Sunday, August 19, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Evidence for the Prosecution
Earlier this evening, I sat down with my tattered, burgundy study Bible (which I have yet to replace... my attachment to it verging unnatural) to begin studying the fifth chapter of James. Needless to say, I didn't make it very far. James' personification of 'rust' stopped me dead in my tracks. As I read verse 3, I had one of the moments where anything less than absolute dissection of every word would be criminal. Now, I always prefer to see how much my own brain can gather before turning to Biblical commentaries; so, I pulled out a tiny notebook and wrote: "Their corrosion will testify against you." I slowly repeated to myself, 'the corrosion of gold and silver will testify against you...' (I often feel repetition exposes hidden truths... weird?) Anyway, after scribbling a few explanatory ideas, I summarized my final thought - the poison of lusting after earthly treasures that physically deteriorate will be evidence, against you, of spiritual neglect. Content with my conclusion, I allowed myself to open the MacArthur NT Commentary on the book of James. MacArthur highlighted how rust will be a witness for the prosecution during trial on the day of judgement (I love love love all this metaphorical/ anthropomorphism/ personification stuff !!) He says, "Their (the rich people to whom this section is addressed) hoarded, rotten, moth-eaten treasures will give graphic testimony to the unregenerate state of their hearts."
It got me thinking about how our sins, whatever they may be, all stand as evidence against our character. Against our Christian testimony. Just imagining my sins, personified, standing across from me in a court room serving as witnesses against my allegiance to Christ, is beyond jarring.
All I can say is Lord, have mercy. Have mercy on this utterly flawed child of yours.
I would go on to share my discoveries on the second part of verse 3 ("...and eat your flesh like fire."), but it's almost 11 pm and that is waaaaay past this girl's bedtime.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Reality
In Genesis 2:16-17, God tells Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Genesis chapter 3 tells the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by Satan and ultimately disobeying God’s command to not eat from that tree. This event is known as “The Fall of Man” since at that moment man fell from a state of constant fellowship with God.
How does “The Fall” affect us?
The penalty of Adam’s disobedience = spiritual death for all men
- Romans 5:12: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” (NLT)
- Romans 5:18: “Yes, Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone…” (NLT)
Why are we punished for Adam’s sin?
The relationship between us and Adam
- Realism – all persons really sinned with Adam; all men are “co-sinners”; human nature existed in its entirety in Adam, when he sinned, so did that nature
- Federalism – Adam represents us as our covenantal head; his guilt is imputed to us on the basis of his representation of humanity; immediate imputation = Adam’s guilt is imputed directly to us, independently of our own sin
Inherited guilt not fair?
- “We fell through no personal fault of our own; we rise through no personal merit of our own.”
- To challenge the system of Adam being covenantal head of humanity, is to challenge the One who created it
“As the patriarch of the human family, Adam made choices that continue to affect his descendants. We all have made additional choices ourselves, for which we are held responsible, but we continue as members of Adam’s family. We live in the penalty of his disobedience.”
The reality of our condition:
1. We begin life with a sinful nature:
- Genesis 8:21 – [after the flood] “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.”
- Ephesians 2:3 – “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
- Psalm 51:5 – “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
2. We are slaves to sin (the word “slave” has a very negative connotation, and for good reason; however, as creatures, we unavoidably have a master):
- Romans 5:16 – “Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?”
- Romans 5:17-18 – “Once you were slaves to sin…”
- Romans 5:20 – “…when you were slaves of sin, you weren’t concerned with doing what was right.”
3. We are enemies of God
- Colossians 1:21a
- Romans 5:10
Ephesians 2:1-3 – “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.” (NLT)
In just these 3 verses, we learn:
- We all are born [spiritually] dead and we naturally want to please ourselves
- Satan is the prince of this world and he is the master of those who refuse to obey God
- Spiritual death is separation from God
“Already bearing the consequences of Adam’s sin, [people] quickly compound the problem with their own rebellious choices. As a result, everyone has a need for salvation.”
What’s the cure?
We are in need of a Savior to release us from the bondage of sin. We need to be rescued from the captivity of sin. We need salvation and forgiveness for rebelling against our Creator.
Salvation = deliverance; freedom from sin
According to scripture, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). In the OT, animal sacrifices were offered to God in order to gain forgiveness of sins. However, these were not perfect sacrifices and the ceremony had to take place over and over.
Because every creature is infected by sin, only one person qualifies to be the Savior from sin, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus was God in the flesh; the God-man. Paul confirms this in Philippians 2:6, when he describes Christ as being, in very nature, God. [You can also see John 1 and Colossians 2:9]
As a perfect, sinless being, Christ provided the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross. No other sacrifice is needed when God himself takes on that role.
What does Christ’s death mean for us?
1. He died in our place / He endured the consequence of sin (which is death) so that we may live
- Galatians 3:13 – “Christ redeemed us…by becoming a curse for us…”
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us…”
- Isaiah 53:4-9 (NLT) * *
- 1 John 2:2 – “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins…”
2. We receive forgiveness of sins
- 1 John 1:7 – “…the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin
2. Through his death, we are reconciled to God (we are no longer enemies)
- Romans 5:10
- Colossians 1:22 – “…now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you back into the very presence of God and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” (NLT)
The choices of both representatives, Adam and Christ, are immediately imputed to those under their headship (Romans 5:12-21)
John 3:16 tells us that God loves us so much that he was willing to die in our place so that we may live.
Isaiah 30 tells the story of God’s rebellious children. They carried out their own plans instead of the Lord’s, they wanted to hear things that made them feel good instead of the truth, and they loved their sin.
Yet, God’s love is so vivid; it brings me to tears (v. 18-22)
Isaiah 1 – God pours out his agony of the sin of his people (v. 1-17); then gently offers his forgiveness and love (v. 18-19)
The resurrection
Christ’s resurrection illustrates his defeat over the power of sin. The wages of sin of death…and Christ lives.
I will sing of my Redeemer
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross he suffered
From the curse to set me free.
Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me;
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt and made me free.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Dear God,
I believe that I am a sinner and I want to turn away from my sin. Forgive me for my disobedience. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son, that he died on the cross in my place, and that he rose from the grave. Please come into my heart and take control of my life from this day forward. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Fear... The Sin Breeder.
Quick background: Solomon refuses to follow the Lord's commands so God tears the kingdom from Solomon's son by splitting the nation of Israel into two (Israel = north and Judah = south). Anyway, a man named Jeroboam acquires the northern half and God promises Jeroboam a dynasty just as enduring as the one of David if Jeroboam walks in God's ways and follows His commands. Jeroboam seems up to the challenge... until unjustified fear sends him into a whirlwind of sin, dragging an entire nation with him.
According to Scripture, Jeroboam begins to taunt himself with thoughts of his people abandoning him for the leadership of King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and the king of the southern nation, Judah. Jeroboam goes so far as to even fear for his life. Convinced his people will give their allegiance to another, Jeroboam creates two golden calves and persuades the Israelites to change the object of their worship and forfeit the travel to the temple in Jerusalem (which was in Judah).
Jeroboam had nothing to fear... God had promised him a dynasty as enduring as that of David's! Yet, like so many of us, Jeroboam ignored God's promise and yielded to his emotions, emotions that resulted in a nationwide apostasy.
But it really got me thinking... How many times has my sin been a result of irrational fear?
...Has a fear of loneliness kept me in a spiritually dissatisfying relationship? Or has a fear of loneliness kept me from giving God my "right" to find love and be married?
...Has a fear of discomfort kept me from accepting the lower paying job I feel called to take?
...Has a fear of ridicule kept me from sharing my faith with certain friends?
What are you currently afraid of?
The Essence of Set-Apartness
As Jesus prayed for His disciples, he proclaimed, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:16-17)
The Greek word for “sanctify” in verse 17 is ἁγιάζω (hagiazō); it means “to set apart for sacred use or to make holy.” Christ iterated what is commonly declared throughout Scripture: the people of God are to be separate from the world; they are to be set apart for His holy purpose and set apart from the pollution of the world.
One of my favorite illustrations of set-apartness is in God’s designation of clean and unclean foods in the Old Testament. Let me elaborate…
In Genesis 1, animals are divided into three categories: those that walk on land, those that swim in the water, and those that fly in the air. In Leviticus 11, God sets apart which animals (foods) are clean and which are unclean:
1. Clean land animals – had a split hoof completely divided and chews the cud
2. Clean water animals – had fins and scales
3. Clean air animals – had wings and jointed legs for hopping on the ground
When you review the animals that were designated as unclean (and thus, detestable), you notice that they all have qualities that either transgress the boundary of their specific category or lack distinct categorical features.
For instance, the camel was considered unclean because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; therefore lacking a distinct feature. The gull was considered unclean because it inhabits both water and sky, therefore transgressing boundaries - - make sense?
OT laws, such as those on appropriate foods, are often regarded as strange and restricting, but not only were they a perpetual reminder to the Israelites of their calling as God’s chosen people, they were wonderful symbolism. You see, the animals God approved of, reflected the type of people the Israelites were meant to be – morally and spiritually distinct in their category as His children, His chosen people. Likewise, the unclean animals reflected what Israel
Our behavior, our thoughts, our desires, our standards, our dress, our words, and our response toward evil… everything about us should be set apart, or removed, from the standard response of the world. No one is perfect but, as said once by Francis Chan, if our lives make sense to unbelievers something is wrong. We have a sacred purpose… it’s our destiny to be different.
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