The lady and the law-keepers

The lady and the law-keepers.

The story goes like this. Yeshua (Joshua or Jesus of Nazareth) is teaching people early in the morning within the Temple complex in Jerusalem as He sat amongst them. Suddenly He is interrupted by a crowd of scribes and Pharisees dragging with them a wretch of a woman. And they say to Him, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the ve act.

John 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what do you say?” They were trying to trap Yeshua by using the Law of Moses against Him.

[Actually the Law of Moses says in Leviticus 20:10 “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” The emphasis is on the man who commits adultery, not the woman, still both of them must be eradicated from the people of Israel for their sin against God. Both the man and the woman were caught in the act of adultery, and both should have been put to death. But the man, who was also caught in the act, was missing. Where was he? Had he been let go free by the keepers of the Law?]

Yeshua looked at them and the woman, summed up the situation, then just ignoring them He wrote upon the ground as though He had not heard them. They saw that He ignored them, and raised the same charges against the woman again, as He continued to write upon the ground. John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

John 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

Yeshua doesn’t bother arguing with them. This is no local yokel from Galilee passing himself off as a Teacher or Rabbi. This is the master-stroke of a highly intelligent speaker used to debating and psychology. In one sentence Yeshua has cornered them, accused them of sin, shown them that He has a more complete understanding of the Law than they, and dismissed them without a further word! Not one remains to accuse the woman. Not one!

After a while Jesus looks up and sees only the woman standing in the middle of the people He had been teaching. So then He says to the adulteress Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?”

John 8:11 She said, “No man, Lord”. And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more”.

There are several more points of interest to make in this true story.

First, the scribes and Pharisees do not address Yeshua as Teacher or Rabbi, but as Master. Teachers and Rabbi’s had the distinction of being honoured as superior to others in that they taught the people. A Master was like a Leading Hand, or possibly a lower-grade Foreman.

Second, the wretched woman addressed Yeshua as Lord. She acknowledged His superiority over everyone who had gathered there that morning. Not Teacher, not Rabbi, but LORD.

Third, Jesus does not accuse the woman, He does not mention the name of her sin, nor does He condemn her. How many of us with our superior knowledge of the Law and the Prophets, as well as the understanding of the New Testament, would have given her a real wringing over, and then hung her out to dry? But Yeshua doesn’t! He is quiet, speaks calmly and with respect to her, does NOT accuse her or condemn her, but lays one thing upon her. Don’t do it again!

As a young boy of 7 or 8 years, I remember Reverend North in the Methodist Church in Gladstone, South Australia, giving a Children’s Talk before us kids went out to Sunday School. I don’t remember what he said, except for the following. “If you become a Christian, you stop doing bad things, and start doing good things!” That’s all I remember. And here is Yeshua saying to this woman the same thing.

At my age now, I would say “REPENT”, but a lot of people nowadays don’t seem to know what repentance is. It means you stop doing bad things and start doing good things, that which is right in the sight of God!

Yeshua set all Christians an example, a precedent to be followed, and it is this. As far as I am able to find out, whenever Yeshua had to face up to a person who had sinned, or if He told a parable of a similar situation, He did not accuse them or denigrate them. Rather He spoke to them with respect, benevolent love, and without condemnation, encouraging them to repent and turn to God in repentance.

Only the high minded, self promoting, and excessively powerful, felt the lash of His righteous anger. Luke 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” A person who “needs no repentance” is unwise, because they do not recognise, or rather do not WANT to recognise, their need of a repentant relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus Christ and His blood!

The modern christian church is ready and willing to “face up sinners to their sins”.

That is NOT the job for Christians.

We are called to show benevolent love to our neighbours (or whoever we come in contact with), wanting the very best for them, no matter the situation or circumstance, Luke 10:25-37.

It is the job of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to convict (reprove) the world of sin, John 16:8.

My final observation is:

We take on more than we are permitted to do if we presume to do the convicting work of God’s Holy Spirit and God’s position as Judge over the whole Earth!

What Does the Goodness of God Really Mean?

The thing I can't walk away from is that the Bible doesn't just say that God does good things. It says that God IS good. It's not just what He does; it's who He is—and who He is never changes.

03/25/2015 06:37pm EDT|Updated May 25, 2015

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Whenever a plane goes down, there is inevitably a news story about the people who were supposed to be on the plane but weren't—either because their alarm didn't go off or there was a traffic jam or they switched travel plans at the last minute.

Yesterday was no exception. Amidst the horrifying reports of a plane dropping altitude over the Alps and then crashing into the mountain with 150 people on board, there was the story of a soccer team who changed their travel plans because they decided the layover in Dusseldorf was too long.

When we hear stories like that, us Christians tend to say, "Wow! Isn't God good!?"

We say that a lot -- "Isn't God good!?" -- when we hear reports of people who inexplicably avoided doom.

A woman has car trouble and avoids the fatal 12-car pile-up on the interstate that she would've been in if her car had started. Isn't God good?

A man goes to his doctor for pneumonia and the chest x-ray shows a tumour in his lung that is entirely removed and cured because the doctor accidentally discovered it when it was still in its early stages. Isn't God good?

I survived an aggressive form of breast cancer when I was 28 years old. Isn't God good? people say a lot when they hear my story of how I almost died, and how God spared my life.

Yes, I always say. God is absolutely good.

But is this WHY God is good? If God hadn't spared my life, would God still be good?

Because here's the thing—for as many stories as there are of people who escaped doom, there are just as many (if not more) stories of people who weren't so "lucky."

There were people killed in that fatal interstate pile-up who usually take a different way to work, but for some reason though the interstate would be faster that day.

Isn't God good? It sounds obscene to say that.

There were people diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and died weeks later because their cancer was discovered too late. Isn't God good?

No, my instincts say. It doesn't make sense to draw attention to God's goodness in a situation that seems to be the opposite of good.

Two of my friends have died of breast cancer in their 30's. Isn't God good?

I have to honestly answer that I don't know, and it makes me think hard about what God's goodness even means.

The thing I can't walk away from is that the Bible doesn't just say that God does good things. It says that God IS good. It's not just what he does; it's who he is—and who he is never changes.

In Psalm 46, the psalmist says, "God is our refuge and strength, a present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear..."

In his commentary on Psalm 46, Charles Spurgeon wrote that God is good—not because he causes things that seem or feel "good" to happen in our lives, but because in the midst of the storm, God comes closer to us than the storm could ever be.

And THIS is why we can say with absolute confidence that God is good.

Therefore, we can say, no matter how bad the storm is, no matter how much pain we experience, no matter how different the outcome is from what we've prayed for, that God is good. In the hardest moments of life, God comes close to us, and he doesn't change, he doesn't falter, he doesn't quit, he doesn't leave, and he doesn't let go.

God is just as good to the 150 people who went down on the Germanwings plane as he is to the soccer team who switched flights at the last minute.

God is just as good to the people who died in the car accident as he is to the people who avoided it.

God is just as good to the parents of obedient children as he is to parents of children who have rebelled.

God is just as good to infertile women as he is to women who have as many biological children as they want.

God is just as good to the family who loses their home in a fire as he is to the family whose house doesn't burn down.

God is just as good to the single person as he is to the person who gets married.

God is just as good to the people who lose their jobs in corporate downsizing as he is to the people who earn a promotion.

God is just as good to the people who drown in a tsunami as he is to the people who are rescued.

God is just as good to the young women who died of breast cancer as he was to me when I survived it.

Isn't God good?

YES! The answer is always a resounding YES. GOD IS GOOD!

But we have GOT to stop only talking about his goodness when an unexpectedly pleasant thing happens. Because God's goodness is not dependent on an outcome or an emotion or a barely-missed-doom story.

God is not good because we avoid danger.

God is good because when the storms of life hit, he comes closer to us than the storm ever could.

He holds us in his loving arms.

He doesn't change.

He doesn't falter.

He doesn't quit.

He doesn't leave. And no matter what, he never let’s go.

Sarah Thebarge, Contributor journalist, speaker, author of the memoir "The Invisible Girls"

The Story of Salvation

Can be seen to happen in the following steps, and by the acknowledgement of them from the complete Word of God, the Holy Bible!

We are inspired by the Holy Spirit to believe that God is real and trustworthy. Romans 10:17 Faith is given by God to reinforce that belief, and HE, God, takes away our stony hearts Ezekiel 36:26,27, so that we can discern the work of the Holy Spirit upon us. This action is very close to the following step, being convicted of sin.
The Holy Spirit convicts the seeker for God of his/her sins, and they are led to confess their sins to God. John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove [convict] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
The gift of Repentance is given by God to the sinner seeking Grace, so that he/she can change their mind and turn from their sins and turn to God. Luke 13:3 & 5. Acts 17:30
The gift of Faith Ephesians 2:8 to 10, is increased so that the repentant sinner can believe in the effective work of Jesus Christ as Saviour by Him shedding His blood on the cross. Hebrews 12:22 to 25.
The repentant sinner asks that the Blood of Christ will cleanse his/her heart of sin, and by Faith receives that deliverance.
The truly repentant, believing, and cleansed person is baptized in water for salvation as a sign of their faith in, and obedience to, Christ.
God gives the seeker a cleansed spiritual heart, which he/she then gives to God. Only then can Jesus accept the newly Born-Again believer into His Kingdom.

Romans 10:17 So then FAITH cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Our FAITH comes because we spiritually hear something, and that spiritual hearing proceeds from the Word of God (John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God).

The principal “work” of the Holy Spirit is to convict the peoples of the world of their sins, then to teach them righteousness, and finally godly and sound judgment (and discernment). (see John 16:7-11)

This is not something that we can do ourselves, for it is not a work of the flesh or the human intellect. Only the Holy Spirit is capable of convicting people of their sins, and if we respond in kind, it is not a human work but rather an act of FAITH! The same applies to the teaching of righteousness, and godly and sound judgement and discernment.

After confession there should be a desire to repent of our sins. This means that we seek to stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right.

Repentance is a gift of God [Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel [a symbol of Christ’s Church], and forgiveness of sins.]

And our acts of repentance toward God are not “works” but acts of FAITH. We are faithfully waiting for God to remove our sins in response to our acts of repentance, whereby we turn away from our sins and turn to God!

Conviction of sin followed by confession of sin should be our first response to the work of the Holy Spirit bringing awareness of God to our hearts and minds.

Conviction of sin is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit, while Confession of sin is our response to conviction of sin, and unless there is accompanying FAITH there can be no true repentance.

Whoever truly believes in Jesus, i.e., has absolute TRUST in Him as the Son of God, will be filled with His Spirit as if He were living water unto life, and these changes in our attitudes and thoughts will result in our obeying the will of God as revealed to us through the Holy Bible, the Word of God, and by His Holy Spirit.

Commitment to Christ is our response to Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit in us to Jesus’ acceptance of us.

Following Jesus is a natural and supernatural result of being accepted by Jesus! (John 10:4; 10:27; 12:26).

ALL THE FOREGOING RESULTS IN THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVING THE AFOREMENTIONED WORKS OF FAITH, WHICH THEMSELVES RESULT IN THE FOLLOWING.

What is the peace of God?

According to the Bible, the peace of God, “which transcends all understanding,” is the harmony and calmness of body, mind, and spirit trusting in the power and grace of God.

How does God justify us?

All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works and merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23-25). This is necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law or merit.

JUSTIFICATION, in Christian theology, either

(1) the act by which God moves a willing person from the state of sin (injustice) to the state of grace (justice),

(2) the change in a person’s condition moving from a state of sin to a state of righteousness, or

(3) especially in Protestantism, the act of acquittal whereby God gives contrite sinners the status of the righteous.

What is the purpose of justification?

Theologically understood, justification is the moment—the event—that God declares a sinner righteous in His sight. They are perfectly righteous as far as their status goes, legally acquitted and in good standing before him.

What is God's act of justification?

Justification is that gracious and judicial act of God whereby a soul is granted complete absolution from all guilt and a full release from the penalty of sin (Romans 3:23-25). This act of divine grace is wrought by faith in the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

What does reconcile mean in the Bible?

Reconciliation, in Christian theology, is an element of salvation that refers to the results of atonement. Reconciliation is the end of the estrangement, caused by original sin, between God and humanity.

How are people reconciled to God?

Reconciliation Through Redemption

This Scripture says that God was reconciling to himself all things through Jesus. By restoring our right relationship to God, Jesus also opened the door for us to live in right relationships with each other, Creation, and ourselves. We are reconciled to God by the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Romans 5:10 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.

Does God call us to reconcile?

The Lord Jesus explicitly commands us in Scripture that we are to forgive those who have committed offenses against us. And he makes no exception even when those offenses may be egregious [atrocious, deplorable, extreme, flagrant, glaring, grievous, heinous, intolerable.]

Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Is faith the gift of God, or grace?

When Paul says, “and... is a gift of God,” he is referring to grace as a gift from God, salvation as a gift from God, and faith as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).

1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, [please note God’s order of importance in the following!] first apostles,
secondarily prophets,
thirdly teachers,
after that miracles,
then gifts of healings,
helps,
governments,
diversities of tongues.

1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? [no.] are all prophets? [no.] are all teachers? [no.] are all workers of miracles? [no.]

1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? [no.] do all speak with tongues? [contrary to modern teaching; no.] do all interpret? [no.] Please note that ALL these gifts are by, through, and from the Holy Spirit, Who fulfils the Will of God to perfection, and, divides to every man severally as HE will.

1Co 12:31But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

An image that is often used with the Gifts and Fruit of the Holy Spirit is that of the tree. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the roots of the tree, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit are, the fruit of the tree. If we are led by the Spirit and open to God’s gifts, the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be evident in our lives and in this way people will see that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives, in our work, in the way we treat others and in the way we serve the community of the Church as the practical living out of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is mentioned by St Paul in his letter to the Galatians 5:22 as the virtues of "love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23 Meekness (strength under control), temperance (forgiveness, humility, prudence and self-regulation)". Paul sees the fruit of the Holy Spirit as the counterbalance for the various vices. The gifts and fruit of the Spirit are also alluded to in the second letter to the Corinthians 6:6, in the letter to the Colossians 3: 12-15 and in the letter to the Ephesians 4:2, 5:9.

Here are some of the many scripture references that can be linked to the Fruit of the Holy Spirit:

Love:
[Godly Benevolence: wanting and expressing the very best for all others regardless of the situation or circumstances prevailing.] ‘Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.’1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Joy:
‘With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’ Colossians 3: 16-17

Peace: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’ John 14:27

Patience: ‘There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:6

Kindness:
‘You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience.’ Colossians 3:12

Goodness: ‘Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. Then my favour will shine on you like the morning sun.’ Isaiah 58:7-8

Faithfulness: ‘I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.’ John 17:20-21

Gentleness:
‘I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.’ Ephesians 4:1-2

Self-control: ‘Finally, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise.’ Philippians 4:8

All the above gifts are additional to those Natural Abilities given to us at our natural birth. Activities such as sight, strength, speech, the ability to know things, natural intellect and natural wisdom, all these come to us by the hand of our Mighty God. And all the gifts selectively given to us, large and small, are given for the benefit of ourselves:

that we may learn to prosper according to the Will of God both naturally, intelligently, and spiritually,
that we will grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
that we be good witnesses to all we meet, and a help to all who Almighty God brings into our path,
that all who meet us may be drawn to worship and glorify God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; in thought, word and deed; and with the natural and supernatural gifts they are given by the God-head.

Great humility is needed here, for who of us would rather tell of our exploits and ‘great’ deeds, instead of giving God all the glory that is due to Him?

Much more than all the above, remember that JESUS SAVES, by using the Bible. Unless the Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all Truth, the Bible is “just a Book”.

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Joh 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Questions on Heaven and Hell

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Note: This article is written with the Armenian view of Theology in mind, and it is clear how it differs from the Reformed view of Theology. Please treat each viewpoint with respect and understanding, as God in His Grace and Wisdom uses both forms of Theology for the Salvation of Souls and the extension of His Kingdom. We request that you do not tender salacious, malicious or other negative comments on these viewpoints. Jeffrey M Pearce.

These are excellent questions — honest, raw, and vital.

Let’s dig in.

Question: If God forgives, why does hell exist?

Answer: Because many people choose to reject God’s forgiveness.

Hell was not designed for humanity. It was created for Satan and the demons, to lock them away from the rest of creation because they committed themselves to rebelling against God and everyone He created.

God is not willing for a single human being to perish in hell. Jesus went to the Cross specifically to open the way to life eternal, so that anyone who desired to be with God can be.

But — it is your choice.

Listen to God as He pours out His heart:

'As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

—Ezekiel 33:11, BSB

You bear the responsibility to choose. God welcomes you with open arms the second you decide to turn to Him and live. That’s what He wants.

Here, you may object and say, “But I’m not living an evil life! I’m a good person.”

You probably are a good person. God made you; He filled you with goodness, because He made everything good in its original state.

Yet: you also pursue evil.

God designed you for ultimate good. God designed you for ultimate pleasure and joy. These things are only found in Him. He knows exactly what it takes to fulfill you, satisfy you, delight you, and sustain you. He calls you to follow Him, that you might know the reason for your existence. God wants you to fulfill your destiny.

But if you turn away from your destiny — that’s evil.

If you turn away from the source of all love, satisfaction, and happiness — that’s evil.

If you trade the God of ultimate joy for anything lesser — that’s evil.

God is eager to forgive all of our evil. Jesus died on the Cross to suffer the penalty for that evil, so that we can be completely clean. When we ask for God’s forgiveness, He gives it instantly, and invites us back onto the path to destiny.

But: it is your choice.

If you choose to reject God and pursue evil instead, then your choices will take you to where evil thrives.

Question: If I am God’s creation, am I not created how He wanted me to be?

Answer: You are exactly how God wanted you to be. He designed you, from the shape of your toes to the colour of your hair. He even chose the exact time and place of your birth with clear purpose:

From one man He made every nation of men, to inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek Him perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us

—Acts 17:26–27 BSB

God created your destiny.

Yet you choose whether you pursue it:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…”

—Genesis 1:26 ESV

God made you just as He wants you: with the ability to control your life. You possess a mind, able to analyse your choices, pick what seems to be the best one, and set your life’s course.

No one can take that right from you.

No matter what the world outside does to you, you still possess control of your own will. You can determine what actions you will take. You set the course of your own life — whether you pursue your destiny or turn away from it.

God made you with that ability, because God made you as His child. He made you in His image, just as every baby is made in the image of its parents, with their appearances, traits, and abilities. God made you with the will to choose, because He possesses a will.

It’s up to you to determine how to use it.

Question: If all souls are built in the same "specification", why do some repent and some don’t?

Answer: Because some choose to pursue their destiny, and some choose to reject it.

The “specification” God built you to does not control your choices. Rather, it guards your ability to make your own independent choices.

Some choose to turn to God and find life. Others choose to turn away from God. They find the opposite of life.

Question: If freewill exists, why is there judgement?

Answer: Judgement exists precisely because there is free will.

If free will did not exist, neither would judgment. God does not judge animals or plants for their choices, because they cannot make sentient choices as humans can. We don’t judge a robot for carrying out its programming.

We only judge those who use their free will to choose to do evil.

Let me add one more question to the end:

Question: Who creates the torment in hell?

Answer: You do.

Here you might push back. Didn’t God create hell as punishment for the angels? How can you say that I create the torment in hell?

I can say it because Scripture describes it:

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!

The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

—Isaiah 6:1–7 NLT

Isaiah saw God — and Isaiah felt hell.

When Isaiah first saw God, it was torture. He saw God in all God’s glory and purity, and Isaiah felt hellfire and anguish inside of him because he was still full of sin.

That’s Hell.

God didn’t torture Isaiah. Demons didn’t whip him or poke him with sticks.

Isaiah’s torment came entirely because of his own personal sin. He saw God while he himself was filled with evil — and it tore him up.

Relief only came when Isaiah was forgiven. Once forgiven, he could see God and delight in His glory. Once forgiven, Isaiah had no greater thrill than to look on God and carry out His will.

That’s Heaven.

God wants to spare you from your agony. He wants to forgive you, to cleanse you so that when you see God, it will be rapturous.

You will see God either way. When this life ends—tomorrow or five decades from now or when your next breath fails to come—you will meet this God. When you do, you will either experience Hell because you’re full of evil or Heaven because God has cleansed you.

Jesus stands ready to forgive. The moment you decide to repent and turn to Him and pursue life, He eagerly cleanses you and welcomes you into His arms. He loves you. He wants you with Him forever in joy.

It’s your choice.

Religion

...is a funny thing. Everybody has an opinion about it but not too many admit to having it. ‘Religion’ is what other people have. ‘Religious’ is what other people are. In other words, ‘religion’ is not a word or concept with which most people feel especially comfortable. To those without a particular ‘faith’ it is something to be despised as primitive, or superstitious. But even to earnest Christians, ‘religion’ can seem to be a kind of substitute for the real thing — an empty parody of the biblical faith ‘that was once for all entrusted to the saints’ (Jude 3). ‘Religion’ then, has become a bad word in the popular mind — to non-Christians and Christians alike, it represents what is wrong with human spiritual life.

So, when the theme of a New Testament Epistle is this thing called ‘religion’ — the book of James (1:26,27) calls it ‘pure’ religion — we inevitably have some explaining to do. We must define our terms afresh, in order to distinguish between “the religion that God our Father accepts” and the multifarious prejudices of men and women.

In the bible, religion that is acceptable to God is not explained in terms of institutions (churches and denominations), ritual (worship, liturgy), or books (Bible, hymnal). While these have a place, religion is in fact the application of faith to life. Thus, our collective worship on Sunday only has meaning as it reflects the practice of our faith carried out through the week (Romans 12:1).

According to James, we are never to think that the cultic aspects of religion — public worship, prayer, bible reading, pious vocabulary and giving to the Lord’s work — are the sum and substance of the outward, visible activity of religious devotion. The actions of true religion go beyond a punctilious — and sincere —observance of the properties of public and personal worship of the Lord. ‘Religion’ does not equal ‘ritual’. Biblical ‘religion’ encompasses all the actions of the believer. Their whole life must be subject to Christ. Not just what they do together at the meeting of the church every Sunday.

One very wise man told me about this simple equation:

Spirituality = Religion - Fear.

Take away all concepts of fear, should, should nots, retribution and hell from Religion and what is left is God with a sense of humour. That, simply, is spirituality.

What are the five attributes of God?

Five Attributes of God's Holiness

God's Holiness is Providential. First, God is holy in His omniscience, or providential knowledge. ...
God's Holiness is Present. Second, God is holy in His overwhelming presence. ...
God's Holiness is Powerful. ...
God's Holiness is Infinite. ...
God's Holiness is Incomparable.

The five principles of Calvinism as formulated by the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) are summarised in "tulip," a popular acronym for total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistibility of grace and final perseverance of the saints.

4 Teachings of Jesus That His Followers (Almost) Never Take Seriously

There are hundreds of teachings contained in the 4 Gospels of the New Testament, teachings that, if we obeyed, would absolutely flip our lives and world upside-down for the glory of God and the good of all people.

By:

Brandan Robertson

Cultural Commentator, Activist, Pastor, and Author of "Our Witness: The Unheard Stories of LGBT+ Christians"

It's no secret that those of us who claim to follow Jesus Christ consistently fall short of living up to the way of life of our Rabbi. Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong journey towards conforming ourselves to the image and way of life that Jesus taught. However, so often, followers of Jesus chose to blatantly ignore some of the clearest instruction of our Rabbi and obscure it with vague theology so that we can get off the hook. Other times, followers of Jesus are taught something explicitly contradictory to the plain words of Jesus and then spend their lives obeying the instruction they received instead of the commands of Jesus.

However, we end up at the place of disobedience, all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus struggle to obey the commands of our Lord. One of the most transformative periods in my faith was when I took time to re-read the Gospels of the New Testament and get reacquainted with Jesus' himself, in his own words. As I studied the words of Jesus, I discovered that so much of what he asks of us as his disciples is incredibly clear and yet so much of it was new to me. I had never heard it in church or Sunday school or actually heard someone teach the exact opposite of the words of Christ. It was during that season of my life where I took inventory of how I lived and what I believed and aligned to the person and teachings of Christ that my faith was radically transformed for the better.

Below I have compiled a short list of 4 clear teachings of Jesus that most of us who exist within Evangelicalism have either never heard, refuse to acknowledge, or believe the exact opposite of. It's my hope that by rereading these teachings of Christ, you will be inspired, like I have been, to return to the Gospels and begin to reshape your faith and life around the way and teachings of our Master, Jesus. Get ready and buckle up because most of what Jesus says is pretty bold and potent. It'll shake up your faith!

1. JESUS, not the Bible, is God's living and active Word that brings life.

"You don't have His word living in you because you don't believe the One He sent. You study the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life."- John 5:39-40 HCSB

The Christian life is one that is fundamentally rooted in the reality that Jesus Christ is living and active. He interacts with us on a day-to-day basis and desires that we cultivate an intimate relationship with him. The more we commune with the Spirit of Christ, the more life and truth we are exposed to and can comprehend. However, for many Evangelicals, we rely more on the Bible than we do on the living and active Spirit of God within us. We fear that following the Spirit could lead to confusion and subjectivity and so we root our faith in the Bible. The problem is that a faith that is rooted in the Scripture alone is not sustainable. It will dry up and wither on the vine. While the Bible is an important and authoritative guide for Christian faith and practice, it isn't the foundation or centre of our faith- Jesus is. And if we truly believe that he is alive, we should also have faith that communing with him will produce spiritual life within us. He is the living Word that we can ask anything of and expect, in faith, to receive and answer. Sometimes he will speak through Scripture. Other times he will speak through our friends and family. Other times he will find unique and special ways to reveal himself to us. But in order to maintain a vibrant and living faith, we must not make the Bible our substitute for communion with the living Word of God. Studying Scripture is valuable, but nowhere near as valuable as cultivating a day-to-day relationship with the God incarnate.

2. The only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is through DOING the will of God.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21 ESV

"An expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the law?" He asked him. "How do you read it? “He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself. “You’ve answered correctly," He told him. "Do this and you will live."- Luke 10: 25-28 HCSB

"We are saved by faith alone, apart from works!" This is a very popular Protestant catch phrase. The doctrine of sola fide (faith alone) was developed by the Reformers in response to the Roman Catholic Churches corrupted teachings that emerged in the 16th Century teaching that one could gain favour with God and shave off years in Hell and Purgatory by giving money to the church or doing acts of penance. The intention of the doctrine of faith alone was very good- to correct the error that our salvation could be earned or that God's grace could be manipulated. But like most doctrines that are formulated in response to another group's doctrine, it often goes too far. One of the clearest teachings throughout all four Gospel accounts is that the way to enter the Kingdom of God is through living in obedience to the Law of Christ. Time and time again, Jesus makes very clear statements that condemn those who think that they will be saved because they believe the right things or do the right religious rituals. Jesus responds to people who believe they are religious and deserve heaven by saying that their outward religiosity is detestable to God and the only thing God desires is that they would exercise their faith by obeying the command of God- to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8) Jesus says if anyone claims to be right with God but doesn't serve the poor, needy, oppressed, marginalised, sick, diseased, and sinful, then they do not have a relationship with God. No matter what they proclaim with their lips. No matter how religious they may appear. Jesus says those who don't obey will have no part in his Kingdom. He makes very clear that the way to "inherit eternal life" is through loving God and loving our neighbour. Isn't it astonishing, then, how many Christians today have been taught that salvation comes through right believing instead of right practice- a message that is fundamentally contrary to the words of Jesus. (And even more to his little brother James who says, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." James 2:24 ESV)

3. Condemnation isn't Jesus' style. "I have not come to condemn the world, but to save it." 3:17 ESV

"Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."- John 8:11 ESV

Many modern-day Evangelical preachers spend a lot of time talking about the kinds of people that God is opposed to and who he condemns. They spend time talking about how to transition from a position of condemnation before God to a position of Grace through believing the right things about Jesus. They often talk about those who disagree or live contrary to their understanding of what is "righteous" as those who are under condemnation from God. But what's funny is that as one examines the teachings and life of Jesus, we find him not only befriending, loving, and affirming some of his societies most despised and vile people, but chastising the religious leaders who condemned them for their sin. Whether it is Jesus' conversation with Rabbi Nicodemus in John 3 where Christ explains that it is his mission to redeem the world and not to condemn it, or the instance where a woman is caught in the act of adultery and is taken outside to be stoned by the religious officials (as the law required) [while her adulterous partner gets away Scott Free] and Jesus steps in to stop the condemnation and proclaim freedom and forgiveness to the broken woman, it is clear that Jesus is not in the condemning business. Instead, it seems Christ is in the business of restoring humanity to the most broken and wicked of people. It seems that his passion is to see the weak, sick, and broken become strong, healthy, and whole in his Kingdom. It seems that he spends very little time (almost none) telling sinners why they're wrong or speaking words of condemnation over them, but rather practically loving and extending grace to the most screwed up of individuals. Maybe we Evangelicals, who are known for our condemnation of entire people groups with whom we disagree, could learn something from Jesus on this point.

4. You're supposed to sacrifice yourself and speak words of blessings for those you disagree with the most.

"Love Your Enemies and Bless Those Who Persecute You" 5:44 ESV

It seems like every week there is a new major controversy taking place within the Church. Most of the time, the situation revolves around one group of Christians disagreeing with another and then taking to the internet to write slanderous posts about the other. If it's not infighting, then it is Christians engaging in culture wars, working to defeat those whom we disagree with politically and socially by painting them as soul-less monsters. But that response is absolutely contrary to the way of Jesus. Jesus calls his followers to love the people they disagree with most and to speak blessings over them when all we really want to do is curse them out. No matter what the situation is or what kind of enemy we have, Christians are called to bless the people who hurt us the most. This includes in theological battles, political disagreements, national wars, and personal conflicts. Christians are called to a radical position of nonviolence and forgiveness, grace, and even blessing of our enemies. There is no way around it. And when Christians chose to ignore these clear teachings, our hypocrisy is glaringly obvious to the watching world.

The point of this post is to encourage those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus to re-examine how we are living our lives and practising our faith. It is so easy to get so caught up in the flow that we fail to recognise just how far away from shore we have been carried. The words of Jesus are pretty darn clear, but oftentimes in our zealousness for our faith, we often get pulled away from the basics and eventually end up living in a way that we believe is honouring to God but is actually contradictory to everything he has taught us.

In this post, I have offered just four examples. There are hundreds of teachings contained in the 4 Gospels of the New Testament, teachings that, if we obeyed, would absolutely flip our lives and world upside-down for the glory of God and the good of all people. What the Church as a whole and Evangelicals in particular desperately need in this age is a return to the plain teachings of Jesus. We need to be willing to set aside our theological debates and meanderings for a season and focus on simply reading, conforming, and obeying the will of Christ, both as revealed in Scripture and as we are led by his Spirit. The world is desperately longing to encounter Jesus through us and for far too long we have been giving them a cheap knock off that we have exported under his name. But it's clear to everyone that what is passing for Christianity today is almost totally divorced from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

My prayer is that we would all turn our faces towards our risen Saviour and seek to selflessly follow his commands. I am convinced that the Jesus' way is the only way that will heal our broken world. I am convinced that the whole earth is groaning as it waits for men and women to take up their crosses and follow in the way of redemption. I am convinced that when those of us who call ourselves "Christian" re-orient ourselves in Jesus, the power of God will flow through us in an unprecedented and miraculous way that will bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Oh, how I long for that day.

"Those who aren't following Jesus aren't his followers. It's that simple. Followers follow, and those who don't follow aren't followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it."― Scot McKnight

1 John 2:2-6

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him, but whoever keeps His word, in Him truly the love of God is perfected.

By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.

What can we learn from Samuel 12?

Samuel had lived with integrity, serving the Lord and the people his whole life.

Treat others fairly.
Treat others kindly.
Speak words of correction.
Speak words of instruction.
God has great power.
Serve God wholeheartedly.
God has great love.
Pray for those in need.

What are the 5 steps of repentance?

Principles of Repentance

We Must Recognise Our Sins. To repent, we must admit to ourselves that we have sinned. ...
We Must Feel Sorrow for Our Sins. ...
We Must Forsake Our Sins. ...
We Must Confess Our Sins. ...
We Must Make Restitution. ...
We Must Forgive Others. ...
We Must Keep the Commandments of God.

“But the Greek REALLY says…”: Why Hebrew and Greek are not needed in the pulpit, Part 1

Para la versión castellana, vaya AQUI.

Come with me to ESEPA Seminary in Costa Rica: we meet at night around a table, and with me are all my advanced students of Greek. Throughout four semesters we have studied the ancient dialect, koinē, and they have found blessings as they read the New Testament in the original.

Tonight we’ll take a different tack: “I’m about to impart something very important to you,” I alert them. Nodding, they lean forward.

“Here’s the mystical wisdom: (1) With almost no exceptions, whenever I preach, I study deeply the passage in the original language. But, (2) I almost never mention a Greek or Hebrew word from the pulpit. In fact, I go for years without making a peep in those languages.”

I let that sink in.

Then: “If you cannot state in plain, precise Spanish what you have found in the text, then you don’t really understand the passage and you shouldn’t be preaching on it.” Puzzled expressions! Then: “If you lard your sermons with Hebrew and Greek words, please do not tell your people that you studied with me, because I’ll deny that I know you!”

Is this reflective of some inner conflict on my part? Do I devote myself to teach Greek, only to sabotage my efforts? Do I have, linguistically, a “fear of commitment”? Not at all.

“I know in your Bible it says ‘Yes,’ but in the Greek it says ‘No’!”

Many people I know who are excellent students of the Word, some of whom are experts in the original texts, seem to agree that while the languages are vital for sermon preparation, there is little need of using them during the presentation of a sermon or teaching, unless the audience knows the language. [1]

Now, a confession: In my file cabinet I still have the notes I used to preach my first real “church sermons,” given in the summer of 1978. I recall how I made reference to the Greek in Phil 3:12-14, Gal 6:1-5 and James 1:5-10. I looked up how to pronounce certain words (baros, phortion) and used them in my messages. I also said that a certain verb was an “aorist” and thus meant a point action (that’s not true, by the way). I got these data from commentaries that I barely understood. The problem there was that I only began to study Greek in the autumn of 1978. I look at those notes now and blush to the roots of my hair, first because I used the Greek wrongly, but second because I had presumed to speak about matters I knew nothing about. I might as well have been trying to explain differential calculus to the congregation.

A lot of people say of their pastors that, “He gets right into the Greek words, and shows how the English translations can’t capture what the original says.” I’m sad to see a definition of “expository” preaching as sermons studded with ancient words, as if one cannot expound the Bible in modern English. Plus, my personal observation is that One’s use of Greek (or Hebrew) is inversely proportionate to one’s actual understanding of that language. I am no expert in Greek, but I can say that for me, the more years that I have studied the language, the less I find myself referring to them in a message.

In church, I am regularly put in a tight spot (not in the church I attend, by the way). A preacher will make some statement about the Greek language, one that makes me cringe because it’s incorrect or poorly applied – it’s like a chemist hearing that water is composed of helium and nitrogen atoms. But then the preacher will look at me for confirmation: “Professor Shogren, isn’t that correct?” What am I to do? I can’t say Yes, but I’m not going to say No either. Usually I give a mysterious, Mona Lisa smile and wait for it to blow over.

We are supposed to follow the example of the apostles when we preach, and they rarely used foreign terms. For example, in 1 Cor 1:30, Paul adapts the text of Jer 9:24, “Let the one who boasts, boast in this…” Can you imagine Paul saying, “Now in the original Hebrew, the verb for ‘boast’ is hālal, which in the Hithpa’el means ‘to boast, to make one’s boast in’”? And why doesn’t he do so? It’s because Paul’s goal is to explain in the language of his hearers what it means to boast about oneself and why we should center our existence on God instead. What kind of benefit could come from brandishing the Hebrew word, especially when it sheds no further light on God’s truth? (In a later post, we will consider when it might be useful to introduce an ancient term).

There are other, theological reasons, for preaching in clear English: the law of love; the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers; the doctrine of the reliability of Scripture.

1) The Law of Love. The second great commandment is that we love our neighbour as ourselves. People who are loving are not “arrogant, boastful” (1 Cor 13:4); they follow the precept, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Using Greek or Hebrew in a sermon could be, in some cases, a signal that we are trying to elevate ourselves over the others of God’s flock; some humble people also refer to the original text, and this is between the individual and the Lord. Beyond this, we should remember that the more we speak in Greek, the less the congregation is edified: to paraphrase the apostle, “In church I would rather speak five clear words in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.” Why? Because to the extent that the reader doesn’t know the language, there is no communication, and the hearer is not “built up” (see 1 Cor 14:16-19). If we don’t build up the Other, then we are not acting in love. And love drives us to the sweaty mental and spiritual work of translating our findings into plain English.

2) The Doctrine of the Priesthood of the Believer. (I have written on this topic HERE). Peter said that “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:5); Paul said that for each believer “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God” (1 Cor 6:19). We do not have a priesthood as Israel once did. The pastor, then, must not signal by his language that he is “clergy” and the rest are “laypeople,” who should follow the message that he has brought up from some dark wells of learning. Another application of this doctrine is this: when he preaches, the pastor is not only teaching the congregation, he is also teaching them how to study the Word. We never want to leave anyone with the idea that, “I can never really grasp the Bible the way that the preacher does.” The purpose of original languages is to inform the preacher from Monday through Saturday, not to awe the audience on Sunday. [2]

3) The Doctrine of the Reliability of Scripture. want to instil in our people that the Word is inspired, reliable and meant to be understood and obeyed. When I preach, I will sometimes say, e.g., “I think the ESV captures this verse better than some other versions,” and point to the context or some other fact, and then leave it at that. But let us avoid the peril when we let the flock in on the “insight” that, “I know it says such-and-such in your English translations, but in the original it really means…” The subtext is, as in 2) above, you people need a “priestly expert” to interpret God’s Word to you. Even more dangerously, we might inject into the minds of the congregation a sense of tentativeness about whether they should obey what the Bible seems to plainly teach.

I have people come up to me regularly to ask, “What does this verse or word really say in the original?” And you know what the answer is, 95+% of the time? “What it says in your translation is what it says in the original.” An anecdote attributed to the late Howard Hendricks is that he would say, “The word that is translated ‘joy’ here in our English Bibles comes from a Greek word that means…[wait for it!] ‘joy.’” Hats off to Dr. Hendricks; much of this is no more than a chasing of the tail that gets us nowhere fast. [3]

Note – yesterday I heard a very fine radio sermon on what it means to build up other believers. The preacher said “Build up – which in Greek is oikodomia – means that we, etc.” Those of us who have some knowledge of Greek already knew the word; most listeners did not. So why mention it at all?

Besides the original texts, I use about 20 English versions, 10 in Spanish, and some from other languages. And they capture the meaning of the original, some better than others, but all reliably. [4] When I wrote my commentary on 1 Corinthians, I invested years in the study of the Greek version, and they also asked me to base my comments on the Nueva Versión Internacional; the NVI is the Spanish version of the New International Version. In the end I concluded, “Wow, the NVI is really solid, I’m impressed with how it represents the Greek text of the epistle.”

The following will sound harsh, but let’s think through what is going on when a pastor constantly “corrects” the English translation: someone who perhaps has had a couple of years of Greek or Hebrew classes, in effect is saying that he could translate the original better than did the editors of the ESV, the NIV, or whichever. To show why that’s a problem, let’s take as an example of how a modern version is produced: a colleague friend of mine was one of the translators for the New Living Translation. He is an expert on the original languages of 1 Samuel, and he and two other scholars of renown worked just on 1-2 Samuel. [5] There was then an editor for OT Historical Books, another for the Old Testament, then style editors, general editors, that is, about 100 people working on the entire Bible: all had lifetimes of highly specialized study, these experts of international standing who were invited to participate in the NLT project. And all of them were committed precisely to this goal: to render in understandable English that which the original languages say! They weren’t ignorant of alternative interpretations; they didn’t “leave out” shades of meaning; rather, they wrote the best that they could determine, what the original really said.

I implore my fellow preachers to consider the erosion of confidence they cause when they imply that our Bible translations are not reliable; for many people, that will come across as “Therefore, the Bible is not reliable”. [6]

Let me close with a concrete example of a famous preacher, who every week it seems appeals to the Greek or Hebrew. With regard to John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” he comments:

The Greek word translated “another” may provide a helpful clue in understanding Jesus’ meaning in John 14. There are two Greek words frequently translated “another”: heteros and allos. Sometimes the biblical authors used those words interchangeably, but sometimes they used heteros to speak of another of a different kind and allos to speak of another of the same kind… Allos is the word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit: “another [allos] Helper.” That could be His way of saying, “I am sending you One of exactly the same essence as Me.” He wasn’t sending just any helper, but One exactly like Himself with the same compassion, the same attributes of deity, and the same love for them. Jesus had been the disciples’ helper for three years. He had helped them, comforted them, and walked alongside them. Now they would have another Helper – One exactly like Jesus – to minister to them as He had.

What can we say about this?

First: Actually, Greek scholars say that the two words for “other” were differentiated in Classical Greek, but not the Greek of the time of Jesus.

Two: He says, correctly, that “Sometimes the biblical authors used them interchangeably,” or in other words, this might not apply here.

Three: He says, “This could be his way of saying, etc.” Could be? The proof seems slight.

Four: If the Holy Spirit is exactly like Jesus in compassion, deity and love, then these are truths that would have to be demonstrated from this and other passages; the word allos cannot in itself bear all this theological weight.

So, couldn’t a preacher make exactly the same point without all these extraneous data? Something like:

In John 14:16, Jesus says that “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever”. Notice that the Lord says “another Helper,” meaning that Jesus was a Helper and the Holy Spirit will be another Helper. This wasn’t just any helper, but like Jesus, he is God and he will treat them with the same compassion, love, patience and wisdom that Jesus did. And he would come not as a human being, limited to one space and time, but as Spirit living in each one of them, wherever they went. God would continue to guide and care for them.

With its clearer English, doesn’t this shed light, the same light, on the passage? Plus it avoids a lot of words the congregation doesn’t know and won’t remember and that really don’t advance their grasp of the Bible; and it opens up additional minutes for deeper application of the truth to our lives:

And today we have that very same Helper in each one of us. Do you get to dreaming once in a while, about how it would have been great to have lived in Galilee and heard and seen the Lord during his ministry? But do you know what? Jesus himself tells us that we have a better help than even the disciples had, one who is always present every minute of the day, every place we go.

In Part 2 we will see that a lot of what is said about the biblical languages, besides being a distraction, isn’t even true in the first place. In Part 3 we will see how the apostles judiciously used a handful of foreign words – e.g., Amen, Hallelujah, Maranatha, Abba; plus, are other crucial words that we might teach our people with great profit, e.g., echad; the names of God; Yeshua; logos; Shalom.

NOTES:

[1] I don’t believe that it requires any “special pleading” to point out that in this blog I regularly refer to Greek, and sometimes post highly technical articles, such as on the verb periergazomain Were Thessalonians “meddling in divine matters”? 2 Thess 3:11 [Studies in Thessalonians]" that is because I am taking into account the readership of OpenOurEyesLord.com.

[2] The most egregious example I know of is the ministry of “Greek expert” R. B. Thieme. He took some Greek courses and went on to build an entire movement based on faulty, fallacious thoughts about the Greek text, used for cultic ends. Those who study the languages, even for a couple of semesters, can overturn most of his so-called insights; see http://thiemite.blogspot.com

[3] An extreme example of using Hebrew terms is found in the messianic movement that is sweeping Latin America. Some of these groups are sound, but many are not. A friend told me that in group in Mexico, they don’t call their leader a “pastor” but “roe” (row-EH). Why? Because that’s the Hebrew term for pastor; one finds it in the opening of Psalm 23:1 – Yahweh roi, “the LORD is my shepherd.” The problem is that, no-one understands roe, and to make sense of it, someone has to say “roe means ‘pastor'” – it’s better in Spanish than in English, since the Spanish “pastor” may mean both a literal shepherd and Christian pastor. So, why bother using the term roem at all? My guess is that it implies that by calling the pastor roe my group achieves a higher level of authenticity – We are more Hebrew than thou.

[4] At the far fringe of the King James Onlyists are those few who argue that the pastor should not bother studying the Bible in other versions nor in the original languages, since the KJV is the inspired, reliable version of God’s Word. The basis for this belief is a notion that God preserved only one version, and that the KJV is “the One.” Among these teachers one should mention Peter Ruckman, the fiery blog http://www.Jesus-is-Lord.com, Chick Publications. This is an error of so many facets that we cannot deal with it here.

[5] Click here to see the names of the NLT translation team: http://www.newlivingtranslation.com/05discoverthenlt/meetthescholars.asp

[6] The other side of the coin is that we must help our flocks understand the basics of textual criticism, to ease the dismay we feel when we read the footnotes of the Bible to find, “This verse is not in the best manuscripts.” But that is a theme for another post.

But the Greek REALLY says…” Why Greek and Hebrew are not needed in the pulpit, Part 3

Strong’s Concordance – A Good Tool Gone Bad

My four decades in the Bible – Part III

Is the NIV 2011 a Satanic, Homosexual, PC Bible? Part I

“‘But the Greek REALLY says…’: Why Hebrew and Greek are not needed in the pulpit, Part 1,” by Gary Shogren, PhD in New Testament Exegesis, Professor at Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica

Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?

Why has God never helped me, even though I have prayed to him, tried my best to do what is right, and have now been psychologically suffering with the same problem for close to 21 years? It feels like I'm in Hell, so what am I missing? No Atheists.

I’m 29 and have had epilepsy for over 10 years now. Ever since I was a kid I always believed in God and hard work, but coming to realize God can't help me. God didn't help me when I was constantly failing class due to a learning disability I didn't know I had. God didn't help me when I joined the army to make a better life for myself because I ended up getting seizures and really f****d up mentally and physically because of that. God didn't help me as a veteran, I slaved with some of the worst employers who treated employees better not based on hard work, but because they were personal friends. God didn't help me throughout all my years of hard labour as a veteran which ended up disabling me even MORE and now I can't work anywhere. I'm useless to society and now living off the government. God still hasn't helped even though I've been praying to him/her my entire life. I can't even play sports or run my own business. What kind of business owner can't physically help his employees? Believing in God is the biggest disappointment of my life. Just work as hard as you can and don't trust some magical god to help deliver part of your rewards in life for being such a good and hard working person.

Hello my friend. I feel the pain from your question. I don’t know what type of torment you have within your mind, but it has persistently attacked you for over 21 years? It is very much a long time and it seems almost lifelong.

Humans cannot escape pain in the existing world we live. Often we cannot explain its source. Is it a genetic disease that came from our ancestors? Is it the result of a virus? Is it resulting from a fall, a physical force when lifting, a car accident? Is it from brain chemical imbalances that have occurred? Have we experienced a traumatic experience such as losing a parent to death, or experiencing loss?

Often times in my life, I asked ‘why?’ But many times, I don’t receive a reason. Other times, I do. For example, I discovered why my father suffered from schizophrenia- because it is a genetic condition that my grandmother had. I cannot explain why the frontal cortex is affected by dopamine imbalances, and I don’t know how many ancestors had it, yet I know the world is imperfect.

Can I blame God? Where is God during suffering? My Bible tells me several things about God which is helpful. Coming from the aspect of writers who were often in difficult times:

God is love. Therefore He loves me.
God will never leave nor forsake me. This means He is with those who suffer.
God has a plan and purpose for everyone—for good. I know that God wants the best for me even when times are tough.
God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. God wants to give me part of his strength to endure anything life gives me.
Romans 5:3–4 tells me that I can grow positively when I endure pain, and that I can learn to persevere. I grow in character and can experience God’s love for me in even greater ways.
The Bible tells me that God walks with me even in times of darkness. I know He is alongside those who experience suffering.
God asks people to come beside the weak and tired. This means there are others in my life sent by God to help me endure my pain. It could be parents, friends, medical staff, priests, pets, neighbours, or even an occasional stranger or two. Whether
I see it or not, God is there. Sometimes in big ways. Other times in ways that we can’t see.
God appeared on earth and suffered for us. He is now returned to his dimension and now intercedes for us daily. This means Jesus is praying for you right now, and comes from a position where he experienced pain and sees the pain you endure.
God gives intelligence to humans to create solutions and help each other. Are you prescribed a medication that was discovered from research? This is designed to help you. God gives intelligence and insight to scientists to help us with physical or biological pain.
God has invisible servants known as ‘angels’ who are there to assist humans. You may not be aware of their presence in your life, but we know they exist as the Bible states they do [and experience proves it, JMP].
God promises a new world, a new heaven and a new earth. He also promised a resurrection body for us who have faith in him. In other words, I hope for a time when I am changed and have no sickness nor suffering. That the world will not groan with its own suffering. The day will come—God promises this.
The Bible tells me that our physical body holds a greater power within us—our immortal spirit. It means that sickness and suffering may inflict my physical body, but my spiritual body—the one that communicates with God - is safe, powerful and able to connect with God’s power.
I can help others who endure the same crises that I do. The Bible tells me that I should ‘strengthen my brothers and sisters’. This means that if I learn to endure and remain positive despite my pain, I can help others to know God’s love for them.
I see others that have overcome despite great pain and suffering. Through the example of others, and by asking how God helps those who seem to overcome DESPITE their pain, I can understand how God is helping ME, and see where God HAS helped me throughout my life—if I take my eyes off my pain and look around me.

I hope you can understand where God is in your life at the moment, my friend. I have discovered that there had never been a moment in my life that He has stopped loving me and helping me. May this revelation be one you realize too.

What it Means to be Meek

Meekness is a controlled strength that puts everything in the hands of God. It is founded on a trust of the Lord, and it always denies self. We see it grow alongside humility and wisdom in that it seeks another person’s interest at the expense of its own, and it is pure, peaceable, gentle, and open to reason (James 3:13&17 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. ).

This should not, however, be confused with cowardice or weakness. It’s not being afraid to stand up to someone; rather it’s having the courage to trust God for justice. We see this in David’s life before he was made king. Several times he had the strength and power to take the throne for his own and yet he rejected self. He quieted the whisperings of flesh that say “Why should you tolerate this? He should pay for this!” and chose instead to trust the Lord his God with quiet submission (1 Sam 26:10-11 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

1Sa 26:11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. ). How counter cultural is that in today’s world? We have an entire online world that roars against that attitude.

A Spiritual Inheritance

Then there’s the bit about them inheriting the earth? Jesus has a habit of saying things that make you scratch your head. I have sympathy for the Apostles because I have the Holy Spirit, years of studying His Word, and many years of spiritual experience, and I’m still confused by what He (Jesus) says sometimes. My current understanding is this: there is a sense in which the meek have already inherited the earth. The Bible says that all things are ours in Christ, and Paul declared that he has nothing and yet he has everything. You take swipes at a meek man, and he takes it in stride. You have no power over such a person. They are content and satisfied on this side of eternity. In that way they have inherited the earth.

But there are future expectations too. In the day when tears will be wiped away there will be a purification of the soul. Quite literally everyone in Heaven on the new earth will be meek. To be otherwise would be inconsistent with righteousness.

Where does that leave us? In a position of hope and certainty. One New Testament Scholar, D.A. Carson, says it this way, “With this eternal perspective in view he (a Christian) can afford to be meek”. Can you afford to be meek today? Do you trust God in a way that you know all things will be made right in the end? Are you free to suffer wrong and lean into the Lord? Is your idea of meekness your ability to control your strength, your temper, and your calmness through the infilling of the Holy Spirit as Moses appears to have done?

Out of all the displeasure and disobedience of the Children of Israel over the 40 or so years in the deserts and wilderness, Moses only ever lost his anger once. He was not a perfect man, as we are not perfect people. Ultimately he lost his temper, as we would have done ten times before, and he paid for his disobedience with not entering the promised land, dying in an unmarked grave with no one to show respect and honour. Much later this saved followers of Almighty God turning to the tomb of Moses and worshipping him in an idolotrous way! Refer to Exodus 20.

"Deuteronomy 34:4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

Deu 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

Deu 34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-Peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day."

Definition of Sanctification

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Sanctification is a very large word that you may have heard at church from your pastor or Sunday school teacher. It simply means to sanctify: that is, to make holy or to set apart. When God sanctifies us, He makes us holy and sets us apart. The word holy means be different – to be set apart – from those around you. God wants to save us from the stain of sin; this is known as justification. When God justifies people, He puts a “righteous” stamp on them; He takes away their “sinful” label and replaces it with a “righteous” one. He cleanses them of their sin and puts a new label on them. To justify is to change something’s label from “wrong” to “right.” This is a one-time event; once God justifies a person, the “sinful” label is normally thrown away forever. It is conditional upon our staying obedient to Jesus until the time that we die. (Mark 13:10-13)

God also wants to save us from the power of sin; this is sanctification. Sanctification is not a one-time event. It is something that takes place over the rest of a Christian’s life. though God cleanses us of our sin and takes away our “wrong” label, this does not mean that we are perfect. Sin is still present, and we still sometimes listen to it and make wrong choices. God wants us to stop listening to sin and doing what it wants us to do. God wants us to do what He tells us to do through the Bible and through His Spirit. He wants to save us from the power of sin, so that sin no longer has control over us. Sanctification is the power to say “yes” to God and “no” to sin.

A Deeper Look at Sanctification in the Bible

Sanctification is the call to put off the old self, one wrought with sin, and put on the new self, one filled by the Spirit. It is the process of our hearts, minds, and desires being brought into greater conformity with God’s. Sanctification is the Christian’s growth in grace. Sanctification means to become more Christlike, an aspiration that seems all but impossible to reach – but the Lord calls all Christians to holiness and Christ likeness (1 Peter 1:15).

When sanctification is talked about in the Bible, it is viewed in different stages and the concept is understood in a variety of ways. Initial sanctification occurs with our justification (1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11). Progressive sanctification is occurring now, as we are being sanctified (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:6). Future sanctification happens at death when we are glorified and made perfect (Romans 8:29-30; Philippians 3:21). Full sanctification is not possible in this life; it can only occur when we have been united to Christ in heaven.

The Basis for Sanctification in Scripture

At the time of justification, we are united to Christ. In Romans 6:1-14, Paul explains that if we have been united to Christ, we have also been united to him in his death and resurrection. We have died to sin and been raised to new life. This passage teaches that we have been freed from the power of sin, enabled to live in newness of life under the reign of grace, unified with Christ in his resurrection, and made new creatures. This passage emphasises definitive sanctification, however Christians will always struggle against sin and fall into it this side of glory. According to 1 Corinthians 1:2, those who have been united to Christ have been sanctified, but there is still the reality that we will not be fully sanctified until glorification.

It is Christ’s righteousness that is the basis for our righteousness. “Jesus is the author of our sanctification, in the sense that he created it for us, but he is also the ‘pioneer’ of our salvation, because he does so out of his incarnate life, death, and resurrection.” [1] The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers that sanctification is: The work of God’s free grace (2 Thessalonians 2:13) whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God (Ephesians 4:23-24), and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness (Romans 6:4, 6; 8:1). [2] Sinclair Ferguson notes that Christians should not focus on their own spiritual progress but focus on what Christ has accomplished in redemptive history. The basis for our sanctification is always the Lord himself. Sanctification is not only discussed in the New Testament but is a work of the Lord’s faithfulness that is repeatedly brought to light in the Old Testament. In the New Testament the Lord sanctified His children by His grace. In the Old Testament, the Lord saved Israel from Egypt out of his loving-kindness. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 reads:

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

The Process of Sanctification

So how does a Christian reach for sanctification? Some, like Pentecostals, believe sanctification happens instantaneously alongside justification and the Christian is immediately set apart from sin. However, most believe it is a process that takes the entirety of our lives. The Bible speaks frequently about God’s sanctifying work in the Christian’s life, but what does the process look like? John MacArthur highlights three key steps in the sanctification process [3]:

1. Cognition – understanding what the Bible says and means and renewing your mind (Rom. 12:1-2).
2. Conviction – allowing the convictions that come from understanding Scripture shape how you live your life (2 Corinthians 4:13-14).
3. Affection – loving God’s word (Psalm 119).

When the Lord sanctifies His people, he demands that they live a sanctified life. Once we have been saved, it would seem illogical to continue to live as though we had not been saved. As it was in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:11), the Lord commands that we now live according to His Word. We learn to love the Lord’s Law not out of a desire to earn God’s favor but because His Spirit has changed our hearts. The indicative must follow the imperative. In Jesus’ day, religious leaders and Pharisees were more concerned with outward holiness than they were with the main teachings of the Law of Moses (love God and love others). [4]

Grace and Law in Relation to Sanctification

There has been much discussion of what role the Old Testament Law plays in sanctification. According to the Reformed tradition, it is only when we learn to love God’s revealed Law that sanctification becomes a reality in our lives. Lutherans and Reformers both see the Law as having three primary functions:

1. To restrain sin from running rampant in the world;
2. To serve as a mirror and to show us our need of Christ, since we are unable to keep the Law;
3. To serve as a guide for how we are to live and teach the way of righteousness.

Lutherans and Reformers disagree on how much emphasis should be placed on the “Third Use of the Law.” Lutherans see the danger of works-righteousness (the idea that we can merit our salvation by our good works) and argue that the third use should only be used to point us back to our need for Christ. Reformers hold that the third use is the primary way in which the Law is used throughout Scripture since Christians are expected to bear good works.

According to Reformers, when a man is justified he becomes a new man and receives a new spirit, the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 5:17) and his relationship to the Law changes. The Law is no longer seen as a means by which he might try to achieve salvation (and therefore a burden), but rather he sees the Law as the manifestation of God’s loving will. The Law then becomes a guide for Christian living, but our motivation for following the Law has changed. We no longer follow the Law to earn salvation, but rather our motivation is the delight to obey the Lord. Tim Keller puts it such, "You are saved by faith alone, not by faith which remains alone…If you are not getting or becoming sanctified, you don’t have saving faith" (Galatians 5:6; James 1:22-25). [5]

We have to be careful not to fall to either side of legalism or licentiousness. Legalism states that we can earn God’s love and approval by obeying. Licentiousness states that the Law no longer serves any purpose, and we can find satisfaction apart from God’s Word. The Gospel states that we are accepted and loved, and therefore we obey.

The Lord’s Faithfulness in Sanctification

Sometimes the sanctification process looks a lot like suffering. Paul and James both remind us that suffering produces growth in grace (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4). Often, suffering is the usher used to bring about sanctification in our lives. In 2 Thessalonians 1:4-6 Paul reminds the church that the Lord is faithful to bring about justice to those who have caused them to suffer. Their faithfulness to the Gospel in times of trials is evidence of God’s faithfulness.

What happens when we find these steps too hard and the process too slow? When we don’t have the desire to read our Bibles? When we don’t necessarily want to make the “right” decision? For the times when the sanctification process is hard and slow, John Newton has some words of encouragement. Newton was a former slave owner turned abolitionist who is known best for his lyrics to “Amazing Grace.” He urges a correspondent he is writing to, as well as you and me, to continue on in the faith.

"Faithfulness to light received, and a sincere endeavour to conform to the means prescribed in the word of God, with a humble application to the Blood of sprinkling and the promised Spirit, will undoubtedly be answered by increasing measures of light, faith, strength, and comfort; and we shall know, if we follow on to know the Lord." [6]

A sincere heart and desire to know the Lord more deeply and richly is all that is needed for the Lord to work through our stubbornness and seeking after that which we know will not ultimately satisfy us. It is not our will or determination that evokes transformation and growth but the loving-kindness of the Lord. Even when our sanctification seems slow, the Lord is faithful to initiate and bring change. Paul reminds us of this truth in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24: "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

So what is the motivation for sanctification? Why should Christians seek to be more Christlike?

Sanctification is not what we do to keep God happy. Keeping the Law is not about looking at what we can get out of it.

Rather, the process of sanctification ultimately results in a joy that comes from obeying the one who saved us. It is not possible on our own or by our own power and volition. It only comes about by the power of the Holy Spirit as He transforms our hearts and minds to delight in His will.

Napolean Speaks

Here is a quote from the well-known anti church anti catholic emperor and revolutionary Napoleon.

I see in Lycurgus [the legendary law-giver of Sparta], Numa [celebrated by the Romans for his wisdom and piety]. and (Prophet) Mohammed only legislators who, having the first rank in the state, have sought the best solution of the social problem but I see nothing there which reveals divinity...nothing announces them divine. On the contrary, there are numerous resemblances between them & myself, foibles and errors which ally them to me and to humanity.

It is not so with Christ. Everything in Him astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me. Beside Him and whoever else in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. He is truly a being by Himself. His ideals and His sentiments, the truths which He announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organisation or by the nature of things. His birth and the history of His life; the profundity of His doctrine, which grapples the mightiest difficulties, and which is, of those difficulties, the most admirable solution; His Gospel, His apparition, His empire, His march across the ages and the realms, is for me a prodigy, a mystery insoluble, which plunges me into a reverence which I cannot escape, a mystery which is there before my eyes, mystery which I cannot deny or explain. Here I see nothing human. The nearer I approach, the more carefully I examine, everything is above me, everything remains grand—and of a grandeur which overpowers.

His religion is a revelation from an intelligence which certainly is not a man. There is a profound originality, which has created a series of maxims before unknown. Jesus borrowed nothing from our sciences. One can absolutely find nowhere, but in Him alone, the imitation or the example of His life.

Messiah in Old Testament

While the Old Testament lays the groundwork for the arrival of a Messiah, it doesn't explicitly proclaim Jesus Christ in the way you might be expecting. Instead, it offers a tapestry of prophetic references, foreshadowing, and typology that point towards a future redeemer, and Christians later interpreted these elements as fulfilled in Jesus.

[What’s more, the term Messiah could be interpreted by the Jewish nation as

a person who redeems one by paying off their financial, and other, debts;
a person who comes as a warrior saviour to redeem a family or nation from their enemies. This second interpretation was held by the Jewish nation at the time of Jesus being on the earth, believing a “Mashiach” (Messiah) would come as a warrior to lead Israel to remove the Roman legions from their land. The Israelites of that time did not believe in a messiah who suffered to pay for their sins, but rather an all overcoming messiah who would deliver them from their oppressors.]

Here are some interesting key examples:

Messianic prophecies:

Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel." This verse is often seen as foretelling the virgin birth of Jesus.
Isaiah 53: This chapter describes a suffering servant who bears the sins of others. Many Christians see this as a prophetic image of Jesus' crucifixion. The Jewish communities do not normally read this chapter.
Micah 5:2: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule over Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." This verse identifies Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah, which aligns with the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth.

Foreshadowing:

King David: the Old Testament, David is presented as a righteous king and ancestor of the Messiah. Christians see parallels between David's life and Jesus' ministry, such as their roles as shepherd and king.
Passover lamb: The sacrifice of the Passover lamb in Exodus prefigures Jesus' sacrifice as the ultimate lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world.
Serpent in the wilderness: bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the wilderness is seen as a type of Jesus lifted up on the cross, offering healing and salvation.

Typology:

Jonah: Jonah's three days spent in the belly of the whale are seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus' burial and resurrection.
Joseph: Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and subsequent rise to power in Egypt are seen as parallels to Jesus' rejection by his own people and his ultimate exaltation.

It's important to note that interpreting these Old Testament passages as prophecies about Jesus is a matter of Christian faith and perspective. Other religious traditions interpret these texts differently.

If you're interested in learning more about the relationship between the Old Testament and Jesus, I encourage you to explore these themes further, perhaps through scripture study or conversations with religious scholars of different backgrounds.

Remember, approaching these topics with respect and an open mind can lead to a deeper understanding of faith and the diverse interpretations of sacred texts.