God Wants Us to Love Our Enemies

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34

Western society is very analytical or deductive.  We build our thoughts and state our case precept upon precept, premise and deduction.  If A + B = C, then C – B =A and C – A = B.  This is to assume A = A and B = B and C = C, that is, they are constants.  Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.¹  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expect-ing to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:35-38

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.

Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20).  Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our right to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observer God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!

Footnotes

¹ Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us Not to Judge

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matt 7:1

Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do (or wouldn’t normally do) because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.¹  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.     Luke 6:35-38 (Emphasis mine)

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses, the verses that directly precede the verses emphasized above, which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.     Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  It takes God not to judge, to do good to those who harm us.  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20). 

Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our “right” to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observe God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!  In other words, if God had decided to just judge us while we were still His enemies, He would have wiped us off the face of the earth.  However, He describes Himself as

“the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger , abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

He is the great judge who will judge all things in due time. Vengeance is the Lord’s, it is His to repay (Rom 12:9).  “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 5:11-12).  Let us be people like our God, compassionate and gracious, full of love and mercy.  Set yourself and others free, do not judge.  Break the judgment cycle, live in love!

Footnotes

¹ Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us to Be Thankful

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34

We live in a fast paced, critical, demand-your-rights society.  Our thinking is often completely focused on ourselves and, eventually, how we have been wronged.  We become critical and judgmental, demanding what is fair.  We soon find ourselves sharing our woes with each other.  It is about this time I find the Holy Spirit reminding me “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” Eph 4:29.  The Word also reminds us “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov 15:1).  If a gentle answer turns away wrath, what does a down-right kind answer do?  What would a thankful answer do?

Kindness, gentleness, and thanksgiving all seem to go hand in hand.  It is difficult imaging one of them without the other.  It is even harder to define them without each other.  Certainly the gentle person is kind and the kind person is thankful.  Ever stop for a moment and consider how life would be different if the people around you were more thankful – if you were more thankful?  What would happen to your relationships with these thankful people?  I cannot help but think it would grow and you would grow closer to these people as you become more aware of how they value you.  Giving thanks is something we do because we are grateful for what another has done for us or is to us.  We are grateful to our parents for raising us, for protecting us, for providing food, clothing, shelter, means of communication and transportation for us, for time spent invested in us, for their encouragement, and so much more. 

If we are this grateful for our parents how much more grateful should we be toward God, who has, forgiven our sin, freed us from our sin, saved us, filled us with the Holy Spirit, granted us every spiritual blessing in Christ, seated us with Christ in Heavenly places, adopted us into His family, given us Himself and His nature to live in us allowing us to be good.  Surely we are obligated to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34; Ps 107:1; 118:1; 136:1; 118:29, etc.  We give thanks to God because of who He is and what He does with, in, and for us.  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Cor 2:14  “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Cor 9:15  No wonder God tells us “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18), because no matter what is happening to us, what has happened for us is better.  Not only that but who is for us is the best!  He, God of all that is, perfect in Holiness, unfathomable in love, gracious beyond measure, is for you!  Why should we not find ourselves “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” Col 1:12. 

Even under the old covenant God had established the fellowship offering as an offering of thanksgiving.  He was showing us a pathway to intimacy (fellowship) with Him through thanksgiving.  “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Ps 100:4  Thanksgiving helps us keep our focus right and it humbles us.  It helps us remember we did not get to where we are on our own.  It opens the gates of His presence and reminds us how good and faithful He is.  It keeps our thinking on God and others.  How can we be all caught up in what is right and fair when we are busy thanking Him for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do?  This is not to mention thanking Him just for who He is, the ever faithful, always benevolent one!

If we look to Phillipians 4:6-7, we see how thanksgiving and prayer are coupled together and lead to the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  We pray over our circumstances, casting our cares on Him and we thank Him for being willing and able to help us.  We also build our faith by thanking Him for the times in the past when He has helped us through similar and not-so-similar situations.  (Remember He has already solved our most harrowing situation: sin and separation from Him.)  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17

A glimpse of Heaven tells us that thanking Him is not something for this life alone, but something that will occupy some of our attention in eternity as well.  “They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’”  Revelation 7:11-12 

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Want Us to Help the Poor

 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

and he will reward him for what he has done.” – Prov 19:17

Giving to the poor and needy is close to God’s heart.  We see it when Jesus speaks of giving to the needy in the Sermon on the Mount.  He does not say “if you give to the needy,” but rather “…when you give to the needy…” (Matt 6:2).    He shows us the importance of the command by assuming we will do it.  He does the same with prayer and fasting “…when you pray…when you fast…” (Matt 6:5, 16).  Interestingly enough He tells us to do these things in secret and to know that the Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Proverbs 19:17 tells us, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.”  The importance can easily be seen again in Proverbs 14:31, “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to needy honors God.”  Certainly God does not take the needs of the poor lightly.  He tells us that the righteous must care about just for the poor (Prov 29:7).  He tells us that if we have possessions but do not take pity on those in need, the love of God is not in us (1 John 3:17).  How can we look at these passages and not see the seriousness with which God has clearly spoken about our responsibilities to the poor?

Let’s look at this from another angle.  Consider Cornelius for a moment if you will.  His is the first gentile household to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Why did God start with him?  Funny you should ask.  Well, it just so happens, that it may have something to do with his giving to the poor.  Incredible?  Coincidence?  I don’t think so.  Here’s why.  Scripture specifically mentions, not once, not twice, but three times, that Cornelius prayed and gave gifts to the poor (Acts 10:2, 4, 31) in the telling of the story.  First, it is mentioned that he “gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (v2).  Second it is mentioned that his “prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God” (v4).  Lastly it is mentioned that “God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor” (v31).  It must have been important to God that it be recorded three times.  Then consider, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses” (Prov 28:27).  I think it is fair to say God wanted to bless Cornelius for his prayers and gifts to the poor.  And why not, scripture records him and his family as a devout and God-fearing (v2), how could He who is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him not bless the giving and obedience with the fear of God combined in this man? 

Here’s another angle for you.  Jesus, in asking us to give from our abundance to the poor, is not asking us to do anything He has not already done for us.  “For you know that grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).  Jesus left the place where His preeminence was celebrated to come to earth.  He set aside omnipotence to become completely vulnerable.  He set aside omniscience to be able to learn.  He set aside omnipresence to be present as a baby.  He set aside the infinite to become finite.  He set aside glory to be a servant (see Phil 2).  He gave up everything that was rightfully His to come as Messiah and suffer so our sins could be forgiven, our spirits be born-again, our souls be restored to health and peace. 

We ARE the POOR. 

So, He tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves and gives us the story of the Good Samaritan to show us what a neighbor really is (Luke 10:27-37).  He also gives us this remembrance…“‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”  The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”’” (Matt 25:37-40).  Which brings us back to the Sermon on the Mount tells us to, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 10:33-34, cf Matt 6:19-21).

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Some of the preceding Scripture references gleaned from “The Care of the Poor and Needy.” and “Riches and Poverty.”  Life in the Spirit Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2003,  pp 1326-1327, 1580-1581 respectively

God Grants Authority to the State

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities,

to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good.” Titus 3:1

Something I did not understand about my Christian world view was solved for me recently through The Truth Project.  Here is the crisis: If Jesus expects us to love our enemies and do good to them (Luke 6:32-38, Matt 5:43-48), how is it that government is allowed to use deadly force?  Can a Christian be a law enforcement officer or a soldier?  How can a law enforcement officer love his enemy and do good to him?!?

Dr. Tackett points out in The Truth Project, that government has 2 roles;  punish evil and condone good.  This means the Civil Authority must know the basis for calling something evil or good.¹  So if the Civil Authority wants to judge between good and evil, he must have some standard by which to judge.  Government is, therefore, built on the back of ethics.  Ethics, for the Christian, is built on the Bible.  So far, so good, but how does the government enforce these ethics?  They do it through their laws, but laws must be enforced to have meaning, hence the need for force.  So here we are: Jesus is telling us to love our enemies and do good to them, but the government needs to use force, sometimes even deadly force.

The answer is that God specifically grants this authority to the state. 

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  ²Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  ³For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.   ⁴For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.  ⁵Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. ⁶This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.  ⁷Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”  Rom 13: 1-7 (emphasis mine). 

Did you see it?   Right there in verse four God says the one in authority is God’s servant and agent of wrath to bring punishment if you do wrong.  He “bears the sword.”  This is a reference to his delegated authority and justified use of force when necessary.

We see the same thing in 1 Peter 2:13-14, 17. “¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right…¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” (emphasis mine).  These same verses are used to justify war on a national scale, but we must remember they are given in the context of the ethics.  Punishing those to do wrong and commending those who do right assumes a knowledge of wrong and right.  Government should get this knowledge of ethics from the Bible.  So, as long as the government is following the Biblical standard, then we are required to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17).

However, when a government does not base its ideas of right and wrong on the Bible, we may find ourselves in a place where the governments’ laws (or agents’ behavior) is contrary to what God intended.  So what do we do then?  We must follow Peter and the other apostles and “we must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).  Daniel is another example of this (see Dan 3:16-18 and 6:6-10).  “When a society rejects God, it will increasingly look for someone else to save them.  That ‘savior’ often becomes the ‘king’ [governmental leader].”²   

If we reject God and the governmental leadership is no longer responsible to God, then the governmental leadership is going to very soon determine what is right by what they think.  If the state begins to act as if God does not exist then we begin to view it differently.  We begin to assign it sovereign right over education, over the needs of the poor, over ethics, care of needy, what marriage will look like, etc.  The state rising up and taking control destroys the other social institutions [family, labor, community, church].  If the state rises in power over all the other social institutions, then God becomes the problem because it is His objective truth [Biblical ethics] that is holding back the state.³ 

The Christian’s duty is first to pray for the state.  Second, the Christian should, I believe, participate in society, including the government.  Christians should vote and run for governmental office at all levels.  They should represent salt and light to government meetings, debates, and courts.  They should be lawyers and judges, congress persons, and other officials.  If we abandon society’s institutions, then we have no right to decry the darkness we find there.  What else should we expect to find in the absence of light but darkness?  “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”  1 Timothy 2:1-2. 

Footnotes

¹ Dr. Tackett poses and addresses this in The Truth Project.  Dell Tackett, The Truth Project. (Colorado Springs, CO: Focus on the Family) Lesson 9: The State: Whose Law?, 1 DVD.

² Schlossberg, Herbert. Idols for Destruction. Wheaton: Crossway 1993, p. 178.

³ Items in this paragraph are thoughts developed by Dr. Tackett.  Dell Tackett, The Truth Project. (Colorado Springs, CO: Focus on the Family) Lesson 9: The State: Whose Law?, 1 DVD.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Invented Family

“The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.

I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Gen 3:18

“And God saw that it was good…” God uses this phrase over and over during creation.  Light was good.  Land among the water was good.  Plants and vegetation were good.  Sun, moon, and stars were good.  Life and animals in and on the water, air, and land were good.  (Gen 2:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 24)  But here toward the end of the account God stops and says “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him”  (Gen 3:18).  God causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep and performs the first surgery.  He removes one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.  Then He made a woman from the rib he had taken from Man.  Then He stopped and admired creation and this He called very good. (Gen 1:31). 

So the question is, “Why did God say it was not good for man to be alone?”¹  It was not good because man was created in God’s image (Gen 1:26).  God is Spirit (John 4:14) and is invisible (Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17; Heb 11:27) so being created in the image of God probably had little to do with the physical likeness of man.²  The personal nature of God found in His designing, planning, communicating, feeling and acting on His will are some of the things we mean when we say we are created in His image.  We see more evidence of being created in His image in His personality comprising intellect, emotion, and will.²  Man has the ethical image of God in his conscience, his sense of right and wrong, that is so say in being a ethical agent. ²  Lastly, Man is made in God’s image in the sense of a social capacity.  Man was created to love and be loved.  He has a capacity and driving need to be social. ²  I think that this social capacity is the reason why God said it is not good for man to be alone.  Dr Tackett points out with one there is aloneness, with two there is relationship and intimacy, with three there is community and fellowship.  “Within the Triune nature of God we have everything, intimacy, union, communion, fellowship, love, community.”¹  And Man was created with a capacity, desire, and need for all of these things.

How incredible that God would custom make a helper suitable for man and with man’s own bone.  “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” Adam said of the woman God had created for him (Gen 2:23).  Then in the next verse God has recorded, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”   Here God is allowing a basic physical need for love, companionship, reproduction to be meaningfully met in a social structure which an entire society can be built upon without destroying itself and the self-worth of its members.  This is a sacred union which we do not enter or exit lightly.  Jesus warned us, “what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matt 19:6)  and, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery” (v. 8-9). 

God created the first social institution upon which all of society is built.  Without a loving set of parents, one man and one woman joined together by God, a child is missing the context in which God meant for him or her to be raised and there are a host of problems that accompany this scenario.  Parenting is best done in relationship of mother and father, both submitted to Christ, to balance each other and help each other to see when they are in error in raising the children.  If there is only one parent raising the child, blind spots in parenting are not easily noticeable and even harder to compensate for once known.  God in His infinite wisdom put this social structure in place to ensure a loving, disciplined, ethical, spiritual environment for the raising of children.  What an incredible design!

This love, this fidelity, this relationship is to model for the child what our relationship to God should be like.  Paul compares the husband-wife relationship to Christ being the head of the church (Eph 5:22-33).  And he says this is a profound mystery the union of Christ and the church.  As Christ is head of the church, so the husband is head of the wife.  As the church submits to Christ, so wives should submit to their husbands.  As Christ loved the church and gave His life for her, so husbands in the same way should love their wives and lay down their lives for them.  And preceding all this Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  Just as inside the Trinity the members all honor, love, and submit to one another and bring glory to each other (Jn 5:19, 30; 14:10, 13, 16; 15:26; 16:15; 17:5, 10), so also in the family all members should honor, love and submit to one another, thus bringing glory to each other and so please God.

Heavenly Father, help us to see the glorious place you have given the family to mirror Your Son and His Bride.  Help us submit to one another, love each other, honor each other as better than ourselves.  Help us to serve each other with your love and concern for their welfare.  Help us to understand submission as You do inside the Trinity, to honor each other above ourselves and to find joy in doing so.  Help us to understand and fight for the prominent place you have given the family in society.  We thank you for your excellent design.  May you be glorified in our relationships and lives.  Amen!

Footnotes

¹ Dr. Tackett poses and addresses this in The Truth Project.  Dell Tackett, The Truth Project. (Colorado Springs, CO: Focus on the Family) Lesson 7: Sociology: The Divine Imprint, 1 DVD.

² Duffield, Guy P., and Nathaniel M. Cleave. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Los Angeles, Calif.: L.I.F.E. Bible College, 1983. 121-123. Print.

Refereneces

Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2003

Origin Matters

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;

 male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27

Origin matters.  Design matters.  Purpose matters.  “Time plus matter plus chance,” this is the atheists’ and evolutionists’ view point on the origin of mankind.  The answer to the question “Who is man?” has huge ramifications to the further questions of meaning, significance, value, hope, and ethics.  To say that man just evolved out of cosmic soup or is the result of random particles colliding together is to say man is meaningless.  Rocks, water, and oil have then as much meaning as man does.  In fact the argument could be made that oil, for example, is much more meaningful than man because oil has a purpose (many purposes, actually) that gives it some meaning, namely that we use a refined version of it to fuel our cars.  But this rushes too far ahead because if life is meaningless then getting anywhere would also be meaningless.  It would not matter if we arrived or not.  If we are here purely by random chance then we have no meaning, no purpose to life.  More than that, if we are here completely by accident, then what we do (or don’t do) should also have no meaning.  The problem is no one can live without meaning for very long before despair sets in.  Not to have meaning is to despair of life itself.  To have no consequences to our actions, that is to believe what we do does not have meaning, ethically allows us to do anything with no need to concern ourselves with right or wrong behaviors.  If life has no meaning then our actions do not add to or subtract from this meaning and there are no rules to govern behavior between people.  It is merely survival of the fittest or the quickest or the most devious.  If there are no rules then murder is okay, rape is okay, stealing is okay, lying is okay.  More than that, these things are not just okay but to be considered normal.  You can see this quickly breaks down into an unlivable scenario. 

Does mankind have any value?  Are we significant?   If mankind is here as the result of “time plus matter plus chance,” then there is no reason to believe they are significant or have any more value than anything else that is here as the result of “time plus matter plus chance” like, for example, a rock or water or plant or insect.  If this is true, then we should be as concerned about the mosquito we kill as the person who is murdered.  To go a step further, we should really be concerned about destroying the state of anything because all things are here by the same chance as we are.  So we could not build a fire for the wood is as important as we are.  We could not eat because what we eat is as important as we are.  We could not breathe for in doing so we are changing the nature of oxygen into carbon dioxide and that is as important as we are.  Again this turns into an unlivable situation. 

Finally, what about hope?  What gives us hope if we are meaningless, insignificant, have no intrinsic value, and no sense of right or wrong?  I can find none.  The logical conclusion is we have no hope, nothing to live for and should expect despair to be imminent.  Does this line up with reality?  Do people really live this way?

If on the other hand, we were created by God in his image as the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27, then our lives do have meaning and purpose.  God has blown into mankind His breath of life.  We are to rule over the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28).  God has elevated us above the rest of things we find in the world by breathing His life into us.  He does not do this with the plants or animals, but He makes a point of doing it with the crown of His creation – mankind.  He has given us meaning and a purpose.  The Westminster Catechism proclaims the “chief end of mankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”.¹  The Bible bears this out (Ps 86; Isa 60:21; Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 6:20, 31; Rev 4:11; Ps 16:5-11; Ps 144:15; Isa 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil 4:4; Rev 21:3-4)²  So we do have a meaning and a purpose.  We are made in His image and this makes life sacred.  We carry with us His image in us all the time.  Then why is it we see so much evil in the world.  Christianity actually offers us the cause of, and answer to, this question.³ 

The fall of man through sin corrupted his nature (Rom 5:12; Gen 6:5).⁴  However man can be redeemed by being born-again of the Spirit of God (John 3:3, 5-6, 14-18; 6:28-29).  So now mankind, once redeemed has these two natures at war within himself (Rom 12:1-2; 7:21-25, 8:3-13; Eph 4:6-8, 22-24; Col 2:6-17, 3:1-2, 5, 8-10, 12-16; 2 Cor 3:18, 10:4-5; 1 Cor 2:16).  And we must by the Spirit put to death the misdeeds of the flesh (Rom 8:12-13).  God’s character and His purpose for mankind give us a basis for meaning, for significance, and for ethics.  He designed us, so we can look to Him for what our proper function is and how we should live.  God places high value on human life.  He sent His Son to die to redeem mankind.  This was the most precious thing, the most costly thing, He could offer as a sacrifice for our sin.  Here is the only one with the ability and right to judge us for our sin laying down His life to restore us to Himself.  Oh what a great love is this!  “What shall we say then in response to this?  If God is for us who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also along with him, graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:31-32. 

So God has given us meaning, significance, value and a basis for ethics.  Lastly He gives us hope.  His hope is one we can trust for beyond the grave.  “All major religions believe in an afterlife of one sort or another, but none except Christianity has provided the historical substantiation of it.  The Christian faith, although it is a whole system, can be completely decimated in principle if one can fully establish that Jesus did not rise from the dead.”⁵  Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have hope He can raise us from the dead.  “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’” – John 11:25. 

Because He rose again, we know that death is conquered.  We have the proof that the sacrifice for our sin is accepted.  And we have the promise of eternal life (Rom 6:8-9; 1 Cor 15:3-4).  Because He rose again, we know faith (belief in) the resurrection is a condition of salvation (Rom 10:9-10).  Because He rose again, the Sinner’s justification is confirmed by the resurrection  (Rom 4:25).  Because He rose again, we are dead to sin (we have died to the law through Christ) and are alive in the Spirit and our sinful passions produced fruit for death.  Because He rose again, He sent the Holy Spirit to renew us and produces fruit of Spirit (love) (Rom 7:4-6).  Because He rose again the Spirit makes our bodies alive—gives us the power to put to death the activities of the body (Rom 8:9-14).  Because He rose again, we can put to death the sinful nature and live by the Spiritual Nature.  The sinful nature being crucified with Him, we know it is rendered powerless and we are freed from slavery to the sinful nature (Rom 6:3-11).

Who is man?  He is sinful without Christ.  He is capable of wicked things.  Yet He knows intrinsically there is right and wrong, good and evil.  He is of great value and has significance.  He is redeemed in Christ and through Him is highly valued.  He is hopeful in Christ. 

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for creating us in Your Image!  You have given us great treasure in fashioning us after Your likeness!  We thank You for redeeming us with Your death on the cross!  We thank you for rising again from the dead!  We have proof incontrovertible of Your power and mastery over all things!  We thank you for giving us meaning, value and hope!  To You be all the glory!  Solo Deo Gloria!  Amen!

Footnotes

¹ "Westminster Shorter Catechism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 28 Sep 2009, 07:43 UTC. 16 Oct 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Westminster_Shorter_Catechism&oldid=316641347>.

² “Westminster Shorter Catechism with proof texts.” CRTA Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics. 14 October 2009 <http://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC_fn.html#fn2>.

³ Zacharias, Ravi. Can Man Live Without God (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1994), 49.

⁴ Tackett, Dell. The Truth Project  (Colorado Springs, CO: Focus on the Family) Lesson 3: Anthropology: Who is man?, 1 DVD.

⁵ Zacharias. 113.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from the NIV. New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003.