope (which of course is perfectly translated).
When I have learned to be cheerful at hard times I gain an experience with God and I can now have hope for the future in any situation that God knows best for me and will bring me happiness as only he can.
If you want an experience with God, you need to step out in faith, risk a little suffering, and having given your heart to Jesus plead for the joy to endure cheerfully. Then your experience will come.
So just like Abraham God has found a way to exonerate us (find us "not guilty") through Jesus Christ and now we are at peace with God. We are not worried about dying or Jesus' second coming because: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Even when the wrath of Jesus burns sinners up and all other humans will deserve to be among the destroyed, as it is written...
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:17)
…Jesus will enable his followers to survive:
...Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)
It is the grace of God that empowers us to stand/survive and to actually look forward to Jesus' return. Grace is not merely forgiveness, it is also the power to be restored to the image/character/glory of God.
(I don't use these words (image/character/glory) as synonyms, but they are similar, and can be used interchangeably in the sentence above)
Now, we don't only look forward and enjoy the good stuff. We see the purpose in suffering, and although we do not like it, we do not resent it (blame God) either.
I would like to understand this train of thought about the advantage of suffering, because suffering is an experience that is not unusual, though its cause varies. To be able to suffer and not resent it or become angry with God would be a useful thing indeed. So I have looked up the Greek words used in this train of thought. I don't know what has happened to the English language in the last few hundred years, but for modern English I think the KJV is misleading here.
I turned to a couple of my other free Bibles and found a translation that better fits what I saw in the Greek; the American Standard Version: and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope: (Romans 5:4 ASV) For patience/steadfastness, I saw in the Greek an idea that I would translate cheerfulness. The ability to be at least a little bit happy no matter the circumstances around me.
The best example I can give of how suffering leads to cheerfulness is in my work and ministry. I do a lot of door to door work. I get a lot of rejections. It is hard not to resent these, for various reasons. But when I am rejected I try to bless the person rejecting me. I wish them a good afternoon from my heart and I feel happier. I can go on to the next door more positive and less likely to be rejected again, but even if I am, I bless them from my heart. Maybe it is only Jesus who can give this ability, but he can do it for you if he can do it for me.
Experience/approvedness seems to be an idea like "tried and tested" in the Greek. We can stay close to the KJV and say it means "having had an experience with Jesus" in this context. When I have been rejected many times but I pray and carry on despite thinking "this is crazy" and then I receive a great blessing, maybe sooner, maybe later; this gives me an experience with Jesus. An experience that I can always take with me anywhere and that will help me to have hope (which of course is perfectly translated).
When I have learned to be cheerful at hard times I gain an experience with God and I can now have hope for the future in any situation that God knows best for me and will bring me happiness as only he can.
If you want an experience with God, you need to step out in faith, risk a little suffering, and having given your heart to Jesus plead for the joy to endure cheerfully. Then your experience will come.
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Romans 4:23-25 // Who is righteous?
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)
When the Bible states that Abraham was given righteousness by God, Paul's readers could have been under the impression that it was only so that Abraham would know it. Does that mean that this portion of scripture existed in some form during the life of Abraham, four centuries before Moses?
Many scholars today claim to discredit the Bible by ascribing its authorship to people other than the traditional author. But what if the book of Genesis is a compilation of texts that were written by eye witnesses and edited and published by Moses? But anyway, Abraham seems to have benefited from righteousness being ascribed to him in the scripture, but Paul's point is that it is not only of benefit to him.
Knowing that Abraham's willingness to trust God in what God told him, allowed God to give him righteousness gives us a precedent and a principle that we can count on. God has told us that he restored Jesus from death and that he died in the first place in our place. If we believe this and act on the requirements that come with this belief, the scripture could say of me in the same way: Daniel believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
When the Bible states that Abraham was given righteousness by God, Paul's readers could have been under the impression that it was only so that Abraham would know it. Does that mean that this portion of scripture existed in some form during the life of Abraham, four centuries before Moses?
Many scholars today claim to discredit the Bible by ascribing its authorship to people other than the traditional author. But what if the book of Genesis is a compilation of texts that were written by eye witnesses and edited and published by Moses? But anyway, Abraham seems to have benefited from righteousness being ascribed to him in the scripture, but Paul's point is that it is not only of benefit to him.
Knowing that Abraham's willingness to trust God in what God told him, allowed God to give him righteousness gives us a precedent and a principle that we can count on. God has told us that he restored Jesus from death and that he died in the first place in our place. If we believe this and act on the requirements that come with this belief, the scripture could say of me in the same way: Daniel believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
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